"What shall you do now?" Wu Yu asked curiously, standing firmly upon the sphere of earth. He completed the task of sending the three Ascended off, noting down their cultivation needs and means to communicate. After handing this to Wei Wuyin, he was left without much to do.
Bai Lin was lazily lying down on her belly, and Wei Wuyin leaned against her wings while in a seated position. His demeanor was quite leisurely and carefree. Despite that, his eyes were closed. They formed a strange aesthetic beauty that Wu Yu found awe-inspiring.
To think that little crane that followed Wei Wuyin since the Myriad Yore Continent hadn't been replaced. If this showed anything, it was that Wei Wuyin cared heavily about sentimental connections. After all, Bai Lin before was unimaginably useless. Even Xiao Bai was stronger, faster, and more capable than her as a recently born winged colt.
Wei Wuyin's thoughts were flowing as he considered various details from the information he learned from Wu Yu. That question of his next moves were pressing, and he knew that he needed to decide. Originally, he was intending to meet with Ying on his mission, gaining an overview of this new cultivation civilization that engulfed this entire stellar region.
But Wu Yu had thoroughly filled him in on various events and circumstances. As a Mystic Ascendant, a figure of experience and great strength, he had even gained an inkling that the Golden Life Pavilion was in the midst of turmoil.
This was a frightful variable towards his strongest reliance. As he was, he didn't feel his current reputation, talent, or wealth would be sufficient to warrant the success of his original plan. Right now, he was a mysterious figure, but when he arrived, those mysteries will soon be cleared up and he'll be embroiled in all sorts of schemes and direct conflicts.
He never liked stepping into the swirling mass of chaos without confidence of escaping without harm, especially since the Calamities of Hell were still a pressing concern. A severe delay of focus could inevitably lead to his eventual demise.
Wei Wuyin opened his eyes, the silver light suffused within his irises flowed beautifully within. "You have three tasks. First, find out what's happening with the Golden Life Pavilion, specifically the Ma Clan. I won't step on the stage without a stable platform."
Wu Yu wasn't shocked by this order, but he couldn't help but interject. "You have no intentions to join the Everlore Association? You could even ally yourself with the Imperial Clan, they have an Alchemic Saint rumored to be his disciple. In fact, the True Element Sect isn't a bad option either. You can find partnership with either of them."
Wei Wuyin gave Wu Yu a focused look, then shook his head. He didn't answer, but his gesture spoke volumes.
Wu Yu understood. Each of those three were eliminated based on how Wei Wuyin intended to operate. And that could be summed into a single word: Freely. There was no way any of those forces would allow him to be present without a restrictive oath, especially the Imperial Clan.
While the Ascendants weren't a threat now, they'll certainly be in the future. A threat to the totality of the Imperial Clan's rule. Unlike the San Clan where the strongest expert, a False Realmlord, was unable to even sweep a planet's defenses due to their ancient lineage and protections during the King of Everlore era, the Imperial Clan was matchless in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. At least, that's how it seems on the surface.
Those in power reacted violently to those who may threaten said power.
The True Element Sect was suspicious, fragmented, and chaotic to begin with. Their way of conduct was quite distasteful, and their current situation, be it internal, political, or financial was desperate. The Myriad Monarch Sect was unified, stable, and had set rules that benefited growth of the talented without restrictive oaths for juniors, so it wasn't hard to establish oneself safely there. The planet itself was unbreachable by the peak experts of that time as well, adding credence to its utmost safety.
As for the Everlore Association…
They were the greatest unknown variable with their attitudes being completely up in the air.
At least, this is what Wu Yu felt he understood from Wei Wuyin's gesture and previously used tactics. In truth, he wasn't far off, but there was a little more to consider on all three fronts.
"Your second task is to give purchasing rights with these sets of financial limits to these groups or individuals," Wei Wuyin flipped his palm and brought out a spiritual jade. He handed it to Wu Yu and it contained a list of percentages and names. The Golden Life Pavilion can give his earnings to these selected groups to buy the cultivation materials, tools, armaments, protective-talismans, or other things they require from them.
