After the small explosion from the paper demonstration, the room became quiet again.
Wei Feng calmly adjusted the sheet of paper on the table while Li Tian observed him with interest.
"You misunderstood something," Wei Feng said.
Li Tian raised an eyebrow.
Wei Feng tapped the paper and the ink container.
"The paper is the container."
"The ink is only the medium for qi."
He paused before continuing.
"And this is not a talisman."
Li Tian looked slightly surprised.
Wei Feng explained further.
"A talisman only absorbs qi and later releases it—usually in the form of explosions, flames, or other attacks."
"But this combination of mysterious paper and ink behaves differently."
"It absorbs qi… and stores it in a stable form."
The old master took out another sheet of paper. On it were already written strange characters using the mysterious ink.
He slid the paper toward Li Tian.
"Try something."
"Absorb qi from it."
Li Tian looked at the sheet carefully. The moment his spiritual sense touched it, he felt something unusual.
The qi inside the paper was extremely calm.
He placed his hand over the sheet and began drawing the energy into his body.
A moment later, his eyes widened slightly.
The qi entering his body was exceptionally pure.
It was far more refined than the qi naturally present in the surroundings. Even more surprising, it was slightly condensed as if it had already been filtered.
Li Tian immediately understood the value of this.
If cultivators used such a source for cultivation, their training speed could increase significantly.
He looked at Wei Feng with clear curiosity.
"This information should be extremely confidential," Li Tian said.
"Why tell this to a stranger like me?"
Wei Feng smiled faintly.
"I trust my judgment."
He looked directly at Li Tian.
"A person who can trick a greedy emperor like Long Fang into becoming his partner…"
"…and earn more gold than the heads of major merchant guilds…"
"…is not an ordinary merchant."
He continued calmly.
"You also discovered multi-colored glass."
"And introduced a completely new metal."
"So I believe trusting my decision about you is not a mistake."
Before Li Tian could reply, the door of the chamber opened.
A woman walked in quietly.
Her presence instantly changed the atmosphere of the room.
The pressure of a Saint Realm cultivator filled the air.
She was the strongest warrior of the continent and the eldest daughter of Long Fang—
Long Yue.
When she saw Wei Feng, her cold expression softened slightly.
She bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Great Grandfather."
Li Tian looked between them with mild surprise.
Wei Feng noticed his reaction and spoke calmly.
"The first wife of Long Fang is my daughter."
"Lady Wei."
"She is Long Yue's mother."
"So technically…"
Wei Feng smiled slightly.
"She is my granddaughter."
The Saint of Sevenrock Continent nodded slightly toward Li Tian but remained silent, standing beside Wei Feng.
After a brief pause, Li Tian asked the question that mattered.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
Wei Feng took out a small cloth pouch and placed something on the table.
It was a tiny piece of metal.
Li Tian immediately recognized it.
Aluminum.
Wei Feng spoke calmly.
"Five years ago, I discovered a strange ore."
"After refining a large amount of it…"
"…I obtained only a few grams of this metal."
The metal piece was dull and impure compared to Li Tian's polished aluminum statue.
Wei Feng continued.
"When I placed this metal with the mysterious paper and soaked it in the mysterious ink…"
"…the paper began absorbing qi at an abnormal speed."
He looked directly at Li Tian.
"One sheet of paper stored almost one hundred times more qi than normal."
Li Tian's eyes sharpened.
Wei Feng leaned forward slightly.
"So I want aluminum."
"And I want cooperation."
The old master then explained his true idea.
"If we combine this metal with the mysterious paper and ink…"
"…we can create qi storage artifacts."
"An artificial source of qi."
Such artifacts could change cultivation methods for many people.
Li Tian remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"I agree to cooperate."
Wei Feng's eyes brightened slightly.
"But I have one condition," Li Tian added calmly.
"If we sell artifacts based on aluminum…"
"I take fifty percent of the profit."
"Because I will be the one supplying the aluminum."
Wei Feng thought about it briefly.
Then he nodded.
"Agreed."
The agreement was finalized in the presence of the Shadow Veil and the Saint of Sevenrock Continent, Long Yue.
Both sides clearly understood the potential value of the cooperation.
Wei Feng stood up and prepared to leave.
Before exiting, he spoke one final sentence.
"I will return in two months."
"I will bring all the equipment required for our experiments…"
"…and for the production of the mysterious ink and paper."
With that, the old master left the chamber.
The partnership that had just been formed had the potential to change the balance of power across multiple empires.