Xiao Yan's decision to have the Endless Fire Domain sell medicinal ingredients had more than just one purpose. While it thoroughly slapped the Southern Region Alliance in the face, there was another intention behind it: to win over the neutral alchemists. The Southern Region's vastness far surpassed even the Dou Qi Continent, being over ten times its size. So while alchemists were considered rare, in this region, their numbers weren't negligible.
Many alchemists hadn't pledged allegiance to any power. They were rogue cultivators who maintained a neutral stance and didn't take part in the current conflict. However, even they had suffered as collateral damage. After all, the herbs monopolized by the Southern Region Alliance included many essentials for pill refining. For an alchemist to improve their craft, they needed constant practice—but due to the alliance's stranglehold, these alchemists hadn't been able to acquire the ingredients they needed for a long time.
At this moment, with the Endless Fire Domain selling ingredients at regular market prices, it naturally earned the favor of many neutral parties. Moreover, after this recent stretch of consistent pill sales, word had spread that the Endless Fire Domain housed a master-level alchemist. That title alone was enough to draw interest from countless practitioners.
What's more, Xiao Yan wasn't even trying to recruit alchemists per se. All he wanted was to prevent them from siding with the Southern Region Alliance. Of course, if the opportunity presented itself to bring talent under his wing, he wouldn't let it go. But before recruiting anyone, he would always do a thorough background check to avoid letting spies from other factions sneak in and steal pill recipes.
To ensure everything was airtight, Xiao Yan personally conducted soul searches on the applicants. After the searches were complete, he erased the related memories from their minds. This near-impenetrable screening method did, in fact, root out several undercover agents from enemy factions—and those individuals were quietly dealt with.
Additionally, selling medicinal ingredients had another critical goal: cutting off the Southern Region Alliance's last remaining escape route. During the earlier stages of the blockade, the alliance had hoarded a massive quantity of herbs. Upon realizing that the Endless Fire Domain wasn't suffering from any shortage, their first instinct would naturally be to offload the surplus as fast as possible.
Had Xiao Yan not stepped in to sell ingredients at cost, those desperate alchemists—wealthy as they were—would have certainly bought up the overpriced stock. To high-level alchemists, money wasn't a major concern, and even exorbitant prices wouldn't deter them. If that had happened, the Southern Region Alliance might have recovered a portion of its losses.
However, with the Endless Fire Domain setting the precedent of selling at regular prices, even if the alliance tried to sell their herbs, who would buy? Their only option now was to dump their stock at prices far below market value—but Xiao Yan knew those bastards would rather go bankrupt than stoop to such indignity.
What's more, Xiao Yan had already prepared for such a scenario. If they dared to sell at low prices, he would simply match or undercut them. After all, his herbs were essentially costless—he wouldn't feel any loss even if he gave them away. But for the alliance, who'd purchased their inventory at over ten times the market value, playing this game meant complete ruin. And frankly, they were already teetering on that edge.
With the alliance's final avenue blocked, Xiao Yan initiated a full-scale counterattack. Since they wanted to play at commercial warfare, he'd take it seriously. Whatever markets the Southern Region Alliance was involved in, the Endless Fire Domain launched competing products—and most of them were even higher in quality. For the few that weren't, Xiao Yan just clapped his hands and slashed prices for promotion.
While Xiao Yan wasn't particularly versed in the ways of commerce, as the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. Back on Earth, he'd seen businesses use all kinds of discounts and promotions. So now, he simply copied what he knew.
Of course, the Endless Fire Domain couldn't excel in everything. Even Xiao Yan had areas he wasn't good at. But he could always outsource—delegation was key. Long before this commercial war began, he had quietly been recruiting capable people skilled in business and logistics. While the Southern Region Alliance was breaking its back trying to cut off his supply lines, he was already laying the groundwork for this exact moment.
Even if he couldn't seize total market control, just siphoning away a portion of the alliance's revenue would be enough—especially since they were already suffering financially after buying herbs at absurd prices. This economic blow was adding insult to injury.
The major powers in the alliance could still hang on, though barely. But the smaller factions were at their wit's end. They had invested vast sums of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid into this failed venture and were already stretched thin. Now, they could only cling to their remaining businesses in the hope of staying afloat. But Xiao Yan's counterattack struck them where it hurt most.
Xiao Yan's true target wasn't Miting Gate and the other large factions. Sure, he wanted nothing more than to crush all three of those behemoths in one blow. But he understood all too well that these big powers had terrifying reserves. Though his tactics had severely wounded them, they wouldn't collapse so easily. A centipede could still wriggle even after being cut in half. As long as they took a serious loss, that would already be a victory.
So while he did target their businesses, he didn't push them too hard. He let them believe they could still hold the line despite his overwhelming momentum. But for the smaller factions—those who had jumped into the alliance expecting to profit—he showed no mercy. He launched an all-out economic assault, aimed precisely at bankrupting them.
This was a textbook case of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. The Endless Fire Domain had always lacked an opportunity to establish its prestige. Although Xiao Yan never lifted a finger to attack any of the factions personally, the current situation made it clear: messing with the Endless Fire Domain had real, painful consequences.
Moreover, this served as a blatant scheme to sow discord. After all, their current predicament was caused by following Miting Gate and the others. If those big players had helped cover their losses, things might have been different. But now, those very leaders were struggling to stay afloat. There was no way they'd waste resources on allies.
With that, even if the smaller factions managed to scrape through this crisis, their relationships with the big three were finished. At best, they'd ignore each other forever. At worst, they'd become enemies. The idea of forming another alliance was now a laughable fantasy.
At that precise moment, Xiao Yan extended a well-timed offer of assistance. Of course, he wasn't about to solve their problems out of the kindness of his heart. His condition was simple: surrender and be absorbed.
Under normal circumstances, these smaller factions would never agree. But now? With Xiao Yan's commercial blitz leaving them one step away from begging in the streets, what other choice did they have? After a round of negotiations, they finally bowed their heads and joined the Endless Fire Domain.
(End of Chapter)
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