Little Tiger’s new abilities sparked heated discussions among Cloud Peak’s core members. Many were already debating how to maximize their effectiveness. Some even suggested taking advantage of the fact that Little Tiger’s abilities were still unknown to launch a surprise attack on Witch Palace.
The overconfident Little Tiger even demonstrated his level five Borrowed Troops ability in front of Ah Yang, Young Master Yun, Candy, and the ever-mischievous Yangos, blowing the rocks to smithereens.
When Ye Zhongming found out, he scolded Little Tiger harshly.
Fortunately, the ability was still at its initial level, and the cooldown time was within an acceptable range.
“With Little Tiger’s current strength, he should rank in the top five, maybe even top three, among Cloud Peak’s evolved, right?” Ye Zhongming had returned, and core members who had been away also returned. Even Little Peng, stationed at the Linhai base, made his first trip to Cloud Peak using the newly built teleportation array. This young evolved, who had once been just a rookie, was now a regional leader, controlling near-shore resources and providing Cloud Peak with many materials and demon crystals.
Of course, Ye Zhongming hadn’t treated him poorly. Little Peng’s evolution level was on par with the core members at seven stars, and he was equipped with top-tier blue-grade gear. He also had a ten-man guard team personally trained by Ye Zhongming, all at six stars, with well-balanced jobs and luxurious equipment.
At the same time, Lu Yi’s merchant caravan had also returned. All of Cloud Peak’s high-ranking members were now gathered in Ye Zhongming’s villa. Even Zhao Xingmei, Bai Feng, and Sha Sha attended the meeting, accompanied by leaders from several major factions in Ying City. This was their first time attending a meeting with Cloud Peak’s top brass, and while they were slightly nervous, they were also incredibly excited.
Some legendary figures they rarely saw were now right in front of them.
For example, the queen-like Xia Lei, the icy killer Xia Bai who stood silently in the corner behind Ye Zhongming, the saintly Park Xiuying, the massive Yellow Ball who loomed like a small mountain, the ever-cursing Yangos whose giant head took up a quarter of the meeting room, the famous female guards responsible for security, and, of course, the god-like figures Liu Zhenghong and Le Dayuan…
To be honest, these leaders were quite nervous about being summoned. They weren’t sure why the ruler of this territory had suddenly called them here. They had asked Zhao Xingmei and the others who had come with them, but no one knew.
Only those with significant status in Cloud Peak could speak up in such a meeting. Everyone turned to look as Lu Yi, who had just returned, patted Little Tiger beside him.
While Lu Yi’s position in Cloud Peak might not be the highest, outside of the company, he was one of the most well-known figures after Ye Zhongming, Xia Bai, Xia Lei, Little Tiger, Liang Chuyin, and Mo Ye. In a way, Lu Yi represented Cloud Peak’s specialty products.
Ye Zhongming had already informed him about the collaboration with Deacon Water regarding trade routes this time. Lu Yi was thrilled because it was clear that Ye Zhongming would entrust him with this task.
This was a huge deal.
Little Tiger laughed and shook his head. While his abilities had greatly improved, his one-on-one combat strength was still mainly boosted by his first ability, Authority’s Gaze. The other two abilities—an assassin-type skill and a group skill—were difficult to use in direct combat.
So, when it came to individual combat strength, Ye Zhongming was undoubtedly number one in Cloud Peak, followed by Xia Bai. These two were indisputable. After that, opinions varied. Some said Mo Ye, and others said Xia Lei, Liang Chuyin, Shengyuan, or Guang Yao. Now, some even said Little Tiger.
But the truth was, no one really knew. Without actual fights between them, it was impossible to determine.
However, among the core members, the general consensus leaned toward Mo Ye and Shengyuan, especially after Shengyuan obtained the two purple shields.
Still, a rumor was circulating among Cloud Peak’s mid-to-high-level members that Liang Chuyin was the true third strongest, at least until others evolved to eight stars.
No one knew where this rumor came from, but there was no smoke without fire. Many people glanced at the influencer sitting there with a charming smile, their expressions filled with suspicion.
Once everyone had arrived, Ye Zhongming stopped chatting with those around him and sat up straight. The room immediately fell silent, and even Yangos, who had been glaring at Yellow Ball, quieted down.
“Sorry for calling everyone here and taking up your time.”
As soon as Ye Zhongming said this, a chorus of “It’s no trouble” and “We’re honored” erupted, mostly from the leaders of Ying City.
“Let’s get straight to the point.” Ye Zhongming glanced around the room and held up three fingers, lowering the first one.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“Starting today, Cloud Peak will begin unlimited purchases of various materials, battle beast cubs, demon crystals, metals, and rare mutated lifeform specimens. We will no longer restrict the scale of entry into the secret realms, but the return time and location must follow orders. Those who fail to return on time will not have their space gates preserved. Cloud Peak will also open up large-scale trading, allowing the sale of silver and green grade equipment and lifting restrictions on level-three gene lifeforms and Cloud Peak Type I crystal weapons.”
The room erupted into chaos.
This was no small matter.
It meant that Cloud Peak’s policies were about to undergo a massive change!
Previously, gene lifeforms and magic crystal firearms were not for sale!
Cloud Peak’s three specialties were highly coveted, and now, for the first time, they were offering previously unavailable items. After the initial shock, everyone was ecstatic.
After Ye Zhongming had added some clarifications, everyone felt more at ease.
Cloud Peak couldn’t possibly afford to purchase unlimited amounts of materials, demon crystals, and battle beast cubs, so they would exchange them for equipment of equivalent value.
Previously, Cloud Peak had also sold equipment, and sales were good. The prices offered to the factions in Ying City were slightly lower than market prices.
But at this point in time, when everyone was striving to reach four stars, what were people wearing? Most had white equipment, and owning a single silver piece was a sign of status. Those like Deacon Water, Kim Jongyuan, and Jyanendra, who wielded gold or purple equipment, were the top-tier experts of their respective regions and couldn’t be compared to ordinary evolved.
In other words, even though Cloud Peak’s equipment was relatively cheap, the evolved around Ying City didn’t have much money to spend. Many of them wore a mix of grey and white equipment. Only mid-level leaders in various factions might have a full set of white with a touch of silver, and only the leaders could afford green equipment.
In his previous life, Ye Zhongming had been an ordinary evolved. Even after ten years, his highest-tier gear was still green.
Why was equipment so expensive? Simply put, it was costly!