Chapter 121: The Neighbor Has Grain, I Have a Gun; The Neighbor Is My Granary

The Six-Linked Hall is divided into: Shanhai Pavilion, Baishui Tower, Yuhuan Residence... six departments, each responsible for six different areas.

Shanhai Pavilion handles demon beast materials and Demon Cores, so the flag pattern in front of its shop is a blue monster; Baishui Tower is responsible for magical tools, Dharma Treasures, and materials, so it is a small golden sword; Yuhuan Residence is responsible for medicinal materials, spirit herbs, and pills, and its pattern is a cyan spirit mushroom...

And Yan Taibai's target was this Baishui Tower.

Because he needed a large amount of metal-attribute materials or magical tools; it was not just he who needed them, his Life-Bound Magical Treasure, the Luxian Juetian Sword, needed them even more.

To put it plainly, Yan Taibai and his Life-Bound Magical Treasure were both "Gluttons," requiring a constant, endless supply of resources.

Even though he had obtained the Ghost Spirit Sect's tens of thousands of years of savings, he still required vast resources; for the two of them—one person and one tool—no amount was ever enough.

He had to keep searching, and then it was just "eat, eat, eat."

Holding this goal, Yan Taibai held his newly wedded young wife, Yan Ruyan, and in the blink of an eye, they stepped into the main hall of Baishui Tower.

At a glance, the hall was not too small, measuring about twenty or thirty zhang in length and width.

All around were rows of shelves carved from white jade, with various magical tools gleaming on them, attracting the gazes of visitors; the quantity alone was as many as a hundred pieces.

But in reality, let alone Yan Taibai, even Yan Ruyan did not think much of them.

Because the highest grade of these magical tools was merely High-tier Magical Tool, how could they catch the eyes of the two of them?

However, just because the married couple did not think much of them did not mean others did not.

At this moment, in front of the various shelves, four or five neatly dressed clerks in green were busy attending to seven or eight cultivators who were selecting and being recommended some of the magical tools.

As for the two of them, because they had not walked up to the shelves, for a moment, no one came to greet them.

However, they did not have to wait long; a slightly sharp-witted clerk hurried forward, bowing with a face full of smiles and speaking respectfully.

"Senior, Fairy, these magical tools likely do not meet your discerning eyes. If you two do not mind, why don't you wait in the side hall first? I will go report to the manager and have him bring out some newly arrived Top-tier Magical Tools for you two to look over, how about that?"

"Very well, that would be trouble."

Hearing this, Yan Taibai nodded slightly and agreed.

Afterward, they followed the clerk to the side hall, and after being served a cup of fragrant tea each, the clerk excused himself to go invite the manager.

After about a quarter of an hour, a middle-aged man with a unique appearance and a three-stranded long beard walked in.

When he first entered, he had a smiling expression, but upon sensing Yan Taibai's cultivation realm, his expression changed slightly, and just like the clerk earlier, he hurriedly bowed and spoke respectfully.

"This junior is the manager here, Cao Lu, paying respects to Senior. I did not know of your grand arrival and failed to welcome you properly; I hope Senior will forgive me. Someone, serve the spirit tea."

"Fellow Daoist, you are too polite. We two are also new here; I hope you will forgive us for the intrusion."

Yan Taibai chuckled and shook his head.

Yan Taibai had full confidence in his own strength and divine abilities, so naturally, he did not need to conceal his cultivation and could boldly display it.

Let alone a tiny Kuixing Island, even Heavenly Star City would be the same.

If he wanted to leave, unless the Heavenly Star Sages took action personally, almost no one could stop him.

Therefore, there was absolutely no need to worry too much.

"Senior, you jest. May I ask what instructions you have for coming here today?"

Facing a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, and such a young one at that, Manager Cao did not even dare to sit down, fearing that Yan Taibai was the young master or scion of some faction in the Inner Star Sea.

He was simply too young; only transcendent major factions like the Qingyang Sect, Shengmo Island, the Wanfa Sect, or even the Star Palace could cultivate such an impossibly young Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

"Nothing much. I have only recently reached the Golden Core Stage, and my elders asked me to come out for some experience. At the same time, I am looking for materials to refine my Life-Bound Magical Treasure. I heard that your hall is second only to the Four Great Merchant Alliances in the Chaotic Star Sea, so I came specifically to take a look."

Yan Taibai spoke with a smile on his face, revealing a hint of arrogance.

Once these words were spoken, they confirmed Manager Cao's suspicions even further, and he immediately promised with a glowing face.

"Many thanks for your favor, Senior. As long as you speak, no matter what materials they are, as long as this hall has them, I will definitely have them delivered to you."

As for Yan Taibai's background, he did not press for details, as it was a taboo and not yet the time to ask.

"Fellow Daoist, take a look at this material list first. Bring out as much as you can."

Hearing this, Yan Taibai handed a pale golden Jade Slip he had prepared long ago to Manager Cao and smiled.

