Chapter 218: Patent Rights

"Sect Leader He, the several mountain peaks of your mountain gate are long and thin, like five chicken claws!"

"Yes, yes."

He Qin echoed with black lines on his forehead; the Sword Peak had always been compared to a sharp sword, and this was the first time it had been called chicken claws, but since the Alliance Leader was practicing "Words Follow the Law," naturally, whatever he said was the truth.

"The clouds in the sky are as cute as cotton candy; I really want to take a bite!" Lin Bai pointed at the clouds in the sky and laughed.

Everyone was forced to pile on a smiling face.

Wan Qifeng stroked his beard and said, "It is indeed like that. With the Alliance Leader putting it this way, it actually stirs up my childhood memories. Once matters here are concluded, no matter what, I must go to the human world to buy a piece of cotton candy and savor it carefully."

"……"

Everyone cast looks of disdain at Wan Qifeng in unison: a sycophant.

Only Lin Bai gave him a thumbs up: "Well done, Old Wan. Maintaining a heart as clear and transparent as crystal will surely make your cultivation of the Laws twice as effective with half the effort."

"I accept the Alliance Leader's auspicious words." Wan Qifeng chuckled and returned the gesture.

"The post-war Chaoyuan Sword Sect is like a painting with heavy ink and rich colors. Walking through it is truly refreshing, like drinking a cup of honey water in the scorching summer, making every pore cheer with joy..."

……

Lin Bai was in no hurry to handle the aftermath, instead taking the members of the Justice Alliance to stroll around the Chaoyuan Sword Sect, grinding the Great Language System's metaphor tasks.

Although metaphors did not affect conversation.

But using metaphors to discuss matters was too mentally taxing; it was not as simple as these random metaphors.

Completing the language system's tasks first and then discussing serious business was more conducive to Lin Bai's performance.

This was not a waste of time.

After all, the Great Language System's task rewards were quite powerful and could greatly enhance his strength.

He Qin and the others wanted to leave but dared not, so they could only accompany Lin Bai in awkward small talk, while incidentally introducing the layout of the Chaoyuan Sword Sect.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, Lin Bai kept at it for half a day, eventually forcing the several Pungent sect leaders to the point where they had no words left to respond.

Watching Lin Bai, who was still talking eloquently, He Qin and the others could not help but feel heartfelt admiration for him.

No matter how dangerous the situation during battle, he insisted on speaking in metaphors; no matter what he saw in daily life, he would describe it with exaggerated metaphors, undisturbed by any external factors.

This perseverance and willpower alone far exceeded them by a wide margin.

Of course.

Being able to cultivate to the Nascent Soul Realm, they themselves were also people of firm will.

But they asked themselves, they absolutely could not manage such calm and composed awkward small talk as Lin Bai...

This, damn it, not only tested one's willpower but also the thickness of one's face!

In the end, everyone reached a conclusion: "Words Follow the Law" might seem simple, but it was likely not something they could ever master; they had better ponder other Laws!

……

【Concise language can quickly convey information; in critical moments or at crucial junctures, it can play an unexpected role; within twelve hours, express what you wish to convey using the most condensed language; Reward: Silence (Using this Skill, when you are silent, no one within a one-kilometer radius can speak)】

Not sure which metaphor had gone wrong.

It was not until the next day.

That the Great Language System's metaphor task finally sent a completion notification, and Lin Bai obtained a new Skill—Decibel Multiplier for speaking volume.

However.

He did not test the skill immediately; every time he racked his brains to complete the Great Language System's tasks, it would leave his head feeling hollow.

When the task ended, his head was numb, and he needed time to adjust and recover.

Moreover.

There was nothing to test about this skill; keeping it as a trump card was better, as exposing it early had no benefits.

The Great Language System's new task reward had returned to being a "chicken rib."

The Silence skill seemed like a divine skill, sufficient to interrupt those spells that relied on incantations to be cast.

But the one-kilometer range was truly a bit of a chicken rib.

After all.

Those at the Spirit Transformation stage could launch attacks at him from several kilometers away; his silence would not affect the opponent, but might instead interfere with his own people.

