Chapter 2266: A Bit Of Soil

"I’ve already offended them by exposing the problem with the blood pool," Lu Yin softly replied.

The God of Food responded, "The blood pool has been exposed, yes, but this is not the first time that the White Dragon Clan has offered to protect someone. Each time they have promised safety, they have fulfilled that promise.”

“The most famous incident was when they were still in the Middle Realm and the Lu family was still in power. The Lu family would not tolerate people killing members of even their branch families, but after doing so, an independent cultivator was offered refuge and a home on one of Dragon Mountain’s peaks. After facing untold hardships, the man successfully escaped to Dragon Mountain, and he was saved by the White Dragon Clan."

Lu Yin was shocked. "They were able to save someone who killed a member of the Lu family?"

"It’s certainly unbelievable, but also true. The Lu family was famous for their overwhelming strength and for protecting their own, but that independent cultivator was saved. He did eventually die, but he was killed by a stellular tribulation, and the Lu family had nothing to do with the matter. It was just a normal death for a cultivator.”

“No one knows what sort of price the White Dragon Clan must have paid, but their promise of protection spread, and over the years, countless people have dreamed of being offered a peak in Dragon Mountain, as it is a guarantee of safety."

Lu Yin was quite impressed. "The fact that the White Dragon Clan was able to protect someone from the Lu family shows that a promise of safety from them isn’t a small matter."

"So you accept?" The God of Food asked.

Lu Yin resolutely shook his head. "No."

The God of Food was taken aback. "Is that really for the best? Are you possibly worried about the Xia family threatening you with Yu Chuan?"

Lu Yin smiled. "This junior tends to be peaceful, and I don’t usually try to offend people. Even this time, if it weren’t for the fact that the academy’s students were at risk, I would not have braved the dangers of offending the White Dragon Clan. That’s why this junior can’t accept the offered condition."

The God of Food reconsidered the matter, "Very well, then. Let’s discuss the second option."

The man raised a finger. "One Semi-Progenitor level power vessel."

Lu Yin's eyes lit up. "A power vessel with the power of a Semi-Progenitor?"

"It looks like that’s the choice you want to make. Yes, a Semi-Progenitor level power vessel. A steep price."

"Still not worth nearly as much as the first option," Lu Yin countered.

The God of Food just sneered. "The first option includes protecting you, but it also requires you to join the White Dragon Clan. Your value is clear for anyone to see. Wang Nian already approached you, no? The Celestial Frost Sect has been trying to win you over, and the Xia family has been even more aggressive. With so many pursuing you, it’s simply impossible for the White Dragon Clan to sit back and do nothing. If you select the first option, not only would they resolve the matter regarding their blood pool, but they would also be the ones to win you, which would be an incredible prize for the White Dragon Clan."

Lu Yin smiled. "So if this junior tried to choose the first option, would you have stopped me, Senior?"

The God of Food shook his head. "I would not have stopped you. Each person has their own path."

He stared up at the starry sky with a melancholy expression. "Nowadays, the four ruling powers are looked up to by all, and no one will blame you if you choose to join any of them. That’s what most people would do, and it’s also what most of our students will do. Virtue Archives may have trained and taught the students, but we don’t require them to give anything back to the academy.”

Things were getting a bit heavy, and Lu Yin still wanted to know about the Semi-Progenitor level power vessel that he would be obtaining. "Senior, what is the Semi-Progenitor power vessel that they are offering?"

"I don't know. I’ll pass your decision on to the White Dragon Clan, and I also won't allow them to make trouble for you before we leave," the God of Food said.

"Thank you, Senior." Lu Yin was genuinely grateful.

The old man just shook his head. "It should be me thanking you, not receiving your thanks. I had no idea that that beast was here on Dragon Mountain. I owe you a favor, Yu Hao, and I hope to be able to pay it back in the future."

The old man then left.

Lu Yin had not expected to receive anything from the White Dragon Clan, and being given a Semi-Progenitor level power vessel to buy his silence was a pleasant surprise. More importantly, he could potentially Enhance the power vessel to the Progenitor level. This was a very pleasant surprise.

As for choosing to live on a peak on Dragon Mountain to stay safe, only an idiot would choose such a ridiculous option. As soon as the White Dragon Clan discovered that Yu Hao was really Lu Yin, then forget giving him a peak—even if they had given him all of Dragon Mountain itself, it would still be useless, as Progenitor Long would be the first to kill Lu Yin.

…

A massive paper boat floated in the air as a group of students happily boarded it in small, chatting groups.

