Before this, Lei Dong had also looked at the accounts; the annual net profit of this pill shop was around thirty thousand spirit stones. This meant that if everything proceeded according to the original trajectory and operated normally, it would take Lei Dong twelve years to break even. However, it wasn't entirely calculated that way; this shop had a good location, and Lei Dong could transfer it at any time. Someone would still be willing to pay the price of three million five hundred thousand spirit stones. Within the territory of the Yin Sha Sect, Lei Dong wasn't afraid of anyone daring to forcefully seize his property.

Therefore, spending a massive amount of capital to take over this shop was still a rather worthwhile endeavor.

The previous shopkeeper, whose cultivation was at the second layer of Foundation Establishment, was named Qian. He originated from a minor family and was now over eighty years old, already showing signs of age. In this lifetime, he was already resigned to never reaching the Golden Core stage.

Now, his only wish was to earn more spirit stones, hoping that one of his descendants would possess outstanding aptitude. He would then pour all his resources into that descendant, helping him reach Foundation Establishment and paving the way for him to reach the Golden Core. His basic annual salary was ten thousand spirit stones, but he also received one percent of the business revenue, resulting in a final annual income of around thirty thousand spirit stones.

This income seemed a bit low in the eyes of a core disciple like Lei Dong from the Yin Sha Sect. But in reality, among cultivators of the same rank and background, his annual income was already quite substantial and very stable. At his age, he could easily continue working for another forty or fifty years, accumulating a significant sum of spirit stones for his family. Perhaps one of his descendants could rely on these spirit stones to elevate the family to the Golden Core level, achieving prosperity from then on.

Moreover, he might also gain some unexpected windfalls [Updated by Big Devil Ba Xiao Mei], such as reselling private goods or, as Lei Dong had experienced before, ambushing a fat sheep who wouldn't fight back—teaming up with others if one person couldn't handle it. Thus, positions like shopkeeper were usually highly sought after, and only those with some capability could secure them. For a shopkeeper, saving up a large sum of spirit stones to open their own shop would be the most perfect outcome. Many businesses started this way.

At this moment, Lei Dong was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit of red and black, with a blood-red cloak draped across his shoulders and back, making him appear exceptionally vigorous and in peak condition. He sat leisurely on a sandalwood chair, sipping tea and watching Shopkeeper Qian, who was drenched in sweat and extremely uneasy. Qian feared that this new owner might dismiss him on a whim. After all, finding another stable, lucrative job with opportunities for side income wouldn't be easy.

Of course, much of his fear stemmed from the new master himself. Old Qian had discreetly inquired after hearing rumors and learned that this new owner was a core disciple of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave in the Yin Sha Sect, highly favored by the notoriously formidable Old Ancestor Wan Gui. Furthermore, Lei Dong himself was an exceptionally powerful individual, rumored to have easily eliminated Huangfu Ce, a fellow sect disciple at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. The cloak on his back was likely the Blood-Red Cloak. Old Qian had heard that for this very cloak, this young master had slain a procurement official from the Devil Prison Sect stationed at the Heavenly Dao Alliance, seizing everything on him. Although this incident caused some stir, the Yin Sha Sect ultimately backed their disciple, leaving the Devil Prison Sect humiliated as they swallowed their anger.

This suggested that Young Master Lei’s temper was likely none too pleasant, with a penchant for killing. Rumor had it he enjoyed slaughtering people even during the Qi Refining stage. Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, he became even more formidable, even slaying the chief disciple among the younger generation of the Carefree Path. This filled Old Qian with both reverence and awe; he dared not even breathe heavily in his presence. Moreover, the Blood-Red Cloak constantly radiated wisps of crimson mist, truly living up to its reputation as a supreme-grade spiritual artifact. Frankly, Old Qian had never seen a supreme-grade spiritual artifact in his entire life. All the illicit money he had earned, if never spent, might barely suffice to purchase just one. Old Qian had also heard that the new owner possessed more than one supreme-grade Strength Spirit Artifact.

Following such a master, Old Qian wasn't sure if he was lucky or unlucky. But one thing he knew: whether he stayed or left was no longer up to him. If his master wanted him to stay, he had to stay; if his master wanted him gone, he had to go. Filled with both respect and fear, he answered every word Lei Dong spoke with trepidation, beginning every phrase with "Reporting to Young Master Lei." Especially when he noticed the master didn't seem averse to this address, but rather enjoyed it slightly, Old Qian called out even more enthusiastically.

"Old Qian, I hear you've been in this shop for fifteen years. You've certainly rendered meritorious service," Lei Dong said with a smile. "Do you have any particular ideas about the management of this shop? Tell me, how can we enhance our store's ability to make money?"

