I Can Control Resources

...

Gao Neng was, of course, using a cheat.

After activating a cheat, most people would choose to keep a low profile or quietly farm resources by themselves.

But Gao Neng couldn’t do that, nor was he willing to.

In fact, from the very moment he entered the Underground City and activated his panoramic map, he had been contemplating whether he should draw out a map of the attribute materials in the wilderness.

He could, of course, gather them himself.

But how long would it take for him alone to harvest all of these materials?

Besides, there were some wilderness areas he couldn’t even reach.

All of this was treasure!

Right there in front of him...

But he couldn’t swallow it all on his own, not yet. So, he had always faced two choices: one was to strengthen himself to the greatest extent, and the other was to strengthen the Alliance to the greatest extent.

He didn’t choose one over the other.

He chose to do both!

He would strengthen himself and the Alliance at the same time.

But there was only one way to achieve both: reshuffle the sects and noble families, and completely overhaul the alchemy market.

This was preparation for his bid to become the Speaker.

It was also preparation for strengthening the entire Alliance.

Gao Neng wasn’t a selfless person, but when he discovered he possessed ’an ability powerful enough to strengthen the entire Alliance’, he could no longer afford to keep a low profile.

’So what if I’m accused of cheating?’

’So what if the sects and noble families hate me for it now?’

The Human Alliance’s territory had been reduced to just the City of Hope and the Forgotten Land. The iron-heeled Alien Race Alliance Army was already surrounding the City of Hope’s walls.

In just over a year, the great war would begin!

Could he still afford to keep a low profile?

No!

Absolutely not!

He would use his ability to help more people in the Alliance reach high-tier, to make the high-tiered even stronger, and to force the Alien Race Alliance Army to spit out every inch of land they had swallowed!

Therefore, he couldn’t let his ability remain hidden in the crowd. Since he was using a cheat, he might as well use it well—use it openly and brazenly.

’What’s the point of hiding like a coward?!’

"Is Clan Leader Yi done with his questions? In that case, I’ll say one last thing. Whether you agree or not, whether you cooperate or not, the pills I, Gao Neng, refine will be distributed in unlimited quantities. The development of the Human Alliance will not be hindered by anyone’s personal interests! In three days, the Celestial King Group will officially begin selling pills to the public. As for you... you can take your time thinking it over!" With that, Gao Neng turned around directly.

’Beg for the support of the sects and noble families like a dog wagging its tail?’

He would never do that!

Of course, there were those among the sects and noble families who could see the bigger picture. If that weren’t the case, the Alliance would have taken action against them long ago.

The sects and noble families had more geniuses.

That was a fact.

And the merits they had earned on the battlefield were also a fact.

Gao Neng wouldn’t deny these things. He needed to cooperate with the sects and noble families, but he would use his own methods to make them the greatest driving force behind the Alliance’s development.

"..." No one from the sects or noble families spoke again.

The entire exhibition hall fell silent.

Gao Neng didn’t stay any longer.

He had said what he needed to say and done what he needed to do. The rest was for the Celestial King Group to worry about.

Amidst the silence, Gao Neng walked toward the exhibition hall’s main doors.

Shen Ning’Er and Fang Tangtang exchanged a glance and immediately followed behind Gao Neng without the slightest hesitation. This was their stance.

At that moment, Yi Qinglian also glanced at her father.

She bit her lip.

But she didn’t remain where she was, either.

She turned.

And Yi Qinglian chased after them.

Right after, a stir went through the sects and noble families as several young figures slowly stepped out from the crowd.

Shaximo, Wei Ya, Zhou Jin...

They were geniuses from the Dragon List.

What’s more, Shaximo had once been publicly humiliated because of Gao Neng.

Yet, they still stepped forward.

One by one, they bowed to their respective Sect Leaders or Noble Family Heads, then walked out of the crowd, following the path Gao Neng had taken.

Three, four, five...

The number of people gradually grew.

The Sect Leaders and Noble Family Heads watched this scene unfold. They didn’t stop them, but they also didn’t state their position, simply standing there in silence.

"Hahaha, Elder Qin, are you going to keep standing around here?" Li Tiannan laughed, his voice breaking the silence in the exhibition hall.

"Hmph..." Qin Lei glanced at Wu Qingjing and Yutian. He didn’t say much in the end, just let out a soft sigh and said to another Strongest who was following beside him, "Let’s go."

"Do you need to assign someone to protect him?" the Strongest asked.

"Not for now. At least within this Underground City, no one would dare lay a finger on him!" Qin Lei paused briefly, his tone icy cold.

"That Elder Qin still loves scaring the younger generation!" Sword Elder pursed his lips from the side. Then, his gaze drifted toward Fairy Liu next to him. "Fairy Liu, you know, I’m quite familiar with Gao Neng..."

"So, are you going to introduce me?" Fairy Liu asked, looking at Sword Elder.

