"If that is the case, I can make the decision to bestow a drop upon fellow Daoist." Elder Fu Sheng said, stroking his beard.
Strictly speaking, less than a full drop of Tianyun Water Essence would be needed to cleanse the mortal Qi from within the body. While this item might indeed be incredibly precious to outsiders, to the Yu Clan, it was merely so-so. With their unique innate talent, they could gather a considerable amount of Tianyun Water Essence each time the early rains of the four seasons arrived, even without making a deliberate effort. In fact, it was likely only by trading this substance for vast quantities of much-needed resources from external cultivators each year that the strong practitioners of the Yu Clan could be bothered to make several journeys outside annually. Even so, after years of accumulation, and despite some of it being sold to outsiders, the Yu Clan still managed to amass a substantial quantity. Given Elder Fu Sheng's cultivation realm and his standing within the clan, he naturally possessed the authority and qualification to decide on gifting a drop to a fellow Daoist.
However, what surprised him was that the fellow Daoist before him slowly shook his head after hearing this. This caused Elder Fu Sheng to frown slightly, a hint of displeasure arising in his heart. His gaze flickered towards Luyin beside him, perplexed as to why she would bring such a greedy individual to this place.
"I do not intend to use Tianyun Water Essence to wash away the mortal Qi within my body." Jiang Yunzhou knew he had been misunderstood. After a moment's thought, he began to explain, "My purpose in coming to seek purchase of Tianyun Water Essence is actually to establish a spiritual spring, to make the path of my disciples smoother and more prosperous."
As he spoke, he glanced at Ji Yuan beside him. Ji Yuan, understanding immediately, carefully mobilized the divine power within his body, circulating a trace of divine Dao aura. Because Ji Yuan's constitution was naturally close to water, even with careful disguise to conceal his immortal cultivation aura, a trace of pure water essence remained within him. Furthermore, the divine power he cultivated was refined from the Jiangshui Divine Dao technique, which further carried water elemental energy. The Yu Clan, being inherently close to water, would instinctively feel a sense of kinship upon sensing such an aura.
"Is the cultivation of this young friend in the path of water element?" Elder Fu Sheng slowly inquired. With his profound cultivation, it was impossible for him not to discern this, yet he still posed the question.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded. "The method I practice is called Jiangshui Divine Dao." In the cultivation world, seniority was determined not only by one's inheritance but also by realm. As he admitted this and voluntarily stated the name of his cultivated method, a sharp glint flashed in Elder Fu Sheng's eyes, as if he were using some secret technique to ascertain the truth of his words. Jiang Yunzhou, standing nearby, made no move, quietly observing the elder's actions.
"If it were in normal times, a few drops of Tianyun Water Essence would not be a significant matter." After a long pause, the elder withdrew his gaze and spoke with a somewhat complicated expression, "However, some matters have recently arisen, requiring us to reserve Tianyun Water Essence for unforeseen circumstances. We can only spare one or two drops." The efficacy of this spiritual item was indeed quite broad. It could be used to cleanse mortal Qi, to help dissolve the Golden Core, or as an ingredient in alchemy to increase the success rate by twenty to thirty percent. Even if one possessed immense wealth and could gather a large quantity of Tianyun Water Essence, using it as a quenching agent for refining artifacts could significantly enhance the power of magical weapons or armaments, even potentially granting an additional restriction. And the above was merely a fraction of the many uses of Tianyun Water Essence.
"If it's one or two drops, that should be sufficient..." Ji Yuan muttered to himself, already eager to obtain it and leave this place as quickly as possible. However, thinking of Tang Muhuan still being in the valley, he suppressed his impulse and outwardly maintained a calm demeanor.
"One or two drops of Tianyun Water Essence... it should be barely enough." Jiang Yunzhou sighed, feigning difficulty. One had to admit, his acting was superb. Even Ji Yuan could not detect any flaws. If he hadn't known the truth of the situation, he too would have been deceived.
"I implore fellow Daoist to fulfill this request and sell me one or two drops of Tianyun Water Essence." He clasped his hands, his gaze complex as he spoke.
Elder Fu Sheng sighed, stating it was not necessary and then gestured for them to follow him. He led the way, traversing more than half the village, arriving before an immense, ancient tree. This tree was a hundred zhang tall and thirty to forty zhang wide, transformed into dwellings. Windows and railings were visible on its trunk, and members of the Yu Clan could be seen coming and going.
The two followed him into the giant treehouse and were led to a private room, where a foreign attendant immediately came forward and served several cups of steaming spiritual tea. "Fellow Daoist, please wait here for a moment. I still need to report to the Clan Leader." Elder Fu Sheng apologized. Although he had the authority to make decisions on such matters, obtaining the Tianyun Water Essence now required the approval of the Yu Clan Leader. As he had mentioned earlier, some matters had recently transpired within the Yu Clan that required this substance for unforeseen needs, and all the Tianyun Water Essence was centralized in the Clan Leader's hands.
Jiang Yunzhou immediately expressed his understanding, stating that he was tired from the journey and would take the opportunity to rest. After some polite exchanges, Elder Fu Sheng left the private room, presumably to seek out the clan leader.
"I told you it wasn't a good time for you to come. Normally, Elder Fu Sheng could decide on five or six drops, let alone one or two, and give them to you." Luyin jumped down from Ji Yuan's shoulder and stood on the tea table made of wood. This item, though worth several pieces of high-quality magical artifacts to others, was just average to the people of the Yu Clan. Although the Divine Dao had declined and the Yu Clan no longer possessed its former glory, even their bloodline power had thinned, yet some innate divine abilities had not vanished, allowing them to easily obtain Tianyun Water Essence from the early rains of the four seasons.
Given Jiang Yunzhou's cultivation, just a step away from being comparable to a Golden Core realm existence, and his chosen path of the Divine Dao, the Yu Clan would normally have directly gifted him five or six drops of Tianyun Water Essence without asking for anything in return, simply to foster goodwill. After all, very few individuals in this era could progress so far on the path of the Divine Dao, most relying on incense and vow power, while those who relied solely on themselves were rare indeed. As a former Divine Clan, they naturally wished to befriend and win over such individuals, as many within their own clan were still cultivating the Divine Dao.
"Being able to exchange for one or two drops of Tianyun Water Essence is already satisfying for us." Ji Yuan lightly tapped Luyin's head with his finger.