Mottled light and shadow filled the room. Tuoba Yan twitched his fingertips, and a lustrous white crystal ball slowly floated out of his storage ring.
The instant his palm touched its surface, the crystal ball erupted with dazzling blue light, making the boy's eyes shine brilliantly.
"Level fourteen!"
Three months had passed since he obtained his first soul ring.
Thinking back to three months ago, when he obtained his first soul ring, his Soul Power had surged from level ten to level thirteen.
Then, after three months of meditation, his Soul Power Level had finally risen from level thirteen to level fourteen today.
What reassured Tuoba Yan was that his grandfather, Tuoba Xi, had not gone senile. Under his guidance, Tuoba Xi had not been blindly loyal enough to hand Spirit Hall the method for using Whale Rubber.
Tuoba Xi had accepted his grandson's suggestion and sent members of the clan to scour the major cities for Whale Rubber.
After three months of frenzied purchasing, the Whale Rubber gathered by the Tuoba Clan could fill two rooms. Clan members continued bringing more back every day, and the amount of Whale Rubber was still increasing at an astonishing rate.
It was worth mentioning that such a rare material was still as cheap as cabbage.
The Tuoba Clan's mad scramble for Whale Rubber had drawn the attention of many watchful people. Numerous intelligence agents secretly kept an eye on the Tuoba Clan's movements from the streets outside the Tuoba residence.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as he was pondering this, a sudden knock sounded at the door. Tuoba Yan stirred his Soul Power, turning it into a gust of force that opened the door. Tuoba Xi stood outside.
"What is it?"
The boy's tone was cold as ice, as though the frost of the third lunar month had yet to melt.
Over the past three months, aside from mealtimes, he had deliberately kept his distance from his grandfather. First, so that he could focus on cultivation; second, because he wanted this blindly loyal elder to seriously weigh which mattered more—family affection or loyalty and righteousness.
Tuoba Xi was a man of utmost honesty and loyalty.
At times, Tuoba Yan truly worried that one day, Tuoba Xi would be foolish enough to put righteousness above family and destroy his own kin for the sake of loyalty.
Tuoba Xi coughed lightly and said in a grave voice, "Ahem. Straighten your clothes and come with me to meet the Pontiff."
"To see Bibi Dong?"
"That's right. I'm seeking a master for you."
"You want me to take her as my master?" Tuoba Yan raised a brow, his tone utterly decisive. "I refuse."
"Yan'er, don't be willful!" Tuoba Xi earnestly tried to enlighten him. "If the Pontiff takes you as her disciple, you can be named Saint Son in the future and inherit the Pontiff's position! I've already sent the steward to find Ju Douluo. Ju Douluo will put in a good word for you before the Pontiff shortly. You possess Twin Martial Souls, so this is practically guaranteed!"
At that, the boy's gaze became sharp and blazing, so intense that it made Tuoba Xi's back prickle.
For some reason, whenever Tuoba Xi looked into his grandson's eyes, he always felt that beneath that six-year-old face lay a mature heart that had weathered the world.
Growing uncomfortable under that stare, Tuoba Xi actually stammered like a child. "Was I wrong again?"
"When will you ever change this old habit of yours?" Tuoba Yan rebuked him. "All lives are equal. White Armored Earth Dragon blood flows through our veins, so why must we bend the knee, cling to, and curry favor with Pontiff Bibi Dong?"
"Yan'er..."
Tuoba Xi wanted to persuade Tuoba Yan and explain the many benefits of taking Bibi Dong as his master.
Just then, the steward entered from outside the room and respectfully bowed slightly to Tuoba Xi and Tuoba Yan.
"Master, Chrysanthemum Crown sent me back with a message. He said that the Pontiff has spoken: such a filthy child must not soil the grounds of the Pontiff's Hall. He cannot put in a good word for you. He also returned the Saint Soul Grass you sent. He said he cannot help you with this matter."
Tuoba Xi accepted the brocade box containing the returned gift, his face turning livid.
Bibi Dong's harsh rejection instead made Tuoba Yan feel suddenly liberated. He shrugged and smiled. "See? Now it isn't just that I don't want Bibi Dong as my master. She doesn't want me as her disciple either. Bibi Dong finds me disgusting."
"Filthy?" Tuoba Xi was beside himself with rage.
Filthy meant unclean and dirty.
Tuoba Xi felt deeply indignant. "What kind of person is my grandson? It would be one thing if she refused to take him as a disciple, but how could she humiliate him like this? Yan'er, have you offended the Pontiff before?"
"Why would I have so much free time that I'd provoke her?" The boy curled his lip and turned toward the writing desk. "All right, Grandfather, do you have anything else? If not, I'm going to start reading."
Perhaps many people wished to curry favor with the Pontiff, but Tuoba Yan was an exception.
Tuoba Yan did not want to continue discussing taking a master or the Pontiff's opinion of him, and he was clearly dismissing his grandfather.
He rose, walked over to the desk, and picked up a book from its stand.
Tuoba Xi had more to say, but hesitated. Looking at his studious grandson, he turned to leave, only to hear a call from behind him.
"Leave the Saint Soul Grass."
In the original storyline, Da Ming and Er Ming found the Saint Soul Grass and used it with other items to revive Xiao Wu.
It was an immortal herb.
It nourished and repaired souls. It had special effects on injured or sleeping souls, making them more stable and active.
The Saint Soul Grass was also the Tuoba Clan's treasured heirloom.
Tuoba Xi had truly been willing to part with such a treasure in order to smooth things over and have Bibi Dong take his grandson as a disciple.
"Relying on others is worse than relying on yourself. The estate is now surrounded by spies, and the secret of Whale Rubber will be difficult to keep for long. You may go and render 'meritorious service' to Spirit Hall now. Once all our clan members sent out to purchase it have returned, hand over the method of use—but make sure you obtain something beneficial to our clan in exchange."
"Weren't you always against this?" Tuoba Xi asked, puzzled.
"Times have changed." Tuoba Yan placed the box containing the Saint Soul Grass on the desk. "Rather than let others discover it and turn it into worthless information, it is better to use it as a bargaining chip. As the Platinum Bishop of the Soul Hunting Squad, you should understand even better how to weigh the pros and cons. Do not be blindly loyal again."
Seeing the unquestionable edge in his grandson's eyes, Tuoba Xi sighed and yielded. "I'll give it a try."
"When a child speaks, adults should listen seriously. Not try—it must succeed." Tuoba Yan's gaze was sharp as a sword. "If Qian Dao Liu isn't interested, other clans will naturally be willing to pay heavily. Remember—information gaps are mountains of gold and silver."
Tuoba Xi nodded repeatedly after being lectured by this six-year-old child. In a daze, he even felt that he was the younger generation in need of instruction.
Though Whale Rubber could not directly increase Soul Power, it could widen the meridians, strengthen the body, and help soul masters absorb soul rings of greater age.
If such a secret could be exchanged for an opportunity for the clan to rise, Tuoba Xi felt that it would indeed be an excellent move.
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