Chapter 297 What a Friend

The host and guests took their seats.

Yuan Yuan clapped his hands.

Instantly, a group of classical beauties filed in, placing exquisite pastries and tea before Lu Ye and Lin Chuyue.

Each of these women possessed stunning looks, graceful figures, and carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Powerful men never lacked women.

In his past life, Lu Ye could have had as many women as he desired—not just eight, but eight hundred, eighty thousand, or even eight million. He could have even built a planet of women, gathering the most beautiful from across the world.

Unfortunately, what Lu Ye lacked was not beauty, but love.

"I, Yuan Yuan, am a blunt man—not one for flowery words or roundabout talk. May I ask, friend, what brings you here?" Yuan Yuan got straight to the point.

Lu Ye, too, disliked unnecessary chatter.

"Then I shall speak plainly. I require the Infinite Heavenly Wood from the Life Source Sect. I’ve heard that you, Brother Yuan, have good relations with them. However, I’ve recently slain a number of their experts, and going directly might cause misunderstandings."

"So, I ask you to act as an intermediary. I’m willing to purchase it with spirit stones—name their price!" Lu Ye said with a smile.

"The Infinite Heavenly Wood? That is indeed a highly treasured item of the Life Source Sect. If purchased purely with spirit stones, the cost would likely be astronomical."

Lu Ye chuckled.

"Are you worried I lack the funds?"

Yuan Yuan suddenly realized—damn, he’d forgotten! This Lu Ye had recently extorted a massive fortune from numerous sects. He was practically the wealthiest man in the Fourth Heaven now.

And here he was, worrying about Lu Ye’s spirit stones?

"Ah, my memory fails me. Since you have the means, then this should be simple. I’ll contact the Life Source Sect immediately!" Yuan Yuan said.

"Many thanks, Brother Yuan. If you have the time, you could speak to them in person."

"No problem at all, Brother Lu Ye. If you have no urgent matters, feel free to stay in my residence. I’ll set off for the Life Source Sect right away and do my utmost to facilitate this deal. But if I fail, please don’t hold it against me."

"You jest, Brother Yuan. Whether successful or not, I will be deeply grateful."

"Then I’m off!"

True to his word, Yuan Yuan vanished, speeding toward the Life Source Sect.

Lu Ye did not leave, choosing to wait in the city lord’s manor.

The response was swift.

In just an hour, Yuan Yuan returned, his face alight with excitement.

"Brother Lu Ye, it’s done!"

Lu Ye, curious, asked, "How many spirit stones did they demand for the Infinite Heavenly Wood?"

Yuan Yuan raised a single finger.

"One million?" Lu Ye asked in surprise.

"No, no, that's too much," Yuan Yuan shook his head.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

"Ten thousand?"

"No, no, still too much."

Lu Ye sighed softly.

"It can't possibly be just one thousand, right? The Infinite Heavenly Wood is an extremely precious treasure. Such a small amount of spirit stones—this wouldn’t be a fair trade," Lu Ye said.

"Fellow Daoist, it’s still too much. The Life Source Sect only asks for one spirit stone. I’ve already brought the Infinite Heavenly Wood with me this time. The Life Source Sect is willing to use this treasure to befriend you!" Yuan Yuan, quite satisfied with the Life Source Sect’s attitude, said with a smile.

He expected Lu Ye to smile as well.

But Lu Ye’s expression darkened instead.

One spirit stone!

One spirit stone!

Two million three hundred thousand spirit stones!

When they weren’t friends, the Life Source Sect offered one spirit stone to befriend him.

When they were friends, the Life Source Sect made Lu Ye pay two million five hundred thousand spirit stones, and only after much negotiation did they reluctantly lower it to two million three hundred thousand.

This friendship was far too expensive!

Lu Ye couldn’t help but sigh.

The Path of Protection—utterly shameless in its deceit.

In his past life, how many times had he been scammed while walking this path?

Lu Ye took out a single spirit stone.

"Tell the Life Source Sect that I accept their friendship."

This time, he wanted to see—after befriending the Life Source Sect—whether they would try to scam him again the next time they met.

Please, he begged silently, try to scam me again!

He would definitely slaughter them all without hesitation!

Ah, the Path of Protection…

This time, obtaining the Infinite Heavenly Wood was so simple, even though he was only at the Domain Realm.

In his past life, it had been so difficult, even when he was at the Heaven and Earth Realm.

"Hahaha, no problem at all. I’ll relay your message exactly as you said."

After confirming once more just how foolish he had been in his past life, Lu Ye bid farewell alongside Lin Chuyue.

He then exchanged more spirit stones for a large amount of cultivation resources.

Then, he took Lin Chuyue to a remote small town in the Fourth Heaven.

The remote town was close to the wilderness and the void.

Demons and monsters ran rampant here year-round, but this town had a powerful guardian named Bai Qingfeng.

In his previous life, Lu Ye had nearly become Bai Qingfeng’s master, but it never came to pass.

Because Bai Qingfeng was implicated by him and killed by the Devouring Mayfly Clan.

But now, Lu Ye had never provoked the Devouring Mayfly Clan.

Bai Qingfeng had always remained here, safeguarding the town’s peace. The Great Dao he cultivated was the Path of Ceasing Conflict.

Similar to the Path of Guardianship, but this guy was clever enough—he stopped conflict through killing.

Currently, Bai Qingfeng was only at the Domain Realm. In his previous life, he had advanced rapidly under Lu Ye’s guidance.

This time, Lu Ye decided to give him an opportunity as a form of compensation.

The figures of the two appeared before Bai Qingfeng.

Bai Qingfeng froze, his guard instantly maxed out, ready to flee at any moment.

Lin Chuyue unleashed the aura of the Heaven-Earth Realm.

Without hesitation, Bai Qingfeng immediately cupped his hands in respect.

"Junior Bai Qingfeng greets the two seniors!"

Escape? Impossible. He could never escape in this lifetime.

Facing a Heaven-Earth Realm expert, he’d be lucky to even think of running.

"Is he the one you recommended?" Lin Chuyue examined Bai Qingfeng, slightly surprised.

This kid… really did seem to have potential.

"Indeed."

Lu Ye looked at Bai Qingfeng and wasted no words, extending a finger and pointing toward him.

Bai Qingfeng was shocked—in his eyes, the boundless heavens and earth seemed to converge with Lu Ye’s finger, pressing toward him.

He couldn’t escape. There was nowhere to escape.

He could only passively accept it.

Lu Ye’s fingertip touched Bai Qingfeng’s brow, instantly transmitting a cultivation method into his mind.

The technique was called *The Scripture of Ceasing Conflict Through Battle*!

Bai Qingfeng was stunned as profound insights flowed through his mind.

Every word, every sentence—all were the essence of the Great Dao.

He immediately fell into enlightenment, and vast amounts of spiritual energy surged toward him.

"His comprehension is quite impressive!"

Lin Chuyue was even more surprised.

"Aside from being a bit weak in strength for now, he meets all your other requirements. What do you think?" Lu Ye said with a smile.

Lin Chuyue pondered for a moment, observing the furious glares around them. It was clear that Bai Qingfeng was deeply cherished.

"Agreed!"

Just as Lu Ye was about to speak, the system's notification suddenly rang out.

"Ding, ding, ding! Host, host! Bai Qiulan and Yue Hongling are about to undergo their tribulation!"

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

"You go ahead and accept him here. I have some matters to attend to."

Having been blocked from the Ascension Pool all this time, now it was his turn to block it—to see just what Bai Qiulan had done to Yue Hongling!