"The third ingredient is a dragon vein," Yang Suyin whispered.

Understanding dawned in Liu Xing's mind. A dragon vein, simply put, was a flow of qi so dense it had become a river of energy. Flowing deep within the earth, it saturated the surrounding area with spirit stones. The quality of these stones varied depending on the vein's potency, but even the lowest quality surpassed the usual spirit stones in circulation. Moreover, the dragon vein itself could be redirected to power array formations, dispersed to create places of dense qi, and much more. If an empire discovered such a thing, and fully utilized it, they would ascend to prominence. After all, while a dragon vein offered many benefits, they all translated to one thing: power. Aside from talent, resources were important for a cultivator's advancement.

Wei Yi's choice of this empire as the birthplace of his creation now made so much sense. Using this dragon vein, that giant would have broken through several cultivation stages! He was fortunate to have defeated the giant before Wei Yi could exploit the dragon vein.

"The dragon vein's existence can benefit us, but it's also a hidden sword that can stab us," the Prince stated. "The Twelve Sun Empire, to put it crudely, is screwed. Hong'er is a strong deterrent, but even she cannot be in two places at once. Imagine if news of our dragon vein leaked right now? I believe by tomorrow morning, all our enemies would come knocking. No, they wouldn't wait a second longer. They will invade right now!"

"True," Liu Xing pinched his chin. A dragon vein was valuable enough to incite wars between empires. In the Purple Moon Sect's territory alone, there were several dozen dragon veins, and every nation possessing one was a High Tier nation, kingdom, or empire. "I still don't understand why it's tied to me, though."

Upon hearing his words, Yang Suyin clutched his belly and laughed so loudly that the fire flickered. "You see? We shouldn't have told him this secret, but you insisted anyway. I respect you as my new emperor, but it seems you still have much to learn."

The Prince regarded him for a moment, then sighed. "Liu Xing, without exaggeration, you are our savior. Without you, this insolent man, myself, my sister," he glanced toward Yan Yu, who listened silently to their conversation, "would already be dead. Buried. Hell, perhaps we would have become parts of that giant. I will ensure historians write your name with a golden pen, tales of you will be sung throughout the empire, and we will sculpt a monument in your honor."

"A statue of you standing atop your regal turtle," Yang Suyin chimed in.

The Prince ignored Yang Suyin. "The Twelve Sun Empire owes you, and this dragon vein can be used because of you. In my mind, I already consider this dragon vein to belong to us, the Twelve Sun Empire and Liu Xing, disciple of Purple Moon Sect."

"The practical reason is, the Prince actually wants to further establish a good relationship with you. And he fears that when the news about this dragon vein gets out, and you are unaware, you would be offended by it. We know how strong you are, so he is afraid you might turn this empire upside down."

The Prince shot a nasty glare at Yang Suyin, who laughed it off, before continuing his speech. "The main point is, I want you to also benefit from this dragon vein."

"But, there's a complication," Yang Suyin said, his face turning serious. "Would you allow me to explain this?" He asked the Prince.

The Prince nodded his assent.

"The Prince already stated why he wants you to know about this dragon vein and said that this dragon vein is a sword that can stab us in the back, and it's true. It's a dangerous thing that could ruin our empire. So, I suggest an idea I hinted at the start of our conversation, one that could become the solution to our fragile situation and improve our empire. Notice that I said merely improve, not make our empire soar to the sky. That's because it's a practical idea that would make me, as well as the Prince, cursed by our descendants for at least seven generations. The idea is simple. We want to give away this dragon vein to your sect."

Liu Xing's eyebrows rose. That was unexpected. But, he also understood the practicality of the idea. This dragon vein was a bargaining chip that could secure the Twelve Sun Empire's safety. Even if the dragon vein was given to the Purple Moon Sect, it couldn't be moved far from its original location. This would guarantee the Purple Moon Sect's protection for the empire with all its might. No neighboring nation would dare attack it, or they would be trampled. Still, the price of this protection was truly enormous. To be blunt, it was a safe move that would be scorned by many cultivators. This dragon vein was a fortune worth waging wars over, yet they intended to give it away. As Liu Xing observed Yang Suyin, who smiled without mirth, he knew Yang Suyin had probably considered this matter hundreds of times over.

"A bold move that would surely secure the Twelve Sun Empire," Liu Xing acknowledged. "But also a move that would make you appear even weaker, Prince Yang Jinyan."

It was a move that signaled Yang Jinyan, the future emperor of the Twelve Sun Empire, could easily cave under pressure. He could imagine that while the Twelve Sun Empire itself would remain intact, its internal affairs would be tumultuous. Many would seek to overthrow such a seemingly weak emperor.

"I know the risk," Prince Yang Jinyan clenched his hands. "But, Yang Suyin isn't finished speaking."

Liu Xing turned to Yang Suyin. "I suspect this part is the one truly related to me."

"Spot on," Yang Suyin nodded. "You see, behind my back, people call me a rat. It's because, unfortunately, my face isn't too pleasant, but it's not only that. It's because I would run away if I knew I couldn't win a situation. I'm a coward."

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"That's not true," Liu Xing retorted. If Yang Suyin was truly a coward, he wouldn't have been there fighting Wei Yi.

Yang Suyin chuckled, "Thanks for the compliment. But, it's true. I'm a coward. Holding onto the dragon vein is a high-risk, high-reward situation. Only with continuous luck could we soar to the sky while holding it. I'm not strong enough, or foolish enough, to dare to think like that, so I suggest a less risky way, but as you already know, this move isn't without its cons either."

"Yeah, I can see a lot of problems that would emerge from this decision."

