Chapter 274: Who Can Hold Out, Who Will Lose!
What a crafty old fox!
After hearing Huo Xiaotian's words, Lin Yu couldn't help but smile.
Huo Xiaotian's logic was flawless. He managed to twist the principle of freedom in soul master academies into the need for a reason to promote something, and then smoothly dragged the conversation to the discount for pills sold to Blaze Academy.
However, Lin Yu had already prepared for this. He had planned to offer a certain discount on the pills to complete the deal with Blaze Academy and Plant Academy.
Therefore, Lin Yu was not angry at Huo Xiaotian's "hidden agenda." Instead, he pretended to frown, as if deep in thought, and asked, "So how much of a discount are you asking for?"
Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Huo Xiaotian didn't answer directly. Instead, he extended his right hand, with all five fingers spread out, and shook it with a smile.
A 50% discount?
Seeing Huo Xiaotian's gesture, Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh.
That discount was way too steep!
But Lin Yu knew that this was just Huo Xiaotian's way of asking for an absurd price, knowing he would eventually settle for something more reasonable.
It was a game of negotiation!
"50% off is impossible!" Lin Yu shook his head lightly.
Huo Xiaotian was trying to use the opportunity of recruiting Blaze Academy's students to get a discount on the pills, but Lin Yu wasn't vulnerable on this issue. At least, not in the way Huo Xiaotian thought!
After all, Huo Xiaotian didn't know that Lin Yu wanted Blaze Academy and Plant Academy's students in order to cultivate alchemists. He also didn't realize that fire-attribute and wood-attribute soul masters had an advantage in becoming alchemists.
Thus, Lin Yu could always come up with an excuse, claiming that he was just casually recruiting students from both academies. If Blaze Academy asked for too much, he could pretend to give up on them and look for other academies.
Once he took away the bargaining chip, the decision power would return to Lin Yu's hands.
"50% is really too high. Dean Huo, don't make it difficult for Young Master Lin Yu. I think 30% off would be just about right," Lin Man, who had been quietly listening, suddenly smiled and interjected.
On the surface, it seemed like she was speaking on Lin Yu's behalf, but in reality, she was playing along with Huo Xiaotian, since both the 50% and 30% discounts were outrageous.
This was practically a clearance sale!
"30% off is too high!" Lin Yu still shook his head indifferently.
"Then what discount do you think is appropriate?" Huo Xiaotian directly asked, noticing Lin Yu's refusal to agree to 30%.
"30% off is definitely not acceptable!" Lin Yu refused to answer directly, deflecting the question. If he gave a direct answer, his bottom line would be exposed.
He was waiting for Huo Xiaotian to propose his bottom line so that he could cut it in half!
Seeing that Lin Yu still refused to answer, Huo Xiaotian began to feel a headache.
How could this Lin Yu, who seemed to be only in his teens, be so slippery like a loach and impossible to pin down?
He had no idea that Lin Yu had seen enough of these tactics in modern novels, and was completely prepared for it!
"90% off! 90% is the bottom line!"
"As long as Young Master Lin Yu is willing to commit to selling pills to our two academies at 90% of the normal price, we will agree to recommend our graduates to your Immortal Palace," Huo Xiaotian said, grinding his teeth.
"90% off is too high! My bottom line is 95% off!"
When Huo Xiaotian finally couldn't hold back and gave his bottom line, Lin Yu immediately stood up and cut it further by offering his own limit.
"Dean Huo, you may not know this, but the materials required to refine Soul Nourishing Pills, Soul Replenishing Pills, and Body Tempering Pills are already quite expensive. Moreover, the failure rate during the refining process is high, and it often takes several attempts before a batch can be successfully refined."
"We make money from refining these pills through hard work. Additionally, Immortal Palace is still under construction, and we will need a lot of money to maintain its operation in the future. I really can't offer too much of a discount to you two."
"Now, 95% off is already the maximum I can offer. However, if our cooperation goes well in the future and Immortal Palace becomes fully established, we can discuss a better discount."
You're lying through your teeth!
Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Huo Xiaotian couldn't help but curse inwardly.
The cost of establishing a sect was measured in billions of Gold Soul Coins.
Even the Nine Hearts Sea Star family couldn't afford it, and the poor four major sects and the sparsely populated Bilin family were even worse off.
Lin Yu was already recruiting disciples, which meant he was confident that his sect was well underway. He must have already made billions of Gold Soul Coins during this pill conference alone!
But despite knowing Lin Yu was lying, Huo Xiaotian didn't want to argue too much. He didn't want to break his relationship with Lin Yu, especially since he didn't fully understand the situation with pill refining.
If Lin Yu decided to stop doing business with Blaze Academy and went to Tian Shui Academy or another soul master academy, they would lose a huge opportunity!
"No way! My bottom line is 90% off!!" Huo Xiaotian insisted, refusing to budge, showing an attitude as if Lin Yu didn't agree, he wouldn't cooperate at all.
Unfortunately for Huo Xiaotian, Lin Yu was very familiar with this tactic, but Huo Xiaotian didn't know Lin Yu at all.
"Well, there's nothing I can do then. I'll have to go find Tian Shui Academy or Divine Wind Academy. I'm sorry for taking up your time, but goodbye!" Lin Yu sighed dramatically and pretended to leave the lounge.
Seeing Lin Yu about to leave, both Huo Xiaotian and Lin Man immediately looked at his back. They both clenched their fists, and though their faces remained calm, their muscles were visibly tensed from their necks down.
They were now in a tug of war!
Huo Xiaotian and Lin Man were betting that there was a reason Lin Yu was choosing their two academies. They believed that Lin Yu wouldn't actually walk out of the lounge and give up on Blaze Academy and Plant Academy.
But as they watched, Lin Yu, calm and composed, walked out of the lounge and headed for the corridor.
"Wait!!"
Seeing that Lin Yu wasn't going to change his mind, Lin Man suddenly stood up, quickly swaying her slim waist and chasing after him.
Unlike Blaze Academy, Plant Academy was only a mid-level soul master academy in the Heaven Dou Empire, so Lin Man's bottom line was much lower than Huo Xiaotian's.
Moreover, Lin Man was hoping to use this opportunity to climb higher with the help of Lin Yu.
She had initially planned to join forces with Huo Xiaotian to get more benefits, but since that didn't work out, she decided to go her own way.
"This... I've been sold out!!"
Originally intending to outlast Lin Yu in the negotiations, not expecting the "tug of war" to end so soon, Huo Xiaotian could only watch helplessly as Lin Man rushed after Lin Yu.
(END CHAPTER)
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