The Bo Family Ancestor slowly began explaining.
"Our Bai Family possesses second-tier lower-grade spirit land. After gathering spiritual energy, a small area can reach second-tier mid-grade, sufficient for a Foundation Establishment middle-stage cultivator to cultivate. As long as you agree to become our guest elder, fellow Daoist, you may cultivate there."
"Besides the spirit land, our Bai Family can provide one hundred spirit stones each year for your cultivation needs."
"If you have any instructions, you may also order our Bai Family cultivators to handle them."
"You have yet to choose your primary cultivation method since reaching Foundation Establishment, have you? Our Bai Family has several high-grade cultivation methods in its collection, all of which would be open to you..."
As the Bo Family Ancestor explained, the benefits the Bai Family offered its guest elders were laid out one by one.
The terms were undeniably generous: spirit land, cultivation methods, spirit stones, authority... Though the title was guest elder, once Li Ping agreed, his actual standing and authority within the Bai Family would be no less than the lineage head's.
All he needed to do was preside over the Bai Family as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and step in to preserve it when a crisis arose.
After laying out all the terms, the Bo Family Ancestor watched Li Ping with a genial smile, seemingly unconcerned that he might refuse.
After all, from what he knew, this fellow Daoist Li Ping had been turned away at the gates of the Immortal City. Not only did he lack a high-grade cultivation method, he had yet to secure spirit land for cultivation.
His offer would resolve the other man's immediate, burning predicament.
But to the Bo Family Ancestor's surprise and dismay-
After hearing all his terms, Li Ping refused without even a moment's consideration. "Fellow Daoist Bai, I'm truly sorry. I am wholly devoted to diligent cultivation and genuinely dislike being entangled in worldly affairs. Please forgive me, but I cannot agree to become your guest elder."
"Hehe... If you are worried about worldly affairs disturbing you, fellow Daoist Li, your concerns are unnecessary." The Bo Family Ancestor still refused to give up. "In truth, I dislike worldly affairs myself. I spend most of my time cultivating in seclusion. The cultivators under us handle those matters."
Li Ping's gaze fell on the purple-patterned wood on the table, and he could not help sighing inwardly. The Bo Family Ancestor had said he intended to refine it into several magic artifacts for the lineage's younger generation.
That meant once he refused the Bai Family's invitation, this second-tier mid-grade spiritwood would naturally have nothing to do with him.
Though reluctant to part with the purple-patterned wood, he ultimately shook his head. "There is no need to persuade me further, fellow Daoist."
Seeing how firm Li Ping was, the Bo Family Ancestor sighed and abandoned any thought of further persuasion.
But just as Li Ping thought he would leave empty-handed today, the Bo Family Ancestor spoke again. "Very well. Since you are unwilling to become involved in worldly affairs, fellow Daoist Li, I can hardly force you. However, if you are unwilling to serve as our Bai Family's guest elder, I have another proposal."
Then, as Li Ping listened patiently, the Bo Family Ancestor explained his proposal.
Li Ping would serve as the Bai Family's guest elder in name, but would not actually need to preside over its spirit land or take action to resolve its crises.
However, he would have to let the Bai Family make use of his name as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and if anyone asked, Li Ping could not deny the arrangement.
If the Bai Family truly encountered something and wished to ask Li Ping to act, it would prepare another generous gift as payment. Whether he agreed to act would be entirely his decision.
If Li Ping agreed, the second-tier purple-patterned wood would be given to him as the Bai Family's payment.
Naturally, the spirit land, cultivation methods, yearly stipend... would no longer be included.
After briefly considering these terms, Li Ping readily agreed.
The Bai Family was a legitimate cultivation lineage, not some faction of demonic cultivators. If it merely borrowed his name without requiring him to fight anyone personally, he could accept that.
Seeing Li Ping agree, the Bo Family Ancestor finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then both sides swore upon their Dao hearts in the courtyard, settling the matter.
In truth, this Dao heart oath only bound Li Ping. The two Bai Family men had long since lost any hope of advancing further along the path of cultivation, so heart demons could not affect them.
Of course, Li Ping had never intended to impose any restraints on them in this bargain anyway.
Li Ping put away the second-tier purple-patterned wood and left, leaving only the Bo Family Ancestor and the lineage head, Bai Mingde, in the courtyard.
Although they had failed to recruit Li Ping as the Bai Family's guest elder, the two sides had reached an agreement, allowing the Bai Family to use Li Ping's name as a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the future.
Moreover, all the Bai Family had paid was a piece of second-tier mid-grade spiritwood. Bai Mingde felt that was acceptable enough.
After pondering for a moment, Bai Mingde could not help asking, "Ancestor, would you say Senior Li is simply playing it safe, or... does he truly possess an unwavering Dao heart?"
Under the terms the Bai Family had offered, the other man would practically have gained an entire cultivation lineage as his subordinates for nothing. If he had ambitions, he could take more wives and raise descendants. A few centuries later, he might even have had a chance to change the surname ruling the Bai Family's High Ridge Mountain to Li.
Yet he had remained utterly unmoved by such terms.
At this, the Bo Family Ancestor also shook his head. He had not figured out Li Ping's thinking either.
For Foundation Establishment cultivators like them, Foundation Establishment was, in fact, the end of the road. Even with second-tier craftsmanship, they could at most travel a little further within the Foundation Establishment realm.
Core Formation was impossible.
Among the hundreds of thousands of cultivators in the countries of the Western Wasteland, how many Core Formation cultivators were there?
The third-tier spiritual vein required to break through to Core Formation alone was enough to bar the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators, let alone the spiritual treasures needed to aid the process.
Spiritual treasures of that caliber were all controlled by the Western Wasteland's foremost Core Formation factions. They were not things people like them were qualified to touch.
The Bo Family Ancestor sighed wistfully. "Perhaps it is a bit of both. Fellow Daoist Li has only just broken through and still harbors fantasies. Once he has lived a few more years, he will realize that cultivating so diligently is merely wasting time. Better to start enjoying life sooner."
Bai Mingde nodded in agreement. Suddenly, he spoke again. "By the way, Ancestor, our Bai Family clearly purchased that piece of purple-patterned wood from a rogue cultivator not long ago. Why did you say you found it in your younger days and carefully nurtured it for years?"
Hearing Bai Mingde's question, the Bo Family Ancestor laughed smugly. "Hahaha... If I didn't say that, how would I make the gift seem precious? You are too young. You still have much to learn."
"So that was it. Thank you for the lesson." Bai Mingde adopted an expression of sudden enlightenment.
Seeing his expression, the Bo Family Ancestor smiled so broadly that his eyes narrowed to slits. He seemed extremely pleased with his clever ploy, and even his complexion grew considerably rosier.
Little did he know that Bai Mingde was inwardly curling his lip.
As the saying went, "Even an upright official cannot untangle household disputes." Bai Mingde had served as lineage head for decades, handling all manner of headache-inducing lineage affairs every day. He had long since become an old hand at dealing with people. By contrast, the ancestor possessed a dual spirit root and had been raised from childhood as the lineage's future. He spent most of his time cultivating diligently and seldom involved himself in worldly affairs.
When it truly came to handling interpersonal relationships, the ancestor was actually less capable than he was. How could he possibly fail to see through the ancestor's little trick?
He had only acted that way to play the straight man and keep the ancestor happy.
The ancestor is already over two hundred, yet he still cannot stop worrying about the lineage. He has no choice but to drag his failing body along and arrange for the lineage's future after his death. Foundation Establishment... when will our Bai Family finally be able to raise another Foundation Establishment cultivator? At that thought, Bai Mingde sighed inwardly once more.