"You truly understand me, Fellow Daoist Zhou!"

The stern look vanished from Li Fan's face, replaced by one of warm amiability.

"You modern cultivators certainly have… inventive methods. I suppose I'm a bit of a relic."

He clapped Zhou Kebao on the shoulder, his words brimming with praise.

"If you can actually produce this thing, all past grievances between us are wiped clean. Future cooperation isn't out of the question, either. You have powerful backing, and I, Li Fan, am not without resources of my own."

A trace of arrogance crossed his face as he painted an expansive picture of what lay ahead for them both.

Zhou Kebao had little choice but to believe him. After all, no ordinary cultivator could acquire such a vast quantity of strategic materials in so short a time. As someone who had benefited from power and...