The results were immediately apparent.

“Purely from an artistic perspective, this ivory carving of a cabbage truly reaches an extraordinary level. The only regret is that the sculptor is not a renowned master, nor did he leave his name on the piece. Even though the artistry is at its pinnacle, the price still cannot fully reflect its artistic value,” Xiao Yao said with some regret as the conversation turned to price. “Not only does this ivory carving represent the highest standard of craftsmanship, but its coloring technique is equally remarkable—almost otherworldly. Even with modern technology, it’s impossible to achieve such lifelike effects, let alone preserve such vivid colors for two or three centuries. This is precisely what makes the piece so much more valuable. Taking all this into account, my estimate is around 400 million yuan. In terms of value, it should be a bit lower than that Hetian jade mountain display beside it.”

“Isn’t 400 million already more than enough? ‘Priceless treasure’ is just a figure of speech; nothing is truly without price. I think this is already an astronomical sum,” Zhou Xiaobai remarked, unable to believe that such a small ivory artwork could command such a price. Xiao Yao’s valuation had far exceeded her imagination.

“High or low, it doesn’t matter now. The sale of ivory products in the market has long been prohibited. The valuation is just that—a valuation. This can only ever be a collector’s piece, not a commodity. As a collector, it’s enough if I love it myself,” Xiao Yao said sincerely, speaking as someone who owned countless treasures.

“With such precious antiques in the boss’s office, it seems I really need to step up the security in the building,” Chen Xingwen said. Since he couldn’t ask the boss to remove the antiques, he would have to take on the extra burden of strengthening the precautions himself.

Chen Xingwen and Zhou Xiaobai were there to give a work report. After admiring their boss’s two treasures, Chen Xingwen shifted the topic to business.

He had barely begun his report when he received a call from the operations department. Since it was inappropriate to answer the phone while speaking with the boss, he switched his phone to silent mode.

When he finished his report, the phone had rung five or six times in succession. The calls finally stopped, but then he received more than a dozen WeChat messages.

While Zhou Xiaobai was giving her report, Chen Xingwen quickly opened WeChat and skimmed through the messages.

After reading them, a look of astonishment appeared on his face. He looked up and said, “Boss, something truly bizarre happened today. Six or seven companies have suddenly come knocking at our door. Even after we raised the rent to 4,500 yuan per square meter, they’re still eager to rent. It seems your strategy was right and I was simply too conservative.”

If these deals went through, they could rent out an entire floor. Despite the increased rent, occupancy was surging—an anomaly Chen Xingwen simply couldn’t make sense of.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, you didn’t send these companies our way, did you?”

“What kind of companies are they?” Xiao Yao inquired.

Chen Xingwen gave a brief overview of these companies.

“They’re all small start-ups, none of which I’ve heard of,” Xiao Yao replied, shaking his head. “I didn’t approach any of them. Even if I wanted to put in a word, it would only be to some well-known major companies.”

Such a dramatic turn of events could only be attributed to the effects of the Fortune Talisman and Feng Shui Talisman. Xiao Yao hadn’t expected these two talismans to work so quickly or so effectively. Clearly, their power exceeded his expectations, and he knew he must give them greater attention.

Throughout the day, he kept a close eye on the operations department. By the close of business, they had already signed four contracts, renting out a total of about two thousand square meters, each at the new rate of 4,500 per square meter.

Besides these four signed contracts, there were another twelve or thirteen companies expressing intent to rent. If those deals were finalized, the total leased area would exceed five thousand square meters.

For the staff, seeing so many companies come forward to rent at the city’s highest rate—4,500 yuan per square meter—was like manna from heaven: astonishing and delightful. Previously, the entire operations team doubted the boss’s wisdom in raising the rent so sharply. They, more than anyone, understood the difficulties of filling office space. Since opening, they had tried every promotional trick and incentive, barely nudging occupancy to 60%.

Now, the boss had suddenly raised the rent from 3,000 to 4,500 yuan per square meter, with no discounts at all. To them, this seemed sheer fantasy.

Yet today’s results upended everything they thought they knew. At this rate, leasing the remaining 50,000 square meters was only a matter of time.

The employees were overjoyed—and as the boss, Xiao Yao was even more satisfied.

That evening, after returning home, he decided to pause the production of Peace Talismans and focus his efforts entirely on mastering the Fortune and Feng Shui Talismans.

The demand for Peace Talismans was never high; even Pan Wu, in his lifetime, only exchanged them within a small circle. The ones Xiao Yao had made in recent days were already enough to last for years. Were it not for his desire to perfect his technique, he could have stopped making them long ago.

Now, realizing just how powerful the Fortune and Feng Shui Talismans were, he knew he had to devote his time to crafting those that would offer him the greatest benefit.

With a stockpile of these talismans, building a business empire would be the simplest thing in the world.

Though the Saint’s Soul Ring held the vast wealth Pan Wu had accumulated over three millennia, that was still Pan Wu’s legacy. Xiao Yao, only in his twenties, wanted to forge his own path and achieve greatness through his own efforts.

The miraculous effects of the Fortune and Feng Shui Talismans fascinated him. He was determined to practice and master the art of their creation.

PS: Many thanks to Yan Chu for the generous and continuous support!