"What you're offering sounds good, but how can you guarantee that you'll become a Seventh-Grade Alchemist? Since you were the one who summoned us, young friend, you probably don't have a formidable teacher."
"Without a teacher, how can you guarantee that you'll become a Seventh-Grade Alchemist in the future? On your talent alone?"
"Young friend, don't take this the wrong way. Becoming a First-Grade Alchemist at thirteen does show great talent, but talent is not strength, after all. There are far too many unforeseen events in this world."
"Never mind the journey from First-Grade Alchemist to Seventh-Grade Alchemist. Even going from first grade to fifth grade would take who knows how many years. If the slightest mishap occurred during that time, I'm afraid I would lose everything I invested."
"Your terms don't merely require me to visit the Snake-People Empire. They also require this old man to safeguard your growth afterward. And what would I gain? Nothing but empty promises, with not even a shadow of anything tangible yet."
"Young friend, aren't these demands of yours a little excessive?"
Seeing that Yun Shan was somewhat swayed by Su Yun's words, Jia Xingtian, who had already quietly fallen silent, offered his analysis.
Everything Su Yun offered was an empty check. It sounded good, but only if they could actually collect.
Jia Xingtian considered those things far too nebulous. Even if Su Yun was talented, without a good teacher to guide him, he would have to feel his way forward little by little. Heaven knew when he would become a Seventh-Grade Alchemist.
Whether Jia Xingtian would even still be around then was another question. After all, the entire Jia Ma Empire had only one Sixth-Grade Alchemist, Gu He, and he could only refine the lowest-tier Sixth-Grade Pills.
To refine high-tier sixth-grade pills, they would probably have to wait until Gu He reached Dou Emperor. As for seventh grade, he would likely have to reach Dou Zong.
Su Yun's talent was clearly far better than Gu He's, so that timeline would be shortened. It was even quite possible that Su Yun would be able to refine Seventh-Grade Pills when he reached Dou Emperor.
But that was only a possibility. From Dou Zhe to Dou Emperor, from First-Grade Alchemist to Seventh-Grade Alchemist-the time required was far too long.
To shorten that time, the Imperial Family would have to provide resources to support him. Yet the person they supported would not belong to the Imperial Family, and the slightest mishap could send all those resources down the drain.
That was not the outcome Jia Xingtian wanted to see, so he quickly decided to refuse.
But although he had refused, Yun Shan had not.
As someone who had dared to storm Queen Medusa's palace with the strength of a low-level Dou Emperor in his youth, Yun Shan was hardly the cautious type.
Su Yun's terms certainly had a host of drawbacks, but as Su Yun had said, riches and honor were won amid danger.
In Jia Xingtian's eyes, it was an enormous gamble.
If they lost, all their previous efforts would indeed vanish like bursting bubbles. But if they won, they really would have access to favors from a Seventh-Grade Alchemist in the future.
And not just one favor, but three. This encounter might even lead to more than three favors in the future.
This choice carried great risks, but it was indeed as Su Yun had said: if they truly won, the benefits would be plentiful.
Jia Xingtian did not want to gamble, because besides Queen Medusa, the Snake-People Empire had four Peak Dou Emperor elders, and there was no telling when they might be in the palace.
If negotiations broke down and a fight erupted, even he might fall, especially given Queen Medusa's notoriously bad temper.
Moreover, the Jia Ma Imperial Family only had two Dou Emperor-level combatants in total. Thus, Jia Xingtian did not want to gamble, but he did not want Yun Shan to gamble either.
If Yun Shan lost, so be it. But if Yun Shan won, with a Sect Breaking Pill and favors from a Seventh-Grade Alchemist, there was no telling whose hands the Jia Ma Empire would end up in.
As the Imperial Family's guardian, rather than pursue that uncertain possibility, Jia Xingtian preferred to quietly guard his own little patch of land. It was best if neither side changed.
Thus, in Jia Xingtian's eyes, the best outcome for him was for neither side to act or wade into these muddy waters.
Sure enough, after his analysis, Yun Shan, who had been about to rise and agree, hesitated.
Having passed the most hot-blooded years of his youth, Yun Shan also needed to consider the bigger picture.
Jia Xingtian had not spoken a single falsehood. These were all facts that a simple analysis could establish, and Yun Shan, who had been a sect leader for so many years, understood that too.
Whether it was the risks involved or the costs of the subsequent investment, Jia Xingtian did not even need to say much. Yun Shan would work out the accounts himself.
"My apologies, young friend. Unless you can offer stakes substantial enough to put my mind at ease, I'm afraid this old man cannot accompany you. After all..."
Jia Xingtian did not look at Yun Shan. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the Tagor Desert.
"This old man has no desire to end up like that old fellow Hai Bodong, who went to the Tagor Desert and was never heard from again."
Seeing that Jia Xingtian had clearly made up his mind to leave, Su Yun sighed, then bowed to him. "Everyone has their own aspirations. Regardless, thank you for coming, Senior."
"There's no need to thank me for that. Meeting a genius and leaving an impression was something this old man wanted too. It's just that I still have the Imperial Family to protect, and I don't want to die without a whisper like Hai Bodong. So I cannot help you, young friend."
Jia Xingtian shook his head, looking quite helpless.
He did not want to offend a genius who had become a First-Grade Alchemist at thirteen, but neither did he want Yun Shan to befriend a genius with a promising future. Thus, bringing up Hai Bodong's uncertain fate was precisely the right thing to do.
After all, Yun Shan had indeed defeated Hai Bodong back then, but it could hardly be called an overwhelming victory.
Repeatedly mentioning Hai Bodong, both openly and indirectly, was bound to influence Yun Shan's decision. But to claim that Jia Xingtian had somehow bewitched him would be utterly groundless.
When discussing a trip to the Tagor Desert to trade with Queen Medusa, it was perfectly natural to recall an old friend who had gone to the Taker Desert, especially when that old friend had not been heard from since.
Jia Xingtian spoke the truth. Not a single word stopped Yun Shan; from beginning to end, he merely voiced his reflections. No one could find fault with those words.
And judging by Yun Shan's expression, he had clearly also thought of Hai Bodong, from whom there had been no news.
In his younger days, Yun Shan would never have cared whether Hai Bodong could manage it. Whatever Yun Shan wanted to do, he simply did. But ultimately, Yun Shan had grown old too. He was no longer the man he had been in his youth.
Thus, Jia Xingtian was confident he could make Yun Shan reach the same decision as him.
Sure enough, as he brought up Hai Bodong, Yun Shan sank into thought.
They were both Dou Emperors, and both had been so powerful back then. Now, Yun Shan was no longer certain he could enter the Snake-People Empire and emerge unscathed as he once had.
But as he thought it over, Yun Shan suddenly smiled.
The reason was simple. He realized that if his younger self learned how indecisive he had become, he would probably want to slap him twice and demand to know why he had become like this, and where the man he once was had gone.
"Young friend, isn't it just the Snake-People Empire? This old man is still young. I'll accompany you there."