Fellow Daoists may use the Five Vault Token, the Wood Vault Pass Token, and the Bone Token to separately claim one North Sea Ice Lotus Nascent Soul Pill and one Spiritual Root Bone from Great God Bingfeng, Great God Dawei, and the Skeleton Demon Cave Master, respectively...

Ye Qin steered the Dark Cloud Barrier, circling above the island. Huangfu Bing'er had her eye on a peak far from the Wu Clan settlement but brimming with abundant spiritual energy. The trio immediately set about carving out a dwelling cave on that mountain.

Under Ye Qin’s manipulation, the sharp Golden Crow Radiance Sword sliced into the mountainside as if cutting tofu. Soon, a cave spanning several hundred zhang was hollowed out within the mountain’s core.

Huangfu Bing'er personally etched the intricate decorative patterns inside the cave dwelling.

Bai Xiuer took on the task of moving massive stones, hoisting giant slabs of rock and tossing them into the sea.

With the three working in concert, a cave dwelling was swiftly established on the peak.

This dwelling comprised one main hall and five smaller chambers.

Inside, Huangfu Bing'er established a Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array to concentrate as much spiritual energy from the island as possible.

Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er occupied the Earth Chamber; Bai Xiuer took the Metal Chamber. The Water Chamber and Wood Chamber were reserved for closed-door cultivation, while the Fire Chamber was designated for alchemy.

Once the layout was finalized, Huangfu Bing'er and Bai Xiuer retrieved the various common spiritual implements and furniture they had long prepared from their storage bags, setting about furnishing the space. After all, they intended to reside on this island for a considerable time; they couldn't just live like hermits in an empty rock cavern.

Furthermore, Huangfu Bing'er placed a concealment formation right outside the cave entrance on the peak. To any observer, the flora and fauna outside the dwelling remained perfectly natural, leaving no trace of its presence. Inside, using formation flags procured at great expense in spirit stones, they set up several defensive formations to guard the entire complex.

Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator or a demon cultivator were to discover and attack this location, these defensive arrays would be sufficient to hold out long enough for the three of them to react.

With all this complete, the already spiritually rich Zexiu Peak became even more shrouded in spiritual mist as the qi converged.

However, discerning anything unusual about the peak proved exceedingly difficult.

Having established their dwelling, Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er commenced their respective cultivation practices.

Ye Qin needed to enter secluded seclusion to focus entirely on alchemy.

Huangfu Bing'er had just reached the peak of the seventh layer of the Golden Core realm, teetering on the edge of the eighth, and required intensified practice. As for Bai Xiuer, the pair felt no worry. She had always possessed astonishing divine strength and sharp wit, and never suffered setbacks. Moreover, a massive Wu Clan tribe resided on the island; as they were all of the Earth lineage, she wouldn't encounter any danger.

Seeing Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er enter seclusion, Bai Xiuer left the cave and went to the Wu Clan settlement to socialize.

Ye Qin entered the newly arranged alchemy chamber and sat cross-legged.

From a storage pouch at his waist, he withdrew the seeds of various spiritual herbs Shen Bao had collected for refining the Spiritual Root Potential Pill, introducing them all into his Purple Mansion, then sinking his divine sense into the haze-filled expanse of the Purple Mansion.

In this boundless, gray expanse of sky, the Wood Island, Fire Island, and Earth Island floated silently, arranged in a triangular formation.

A brilliant Golden Core Nascent Soul flew out from the protective light barrier surrounding the Nascent Soul Stele on the Wood Floating Island, arriving at the small cottage located at the center of the Wood Floating Island. This cottage not only stored vast quantities of spiritual herb seeds but also a tremendous reserve of spirit stones. So long as the Wood Floating Island had spirit stones to supply it, the planted spiritual items could grow rapidly. Not far from the cottage, Ye Qin had specifically sectioned off an area for cultivation fields, and the Ziyou Lotus was planted within this plot.

This Ziyou Lotus, having grown from a single stem of a lotus base, had long matured after years of Ye Qin nurturing it with abundant Five Elements spirit stones. It had now produced a cluster of lotus pods. Within the cluster were five lotus seeds, corresponding to Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

This five-colored lotus cluster shimmered dazzlingly, saturated with dense, almost dripping Five Elements spiritual energy.

What Ye Qin needed was the Fire Lotus Seed from within this cluster.

“The refining of the Spiritual Root Potential Pill requires the lotus seed corresponding to the desired attribute as the primary medicine, supplemented by vast amounts of auxiliary ingredients. Different lotus seeds yield Spiritual Root Potential Pills that increase different potential points. Furthermore, the types of auxiliary medicines chosen vary depending on the seed’s attribute. The refinement process is exceedingly complex.”

“One Spiritual Root Potential Pill can only increase the corresponding spiritual root by one point.” Ye Qin’s Nascent Soul hovered near the Ziyou Lotus, observing the mature plant, his thoughts complex.

To successfully refine the Spiritual Root Potential Pill and compensate for the imbalance in Bing'er’s Ice-Fire dual spiritual roots, he had already expended immense effort and dedication.

Now, all the spiritual herb seeds were secured; only the final step remained—refining the lotus seeds into elixirs.

However, even at his current level as a mid-stage Minor Divine Skill Alchemy Grandmaster, he lacked complete confidence!

These lotus seeds were high-grade, rank twelve. The Spiritual Root Potential Pill, which forcefully augmented a cultivator's spiritual roots by seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth, presented a difficulty that was easy to imagine. It likely required the level of a late-stage Minor Divine Skill Alchemy Grandmaster for a greater assurance of success.

