Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Qingyouzi sat quietly, his bamboo hat hanging low, the blue fire curtain remaining motionless, only a calm voice emanating from him:

"I need only two things."

The stone chamber was quiet, with the aroma of tea wafting through the air.

Elder Yang lightly traced the rim of the ceramic cup with his fingertips. Upon hearing this, his gaze suddenly focused, piercing the dark blue curtain as if trying to see through the person behind it.

This person exudes a deep aura, hidden beneath a bamboo hat and demonic flames, making him difficult to perceive precisely.

However, judging from the previous methods of breaking the formation, his magic power flowed smoothly and without any obstruction, showing no signs of depletion of essence and blood.

But now he's asking for something to nourish his essence and blood?

A doubt arose in his heart, but he showed no sign of it on his face. Elder Yang pondered for a moment, then said slowly:

"Dragon Blood...this is a rare item, and our department certainly doesn't possess any. However..."

He changed the subject slightly.

"I do have a few Boiling Blood Fruits. This fruit grows in the belly of an extremely cold volcano in the Northern Plains, and its effects on nourishing blood and strengthening the foundation are in no way inferior to the Dragon Blood. Moreover, it has a wonderful feature."

He paused, observing Qingyouzi's reaction, and continued:

"Whether you are cultivating a special technique that requires a large amount of essence blood to activate, or refining a magic weapon that relies on essence blood for nourishment, this fruit will increase your chances of success by one or two percent."

Qing Youzi's heart stirred slightly. He had also heard of the Boiling Blood Fruit, which was indeed a rare and precious medicine for replenishing essence and blood.

The fact that the other party was so quick to offer this item suggests two things: firstly, it demonstrates the tribe's resources, and secondly, it's likely a test to see if he really needed it urgently.

Fortunately, he was prepared. The black hat, combined with his own breath-concealing technique and the unique aura of the Ancient Azure Demon Flame, made it extremely difficult for anyone with a divine sense far superior to his to see through the fact that his essence and blood were actually severely depleted.

A low chuckle came from behind the fire curtain, seemingly in satisfaction.

"Fellow Daoist Yang is very generous; this item is excellent." Qing Youzi's tone remained unchanged. "The second item is a cultivation technique."

Elder Yang remained unmoved: "Fellow Daoist, please speak."

"What I need is a special technique that allows two different spiritual flames to merge and become one."

The words had barely left his mouth.

"Snapped!"

Elder Long, who was sitting to the side, slammed his palm on the stone table! The force was considerable, causing the three ceramic cups to jump and spill tea.

He abruptly stood up, his aura suddenly becoming sharp and fierce. His tiger-like eyes fixed on Qing Youzi, filled with shock, anger, and coldness, his voice hoarse with excitement:

"How did you know?! This is a secret of our clan, not to be heard by anyone but a Nascent Soul elder! Could it be that you killed Ah Yue and the others?!"

The temperature inside the cave dropped sharply.

Elder Long's early Nascent Soul stage aura, mixed with anger, subtly enveloped Qing Youzi. A thin layer of white frost even condensed on the surface of the stone table.

Qingyouzi frowned almost imperceptibly.

trouble.

What a coincidence! Could it be that among those three Golden Core cultivators, there is a nephew or niece of Elder Long?

Thousands of threads tightened silently within his sleeves, while the ancient azure demonic fire flickered subtly beneath the curtain. If the other party were to truly make a move, though he was not afraid, complications would inevitably arise.

However, the expected thunderous wrath did not materialize.

"Hahahahaha!"

A burst of hearty laughter, even tinged with schadenfreude, suddenly rang out from the driver's seat.

Elder Yang stroked his beard and smiled, seemingly quite pleased, and waved to Elder Long, saying:

"Elder Long, please calm down, please calm down!"

He turned to look at Qingyouzi, his eyes showing admiration.

"Fellow Daoist Qingluan, you are truly... a remarkable person! Hahaha, that Second Elder's lineage is usually arrogant and domineering, and I have long disliked them! Your actions have indeed removed some eyesores for us, very good, very good!"

Upon hearing this, Elder Long's angry expression froze for a moment, then as if he remembered something, the anger in his eyes quickly faded, and he even twitched the corners of his mouth, snorted coldly, and slowly sat back down, but his gaze still swept coldly over Qing Youzi.

Qingyouzi understood.

The tribe was indeed not a monolithic entity.

Factional infighting and backstabbing are commonplace. Elder Long's anger just now may have been genuine, but it was more likely just for show or a momentary outburst of indignation.

Elder Yang's reaction starkly revealed the discord between different factions.

Killing someone's enemy can somehow become a "good thing"?

Behind the curtain of fire, a slight smirk played on his lips. Such was the world of cultivation; even blood relatives could be weighed in the face of profit.

Elder Yang,

Qingyouzi tapped her fingers on the table again, making a rhythmic, soft sound that drowned out Elder Long's lingering anger.

"It seems that your department is not a monolithic entity, nor are you all of one mind."

His tone was flat, devoid of sarcasm; he was simply stating a fact.