Wu Yu accepted it. After a brief glance, he was somewhat shocked. "You're giving so much to the elves?"
"You said the Elven Sanctuary has never given birth to a genuine Ascended. Don't you find this strange?" Wei Wuyin didn't answer, but asked Wu Yu this instead.
Wu Yu frowned slightly. He pondered for a long moment, and then his eyes brightened. "It is strange," Wu Yu replied while rubbing the bottom-half of his royale mustache. According to his knowledge, several thousand years ago, the entire King of Everlore entourage had arrived, including the Sacred Elven Queen. She was already a genuine Ascended, and she had brought over the elven race into this human-dominant civilization.
He continued with a light of realization in his eyes, "There's no record of her. All the others have established themselves, even those slaves of his, the Yi, Er, and San bunch. But not her? Her innate cultivation talent might have been below mine, but her intelligence and comprehension was terrifying. I can't imagine she couldn't develop herself here."
"..."
A long moment later, Wu Yu couldn't figure it out, finding it frustrating. "What are you thinking?" While he didn't feel his insightful experience and knowledge was small, he couldn't fathom what had happened. He could only see if Wei Wuyin had any insights himself.
Wei Wuyin had a little more knowledge about certain circumstances than Wu Yu. For example, the Four Extreme Continent's elves and the Sacred Elven Queen's interactions with Lin Ziyan's unique clan and their legacy cultivation method linked to their bloodline, the Multi-World Exalted Qi Method.
Observing the elves in Myriad Yore Continent and then later those in the Four Extreme Continent, he had already had some suspicions.
"Wait and see. For now, just deliver them their purchasing funds." Wei Wuyin didn't explain, unable to be absolutely certain himself. But if his guesses were right, then this Sacred Elven Queen was more than just terrifying, she was…
"What's the third task?" Wu Yu couldn't figure it out himself, and he never liked to listen to wild speculation without much evidence.
"At this moment, you're my greatest individual force I can rely on. You've settled a lot of troubles, and acting as a guardian has been perfect. So I need you again," Wei Wuyin said smilingly, but the guilt was a little wispy in his eyes.
Wu Yu didn't mind watching after those youths, so he didn't understand why Wei Wuyin felt guilt. But when Wei Wuyin explained, his expression widened with shock and then he looked at the earthen sphere beneath them.
"This entire thing is Terra-Mystic Ore?!" He was deeply shaken by this reveal. This giant mass of earth was actually Terra-Mystic Ore? That precious ore that was both limited and outrageously valuable in the entire stellar region? There was so much of it here?! He instinctively sent his spiritual sense into it, his jaw dropping at the sheer mass of mystic aura condensed within.
He had thought Wei Wuyin replaced it somehow, moving it with an explosive burst of wind force or something. But he mined the entire thing in minutes? Gathering it all into this sphere?! He knew that Terra-Mystic Mines were notoriously difficult to mine, and even the Optimal Sky was still being mined after a hundred years since its discovery. If this method was discovered, there would be many happy folks.
Wei Wuyin gravely nodded. After learning about Terra-Mystic Ore and its uses, he finally understood the vast significance of that celestial rogue. "Your job is to keep this secure and isolated from others. Likely for a long time. I need access to it, but I can't leave it unguarded."
Wu Yu's eyes widened slightly. His first job was to babysit some juniors, but now he was to sit on a precious trove of ore? It was far more dangerous. If discovered by true elites such as Demi-Mortal Lords or Earthly Saints, he would experience death ten thousand times to be kept quiet. Furthermore, he couldn't flee his fastest either with it in tow.
Wei Wuyin solemnly added, "I can only leave it to someone I absolutely trust, strong, and know is competent to handle it. That's you."
"..." Wu Yu was unable to say anything about this, especially after being lauded with praise. He understood that this mission was of great importance and couldn't be left to just anyone. He had to accept. But he frowned, "What are you going to do while I complete the first two tasks?"
Wei Wuyin revealed a faint yet excited smile. He caressed the sphere of earth with his palm. His Celestial Eyes' silver radiance brightened a considerable degree, which then transformed into seven stars of seven different colors within each eye.. "I'm going to experiment."