The main problem would be the internal politics of the Twelve Sun Empire, but external threats wouldn't vanish. Neighboring nations wouldn't dare to attack openly, but they could try to undermine the Twelve Sun Empire more subtly. And since a dragon vein was such a significant resource, there was also a chance they would form alliances to bring down the Twelve Sun Empire. Then, there was also his sect. His sect was not generous either, and realistically, the Twelve Sun Empire would only get crumbs from the dragon vein residing in their territory. Truly, it was a difficult situation.

"You don't need to think about it too much," Prince Yang Jinyan said, his arms crossed. "While we want to fully disclose our situation to you, we don't expect you to fix all our problems. This is my empire, and I intend to fulfill my oath to bring this empire to a golden age with my own hands."

"Not that we would decline your help, though," Yang Suyin added, "actually, we need your help, and this is why you are here. Ever since the prince decided to tell you about the dragon vein, I've been racking my brain about how to make the best of this, and I got a good idea on how we would repay you, as well as how to deepen our relationship."

Yang Suyin flashed a glance toward the Prince, who nodded. He then turned back to Liu Xing. "We want you to have half of the dragon vein."

"What? Why?" Liu Xing's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

How could he not be surprised? He had never imagined such words would come from Yang Suyin's mouth. It was a dragon vein! He understood giving it to his sect. But to give half of it to him? That was like saying he alone possessed a deterrent effect as significant as his sect, which was untrue. There must be something he was missing.

Yang Suyin smirked, as if understanding Liu Xing's turmoil, and said, "You would reach the correct conclusion eventually, unfortunately we don't have that much time, so I will tell you the reason for this outrageous gift.

"Half of the reason is genuine gratitude, but the other half is a calculated plan. Think of it like this: if we give the dragon vein fully to your sect, your sect would let us use a fraction of it. Even if we only give half of it away, the total benefit we receive might not be too different."

Liu Xing nodded.

"You would possess the other half of the dragon vein, and this means the Purple Moon Sect needs to play by different rules when dealing with you. You are, after all, a disciple of this sect."

As the bonfire flickered, casting dancing shadows, understanding began to solidify in his mind. "So, it's like that."

It wasn't actually a complicated plan. Every vassal empire beneath the Purple Moon Sect needed to pay a certain amount annually for protection and benefits—including cultivation scriptures, techniques, and much more. There were tiers categorizing vassals, and the higher the tier, the better the benefits. There were many rules tied to this system, and while he didn't know the exact specifics, he was pretty sure rules existed regarding the discovery of dragon veins. If half of the dragon vein became his, then the rules shifted from vassals to disciples, and he knew that his belongings were his unless the sect specifically requested them.

No sect in this world would willingly let a disciple possess a dragon vein, including the Purple Moon Sect, which meant the sect would approach him and ask for it. But, the sect couldn't just seize it from him arbitrarily. After all, his belongings were his until the sect wanted them, and if they did, they would need to compensate him. This meant Liu Xing, and by extension the Twelve Sun Empire, would gain extra benefits from the sect.

"You want to extract as much benefit from this losing situation as possible, huh," Liu Xing muttered.

"We are losing a dragon vein," Yang Suyin said. "Of course, we want to get everything we possibly can from it."

"Alright then," Liu Xing nodded. "Give me the list of things you want."

In response to his answer, Yang Suyin smiled widely, the Prince smirked, and even Yang Liangyu smiled slightly.

As vassals of the Purple Moon Sect, they couldn't ask for much beyond protection from neighboring countries and the right to use the dragon vein, but Liu Xing could demand a bit more since he was a disciple there. And while he was currently an outer disciple, it was only a matter of time before he advanced to inner disciple, making his value higher than a normal outer disciple.

The Purple Moon Sect would gain significantly from their exchange, but with this arrangement, the Twelve Sun Empire would also gain considerably.

Yang Suyin, the Prince, and even Yang Liangyu began to gather and discuss what they wanted from his exchange with the sect. Treasures and talismans were a must; techniques and scriptures would be better in the long term. However, Yang Suyin suggested favors were also valuable, and even some arrangements regarding the dragon vein itself were preferable. Occasionally, Yang Suyin asked for his opinion, since he would be the one negotiating the matter. After all, half of the dragon vein was technically his.

Deep inside his heart, a small thought surfaced. What if he betrayed the Twelve Sun Empire and claimed all these benefits for himself? After all, this arrangement was based merely on their trust in him, and trust could be easily exploited. But, as he observed the animated and happy expressions of the Yang clan members in front of him, so joyful as if they were choosing the best presents in the world, this treacherous thought was crushed like a small ant daring to challenge a giant. That kind of thought was not in his nature. While he would pursue power and ensure his mission was completed, he didn't want to sacrifice his conscience for it. He didn't want to be like Wei Yi and Ji Dongyan, who sacrificed others for their own gain. He was not a demonic cultivator. Besides, living that way would be lonely.

Still, that didn't mean he intended to be manipulated by Yang Suyin. He wanted a bigger cut for his trouble. After all, this arrangement was not without risk. The Purple Moon Sect wouldn't openly take what was his, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try subtle methods. Moreover, greedy people existed within his sect. Elders, inner disciples, or even outer disciples would probably try to take the dragon vein. Once people learned of this arrangement, he would have many enemies, and while anxiety flickered in his mind, he felt confident he could handle it all.

After all, he was undoubtedly strong, and the rewards were truly worth it.

Moreover, there was a Heaven Grade Technique currently waiting for him, one that would guarantee him even more power!

As the fire danced and cast long shadows, and Liu Xing joined the conversation, the moon hung high in the sky like a giant eye watching everything.

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