Wu Ji burst into loud laughter, unable to hold it back, while Fang Tian maintained his expression and did not move an inch. After some time, Wu Ji stopped laughing, wiped the tears from her eyes, and replied in a harsh tone:
"You're a huge clown, Fang Tian. I never knew you could be this funny… You're making demands of the Wu Clan?! You're seriously overestimating your own worth. Even though my mother and I want to recruit you, that doesn't mean you're something we absolutely need."
Fang Tian had expected this reaction, but he was still determined to get what he wanted, and he was somewhat confident that Wu Ji would not find his conditions unreasonable. Maybe one or two of them at most.
"Why don't you listen to my conditions first, then you can judge whether they're excessive or not?"
Wu Ji's expression softened slightly. To her, this was Fang Tian taking a step back, which meant there was room for negotiation.
"State your conditions, but don't go too far, or you won't get anything."
Fang Tian did not hesitate and stated his conditions:
"Fine. First, I want you to remove the seal on my aperture. It feels disgusting not being able to activate my Gu worms."
"That's easy."
Wu Ji stepped toward Fang Tian, grabbed the area around his navel where the aperture was located, and activated a killer move. A gentle aura rose from her palm and brushed over Fang Tian's skin until it reached his aperture, removing the invisible barrier that had been preventing him from using his Gu worms. Fortunately, not many days had passed since he was sealed; otherwise, his Gu worms would have starved to death.
Wu Ji stepped back lightly and returned to her stance. Fang Tian then continued with his real requests:
"Second, I want freedom of movement throughout the city and permission to go out into the outside world. I can't explain why I want this, but it's one of my conditions. Third, I want the freedom to choose missions and the group of Gu Masters I'll join. Fourth, I want a guaranteed, stable flow of resources and primeval stones."
Wu Ji looked at Fang Tian with a dark frown. The second condition was somewhat easy to implement, and even the third was manageable, while the fourth was practically a given. However, she needed to show tangible results to her mother through this compromise.
"I can guarantee you the second condition, but you must submit a request before leaving the city. As for within the city, you may roam freely. As for the third condition—don't you want to join my group? I think we'd make a great duo. I mean, imagine us beating up some bastards from the Yang Clan or the Bao Clan—we'd look amazing and powerful."
"You're misunderstanding, Wu Ji. I asked for the freedom to choose, not to be told which group to choose. There's a big difference. But if you insist, fine, I'll join your group. Now, what about the fourth condition?"
"Oh right, the fourth condition depends entirely on you. Every Rank Three Gu Master in the Wu Clan receives three hundred primeval stones per week from the Contribution Hall. As someone from my mother's faction, you can receive the same treatment. But if you want support from Elder Chen Yui, you'll have to prove yourself by reaching the peak stage of Rank Three within one year. Then resources will pour down on you like rain."
Wu Ji was crafty; she had toned down Fang Tian's conditions to present better results to her mother. Fang Tian noticed the differences in the terms, but he did not mind. Instead, he asked about his true objective:
"Is there any way to ease the pressure on the aperture, even by chance, in Elder Chen Yui's hands?"
Wu Ji smiled, but this time her smile was helpless.
"My mother doesn't have any such method. Although the clan possesses several methods, they cost enormous contribution points. Even with Elder Chen Yui's accumulated achievements and contributions, she could only exchange for one method, and she'd be bankrupt afterward."
That was all Fang Tian needed to hear to understand the cost of these methods, yet he was still delighted. Although the method was extremely expensive, Fang Tian was happy. At least his goal now had a direction he could follow, and he could eventually obtain what he sought.
Wu Ji chatted with him for a while, discussing various things she found interesting, and even Fang Tian enjoyed talking with her. However, he remained on guard against her—who knew, maybe she was trying to extract more information about his background? He was already exposed, but he still had many other secrets.
In any case, after Wu Ji left, Fang Tian left his room and returned to his garden. This time, instead of the leaf-green robes, he was wearing the uniform of the Wu Clan. After all, he had become a member of the Wu Clan, and there was no better way to extract benefits from this than to show his affiliation with the Wu Clan in every possible way.
After all, he was living in Wu Clan City, where Gu Masters of the Wu Clan were treated like princes and enjoyed privileges wherever they went. For example, when Fang Tian went to Elder Fan Shuo's shop to purchase refinement materials or Gu worms, if those Gu worms or materials were unavailable, Fang Tian could place a reservation in advance. When the next batch of Gu worms or resources arrived, all he had to do was pay the price with a small additional fee.
Besides that, there was the clan treasury, brimming with refinement materials from Rank One to Rank Five of all paths, as well as recipes and Gu worms of all kinds of strange and wondrous varieties from Rank One to Rank Five, which could be exchanged for clan contribution points. All he needed to do was complete missions or contribute, even a little, to enriching the clan treasury, and he would receive a large number of contribution points.
It could be said that Fang Tian's channels had expanded the moment he joined the Wu Clan.
"Back on Mount Gu Xian, I admired Jin Long's channels, but now I'm a member of a super clan, and I can access materials and Gu worms that Jin Long can only dream of!"
He could already see his bright and glorious future.