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Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

Chapter 497 - 369: Selling to Both Sides · Oct 13, 2026

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Chapter List (1233)

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451 Chapter 451 - 323: Sunk Cost 2026-10-13
452 Chapter 452 - 324: Displaying Divine Techniques 2026-10-13
453 Chapter 453 - 325: What a Coincidence 2026-10-13
454 Chapter 454 - 326: Friends and Foes 2026-10-13
455 Chapter 455 - 327: Without Cause 2026-10-13
456 Chapter 456 - 328: Defeat Spreads Like a Landslide (Second Update) 2026-10-13
457 Chapter 457 - 329: My Turn 2026-10-13
458 Chapter 458 - 330: Screening 2026-10-13
459 Chapter 459 - 331: True and False Identities 2026-10-13
460 Chapter 460 - 332: Where Are the Reinforcements? 2026-10-13
461 Chapter 461 - 333: Powerful Reinforcements 2026-10-13
462 Chapter 462 - 334: Blinded by Greed 2026-10-13
463 Chapter 463 - 335: Departure 2026-10-13
464 Chapter 464 - 336: Relentless Yin Soul 2026-10-13
465 Chapter 465 - 337: Never-Ending 2026-10-13
466 Chapter 466 - 338: Do I Not Care About My Reputation? 2026-10-13
467 Chapter 467 - 339: The Villain Dies by Talking Too Much 2026-10-13
468 Chapter 468 - 340: Human Nature 2026-10-13
469 Chapter 469 - 341: An Unexpected Delight 2026-10-13
470 Chapter 470 - 342: Departure 2026-10-13
471 Chapter 471 - 343: The Tycoon 2026-10-13
472 Chapter 472 - 344: Deep Words from Shallow Acquaintance 2026-10-13
473 Chapter 473 - 345: Different 2026-10-13
474 Chapter 474 - 346: Threshold 2026-10-13
475 Chapter 475 - 347: I Even Committed Robbery 2026-10-13
476 Chapter 476 - 348: Reduced to Mere Ornamentation 2026-10-13
477 Chapter 477 - 349: Black Market Welcome Gift 2026-10-13
478 Chapter 478 - 350: Wonders Never Cease 2026-10-13
479 Chapter 479 - 351: Looking for a Bargain 2026-10-13
480 Chapter 480 - 352: The Troubles of Standards 2026-10-13
481 Chapter 481 - 353: Going Back to the Old Ways 2026-10-13
482 Chapter 482 - 354: The Coolest Job 2026-10-13
483 Chapter 483 - 355: Role Reversal 2026-10-13
484 Chapter 484 - 356: No Passage This Way 2026-10-13
485 Chapter 485 - 357: Boasting 2026-10-13
486 Chapter 486 - 358: A Paycheck 2026-10-13
487 Chapter 487 - 359: The Visitor with Malicious Intent 2026-10-13
488 Chapter 488 - 360: Acting in Earnest 2026-10-13
489 Chapter 489 - 361: Urban Ambush 2026-10-13
490 Chapter 490 - 362: The Wind’s Recklessness 2026-10-13
491 Chapter 491 - 363: None of My Business 2026-10-13
492 Chapter 492 - 364: The Eccentric Granny Jia 2026-10-13
493 Chapter 493 - 365: No Supreme in My House 2026-10-13
494 Chapter 494 - 366: Pact Manuscript 2026-10-13
495 Chapter 495 - 367: Divine Script 2026-10-13
496 Chapter 496 - 368: Earth Scholar 2026-10-13
497 Chapter 497 - 369: Selling to Both Sides 2026-10-13
498 Chapter 498 - 370: Attribute Selection 2026-10-13
499 Chapter 499 - 371: News of the Divine Script 2026-10-13
500 Chapter 500 - 372: Repaying Kindness with Enmity 2026-10-13

Chapter 497: Chapter 369: Selling to Both Sides

In fact, these ”latest cultivation methods”, Qu Jianlei had already traded once on Garbage Star.

But he sold to two buyers and truly had no burden in his heart.

The real buyer on Garbage Star was Jamaari, but the Inspector got canned, and Jian Lei, who provided the Cultivation Technique, was also wanted.

Thinking back now, Qu Jianlei sold at a floor price back then, even lower than the waterproof layer price!

No choice, he was in a low position and of little consequence back then; selling cheaply was normal.

But some people weren’t satisfied with getting a good deal and even wanted to issue a warrant for him. That’s too much!

You act heartlessly, don’t blame me for acting unrighteously. Selling to two buyers, what’s the big deal? It’s not like selling to twenty or two hundred.

