By uniting the vast majority of Talisman Makers in Qingliu Market, the Mutual Aid Association's strike proved remarkably effective.
At first, the three Great Commerce Associations tried to hold out using their existing stock. They even made harsh threats to the Talisman Makers, vowing to lower the purchase price for Talismans by thirty percent for three years as punishment for participating in the strike.
But once their inventory ran out, they had no more Talismans to sell.
The supply and demand in the Talisman market had always been extremely unbalanced. Low-Tier Talismans were so common they were practically profitless, while High-Tier Talismans were often in demand but impossible to find, a single one unobtainable even with a fistful of Spirit Stones.
What the Workshop Market lacked now wasn't common talismans like the Cleaning Talisman, but rather Defense Talismans like the Golden Light Talisman.
Without the output from local Talisman Makers, the three Great Commerce Associations could only fill the gap by purchasing Talismans from other regions at a high cost. To avoid significant losses, they then had to raise their selling prices.
For the price-sensitive Loose Cultivators, this was a major factor influencing their purchasing decisions.
As a result, many teams of Loose Cultivators who adventured in the wilderness began traveling to other Workshop Markets to purchase Talismans.
Without the business of these major customers, sales of other goods in the Workshop Market began to decline as well.
This time, it wasn't just the three Talisman Shops, including Xingwu Pavilion, that were affected. Shops selling Pills and Magical Artifacts also felt the impact to varying degrees.
Watching the foot traffic in the Workshop Market dwindle day by day, some people finally grew restless.
On the ninetieth day of the strike, the Mutual Aid Association was forced to hold its second meeting.
It was the same round table, but now, only five Talisman Makers were seated around it.
"Dong Rulin said he isn't coming either," a middle-aged Talisman Maker said with a helpless shrug.
Dong Rulin, also known as Elder Dong, had been one of the Mutual Aid Association's staunchest initial supporters.
Including him, a total of seven Talisman Makers had declined to attend the meeting for various reasons.
To Lü Zhong's surprise, even Li Dong was among the seven who didn't attend.
Recalling what Elder Dong had said on the boat back then, he couldn't help but feel a sense of irony.
In truth, Lü Zhong had already anticipated this outcome.
'My experiences from a past life already told me that a simple strike could never succeed.'
'Given the selfishness of human nature, the three Great Commerce Associations could easily divide and dismantle the Mutual Aid Association with just a little enticement.'
Without everyone's unified effort, the so-called strike, carried on by only the five of them who remained, was a joke.
"Maybe I should quit too?" the middle-aged Talisman Maker said hesitantly.
Even though quitting now meant his prices would be suppressed for three whole years, he felt it was a worthy sacrifice for his family. As long as he worked a bit harder and endured, he could get through it.
"You!" Huang Shuyuan pointed at him, her chest heaving, too furious to speak.
After spending so much time with her, Lü Zhong had discovered that she was a very perceptive person. He suspected she might have even anticipated the Mutual Aid Association's current predicament.
Yet even so, Huang Shuyuan remained one of the strike's most active proponents.
She was constantly rushing about, mediating the conflicts that arose among everyone because of the strike. Her contributions were even greater than Chen Shaoyan's.
That was precisely why she was so furious.
The Mutual Aid Association lost another member. Now, only Lü Zhong, Huang Shuyuan, Chen Shaoyan, and a black-haired young man named Chen Dongyang, who had been silent until now, were left.
"It seems the only option is to disband the Mutual Aid Association," Chen Shaoyan said helplessly.
He felt he had done everything he could. The way things had turned out only proved the old saying: Loose Cultivators were ultimately no match for the Sect Families. Their only choice was to obediently endure the exploitation.
Hearing this, Huang Shuyuan's body trembled slightly, and her eyes grew red.
Lü Zhong, who sat closest to her, sighed. 'She must be an idealist,' he thought.
Just then, the black-haired young man, Chen Dongyang, suddenly began to laugh.
