Several days later, Jiang Ran, Ye Qin, and the other eight late-stage Golden Core cultivators returned to Xiaguang City. Upon entering the city, Jiang Ran immediately returned to his residence to retrieve a large sum of spirit stones, paying the group of Golden Core cultivators the fee for the commissioned demon hunting, totaling fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones.

This sum was astronomical; he wouldn't have been able to afford it if he wasn't the Young Palace Master of the Treasure Glow Palace. For the assembled Golden Core cultivators, receiving such a massive reward in just a few days was extremely worthwhile.

Afterward, Jiang Ran swiftly took the Tenth-Tier Demon Core of the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent to the Xiaguang City branch of the Heavenly Dao Alliance to register his merits for hunting demon cultivators. The various Golden Core cultivators, having received their substantial remuneration, departed one after another.

Niu Qin wasn't overly concerned about the top position on the Golden Core Ranking. Being in the top ten of the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking held significant meaning, being highly beneficial for accumulating fame and prestige, which would aid in the future competition for the Heavenly Dao Alliance Sect Master or the Giant of the Heavenly Demon Alliance.

However, this top-ten list was only accessible to the absolute top Golden Core cultivators from a few major Immortal Palaces; ordinary Golden Core cultivators held no hope of reaching the top ten. Whether Jiang Ran could use his merits from hunting demon cultivators to instantly ascend to the top of the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking, displacing Li Qingyu of the Supreme Radiance Palace who had long held the title, had no bearing on Ye Qin.

After some time, Ye Qin calculated that the one-year time limit for the demon hunting mission he had agreed upon with Palace Master Zhou of the Purple Sword Palace was nearly up. That day, Ye Qin arrived at the Purple Sword Palace's station in Xiaguang City—an immortal pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, quite a few Purple Sword Palace disciples were busy. Seeing Ye Qin appear, their expressions were respectful, just as if they were greeting any of the other elders.

Over the past year, as Ye Qin climbed steadily on the Golden Core Ranking, his status in the hearts of the Purple Sword Palace disciples had also risen considerably. "Is the Palace Master present?" Ye Qin asked a purple-robed disciple inside the pavilion casually.

"Elder Ye, the Palace Master went out demon hunting a few days ago. He returned to the city recently to replenish some necessary supplies and plans to rest for a few days.

He is currently upstairs," the purple-robed disciple quickly replied. "Mm!" Ye Qin nodded and proceeded toward the upper level of the pavilion.

He found Palace Master Zhou in the top-floor reception hall. Palace Master Zhou, clad in a gray robe, stood beside the main seat of the pavilion, near the window, gazing out at the street below, seemingly lost in thought.

A hint of fatigue showed on his usually composed face, yet his gaze remained as steady as a mountain, and his cultivation seemed even more profound. "Elder Ye, you've arrived!" Hearing the movement behind him, he turned, and upon seeing Ye Qin, smiled faintly.

"Greetings, Palace Master!" Ye Qin cupped his hands in salute. Seeing Zhou Yu's expression, Ye Qin's heart stirred; it seemed Palace Master Zhou's demon hunting had been extremely arduous recently, otherwise, he wouldn't be showing such fatigue.

"Elder Ye, reaching eleventh place on the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking within a year has exceeded my expectations. At least among the disciples of the Shang Tang Palace and the other major Immortal Palaces on the Golden Core Ranking, they cannot compete with us!

This is greatly advantageous for the Purple Sword Palace in the contest for the Sect Master position!" Palace Master Zhou waved his hand, inviting Ye Qin to sit, and laughed aloud, a rather rare occurrence. Ye Qin sat in the guest seat, smiling faintly, saying nothing.

He naturally understood that securing the Northern Sect Master position of the Heavenly Dao Alliance depended primarily on the Nascent Soul Demon Slaying Ranking. The Golden Core Ranking was merely a minor supplementary element, not decisive.

Only if the Nascent Soul Ranking reached a deadlock would the Golden Core Ranking produce an unexpected effect. "There are only a little over half a month left until the selection of the Northern Sect Master; the result will be out soon.

