Due to practicing the "Heavenly Thunder Reading," Zhong Shenxiu no longer needed to rely on mental resonance with the elements to cast lightning. Now, with just a thought, the lightning power within his body would surge out, making it effortlessly simple to deploy any lightning-based magic he wished!
It could be said that lightning magic was the most proficient and powerful magic Zhong Shenxiu currently commanded. If he desired, he could even unleash the ultimate move, "Heavenly Tribulation," which was undoubtedly leagues stronger than any so-called forbidden spell!
In good spirits, Zhong Shenxiu visited to offer guidance to the trio, including Xia Luo. Xia Luo was becoming increasingly adept with the blade Zhong Shenxiu had forged for her. She could now execute the "Dou Qi Slash" with ease and fluidity!
This time, Zhong Shenxiu taught her several practical moves. If she could master them all, her strength would undoubtedly double!
The techniques Zhong Shenxiu instructed were all designed to be used with that simple broadsword, encompassing skills such as cleaving, chopping, grinding, sweeping, slicing, trimming, displaying, lifting, patting, hooking, restraining, and cutting.
It would likely take Xia Luo at least a year and a half to fully grasp these, and even then, she would only achieve minor proficiency!
Following this, Zhong Shenxiu headed to the "Damp Forest"; he still had that grand array left to complete!
Because his inspiration had recently been elevated, he made significant alterations to the array's original design, granting it more functions while substantially reducing the required Immortal Stones. Furthermore, setting it up was now far easier than before!
Two days later, the grand array was finally finished. This marked the imminent demise of the other magic shops!
That day, the sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky—another beautiful day!
On this day, a major event occurred that sent shockwaves through the entire "Winter Moon Empire"!
The "Dark Chamber of Commerce" launched a new loyalty promotion across all its branches—a trade-in policy!
As long as a member's equipment was undamaged and still usable, they could exchange it at any branch of the "Dark Chamber of Commerce" for equivalent high-grade equipment!
This policy was exclusively for members, and members only needed to pay the original price for these upgraded items. Although the policy limited the quantity of exchanged and purchased goods for members, it still drove them into a frenzy!
It was the introduction of this policy that made everyone realize the benefits of becoming a member of the "Dark Chamber of Commerce," causing a massive rush to join. Even though the membership fee had increased severalfold, they flocked to it!
By conservative estimates, the "Dark Chamber of Commerce" was earning billions of Diamond Coins daily just from membership fees!
And these fees were not a one-time lifetime payment; they had an expiration date. If the fee wasn't renewed, membership would be revoked! This meant that even relying solely on these membership fees, the "Dark Chamber of Commerce" was poised to reach the pinnacle of world wealth, let alone the staggering profits from selling goods!
Never mind what the "Dark Chamber of Commerce" would look like in a few more years; at this moment, Zhong Shenxiu's assets alone were sufficient to rival the treasury of any nation! Moreover, the "Dark Chamber of Commerce" had surpassed every other chamber of commerce, without exception!
This was not all. Following Clyde's proposed "Going Out" strategy, the "Dark Chamber of Commerce" had begun expanding into other empires. It was anticipated that within half a year, they would inevitably force the magic shops in other empires into bankruptcy, absorption, or outright acquisition!
The true terror of the "Dark Chamber of Commerce" lay in its rate of expansion. Before others could even fully realize it, it had already become a dominant protagonist on the commercial stage!
Through extensive promotion during this period, the name "Dark Chamber of Commerce" had become known in every household; even toddlers knew its unique trademark!
In the "Winter Moon Empire," you might not know who the King was, but if you didn't recognize the trademark of the "Dark Chamber of Commerce," you would be scorned by everyone!
These details would become clearer to everyone later; further discussion here is unnecessary!
Focusing on Zhong Shenxiu today, he was taking Robin for a stroll through the "Homebody Magic and Martial Arts Academy." As they walked, they unexpectedly arrived at the academy's training grounds.
Students were drilling there; some fields were dedicated to sword techniques, while others were practicing magic!
Zhong Shenxiu held little interest in these individuals. In his eyes, their practice was no different from wasting time!
Increasing strength wasn't achieved merely through arduous labor; the prerequisite was using one's mind. In any case, Zhong Shenxiu would never allow his students to engage in such tedious and ineffective grinding!
While walking, Zhong Shenxiu seemed to spot something interesting, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Following his gaze, he saw Elina instructing a group of students on "Lightning Magic"!
