Lancelot exploded into a loud laugh, cutting through the silence that such an obvious but also unthinkable solution had caused.

"Master William, you can’t seem to disappoint," Lancelot exclaimed, "But what if the inscriptions prevent the binder from sharing the knowledge? Martial arts also lose value the more cultivators have access to them."

Lancelot seemed to be making things difficult for Liam on purpose, which was true, albeit not out of evil reasons. He was just curious about how Liam would handle the situation. He wanted to see more of that cloaked expert.

Liam couldn’t help but glance at Robert again. What Lancelot had said was correct, and Robert’s stance declared how he would rather fight than accept that gamble.

’Grace would have known what to do here,’ Liam thought, missing his partner already, but still relying on what he had witnessed her do to navigate the predicament.

No matter how Liam saw it, fighting was a terrible idea, since both winning and losing would lower the team’s chances of clearing the inheritance.

Even if Liam and Robert didn’t end up killing one another, injuries were pretty much a certainty, and the same went for resentment. The already-brittle teamwork built on mutual interests would crumble, becoming a permanent threat in the following trials.

’Killing him would be safer,’ Liam considered, ’But I don’t really want to, and the team would still be weakened. The next trial might need superior numbers, and there’s also what should come after them.’

Liam also understood how killing a teammate would sanction the action, making it more of a possibility if the issue presented itself again.

Nevertheless, as much as Liam wanted the martial art, his idea of a team was quite unshakable, and Robert hadn’t done anything to stop belonging to that category.

"Fellow Daoist Robert can bind it," Liam declared, "But he has to share it with me if he can, and I take these arrows."

The group couldn’t help but glance at the metal white arrows lying on the floor. Some were broken, others had melted, and a few still rested inside the fallen crossbow automatons.

Still, to Liam, those arrows were priceless. They were rank 2 materials rather than rank 2 items. They were also huge and heavy, but nothing his Black Bow couldn’t handle, and definitely something he needed to stockpile.

After all, Liam’s needles were already struggling with his venom. It always corroded them a bit, and investing in Qi-enhanced pieces of metal just wasn’t worth it, especially since they would also become useless once Liam got stronger.

"What about copies?" Robert questioned after a few seconds of consideration. "Master William, you are close to a Guild’s Chief. You’d be able to sell the martial art faster than me."

Depending on how Liam sold the copy, Robert’s original could lose all its value. After all, once the martial art hit the market, merchants didn’t have to purchase it again.

Martial arts earned great money. Few things were even comparable. They were also assets that could open otherwise sealed doors. Grace had done exactly that with the Metal Hand.

However, the reason why Grace had accepted that financial loss was exactly what prompted Liam to repeat the approach. He needed more money than he could count, but he had a way of getting it, but not martial arts.

"Don’t make copies," Liam stated. "I’ll just learn it here. We aren’t in a hurry, right?"

The statement recreated the previous silence since it contained another obviousness that the four had failed to consider.

Priest Elmer himself had said that the Church’s teams had been in the inheritance for two weeks, meaning a time limit probably didn’t exist.

Lancelot and the others didn’t have to move to the next trial right away. They could just settle in the hall for a while, recovering without wasting precious alchemical products.

"It sounds fair to me," Lancelot declared, completely satisfied with Liam’s response, hence vouching for him. "Julian? Robert?"

"It would be unbecoming of me to renegotiate after renouncing the reward," Julian reassured. "Master William and Robert can be the only ones sharing the martial art."

"I have no complaints," Robert announced, still wary, knowing that things were far from over.

"We are in agreement then," Lancelot exclaimed, stepping aside.

Robert checked his companions before approaching the basin. A drop of blood soon exited his finger, falling on the inscribed tome and binding it.

The sleeveless cultivator closed his eyes as foreign knowledge invaded his brain, but the process barely lasted a second. He also only prioritized checking one thing, which brought his gaze to the smoke-releasing hood. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"I can share it," Robert revealed. "Master William, I apologize for my inflexibility. Your wisdom preserved our odds to succeed in this inheritance."

’What wisdom?’ Liam wondered, but Julian’s following comment brought clarity.

"Indeed," Julian nodded. "There never was any need to fight for the reward, but someone had to seize it to learn that. Quite insidious."

That single reward was a trick. In a different situation, teams would have discovered that only after they had killed each other or created an environment where defeat in the following trials was pretty much a certainty.

After Julian’s words finished echoing, the five doors closed on their own, and something appeared before them. Five flowers grew from the floor, marking the path to the next trial.

"It’s clear now that these trials are multilayered," Julian announced, "Their true dangers hidden behind what are considered iron-clad rules of the cultivation world."

Julian lowered his head in thought, staring at the breastplate in his hands before continuing. "Perhaps the Archbishop intended to teach cultivators different, more peaceful ways."

"How can any of us claim to understand an expert capable of creating this place?" Robert snorted.

"Understanding the philosophy behind this inheritance can help us clear it," Julian commented. "Unless you want to continue relying on Master William."

"I for one can’t wait to see what else you can do," Lancelot exclaimed, his heated smile on Liam. "Shall we wine together later? You are one I wouldn’t feel bored discussing the Dao with."

Liam was still absorbing the competitiveness Lancelot had stirred in him earlier. It was a novel feeling to him, and he didn’t know how good it was. It only confirmed that Lancelot could have an influence on him, its value unclear, too.

"Fellow Daoists, allow me to join you," Julian requested, cupping his fist. "I also want to discuss our respective noble arts with Master William."

"I must share a cup with Master William, too," Robert sighed. "I should also pour it for him."

Liam found three pairs of gazes fixed on him, but his mind had its priorities straight.

"Can I learn the martial art first?" Liam questioned.