"Oh, you need time to consider?" The cultivator in green displayed surprise. In his estimation, Ye Qin, a mere rogue cultivator with no backing, should have readily accepted such a grand opportunity.

He did not take offense at this, pondered for a moment, and smiled faintly, "This Palace Master has judged you correctly; you handle matters with composure, undisturbed by fortune or disgrace. If any other Golden Core cultivator were personally invited by this Palace Master to join the Purple Sword Palace, they would likely be overjoyed already. Since you require time to deliberate, very well. This gathering is still several days away; consider it carefully. Few cultivators earn the appreciation of this Palace Master."

He gave Ye Qin a meaningful glance before departing, hands clasped behind his back.

The surrounding Golden Core cultivators had been eavesdropping, straining their ears to catch the conversation between the green-robed cultivator and Ye Qin. The cultivator had used his spiritual power to shield their dialogue from the outside, so none had heard the specifics. Now, they all looked at Ye Qin with strange gazes. For the Palace Master of the Purple Sword Palace to stoop to the level of speaking with an early-stage Golden Core cultivator—no one could fathom what was discussed.

Ye Qin paid no mind to the astonishment of the other Golden Core cultivators; for a long time, he remained submerged in the shock of the previous moment.

He had not immediately agreed.

Although the Purple Sword Palace Master had extended a very sincere invitation, Ye Qin felt no joy; on the contrary, he felt a degree of repulsion.

Thinking carefully, he already possessed the upper scroll of the Purple Jade Ancient Codex, the five Spirit Artifacts for the Grand Five Elements Sword Array, three of which he had already refined. The materials for the remaining two he would have to seek out himself. There was no immediate need to join the Purple Sword Palace.

The only benefit the Purple Sword Palace could offer him was likely the artifact refining techniques and sword control methods for the lower scroll, the Lesser Three Wonders Sword Array. However, as for refining materials, the cultivators within the Purple Sword Palace likely lacked sufficient amounts themselves; why would they freely gift him a batch of precious sword-refining raw materials?

Yet, the Lesser Three Wonders Sword Array was still a distant goal for Ye Qin's current cultivation level. Simply gathering the materials for the Grand Five Elements Sword Array would consume a considerable amount of his time.

If he truly joined the Purple Sword Palace, they would instantly gain a usable early-stage Golden Core cultivator—one capable of truly wielding the Grand Five Elements Sword Array. But he would receive no direct, tangible benefit, only an altered status.

Ye Qin inwardly scoffed, perhaps it was because he couldn't see enough immediate advantage that he felt this repulsion toward the green-robed cultivator's invitation.

After the lectures by the Nascent Soul cultivators concluded, they began to depart.

However, the hundreds of Golden Core cultivators remained, gathering in small clusters to exchange insights on the immortal path, discuss the obstacles encountered in their cultivation, or debate the differences between various cultivation methods.

Ye Qin mingled among them, listening to the debates on cultivation techniques among the higher-level Golden Core cultivators, completely losing track of time. Three full days passed before the exchange of immortal insights finally ceased. He felt he had gained immensely and even felt a lingering sense of wanting more.

"Now that the exchange of immortal insights is complete, and given that esteemed cultivators have gathered here, let us hold an item exchange session so everyone can acquire what they need," announced the chief steward of the Purple Sword Palace, signaling the start of the trade fair.

This trade fair was the final segment of the Purple Sword Palace gathering, allowing cultivators to swap rare items required for their cultivation.

The Nascent Soul cultivators had already departed. Many of the Golden Core cultivators had participated in the Purple Sword Palace trade fairs before and were quite casual about the proceedings, trading both inside and outside the main hall.

"This old man possesses the demonic core of a Azure Sea Scalefish. Who wishes to make an offer?"

A Golden Core cultivator loudly displayed a rank seven water-elemental demonic core, calling for bids or trades for gold-elemental ores of equivalent value. In the Purple Sword Palace, offers erupted everywhere, quickly making the area as lively as a market district.

Some Golden Core cultivators even set up small stalls in front of the hall, displaying heaps of items marked with clear prices for sale.

Since all attendees were Golden Core cultivators, the items they offered were naturally extraordinary—at least rank six or seven refining materials, artifact forging raw materials, finished magical tools, talisman papers, demonic cores, spiritual eggs of demonic beasts, and similar treasures.

These high-grade items were usually difficult to sell at ordinary markets, often sought after mainly by Foundation Establishment cultivators. The concentration of so many Golden Core cultivators here provided the perfect opportunity to move these high-tier goods.

Ye Qin walked among the stalls within the Purple Sword Palace, overjoyed.

The Spirit Root Potential Pill required over ten rare rank seven and rank eight spiritual herbs, which Shen Bao had continuously failed to find. Ye Qin managed to locate several of these on the makeshift stalls of the Golden Core cultivators.

He had not brought many spirit stones. He took out several rank seven spirit pills from his storage pouch and traded them for these high-grade herbs. High-tier spirit pills needed for Golden Core cultivation were even more sought after than superior-grade spirit stones.

To Ye Qin's surprise, at the stall of a middle-aged Golden Core cultivator, amidst a pile of earth-elemental spiritual herbs, he spotted a few grains of shallow-aged Yellow Dust Sand.