I previously promised that as long as you entered the top hundred of the Golden Core Ranking within a year, I would give you this piece of Thunder Stone from my private collection. You have now fulfilled that task, so I shall give you this Thunder Stone!" Palace Master Zhou flicked the storage ring on his right hand, and a white jade box, about a foot square, appeared in his palm.

He placed the white jade box on the table and opened it. Inside lay a fist-sized, dark black ore, faintly shimmering with dazzling light, occasionally showing thin, hair-like arcs of lightning snapping with a faint pizi, emitting an extremely intense lightning aura.

"This is a Thunder Marsh Stone, taken from Thunder Marsh Mountain. This mountain is in the East Sea; it is constantly plagued by thunderstorms and inhabited by Thunder Beasts, making it extremely perilous.

I found this Eleventh-Grade Thunder Marsh Stone on Thunder Marsh Mountain during my travels after becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator; it is exceedingly rare. The ores from Thunder Marsh Mountain have been mined by the Nascent Soul cultivators of the East Sea for a long time, and it is now difficult to find lightning-element ores of such high grade.

Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, you can use this stone to forge a lightning-element flying sword, completing the Lesser Three Odd Sword Formation." Palace Master Zhou explained. Ye Qin examined the Thunder Marsh Stone closely, feeling a slight awe.

He dared not casually touch the stone, which was contained within the white jade box. Although this ore had not yet been refined, the latent thunder spiritual energy within it was so potent that the electrical arcs could still injure a Golden Core stage cultivator.

He nodded in satisfaction and solemnly placed the jade box into his storage pouch. "Elder Ye, what are your plans for the future?

Will you continue to press for the Golden Core Ranking? With your strength, breaking into the top ten should be manageable.

Or do you have other intentions?" Palace Master Zhou also sat in the main seat and asked with a smile. "Palace Master, I am at the eighth layer of the Golden Core stage and plan to return to secluded cultivation to prepare for the breakthrough to Nascent Soul and the tribulation.

As for the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking, since I am a member of the Heavenly Dao Alliance Elder Council, entering the top ten doesn't significantly impact my future." Ye Qin considered for a moment and shook his head. "That is also fine.

Members of the Elder Council do not require excessive fame or prestige; the focus should remain on one's own cultivation. The competition for the Northern Sect Master position will conclude soon.

Your most important task now is to become a Nascent Soul cultivator as soon as possible, so the Purple Sword Palace will have another powerful Nascent Soul elder, significantly boosting our strength." Palace Master Zhou agreed and nodded. After chatting in the hall for a while, Ye Qin soon took his leave and descended the pavilion.

On the first floor of the pavilion, as Ye Qin was about to depart, he saw Zhou Yi entering. Ye Qin took the opportunity to bid farewell to Zhou Yi as well.

Zhou Yi and the rest of the Golden Core cultivators remained in Xiaguang City, continuing to hunt demonic beasts and push their rankings on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. This list held little significance for Ye Qin; proving his strength matched his elder status was sufficient.

But for him, the Young Palace Master of the Purple Sword Palace, its importance was obvious—the higher the better. It was likely that until he reached the Nascent Soul stage, Zhou Yi would remain in the Blood Sea hunting sea beasts.

Ye Qin used the teleportation array in Xiaguang City to return directly to Linhai City. East Sea, Linhai City.

Ye Qin emerged from the teleportation array within the city and walked along the bustling, crowded streets. Looking around at the throngs of people, he unconsciously felt much more relaxed.

Stalls lined the streets surrounding the square, displaying dazzling arrays of goods, with cultivators loudly hawking their wares to passersby. "Ninth-Grade Demon Python Skin, excellent material for refining light armor.

Come take a look, who needs it?" "I am massively purchasing low-grade demon cores, one tenth above the average price in Linhai City. Hurry if you wish to sell!" Ye Qin smiled faintly.

The atmosphere in Linhai City was entirely different from Xiaguang City. This was a relatively safe rear-area Immortal City, not on the front lines of the Immortal-Demon War in the Blood Sea.