Sure enough.

One never knew which system reward would be useful and which would be useless...

Putting the Great Language System's task aside, Lin Bai stopped his steps and looked around at the people who had been exhausted by him: "Everyone, let's go to the meeting hall! For the sake of Lin's cultivation, wasting so much of everyone's time truly makes Lin feel a bit uneasy; we should go and discuss serious business."

"The Alliance Leader is right, this metaphor is used vividly..." Xin Shang echoed reflexively, but halfway through, he realized something was wrong and couldn't help but widen his eyes, "Alliance Leader, your 'Words Follow the Law'?"

"Hard work pays off; I luckily passed another hurdle," Lin Bai laughed.

Smiles quickly piled up on everyone's faces; regardless of what they thought in their hearts, they all breathed a sigh of relief in unison and sincerely congratulated Lin Bai: "Congratulations to the Alliance Leader for advancing your cultivation further."

If Lin Bai didn't stop, they would have gone crazy; being a Pungent really wasn't easy.

……

Sword Peak.

Meeting Hall.

Everyone took their seats.

Lin Bai naturally sat in the Sect Leader's position.

Beside him were Xiaobai and Hu San, the two newly Form Manifested little foxes, and behind him was the muddled bodyguard, Li Zhenren.

Hu He sat in the lower seat with the other children; the aura of the many Nascent Soul experts in the hall made her afraid to even breathe, but her admiring gaze never left Lin Bai.

Toying with a Spirit Transformation True Person in the palm of his hand, suppressing many Nascent Soul experts to cooperate with him in speaking metaphors for an entire day...

Meeting such a formidable master was simply a blessing she had cultivated over three lifetimes!

As for Lin Bai's various peculiar methods, Hu He didn't care at all.

The Hu Clan is skilled in the Charm Technique; in her heart, fighting and killing are only of the lowest order...

Looking at Lin Bai in the sect leader's seat.

He Qin was filled with infinite emotion; a day ago, it was still he who sat in that position!

Nominally, the Chaoyuan Sword Sect had merely become a member of the Justice Alliance.

But He Qin knew clearly that his status as sect leader was little different from having none at all; he simply dared not defy Lin Bai's orders.

To put it bluntly, the Justice Alliance was Lin Bai's one-man show.

It was not just He Qin; Wan Qifeng and Ma Changcheng were equally anxious in their hearts. Although they had accompanied Lin Bai in his nonsense for a day, everyone knew that what followed would be the moment of judgment that determined their fates.

Lin Bai had spent the whole day dragging them through metaphors, which felt more like psychologically grinding down their wills and establishing his own authority...

Jiang Yuru was also somewhat worried; ten sects around Qian City had gathered, and only the Hundred Flowers Valley was missing.

She knew the sect leader's plan, and now she only hoped that the Heavenly Descended being taken away by the Valley Master as a communication tool could be sharp enough to pass the news here to the Valley Master in time, so that she would not do anything foolish...

Even if the Seven Orthodox Sects wanted to deal with Lin Bai, the Hundred Flowers Valley could not be the one to stick its neck out.

As for Pei Yanzong, who had recovered his sanity, he sat in a member's seat representing the Canyang Sect; his status as a Puppet made him unable to muster much interest in the Justice Alliance.

Most of his thoughts were focused on his emotional entanglements with Daoxu and Li Zhenren.

Li Zhenren did not know when he would recover his sanity, and Daoxu was determined to part ways with him; his path of love was too difficult.

The player representatives were 【Deng Li Buduo】 and 【Baiyin】; the two were chatting in the hall using private messages, completely unaffected by the atmosphere in the hall.

Their conversation focused mainly on their outlook for the future and how Lin Bai would handle their situation.

Previously, for the sake of advertising effect, they had recited the incantation for Palm Thunder without Lin Bai's consent, which was equivalent to great disrespect; no matter how Shopkeeper Lin dealt with them, it would not be excessive.

However, after the two discussed it back and forth, they finally reached a conclusion: as long as Shopkeeper Lin still wanted to use them, he would have no way to deal with them.

After all.

