Money can buy many things in this world, and what Ning Fengzhi lacks the most is money. But even so, he still couldn't buy their core research results because of one person: Yang Wudi.
Even though money can do wonders, it wasn't useful against Yang Wudi. Yang Wudi was a resolute person—stubborn and quick-tempered. However, he was also rational and quite powerful. If it weren't for the current situation of the Broken Clan, Yang Wudi wouldn't even consider selling his clan's inherited knowledge, not even a little bit.
After Tang Hao's fight with Qian Xunji and the latter's death, the Clear Sky Sect was targeted by the Spirit Hall and was forced into hiding. Since the Broken Clan was one of the four affiliated clans of the Clear Sky Sect, it faced the wrath of the Martial Soul Hall and lost many people and resources. In the end, they were abandoned by the Clear Sky Sect and became like a stray dog without a master.
Since Ning Fengzhi came knocking, Yang Wudi compromised his bottom line for the future of his sect and sold some of his clan's knowledge for money. Even so, Yang Wudi didn't part with many of their secret pill recipes and other crucial knowledge, remaining stubborn. As a righteous sect, Ning Fengzhi didn't use force against the Broken Clan to avoid tarnishing his reputation. It was just Xie Yue's hobby; there was no need to get on the bad side of the Broken Clan just because they refused to sell all their knowledge.
If necessary, Ning Fengzhi could indeed exterminate the Broken Clan using Sword and Bone Douluo. Destroying a clan was as simple as lifting a finger for them. But Ning Fengzhi wouldn't do that. Since the STGT Sect relied on outsiders, they couldn't afford to lose their reputation or gain hostility from others. Once the STGT Sect's guardians died, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't have the ability to resist the wolves he had gathered, much less protect his immense wealth.
So, ever since its establishment, the STGT Sect had never made enemies unless someone threatened its foundation and fundamental interests. Ning Fengzhi wasn't foolish enough to make more enemies; on the other hand, he enjoyed making friends the most. So he didn't force Yang Wudi to hand over all of his clan's inheritance.
Xie Yue also didn't mind—he only wanted some books to expand his knowledge. Nevertheless, he gained some insights about immortal herbs from those books. This outcome was not beyond Xie Yue's expectations; he had anticipated that Yang Wudi would provide them with knowledge about Immortal Grasses from the start. Even though Immortal Grasses were legendary, and Yang Wudi might have read about their abilities in books, he only regarded them as myths now and didn't attach much importance to them. So he still sold them for money.
'Even so, it only recorded three immortal herbs, while the rest are normal herbs. But that's fine; I didn't need this knowledge anyway. After all, I remember all the details about Immortal Grasses mentioned in the Douluo Series. This book is just a little surprise to me, but nothing more. I only wanted to solidify my knowledge about medicine to ensure I would be acknowledged by Dugu Bo,' Xie Yue thought inwardly.
"Since that's the case, I'll keep these books," Xie Yue said as he took them back. There was no need to put them in the sect library since Ning Fengzhi would have already made a copy before giving them to Xie Yue.
Xie Yue was not a naïve boy; he knew there was no need to return these books. Couldn't they have a copy? Not everyone in this world was a saint. Who wouldn't keep a copy of this knowledge when borrowing it from someone else?
Naturally, once something was obtained, destroying or keeping it was their own choice. Yang Wudi knew this, which was why he didn't give Ning Fengzhi their core knowledge or ask him to keep the given books a secret from the outside world. Ning Fengzhi also understood this, so he didn't mind keeping several copies for himself.
Xie Yue also had his own reasons for pretending to return the books; he only did so to let Ning Fengzhi know that he had already finished reading them.
He had to inform Ning Fengzhi of that before asking for more things, right? Xie Yue had his own plans for doing this seemingly pointless act, even though he knew there was no need to return the books...
But that was for the future.
"Father, how is the recruitment of the four single-attribute clans going?" Xie Yue asked again.
"Sigh... My attempts weren't very successful. Even though they were abandoned by the Clear Sky Sect, the Strength Clan is still loyal to Tang Hao, so they didn't accept my proposal. As for the Speed Clan, that also failed since the Speed Clan leader, Bai He, is a relative of the Clear Sky Sect."
"The other two clans had the potential for recruitment since they were very angry with the Clear Sky Sect, and Yang Wudi was the angriest of them all. But the single-attribute clan leaders have a very close friendship; they won't join unless all four of them agree together. When I tried to invite them, they rejected me, saying they would consider my proposal for a few more years," Ning Fengzhi explained the details to Xie Yue patiently. Xie Yue had shown political talent after graduating from the Moon Pavilion, so Ning Fengzhi shared many insights about worldly affairs, allowing Xie Yue to improve his abilities.
After the age of nine, Xie Yue wanted to get involved in the STGT Sect's inner workings, so he started demonstrating maturity step by step. Nearly three years later, he had increased his standing in Ning Fengzhi's eyes. He also exhibited great talent in management and politics. It wasn't a surprise to Ning Fengzhi and the others, as they knew Tang Yuehua must have taught Xie Yue these skills.
"Ning Yue, do you have any ideas about how to successfully recruit them?" After sharing the details of the failed recruitment, Ning Fengzhi asked Xie Yue.