Manager Cao took the Jade Slip, excused himself, and began to examine it with his divine sense.

He had not been checking for long before the smile on his face gradually faded, eventually disappearing completely, replaced by a bitter smile as he apologized.

"Senior, please calm your anger. The quantity of materials here is truly too vast; this junior cannot make the decision alone and needs to report it to the two elders for them to decide."

"That is only natural; I will trouble you then, Fellow Daoist. However, how much time will it take? If it takes too long, we two will have to leave first."

Yan Taibai nodded to show his understanding but added a sentence.

"Senior, please rest assured. In half an hour at most, this junior will be able to report it to the two elders. They will surely come in person."

Manager Cao guaranteed with certainty.

"Very well, that would be trouble."

Yan Taibai appeared quite courteous.

"I only hope Senior will not blame this junior. I will wait a moment and go report to the two elders now."

Manager Cao hurriedly returned the salute and spoke respectfully.

After speaking, he excused himself and left, instructing others to treat Yan Taibai and Yan Ruyan well.

"Brother Taibai, just how many materials do you need? To the point that even this Manager Cao cannot make the decision?"

Yan Ruyan asked in surprise.

She knew very well that Yan Taibai had already refined his Life-Bound Magical Treasure, and it had even caused a phenomenon; why did he still need so many materials?

And it seemed to be just a large quantity, not that they were too rare to be produced.

"Hmm! Just take a look for yourself and you will know."

Yan Taibai took out another Jade Slip and handed it to Yan Ruyan.

Seeing this, Yan Ruyan did not say more, nor did she take the Jade Slip, but directly examined it with her divine sense.

"Hiss!"

"This is too much! Just the Iron Essence, Copper Essence, and Silver Essence—these common materials for refining Dharma Treasures—amount to over a hundred catties."

Before she had even finished reading, Ruyan's face turned pale with shock, and she let out an exclamation.

One must know, for an ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivator, adding just a few qian or half a liang of materials like Iron Essence or Copper Essence to a Dharma Treasure is enough to increase its power significantly.

Yet Yan Taibai was calculating such materials by the hundred jin; let alone the Six-Linked Hall, even the Yanyue Sect could not produce such a quantity.

Seeing Ruyan so astonished, Yan Taibai sighed inwardly.

With the appetite of the "White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash" and the Luxian Juetian Sword, let alone a hundred jin, even increasing it by a hundred thousand times would not be enough!

But it was still better than having nothing!

At the same time, Manager Cao arrived at the Cloud Dream Pavilion, which was located above the plaza of the Six-Linked Hall.

He handed the Jade Slip that Yan Taibai had given him to an old man with a pale golden complexion.

This old man had not the slightest fluctuation of magic power about him, appearing just like a mundane Mortal, but in reality, he was a Golden Core Stage expert capable of perfectly concealing his cultivation realm.

He was none other than Elder Miao, one of the two Golden Core Stage elders who presided over the Six-Linked Hall.

At this moment, Elder Miao was expressionlessly taking the Jade Slip and letting his divine sense penetrate it to examine the contents.

"Not to mention the other materials, to actually require over ten jin of Iron Essence and Copper Essence—what a massive appetite."

The materials in the Jade Slip in Elder Miao's hand were less than one-tenth of what Yan Taibai had given Ruyan, yet they still left Elder Miao shocked beyond measure.

If he had seen the Jade Slip in Ruyan's hand, he would have been even more speechless.

"Therefore, this lowly one dared not make the decision and came to report to the Elder. The materials listed here are worth at least over one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. This is a massive business deal, but the hall's treasury does not have such a large quantity of materials, and it will take time to go to the nearby island branch halls to retrieve them. This matter requires the Elder to step in personally."

Manager Cao nodded and spoke.

"Indeed, such a large deal is truly something only this old man can decide. Let's go, take this old man to meet that fellow Daoist, and tell me about his situation so that I may be prepared. Such an honored guest must not be neglected."

Elder Miao stood up, a smile appearing on his face.

"Yes, Elder, please."

Manager Cao hurriedly led the way.

Before long, Manager Cao brought Elder Miao to the side hall where Yan Taibai and Ruyan were staying.

Upon seeing Yan Taibai's youthful appearance and Ruyan's beautiful, flower-like face, even though he had been prepared, Elder Miao could not help but be startled.

Without needing Manager Cao to introduce them, he took the initiative to introduce himself with a smile.

"This old man is the elder managing this branch hall; you may address me as Elder Miao, fellow Daoist. I wonder what your name is, fellow Daoist? Perhaps I have heard of you?"

"Elder Miao is too kind. I, Yan Bai, have only just reached the Golden Core Stage and have rarely ventured out in the past. Now that I have formed my Golden Core, my sect elders have allowed me to travel with my wife to broaden our horizons. Please forgive any intrusion, Elder Miao."