The law does not punish the masses!

In any case, they were confidants who had followed Lin Bai for over a month and had been fostered by Lin Bai himself; many affairs of the Beggar Sect could not function without them...

The law does not punish the masses?

Lin Bai had been eavesdropping on the two players' conversation and scoffed at their conclusion; they really thought of themselves as something special!

*Cough! *

A light cough.

Lin Bai drew everyone's attention to himself.

He smiled slightly and said, "Everyone, due to my personal reasons, the post-war summary meeting has been postponed. But it does not affect the formality of the meeting. First, we welcome the addition of new members to the Justice Alliance. The addition of new members has made the Justice Alliance even stronger. Let us give the new members our warmest applause and welcome them into our collective."

Lin Bai took the lead in applauding.

The players and Xiaobai cooperated.

In the blink of an eye, the applause in the hall merged into one.

He Qin and the others were as uncomfortable as sitting on pins and needles, applauding with the flow, quite unaccustomed to this novel approach of Lin Bai's.

Lin Bai reached out and pressed down.

The applause ceased.

His gaze swept over everyone in the hall and finally landed on the three of He Qin: "Sect Leader He, Pavilion Master Wan, Pavilion Master Ma. I previously published the rights and obligations of Justice Alliance members in the Justice Weekly, so I assume you are aware of them. I will not say more; next, let us talk about the matter of war reparations."

War reparations?

He Qin and the others looked at each other, stunned.

"Do not look at me with those eyes. If you had voluntarily joined the Justice Alliance when I issued the invitation, then everyone would be good partners, and we would simply abide by the alliance rules together; naturally, there would be no issue of reparations," Lin Bai said. "But you were obsessed and unrepentant, going so far as to use force to resist the Justice Alliance. In order to convince you, the Justice Alliance exhausted its people and wealth, mobilized the masses, and spent a great deal of energy and resources. If you do not provide some compensation, I fear it will be difficult to convince the masses. Moreover, demanding war reparations from the defeated can also warn latecomers against coveting our Justice Alliance."

You could have chosen not to come and convince us?

And.

What losses did you have?

For an entire battle, you stood in place without even moving, just watching us fly into the sky...

He Qin and the others engaged in Belly-Defamation, providing Lin Bai with a huge wave of resentment.

At this moment.

They somewhat missed the Lin Bai who spoke in metaphors; at that time, at least Lin Bai was not so unreasonable...

When one is under the eaves, one must bow one's head.

Knowing that there was no way out without bleeding, He Qin nodded helplessly: "It is only right. Whatever compensation you need us to make, Alliance Leader, just name it."

"Sect Leader He, I hear the Chaoyuan Sword Sect has a Black Iron Ore Vein. I do not want all of it, just allocate half to the Justice Alliance!" Lin Bai looked at He Qin and said.

"Alliance Leader, the Black Iron Ore Vein is the foundation of the Chaoyuan Sword Sect..." Lin Bai had opened his mouth like a lion, and He Qin was immediately anxious.

"Sect Leader He, if someone else had my means, the Chaoyuan Sword Sect would no longer exist, let alone the fact that I have left you half of the Black Iron Ore Vein. You should be able to distinguish which is heavier and which is lighter, right?" Lin Bai looked at He Qin with a smile and said, "If you cannot even accept such a simple request, then you might as well withdraw from the Justice Alliance!"

Xin Shang and the others immediately cast unkind glances at He Qin, which, combined with the stiff smile of "Smile When I See You," looked extremely eerie.

"I accept." He Qin was drenched in sweat; after thinking it over repeatedly, he dejectedly accepted Lin Bai's extortion.

"Half the proceeds of the Black Iron Ore Vein; our weapons have a source now," 【Baiyin】 excitedly bumped 【Deng Li Buduo】's shoulder. "Trading bird guns for cannons; Shopkeeper Lin is truly capable."

"You don't have any control over it anyway, what are you happy about," 【Deng Li Buduo】 said sourly. He was the founding first disciple of the Justice Sect and, by rights, should have enjoyed the status of a young master, but now, his status was not even as good as a little fox; no matter how many supplies the Justice Alliance had, it had little to do with him...