Elder Yang's smile faded slightly. He coughed lightly, waved his hand, and revealed a perfectly measured hint of helplessness and unease on his face.

"Alas, I'm sorry to have troubled you, fellow Daoist. It's just a minor internal dispute, and we shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public, so I won't go into details with you."

He steered the conversation back on track.

"The Fire Fusion Technique that you request, Fellow Daoist, is called the Thousand Flames Technique. It is indeed a secret of our clan, never to be passed down. It has always been strictly guarded and will never be given to anyone who is not a direct descendant or a core member. This item... please forgive me for being unable to comply."

"However, I can make the decision to give you one of those Boiling Blood Fruits as a token of my sincerity."

The refusal was straightforward, but the Boiling Blood Fruit was offered as compensation and a way out.

Qingyouzi sneered inwardly.

He didn't have much hope of directly obtaining the other party's core techniques, so he made this request partly to test the waters and partly to pave the way for his real needs later.

If the other party refuses outright, it would be unreasonable for them to refuse again when they make other requests.

"Since it is a secret passed down among nobles, I naturally cannot force you to do something against your will."

Qingyouzi readily agreed, her tone remaining calm.

"In that case, Elder Yang, please replace this cultivation technique with something else."

"Fellow Daoist, please speak."

"Spiritual Fruit," Qingyouzi uttered three words.

Silence fell once again in the stone chamber.

Elder Yang's fingers, which were caressing the ceramic cup, stopped. Elder Long also looked up, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

The Spirit Fruit is a rare treasure that nourishes and strengthens one's divine sense. For Nascent Soul cultivators, its value is definitely greater than most spiritual medicines, and for some cultivators, it is even more precious.

"The Fruit of Spiritual Consciousness..."

Elder Yang repeated slowly, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he were weighing his options.

"We do indeed possess one of these items in our clan's treasury. However..."

He looked troubled.

"According to clan rules, such transactions involving high-level spiritual items that concern the path of Nascent Soul cultivators require the personal approval of the clan leader before they can be used. Although I am the Grand Elder, I cannot act arbitrarily."

"Clan leader?" Qingyouzi's voice was slightly deep.

"Exactly."

Elder Yang nodded.

"Unfortunately, the chieftain left the tribe half a month ago to discuss the details of the next 'Formation Tournament' with the leaders of various tribes, and his return date is uncertain. I wonder if you... could grant us some time until the chieftain returns so we can make a decision?"

Wait?

Qingyouzi's mind raced.

He was depleted of vital essence and blood. Although he had recuperated for more than a year and recovered 70% of his strength, the hidden dangers still remained and needed to be remedied as soon as possible.

The formation of the sacred mountain should be completed sooner rather than later; who knows what changes might occur if it is delayed?

Was Elder Yang's statement the truth, or merely an excuse? Or was he trying to delay and devise another plan?

His fingers, which were tapping the table, stopped.

"Elder Yang is joking."

Qingyouzi's voice turned colder.

"I am a free spirit and have not much time to waste here. If it is inconvenient for the noble chieftain, perhaps the other elders can make the decision? Or... the Northern Plains are vast and there are many tribes. It is not only the Snow Wolf tribe that is interested in the ancient formation of the Holy Mountain."

Although the words were plain, the meaning behind them caused Elder Yang's expression to change slightly.

This is a blatant act of feigning retreat to exert pressure. It makes it clear that cooperation is not the only option; if the Snow Wolf Tribe delays or lacks sincerity, they can simply switch to another party.

"Fellow Daoist's words..." Elder Yang pondered, his finger unconsciously tapping the table.

Seeing this, Elder Long frowned, a hint of anxiety flashing across his face, and couldn't help but speak up:

"Elder, regarding this matter..."

Elder Yang suddenly raised his hand, stopping him from speaking.

He gave Qingyouzi a deep look, as if he had made up his mind, and slowly stood up.

"Fellow Daoist, this matter is of great importance. Please allow me... to discuss it briefly."

He spoke solemnly, gave Qingyouzi a slight bow, then turned and walked towards a smaller stone door on the inside of the cave.

Elder Long immediately stood up and followed closely behind.

After the two figures disappeared into the stone gate, the stone gate closed silently, clearly indicating that it was equipped with a soundproof barrier.

Qingyouzi sat alone at the stone table, his gaze fixed on the half-cooled tea in his cup, while the blue fire curtain remained motionless.

Behind the stone gate was an even smaller, quiet room.

A flash of light from the barrier separated the inside from the outside.

Elder Long had barely stood still when he impatiently transmitted his voice, his tone urgent:

"Elder! Why hesitate so much? Although the Spirit Consciousness Fruit is precious, it's just a dead object in the treasure vault!"

We have all witnessed this person's abilities firsthand, and his understanding of formations is unfathomable. He may truly be the only opportunity for our tribe to break the restrictions of the Holy Mountain! Once the Holy Mountain is opened, if there are ancient relics within, perhaps we can compete for the position of clan leader.

Even if it doesn't work out, we can still start our own business.

At that time, let alone one Spirit Fruit, what would ten or a hundred be?