I Can Reap Qi Fortune from Players

PM at night.

Forum.

The pinned post is:

"Grand Collection: Seeking touching, tragic, and interesting stories about Daoists. Those selected will be rewarded with an initial character."

Obviously, the blacksmiths are preparing to start storytelling.

"Jiao and the Scholar" is the first story to test the waters.

In fact, the blacksmiths are quite self-aware.

They have been outsmarted by the shrewd natives many times in business.

They don’t believe that their plots can outdo the professionals of the Immortal Realm.

However!

They have an advantage that other books don’t: Golden Core as a medium.

My Golden Core, everyone buys it, that’s the advantage.

If I say: Buy books and get a Golden Core, it definitely won’t compete against traditional publishers and various newspapers of the Immortal Realm.

But if I say: Buy Golden Core, get a story.

Doesn’t it feel like you’re getting a good deal?

And according to their product settings, when a Daoist dies, they leave behind a Golden Core that contains their life story and you can eat it.

Doesn’t that feel very authentic and immersive?

This story is based on true experiences, it’s not fake.

Below, various blacksmiths responded:

"I’m submitting a thrilling story about warfare."

"I want to submit a myth with Black God, the legend of Fourth Sister becoming a Golden Core."

"I think we can train Nine Chapters a bit, that super-intelligent, AI-generated stories of the masses, making every Golden Core have a story."

"Indeed, even if they’re ordinary stories of mortals, everyday life tales, it’s still fine."

"Suggestion to add some palace intrigue when training the AI."

"Add some infidelity."

"Add a nosy neighbor."

"Add some titillation."

...

The topic quickly went off track.

Ning Zheng scanned the forum and found a bunch of people chattering.

It was all useless information, aligning with Ning Zheng’s stereotypes of Otherworld netizens.

Only Night Mad Cultivator’s words were insightful, deeply analyzing the strategic essence of this Golden Core story.

Night Mad Cultivator:

"You think we’re just selling Golden Core stories... but actually, this is a newspaper, a media tool, a weapon of public opinion that controls the voice of the people!"

"Moreover, in our upcoming second Golden Core version, we must add a standard story to each Golden Core, even if it doesn’t raise the Golden Core’s selling price, it’s acceptable!"

"Make them develop the habit of ’reading the news,’ let people become curious about the Daoist’s tales through repeatedly looking at their life stories, and generate a favorable impression of our Daoist lineage throughout the Immortal Realm!"

"This is a strategy!"

"By mastering public opinion and media, instilling the habit of reading stories, no matter what is planned in the future, having a communication channel is always promising."

Ning Zheng showed a thoughtful expression.

This is interesting.

Sometimes it seems like the blacksmiths are short-sighted, but actually, they are very forward-thinking.

Their method is very crafty.

Originally, Ning Zheng was just casually observing their business story strategy, not intending to interfere.

But seeing this now, the prospects are indeed significant, it has great significance on the strategic blueprint of the manor...

Perhaps he could help enhance the authenticity of the Golden Core story content.

And how to make it authentic?

Ning Zheng stroked his chin, "Providing real scene locations, historical shed backgrounds, sourcing from historical relics..."

"Don’t they want environments filled with charm for filming?"

"Authentic historical relics, the ancient tombs of Immortal Venerates, primitive murals, ancient architecture from before the pre-cosmic era, could they not have charm and Tao Rhyme?"

"Then, amidst the endless history of ancient civilizations, before brilliant epochs like Ganges Sand, fabricate a history of our Daoist civilization."

"Filming in this way, the realism would be a hundred times higher."

"Of course, to avoid catching the attention of the Immortal Venerates, we can’t directly claim we’re an ancient civilization, but proceed gradually, starting with small stories to slowly unveil the vast backdrop of the world view."

He recalled the palace where he went tomb raiding.

Such textures, ancient styles and charm, are great shooting locations.

Real scene sourcing.

Even if the Immortal Venerates watched, they’d get confused, give a thumbs up, and say the scenes are genuine.

After all, who else can shoot on-site in undiscovered secret tombs of Immortal Venerates?

The Immortal Venerates could do it, but would they stoop to filming movies?

It’s up to Ning Zheng, who is humble and low-key, deeply involved at the grassroots level, holding the Immortal Venerable Supreme Treasure, yet still integrating with the masses, willing to make small "documentary" films.

However.

The Immortal Venerate dungeon has yet to be navigated.

Once I left the main burial chamber, danger was everywhere, and I was instantly killed by some unknown thing.

Ordinary people might be afraid, but the blacksmiths... they don’t seem to fear death for the sake of filming.

Moreover.

The main storyline in the "Sword Casting Manor" game hasn’t had a dungeon or secret realm for them to explore for some time now.

