Soul Land: Raiden Shogun Is My Martial Soul

Chapter 217: Two Deals

As night fell, a crescent moon slowly rose into the sky. The casual outdoor cooking had turned into a lively bonfire gathering.

With the ingredients roasting and spices added, everyone suddenly realized how naive and ignorant their earlier assumptions had been.

"This smell…"

The women maintained their composure, avoiding anything as unseemly as drooling, but the anticipation and longing in their eyes were impossible to conceal.

The men, however, were a different story. Their throats bobbed as they swallowed hard, their gazes fixed on the grill, their eyes gleaming red with hunger.

Seeing this, Kong simply smiled without saying a word.

In a place like Douluo Continent, even nobles and soul masters—what truly good food had they ever tasted?

None at all! In the Douluo Continent of ten thousand years in the future, milk, bread, and a kun egg were already considered luxurious nourishment. If that's the case for the future, one can only imagine the culinary standards of ten thousand years ago!

Although wealth and abundant resources existed, the people had no idea how to prepare good food. Kong was different. Having grown up in a land of culinary artistry, he had picked up a solid set of cooking skills as a lone traveler.

"Just wait five more minutes, and it'll be ready. Don't rush," Kong said, glancing sideways and rolling his eyes at Ma Hongjun and the others.

The milk tea he had prepared earlier hadn't even been paired with the barbecue yet, but it was already in these guys' stomachs.

With Shui Bing'er and the others present, the milk tea had "evolved" into a new way of drinking—with ice!

"Got it, Captain! We're not in a hurry!"

"Fatty, wipe your drool before you talk!"

Meanwhile, on Shui Bing'er's side:

"Captain, this milk tea is absolutely delicious. If it were sold, it would definitely be a hit!"

"Absolutely! Whether served iced or not, it's amazing."

Hearing this, Shui Bing'er furrowed her brows slightly—not because her companions were wrong, but because of Tianshui Academy's financial difficulties.

"If we could collaborate, it would be a win-win situation. But how should we approach Kong about a partnership?"

Shui Bing'er fell into deep thought.

If they had the milk tea recipe, Tianshui Academy could definitely rake in profits, alleviating some of its financial strain.

There's no shame in soul masters doing business.

Even a grand sect like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect thrives on commerce, doesn't it?

"Kong, um…"

Shui Bing'er hesitated as she approached Kong, her indecision evident.

After all, if Kong really wanted to do business, wouldn't partnering with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect or the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect make more sense?

"What is it, Miss Bing'er?"

Noticing her hesitation, Kong asked curiously.

Biting her lip as if making a difficult decision, Shui Bing'er said, "Kong, would you consider sharing the milk tea recipe with Tianshui Academy? We could handle production and sales, and you'd receive 30% of the profits."

Her proposal stunned everyone. They cursed themselves for not thinking of this sooner.

If this milk tea were marketed, it would undoubtedly become a sensation—especially in summer or autumn. Imagine enjoying a chilled milk tea on a warm day.

Among the Emperor Team, apart from Ma Hongjun and Oscar, most had noble backgrounds.

While nobles were wealthy, who would ever complain about having more gold spirit coins?

Ning Rongrong blinked, realizing she had overlooked this entirely. Who else was better at business than the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?

As the heiress of the wealthiest sect, she felt embarrassed for having been so preoccupied with eating and drinking that she forgot her family's roots in commerce.

Kong was momentarily surprised. He hadn't considered turning the milk tea recipe into a business. He didn't lack money and had made the milk tea merely because Raiden Shogun and Ei liked it.

After Shui Bing'er's suggestion, Kong fell into contemplation.

Seeing this, Shui Bing'er grew anxious. Didn't he notice the eager gazes of those around them?

They were all from noble families, and even worse, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's little princess was present!

"Fifty percent! That's Tianshui Academy's best offer!"

Shui Bing'er raised a hand, her tone firm.

Fifty percent of the net profits would still leave Tianshui Academy with a decent income. She had noticed that the ingredients Kong used weren't particularly expensive.

