Yan Taibai knew very well that let alone one hundred intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones, even a thousand, ten thousand, or even one hundred thousand of them would be impossible to help him successfully cultivate the White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash.
However, they would at least be of some use, and he had never expected to master the White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash overnight.
To successfully cultivate this supreme divine ability, even if all the metal Spirit Stones in the entire mortal realm were used on him, it would still be a long shot.
Yet he had to cultivate it. Even just beginning its practice would be enough to give him no small amount of help.
Especially under the present circumstances, he needed a trump card for preserving his life—one that no one else knew about, and particularly one that the Yan Family knew nothing of.
If one were to ask who understood him the most, none other than the Yan Family Ancestor and Mr. Xuanye fit the description.
As for these two, Yan Taibai had never trusted either of them from the very beginning; he merely needed them to provide cultivation resources at present.
"Taibai understands, but Taibai still wants one hundred intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones. As for the reason, once Taibai enters the Moon Masking Sect, he intends to go into seclusion for Foundation Establishment, and these intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones are the optimal cultivation materials. I hope the Ancestor will grant this, and Taibai will be endlessly grateful."
Yan Taibai solemnly bowed to the Yan Family Ancestor, thanked him respectfully, and stated the excuse he had prepared long in advance.
"Didn't you just say that you temporarily do not plan to enter the Moon Masking Sect for cultivation? Why are you asking for so many intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones at such an early stage?"
At a signal from the Yan Family Ancestor's gaze, Mr. Xuanye asked the question instead.
"Taibai needs intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones for his cultivation. The spiritual Qi within intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones is even purer, and the benefits to cultivation are naturally all the greater. Since Taibai possesses the Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root, he does not wish to leave any flaws behind."
Yan Taibai had anticipated that Mr. Xuanye would say this, and he continued with his explanation.
As for whether Mr. Xuanye and the Yan Family Ancestor believed this explanation or not, that was none of his concern.
Anyway, the ladder had already been provided; whether to step down it or not was a matter for the Yan Family Ancestor and Mr. Xuanye.
If the Yan Family Ancestor refused, he would simply have to think of another way.
Regardless, before leaving the Yan Family Fortress, he had to cultivate the White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash. Even if he only managed to cultivate a wisp—or even just a thread—of the Gengjin True Qi belonging to the White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash, it would be enough to provide an extra trump card for self-preservation.
"One hundred intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones will not do. Such a quantity will cause quite a stir within the family, and it would not look good for your reputation either. How about this: I will give you ten intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones first, and once you have used them up, you can just ask Xuanye for more."
After listening to Yan Taibai's explanation, the grand hall remained silent for a long time before the Yan Family Ancestor's voice slowly sounded.
"Many thanks, Ancestor. Taibai will take his leave."
Yan Taibai had already anticipated this outcome, so he was not overly disappointed. After bowing respectfully, he withdrew from the hall.
...
"Xuanye, what do you suppose this child wants with so many intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones? Even for someone in the Foundation Establishment stage, they wouldn't need this many. Could it be that he has some secret we know nothing about?"
The Yan Family Ancestor's previously murky and aged eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he asked Mr. Xuanye in a deep voice.
"Even if he does, it is of no consequence. From a very young age, this child's temperament and intelligence have been no different from an adult's. Therefore, it is only natural for him to have some secrets. Moreover, this child has a kind heart and is not one of those ungrateful and faithless people. Thus, the Ancestor has no need to worry. On this point, Xuanye can vouch for him."
Mr. Xuanye let out a soft laugh and took the initiative to vouch for Yan Taibai.
"Then you mean to say I should really give him hundreds of intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones?"
Seeing this, the expression of the Yan Family Ancestor cleared slightly, and he asked with some surprise,
"Indeed. A mere hundred intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones—what harm is there in giving them to him? If anyone in the clan has objections, let them give birth to a son or daughter with the Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root, and I will give them hundreds of metal Spirit Stones as well. If they cannot, then they should keep their mouths shut. Over the years, the family has also obtained no small benefits thanks to this child Taibai, far exceeding what a mere hundred intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones could ever compare to."
