Chapter 469: Benefits Attract Enemies and Friends

Upon hearing his father's words, Magician Zhong Bei nearly popped his eyes out in panic.

What was wrong with his father? Was he actually pushing away a never-ending gold mine?

Cai Jing fixed a deep gaze on Da Bei, pointed at him, then burst into laughter, “I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Working with you has been truly delightful.”

“But you needn't doubt my motives. My reason for seeking your partnership is simple.”

“You'll all understand the moment you approach it.”

Master Cai Jing gestured toward the secret door of inheritance behind him.

Magician Da Bei remained motionless, instead signaling his son with a glance.

Such tacit understanding between father and son was, of course, present.

Magician Zhong Bei slowly began walking, approaching the secret door of inheritance.

He suddenly halted, his expression shifting slightly. Turning back, he urgently reported to his father.

“I've received a hidden message. It should be accessible after opening the door and approaching it.”

“Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong wishes us later generations, upon taking the magic potted plant, to place a brand-new one within the secret door of inheritance. This will establish a new lineage, allowing it to continue flowing down through the ages.”

Upon hearing this, Magician Da Bei's eyes flickered slightly, “That is indeed the druid way of doing things.”

This lineage was like a small cottage in the forest.

It welcomed and assisted all travelers who entered to stay. Simultaneously, it hoped each guest would contribute what they could to the cottage. For instance, chopping a pile of firewood before departing. This way, future travelers arriving on rainy days could immediately light a fire for warmth.

This encouraged mutual support and reciprocal benefit.

“Good news, Father!” Magician Zhong Bei beamed, “This message also tells us that if we place a brand-new magic potted plant inside, and this plant gains recognition from the secret door of inheritance, we'll obtain the exact location of another inheritance site belonging to Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong!”

Upon hearing this, Magician Da Bei raised his eyebrows and looked at Master Cai Jing again.

Everything clicked into place.

In that moment, he grasped the unspoken intent behind Master Cai Jing's words, and his guard rapidly dissolved.

Magician Zhong Bei returned, his expression charged with excitement.

He declared to Master Cai Jing, "This holds tremendous potential! We'll continue using the ice-preservation technique, mass-cultivating magic plants for grafting. Eventually, we'll produce a specimen that meets the criteria. Once we insert it, we'll uncover information about the second inheritance site."

But on this matter, Master Cai Jing held a different perspective: "Our previous use of the ice-preservation technique relied on sheer volume. It was essentially passing off inferior work as genuine, muddling through. Based on my estimation, cultivating grafted magic plants that meet the standards of Fan Sheng Za Zhong is far more difficult than opening a secret door. Using our previous method again offers little chance of success."

Magician Zhong Bei paused slightly, then wore a thoughtful expression.

Master Cai Jing's analysis made perfect sense.

Undiminished in his enthusiasm, Magician Zhong Bei continued, “If that's the case, we'll simply have to commit to long-term research and development. I believe that with the combined strength of our two parties, as long as we cooperate wholeheartedly, we will certainly succeed in cultivating qualifying magic plants in the future.

In Magician Zhong Bei's view, this was an investment well worth making! This was a legacy left by a legend level figure.

They had already succeeded once. Though they had only harvested a single grafted magic plant, that single achievement alone was priceless, making them rich beyond measure.

But upon hearing Magician Zhong Bei's words, Master Cai Jing smiled faintly and shook his head.

The Medium Magician looked puzzled, unable to grasp Master Cai Jing' meaning.

His father, Magician Da Bei, gently reminded him, “Fool, why should we let ourselves be led by the nose by a single piece of inheritance information?”

“Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong arranged this with a deep understanding of human nature, but he is, after all, a druid, perhaps a bit too innocent.”

"This is indeed a clue, but the cost is high. We needn't follow his setup; we can find other clues ourselves and deduce the locations of other inheritances."

“In this regard, Master Cai Jing, you must have profound insights!”

Magician Zhong Bei couldn't help but fix his burning gaze upon Master Cai Jing.

Master Cai Jing replied calmly, “To put it plainly, it's actually quite simple.”

"Records show that Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong traveled the entire world. He is a figure of legendary level; wherever he went, storms inevitably followed, leaving behind profound historical accounts nearly everywhere."

"This greatly facilitates our search for clues. Often, we need only follow the trail."

Magician Zhong Bei frowned slightly, “Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong did indeed travel the world. To my knowledge, he even ventured into Dragon Island and all manner of peculiar elemental realms. But to search for his legacy, the scope of ‘the entire world’ is rather too vast.”

Master Cai Jing continued, “During the early stages of Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong's travels, the likelihood of him leaving a legacy is quite low.”

"Typically, he would gain insights during his journeys. Once these insights accumulated to a certain level, he would settle in one place for brief research. Only after achieving results would he leave behind a legacy."

"Take the legacy we acquired, for instance. After journeying through the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong settled on this deserted island for a time. He named it Flower Skirt Island. Here, he achieved his breakthrough and left behind this legacy, arranging it as we find it. That was his modus operandi."