“Only by reaching the late stage of the Minor Divine Skill Alchemy Grandmaster can there be a higher probability of successful refinement. Otherwise, if the Fire-attributed lotus seeds of the Ziyou Lotus are exhausted, it will require immense time and wealth to cultivate them anew.”

Ye Qin shook his head, marking off a field area on the Wood Floating Island, planting the seeds of the auxiliary spiritual materials, and sprinkling the corresponding spirit stone powder to accelerate their growth.

“Bing'er is deficient in one Fire spiritual root point to achieve the balance of forty-nine for both Ice and Fire, avoiding unforeseen complications during the Nascent Soul breakthrough. The current urgent task is to refine one Fire-attributed Spiritual Root Potential Pill.”

“As for allowing Bing'er to reach a perfect fifty-fifty balance, that requires cultivating the Ice Lotus Seed, which is currently impossible for now,” Ye Qin mused, watching the spiritual material seeds slowly sprout, having made up his mind. He then withdrew his divine sense from the Purple Mansion.

He was currently a mid-stage Minor Divine Skill Alchemy Grandmaster.

Advancing from the mid-stage to the late-stage of the Minor Divine Skill Alchemy Grandmaster realm had no major bottlenecks, though there were certainly no shortcuts. The only path forward was continuous refinement of rank ten or higher spiritual medicines, relying entirely on accumulated proficiency to elevate his alchemy skill.

For the vast majority of Divine Alchemy Masters, improving their skill was not easy, as rank ten and above Nascent Soul-level spiritual herbs were exceedingly rare, often requiring thousands of years or more to cultivate. Even the plantation grounds of a Great Immortal Palace did not hold many rank ten or higher spiritual materials.

Fortunately, Ye Qin possessed the Wood Vault, allowing him to rapidly cultivate high-grade spiritual materials using spirit stones. He also had the Earth Vault to recycle the spiritual energy from failed elixirs, minimizing energy loss as much as possible.

For the next month or so, Ye Qin remained reclusive.

He forcefully elevated his Minor Divine Skill Alchemy level by cultivating the rank eleven and twelve precious spiritual medicines grown in his Wood Vault.

However, improving alchemy skill was not something that could be rushed. Ye Qin was not eager to attempt refinement immediately. After spending a month in the alchemy chamber, he emerged to clear his mind, believing it would benefit his subsequent refining efforts.

One day, Ye Qin exited the alchemy chamber and entered the main hall of the dwelling.

“Husband, you are out of seclusion! The day before yesterday, Elder Wutu of the Wu Clan came to pay a visit. He requested an audience, hoping to speak with you. Since you were in seclusion, I told him to wait a few days and sent him back,” Huangfu Bing'er emerged from the hall when she saw Ye Qin, walking toward him.

“Elder Wutu? He always seemed quite wary and cautious of us. Why would he proactively seek an audience?”

Ye Qin frowned, surprised. He clearly remembered that Elder Wutu had treated him with the demeanor of guarding against a thief, unwilling to have any contact. Yet, after only a month, he was rushing to seek a meeting—this was strange.

“Did Elder Wutu state the reason for his visit?”

“He did. It concerns Xiu'er, actually. Xiu'er has been visiting the Wu Clan settlement frequently in her free time recently and has befriended many of the tribesmen. Somehow, she won the favor of their Clan Chief and several elders. Their Chief and elders wish for Xiu’er to join their Wu Tribe and become their Saintess, promising to cultivate her with all their might.”

“If Xiu’er is willing, then it’s fine. Have you asked for Xiu’er’s opinion?”

Ye Qin pondered for a moment.

“I did. But Xiu’er said she is the Young Chief of the Baishi Tribe and has no intention of joining the Wu Clan settlement. Elder Wutu came because of this matter, hoping we could offer guidance. In the East Sea Cultivation World, Earth Clan tribes are subservient to the cultivators, so the final decision rests with the cultivators. Elder Wutu essentially hoped we could persuade Xiu'er to agree, even offering sufficient compensation in exchange for her. I was annoyed by his rudeness then, but restrained myself out of neighborly consideration, not scolding him.” Huangfu Bing'er shook her head.

“Since Xiu’er disagrees, there is no need. A Wu Clan tribe from a Blood Sand outpost is not a significant power. Even becoming their Saintess holds little meaning,” Ye Qin scoffed.

In the East Sea, he had seen a Saintess of an Earth Clan tribe; although her status appeared noble, it meant little in reality.

“Since Husband sees it the same way, next time Elder Wutu comes, I will make him give up this idea completely,” Huangfu Bing'er said with a smile.

“Yes, handle it as you see fit,” Ye Qin replied. After discussing and settling the matter concerning Bai Xiuer and the Wu Tribe, Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er walked to a reef by the island shore and sat facing the sea. The salty, pungent sea breeze blew across their faces, invigorating Ye Qin’s spirit.

Gazing at the vast sky, the leaping fish, and soaring birds, his mind felt utterly clear. He slowly closed his eyes, absorbing the experience and insights gained from a month spent refining rank eleven elixirs.

Most of the alchemy attempts during this past month had ended in failure. However, it was precisely through these failures that he gained more lessons and experience.

Ye Qin sat there for an entire day and night, still as a withered log, as unmoving as a stone.

The next day, as the rising sun slowly appeared, casting its first rays upon Ye Qin,

He suddenly opened his eyes. A brilliant essence flowed within them, a fierce spiritual vitality flashing and vanishing instantly.

Most importantly, he had gained a deeper comprehension of the art of alchemy.

Then, Ye Qin gracefully returned to the alchemy chamber on the peak housing their dwelling and settled down, preparing for another period of seclusion.

A faint medicinal fragrance drifted from the alchemy chamber.