Li Bufan was slightly taken aback at those words, his gaze lingering for a moment on Bai Jianzhang's gentle, smiling face.
When he had spoken of "returning the item to its rightful owner," he truly had not hesitated in the slightest. Although that crystal stone carried one of the most crucial opportunities on his path of cultivation, now that he knew its true origins, keeping it in his own hands no longer seemed reasonable.
But he had never expected Bai Jianzhang's answer to be that he should continue holding on to the crystal stone.
"What does Senior mean by that?"
"Since this Sun-Moon Heavenly Crystal was a legacy treasure forged by the first Palace Master of the Sun-Moon Palace with the strength of the entire palace, and since it was lost here for countless years, now that it has reappeared within the palace, it should naturally be reclaimed by the palace and properly safeguarded."
"Although I obtained the legacy within it, I am ultimately not a member of the Sun-Moon Palace. Continuing to hold this item would hardly be justifiable, whether by reason or sentiment."
Bai Jianzhang sat on a rock beside the stone platform, his hands folded before his knees. His gentle eyes held a kindly expression, as though he were looking at a junior from his own family.
He shook his head and smiled. "Little fellow, do you think just anyone can open this Sun-Moon Heavenly Crystal?"
Li Bufan was puzzled. "I ask Senior to enlighten me."
Bai Jianzhang's tone grew more solemn. "When the current Palace Master created this Sun-Moon Heavenly Crystal, he had already established extremely strict rules within it."
"This crystal is not a dead object. It possesses its own spirituality and could even be said to have a certain degree of independent consciousness."
"It