For the better part of half a year, Ye Qin had dedicated himself to fully advancing Bing'er's alchemy skills, temporarily resolving her concerns regarding the spirit stones and elixirs needed for her cultivation. As for the ultimate level her alchemy would reach in the future, that depended entirely on Bing'er's own efforts. Ascending to the level of an Alchemy Grandmaster was a long and arduous process, impossible to achieve overnight.

Ye Qin now focused the majority of his attention on several other pressing matters requiring his handling. The refining materials for his Great Five Elements Sword, as well as the necessary components for the Spirit Root Potential Pill, remained undiscovered.

One day, Ye Qin brought Huangfu Bing'er, who had diligently studied alchemy for over half a year, to White Float City for some leisure and to procure items needed for their daily cultivation, such as incense and spiritual tea.

Shen Bao, upon seeing the two arrive at White Float City, quickly requested leave from the manager of the Exquisite Jade Elixir Chamber and joyfully trailed behind them, seemingly having something he wished to discuss.

"Martial Uncle Huangfu, you are already a Master Alchemist; why do you still maintain a registration with the Exquisite Jade Elixir Chamber? A significant portion of the spirit stones you earn from refining elixirs for other cultivators goes to the Chamber—it hardly seems profitable."

Shen Bao asked cautiously, wearing an ingratiating smile. He was somewhat apprehensive around this former Senior Sister of the Azure Elixir Sect. Senior Sister Huangfu possessed immense prestige and was incredibly mysterious, always remaining an unattainable figure to ordinary disciples like him. In the minds of the common disciples of the Azure Elixir Sect, her status was paramount, making him speak with extreme care, terrified of uttering a single wrong word.

"Oh? If I weren't registered with the Exquisite Jade Elixir Chamber, I would have to seek out cultivators who require elixirs and then personally attend to those commissions. Such matters are quite tedious and consume a great deal of time. Shen Bao, you seem hesitant—what is it you wish to say?"

Huangfu Bing'er noticed that Shen Bao seemed to have something more on his mind.

"Martial Uncle Huangfu, since your alchemy skills are so high, why not establish your own alchemy workshop right here in White Float City? Even a very small workshop would certainly yield more spirit stones than you currently earn at the Exquisite Pavilion. Furthermore, the Azure Elixir Sect has several Golden Core cultivators and dozens of Foundation Establishment disciples here, scattered across the Northern Isles. If they were willing to join, this workshop could quickly achieve a respectable scale."

Shen Bao quickly elaborated.

"Ah, is that what you wanted to discuss?"

Huangfu Bing'er slightly furrowed her delicate brows.

She had taken up alchemy purely to obtain the spirit stones and elixirs necessary for her own cultivation—just enough for her needs. If she allowed such worldly affairs to impede her cultivation, it would be far more detrimental. It was similar to her father, Huangfu Rui; although he presided over a vast clan, he never concerned himself with how the family earned money. Maintaining her registration at the Exquisite Jade Elixir Chamber, even if it meant earning fewer spirit stones, was fine. At least it spared her the trouble of finding alchemy clients; worldly duties were the easiest way to distract a cultivator.

Of course, she saw no need to explain these reasons to Shen Bao.

Seeing Huangfu Bing'er show no enthusiasm for the idea of an alchemy workshop, Shen Bao adopted a look of distress and earnestly pleaded, "Martial Uncle Huangfu, many of our Azure Elixir Sect senior brothers and sisters here are struggling, forced to take on rough labor for the large workshops just to earn spirit stones for their cultivation. Truthfully, I’ve long wanted to leave the Exquisite Jade Elixir Chamber; enduring the constant frustrations from that old man Wang every day is unbearable. If you would only step forward and gather the Azure Elixir cultivators to open a workshop, earning money for ourselves, it would surely be better than working for others. While a small workshop might not possess the influence of the Immortal Palaces or the major operations of the East Sea, the Azure Elixir Sect still has six Golden Core cultivators here. If our fellow disciples could work together, we wouldn't have to suffer the humiliation of outsiders in the future! Wouldn't you agree?"

Huangfu Bing'er was finally slightly moved. She held deep affection for the Azure Elixir Sect, and these disciples had a hard time in the East Sea; allowing them to cultivate independently here was not a long-term solution. However, establishing a workshop involved numerous mundane affairs that risked diverting her focus. She hesitated, turning to Ye Qin, "Husband, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Ye Qin understood that her compassion had been stirred. After a moment’s thought, he reasoned that they simply needed to avoid the drawbacks. "Establishing a small alchemy workshop is a sound idea. However, Bing'er, you need not concern yourself with these trivial matters; you cannot allow a workshop to interfere with your cultivation."

He turned and clapped Shen Bao on the shoulder. "Since Shen Bao is so enthusiastic about opening an alchemy workshop, let Shen Bao manage the mundane affairs of the establishment. We only need to provide some initial spirit stones. Shen Bao has always been meticulous and calculated; in business, he certainly won't lose the principal investment."

