An alliance? Mutual watchfulness and assistance? That was a good thing. Ling Xiao Palace might not be lacking in foundations by now—they even had over a hundred thousand disciples—but in the Northern Territory, they were still a new power. If they could form an alliance with the Li Dragon Palace, it would be beneficial for future development.
Li Jiao was hardly an outsider, so Yang Kai naturally wouldn't refuse such a thing. He agreed on the spot.
Li Jiao chuckled and cupped his fists. "Then from now on, my Li Dragon Palace will be looking to Brother Yang for guidance. We'll follow Ling Xiao Palace's lead in all matters."
He understood Yang Kai's capabilities better than anyone, so he knew this alliance would naturally have a clear hierarchy. The Li Dragon Palace simply couldn't compare to Ling Xiao Palace—saying so outright didn't bother him in the slightest.
A grand alliance between two top-tier powers was no small matter, yet the two of them settled it in just a few sentences. They didn't even sign a written agreement, because neither saw any need for one.
"Brother Yang, now that we've formed an alliance, we're practically family." Li Jiao grinned. "So what about those debts… think you could waive them for us?"
Years ago, when Li Jiao had come to Ling Xiao Palace with Ji Ying to cause trouble, the two had placed a bet during their alchemy duel. Li Jiao had lost spectacularly, racking up decades of debt to Ling Xiao Palace. Every year he had to pay tens of millions of high-grade Source Crystals, which had forced the Li Dragon Palace into austerity measures for years. The elders and stewards grumbled constantly, and sometimes they couldn't even scrape together enough Source Crystals for the disciples' cultivation.
It had only been a little over a decade, and the Li Dragon Palace was already struggling. With twenty or thirty more years of repayment still ahead, Li Jiao's head hurt just thinking about it.
"You're trying to scam me!" Yang Kai glared at Li Jiao. Those debts were no small sum.
Li Jiao just grinned shamelessly. "Come on, we're not outsiders. Not outsiders at all."
Yang Kai snorted a couple of times. "Waiving them isn't out of the question."
Li Jiao quickly seized the opportunity and cupped his fists. "Thank you, Brother Yang!"
Yang Kai raised one hand. "But I have a condition."
"Brother Yang, do tell."
"You know what Ling Xiao Palace's situation is right now. Over a hundred thousand disciples have just arrived. Cultivation resources, techniques, and secret arts—those aren't things we need to worry about for the time being. But experience in cultivation is indispensable; they need someone to guide them. The gap in our ranks is too wide, and we simply can't spare enough people to teach all of them. That's why I'd like you to provide some assistance."
On the path of cultivation, having a guide versus fumbling about on your own were two entirely different things. Yang Kai had learned this firsthand throughout his own journey. He'd had this intention for a while now, and with Li Jiao practically volunteering, how could he let the opportunity slip?
If it weren't for the fact that all the Ice Heart Valley disciples cultivated ice-attributed techniques and secret arts—hardly suitable for a general audience—he would have asked Bing Yun to send some personnel over during his earlier visit. But the techniques practiced by Ice Heart Valley were too specialized in their elemental affinity and might not suit other cultivators.
"What kind of assistance are we talking about?" Li Jiao asked, confused.
"I'd like you to send over a group of experienced instructors from the Li Dragon Palace to teach my disciples."
So that was it. He'd been expecting something far more demanding. Li Jiao immediately thumped his chest in assurance. "No problem!" He paused, then added, "But with over a hundred thousand disciples at Ling Xiao Palace, even with the Li Dragon Palace's support, I'm afraid it might not be enough."
Over a hundred thousand disciples—even if one instructor could teach five hundred people, they'd need two to three hundred instructors. The Li Dragon Palace didn't have that many to spare. After all, to serve as an instructor, one's cultivation had to be at least at the Dao Source Realm. Anything below that was useless. The cultivators who came from the Star Fields could already reach the Void King Realm on their own; what they lacked was experience beyond that. Even if the Li Dragon Palace had that many Dao Source Realm experts, they couldn't possibly send them all.
"Let's start with an emergency measure for now. I'll figure out other ways to handle the rest," Yang Kai sighed.
With this many people came all manner of trivial matters. He couldn't possibly attend to everything personally. All he could do was lay a solid foundation for Ling Xiao Palace as a whole; how it developed from there would depend on his subordinates' management and the disciples' own drive.
"How many people does Brother Yang need?" Li Jiao asked.
"A hundred."
Li Jiao considered for a moment, then nodded. "Done!"
A hundred was no small number, but the Li Dragon Palace could manage it. Any more than that would be pushing it. Since they were to serve as instructors, they needed to know how to actually teach others to cultivate—not just anyone could fill the role. Cultivating oneself and teaching others to cultivate were two completely different things. For a sect as large as the Li Dragon Palace, scrounging up a hundred instructors might be a bit of a strain, but it should be feasible.
"Consider those debts as the monthly salary for these hundred instructors, Brother Li. You have no objection, I trust?"
"None at all! None at all!" Li Jiao agreed with a broad grin. When you actually tallied up those debts, they amounted to a staggering fortune. Sending a hundred instructors to offset the debt was an incredible deal—how could he possibly object? Besides, those hundred instructors would eventually return to the Li Dragon Palace, so all things considered, he wasn't losing anything at all.
He rose to his feet. "No time to waste, then. I'll head back immediately and deliver the people Brother Yang needs as soon as possible."