Chapter 48: Contract Concluded! The Heritage of a Great Family!

"Tell me, what kind of cooperation do you have in mind?"

Cooperating with the Shang family was, for both Li Yao and the Silver Wolf Guild, an absolutely tremendous opportunity.

As one of the twelve major cities, Qinghai City was home to countless clan influences.

Among the top four leading families, the Shang family undeniably secured a prominent spot.

Their primary operations centered around alchemy and equipment forging, accumulating astonishing wealth.

Even the Yan family from the capital would never dare to look down upon the Shang family.

Among the twelve major cities, aside from Magic City and the Capital, the actual gap between the other major cities was quite minimal.

To become a top-tier noble family in Qinghai meant that, even looking across the entire Dragon Republic, very few would dare claim they could definitively suppress the Shang family.

Hearing Li Yao's willingness to cooperate, Shang Zijin flashed a mesmerizing smile, and the speed of the luxury vehicle subconsciously picked up a notch.

"I actually thought you were going to turn down a pitiful, delicate beauty."

"As for the specific details of the cooperation, my old man will personally send a federal contract to the president of the Silver Wolf Guild."

"I'll keep it brief."

Pausing for a moment, Shang Zijin slowly continued.

"The Shang family hasn't been established for very long. We might not lack resources or wealth, but the only person in our household truly capable of touching the sixth-turn tier is my father."

"Therefore, we either need to recruit top talent from outside, or form an alliance with a powerful faction."

"We have the money; they have the people."

"However, top-tier talents are not so easily recruited. As for those major factions, needless to say, they look down on upstarts like the Shang family from the bottom of their hearts, treating us merely as nouveau riche."

"So, I brought up the Silver Wolf Guild to my father."

"Although this guild lacks both money and powerful members—with only two third-turn professionals—they have you."

Saying this, Shang Zijin turned her head and looked at Li Yao with a beaming smile.

"So you want to invest in the Silver Wolf Guild and then form an alliance with the Shang family?"

Li Yao looked at the woman before him.

He had to admit, she was remarkably clever.

If the proposal had been to invest in him personally, Li Yao might have refused outright.

He had no need for anyone's investment.

The Silver Wolf Guild, however, was a different story.

Before this, Li Yao had only ever thought of protecting the Silver Wolf Guild to the best of his ability; he had never considered developing it.

That was simply not his area of expertise.

Shang Zijin's words successfully piqued Li Yao's interest.

"That's right, and fortunately, Mulberry Elm City under Jiangzhou happens to be a great place for growth."

Shang Zijin continued:

"The most dominant families over there are merely the likes of the Yang and Song families."

"With my Shang family backing you, they won't be able to restrict the Silver Wolf Guild in the slightest."

"Once the various potions and forged equipment produced by the Shang family flow into Mulberry Elm City, those people will be completely powerless to stop it."

"Three years—no, even just two years—will be enough for the Silver Wolf Guild to rise to a faction comparable to the likes of the Yang family."

"Of course, all of this hinges on one prerequisite."

Shang Zijin's expression turned serious: "In this year's martial arts examination, you must win the national top scorer title, enter the Four Great Academies, and become a direct disciple of one of those six individuals."

"Only when you become a student of one of them can the Silver Wolf Guild develop without any scruples."

Hearing this, Li Yao nodded thoughtfully.

Despite the Shang family's protection, until he fully matured, the Silver Wolf Guild would still need a truly formidable figure standing behind them.

The individuals she mentioned were presumably the top-tier mentors within the Four Great Academies.

This wasn't really a harsh condition; it was something he had intended to do anyway.

"Well then, how about it? This cooperation should be pretty hard for you to turn down, right?"

Shang Zijin returned to her smiling demeanor.

"It is indeed hard to refuse," Li Yao said with a smile.

He was not a person prone to indecision.

As long as that ultimate backing was real, Li Yao was willing to accept this partnership.

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet; the Shang family has one final condition."

"Go ahead."

"You have to enter a political marriage with me."

A black line crossed Li Yao's forehead.

"Haha, just kidding. I wouldn't even want that myself." Shang Zijin covered her mouth with her hand, let out a soft chuckle, and then spoke.

"The Shang family's cooperation is settled. Now let's talk about our personal business."

