Chapter 64

"How long would it take to collect three taels of swallow down from a colony of mutated swifts?"

In the quiet room, for a moment, no one could come up with a plan on how to deal with the three taels of swallow down, so Shang Xia simply let Yan Nier continue incubating the eggs.

At this moment, Shang Ke suddenly raised this question.

For a moment, everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.

Finally, Shang Quan pondered for a while and said with a bitter smile, "If these three taels of swallow down are all that remain in the nest of the mutated swift colony, then the time required would indeed be very long."

Shang Ke shook his head and said, "Not necessarily! In the nests of mutated swifts, this swallow down is naturally shed, and it is only collected by the thunderbird or some other swift. How much of it has been blown away by the wind and lost?"

Shang Quan tried to ask, "So Uncle Wu's meaning is..."

Shang Ke looked at Shang Xia and said, "If we can further control this colony of mutated swifts, we will not only grasp the lifeline of the Wind Swift Tribe but also be able to collect swallow down from the mutated swifts regularly, potentially achieving mass production of spatial items!"

As he said this, Shang Ke's gaze towards Shang Xia sparkled with unusual light.

Shang Xia felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart, but he had to admit that this suggestion was indeed very tempting, and Shang Ke was indeed thinking from the perspective of the Shang family.

Therefore, although Shang Xia did not speak in opposition, he remained silent.

At this moment, Shang Xi suddenly spoke up, "Uncle Wu, it's impossible!"

Seeing Shang Ke frown and look over, Shang Xi said somewhat helplessly, "The stakes are too high; our Shang family will become a target for everyone."

Shang Ke was not a fool; otherwise, he could not have been the second-in-command of the Shang family, long stationed at the Mystic Peak.

Previously, he only saw the enormous benefits of controlling the mutated swift colony in Shang Xia's hands and temporarily overlooked the accompanying risks.

However, he also knew that when Shang Xia demonstrated his ability to indirectly control a vast colony of mutated swifts, the main reason the old lady of the Wind Swift Tribe immediately compromised was that Shang Xia had the entire Mystic Academy backing him!

Without the protection of the Mystic Academy, let alone a young man who had just entered the Martial Extreme Realm, even the entire Shang family might not be taken seriously by the Wind Swift Tribe, who would have long come to forcibly take what they wanted.

Now, the mutated swifts also have the extraordinary material swallow down, which is the main ingredient for making spatial items.

This material will attract the covetous eyes of multiple forces, and to some extent, it might be even more critical than the bloodline of the mutated swifts.

Shang Ke understood that for the Shang family to gain the greatest benefit from the mutated swift colony, the most stable method was to share some of the benefits with various parties and then, with the Mystic Academy at the core, share these risks.

Thinking about the fat meat that he originally wanted to swallow whole, but now had to share with others, even more, made Shang Ke feel extremely frustrated.

Shang Ke did not know that Shang Xia fundamentally did not want to view the mutated swift colony as a tool for profit.

Shang Xia could establish trust with Yan Nier and the thunderbird from the beginning because he treated them with equality.

Friends are not to be used for calculation!

Shang Xia secretly resolved that, whether it was the Wind Swift Tribe, the Mystic Academy, or the Shang family itself, if they wanted to obtain what they desired from the mutated swifts, they must first adhere to the principle of not harming the mutated swifts!

Seeing Shang Xia's distracted expression, Shang Ke immediately scolded him, "Brat, what are you thinking about? You have quite a few valuable things, so why don't you show us everything you're hiding?"

Shang Xia thought for a moment and said, "I do have a couple of things, and I'm not quite sure about them. Since all the elders are here, it's a good time to get your opinions."

As he spoke, Shang Xia took out a box from his sleeve and opened it, revealing particles of soil-like material inside.

Shang Xi glanced at it and said with a pout, "Green Tempered Mud, a second-rank extraordinary material, mostly used for setting up arrays. It might also be used in the refinement of ranked weapons and as part of the formula for advancing to the Martial Extreme Realm."

Shang Xi had been involved in the family business early on and had been in charge of family affairs in recent years, so his knowledge was naturally extensive.

Shang Xia nodded, put the box of Green Tempered Mud away, and then took out a transparent crystal bottle containing a gem-like drop of blood.

"This is..."

Shang Xi seemed to recognize the item but looked uncertain.

When Shang Quan saw the blood drop in the crystal bottle, he suddenly seemed to remember something, his face changed, and he turned to look at Shang Ke.

Shang Xi wanted to take the crystal bottle for a closer look, but someone had already taken it first.

"Uncle Wu..."

Shang Xi was puzzled by Shang Ke's actions.

