But it's not too late to say this now.
Jiang Yuechu interrupted Thirteen Wu's wailing. "Since we've found the crux of the problem, it's easy to handle... Is it just a matter of finding more heart material to supplement it to break through this bottleneck?"
"In principle, that is indeed the case..."
Thirteen Wu didn't dare to be too certain and was quite hesitant about it.
But then he changed the subject and added, "However, girl, take an old Daoist's advice and don't be too impatient. Your current speed of breaking through realms is unheard of throughout the entire Eastern Region."
"Whatever you do, don't settle for any Low Grade heart material to fill your Primordial Spirit just for the sake of speed."
"Doing so would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. When you step into the Chess Master Realm and condense your central palace in the future..."
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly.
She didn't speak up to refute him.
Although the old Daoist hadn't spelled it out...
...she already understood his meaning.
He was simply afraid she would be eager for quick success and integrate some scrap metal into her body, ruining her path to the heavens.
But she wasn't a fool.
With her current strength, she was already invincible within the Denglou Realm.
Looking across the world...
...there were actually few who could pose a threat to her.
Since she had decided to supplement her heart material, she would naturally look for the best she could find.
As for the quantity...
Finding four or five types of Top Grade heart material should be enough to support the framework of Tower Ascent Perfection.
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly, accepting the old Daoist's warning.
Now that the reason for her stagnation was clear, there was no need to waste any more time in this dilapidated courtyard.
She stood up, preparing to return to the palace to find Zhou Xuan first.
Having just ransacked Wuxiang Mountain, the resources and treasures brought back were piled high like a mountain.
She would have Zhou Xuan conduct a careful inventory and search through that pile of loot.
Perhaps he could find a few pieces of usable heart material.
Just as she was about to leave and say her goodbyes...
...Thirteen Wu's lips quivered a few times, and he suddenly spoke up, "Girl, wait a moment."
Jiang Yuechu stopped and asked in confusion, "Does the Immortal Master have something else?"
Thirteen Wu took a deep breath and looked at the young girl. "Actually... I happen to have news of a Top Grade heart material."
Hearing this...
...Wang Ziyu, who was standing to the side, suddenly looked up.
His youthful face was filled with astonishment.
"Master, are you going to..."
He opened his mouth to speak, but was forced back by a sharp glare from Thirteen Wu.
He could only close his mouth quite unwillingly.
The young girl turned back, her black robes hanging down in the night breeze.
She looked at the old Daoist calmly, waiting for him to continue.
"This item is called water-fire cold smoke coal. It is born in a place of extreme Yin, yet must be nurtured where subterranean fire boils. A clash of Yin and Yang, it is a rare sight once in ten thousand years."
"If it can be refined and used to temper the Primordial Spirit, it will be like steel tempered a hundred times, removing impurities and retaining the essence. Not only will the Primordial Spirit's toughness far exceed those in the same realm, but one can also control the accompanying cold fire."
"Ordinary flames are blazing and explosive, but this fire is extremely cold and Yin. When it burns, it is cold instead of hot, lasting indefinitely and quite domineering... Even among Top Grade heart materials, it is considered superior."
At this point...
...the old Daoist pulled a wooden plaque from his robes and tossed it onto the stone table.
The texture of the wooden plaque was ordinary, and its edges were worn smooth, showing no signs of anything extraordinary.
"As for the history behind this item, it's a long story, and there's no need for you to know. Currently, that place is guarded by the descendants of an old friend of mine. You just need to take this wooden plaque; seeing the object is like seeing the person, and they will naturally lead you to find it."
Jiang Yuechu looked down at the wooden plaque on the table.
However, she didn't reach for it immediately.
After a long time...
...she finally looked at the old Daoist. "Since the Immortal Master found this item a hundred years ago, why didn't you keep it for yourself?"
It wasn't that Jiang Yuechu was afraid he was digging a hole for her.
This matter really didn't make much sense.
Top Grade heart material is not like High Grade heart material.
Once such an item appears, even the Twenty-Five Lineages would fight over it.
How could it be safely placed somewhere and guarded by the so-called descendants of an old friend for over a hundred years?
This was a joke in itself.
Moreover, even if Thirteen Wu couldn't use it for various reasons... he should have kept it for his own Disciple first, rather than giving it to her, an outsider.
Hearing the young girl's words, Thirteen Wu didn't get angry; instead, he parted his withered lips and smiled.
He naturally knew what the girl was wary of.
If it were him, his first reaction to such a stroke of luck would also be disbelief.
He didn't try to be mysterious, speaking in a calm and frank tone. "Actually, when I found this item back then, I really did intend to keep it for myself."
Thirteen Wu looked up at the sparse stars in the night sky.
"Who would have thought that something would go wrong halfway? Now, this broken body is just barely surviving... How could I still hope for the Chess Master Realm?"
He laughed self-deprecatingly, his tone revealing a trace of irrepressible loneliness. "Just a dying man, what use do I have for this Top Grade heart material?"
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly, her gaze shifting slightly.
These words were indeed reasonable.
Once the path of the Dao is severed, heart material naturally becomes useless.
The young girl's gaze moved past Thirteen Wu and fell on Wang Ziyu, who was standing nearby.
"What about him?"
Thirteen Wu followed Jiang Yuechu's gaze and squinted at the small boy.
He gave a disgruntled snort.
"This kid? He doesn't need me to worry about him."
Thirteen Wu looked away and sighed.
"He has the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven backing him up. Although the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven doesn't move much in the outside world, its foundation is so deep that it's far beyond ordinary Dao Lineages. While Top Grade heart material is precious, for the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven, as long as they put in some effort, they can always find it. Once this kid returns to the Grotto-Heaven, there will naturally be plenty of resources for him to squander... He might not even look twice at the little property I have."
Wang Ziyu muttered softly from the side, "Who would complain about having too much money..."
Thirteen Wu glared at him, and the boy immediately closed his mouth sheepishly and stood obediently to the side.
Looking back at Jiang Yuechu...
...Thirteen Wu dropped his previous carefree attitude.
In his cloudy old eyes, there was an unprecedented gravity. "And compared to him, Great Tang needs this thing more."
Hearing this...
...Jiang Yuechu became thoughtful.
Actually, she had never been able to figure it out.
It was true that he had come from here, but that was from the previous Dynasty or even the one before that... Why would he worry about Great Tang to this extent?
Thirteen Wu shook his head. "I am indeed not from your Great Tang era... Having lived for so many years, I have seen too many Dynasty changes, rises and falls. Mortal emperors have been replaced one after another, and national titles have changed time and again."
"In my eyes, it is simply the work of fate."
He stared into Jiang Yuechu's eyes.
"But although it's said that 'the country is broken but the mountains and rivers remain, and the people remain'... when even the mountains and rivers are shattered, where do the people go?"
"Your existence is a blessing for this land. I don't want to see this region suffer again, with the people plunged into misery and blood flowing like a river."
"If possible..."
...I hope Great Tang can walk its own path from now on..."