Watching the arcs of electricity constantly appearing from Elina's hand, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly felt an urge to laugh!
This was called Lightning Magic? It was practically the equivalent of children playing games! Even the current Zhong Shenxiu, after learning "Heavenly Thunder Reading," would have felt the same, let alone his past self!
Driven by an unknown impulse, Zhong Shenxiu led Robin over!
Elina was explaining the principles of Lightning Magic to the students with great animation. Suddenly catching sight of the students collectively losing focus, she followed their gaze and froze!
Why were the two of them here?
Elina had no idea that Zhong Shenxiu was the hidden owner of the "Dark Chamber of Commerce." As the Chamber continued to expand, the level of her astonishment regarding Zhong Shenxiu grew daily!
Who would have imagined that such a formidable Chamber of Commerce was established by a child of only a few years? If she hadn't experienced it firsthand, Elina would never have believed it was true!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin walked onto the training ground and sat down in a shady spot, completely unconcerned by the attention!
Elina felt lost, unable to fathom Zhong Shenxiu's purpose for being there, causing her expression to become distracted!
And those students were utterly bewildered by Zhong Shenxiu's arrival!
"Hey, do you guys know? These two are the youngest teachers at our academy!" one student whispered conspiratorially.
"Really? I also heard we had two child teachers, but this is the first time I've seen them. Is it them?"
"They seem so young; my little brother is older than both of them!"
"Right, I heard they are incredibly skilled—they even teach the top students. Is that true?"
"Why do you think they came over here? Do they have some connection with our teacher?"
Although the students' chatter was quiet, it drifted into Elina's ears!
"Everyone, settle down!" Elina had no choice but to speak up, as she genuinely feared their gossip might reach Zhong Shenxiu's ears, and the consequences would be unpredictable!
Elina still commanded some respect, and as soon as she spoke, the students immediately stopped murmuring, though their eyes continued to flick towards Zhong Shenxiu and Robin!
Lightning Magic was inherently profound and difficult to grasp, and since this class was merely an auxiliary subject for these students, they hadn't devoted much attention to Elina's lecture.
Elina was well aware of this but felt helpless! She was just a teacher; she couldn't force the students to like something. All she could do was perform her duty and teach them everything she knew; how they studied was their own affair!
As a Lightning Mage, Elina knew that Lightning Magic was actually incredibly potent—if one grasped its core secrets, it could become the magic with the greatest destructive power!
And due to the unique properties of electricity, a Lightning Mage possessed the ability to contend even in close combat against Swordsmen! No matter how fast one's movement technique, it couldn't outpace electricity. Furthermore, the weapons used by Swordsmen were almost always metal, which conducted electricity excellently, meaning Lightning Mages barely needed to aim to strike them!
Lightning Mages had another advantage: they feared fighting large groups the least, as the more people present, the greater the destructive power of their magic, and the chain lightning effect was almost impossible to guard against!
"Class, we will now continue learning the special attributes of Lightning Magic," Elina called out again, attempting to draw the students' focus away from Zhong Shenxiu. "There are two common attack methods for Lightning Magic: one is linear projection, and the other is reflected projection. I will now explain their principles."
Initially, the students managed to listen for a moment or two, but gradually, their gazes drifted back towards Zhong Shenxiu and Robin. To them, these two children were far more entertaining than their teacher's lecture, especially their rosy little faces, which were so endearing one couldn't help but want to pinch them!
If Elina knew what her students were thinking at that moment, she would probably feel like hitting her head against a wall!
It wasn't just the students who were distracted; even Elina's own concentration was wavering. The arrival of Zhong Shenxiu and Robin exerted an inexplicable pressure on her!
"Hey, woman, is this how you always teach?" Just then, Zhong Shenxiu's voice suddenly cut through the air.
With just one sentence, everyone's eyes widened.
"Woman"? Who was he speaking to?
Though confused, the students' gazes all turned towards their beautiful teacher, Elina, as she was the only one teaching in that area!
Elina's body trembled when she heard Zhong Shenxiu's voice. She was immensely conflicted: should she answer, or should she pretend not to hear? If she answered, wouldn't she be ridiculed in front of all these students? If she didn't answer, she genuinely felt hesitant!
While she was hesitating, Zhong Shenxiu's voice came again: "Do you want to see what real 'Lightning Magic' looks like!?"