Wang Xiaofan and several others appeared very serious, while Liu Que shot occasional glances at Long Tian. It was clear to see that the swordsman was still unwilling to accept what had happened.

The students’ time visiting the White Dragon Clan had come to an end. It was a better idea to talk about meaningless things than their training experience with the White Dragon Clan. Most of the students had done nothing at all, though they had still walked away with quite a bit of wealth because of what had happened with the blood pool. Naturally, it was firmly understood that there was nothing wrong with the blood pool, and Prof. Hao Yu had clarified that he had been mistaken.

While everyone knew the truth, no one was willing to risk offending the White Dragon Clan.

As for Xia Shenguang, Wang Xiaofan, and the others from the four ruling powers, the White Dragon Clan had other means to keep information from spreading, though it was unavoidable that the four ruling powers themselves would learn of the matter.

There was an awkward expression on Lu Yin’s face, and he really did not know how to interpret his own emotions. If he used Nong Siniang’s expression, Lu Yin looked like he had just eaten dirt.

In fact, that was a perfect expression, as Lu Yin had indeed eaten dirt. More accurately, he had been given a clump of dirt.

Right before Virtue Archives had started leaving, the White Dragon Clan had delivered the promised Semi-Progenitor level power vessel to Lu Yin. It turned out to be a clump of gray, messy dirt with a peculiar smell.

Upon receiving the dirt, Lu Yin nearly threw it back into Long Tian's face. Were they giving him dirt? What was this supposed to mean?

The White Dragon Clan had quickly explained the gift, and Lu Yin soon learned exactly what it was, though his mood did not improve.

This clump of soil was from the Lower Realm, and had been collected from right beneath the Ancestor Python’s head. The giant snake spent all of its time sleeping, and it also drooled in its sleep. The dirt that Lu Yin had received was dirt that had absorbed the Ancestor Python’s saliva, and it was permeated with the snake’s aura. No creature would dare to come near the clump of soil, not even Semi-Progenitor-level beasts.

It was indeed an amazing treasure if it could even keep back creatures with the strength of Semi-Progenitors, and it was clearly a Semi-Progenitor level treasure. As for calling it a power vessel, well… The dirt had absorbed the Ancestor Python’s saliva and held the snake’s aura, but did that not mean that it was more like a natural treasure?

Lu Yin had felt very uncomfortable while accepting the dirt, so he had quickly stored it away in his cosmic ring and left. While he was in sight, many people from the White Dragon Clan stared at him with burning envy. Still, Lu Yin could not help but feel like he had been tricked.

He refused to look backwards as the paper ship flew away, as he feared that he would not be able to hold back his cursing.

"Prof. Hao Yu, did I hear right? The White Dragon Clan just gave you a bit of soil that’s absorbed the Ancestor Python’s saliva?" Prof. Wei approached and asked with a smile.

Lu Yin was still upset about it. "It’s just a bit of drool. Why bother calling it ‘saliva?’"

Prof. Wei laughed. "Prof. Hao Yu, don't look down on the soil that they gave you. If you keep that with you, no creature will be willing to approach you no matter where you wander in the Lower Realm. You were basically just given all of the treasures available in the entire Lower Realm! For members of Root, you were just given the greatest treasure imaginable. They’d take that over a Semi-Progenitor’s protection any day.”

"As far as I know, over the years, the White Dragon Clan has sold quite a bit of that saliva, mostly to either the Lu family or the Celestial Frost Sect. Seed Garden also considers it to be a top-tier treasure, and it’s not possible to get it anywhere else."

Lu Yin's eyes lit up. "Is that really the case? If that’s all true, then it really is a peerless treasure in the Lower Realm."

However, Lu Yin was not actually thinking about the Lower Realm at all, but rather the Fifth Mainland’s Astral Beast Domain.

If not even creatures with the strength of a Semi-Progenitor would approach this soil, then what sort of reaction would the Astral Beast Domain’s astral beasts have? How would the Celestial Demons respond? Or Skymender? Astral beasts were fundamentally the same as the creatures that lived in the Lower Realm, and this soil should have a similar power over any non-human creature.

The more Lu Yin considered the possibilities, the more excited he became. Used properly, the soil could potentially be much more valuable than a Semi-Progenitor level power vessel, and it might be possible to create something truly miraculous.

Prof. Wei smiled. "Congratulations, Prof. Hao Yu."

"Thank you, Prof. Wei, for the explanation." Lu Yin was truly grateful.

The woman just laughed. "I'm simply envious of your success."