"How much for this earth-elemental sand?"

Ye Qin ignored the herbs and picked up those few grains instead.

The Golden Core cultivator glanced at the spiritual sand in Ye Qin's hand and hastily said, "Apologies, this low-grade earth elemental sand got mixed in when I was gathering spiritual herbs. It’s not for sale. My stall is only for high-grade items. Who would bring such low-grade earth elemental sand to sell? It would only invite ridicule."

Ye Qin's expression shifted, "Where did you gather these herbs? Are there many such Yellow Dust Sand particles there?"

Seeing that Ye Qin genuinely wanted to buy the Yellow Dust Sand, the middle-aged cultivator paused. "I don't know if this is Yellow Dust Sand. However, on my Yellow Stone Island, there is a lot of this kind of sand and rock. It's of no use. I plant my earth-elemental herbs in this sand."

Ye Qin finally showed excitement. "Brother, please sell me some of this sand!"

"Brother Ye intends to refine an earth-elemental magical sword using this Yellow Dust Sand?"

A cold voice, laced with a hint of arrogance, came from behind him. Upon hearing the familiar voice, Ye Qin frowned. Without turning around, he knew it was Zhou Yao, the Golden Core cultivator from the Purple Sword Palace.

Zhou Yao shot a look of disdain at the Yellow Dust Sand in Ye Qin's hand and said calmly, "This Yellow Dust Sand, only a few centuries old, can at best refine low-grade magical artifacts. What use is it? If Brother Ye truly needs Yellow Dust Sand, you might as well purchase some from our Purple Sword Palace. We have some approximately two to three thousand years old, which can refine at least high-grade magical artifacts. Since the Purple Sword Palace has plenty of this low-grade spiritual sand, perhaps we can sell some to you."

Ye Qin ignored Zhou Yao and addressed the middle-aged cultivator. "I have a grand-disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage who is collecting this kind of spiritual sand. It is useful, and the required quantity is vast. Why don't you sell this Yellow Dust Sand to my grand-disciple instead?"

"Done. Where is your grand-disciple?"

The middle-aged cultivator was surprised by Ye Qin's desire to purchase a large quantity of the Yellow Dust Sand. Such spiritual sand was abundant on his island. Although this low-grade sand sold cheaply, selling a large amount could still bring in a considerable number of spirit stones—an unexpected windfall.

Ye Qin gave the middle-aged cultivator Shen Bao's address in White Float City, then headed straight to other Golden Core cultivators' stalls to see if he could find any other treasures.

"Hmph, what nerve, completely ignoring me. Just you wait!"

Zhou Yao’s beautiful eyes flashed with anger. Gritting her teeth, she stamped her delicate foot in frustration and stormed away. As a core successor of the Purple Sword Palace, she commanded respect; who dared to treat her with such disregard? Strangely enough, despite her inherent arrogance, her temper had always been mild. But ever since she learned their Ancestor held this person in high regard, she felt deeply uneasy and sought opportunities to cause him trouble everywhere.

Not far away, a rather youthful middle-stage Golden Core man watched this scene, shook his head helplessly, and quickly walked toward Ye Qin. "Brother Ye!"

Ye Qin paused, turned back, and saw the young man, looking puzzled. "May I ask who you are?"

"Zhou Yi. Zhou Yao is my younger sister." The young man offered an apologetic smile. "My sister can be a bit spoiled; if her words caused any offense, I ask Brother Ye to forgive her."

Ye Qin finally understood and shook his head faintly. "Brother Zhou, your sister likely holds some prejudice against me. There is nothing I can do; I must simply avoid her as much as possible."

"Brother Ye is indeed magnanimous; that puts my mind at ease. Why don't we go over there and chat?" Zhou Yi chuckled, pointing toward a corner in the inner hall of the Purple Sword Palace where several dozen Golden Core cultivators were gathered.

Ye Qin frowned slightly. Those cultivators were disciples of the major renowned immortal palaces in White Float City, such as the White Float Palace and the Purple Sword Palace. He was reluctant to associate with these disciples from prestigious backgrounds. Ever since entering the Purple Sword Palace, he had remained outside the hall, where most attendees were not disciples of the immortal palaces.

"They are discussing some rather important matters concerning the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Since Brother Ye is a cultivator of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and plans to cultivate in the East Sea long-term, perhaps you should go over and listen; you might find it interesting," Zhou Yi persuaded with a smile.

Ye Qin considered it for a moment and entered the inner hall with Zhou Yi.

The several dozen Golden Core cultivators were currently engrossed in discussing one subject, paying no attention to Ye Qin and Zhou Yi's arrival.

"Brother Weifeng, I heard the Heavenly Dao Alliance might organize a larger operation. The Sect Master is preparing to issue an Edict of Conquest against a large Earth Tribe in the east. Brother Weifeng, as a disciple of the White Float Palace, you must know some inside information, right?" an old man with sallow skin inquired of a young cultivator in the center.

"This matter involves the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance. Although I am a disciple of the White Float Palace, it is not convenient for me to reveal too much. Otherwise, if the information leaks, the Sect Master might not forgive me," Yu Weifeng hesitated.