Shen Bao was greatly energized by Ye Qin’s agreement and the fact that he was being put in charge of the workshop. He hastily said, "Thank you, Martial Uncle Ye and Martial Uncle Huangfu, for your consideration. Uh, I also hope Martial Uncle Huangfu can take the lead in inviting the senior brothers and sisters; I believe they will all be eager to join. The spirit stones I earn at the Exquisite Pavilion are pitifully small, and my cultivation advances slowly. The possibility of reaching the Core Formation stage seems remote. I might as well help the two Martial Uncles manage the workshop affairs and earn some pocket money alongside Martial Uncle Huangfu and Martial Uncle Ye."

"Very well. Since Husband also agrees, I will go speak with the senior brothers and fellow disciples to see if they are willing to join. If they come, the workshop will have more manpower," Huangfu Bing'er replied with a faint smile.

Whether or not to open a workshop made no difference to her. Since Ye Qin approved, they would proceed.

She parted ways with Ye Qin and went alone into White Float City to find her Azure Elixir Sect peers, intending to discuss establishing the workshop together. Given her established prestige among the disciples of the Azure Elixir Sect, she was the ideal person to invite four Golden Core cultivators and numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators to join.

"I need some incense; Martial Brother Ye, please help me buy some to take back," Huangfu Bing'er said, then departed gracefully.

"Alright."

Ye Qin smiled faintly.

After Huangfu Bing'er left, he walked down the street with Shen Bao. Ye Qin’s smile faded, and he asked plainly, "Shen Bao, how are the matters regarding my alchemy materials and those two refining components progressing?"

"Brother Ye, I have kept your matters closely in mind. For the Spirit Root Potential Pill, I have searched every spirit medicine shop in White Float City over the past half-year and located about a hundred of the most easily obtainable spirit herbs. However, these spirit herbs are too expensive; I cannot afford them. Here is a list detailing which spirit herb can be found in which shop, all clearly noted. I will continue searching for the remaining alchemy materials slowly."

Shen Bao did not approach Ye Qin with the same reverence he showed Huangfu Bing'er. He hurriedly pulled out a paper list from his storage pouch.

Ye Qin took the list, glanced at it, and shook his head internally. The materials Shen Bao found were all relatively low-grade alchemy components; none of the key ingredients he truly needed for the Spirit Root Potential Pill were present.

Shen Bao then retrieved a small, thumb-joint-sized, perfectly round yellow pebble from his storage pouch. "As for the two refining components, they were incredibly difficult to find. I nearly wore out my legs searching over the last six months, even checking the roadside stalls. I only managed to find this tiny piece of Yellow Dust Sand, which is supposedly five hundred years old. Is this the Yellow Dust Sand you were looking for?"

Ye Qin took the yellow pebble; it emitted a very faint yellowish glow. Despite being only half a thumb in size, it was surprisingly heavy, weighing more than an ordinary spirit sword. He nodded. "It is Yellow Dust Sand, but the age is too short, and there is far too little."

Shen Bao looked extremely helpless. "There was nothing I could do; that person only had this one grain left. I found it at a casual cultivator’s stall by the roadside, scraps left over by others. This single grain of Yellow Dust Sand is barely enough to refine any artifact. Even to forge a small Earth-attribute flying dagger, it would probably be insufficient; it might barely suffice for an Earth-attribute spirit needle. However, spirit needles are typically forged from metal-attribute armor-piercing materials; who would use raw Earth-attribute material to make a spirit needle? So, I didn't spend much—only about a dozen low-grade spirit stones to acquire this grain of Yellow Dust Sand. As for the Sky-One Nether Water, I truly couldn't find any. The people in the refining workshops hadn't even heard of that material."

Ye Qin accepted the Yellow Dust Sand and took a bag of spirit stones. "Take these spirit stones for now. Search for the remaining raw materials slowly; there is no need to rush this. You can go attend to your tasks now. I will wander around the city for a while; you don't need to accompany me."

Shen Bao scanned the spirit stones with his divine sense and immediately broke into a wide grin. Earning spirit stones by following Martial Uncle Ye really was faster!

"Yes, I'll head back first to help Martial Uncle Huangfu find an alchemy workshop and handle the setup. Brother Ye, you should go buy the incense for Martial Uncle Huangfu. I hear the incense at the Immortal Spirit Pavilion is quite good, and they have many beautiful women there too." Shen Bao winked at Ye Qin a few times before departing enthusiastically.

Ye Qin smiled wryly and shook his head, feeling rather frustrated deep down. It seemed gathering the five Primordial Spirit Artifacts for the Great Five Elements Sword Formation would not be easy. Summoning all five Primordial Spirit Artifacts was no simple feat.

He strolled through the city, occasionally taking out a detailed map scroll of White Float City to examine it.

The true reason for his visit to White Float City today was not to ask Shen Bao for these materials, but for something else entirely: locating Mythril and the blueprints for puppet crafting.

After walking past several main avenues, he first visited the Immortal Spirit Pavilion and purchased the incense Bing'er had asked him to buy. An hour later, Ye Qin arrived at the largest refining pavilion in White Float City. This pavilion stood several dozen zhang tall on the central main street, boasting over ten stories. The plaque above the grand entrance bore the three characters "Heavenly Ingenuity Pavilion" written in dazzling gold light.

The pavilion housed numerous artifact shops.

It was midday, and cultivators were constantly entering and exiting the Heavenly Ingenuity Pavilion. Among them were not a few Golden Core cultivators who had come to purchase artifacts or commission custom refining work here.