The competition for the Spirit Islands in Baifu City finally concluded after a full month, leaving the city bustling for over a month and allowing many visiting cultivators who came to trade to reap significant profits.

This grand event was much discussed among Foundation Establishment cultivators, with the most animated conversations revolving around the Golden Core cultivators who secured the top ten Spirit Islands. Those who managed to claim spots in the top ten were certainly no ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

Aside from Ye Tai and Huangfu Bing'er, whose combined strength as Golden Core cultivators was overwhelming, ensuring they claimed Fire Spirit Island Number Two in the initial round of acquisitions without contest.

Miss Zhou Yao of the Purple Sword Palace secured Water Spirit Island Number Three with her formidable Grand Five Elements Sword Formation.

And that middle-aged cultivator from Baifu Palace, in the second round of Spirit Island snatching, made his move again to seize Spirit Island Number Nine. The remaining islands within the top ten were also occupied by powerful Golden Core cultivators from various Immortal Palaces.

As for the Fatty Jin from Treasure Gathering Palace, relying on the sheer quantity of various mid-to-high-grade magical artifacts stashed in his spatial bag, he threw money around recklessly, managing to snatch the very last one, Spirit Island Number Ten.

Having secured Fire Spirit Island Number Two, Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er, overjoyed, did not linger in the noisy and complex Baifu City. They collected the relevant maps and data for the Fire Spirit Island at the Baifu City Hall, formally renaming it Huo Yun Island, and immediately flew there on their swords.

This Huo Yun Island was situated about a hundred thousand li from Baifu City, which for a Golden Core cultivator translated to roughly half a day's flight—quite close by cultivation standards. In terms of size, spiritual energy density, and geographical location relative to Baifu City, Huo Yun Island was an absolutely prime choice.

The two arrived at the Fire Spirit Island and were instantly captivated by it.

The island spanned over two hundred li. It featured one main peak, rich with spiritual energy, surrounded by several subordinate peaks. The concentration of spiritual energy on this island was by no means inferior to that of the main peak of the Azure Pill Sect.

Although the island possessed a medium-sized fire-attributed spirit vein, the vein was deeply buried underground, resulting in a climate on the island that was exceptionally moist and temperate. Strange flowers and rare grasses grew everywhere, and there were even numerous low-level spirit beasts, such as Tier One or Two spirit monkeys and spirit rats, nesting and active across the island.

On the main peak, there was a small waterfall that cascaded down into a hot spring lake spanning several li, with scaldingly hot springs bubbling up. The billowing, dense white mist permeated the entire lake, swirling and lingering among the various peaks, making the entire island resemble a true paradise.

Huangfu Bing'er fell in love with the Spirit Island almost at first sight.

The pair landed on a patch of exotic flora in front of the lake.

“Bing'er, this hot spring looks lovely, perhaps you’d like to try it?!”

Ye Qin glanced at the hot spring lake and then at Huangfu Bing'er. The thought of bathing in the lake sparked an unusual feeling within him, which he masked with a light smile.

“Always thinking crooked thoughts! Aren't you going to start carving out a grotto-heaven yet!”

Huangfu Bing'er’s face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Recalling the dual cultivation immortal arts given to her by Senior Sister Ruoying, her delicate ears immediately turned crimson. She let out a teasing laugh and swiftly departed.

Ye Qin followed, flying to the mountainside of the main peak. Wielding his sword, he broke open the rock face, carving out a grand cultivation grotto-heaven.

Huangfu Bing'er, meanwhile, chose a spot on the peak where the spiritual energy was most concentrated and created an herb garden, scattering some seeds of spiritual medicinal ingredients and planting the seedlings. This was a habit from the Azure Pill Sect, and since this location was perfectly suited for growing spirit herbs, she naturally couldn't waste the space.

For the following half-month, Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er busied themselves setting up the island and their grotto-heaven.

Ye Qin made several trips back to Baifu City, spending a massive fortune to purchase large, medium, and small defensive formations to guard the grotto-heaven. He established these formations to protect the entire Spirit Island, the grotto-heaven on the main peak, and the island's medicinal garden, all shielded by arrays of various sizes.

Since this island was to be their long-term residence, the defensive arrays certainly couldn't be flimsy; otherwise, they’d be shattered by a simple blast from another cultivator, which would be utterly humiliating.

Finding the travel by sword too time-consuming, he hired an Array Master from Baifu City to construct a miniature single-person teleportation array within the grotto-heaven on Fire Spirit Island. Simultaneously, he purchased a small courtyard in Baifu City, setting the receiving end of the miniature teleportation array precisely within that courtyard.

This arrangement allowed them to conveniently teleport directly between Baifu City and Huo Yun Island.

This type of short-to-medium-range miniature pentagonal teleportation array offered a very stable transmission space, and the difficulty of setting it up wasn't overly high.

Although each one-way teleportation consumed five hundred low-grade spirit stones, making a round trip cost a thousand, it was quite expensive. However, for Ye Qin, the ability to save nearly half a day of travel time made it entirely worthwhile.

Moreover, he wouldn't need to use the teleportation array frequently.

When not in use, he only needed to move one corner of the pentagonal array inside the grotto-heaven to prevent any cultivator from teleporting directly from Baifu City onto Huo Yun Island.

When needed, he simply had to reassemble the pentagonal array.

In a critical situation, should the Spirit Island come under siege by swarms of enemies, this teleportation array would serve as the fastest means of escape, allowing them to flee to Baifu City. In Baifu City, one of the main strongholds of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, no one dared to act presumptuously.

After setting up the grotto-heaven and arranging the defensive arrays for Huo Yun Island, Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er began to cultivate quietly within their island abode.

