It was like how, once you knew certain things, you could never go back to the past. Once certain words had been heard, everything that followed became impossible to stop.
The moment Ji Jue cast out the bait, Yellow Beard had no room left to retreat.
He no longer represented only himself.
As a master, he could have sneered and turned away. But as a courtier to the ruler of the Northern Frontier, as the supervisor of North Wind Workshop, he had to lower his head and listen to the price Ji Jue was offering.
"You've already seen the introduction to Three-Phase Alchemy, haven't you?"
Ji Jue stood before the shattered window, admiring the ore tumbling between the blowing snow and frozen rocks as he spoke slowly. "Once you grasp the basics, the rest actually isn't difficult.
"The principles aren't complicated. The other aspects can be substituted with different theories and equipment, and North Wind should have the patent for geomantic vein locks as well. The most important part is an advanced application of Vaporization Alchemy. Combined with the foundations of Three-Phase Flow, it can achieve over eighty percent Spiritual Substance recovery. That's the key.
"If you need it, I can open it up to you."
"Why?" Yellow Beard asked bluntly.
There was no such thing as a free lunch, especially not one offered by a fellow practitioner... Even setting aside Embers' average reputation, Ji Jue's own notorious moral abyss was enough to keep him from opening his mouth carelessly.
"Call it cooperation."
Ji Jue said calmly, "As long as the Northern Frontier loosens its restrictions on ore exports a little in the future, or throws a few fewer obstacles in my way, I think it'll be worth it.
"Besides, Three-Phase Alchemy is still in its infancy. This is precisely