"No need," Kong said, waving his hand.

Just as Shui Bing'er's face showed disappointment, thinking the deal had fallen through, Kong continued, "It's just a recipe. Fifty percent is too much; let's stick to the original 30%."

His response stunned everyone. Kong voluntarily gave up 20% of the profits?

What a monstrous talent—either indifferent to wealth or driven by other motives.

The group glanced between Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Kong, as well as Raiden Shogun beside him.

"Maybe we're overthinking it," someone muttered.

The Tianshui team members were overjoyed. With the milk tea recipe, Tianshui Academy's financial situation could be significantly improved.

"Thank you!" Shui Bing'er said sincerely, stealing a glance at Shui Yue'er.

Yue'er had impeccable taste—liking someone like Kong was truly extraordinary.

As the captain of the Tianshui women's team and a future leader of Tianshui Academy, Shui Bing'er couldn't afford to be as forward as Shui Yue'er.

Still, to say she had no feelings for Kong would be a lie.

If Kong were willing, sharing him with her sister wouldn't be out of the question.

"No need to thank me—it's just a deal. Besides, 30% is already quite generous," Kong said with a smile.

With an 80% profit margin on milk tea (excluding labor costs), 30% for doing nothing was more than fair.

Claiming 50% would have felt greedy.

"No, really, thank you. Our academy truly needs this recipe," Shui Bing'er replied, her gaze dropping as if lost in thought.

In the original story, Thunderclap Academy merged with Shrek Academy after the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect was destroyed.

Godwind and Blazing Fire academies found themselves in situations similar to Tianshui Academy: financial strain forced them to come to Heaven Dou City and seek refuge with Shrek Academy.

As for Elephant Armor Academy, they were outright excluded by the Four Elements Academies…

Seeing that Kong had already reached an agreement with Shui Bing'er, the others gave up on the idea of selling milk tea. After all, Shui Bing'er had proposed it first. Competing with Tianshui Academy, a powerful institution, would only invite trouble.

Tianshui Academy was backed by Contra-level soul masters and, due to its policy of admitting only women, its disciples were connected to the upper echelons of power across the Douluo Continent.

Offending such an academy wasn't just a matter of clashing with nobles—it could mean angering countless influential figures. Sometimes, a whisper in the right ear could be more terrifying than outright confrontation!

"Let's put business aside for now. The barbecue is ready; go ahead and eat," Kong said, setting aside some skewers and handing them to Raiden Shogun beside him.

Once Raiden Shogun had her share, Kong distributed the rest to everyone else.

"This is incredible!"

"Cutting the meat into smaller pieces makes it even tastier."

"Watch how you talk! Without the captain's skills, you wouldn't even get a bite of this barbecue."

"Ah, right, right…"

"This barbecue is delicious because of Kong's perfect control of the heat and his secret seasoning. Isn't that right, Kong?" Ning Rongrong remarked after taking a bite.

"Exactly. The heat and seasoning are equally important. As for the so-called 'natural flavor,' unless it's seafood, adding no salt makes most ingredients taste awful," Kong nodded in agreement, even throwing in a lighthearted jab.

"In that case, would you consider collaborating with our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect? You provide the seasoning formula, and we'll offer you 30% of the profits," Ning Rongrong suggested, quick to adopt Shui Bing'er's earlier approach. As the heiress of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she was no stranger to business dealings.

Kong twitched slightly. Were they turning a casual barbecue into a business negotiation? Then again, why refuse free money?

"Alright."

"Let's eat first; we'll discuss the details later."

Thirty percent of the barbecue profits—if her father Ning Fengzhi found out, would he scold her for being wasteful? Then again, her father was the true spendthrift, gambling the entire sect on his intuition. Had it been anyone else, they might not have succeeded.

As the evening progressed, the bonfire party lasted about an hour and a half before winding down. By then, the moon was high in the sky, and it was quite late.