"AHEM... Perhaps we could get another discount?" Sword Elder coughed forcefully twice, and a faint blush appeared on his old face.

"A discount? I’m not a poor bastard like you and Li Guiping!" Fairy Liu glanced at Sword Elder again and uttered coolly.

"..." Sword Elder was speechless.

"..." So was Li Tiannan, who was already a few steps away.

’Poor?!’

’We may be poor, but we’re still Strongest, damn it!’

’If we hadn’t spent all our resources on cultivation, how could we possibly be poor?’

’Who made the rule that the Strongest had to be the richest?’

Wu Qingjing waited for the five Strongest to leave one after another before his gaze slowly swept across the room again. It finally landed on the Alchemists, who were still standing in front of their Alchemy Furnaces with awkward expressions.

"AHEM... Um... Although the price of pills will be reduced in three days, we still can’t waste the attribute materials. You should finish refining what you’ve started!" Wu Qingjing actually wanted to say a few words of encouragement, but he truly couldn’t think of anything encouraging to say.

Every single Alchemist before him held a transcendent status in their respective sects and noble families.

But now?

Once the Celestial King Group started publicly selling pills, what would happen to their status? Could they still hold the same position in their sects and noble families as before?

Nobody knew!

"We will finish them, Speaker Wu. Please rest assured!"

"Yes, we understand!"

"..."

The Alchemists nodded, said no more, and lowered their heads to continue their alchemy.

Since the Alchemists remained in the hall, the members of the sects and noble families didn’t leave immediately either. They silently returned to their seats.

Just as Wu Qingjing thought the story in the exhibition hall was over, the three directors of the Celestial King Group stood up from their seats.

"The Celestial King Group is hiring Alchemists with high salaries! Truly high salaries, mind you! The best benefits in the industry, guaranteed! Anyone interested can speak with our Chairman, Fang Yuan, after the event!"

"..." The sects and noble families were speechless.

’Son of a bitch!’

They had seen shameless people before, but they had never seen anyone so utterly shameless.

’Are they fucking taking advantage of the situation?’

"Doesn’t your Celestial King Group already have Gao Neng? Why do you still need to recruit Alchemists?" someone from a sect asked, looking puzzled.

"To research new pill formulas, of course! In the past, everyone conducted research behind closed doors within their own sect or noble family. Now that pills are being sold centrally, we can all discuss the pill formulas together. In addition, you can all participate in the administrative work of preparing the medicines. As you’ve seen, Gao Neng isn’t actually skilled at the preparation side of things. So, you don’t need to worry about your talents going to waste at the Celestial King Group. Our doors will always be open to you all!" the three directors said, almost in unison.

"..."

"Your Celestial King Group... really has thought of everything!"

"Hmph!"

The members of the sects and noble families turned their heads away and ignored them.

However, the Alchemists, who had been looking utterly dejected, now exchanged glances, and the gloom on their faces actually seemed to lessen slightly.

’Researching pill formulas for new medicines?’

’Perhaps... a new era has really begun!’

...

When Gao Neng walked out of the exhibition hall, he noticed a large group of people following him. He also saw Li Tiannan, Qin Lei, and the others emerging from the hall.

"Sister Ning’Er, do you think they’ll send an assassin to kill Gao Neng tonight?" Fang Tangtang glanced back toward the exhibition hall, her voice laced with worry.

"They won’t," Shen Ning’Er said, shaking her head.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because Gao Neng is the only person in the Alliance who can refine pills with a one hundred percent success rate!" Shen Ning’Er also glanced back toward the exhibition hall.

"Gao Neng, how on earth do you refine pills?" Fang Tangtang didn’t dwell on the issue, instead moving her head closer to Gao Neng.

"You want to know?" Gao Neng turned to glance at Fang Tangtang.

"Mhm, of course I want to know! But even if you don’t tell me, I think I can guess a little. It has something to do with the magnetic pile, right? I guessed right, didn’t I?" Fang Tangtang asked, her face full of expectation.

"If I said no, would you even believe me?" Gao Neng spread his hands.

"Don’t tell me... besides evolving materials, evolution energy can also be used for alchemy? No way. You’re hiding another secret from me, aren’t you..."

"I do have a few secrets!" Gao Neng nodded very seriously.

"I knew it... Tell me, quick! I’m your closest comrade-in-arms!" Fang Tangtang said, pressing her ear closer to Gao Neng’s mouth.

Naturally, Gao Neng didn’t answer right away.

However, he could sense that when Fang Tangtang asked that question, the expressions of the distant Qin Lei, Fairy Liu, and the others clearly changed.

’It seems...’

’Being high-profile has its price!’

’A one hundred percent success rate? Evolution energy... doesn’t really seem to explain it!’ Gao Neng looked up at the sky. He had the sudden urge to say, "It’s about to rain and thunder; time to bring in the laundry."

But this was the Underground City. It didn’t rain here!