X-Dragon Era

Just as Po Kong had said, since everyone is a Ten-star Expert, it would not be easy for anyone to defeat another, and even if one couldn't win, they could still escape. To encircle and annihilate them completely would require deploying at least ten times the force!

However, although encirclement and annihilation were possible, the current problem was that once the opponent was driven into a corner, they would definitely use the Demonic Dragon Disintegration Technique, vastly increasing their power. Even if faced with a hundred enemies, they could still inflict massive damage. Such a cost is something the Cangqiong Family could not bear no matter what.

Gently tapping the table with her fingers, Xin Yun fell into deep thought. The situation had reached a stalemate. She could try contacting multiple Family Clans, asking each to contribute ten Ten-star Experts to the battle, but that would leave too few benefits to divide amongst them, making it hard to convince those families to join in.

After tapping for a while, Xin Yun finally realized, with a sense of helplessness, that if she wanted to achieve her goal, changing allies was out of the question. The only method left was through offering benefits. Only by offering enough benefits to Po Kong's family could she move them to take the risk.

During her contemplation, Xin Yun decisively raised her head and looked at Po Kong, saying, "Alright, I understand your difficulties. Now... here is my offer. If you are willing to lend your help, all of the Kashi Family's gold mines will be yours, and moreover... I will provide you with a hundred thousand Spirit Stones every year for the next ten years!"

"What!" Upon hearing Xin Yun's words, Po Kong looked at her in disbelief.

The gold mines were one thing, since the Cangqiong Family had paid a hefty price, it was natural for them to claim ownership. But the promise of a hundred thousand Spirit Stones each year was truly extravagant.

Just like Dragon Crystals, Spirit Stones could be used to enhance cultivation, but the difference was that the energy provided by Spirit Stones contained Innate Spiritual Energy, which was exceptionally pure. Once absorbed, it was easily controlled, an absolute incomparability to the energy extracted from Dragon Crystals.

Most importantly, for martial artists at the diamond level, especially those approaching Ten Stars, ordinary Dragon Crystals were simply trash. They contained little energy that was not innate, filled with impurities, and were of very little use. After being absorbed into the body, one had to spend a lot of time refining them. Otherwise, the energy would be difficult to wield.

The energy contained in Spirit Stones was vast and pure, the energy of a single Spirit Stone being comparable to a Seventh-order Dragon Crystal, yet even purer and richer.

Once reaching the diamond level, ordinary Dragon Crystals became more harmful than beneficial, while higher-level Dragon Crystals were extremely rare. Thus... advancements beyond the diamond level were extremely slow, usually taking centuries to reach Ten Stars.

A hundred thousand a year, over ten years, that amounted to one million Spirit Stones. Calculating in total, that was equivalent to one million Seventh-order Dragon Crystals. If one were to obtain these Dragon Crystals through manpower, even if more than a hundred Ten-star Experts of the Cangqiong Family went all out, it would take them several centuries.

What excited Po Kong the most was that a hundred thousand Spirit Stones a year, over a continuous ten years, would definitely create an additional hundred Ten-star Experts, averaging one expert per ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Some might think this was too easy; in fact... this enhancement was not about raising from a bronze level to Ten Stars, but elevating a martial artist already around Eight Stars to Ten Stars.

Although the Cangqiong Family only had a little over a hundred Ten-star Experts, they also had thousands of martial artists around Eight Stars. With these Spirit Stones, within ten years, the power and influence of the Cangqiong Family would surely double. By then, even if they wanted to destroy another family, they would no longer have to worry about sustaining damage that could affect their status.

Watching Po Kong's astonished gaze, Xin Yun slowly stood up, smiling as she said, "These are all the terms I can offer. I hope you consider them carefully. While you may lose something for the time being, I believe that in the long run, you will only gain more."

As she spoke, Xin Yun waved her right hand, creating a golden bridge. Just as she was about to step onto it, she suddenly remembered something, turned her head, and said to Po Kong, "Of course, if you are unwilling, I won't insist. Like I said... I'm not here to beg, but to collaborate. Out of respect for Brother Po Kong, I don't want to offer these benefits to someone else. You understand my meaning."

Silently nodding, although Xin Yun didn't speak it outright, Po Kong understood her meaning. Such terms, if offered to other families, would definitely be accepted. If another family truly collaborated with Xin Yun, then after ten years, could the Cangqiong Family still hold onto the top position?

During his pondering, Xin Yun's voice finally added, "Although this matter is risky, with the Cangqiong Family's foundation, it's unlikely that we will fall from the top. Just hold on for a while, at most for a year, and those Ten-star Experts will recover their strength. By then, even if we lose something, we can take it back, can't we?"

With that, Xin Yun stayed no longer. Stepping forward, she vanished amidst the shining golden light, without waiting for Po Kong to speak to keep her there.

Staring blankly at where Xin Yun had disappeared, Po Kong finally snapped back to reality after a long moment. Not daring to delay any further, he immediately summoned his Giant Dragon and raced at full speed toward the family headquarters. This was a massive matter, not something he could decide alone, for after all... he was only the Young Clan Leader. The real authority was not in his hands. (To be continued, for the continuation, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)