C50 Small Booklet
Yun Hai gave a nod of acknowledgment. The Chen family's reputation for being overbearing was notorious. In comparison, the Xi family had aligned themselves with the Chen family, offering no advantage to the Yun family.
Yun Haoyan added, "Beyond that, the Xi family should recognize our potential. As long as our Grand Alchemist remains with us, the Yun family stands invincible. Should we face defeat, a temporary retreat to Ambercoast will allow us to easily make a comeback. The Chen family, on the other hand, lacks this capability. Their Pill Masters are merely at that level, while Ambercoast is teeming with Alchemists of the same rank."
"Father, I propose that I make a visit to the Xi family now."
"You need to focus on your cultivation, aiming to advance to the Martial Master realm and achieve the status of Grand Martial Master."
"You're considering a visit to the Xi family?" Yun Hai expressed his concern. "Perhaps I should go myself."
Yun Haoyan shook his head. "I'm the better choice. As a younger member of the family, I can approach them without the same weight of expectation. If the Xi family declines, it won't be as significant."
"If you go, it puts the Xi family in a tough spot. A refusal from them would be seen as siding with the Chen family, as if they're directly opposing us."
"It would come across as if we're pressuring them. If I'm unsuccessful, you can step in with the prestige of a newly advanced Grand Martial Master. That approach might yield better results."
Yun Hai pondered for a moment, finding wisdom in Yun Haoyan's reasoning. His own presence, as the Yun family patriarch, would make it difficult for the Xi family patriarch to decline. Yun Haoyan, however, had already established his status. As a disciple of the Grand Alchemist and the future heir of the Yun family, he held a unique position. Moreover, his status as a junior meant he could negotiate without the same level of consequence. Whether he succeeded or failed, Yun Haoyan was the ideal envoy.
"Alright, I entrust this task to you," Yun Hai decided.
"And don't burden yourself with too much stress. Success would be excellent, but there's no harm in failure."
"The Yun family grows stronger with each passing day; we have no fear of the Bian family," Yun Hai declared with conviction.
Yun Haoyan offered a respectful bow, "Father, I'm about to depart. Could you please hand me the Qi Gathering Pill that Master Miao Hujin crafted previously?"
"For what purpose do you seek the Qi Gathering Pill?" Yun Hai inquired, perplexed. Yun Haoyan, being merely a Martial Warrior, had no apparent need for such a pill.
Yun Haoyan explained, "Father, I intend to present it to the Xi family as a token of deterrence. I must have something of value to offer!"
"Very well, it's yours," Yun Hai consented, nodding as he handed over the pill Miao Hujin had refined.
Yun Haoyan accepted the pill, bowed deeply to his father, and took his leave.
Once alone in the ancestral hall, Yun Hai couldn't resist pulling out the booklet to peruse its contents. "Such a lavish squandering of heavenly gifts. To think a top-grade Heavenly technique is inscribed in such a modest pamphlet," he lamented.
"The calligraphy is rather exquisite, though; it's clearly the work of a distinguished hand," he mused, examining the booklet.
Unbeknownst to Yun Hai, such cultivation methods were all too familiar to Yun Haoyan. In his past life as a Pill Monarch, formidable figures would offer Heavenly techniques in exchange for just one batch of his pills. Ordinary methods no longer piqued his interest.
Yun Haoyan's concerns lay only with the most powerful and elusive techniques. Renowned as the preeminent Pill Monarch of the land, he could craft any pill, save for those of God Level, provided he had the formula. His flawless record in pill crafting had earned him awe and the title of the foremost figure beneath the Pill God.
Many sought his friendship, yet he remained indifferent. To Yun Haoyan, the Heavenly technique was trivial; deeming it worthy of recording in a simple booklet was already a generous act. That he hadn't relegated it to scrap paper was fortunate enough.