Magician Zhong Bei perked up instantly, blurting out, “I know!”

“Splice Mountain!”

"Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong once stayed at Splice Mountain. The Grafting Town at its base now also traces back to him."

Master Cai Jing smiled and nodded, adding, "Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong also ventured deep into the heart of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, entering Tranquil Hill. He emerged only after over ten days. The likelihood he left a legacy there is also very high."

Magician Zhong Bei looked hesitant. "Tranquil Hill... that's just a rumor, right? True, Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong did receive an invitation from the royal family. But whether he actually entered Tranquil Hill isn't clearly recorded."

“Searching for the master's legacy within Tranquil Hill would be incredibly difficult.”

"The royal family won't allow us to go. It's one of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's most sacred forbidden zones!"

“Moreover, we can't be certain that Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong left any legacy there.”

Belonging to the Alchemy Guild, Magician Zhong Bei held deep reverence for the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.

Master Cai Jing, however, held a different view: “We've already unlocked one of Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong's legacies. Judging by our gains so far, we stand to benefit immensely.”

"The substantial profits we earn can help us build greater influence. Given time, we could fully negotiate with the royal family."

“As long as the power is equal and the benefits are sufficient, there's nothing that can't be negotiated.”

Magician Da Bei nodded, “Indeed, such a possibility exists. As one of the elders of the Alchemy Guild, I can also leverage the guild's channels to facilitate negotiations with the royal family.”

“Of course, before that, it would be best if we could confirm that Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong truly left his legacy in Tranquil Hill.”

Magician Zhong Bei listened with a dazed expression.

Magician Da Bei turned to Master Cai Jing, his tone solemn. "Forgive my boldness, Master Cai Jing. I now formally invite you to join our guild in my capacity as an elder of the Alchemy Guild. Is that acceptable?"

Magician Zhong Bei's mouth fell open at these words.

He distinctly remembered: Master Cai Jing had been exiled and expelled from the Alchemy Guild. His father extending such a direct invitation amounted to speaking for the guild itself. Could this truly be permissible?

Though Magician Zhong Bei was middle-aged, he remained far more inexperienced, especially compared to Magician Da Bei and Master Cai Jing.

The latter two were seasoned veterans, each understanding what the others sought. Sometimes a single sentence could carry multiple layers of meaning. Magician Zhong Bei struggled to keep pace with their rhythm, let alone grasp their true intentions.

Master Cai Jing gave a slight nod, his eyes wide as he spoke nonsense, yet his expression remained earnest and solemn: “Truthfully, I've always held the Alchemy Guild in the highest regard. To join its ranks would be an immense honor!”

“It's just that timing-wise, things might be a bit inconvenient for me right now.”

Magician Da Bei nodded.

Hearing the two seemed to reach an agreement, Zhong Bei grew restless again. He felt his father had made an empty promise, and Master Cai Jing had taken it at face value.

In truth, he knew: the Alchemy Guild held a deeply negative view of Cai Jing, and his father was merely one elder among many within the guild, not someone powerful enough to represent the entire organization personally.

“Oh no! What if Father fails to persuade the Alchemy Guild after returning and breaks his promise to Master Cai Jing? What will we do then?”

But Magician Da Bei and Master Cai Jing were both confident the matter would be resolved.

It all came down to profit!

Master Cai Jing had previously produced counterfeit medicines for personal gain, undermining the Alchemy Guild's profits. Thus, he was ostracized and exiled.

Now, with the legacy of Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong as bait, the Alchemy Guild of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom would surely set aside past grievances and welcome Master Cai Jing back to collaborate on development.

This was precisely why Master Cai Jing chose to continue collaborating with Da Bei and the others.

On one hand, he needed territory and talent to cultivate grafted magic plants on a large scale, securing stable profits. On the other hand, the legacy of Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong likely lay within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom itself. He needed access to its heartland to continue unearthing that legacy.

It was time to turn enemies into allies!

Da Bei and Cai Jing exchanged glances, confirming their deepened alliance. They now found each other more agreeable.

Da Bei finally fixed his gaze on the secret door of inheritance: “Though this place is exposed, we should destroy this door to buy time.”

Cai Jing shook his head slightly: "I've tried numerous methods before. Destroying the door is unlikely. A more practical approach is to erase the inheritance information here. This information serves as a rather obvious hint for those who come after."

The magicians were no druids; they felt no empathy for the arrangements of Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong. To safeguard their own interests, they planned to destroy this secret door without hesitation or reservation.

But at that very moment, an intensely powerful aura suddenly approached.

The magicians' expressions changed simultaneously.

By the time they realized an attack was incoming, it was already too late.

Boom!

A violent explosion erupted, causing Flower Skirt Island itself to tremble.

The assailant floated mid-air, surveying the smoke-filled chaos below.

When he struck, his saint level aura could no longer be concealed—it blazed forth unmistakably!