Anyway, he told the latter not to spread it for compensation, if they don’t listen to him, what does it have to do with him?

But why does selling to two buyers feel so good? Should I consider doing a ”one fish three eat”?

At this moment, the dark-skinned man spoke again, ”The new cultivation methods... do they apply to all attributes?”

”What are you thinking?” Qu Jianlei glanced at him disdainfully, ”With just these two shabby diagrams?”

Completing an array is not just difficult; the counterpart actually wants a brand-new attribute cultivation method.

Only cursing twice, that’s considered lenient, right?

The dark-skinned man habitually procrastinated, ”I can’t make the decision on this, need to report to the higher-ups.”

”Then forget about reporting, pretend I never said anything,” Qu Jianlei spoke without hesitation, ”Cooperation ends here, we go our separate ways.”

”Giving you a chance to compensate a bit, if you don’t cherish it, fine. You keep dallying, really think I care?”

Anyway, he already obtained the reasonably priced Superpower Rice and Crystal, this wave isn’t a loss.

He indeed wanted to gain array knowledge, but living this lifetime, endlessly pursuing strength, what’s it all for in the end?

Isn’t it just to live transparently and comfortably?

”No, wait,” The dark-skinned man was completely stunned, ”We are very sincere in our cooperation!”

Actually, he could decide on this condition himself, the organization also gave him the authority to make decisions on the spot.

But he wanted through some maneuvers to achieve larger goals—for the organization and personal honor.

Now upon hearing the refusal to negotiate further, he was caught off guard, truly feeling like he’s brought trouble upon himself.

”Sincerity?” Qu Jianlei snorted disdainfully, ”Sending someone who can’t decide to talk with me, this kind of sincerity... who are you underestimating?”

”Alright, I’m making the decision!” Hilton spoke up, ”We agreed to your conditions!”

They’re not going to negotiate by sending two people, someone plays the good cop, someone plays the bad cop.

He internally cursed his companion multiple times.

Idiot, already pulled the counterpart into the deal, got such good conditions, and you still want to fool around, what exactly do you want?

Actually, during interactions with Qu Jianlei, both of them made mistakes and helped each other smooth them over.

Qu Jianlei glanced at the dark-skinned man, then at Hilton, ”Who’s actually making the decision between you two?”

The dark-skinned man also realized, he nearly brought disaster, Hilton was the one who helped him pull it back.

Hence he smiled, ”I’ve said it, in the organization, everyone is equal, making decisions together.”

”Anyway, this is my condition,” Qu Jianlei wasn’t bothered to say more, ”Once the items are delivered, I’ll give a new cultivation method.”

”Ah?” This time it was Hilton’s turn to be surprised, ”Isn’t the cultivation method given only if the array can’t be completed?”

Qu Jianlei answered without hesitation, ”Of course this can be done.”

”Of course this can’t be done,” the dark-skinned man shouted loudly.

Their complementarity is really strong, he straightforwardly stated, ”Array knowledge and ancient books... directly trade for the cultivation method!”

Hilton looked at him dumbfounded, ”Are you crazy? Even if there’s a new cultivation method, do you know how effective it is?”

That’s also true, once the Defense Array is completed, the prospects and profits are predictable.

But as for the effectiveness of the new cultivation method, even say whether it’s a scam, who knows?

Not to mention Panda already expressed, hoping no one would profit from it.

If the cultivation method is sought now, wouldn’t the organization be tying its own hands and feet?

The dark-skinned man looked at him helplessly, ”Did water get into your brain?”

Actual gains and empty promises for the future, which ones are worth more attention?

He sighed, ”Hilton, I think it’s necessary for us to unify opinions first, or respond to higher-ups.”

They went out to communicate for almost ten minutes, neither could convince the other, thus contacted the higher-ups.

The reply from above came quickly, they supported the dark-skinned man’s suggestion, secure the new cultivation method first.

A hundred birds in the forest, why not one bird in hand? Anyway, there are many similar incomplete arrays in the organization.

Let’s take this deal to test the waters, checking the counterpart’s mettle also isn’t bad.

The effectiveness of the new cultivation method is not difficult to test, if useful, further cooperation with the counterpart can be continued.

However, Hilton was very stubborn and held a reserved attitude toward the decision from above.

He believed that such an exchange could not be considered cooperation, only a transaction.

The organization used broken arrays and some array knowledge to exchange for a new Cultivation Method.

This leads to an inevitable fact: once the transaction is over, both parties are clear, and a long-term relationship cannot be maintained.