"During this upcoming Tower of Babel trial, my younger sister and several other Shang family youths will also be entering. I'm worried the Yan family might seek revenge, so I need you to escort them up to the sixth floor."

"The sixth floor?"

Li Yao was slightly surprised.

Compared to the Silver Wolf Guild, the foundation of the Shang family was vastly superior.

Anyone capable of reaching the sixth floor to complete the second-turn trial possessed at least an A-grade class.

"That's right. As compensation, I can also grant you one request."

Shang Zijin blinked and said seductively, "Literally anything, you know."

Li Yao ignored her remarks.

After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "Do you know the Yuwen family?"

"That minor family that sent three puny assassins to try and kill you?"

"I'm aware of them."

...

Soon after.

Shang Zijin's luxury vehicle came to a halt in front of the Tower of Babel.

Eight years ago, it had taken root right here.

Looking at it from afar, it resembled a heavenly ladder reaching into the firmament, towering into the clouds, majestic and mysterious.

Even non-professionals could be seen lingering nearby, stopping to gaze in awe.

Li Yao and Shang Zijin stepped out of the car.

The Beast King Robe, styled as a dark red leather outfit, gave Li Yao a fiercely wild aura.

Shang Zijin looked more like the scion of an ancient noble family, her graceful figure standing just behind Li Yao.

Handsome man, stunning woman, and a luxury car—such a combination naturally drew widespread attention.

As the wealthiest family in Qinghai City, many people readily recognized Shang Zijin.

"Isn't that Miss Shang? What brings her here?"

"Goddess Shang, it's me, your long-lost younger brother! Hurry up and take me home!"

"Who's that guy next to Miss Shang? Is that her boyfriend?"

"Get lost, don't taint my goddess! That brat is one hundred percent Miss Shang's cousin; she's personally seeing him off, so they must be close."

"Who are you calling a brat? Show some respect! Is my future brother-in-law someone you can address like that?"

"Coming to the Tower of Babel at a time like this, it's probably for the second-turn trial. We're in for a good show. The young master of the Nie family just went in not long ago; I wonder which of them will manage to push through to the eighth floor."

"Even though Shang Zijin is my goddess, I have to say, when has any young professional from the Shang family ever compared to the Nie family?"

"Not necessarily. I remember Shang Zijin's biological sister is also breaking through today. Two against one, there might just be a chance!"

"Can second-turn trials be calculated by headcount? They're all completed independently. If you ask me, unless Shang Zijin herself goes in, no one is touching the Nie family young master. After all, he's the only SS-grade professional our Qinghai City has produced this year."

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Li Yao caught wind of some interesting information.

The only SS-grade professional in Qinghai City was currently inside the Tower of Babel.

If the opportunity arose, he wouldn't mind testing the waters against them.

After all, these people would likely become his enemies during the martial arts examination.

Still, these people leveled up at a truly terrifying speed.

Aside from the time wasted on the primordial dungeon, he spent almost all his time either grinding levels or on his way to grind levels.

"You must have an item like the Mirror of the Abyss, right?"

"The Mirror of the Abyss?" Shang Zijin showed a puzzled expression, but suddenly seemed to recall something as she retrieved a card from her storage space. "Are you talking about this?"

[Time Exchange Card (Item)]

[Quality: Platinum]

[Effect: Allows the user to exchange dungeon cooldown times with a designated person.]

[Charges: 5/12 (Recharge requirement: Quicksand × 7)]

"Right."

Li Yao suddenly thought of a phrase from his past life.

Why should ten years of bitter studying ever triumph over three generations of accumulated effort?

With a casual item pulled from the inventory of these great clan scions, they could completely bypass dungeon cooldowns and run a dungeon twelve times over.

Combined with a team of powerful veterans leading them, how could their leveling speed possibly be slow?

Ordinary professionals, like Li Yao's former classmates, were currently hovering around level 10 at most.

If they could push to level 13 or 14 before the martial arts examination, they would already be considered quite exceptional.

Or slightly better.

Like Qin Yue; without Li Yao carrying her, she would be around level 15 at best right now, with virtually zero hope for the top twenty, though with a bit of luck she might have grazed the threshold of the Four Great Martial Academies.