"Valley Master Ma." Lin Bai looked at Ma Changcheng.

"Alliance Leader, please give your orders," Ma Changcheng said respectfully. With He Qin as a cautionary tale, he was prepared to bleed; no matter what Lin Bai said, he would agree.

"I want all the pill formulas of the Medicine King Valley," Lin Bai looked at him and said.

"Impossible." Ma Changcheng stood up abruptly, his face flushed red, his chest heaving; he was clearly angry to the extreme. He had never expected that Lin Bai would be so ruthless as to cut off his foundation. Had he known this earlier, he would never have surrendered; he would have fought Lin Bai to the end, and he would not have fallen into such a passive situation.

Xin Shang and the others were stunned.

They had not expected Lin Bai to make such a request; this was clearly forcing Medicine King Valley into a dead end!

He Qin felt a wave of relief; compared to Medicine King Valley, he suddenly felt that giving up half of the mineral veins was not such a big deal after all.

"Valley Master Ma, please calm down." Lin Bai pressed his hand downward, signaling him to sit.

Ma Changcheng did not sit; he turned to Lin Bai, cupped his hands, and said, "Alliance Leader, please change your request. Pill formulas are the foundation of a pill refiner's survival; once leaked, Medicine King Valley will have no reason to exist. Furthermore... furthermore, if pill formulas are leaked and Danling Sect holds us accountable, everyone who knows the formulas will die without a burial place. I implore the Alliance Leader to reconsider..."

"Valley Master Ma, times have changed. Even without my proposal, with the Heavenly Descended here, your pill formulas cannot be kept safe." Lin Bai looked at Ma Changcheng and shook his head. "These past few days, you must know that there are no secrets among the Heavenly Descended. Unless your sect never accepts any Heavenly Descended, the pill formulas will eventually be leaked one day."

"..." Ma Changcheng wanted to tell Lin Bai that they could cultivate the Loyalty of the Heavenly Descended, but recalling everything that had happened these past few days, he swallowed his words back; the Heavenly Descended truly seemed to have no Loyalty to speak of toward them.

"Valley Master Ma, I am thinking for your sake. Your abilities are limited, and you cannot protect the pill formulas, but the Justice Alliance can." Lin Bai said.

"The Justice Alliance has even more Heavenly Descended; how will the Alliance Leader protect the pill formulas from being leaked?" Ma Changcheng sneered. "Danling Sect has been passed down to this day by relying on the unity of pill refiners and their shared determination to guard secrets."

"I intend to promote Patent Law in the name of the Alliance." Lin Bai glanced at him and said.

"What is Patent Law?" Ma Changcheng asked.

"Patent Law is established specifically for all handicraft products and trademarks related to Pill Refinement, Weapon Refinement, and so on. For example, after Medicine King Valley applies for a patent within the Justice Alliance, you will enjoy the patent rights to the pill formulas. Patent rights possess an exclusive nature; if others want to use the technology of the pill formulas to refine pills, they must obtain authorization from the patent holder. Only then will the refined pills be legal; otherwise, it is an act of infringement, and the Justice Alliance will punish them." Lin Bai briefly introduced the content of Patent Law to Ma Changcheng.

"How will you punish them?" Ma Changcheng asked.

"Confiscate all their income, send troops to crusade against them..." Lin Bai was silent for a moment and said.

"Isn't this just the same approach as Danling Sect? The Justice Alliance doesn't even have the deterrent power of Danling Sect." Ma Changcheng said in a fit of pique.

"It is different." Lin Bai shook his head and smiled. "Danling Sect focuses on guarding, while Patent Law focuses on promotion. With the Heavenly Descended arriving in the world, pill formulas are no longer secrets. When they can no longer be kept, we should not just think about continuing to hide them, but learn to share. What Patent Law actually solves is the problem of dissemination; legal authorization can bring us greater benefits. Moreover, the promotion of patent rights also helps to stimulate the enthusiasm of pill refiners to research pill formulas; after all, authorization can bring more benefits to the pill refiners..."

(End of chapter)