The morning arrived.
Ye Cangtian departed from Qingfeng Hall and headed directly towards the Great River, where he found Elder Long.
He had two objectives: first, to pay his respects, and second, to inquire about the situation with the Grand Elder of Feiyun Pavilion.
Upon understanding the matter concerning Feiyun Pavilion's Grand Elder, Elder Long's brow furrowed.
He had never met this Grand Elder but had heard of him.
It was said that this individual was also a prodigy, having reached the Heavenly level during his seclusion. He had vowed not to emerge until he had attained the Treading Heaven realm.
In Elder Long's opinion, given his talent, there was a high probability that this person would break through to the Treading Heaven level.
However, after so many years, if he still hadn't broken through, it was likely that he had met with misfortune.
Listening to Elder Long's assessment, Ye Cangtian fell into a long silence, then said, "Elder Long, is there a possibility that this Grand Elder has already succeeded in his breakthrough, which is why Feiyun Pavilion is acting so unscrupulously?"
This...
At these words, Elder Long's expression immediately changed. If this Grand Elder had truly succeeded, it would greatly enhance Feiyun Pavilion's strength.
With inflated power, Feiyun Pavilion would naturally seek to advance further, which was within reasonable expectations.
Mulling this over, Elder Long slowly replied, "If that were truly the case, dealing with Feiyun Pavilion would not be easy!"
"Not necessarily!"
Ye Cangtian let out a soft snort and said, "Even if this Grand Elder has successfully broken through, his realm would only be comparable to Emperor Canglan. In terms of combat experience, he would certainly not be able to match Emperor Canglan!"
Ye Cangtian's point was simple: Emperor Canglan mastered numerous ancient combat techniques, making him stronger than a Grand Elder who relied on a single soul attack.
Since Ye Cangtian had already killed Emperor Canglan, defeating the Grand Elder was not impossible.
Hmph!
Hearing this, Elder Long shot Ye Cangtian a fierce glare and said sternly, "You'd better behave yourself, boy. Do you even have a clue how you managed to defeat Emperor Canglan?"
Although Elder Long hadn't witnessed the battle himself, he had learned about the confrontation between Ye Cangtian and Emperor Canglan from the Death Squad.
Ye Cangtian had used the Three Great Seals and burned his life force to barely kill Emperor Canglan, and he still hadn't fully recovered from his injuries.
Under such circumstances, if he were to encounter another expert in the Treading Heaven realm, Ye Cangtian's chances of defeat would be quite high.
"Heh heh, Elder Long, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Seeing Elder Long's anger, Ye Cangtian chuckled and then produced a small porcelain bottle, tossing it over. "Bao'er just refined this. The effects are quite good."
The small bottle contained the Sheng Sheng Bu Xi Dan. Ye Cangtian was concerned that one Tian Ji Dan might not completely resolve Elder Long's vitality issues, so he had specifically kept one.
"You scoundrel, it's good to know you have some conscience."
Taking the pill, Elder Long immediately pocketed it and then mock-scolded him with a smile.
After chatting with Elder Long for a while, Ye Cangtian returned to Qingfeng Hall.
Boom, boom, boom...
As soon as he returned to Qingfeng Hall, Ye Cangtian saw dense tribulation clouds filling the sky, and he was momentarily stunned.
He had returned the previous night, but Yao Bao'er was nowhere to be seen. Ye Cangtian had inquired about it.
At that time, Qiangwei had explained that with the imminent battle in the ruins, Yao Bao'er had entered a refining mode immediately upon her return to improve the combat power of their comrades and ensure their survival in the war.
Now, seeing the tribulation clouds, there was no doubt that Yao Bao'er had refined some heaven-defying pill again.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian flashed to the vicinity of the secret chamber and watched from afar.
He had intended to step in if she encountered difficulties, but this time, to his satisfaction, Yao Bao'er had grown significantly and successfully passed the pill tribulation on her own.
Creak...
As the door of the secret chamber opened, Yao Bao'er emerged, dragging her exhausted body.
However, the moment she saw Ye Cangtian, her fatigue vanished instantly, and she rushed towards him.
"Boss, you've returned at the perfect time! I just finished refining another batch. It's the Hui Hun Zeng Yang Dan, which will surely help with your injuries!"
After giving Ye Cangtian a big hug, Yao Bao'er handed him the newly refined pills.