Old Qian knew this was a test from the new owner and dared not be careless. He cleared his throat and replied solemnly, "Reporting to Young Master Lei, this old man does indeed have some thoughts. Currently, our shop’s supply sources all come from several alchemical farming families in the Great Ding Kingdom. It’s not that our procurement price is higher than elsewhere, but I believe we can expand our sources. For instance, some sects or families, in cultivating their alchemists, often end up with surplus pills. If we go to acquire them, the price will be lower. Secondly, due to restrictions on certain pill ingredients, the pills produced locally are more expensive. In some production areas, however, the prices can be two to three tenths lower. If we can secure the lowest possible purchase price for every type of pill, we can naturally earn more profit. Thirdly, Young Master Lei originates from the Yin Sha Sect; if we could leverage connections to obtain some low-priced, high-grade pills from the Yin Sha Sect, that would be ideal. Young Master Lei may not be fully aware, but the Yin Sha Sect is a major sect, with capable alchemists under its banner. Using the same materials, the pills they refine are slightly higher in quality and quite popular."

Lei Dong closed his eyes, contemplating for a long while before saying, "What you mentioned, Old Qian, are all strategies to reduce costs. Do you have any methods for increasing revenue and attracting more customer traffic?"

"That..." Old Qian thought hard, sweat dripping down his forehead. After a long pause, he finally answered, "Reporting to Young Master Lei, I believe the only way is to treat every customer with sincerity and build reputation. Furthermore, we should try to court more regular patrons, offer them more benefits, and bring more people into our shop."

As soon as he said this, Lei Dong knew he didn't have any truly effective ideas. Lei Dong then smiled, "Actually, I, Lei, have a few layman's thoughts to share with you, Old Qian."

Upon hearing this, Old Qian hastily assumed an expression of eager attention, his face full of expectation.

"To increase a shop's revenue, the first consideration must be to increase the daily volume of customers. What you just mentioned is only one method. I looked over the account books earlier and found that our shop’s primary clientele consists of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, with revenue from Qi Refining cultivators accounting for over seventy percent. This is very good. Although the pills for Qi Refining cultivators are much cheaper than those for Foundation Establishment cultivators, what is the most numerous thing in this world? Birds in the sky? Fish in the water? In my view, it is the Qi Refining cultivators: members of small families, rogue cultivators, and the lower-tier disciples of various sects." Lei Dong paused, then smiled again, "I, Lei, also came from the Qi Refining stage and understand what Qi Refining cultivators think. Every Qi Refining cultivator, no matter how poor their aptitude, as long as they are relatively young, harbors a dream—a dream of one day becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator and commanding respect thereafter. Of course, let's not discuss whether Foundation Establishment cultivators can truly command respect. But for young Qi Refining cultivators, Foundation Establishment is the greatest dream."

Old Qian's eyes lit up, and he affirmed, "Young Master Lei is quite right. Even some older Qi Refining cultivators desperately strive to reach Foundation Establishment; that desire is incredibly strong. Conversely, Foundation Establishment cultivators of our age have much less ambition for the Golden Core stage, as it is simply too difficult."

"To reach Foundation Establishment, even those with excellent aptitude require the aid of elixirs," Lei Dong said with a smile while sipping his tea. "This is one of the reasons why I, Lei, decided to specialize in pills. Because as long as there are pills, Qi Refining cultivators have hope. Therefore, for several commonly consumed varieties of pills, we must play some tricks. For example, for pills like the Minor Vitality Replenishing Pill and the Vitality Replenishing Pill, which are consumed in massive quantities, we will sell them all at cost price with quantity limits. This way, our store's foot traffic will explode, and once the crowd gathers, the vibrant atmosphere will follow. Moreover, with more people, the sales of other pills will also skyrocket."

"Young Master Lei, I understand cost price. But limiting sales..." Old Qian looked puzzled.

"It's simple: each person can only buy five, perhaps ten, of these low-priced pills per day. If they want more, they must purchase them at the original marked price. This way, even if competing businesses try any maneuvers, we can easily handle them."

"A brilliant stratagem, truly brilliant," Old Qian's eyes brightened, but soon worry returned, "However, Young Master Lei, if we sell at cost price, what if other pill shops cause trouble for us? Using despicable means or the like? After all, we will be stealing their business."

"Cause trouble?" Lei Dong chuckled, but his face turned exceedingly cold. "If they compete according to commercial rules, I welcome it wholeheartedly. If they try any tricks behind our backs, hehe, do you think I, Lei, was raised eating dirt? For such people, I welcome it even more, as it gives me the legitimate reason to eliminate them."

Old Qian shivered, abruptly recalling his new master's identity and strength. The current master was not like the former soft-hearted owner who was often bullied. Old Qian suddenly felt a surge of boldness, a subtle sense of relief and vindication. Following a promising master might not be a bad thing; he seemed to glimpse a bright future.

"Rounds on increasing customer volume, there's much more we can do. For instance, we can organize activities at the shop entrance, like martial arts contests for a spouse or prize quizzes. Oh yes, on our grand opening day, we can bring out a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills and let people try their luck in a lottery..." Lei Dong suddenly thought of the lottery idea, which seemed like the most potent way to earn money.