Yan Taibai smiled broadly and introduced himself.

"So it is fellow Daoist Yan Bai. May I ask which sect you hail from, fellow Daoist Yan?"

Elder Miao was startled once more; such situations usually meant the disciple possessed excellent or superior Spirit Root aptitude—almost always a Heavenly Spirit Root or something not inferior to it—to receive such treatment.

"This... my sect elders have given orders. It is not convenient to disclose, so I hope Elder Miao will forgive me."

Yan Taibai found an excuse and explained.

"So that is how it is. This old man was reckless; please do not take offense, fellow Daoist."

Elder Miao spoke with a smile on his face to apologize.

"Elder Miao is too polite. I wonder how long it will take to acquire the materials I need?"

After a few polite pleasantries, Yan Taibai shifted the topic back to business.

"To be honest, fellow Daoist, the quantity of materials you require is too great. This hall can likely only gather one-third in the short term, and I have already ordered my subordinates to prepare it. Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist. As for the remaining materials, rest assured, I will have them all gathered within half a month at most; I will certainly not let you wait any longer."

Hearing this, Elder Miao and Manager Cao exchanged a glance and hurriedly made their promise.

"Good, then I will trouble you, Elder. With this, the task assigned by my sect and my own Life-Bound Magical Treasure can finally be settled."

Yan Taibai's smile grew even richer, making Elder Miao and Manager Cao's eyes light up.

Ruyan, meanwhile, was secretly laughing in her heart, though she did not reveal a single trace of it.

Based on her understanding of Yan Taibai, he was practically hoping for the Six-Linked Hall to kill them for their treasures, so that he could wipe out or subjugate the entire Six-Linked Hall and obtain everything within it.

She remembered what Yan Taibai had told her when she was young in the Library Pavilion of the Yan Family Fortress.

If the neighbor has grain and I have a gun, the neighbor is my granary.

As long as one's strength is sufficient, there is no need to worry about too much.

And regarding Yan Taibai's strength and divine abilities, no one knew them better than Ruyan.

He could even wipe out the Ghost Spirit Sect, one of the Heavenly Luo Kingdom Six Demon Sects, let alone a mere Six-Linked Hall.

Although she did not know exactly how Yan Taibai had annihilated the entire Ghost Spirit Sect, as long as he possessed that level of strength and ability, it was enough.

And Yan Taibai saying all this was simply to give Elder Miao and Manager Cao the illusion that the two of them were naive and easily deceived, thereby planting the thought of killing them for their treasures, or even prompting them to act directly.

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist, this old man will certainly not let you down in this matter."

After hearing Yan Taibai's words and seeing his youthful face, Elder Miao already believed him to a certain extent.

As for harboring greed, it was not as if he didn't, but he had to first find out Yan Taibai's background clearly.

Moreover, he could not do it alone; after all, coming from a major sect, even if Yan Taibai did not have a Life-Bound Magical Treasure, his sect elders would surely have bestowed Dharma Treasures upon him. In such a case, he might not be inferior to an old-school Golden Core Stage cultivator like himself, and might even be stronger.

He had to be well-prepared, otherwise, once it leaked, no one would let him off.

Not even the Six-Linked Hall.

Yet with such a great opportunity before him, he could not possibly give it up.

However, the greed in Elder Miao's eyes flashed by and was not revealed, yet it was still captured by Yan Taibai.

"The fish has taken the bait!"

Although there was a suspicion of entrapment, Yan Taibai did not feel there was anything wrong with it.

"Then many thanks, Elder Miao. This is ten thousand Spirit Stones as a deposit. Once the matter is done, as long as there are no errors, the remaining Spirit Stones will certainly not be lacking in the slightest."

Yan Taibai took out a bulging Storage Bag and, under the slightly heated gazes of Elder Miao and Manager Cao, handed it to Manager Cao.

The latter also glanced at Elder Miao, and only after receiving his permission did he take the Storage Bag and offer his thanks.

"Many thanks, Senior."

"Haha, many thanks, Fellow Daoist Yan. Rest assured regarding this matter; if you do not mind, you may temporarily reside at Cloud Dream Pavilion while waiting for me to bring the materials."

Elder Miao said with a glowing face and a hearty laugh.

"That will not be necessary; my wife and I have other matters to attend to, so we will not trouble Elder Miao further."

Yan Taibai's smile did not fade as he shook his head and politely declined.

"That is truly a pity."

Elder Miao's smile faded slightly as he sighed and said.

Just then, the voice of a servant sounded from outside the hall door.

"Reporting to Elder Miao, the shopkeeper, Sect Master Wang of the Miaoyin Sect, has arrived with his wife to pay you a visit, saying there is a large business deal he wishes to discuss with the Elder."

"Sect Master Wang of the Miaoyin Sect."

Upon hearing the three words "Miaoyin Sect," Yan Taibai's eyes lit up, and he blurted out.

(End of this chapter)