So, whether the other party is dragged into the water or not, the organization cannot verify—it cannot understand the other party’s progress in repairs.

If such a relationship develops, it would be unfavorable for future cooperation.

His concerns were not unfounded, but the organization thought he was overthinking: since a trade can happen once, it can of course happen a second time.

From a strategic perspective, quickly understanding the partner’s strength is the organization’s main concern.

If the other party is relatively weak, we can strive for the greatest benefit.

If the other party is strong enough, we must position ourselves correctly to gain the deserved benefits in the cooperation.

Simply put, the organization is different from individuals, generally considering the bigger picture; temporary gains and losses are not important.

Qu Jianlei had no intention of eavesdropping on their conversation, but he couldn’t avoid it as they were too close, and he practiced the Spiritual Attribute.

Upon hearing such a conversation, he couldn’t help but be a bit tongue-tied: this Earth Scholar’s organization is quite confident.

The archeology enthusiasts’ organization not only had confidence but also had a swift response, delivering the agreed items the next day.

The broken Array Book was a replica, and some books on array knowledge were printed versions, evidently to hide their origins.

What surprised Qu Jianlei was the inclusion of a photocopied version of the ”Three Character Classic.”

This photocopy came from the replica in the Rare Books Tower, ending at ”Ancient Six Arts, Not Now Complete,” truly a fragment.

What surprised Qu Jianlei was that, besides the handwritten original text of the Three Character Classic, there were dense annotations below each original line.

The annotations were all in the Imperial script, evidently showing that countless people had attempted to decipher the original texts.

Some Divine Land characters had indeed been deciphered, such as ”person,” ”child,” ”mountain,” ”water,” and some numbers.

But this was normal; even if Divine Land script was difficult, among pictographs, there were ultimately some relatively simple characters.

Seeing him leaf through the copy, Hilton and the other person felt strange—you weren’t dismissive of this book, were you?

Qu Jianlei flipped through it for a moment, then looked up at them, ”How many Divine Land characters has your organization deciphered?”

Their expressions changed at his words.

The dark-skinned man waved his hand solemnly, ”Sir, it’s not a question to be asked lightly, not something the Empire should find out.”

Qu Jianlei paused, then shook his head with a smile, indicating nonchalantly, ”Haha, the Empire can’t always keep track of everything.”

He wasn’t speaking lightly; just look at Zarif Star, where the Diamond Team dared to secretly mine the purple gold ore away from the Empire’s view.

Are Divine Land characters that important? Once capital goes crazy, it can sell the rope to hang itself.

”It’s not as simple as you say,” the other two’s faces changed, shaking their heads.

Hilton looked at Qu Jianlei, speaking slowly, ”Divine Land studies are the Empire’s top-secret discipline...”

According to him, Energy Stone ore, purple gold ore, and even most of the military’s weapon schematics aren’t as important as Divine Land characters.

If others meddle with other things, the Empire’s solutions might not necessarily impose the death penalty.

But Divine Land characters are different; crimes involving them are akin to treason.

If someone masters unknown Divine Land characters and privately deciphers ancient books, and the Empire finds out, all involved parties are essentially sentenced to death.

The most skilled in Divine Land characters might survive by luck.

Aside from this, all organizers, participants, abettors, and those who remain silent must not expect the Empire to show leniency.

Even Superpower Warriors wouldn’t receive much leniency; in some cases, even implicating punishments occurred.

After explaining, Hilton looked at Qu Jianlei with an odd gaze: you truly are daring!

He didn’t think that Panda didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, so he could only lament that the other party was truly unabashed!

Indeed, as Qu Jianlei thought, although Divine Land characters are extremely important, the interests involved are too massive.

In such a situation, to claim that no one takes risks isn’t realistic.

It’s just done more secretly, striving not to let the Empire know.

Hilton vaguely guessed that this ”archeology enthusiasts’” organization might be secretly deciphering Divine Land characters.

But obviously, this issue couldn’t be broadcasted, and outsiders must not be acknowledged when asked, unequivocally denied.

This Panda guy dared to speak so brazenly, which indicated that the force behind him wasn’t of ordinary strength.

This force might not yet be deciphering Divine Land characters, but one thing is certain: the constraint is not due to a lack of courage.

In other words, Qu Jianlei’s words were not regarded as ignorant; rather, they added a layer of mystery to him.

After hearing his explanation, Qu Jianlei furrowed his brow, pondering for a while, then asked again.

”Then how could the replica of this Ancient Book appear in the Rare Books Tower, along with these commentary texts, is it to attract Divine Land talent?”

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