Chapter 935: The Wealth of the Blue Gold Tree Clan

How was one to master the elements? That required being able to sense them first, and logically, that involved being sensitive to them. If someone had a strong natural affinity, could they awaken this sensitivity naturally? This was one of the reasons Tang San tasked Zhang Haoxuan with conducting those experiments. If it could happen naturally, then all was good. If it couldn't, then what kind of external stimulus would be needed?

Of course, Tang San could now use his divine consciousness and the Blue Gold Tree clan's life energy to achieve this. But he couldn't remain on Falan forever, so what would happen after he left? He had to establish a stable, systematic method for humanity to consistently gain powers through their own means; only then could their cultivation path be considered truly complete.

Tang San teleported back to Kali City, and from there, back to Golden Valley. He had to check on Jin Miaolin.

Jin Miaolin's condition had improved. Though his brain was still somewhat muddled, both his physical and mental states had stabilized, and with powerful Lion-Tiger clan warriors guarding him, there was no immediate danger. Perhaps due to the presence of this direct descendant of the Ancestral Tree, the life energy emitted by the valley's Golden Tree had become noticeably stronger, and its growth had accelerated.

Through the teleportation array inside Golden Valley, Tang San returned to the White Tiger Hotel. This time, the White Tiger Demon Emperor wasn't even there waiting for him.

Instead of heading directly back to the Council Mountain, he spent some time meditating in the training room on the hotel's top floor. Using the amethystine stones there, he restored his divine consciousness before quietly heading out again.

It was now the morning of the second day.

Though still early, the streets of the Ancestral Court were as lively as ever. As he walked through the crowds, Tang San overheard numerous mentions of the upcoming super auction. People said even a single entry slot had been speculated up to astronomical prices.

It seemed clear that the Ancestral Court was planning to rake in huge profits. The major merchant guilds, backed by Emperor-level power, were pulling the strings behind the scenes. Though the Aetherhorn Deers had peerless business acumen, they could not compare to the major commercial forces entrenched in the Ancestral Court.

Tang San wondered when Mei Gongzi would arrive. He should have returned earlier to accompany her through teleportation. Though she could perform long-distance teleportation herself, the cost was significant, and distances beyond a certain point were out of her reach. Now that she was the central figure of the so-called marriage tournament, she would be under heavy scrutiny.

Before leaving the White Tiger Grand Hotel, Tang San had left a note. If Mei Gongzi arrived, she would likely stay there as well. With proximity, they could use their communicators to connect. While such contact could be detected by the Emperor-level beings of the Ancestral Court, they would only detect the signal, not its contents. One message would do, just enough to alert him that she had arrived. Tang San would, of course, avoid contacting her while he was inside his Council Mountain quarters.

After circling the city a few times, Tang San finally returned to Council Mountain. When he arrived at his room, he found the Grand Elder already waiting for him. He and Jin Miaosen were both meditating in the hallway outside Tang San's door.

"Wake up."

Tang San nudged them with his divine consciousness. The two stirred from their meditation.

"Big Brother, you're finally back! Oh wait, it's already morning, isn't it?" Jin Miaosen pouted.

"I wandered around outside a bit longer than planned. Come in." Tang San opened the door and brought them into his room.

"You didn't have to wait out here. I would've contacted you when I got back," he said with some exasperation.

The Grand Elder smiled. "We wanted to carry out your instructions as soon as possible. Are you planning to attend the auction?"

Tang San nodded. "I need to see what's being sold, even if I don't buy anything. Knowing the market gives me an edge in the upcoming competition."

The Grand Elder gave him a thumbs-up. "As expected of our clan leader, always thorough. But don't worry, we have gathered a few things here and there over the years."

With that, he handed Tang San a crystal-blue ring. As Tang San took the ring, he immediately felt the spatial fluctuations within; it was a storage ring.

"Take a look," the Grand Elder said with a mysteriously proud smile.

Tang San slipped the ring onto his left thumb, as it was a bit too large for his other fingers, and took a look inside it with his divine consciousness.

What he saw made even someone with his composure widen his eyes in shock.

He turned toward the Grand Elder in disbelief.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The Grand Elder chuckled in a wannabe sheepish manner, but he was clearly as smug as anyone could ever be. "Little Sen doesn't know much about the clan's internal affairs. She's always been the playful kind, so we have handled the clan's business in her stead. Before we came here for your evaluation, we thought there could be trouble while we were away, so we brought along all of our assets. And as you well know, our Blue Gold Tree clan is the Ancestral Tree's line, and that makes it one of the oldest clans still extant. We might be lacking other things, but we do have some savings."

Tang San asked, "How much is this?"

His divine consciousness had only just skimmed the contents of the ring, but it was enough to shock him. The ring itself was a priceless treasure; it was simply enormous, easily large enough to store a small mountain. And then, what was inside it... was a vast ocean of shimmering purple. Amethystine purple, to be exact. Within the ring were not only vast numbers of amethystine coins, but also chunks of amethystine ore, a few dozen pieces comparable to the massive one Tang San had once received as a tournament prize.

He had used that prize to strengthen his divine consciousness, and that had ultimately saved his life when he fled from the Tenebrous Demon Emperor. This ring contained far more.

The Blue Gold Tree clan, Tang San knew, didn't use amethystine much themselves. Their immense life force meant their divine consciousness was always innately strong. By simply cultivating life energy, their divine consciousness would naturally grow; there was no need for special training. But for others, this was an unimaginable fortune.

"Our clan has long traded Blue Gold Fruits and the branches we shed during molting. These are consumables, and they're in high demand across the entire continent. So in truth, Skytree City is wealthier than even Diamond City. After all, our resources are not only priceless, but also consumable

and

renewable. On the other hand, what can we even spend money on? We didn't go out much, and even if we had divine artifacts, they'd just be wasted in our hands. So we've just saved and saved. Amethystine coins are the most valuable and stable currency, and over the years, we've collected quite a bit. I don't know the exact number, but I'd guess we hold at least five percent of all amethystine ore on the entire continent."

The Grand Elder's smile was filled with pride, while Tang San sat there utterly speechless.

These people... are just... filthy rich!

This was probably something even the Ancestral Court didn't know. But it made perfect sense now that he thought about it. The Blue Gold Tree clan had little need to spend money and were constantly targeted by others precisely because the natural treasures they could offer were so expensive that most simply couldn't afford them. And because they couldn’t pay, they could only resort to force. After all, as a wise man once said, the fastest way to get rich is by robbing others.