Now there’s a tomb secret realm right in front of them, something to bring them joy.

Thinking of this.

Ning Zheng felt that it might be time to prepare for the opening of the secret realm.

Turn the large tomb hall into a rebirth point for blacksmith logins.

Even if they can’t get out, they can still replicate the Tao Rhymes from the murals, in various styles, to enrich the filming scenes.

As he pondered, he continued browsing the forum posts, sitting on his chair like an Emperor reviewing the blacksmiths’ missives.

Someone posted:

"True Immortal Mo Mei, missing? Why has she been in seclusion for so long?"

Seeing this post, Ning Zheng realized.

True Immortal Mo Mei has been missing for over a week, still in that time-dilating seclusion chamber, perfecting her foundation.

By conversion, it’s been over a thousand years, how is she still switching between two beasts?

Although breaking the bond with a beast would harm her foundation, requiring time to heal, this is a bit lengthy of a duration.

This dignified True Immortal seems a bit unreliable.

Ning Zheng mocked, yet he knew that for True Immortals, this kind of cultivation speed is normal, while his own is not.

In fact, this can infer.

Most Immortal Venerates in the Immortal Realm, True Immortals as well, move at this kind of pace, for a few thousand years is just a blink.

Even the Taoist Golden Core product has existed for thousands of years, unknown to them, as they remain in seclusion.

As long as it doesn’t seriously affect the structure of the Immortal Realm, no one would disturb the Immortal Venerates.

Ning Zheng thought about this, then couldn’t help but laugh:

"I played mind games with them, thinking they might discover me at any moment, but the greater possibility is, they couldn’t care less about an insignificant ant in this era like me."

"Enough, the secret realm opens tomorrow, let’s also prepare to collect sites for Golden Core filming."

The Ancient Tomb Immortal Venerate secret realm and the opening up of the Golden Core market seem like two aspects of manor development, but in reality, they are one and the same.

...

The next morning.

Early in the day, Ning Zheng walked into the manor’s square.

The entire complex rose up to the sky, full of classical xianxia charm, vast, majestic, and magnificent.

The manor had expanded a hundredfold, in just a few days, with buildings densely populating every corner, constructed with incredible density.

The iconic building, the giant turtle wooden fish on the square, was placed at either side of the manor’s entrance.

On one side was the manor’s daily task board, on the other was the great turtle wooden fish.

Even the street lights were fewer, hanging in the air like a sky full of stars, adding to the ethereal atmosphere of the Immortal Realm.

There were already seven Golden Core factories.

The plan was for a hundred Golden Core factories, with production forming an assembly line, initially supplying the daily consumption sales of Zhongluan Domain.

After all, Golden Cores... currently can’t be sold to other Immortal Domains, as they are considered a much-restricted local commodity.

Ning Zheng sent a message via the Eye of Identification, calling Jiucai Rong over.

Jiucai Rong quickly emerged from the management room at the edge of the square and came to Ning Zheng’s side, starting with:

"Master, you arrived just in time, would you like to visit the Immortal Realm? We are already recruiting today, it’s the first trial sea-selection!"

"We are seeking a batch of talented illusion realm filmmakers, storytellers."

Because Golden Cores are selling like hotcakes, those who heard their name agreed to try out.

After all.

Even the Immortal Realm pays heed to social norms and class barriers.

No matter your ability... if no one brings you into the circle, as an outsider you can only be dismissed by locals in the Immortal Realm.

As the blacksmiths put it: locals bullying external workers is a serious issue.

Indeed, some external workers are Tribulation Cultivators, not only seizing jobs from locals but also committing robbery and murder in the wild, engaging in zero-dollar purchases.

The conflict between both sides, with the accelerated passage of time in this great era and a large number of Immortals ascending, has become increasingly intense. They want to exploit their mining labor, yet fear their zero-dollar purchases.

"Personnel sea-selection? Well done."

Ning Zheng praised: "The Manor Master, upon hearing about your Golden Core story series, recalled some interesting stories, involving the ruins of civilizations, perfectly suited for your material."

Jiucai Rong’s eyes brightened.

"Is this a main storyline task trigger for us?"

"Dare I ask, Steward, where are these ruins for our filming?" asked Jiucai Rong.

Ning Zheng slowly spoke, "These ruins are within the Immortal Venerate relic ancient tombs, recording a long history of ages past, buried in the stories and legends of old."

"The Manor Master left an incarnation to occasionally watch over things at our Sword Casting Manor, but the true self roams across many worlds, ever in exploration of ancient sites."

"Now, the Manor Master has decided to hand over the explored Immortal Venerate secret realms, taking away the core supreme treasures of the ancient relic ancient tombs, for you to explore, to make this Golden Core story."