The Tianshui women's team had a match the next day, so they couldn't stay up late. As for Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, they were just cheerleaders, part of the atmosphere group. Since Lanba Academy hadn't required them to participate, they could play until any hour without concern.

The Emperor Team members had even less to worry about—the preliminary and qualifying rounds had nothing to do with them. All they needed to do before the finals was train well.

Initially planning to part ways directly, Kong reconsidered and shook his head.

The soul master world wasn't safe, especially in the outskirts of Heaven Dou City, during the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

Although Shi Nian, the talent-hunting threat, had been eliminated two years early by Kong, who's to say there wouldn't be another—or several more like him?

While the Emperor Team had Kong as a shield, Tianshui Academy and even Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, despite their noble backgrounds, were at most in their forties in terms of soul power.

Why separate paths? The Heaven Dou Royal Academy was located outside Heaven Dou City, while the Tianshui women's team, along with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, needed to return to the city.

"For safety's sake, let's escort you back to the city first," Kong suggested to Shui Bing'er and the others.

The Emperor Team had no objections—traveling with beautiful women, who could complain? Their leader had truly thought ahead. A group of women traveling alone at night could be vulnerable to danger.

After some consideration, Shui Bing'er and her team accepted Kong's offer. With Kong's strength, their safety would be far more assured.

"Thank you for the trouble!" Shui Bing'er said with a radiant smile.

Earlier, Kong had already given them the milk tea recipe along with some fruit tea formulas, such as watermelon juice, strawberry juice, and lemonade.

With these additions, along with milk tea, Tianshui Academy's financial issues seemed solvable!

"You joined us on this trip; it's only right that we see you safely back," Kong replied.

Qiu Ruoshui, Xue Wu, and Yu Hairou glanced at Kong with subtle changes in their expressions. They couldn't deny it—Shui Yue'er had excellent taste!

"Such a pity."

Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er were the most beautiful, talented, and powerful members of the Tianshui women's team. If there was no outcome for them and Kong, what chance did the rest of the "ordinary" girls have?

Shaking her head, one girl dismissed her whimsical thoughts. Life went on, and clinging to unrealistic ideas would only lead to disappointment.

"He's out of our league…"

Though they were all considered prodigies, they had the self-awareness to recognize the gap.

By the time Kong returned to the Heaven Dou Academy after escorting the group back to the city, it was already early morning.

Fortunately, there were no incidents along the way, and everyone returned to their dorms safely.

While some fell asleep contentedly, others lay awake, burdened by their thoughts.

"Teacher, my Blue Silver Grass martial soul has such obvious flaws. Is there a way to compensate for them?" Tang San asked Grandmaster with a heavy heart.

The day's match replayed in his mind. If not for the Blue Silver Grass martial soul being restrained by fire, he was confident he could have defeated the opponents—even in a one-versus-seven scenario.

But reality was harsh.

Grandmaster fell silent.

Plant-type martial souls that resisted fire did exist, but the Blue Silver Grass martial soul wasn't one of them.

As a textbook example of a "trash martial soul," the fact that Tang San had reached his current level was already remarkable.

Compensating for its fire weakness wasn't impossible—it could be addressed through spirit ring selection, granting the Blue Silver Grass high fire resistance.

But this would derail Tang San's plans to focus entirely on an extreme binding and control strategy.

"Xiao San, a temporary setback is nothing. You need to focus on the future, not the present," Grandmaster advised.

"Granting the Blue Silver Grass high fire resistance might protect it against fire attacks, but have you considered that your second martial soul isn't affected by fire?"

Grandmaster shook his head. In his view, the flaw wasn't significant. Blue Silver Grass was merely a transitional tool until Tang San fully developed his second martial soul.

Being restrained by fire wasn't a major issue. As long as Tang San wasn't alone or directly facing his natural counter, he had nothing to fear.

Losses in competitions were trivial in the grand scheme.

But Tang San disagreed. For someone striving for perfection, how could he tolerate such an obvious flaw?

(End of chapter)

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