Vol. 1 - Ch. 319 - Discussion

Zhao Qimeng trailed off, his gaze shifting toward Chen Tianjing once again.

The meaning behind his unfinished sentence was clear, though: those two items were valuable, but not valuable enough to exchange for resources meant for the Innate Realm.

After all, an Innate Realm martial artist was considered a core pillar of the family. Every advancement at that level was cause for celebration. An Innate Realm expert at Great Completion held the possibility of breaking through to the Qi Manipulation Realm, a transformation that could alter the family’s standing completely.

Such resources were naturally far more precious than Blood Rice and Blood Rice Fruit. The key difference was that the two items could be substituted with other things, but resources for the Innate Realm had very few alternatives.

Chen Tianjing’s expression remained calm, and then he unexpectedly smiled.

"Elder Zhao, may I ask how many Innate Realm martial artists your esteemed clan currently possesses? And how many are at the Blood Coagulation Realm and Body Tempering Realm?”

A flicker of doubt appeared in Zhao Qimeng’s eyes. Such a question touched upon family secrets—how could he possibly answer?

In that moment, however, Zhao Qimeng also realized the truth: the clan had few Innate Realm experts, especially compared to the greater number of Blood Coagulation and Body Tempering martial artists.

Of course, this was not unique to the Zhao clan. Other families were in the same situation.

The reasons behind this issue were obvious. First, advancing to the Innate Realm was not solely achieved through resources. Second, no family could supply Body Tempering and Blood Coagulation martial artists with endless resources.

With multiple factors at play, Innate Realm experts were naturally scarce. Thus, even if a clan had extra resources for the Innate Realm, there were not enough martial artists to use them. This problem would not resolve itself unless given several more decades.

"My clan's Blood Rice Fruit blossoms and bears fruit every six months."

Zhao Qimeng’s expression froze at Chen Tianjing’s reminder.

He did not know the exact yield of Blood Rice, but he recalled that the Zhou clan had used a lot of Wind-Chasing Falcons in the past. Hearing that the Blood Rice Fruit was so productive, he wondered if the Chen Clan’s Body Tempering and Blood Coagulation martial artists would never need to worry about cultivation resources.

Given enough time, the Chen Clan could produce countless Blood Coagulation Realm martial artists.

In contrast, his own family possessed a variety of resources but had far more clansmen to support. Otherwise, they would never have come to Yong’an City upon discovering Blood Rice.

If the clan had both of these resources, then in ten years, the number of martial artists in the family would grow to an enormous size.

Advancing to the Innate Realm was far from easy, but once the number of Blood Coagulation Realm martial artists reached a certain threshold, the number of Innate Realm experts would surely rise as well.

Zhao Qimeng’s eyes grew complicated as countless thoughts collided in his mind, weighing the gains and losses.

Beside him, Chen Tianjing remained utterly unruffled, calmly sipping a cup of tea.

After a long pause, a glimmer of light flashed in Zhao Qimeng’s eyes.

He had even considered leading his clan in an attack on the Chen family. However, the Chen Clan had a Qi Manipulation Realm expert, and beyond that was the mysterious Chaotic Burial Mountain, which his family had never fully investigated. Launching a rash assault would create a formidable enemy for the Zhao Clan—an option far too dangerous to pursue.

After much deliberation, Zhao Qimeng’s face softened into a genial smile.

“Clan Leader Chen, truth be told, I have long yearned for cooperation!”

Chen Tianjing chuckled lightly. "Well said, well said. But I have already shown my sincerity. Will your esteemed clan do the same?”

Zhao Qimeng laughed heartily. "Hahaha, of course! Clan Leader Chen, please take a look!"

When a lotus seed brimming with Qi and Blood was presented, a faint smile appeared on Chen Tianjing’s face.

From there, the two sides began a long tug-of-war. Since the matter concerned the interests of both clans, an agreement had to be reached that satisfied both sides.

After much deliberation, the voices in the grand hall gradually subsided.

"Clan Leader Chen, though I have been authorized by my clan leader to negotiate, this matter is of great importance. I must return and report the details to him before any final decision can be made.”

"That is only natural," replied Chen Tianjing lightly. "But I must ask Elder Zhao to be swift. I have another guest waiting for me.”

His casual words caused Zhao Qimeng’s expression to tighten. He recalled the mysterious man hidden in the secret chamber earlier. If that person had a powerful clan behind them, this transaction might not fall into the Zhao family’s hands as easily as he had imagined.

This realization brought a sense of urgency to Zhao Qimeng’s face. Moments before, he had felt his clan held the advantage. He clasped his fists and declared,

"Within three days, my clan will have an answer!"

Chen Tianjing smiled faintly. "Then I shall await Elder Zhao’s good news."

"Clan Leader Chen, I take my leave!"

Zhao Qimeng did not linger. He turned around quickly and left.

Once he had left, the smile on Chen Tianjing’s face quickly faded.

Moments later, Chen Tianyu strode in and said, "Clan Leader, Zhao Qimeng and his people have already left Yong’an City. However, he did not travel with the others. It seems he is hurrying back to report to his clan.”

Neither man was surprised by this outcome. The lotus seed that Zhao Qimeng had presented earlier was indeed a resource for the Innate Realm.

Yet, according to the terms they had just discussed, the Chen Clan would suffer a slight loss in the exchange.

Among the many families that had come, few possessed resources for the Innate Realm.

Several clans that had previously been invited, for example, refused when they heard what the Chen Clan required, despite having some strength and foresight and having shown interest in cooperation after purchasing Blood Rice.

The Chen Clan had not even revealed their Blood Rice Fruit; in such circumstances, there was no need.

Those families that rejected outright either lacked such resources entirely or had so few that they would never consider trading them.

Among the clans with strength and resources, there were few. This was precisely the purpose behind the Chen Clan’s sale of Blood Rice: to identify families suitable for mutually beneficial exchanges.

The Zhao Clan was not weak; they had resources. By trading with them, both sides could profit.

The Chen Clan might suffer a slight loss in resources, but the balance of gains versus losses was acceptable.

After all, the Blood Rice and Blood Rice Fruit yield within the clan far exceeded expectations. Now, especially with the protective white mist surrounding their territory, there was no need to worry about outsiders probing their secrets.

Of course, such resource exchanges could create a formidable rival for the Chen Clan.

Yet, Chen Tianjing remained unconcerned. The clan possessed the Divine Tree, after all, and the Innate Realm was no longer an insurmountable barrier for their people.

Time itself stood on their side.

Chen Tianjing could not imagine what the clan's situation would be in a few years. One thing was certain, though: the current group of three- and four-year-olds would one day shine brilliantly.

Though their enemies might be strong, the Chen Clan would not fear them.

Hello readers!

Read up to 12 advance chapters by joining us on Patreon! Support us and read ahead[Join Patreon]Enjoying the story? Help more readers discover it by leaving a rating and reviews on NovelUpdate!

Every review counts.

[Rate on NovelUpdate]Thanks for your support and happy reading!