Chapter 3338 — Contacting Yu Dake

"That is right—so you do know. I had thought such an ancient matter would be beyond you. I suppose your grandfather must have told you?" Qing Yi still assumed it had been Lin Dongfang's doing. Wei Zhao, however, was not so sure, though he offered no further explanation.

"How many of these white energy stones would be needed?" Hearing Qing Yi's words, Wei Zhao felt somewhat reassured. He planned to journey to the Haku Namata Great Desert in search of the Poli clan; barring any mishap, he might be able to trade for a number of white energy stones. The exact figure he did not yet know, but whatever the case, he would supply Wang Xinyan first. As for Han Jingyi's medicinal cauldron—so what if he did not make that money?

"Hard to say. For an ordinary cultivator, a single stone of this size would be enough to cultivate all the way to the Mystic and Earth ranks..." Qing Yi gestured with her hand, roughly the size of the one Elder Qing had owned, then went on: "But with this sponge constitution, it takes far more. To reach the Yellow rank alone, you would need at least thirty to fifty stones!"

"What?!" Wei Zhao was stunned by the number. Thirty to fifty stones? What kind of international joke was this—and that was merely the Yellow rank? If merely stepping onto the path of cultivation required so many energy stones, how many would further advancement demand?

Wei Zhao guessed he could trade for energy stones with the Poli clan, but such a quantity left him with no confidence at all. So he settled for the next best thing and asked: "And if it were only to maintain a lifetime of safety, without cultivating?"

"That would take around ten stones," Qing Yi said. "Of course, that is only my estimate; in practice there may be some discrepancy."

"Phew... ten is manageable!" Wei Zhao nodded. This time, whatever the cost, he would bring back ten energy stones from the Poli clan—and the Poli clan ought to have ten to spare.

"You have stones like this?" Qing Yi was rather surprised. This thing had been gone for several hundred years; where would Wei Zhao get his hands on it?

"I do not have any, but I intend to go to the Haku Namata Great Desert, seek out the Poli clan, and trade with them!" Wei Zhao said.

"So that is how it is." Qing Yi clearly knew of the Poli clan as well. "Then I can only wish you every success, little Yi! There is not much I can do to help you here—I can only offer this information. But if you wish to cultivate, I can also make inquiries, and see whether my sister left behind any cultivation mantras or oral formulas!"

"Er... you still have not found them?" Wei Zhao had assumed Qing Yi held the mantras herself. It seemed she did not.

"They should exist, but I dare not be certain. With such mantras, none of the rest of us could cultivate them, so they were of no use to us. After my sister left, I never made a point of searching for them," Qing Yi explained.

"Very well, Qing Yi. If I need them, I will contact you!" Wei Zhao nodded. "Then I will not disturb you further. I must be going back as well—to prepare for the journey to the Haku Namata Great Desert!"

"Good." Qing Yi nodded, then hesitated a moment before saying: "If you hear any news of your grandfather, do tell me..."

"I will!" Wei Zhao smiled bitterly inside. Old Man Wei had forbidden him to speak, and he truly dared not say anything carelessly.

Wei Zhao had found Qing Yi and received a relatively favorable answer, but whether he could find the Poli clan, and whether a trade could be successfully made once he did—these were all unknowns.

With such matters weighing on his mind, Wei Zhao naturally did not linger in the Ice Palace. After a word with Feng Xiaoxiao, he took his leave of Qing Yi and Bing Tang and departed.

He had spent less than a day in the Ice Palace. Though Feng Xiaoxiao was most reluctant to part, she knew Wei Zhao's character—had he not once scoured the world for physicians on her behalf? So she did not wish to delay his precious time.

Riding the Wind-Thunder Violet Lightning Beast, Wei Zhao returned to East Sea City—coming and going in a blink, as the saying went. Shen Yushu was astonished that Wei Zhao had made it home so quickly.

"Arrowhead Bro, did you see Xiaoxiao? Is Sister Xinyan going to be saved?" Shen Yushu asked, but the sight of Wang Xinyan still unconscious made her heart sink. If there were a cure, Wei Zhao would not have carried Wang Xinyan back.

"She can be saved, but it is rather troublesome. Tomorrow I set out for the Haku Namata Great Desert. Xinyan will stay here at home—she is not coming along." Wei Zhao paused there, then said: "Xiaoshu, that place is quite close to Fireflame Mountain. Would you like to come along and have a look?"

"I... I had better not. I can put it off a day, so let it wait a day—besides, someone has to look after Sister Xinyan at home, no?" Although the Firecloud of Fireflame Mountain was Wei Zhao's subordinate, Shen Yushu did not want to face a parting. Once she left, who knew when she could return? She feared she might end up staying at Fireflame Mountain for good.

"All right." Wei Zhao understood Xiaoshu's feelings and did not press her.

Back in his room, Wei Zhao began to ponder: whom should he bring along this time? The Haku Namata Great Desert was full of unknown perils. Frankly, if he were to bring anyone, the most capable choice was Yu Dake. Yu Dake had once been to the Haku Namata Great Desert; though he had not found the exact location of the white energy stones, he knew the region well—far better than Wei Zhao searching alone!

So, with that in mind, Wei Zhao dialed Yu Dake's number.

"Mr. Lin?!" Yu Dake was overjoyed to receive Wei Zhao's call. Wei Zhao was his savior and the man who had helped his sister; he had long wanted a chance to meet Wei Zhao again. But as Wei Zhao's stature rose, Wei Zhao was no longer the man who, even in the Hidden Strata, had escaped only by luck.

Once, at the Hidden World Families Summit, had it not been for Wei Zhao's good fortune, he could never have escaped the siege of several hidden families. But now, did Wei Zhao even regard the hidden families as worth his notice? He was probably trampling the Ancient Strata underfoot.

Rumor had it that Wei Zhao could slay a peak late Heaven-rank expert in a single strike—what manner of might was that? So the gulf between Yu Dake and Wei Zhao had only grown wider, until Yu Dake was too embarrassed to contact him at all.

"It is me, Dake. How have you been lately? Are things well with the You family?" Wei Zhao asked.

"These days I have been looking for a chance to break away from the Hidden You family..." Yu Dake hesitated there. Previously he had not quite dared to leave the Hidden You family, but now, with Wei Zhao's connection, what was leaving the Hidden You family but a trifle?RS

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