"I think the Mutual Aid Association should perhaps try a different method of resistance."
Seeing the other three staring at him in disbelief, Chen Dongyang remained unfazed. He raised his voice and continued, "I believe that forcing the Commerce Associations to become dependent on us would be an excellent approach..."
"You... You're insane!" Chen Shaoyan understood Chen Dongyang's meaning, his face a mask of pure shock.
In his mind, there were only a few ways to achieve what Chen Dongyang was suggesting.
And the method Chen Dongyang most likely intended to use was brute force—to compel the three Great Commerce Associations into submission. That would mean a series of bloody conflicts, and thousands of people could die as a result.
Lü Zhong rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.
'What can't be won at the negotiating table, they plan to take by war?'
'One had to admit, Chen Dongyang's method was truly radical.'
'No, perhaps it wasn't radical.'
'To be precise, it was probably the only viable truth in this dog-eat-dog Cultivation Realm.'
The Great Commerce Associations were able to dominate the market not through their own strength, but through the backing of the Sect Clans behind them.
Therefore, their rise and fall were often tied to the Sect Clans behind them; they prospered and perished together, possessing very little autonomy of their own.
Even understanding this, Lü Zhong had no intention of getting involved.
In fact, he had always been a self-interested person.
'Chen Dongyang's path is destined to be filled with powerful enemies, and it's doomed to fail.'
'Besides, I'm only at the Qi Refining Second Layer right now, just another ordinary Loose Cultivator in the Cultivation Realm.'
"Sorry, I'm quitting too," Lü Zhong said bluntly.
"What a shame. I really thought... Fellow Daoist Lü would agree with my idea," Chen Dongyang said with a sigh.
Then he looked at Chen Shaoyan and Huang Shuyuan and asked, "What about you two? Are you willing to join me?"
Chen Shaoyan shook his head, indicating he stood by his earlier conviction.
"I'll join!" Huang Shuyuan said firmly.
Lü Zhong wasn't the least bit surprised by this.
...
Several days later, the strike officially ended with the disbandment of the Mutual Aid Association.
The three Great Commerce Associations did not follow through on their harsh threat to suppress the purchase price of Talismans for three years for all the participating Talisman Makers. Instead, they proactively raised the purchase price, restoring it to what it had been during the time of the Qingliu Ruins.
To those who didn't know the full story, this act seemed incredibly benevolent.
Elder Dong and the group of Talisman Makers who had been the first to surrender to the Commerce Associations now scrambled forward, publicly praising the great benevolence of the associations.
Lü Zhong watched all of this with mixed feelings.
Afterward, his life returned to its peaceful routine. He spent most of his days practicing Magic Skills, honing his Talisman Making, and working on his Cultivation Technique.
His success rate in crafting the Seven Profound Arrow Avoidance Talisman increased daily, allowing him to earn more and more Spirit Stones. It reached the point where buying Golden Threaded Spirit Rice for his daily meals was no longer an unaffordable burden.
One night, Lü Zhong exhaled a long breath of Dense Qi, his face filled with joy.
'This wasn't easy. After two long years, I've finally broken through to the Qi Refining Third Layer!'
Compared to when he was at the Qi Refining Second Layer, his total Spiritual Power had increased dramatically, doubling in size.
After practicing the Water and Wood Sword Mantra to the Third Layer, he could now emit Sword Aura.
He had been looking forward to this for a long time.
Activating the Sword Aura was achieved by channeling Spiritual Power in a specific way and releasing it from the fingertips.
Only a cultivator practicing the Water and Wood Sword Mantra could accomplish this. If a cultivator of a different Cultivation Technique tried to channel their Spiritual Power in the same manner, they would merely force it out of their body without producing any Sword Aura.
Lü Zhong made a Sword Gesture toward the courtyard, and a streak of green Sword Aura instantly shot out from his fingertip.
The Sword Aura shot out and vanished, sinking into a bluestone tile without a trace!