Although inspections were strict within the city, it was not overly tense. Unlike Xiaguang City, where one had to constantly guard against a massive demon raid or even prepare for escape should the city fall, Linhai City offered a different ambiance.

In Linhai City, one could see many low-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, which was not possible in the Blood Sea. The East Sea cultivators had operated in this city for a long time, and the demon cultivators dared not attack easily.

As the Immortal-Demon War intensified, numerous Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators traveled back and forth between Linhai City and the front lines. All manner of war supplies flowed continuously from the major Immortal Cities of the East Sea, gathering here before being transported to the Blood Sea front.

Conversely, various materials obtained by cultivators hunting demonic beasts and demon cultivators in the Blood Sea were shipped back to Linhai City for sale. The volume of daily trade here was astonishing.

Ye Qin navigated the crowded streets of cultivators and returned to his residence in Linhai City. In the courtyard, a swift shadow was moving rapidly, wielding a massive azure ancient halberd completely disproportionate to her slender figure, practicing earth-elemental combat techniques with alternating slow and quick movements.

Every sweep of the azure halberd, seemingly slow, subtly revealed a fierce, chilling azure light. Bai Xiuer practiced for a long time until she was sweating profusely, her exquisite armor nearly soaked through.

Seeing Ye Qin return with a smile on his face, her eyes immediately brightened, and she exclaimed happily, "Brother Ye, when did you get back!" Just as she was about to run over, she suddenly felt her clothes were inappropriate, blushed, and hurriedly retreated to her room to change. Ye Qin merely smiled.

At that moment, a woman of peerless, breathtaking beauty emerged from the inner chambers. Though dressed in simple, plain white robes, she possessed an unparalleled elegance that stirred the heart.

It was Huangfu Bing'er; upon hearing Xiuer exclaim that Ye Qin had returned, she was surprised and rushed out from the inner dwelling. "Husband, you've returned!" "Mm, I'm back!" Ye Qin replied, gazing tenderly at Bing'er.

Huangfu Bing'er stood gracefully, light flowing through her clear, ice-like eyes, looking at him with a hint of a smile. The couple exchanged no grand words, yet the warmth between them was ineffable.

The husband and wife, having been separated for a year, found the brief parting sweeter than a first wedding night. Their mutual affection went without saying.

Ye Qin had no intention of involving himself in the affairs of the Immortal-Demon Grand Array upon his return to Linhai City this time. His days were spent accompanying Huangfu Bing'er, refining pills, and immersing himself in cultivation.

His cultivation had already neared the peak of the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage. In truth, once a cultivator reaches the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage, they can attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm and face the Great Heavenly Tribulation.

However, for the sake of prudence, cultivators generally continue cultivating to the absolute peak of the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage before attempting to break through the bottleneck and undergo the Great Heavenly Tribulation. For the vast majority of late-stage Golden Core cultivators, they have only one chance to ascend to Nascent Soul, and they will certainly choose the moment they feel most certain to attempt the breakthrough.

If the attempt fails to breach the Nascent Soul bottleneck, there usually won't be a second chance. After all, for an ordinary late-stage Golden Core cultivator to luckily obtain a single Nascent Soul Pill is already a massive fortune, making it difficult to expect consuming more Nascent Soul Pills.

If they successfully break the Nascent Soul bottleneck but fail to withstand the subsequent immensely powerful lightning tribulation, they often perish utterly under the tribulation's might. Either scenario is quite dire.

For Ye Qin, the matter of the Nascent Soul Pill was not a major obstacle. He only needed to cultivate until the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage before he could begin challenging the Nascent Soul bottleneck.

There was no need to spend an extra ten or twenty years continuing to cultivate to the peak of the ninth layer. Of course, to face the Great Heavenly Tribulation, he still needed to prepare as many magical artifacts for tribulation defense as possible, to avoid being insufficient in his countermeasures when the time came.

Huangfu Bing'er’s cultivation progress was slightly faster than Ye Qin's. When Ye Qin reached the eighth layer of the Golden Core stage, Bing'er was already at the ninth layer, but for the sake of caution, she had never rushed to attempt the Nascent Soul bottleneck.