The banquet lasted several hours and only concluded once the hosts and guests were fully satisfied.
Wei Xuyuan was in an excellent mood. After negotiating with the leaders of two other Purple Mansion clans, he secured a redistribution of Yang Region's resources, increasing the Wei Immortal Clan's annual income by fifty percent.
After the banquet, Wei Xuyuan invited Elian to his private cave residence. There, he solemnly knelt down to the ground.
"Brother Wei, please rise!"
Seeing Wei Xuyuan suddenly perform such a grand gesture, Elian quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "This is entirely unnecessary."
"Do not stop me."
Wei Xuyuan shook his head firmly, his expression serious.
"If not for you finding the Spirit Apricot for me, I would have long since perished from the exhaustion of my lifespan, and the Wei Immortal Clan's spiritual veins would have been divided among the other clans."
"This bow is not only on my behalf but also on behalf of the tens of thousands of mortals and cultivators of the Wei Immortal Clan."
"This..."
Hearing his heartfelt words, Elian no longer objected and accepted the gesture graciously.
Wei Xuyuan knelt and performed three bows. The first was for the mortals of the Wei Immortal Clan, the second for the clan's nearly one thousand cultivators, and the third for himself.
Afterward, Elian helped Wei Xuyuan up, his expression solemn as he said, "I came here to see you because I have a request."
"Between us, there's no need to use the word 'request,'" Wei Xuyuan immediately replied, shaking his head.
"Just tell me what it is."
Elian nodded and spoke directly.
"I came to ask for the method to refine the Yin-Yang Treasure Vase, your life-bound magical treasure."
"My Chen family has no shortage of third-rank treasures. You may choose one in exchange."
Wei Xuyuan was momentarily stunned before quickly recovering. He firmly grasped Elian's hand and said earnestly, "Back in the Yan Kingdom, I promised that I would do everything in my power to assist the Chen family should the need arise."
"This is not just empty talk. You can take the method to refine the Yin-Yang Treasure Vase without mentioning any exchange."
Hearing this, Elian did not insist. True friendships required mutual support and interaction to sustain. If one avoided all obligations and insisted on settling everything clearly, relationships would eventually become superficial.
Among cultivators, close friendships often meant being willing to lend even life-bound magical treasures to help one another overcome tribulations. If everyone feared creating karmic ties, such gestures would be unthinkable.
Elian had never been afraid of karmic entanglements. He faced such ties and emotions with confidence, believing he could handle them appropriately.
Receiving the method to refine the Yin-Yang Treasure Vase, Elian made a mental note of this favor. He resolved to remember his old friend and repay the kindness in the future.
Upon returning to Pingyang City from Tian'e Mountain, Elian showed the Patriarch the method for refining the Yin-Yang Treasure Vase.
The Patriarch couldn't help but exclaim, "The method for refining a life-bound magical treasure is critical knowledge, as it could potentially reveal ways to counter it."
"For Wei Xuyuan to willingly share this with you, your friendship must run exceptionally deep."
"It wasn't an exchange," Elian calmly replied.
"He gave it to me as a gift."
The Patriarch fell silent for a long moment, his expression grave as he examined the method.
"You made no mistake in trusting him."
Elian nodded slightly.
"He is a person of good character and a friend worth cultivating."
With the method in hand, the final step of their refinement research was completed. They incorporated the runes related to the Yin-Yang Annihilation Vase Aura into the formation artifact, successfully deducing the complete refinement method for the life-bound magical treasure.
"It's done."
Seeing the method finalized, Elian allowed himself a rare smile.
This treasure would be forged from Whiteblade Metal, Spirit Shell Beads imbued with Deep Water, and the Liquid of Blazing Flame. By infusing these materials with essence from the metal, fire, and water elements, they would refine seven orbs in total.
According to their deductions, the completed treasure would form an array capable of unleashing three divine abilities.
The first ability, activated by the array, would release the "Yin-Yang Sword Aura," a top-tier offensive divine ability.
The second ability would unleash the "Yin-Yang Annihilation Vase Aura," an unparalleled area-of-effect divine ability with devastating power.
The final layer of the array would provide defense, manifesting as the "Whiteblade True Barrier," a divine ability with exceptional protective strength.
With the Patriarch's cultivation, this life-bound formation artifact would allow him to face opponents of a higher realm with confidence.
The Patriarch, delighted, recorded the refinement method and announced with a smile, "This life-bound formation artifact, imbued with Yin-Yang power and forged from Whiteblade Metal, shall be named the 'Whiteblade Star Orbs.' When combined, they will form the 'Whiteblade Seven-Star Array.'"
"Now that the method is complete, we need only acquire the Liquid of Blazing Flame at the exchange gathering."
Elian nodded.
"I'll also visit Tianxu Mountain to see if they have any Liquid of Blazing Flame in stock."
The Liquid of Blazing Flame, a third-rank treasure born from underground fire veins, was relatively common. However, the large quantity needed to correspond with the Spirit Shell Beads—seven full portions—was considerable.
"It costs about eight thousand spirit stones per portion," the Patriarch noted, hesitating slightly.
"Senior Jiang of Tianxu Mountain might be in financial difficulty, given her recent attempts to upgrade her treasure. Take some spirit stones from the family treasury so we don't take advantage of her generosity."
"Patriarch," Elian said with a helpless smile, "I understand."
Elian traveled to Tianxu Mountain, where he reunited with Jiang Linglong. He discovered that the mountain had only one remaining portion of the Liquid of Blazing Flame. Most of their stock had been depleted during the chaos caused by the demon beast outbreak and the Sky Python Lake battle.
Unable to acquire the full quantity, Elian purchased the lone portion and stayed on the mountain for three days before returning to Yu County. (Thou shalt not know what he has been doing these three days!)
Life soon resumed its usual rhythm.
Time flowed like water. Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Elian refined his ninth strand of Primordial Purple Qi and realized he was already over eighty years old.
"Time truly flies."
It had been nearly twenty years since he first broke through to the Purple Mansion. The clan's cultivators had also made significant progress.
The Patriarch's cultivation had grown even deeper. Thanks to the Law Essence Pill, he had saved thirty years of effort and had now been at the third level of the Purple Mansion for several years.
It seemed likely that, within another five or six years, he would reach the bottleneck of the fourth level, where he would need to begin honing his spiritual power.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D