The Patriarch observed his expression, then smiled and said, "While at Tianxu Mountain, I encountered Yang Yuanhe. I remembered that the Yang family had the Divine Ability of Fire Element Divine Lightning, so I suggested exchanging it with the Metal Element Divine Lightning."
"Yang Yuanhe wasn't entirely foolish. Knowing he had already offended the Xu family, he naturally didn't want to offend us too. Thus, he readily agreed to the trade."
"That may not be entirely true. Yang Yuanhe is a dual spiritual root of gold and water, so exchanging it for the Metal Element Divine Lightning isn't a loss for him."
Elian replied impassively, harboring a certain disdain for Yang Yuanhe in his heart.
Three years ago, after the four great immortal clans acquired the Water Crystals, the Pan family bet everything on using one of their Water Crystals. Pan Lingran consumed it and opened up 50% of his Purple Mansion meridians.
The remaining Water Crystal was reserved by Pan Boquan for Pan Lingran. It seemed likely that within twenty years, Pan Lingran would break through to the Purple Mansion stage.
The Xu family's Xu Lingxuan had successfully used a Metal Crystal from the Cangkong Mountain a few years ago to achieve her breakthrough to the Purple Mansion. They still had a Water Crystal left, which could potentially nurture another Purple Mansion cultivator in the future.
Only the Yang family encountered an unexpected outcome. Yang Yuanhe divided the two Water Crystals between two individuals, resulting in each of them only opening 30–40% of their Purple Mansion meridians.
Dividing resources this way seemed fair on the surface, but in a world like this, true fairness is rare.
For these Purple Mansion families, cultivating a Purple Mansion elder was of utmost importance.
With Yang Yuanhe as the only one holding the fort for the Yang family, possessing two upper-third-grade clan treasures and abundant resources, they would inevitably attract covetous eyes.
Under such circumstances, the best strategy was to focus efforts on cultivating one person, concentrating resources on the most promising cultivator. After the second Purple Mansion cultivator emerges, the two elders can safeguard the family's wealth and territory, gradually nurturing a third.
Elian could infer Yang Yuanhe's motives. The Yang family had profited immensely from the Beast Tide War and the Sky Python Lake battle.
Put plainly, the Yang family was now swimming in wealth. The clan treasury's resources, combined with their annual profits, ensured that Yang Yuanhe could comfortably cultivate to the late Purple Mansion stage and perhaps even attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage in the future.
Yang Yuanhe seemed reluctant to cultivate more Purple Mansion cultivators, fearing the dilution of his power and resources.
However, from Elian's perspective, after Yang Zhengyuan's death, the Yang family was weak. Yang Yuanhe's personal methods and combat strength were lacking. The two clan treasures and vast resources could very well invite disaster.
After all, the combined value of the two clan treasures exceeded 400,000 spirit stones—enough to tempt late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators or even pseudo-Golden Core experts.
Of course, this had little to do with Elian. He smiled and said, "With the Fire Element Divine Lightning, our Chen family now has three of the five Pure Yang Divine Lightnings."
"I hear the Xu family also has the Earth Element Divine Lightning. Do you think they'd be willing to part with it?"
"Impossible."
The Patriarch shook his head and sighed, "I asked Xu Qianyang about it. He told me that their Earth Element Divine Lightning inheritance was obtained from the Qingyang Sect centuries ago in exchange. Now, every cultivator who learns this divine ability takes a heart demon blood oath not to pass it to outsiders."
Hearing this, Elian nodded. This was a common method to prevent the overproliferation of divine abilities.
When the Patriarch traded the Metal Element Divine Lightning for the Fire Element Divine Lightning with Yang Yuanhe, they also swore mutual heart demon blood oaths. If Elian wanted to learn this divine ability, he would need to swear a similar oath.
After watching Elian take the oath and receive the Fire Element Divine Lightning, the Patriarch smiled again and said, "There's another matter I need your help with."
Elian raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"After watching Jiang Linglong's tribulation, I've realized my own shortcomings."
The Patriarch didn't hesitate, his expression somber as he continued, "I plan to forge a second natal magic treasure."
Hearing this, Elian quickly understood the Patriarch's intentions.
After witnessing Jiang Linglong's tribulation, the Patriarch became acutely aware of his inadequacies.
While he had the Crimson-Gold Three-Treasure Flags, its potential was ultimately limited. As his cultivation advanced, they would eventually fall behind.
The only truly reliable treasure was the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade. However, relying solely on it, he admitted he would have no chance of surviving a Golden Core tribulation, even with extraordinary fortune.
"My idea is to forge a second natal treasure—this time, a set of formation flag artifacts."
"Formation treasures?"
Elian's eyes gleamed faintly. Natal formation treasures were exceedingly rare.
Formation treasures relied on quantity to win, using the power of formations to overwhelm opponents. However, the material costs were immense.
As cultivation advanced, materials became scarcer. Without upgrading their quality, formation treasures risked disintegration. Additionally, refining natal formation treasures required profound formation knowledge. Without it, the treasure would either fail to form or be difficult to wield.
Even if successfully refined and usable, formation treasures placed a heavy burden on the soul, energy, and focus. Activating a formation typically consumed energy equivalent to wielding three or four separate treasures. Furthermore, formations could be countered by specialized methods, making them less appealing to most cultivators.
Despite these drawbacks, formations were extraordinarily powerful, often enabling cross-realm battles. They were one of the best means of enhancing combat strength.
Considering this, Elian asked, "What kind of natal treasure do you plan to refine?"
"Look at this."
The Patriarch retrieved seven third-grade pearl shells with a pleased expression.
Elian examined them and, after a moment of contemplation, said, "You're a metal spirit root. With the mutual enhancement of metal and water, incorporating Whiteblade Metal would make an excellent foundation for a natal treasure."
"That's exactly my plan."
The Patriarch smiled. The family still had a piece of third-grade Whiteblade Metal, perfect as the treasure's core material.
Furthermore, there was a second-grade Metal vein within the Metal Earth Vein. It produced one or two pieces of Whiteblade Metal annually, which could be gradually added to enhance the treasure's power.
Studying the seven third-grade pearl shells, Elian thought for a moment before continuing.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D