"Right now he is still young and does not know, but given time, as he grows up and achieves success in his cultivation, he will inevitably realize it. When that happens, it would be no wonder if he grew dissatisfied with the family. Could it be that the Ancestor is prepared to give up on nurturing Taibai?"
Mr. Xuanye's smile remained unchanged as he bantered.
"How could that be? How could this old man ever blame or abandon Taibai over such a trivial private matter? If I did that, that Old Man Qiong from the Moon Masking Sect would tear the family apart. Besides, the girl Ruyan would never agree to it either. Right now, that girl is utterly obedient to Taibai, hanging on his every word. If anyone were to treat Taibai even the slightest bit poorly, I'm afraid she would be the first to object." When mentioning Yan Ruyan, an undisguised look of doting fondness welled up in the Yan Family Ancestor's eyes.
Clearly, compared to Yan Taibai, he cared far more for and doted much more heavily upon his junior, Yan Ruyan.
"Therefore, giving just a hundred or so intermediate-grade metal Spirit Stones to Taibai won't cause any trouble at all."
Mr. Xuanye added.
"Very well. Since even you have put it this way, what else can this old man say? Tomorrow, you will personally deliver them to him." Hearing this, the Yan Family Ancestor gave a helpless smile and nodded in agreement.
"Xuanye thanks the Ancestor on behalf of Taibai. I believe that in the future, Taibai's achievements will not disappoint the Ancestor."
Mr. Xuanye cupped his hands in thanks to the Yan Family Ancestor.
"Indeed! That goes without saying. As long as a Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root does not suffer an untimely death and fall, condensing the Golden Core and advancing to the Core Formation stage is merely a matter of time. And judging by this child's cultivation speed, it doesn't seem to be something ordinary Heavenly Spiritual Roots can compare to. It looks like there is truly hope for him to successfully complete Foundation Establishment before the age of ten. Achieving Foundation Establishment at age ten—it seems there hasn't been a single person in the entire Yue Country to achieve that, has there?"
At this point, the Yan Family Ancestor's eyes lit up, growing increasingly pleasantly surprised.
"What the Ancestor says is true. Throughout the several millennia of cultivation history in the entire Yue Country, there has indeed never been a single person who successfully completed Foundation Establishment before the age of ten. Even the Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivators of the past only achieved Foundation Establishment after turning ten. As for other countries, it is said that an Nascent Soul cultivator within the Nine Nations Alliance achieved Foundation Establishment before the age of ten, and has now already condensed their Nascent Soul, becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator."
"You mean the descendant of Senior Wei Wuya, the Grand Elder of the Nine Nations Alliance: Senior Wei Lichen."
Said the Yan Family Ancestor.
"Precisely, it is none other than that Senior Wei Lichen. That senior took only three hundred years to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, and now he is not far from the mid-Nascent Soul stage. He is also one of the few great cultivators in the entire Tiannan Immortal Cultivation World with the potential to advance to the Nascent Soul late-stage. While Taibai may not be able to compare to him in the future, I believe his chances of forming a Nascent Soul are still quite substantial. Coupled with Miss Ruyan and the dual-cultivation techniques and secret arts of the Moon Masking Sect, the probability of them both forming their Nascent Souls in the future can be increased significantly. If they both succeed in forming their Nascent Souls and become Nascent Soul cultivators, then Ancestor, the Yan Family will become a prominent cultivation clan across the entire Tiannan Immortal Cultivation World. With such a prospect, there is even less reason to let Taibai harbor resentment over such a trivial matter—the loss would far outweigh the gain."
Seeing the smile on the Yan Family Ancestor's face, Mr. Xuanye continued eloquently, spinning grand visions for the future.
"Hehe! This old man understands. When all is said and done, you simply want this old man to invest more heavily in nurturing Taibai."