Zhao Letian's demand put the Xinghai Five Tigers in a difficult position. They were willing to give up all the Primordial Stones if it meant they could keep listening to the mysterious roar, but if they were required to surrender all their Primordial Stones just as a penalty for rule-breaking, that was asking too much.
"Brother Letian, we can give up all our Primordial Stones, but there's something we'd like to discuss with you," the leader of the Xinghai Five Tigers hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Are you trying to negotiate terms with me? Whatever it is can wait, hand over the Primordial Stones first," Zhao Letian said coldly with a touch of impatience. In this world, the weak have no right to bargain with the strong. He was already being more than polite by not taking any action.
The entire Xinghai Five Tigers frowned and their expression turned ugly, clearly reluctant. However, considering Zhao Letian's formidable strength and the fact that they still needed to ask him for a favor, they eventually took out their own Primordial Stones after exchanging looks.
"Is this all you have?" Looking at the small pile of Primordial Stones on the ground before him, Zhao Letian knit his brow and said with dissatisfaction.
Besides the one at the small success stage of the Primordial Martial Ninth Level who took out more than thirty low-grade Primordial Stones, the other four only had a mere twenty-something low-grade stones each. Compared to him, they were pitifully poor. If it weren't for the fact that this matter involved a principle, he wouldn't even dream of exploiting these five miserable fellows.
"You think this is not enough?" the Xinghai Five Tigers said in a daze. Although they weren't rich, they weren't exactly poor either. The Primordial Stones from the five of them added up to over a hundred, which was a significant fortune for someone in the Primordial Martial Realm. They truly didn't understand why Zhao Letian would still find it lacking.
But how could they know that Zhao Letian had more than ninety Mid-Grade Essence Stones on him and really looked down on these few Primordial Stones they had?
The next moment, when Zhao Letian swept his large hand and instantly gathered up those hundred-some low-grade Primordial Stones, the Xinghai Five Tigers exclaimed in unison, immediately realizing why Zhao Letian thought their Primordial Stones were too few. The storage ring itself was something they couldn't afford. T$hi-s- co^p@y- was gene$r-ate#d$ f!r#om c%o&nt.ent% at *#.$
"Speak, what did you want to discuss with me?" Zhao Letian asked. He was also curious about what this matter was, that the Xinghai Five Tigers would be willing to risk violating his rules in order to seek him out.
"Brother Letian, those roars coming from the eastern bamboo forest these past few days, do they have anything to do with you? Or should I say, are they made by you?" the leader of the Xinghai Five Tigers urgently asked, while the others also looked at Zhao Letian with expectation.
"Roar?" Zhao Letian pondered for a moment, immediately realizing they were probably talking about the Dragon Roar and then nodded, "What if it is?"
The faces of the Xinghai Five Tigers lit up with ecstasy. Now that it was confirmed the sound was related to Zhao Letian, there was a chance for negotiation.
"Brother Letian, I'll be straightforward. We'd like to discuss the possibility of us cultivating while listening to that roar regularly. Under its influence, our cultivation speed increases manifold. Of course, we won't expect to listen for free, just tell us what price we should pay and we'll do our best to meet your demands," the leader of the Xinghai Five Tigers pressed down the excitement in his heart and tried to maintain a calm demeanor as he spoke.
Now it was Zhao Letian's turn to be baffled. He had not expected the Dragon Roar emitted while practicing his swordplay to have such a miraculous effect.
"Impossible, don't think about it anymore," Zhao Letian said emotionlessly after a moment of silence. These five fellows were neither his kin nor his friends; he had no obligation to help them, let alone practice swordplay specifically for their cultivation needs.
The expressions on the Xinghai Five Tigers' faces immediately darkened, filled with disappointment.
"Is there really no room for negotiation?" The leader of the Star Sea Five Tigers still couldn't accept it and pleaded pitifully.
"No." Zhao Letian shook his head firmly and walked toward the lakeside, "I'm leaving. The island is yours to keep."
Watching Zhao Letian's retreating figure, the Star Sea Five Tigers had expressions of reluctance. Anyone who saw them would be astonished that there were people who would be reluctant to see someone who seized their island leave.
"Big brother, are we just going to let it go? Zhao Letian holds the key to our swift rise. With his help, we can save a lot of time, Primordial Stones, and elixirs, and then we can return to the royal city sooner to assist our father," someone said unwillingly.
"What else can we do if we don't just let it go? We can't beat him, nor do we have as much fortune as him. Even if we wanted to tempt him with rewards, it's impossible. There is no solution," the leader shook his head and said helplessly.
"There is not completely no solution," someone suddenly spoke.
"Second brother, what solution?" The leader quickly asked, while the other three also looked over curiously.
"Since Zhao Letian is impervious to both soft and hard tactics, the only way is to become his followers. That way, we can stay close to him, constantly listening to those magical Dragon Roars. With our strength, becoming his followers is more than enough. Moreover, Zhao Letian is highly talented. If he can restore his martial foundation in the future, he will surely leave here for the royal city sooner or later. At that time, he will definitely need us brothers," the second brother said confidently.
The leader and the others exchanged looks, their faces showing a serious expression. Becoming someone else's follower was no trivial matter; they had to carefully consider it.
After leaving the island of the Star Sea Five Tigers, Zhao Letian steered his boat swiftly back to his original residence, the Outer Island with the richest Primordial Energy.
"Luo Hao, come out and fight."
Arriving ashore, Zhao Letian looked towards the central part of the island at the exquisitely-built pavilion he constructed by his own hands and shouted resoundingly. The sound waves spread out like rolling waves.
As soon as his words fell, a wild youth dressed in a black robe, with a giant saber on his back, rushed out of the pavilion like a howling gale.
"You've returned earlier than I expected," Luo Hao said with a piercing gaze, staring at Zhao Letian who was dressed in a white robe with hands clasped behind his back, his eyes burning with a strong desire to fight.
"I told you, I wouldn't make you wait too long. What belongs to Zhao Letian, no one can take away," Zhao Letian said with a nonchalant smile.
"If we are to battle, then let's have an earth-shaking battle in full view of everyone. Do you dare to follow me to Huangquan Island for a battle of life and death? Don't worry, I won't kill you. I just want to defeat you in front of everyone, to let them know who is the true number one of the outer sect," Luo Hao said arrogantly, overflowing with pride.
"Why would I not dare? Let's go," Zhao Letian said indifferently, without a hint of spirit in his voice. It seemed as if he was in a hurry to finish an insignificant chore, and this calm demeanor made Luo Hao feel like he had lost to Zhao Letian in terms of attitude before the fight even began, causing his mind to waver.