Lu Yin was feeling quite generous. "Would you like some, Professor? It’s a good sized piece of dirt, and I can certainly spare some for you."

Prof. Wei quickly refused. "I won’t be going to the Lower Realm, so the soil is actually useless to me. Keep it for yourself, Professor."

Lu Yin nodded. "Fair enough. It’s much better than what I expected, so I’ll really need to visit the Lower Realm and test it out."

Prof. Wei left, and Bai Weiwei instead approached, smiling at “Yu Hao.” "Professor, we’ll be visiting the Celestial Frost Sect next. You won’t cause us any trouble, will you?"

Lu Yin felt rather stunned. "Why would you ask that? Who would dare to make trouble for one of the four ruling powers?"

Bai Weiwei continued to smile. "I’ve known you for some time now, Professor, so I see no reason not to be direct. Professor, it’s clear that you want to help Virtue Archives, but what you’re doing is useless. At best, you’ll just delay things slightly, as it’s impossible to change the ultimate outcome. Also, trying to do so will only make the four ruling powers upset with you. In this Perennial World, the four ruling powers stand above all others."

Lu Yin replied, "You're worrying too much. I wasn’t trying to make trouble for the four ruling powers. I’m not nearly capable enough to think that I can shake them."

"Given your abilities, it’s clear that you are able to cause trouble for anyone. However, my Celestial Frost Sect has always shown you a level of courtesy, and my senior sister made a point to ask me to work hard and learn from you, as there is a chance that you may eventually join my Celestial Frost Sect."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "Your senior sister? Bai Xian'er?"

Bai Weiwei nodded. "Senior Sister asked me to send her greetings to you, Professor."

The young woman then turned and walked away.

Lu Yin stared off into the distance. Had Bai Xian'er noticed him? Everyone feared that woman as though she were the queen of the Perennial World, but in the depths of Lu Yin’s heart, in his buried memories, there was the scene of the maid who lifted her nose into the sky and scolded him. A very bold maid.

Just like the Wang family and the White Dragon Clan, the Celestial Frost Sect also sent someone to greet and escort Virtue Archives: Acting Sect Master Bai Su.

Bai Su waited for the students and their chaperones a great distance away from the entrance to the Celestial Frost Sect. As soon as the man saw the God of Food, he acted like a perfectly respectful junior.

Anyone seeing Bai Su’s attitude towards the God of Food would find it hard to imagine that he was the same person who had sent Xiao Qing to be a spy within the White Dragon Clan, and also the person who had ordered the woman to try to seduce Yu Hao. Everyone believed Bai Su to be an even more obedient puppet than Bai Teng, and nothing more than that. This was nothing more than an act, as this puppet had a mind of his own.

Bai Su suddenly looked over at “Yu Hao,” and he enthusiastically greeted him. "You must be Prof. Hao Yu! You really are young. Very impressive for your age. When I was your age, I was only a mere Hunter, yet not only are you a powerful Envoy, but you’ve even managed to become a Realm Array Master. Truly, very, very impressive."

Lu Yin answered politely, "Sect Master Bai Su, you’re exaggerating things. I’ve simply enjoyed a bit of good luck. I could never measure up to the Celestial Frost Sect’s sect master."

Bai Su laughed. "Prof. Hao Yu is the one exaggerating things now! Out of my entire Celestial Frost Sect, it's not that we lack disciples who can compare to you, but that all of our disciples fall far, far behind you. It’s really quite embarrassing."

After exchanging a few more niceties with “Yu Hao,” the acting sect master moved on to share a few words with Mr. Tang.

Bai Su did not act like a distant and dignified sect master at all, and he instead gave off the impression of a businessman welcoming clients.

Bai Weiwei's expression showed how uncomfortable she was. She found the entire ordeal quite embarrassing.

The rest of Virtue Archives’ students began to relax, and Bai Su's behavior made them feel as though they might make out even better with the Celestial Frost Sect than their previous two stops.

They had first visited the Wang family and then the White Dragon Clan. The four ruling powers of the Perennial World were literally competing to win the students over and offering them benefits to join. While the students did not understand why this was happening, such knowledge was unnecessary. They would simply take whatever was offered.

The God of Food quickly grew impatient. "Sect Master Bai Su, I wonder, what sort of training has your Celestial Frost Sect prepared for these children?"

Bai Su was in the middle of chatting with Prof. Wei, but when the God of Food spoke up, the acting sect master turned around and respectfully replied, "I’m not sure if you are familiar with it, Senior. Do you know about the Sky Beyond the Sky? The Immortal Above Immortals?"