The Hui Hun Zeng Yang Dan had two primary effects: firstly, it increased vitality, and secondly, it repaired and enhanced spiritual power.
She had consulted ancient texts and finally found a suitable pill formula for Ye Cangtian's condition, after which she had immediately attempted to refine it.
Ye Cangtian took the pills, patted her head, and said, "You've worked hard. My injuries are basically no longer a major concern. You didn't need to push yourself so hard!"
"That won't do!"
Yao Bao'er let out a soft snort and continued, "If you're still looking sickly around me, people will definitely doubt my medical skills. I absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen!"
While she said this, her true intention was to ensure Ye Cangtian was in the best possible condition to face the upcoming battles.
Ye Cangtian smiled bitterly at her words and then said, "From now on, you should focus on finding ways to enhance the strength of the Death Squad!"
Hmph!
Yao Bao'er snorted haughtily and said dismissively, "I know all of this, so you don't need to worry about it!"
After this minor interlude, Ye Cangtian returned to Qingfeng Hall. He then instructed a guard to summon Wei Gu.
About an hour later, the guard arrived at Qingfeng Hall with Wei Gu.
Upon seeing Ye Cangtian, Wei Gu cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Ye, you must have something to discuss with me, right? Please speak freely, and I will do my utmost!"
"Indeed, there is something!"
Ye Cangtian nodded and stated, "I mentioned before that upon returning to the Hidden Group, I would compensate you with some treasures in exchange for the Jiuzhou Fengyun Armor. However, before that, I'd like to ask you a question!"
Hmm?
Wei Gu was momentarily taken aback, then looked at him curiously and said, "Please tell me, Mr. Ye."
Ye Cangtian did not mince words and directly asked, "The elders of Chixia Island could forge Semi-Divine grade battle armor. Why is it that nowadays, you can only produce armor that is close to spiritual artifacts? The disparity is quite significant..."
Alas!
Upon hearing this, Wei Gu let out a long sigh and slowly began to explain.
Since the Armament Pavilion became famous in the ruins, it had been coveted by various powerful factions, leading to countless battles.
Many skilled blacksmiths, carrying their unique skills, perished on the battlefield, causing a rupture in their lineage.
Furthermore, during these numerous attacks and migrations, many precious ancient forging texts were lost.
Without the inherited techniques and ancient texts, even if the Armament Pavilion still had talented blacksmiths, it would be difficult to return to its former glory.
As expected!
Ye Cangtian muttered inwardly, then took out several ancient manuals from his Qiankun bag and placed them on the table.
"Among these, there is an ancient forging technique passed down through generations, and the rest are texts related to ancient forging, all obtained from the Canglan Immortal Palace."
This...
Looking at the manuals on the table, a greedy glint flashed in Wei Gu's eyes.
However, just as he reached out to touch them, Ye Cangtian stopped him.
"I hope Chixia Island will consider joining the Hidden Group. However, I am not one to force others. Even if you disagree, I will not insist."
"But if you do disagree, I have a small request. You can inherit the forging methods, and the texts can be copied. However, these original copies must remain with the Hidden Group!"
"After all, I am not from Chixia Island, and the future Hidden Group may establish a Forging Hall. Therefore, I hope you can understand..."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Wei Gu was first taken aback, and then his expression turned somber.
But as he listened, his expression shifted again. Accepting the inheritance and being allowed to copy the texts was essentially no different from taking these manuals away!
Therefore, whether they agreed to join the Hidden Group or not had no impact on their ability to obtain these benefits.
This meant that the other party truly wasn't forcing them and was completely respecting Chixia Island's wishes.
With that realization, Wei Gu couldn't help but be impressed by Ye Cangtian's magnanimity.
In the ruins, numerous factions wished to annex Chixia Island and employed the most malicious methods.
This was the first time he had encountered someone like Ye Cangtian, who genuinely respected them.
Pondering this, Wei Gu cupped his hands and bowed to Ye Cangtian, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Ye. However, regarding joining the Hidden Group, please give us some time to consider!"
"Naturally!"
"As long as you are willing, the doors of the Hidden Group will always be open to you!"
Ye Cangtian smiled. The other party's attitude was no longer as resolute as before, indicating that he had begun to be persuaded.
Therefore, keeping him within the Hidden Group was no longer a mere hope.