Shang Ke looked at the jade bottle in his hand, held it in his palm, and hesitated, looking at Shang Xia with a serious and hesitant expression, as if considering whether to speak or how to say it.

"This is Bloodline Essence, sometimes referred to as a 'Bloodline Gem' by the Spirit Martial Practitioners. It is crucial for improving the bloodline quality of Spirit Martial Cultivators."

Shang Ke finally explained the origin of the blood drop in the bottle.

Shang Xia exclaimed, "A Bloodline Gem? Does that mean the Wind Swift Tribe can only improve their bloodline quality with this?"

Shang Ke laughed and shook his head, "This can only improve one person's bloodline quality, and it's not guaranteed to succeed, let alone change the overall bloodline decline of the Wind Swift Tribe."

Shang Xia asked, "How did you get this? Do they want to obtain this from the mutated swifts?"

Shang Ke laughed and said, "Of course not. In the Spirit World, such Bloodline Gems usually come from the bloodline essence of pure-blooded descendants after their death. Moreover, only martial practitioners at the Martial Realm or higher have the qualifications to condense such a Bloodline Gem, and it's not guaranteed to succeed."

"This drop of Bloodline Essence, or this Bloodline Gem, might be a stroke of luck for the Spirit Martial Practitioner you killed. They might have kept it to purify their bloodline or to break through their cultivation realm."

"So that's how it is!"

Shang Xia laughed, "This thing sounds valuable, but it doesn't seem very useful to us. In the future, we can exchange it for something we need from the Wind Swift Tribe."

As soon as Shang Xia finished speaking, Shang Ke said very seriously, "Xia'er, this Bloodline Gem can't be given to you for now. It needs to be temporarily returned to the family."

Shang Xia was slightly taken aback but then laughed, "Okay! I just wonder what Grandfather Wu plans to do with it. Can you tell me?"

Shang Ke scolded, "You brat, how can Grandfather Wu covet the things of his own grandson? However, this matter was already instructed by your grandfather, and I can't tell you the details. But this Bloodline Gem is ultimately Xia'er's, and the family can't take it for free. There will be compensation, but we need to wait. With the great battle imminent, resources are scarce, and I haven't thought of what to compensate you with yet."

Shang Xia laughed, "No rush, as long as you don't forget, Grandfather."

"You brat... let's go, let's go!"

Shang Ke scolded again and walked out of the quiet room.

Standing at the door, Shang Ke suddenly remembered something and said, "I forgot to mention, don't tell anyone about Xiao Xi coming to Mystic Peak, and don't reveal her whereabouts to anyone."

Shang Quan, Yan Qi, and Shang Xia quickly agreed.

Shang Xia knew that Mystic Peak was preparing to set a trap.

After initially determining that the Rose Society's target was the Two-Worlds Battle Domain and not Mystic City, the Mystic Academy began to confidently dispatch experts from Mystic City and secretly infiltrate Mystic Peak.

As Shang Ke walked to the corridor outside the quiet room, he heard Shang Xia's voice inside, "Uncle Quan, I don't need this box of Green Tempered Mud. Can you help me deal with it?"

"A second-rank extraordinary material, usually at least thirty silver coins per unit, but that's just the most basic material. Common but rare materials can sell for seventy to eighty silver coins. Green Tempered Mud, though not commonly used, is rare, and a full box is quite substantial. Fifty silver coins is the most conservative estimate."

"Alright, then give me fifty silver coins, and I'll leave the box of Green Tempered Mud with you."

"What, are you short of money..."

Shang Ke listened to the conversation between the uncle and nephew as he walked out, his expression showing a hint of confusion, muttering, "I feel like I forgot something..."

In the quiet room, after handing the Green Tempered Mud to Uncle Quan, the others gradually left, leaving only Shang Xia and Yan Nier, who had returned to the nest to continue incubating the eggs.

"Hey, why do I always feel like I'm losing out? It seems that since entering the Two-Worlds Battle Domain, all the resources I've accumulated have been used for others, and what's left is still being eyed by my own people..."

The more Shang Xia thought about it, the more he felt it was wrong. He thought to himself, "No, this can't go on. What's the point of exchanging for a bunch of favors? I'm not a philanthropist; I need to get something back..."

"Chirp chirp—"

Yan Nier's clear chirping came from beside him.

Shang Xia turned to look at the large swallow, then glanced at the eggs under her, and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Well, it's just the two of us now. But come to think of it, earlier, everyone was so focused on the three taels of swallow down. Did no one think about these four eggs? These are four spirit pets that can be cultivated from birth, and one of them might even be a thunderbird from the start..."

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Continuing to request collections from all fellow readers.