At the Island Seizure Tournament, there were at least several dozen Golden Core cultivators whose strength was comparable to theirs. Furthermore, many of these Golden Core cultivators were backed by Immortal Palaces, possessing potential no less than their own.

Even those Golden Core cultivators without Immortal Palace backing, their dedication to the path of immortality was not to be underestimated.

If it weren't for Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er sharing one Spirit Island, the difficulty of seizing this island would undoubtedly have been immense.

This realization only deepened the sense of urgency within Ye Qin.

His current strength was far from being at a level where he could ignore the threat posed by other Golden Core cultivators.

He resolved not to waste a single day, pouring all his effort into elevating his Nascent Soul cultivation to rapidly boost his combat power.

Ye Qin reviewed the spells he had mastered, specifically picking out the ancient texts from the Liao family.

He had been diligently practicing the Demonic Shadow Great Skill from the Liao family's ancient texts.

Previously, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Demonic Shadow Great Skill could only conjure a phantom identical to himself. This phantom possessed no combat strength; it would dissipate upon the slightest touch and could only be used for diversion.

After reaching the Golden Core stage, he was finally able to cultivate the more profound technique from the Liao family ancient texts: the Immortal Body Great Law. This law consumed immense magical power to directly conjure a Dharma Body.

This Dharma Body had already condensed into a tangible form and possessed a certain degree of combat prowess; it could even manipulate magical artifacts. If cultivated to the peak, the Dharma Body could achieve nearly one-third of the main body's combat strength—a considerable supplemental force. Ye Qin spent nearly a month in secluded cultivation to successfully condense one such Dharma Body. This body shared his exact aura, reaching a point where discerning true from false was nearly impossible. If he and his Dharma Body were to appear together, other cultivators might even mistake them for twin Golden Core cultivators.

Excited, Ye Qin summoned Huangfu Bing'er, asking her to try and distinguish between the real him and the illusory one.

However, to his surprise, Huangfu Bing'er merely glanced casually, without a second thought, pointed her slender finger, and immediately identified his true body.

He tried more than ten times in a row; no matter how Ye Qin tried to confuse her, Huangfu Bing'er made no mistakes.

Ye Qin felt frustrated. He had maneuvered the Dharma Body with exquisite subtlety, even matching his expressions, and couldn't figure out where the flaw lay. Unable to grasp the issue immediately, he returned to his seclusion chamber to ponder further.

"So dense. I have the Blood Mark Soul Imprint; how could I possibly be fooled!" Huangfu Bing'er thought secretly, amused.

Huangfu Bing'er left the seclusion chamber, but the faint smile of confidence she carried began to fade, replaced by an expression of worry.

The substantial reserve of spirit stones she brought from the Azure Pill Sect was rapidly depleting from purchasing high-grade spirit elixirs during this period.

Previously, while cultivating at the Water Cloud Palace, the Palace Mistress would provide disciples with some subsidies. She didn't need to worry about spirit stones. However, she had now left the Water Cloud Palace. And she didn't want to go back. She had considered relying on her alchemy skills to earn wealth. But her alchemy was not high-level.

As the daughter of Ancestor Huangfu of the Azure Pill Sect, she possessed vast resources, and her energy had been entirely focused on cultivation. The sect had countless master alchemists; she never needed to practice alchemy herself.

Consequently, despite being the daughter of the Azure Pill Sect's foremost ancestor, her alchemy skills remained only at the level of an ordinary alchemist—a matter of shame.

With such a mediocre level of alchemy, merely breaking even was already quite difficult. Earning profit was nearly impossible. No one was eager to hire her; her lack of practical experience made it even harder to improve her skills.

There were other ways to earn spirit stones. For instance, hunting demon beasts at sea and collecting materials from their bodies could bring in some income. As a Golden Core cultivator, hunting Tier Five or Six demon beasts was relatively easy. However, the high-grade spirit elixirs she required for her cultivation were exceedingly expensive. This path consumed too much time and severely hindered her cultivation—it was a dead end. Once she walked this road, attaining the Nascent Soul stage would surely become hopeless.

Most independent cultivators who relied on themselves, even those with exceptional talent, often found their focus fragmented by these trivial matters, gradually drifting away from the immortal path and making little further progress.

If it were in the past, she could still rely on the Huangfu family, the Azure Pill Sect, or her master lineage at the Water Cloud Palace to continue her peaceful, secluded cultivation.

But now, the East Sea was impossibly distant from the Central Plains Spirit Mist Realm.

Her desires were modest; she didn't wish to return to the Water Cloud Palace. She only wanted to cultivate quietly here on the Spirit Bird Island with Ye Qin.

She and Ye Qin now had no one to depend on; they could only rely on themselves.

Huangfu Bing'er hesitated outside the seclusion chamber, pondering for a long while. She decided she should discuss future cultivation and the matter of resolving their spirit stone supply with Ye Qin. She returned to the chamber and went to his side.

“Junior Brother Ye, the fire-attributed spirit herbs we planted on the island won't be ready to fetch a good price for decades, maybe a century. For now, perhaps we should go to Baifu City, purchase a few Earth Tribe laborers, and start mining the fire spirit ore on the island? With those spirit stones, we could then buy medicinal herbs, refine elixirs for our own use, and simultaneously improve my alchemy skills. Once our alchemy advances, we can use it to earn spirit stones and continue cultivating. What do you think?”

Her bright eyes gazed at Ye Qin. "What, mine the spirit stones on our island?"

Ye Qin had been meditating, trying to perfect the Immortal Body Great Law, and was momentarily distracted when Huangfu Bing'er suddenly proposed mining spirit stones. But he quickly understood she was raising the issue of spirit stones. He then looked at Huangfu Bing'er in surprise.