Chapter 459

Chapter 459: The Way to Make Wealth

Led by a maid, Fang Lie sat before a table laden with dishes and forced a bitter smile. "Sect Leader, isn’t this too wasteful for just two people?"

Mo Qianxun glared disapprovingly. "From now on, address me as Father-in-law!"

"Yes, Father-in-law!" Fang Lie replied reluctantly.

"Better." Mo Qianxun nodded, seating himself. "Listen well, son-in-law. We cultivators mustn’t hoard wealth when pursuing cultivation. Though this meal costs hundreds of small spirit pearls, every bite’s justified!"

"Hundreds?!" Fang Lie’s eyes bulged.

Though Fang Lie considered himself worldly—regularly dining on spiritual items worth millions of spirit stones—Mo Qianxun’s extravagance dwarfed his. A single small spirit pearl equaled 100 million low-grade spirit stones. This meal surpassed Fang Lie’s lifetime expenses thousands-fold.

"Father-in-law," Fang Lie choked out, "what cosmic delicacies cost this much?"

"Quality demands price." Mo Qianxun gestured to Fang Lie’s thimble-sized cup holding crimson liquid. "This Blood Shark Lingzhi Soup uses Seventh-rank Great Demon flesh and thousand-year White Jade Lingzhi. The demon’s steel-hard meat requires a Sixth-rank cauldron simmering for a decade. Though unimpressive-looking, it concentrates vital essences to fortify flesh and bone—hence being served first to whet appetites."

Fang Lie gaped. Seventh-rank demons! Millennium mushrooms! Each component screamed extravagance. The tiny portion alone could fetch ten small spirit pearls.

Mo Qianxun chuckled. "My subordinates caught the shark, my lands grew the mushroom. Sold publicly? Hundreds would bid fiercely for one bowl."

Fang Lie’s gaze burned into his meager portion, then flicked to Mo Qianxun’s brimming basin-sized bowl. Indignation flared. "You feast from a trough while giving me this thimble?!"

"Ha!" Mo Qianxun snorted. "Boy, this soup’s potency matches my Semi-Immortal constitution. That sip alone might overwhelm you!"

Fang Lie defiantly downed the liquid. Divine flavors bloomed, then heat surged through his veins. Muscles writhed, bones crackled—his body reforging itself. Hunger roared through him, stomach growling thunderously.

"Enough pretense." Mo Qianxun waved at the feast. "Eat!"

Fang Lie attacked the dishes. Servants replenished plates faster than he emptied them. Fifteen minutes and dozens of courses later, he paused—yet sensed his enhanced metabolism would soon demand more.

Observing Mo Qianxun had also ceased eating, Fang Lie ventured, "How can you afford this? Your Four Great Outer Paths must drain fortunes!"

"Petty coins." Mo Qianxun smirked. "Who said Outer Paths consume wealth? Mine generate it!"

Fang Lie sputtered, "But they’re legendary money pits!"

"Amateurs mismanage them." Mo Qianxun leaned back. "My Devouring Gold Insects—trillions strong in a Secret Realm—devour Golden Creek Mountains, excreting third-rank metals worth 100,000 pearls annually. Three Eighth-rank guardian beasts deliver ten Seventh-rank demon carcasses yearly—each worth thousands. My Purple Heaven Divine Lightning Flags harvest ninth-rank Thunder Vitality Liquid in another realm. As for Dao Soldiers…" He nodded at nearby dog demons. "Sixth-rank commanders govern my Central World domain—their tributes outearn all else combined."

Fang Lie’s jaw dropped. "So Outer Paths eventually profit?"

"Naturally!" Mo Qianxun thumped the table. "Initial investments bankrupt Thunder Tribulation Immortals, but returns snowball. They boost combat strength and wealth! You’re stagnating—hoarding gold mines instead of reinvesting! Cultivation’s Four Essentials place wealth first! No riches? No Dao companions! No mind-altering spells! No protected territory! More wealth eases cultivation—it’s paramount!"

Fang Lie blinked enlightenment.

"Wake up, boy!" Mo Qianxun jabbed a finger. "You’ll need exponentially more resources advancing further. Start wealth’s wheel spinning now, or regret delays later!"