The Azure Pill Workshop was too small, covering only a few dozen acres, and could no longer accommodate the many Golden Core cultivators and Foundation Establishment disciples of the Azure Pill Sect.

Moreover, with two Nascent Soul cultivators now emerging from the Azure Pill Workshop, such a cramped layout felt even more unsuitable. Taking advantage of the grand celebration, Bie Xing, Shen Bao, and other leaders of the Azure Pill Workshop selected a tract of land spanning several dozen qing within White Float City. They procured various jade stones and spirit woods, embarking on a massive construction project to erect an immortal palace and grand hall.

White Float City boasted numerous skilled artisans, and materials from all corners were readily available. The palace's design was almost a direct replica of the main hall of the Central Land's Azure Pill Sect immortal palace.

The establishment of this immortal palace had long been part of the plans laid by Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er. Shen Bao had been instructed to make prior preparations, so everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Furthermore, with seasoned cultivators like Huangfu Rui present, handling the procurement of various immortal palace furnishings was a familiar process.

This magnificent immortal palace and grand hall, sprawling over dozens of qing, was swiftly completed in just one month.

The Nascent Soul Grand Ceremony for Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er was held in this very Azure Pill Palace.

Simultaneously, leveraging the timing of the grand celebration—an excellent occasion attended by esteemed fellow cultivators from all directions—Huangfu Bing'er formally announced the establishment of the Azure Pill Palace, becoming its inaugural Palace Mistress.

The Azure Pill Palace was affiliated with the Northern Sect Lineage of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and the main immortal palace governing this Northern Lineage was the Purple Sword Palace.

In the years Ye Qin spent undergoing tribulation, the Purple Sword Palace had risen to become the governing immortal palace of the Northern Sector of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Zhou Yu, the Palace Master, had decisively taken the top position to become the Sovereign of the Northern Sect. At that time, Ye Qin was focused on breaking through his cultivation barrier, so he was unable to personally participate in this matter.

On this day, after concluding the minor affairs of the Azure Pill Palace, Ye Qin found a moment of leisure and accompanied Zhou Yi, the Young Palace Master of the Purple Sword Palace, to the Immortal Welcoming Pavilion on the side hall of the Azure Pill Palace. The two sat down separately before the railing of the pavilion window. Ye Qin withdrew a spiritual gourd and two small crystal goblets from his storage pouch, filling both.

"This is a spiritual wine I brewed personally; Brother Zhou, please sample it!"

Ye Qin gestured invitingly and smiled.

Zhou Yi made no ceremony, grasping the white jade crystal goblet. After taking a sip of the spiritual brew and savoring it, his eyes widened in astonishment. He praised it heartily: "This wine possesses a dense spiritual fragrance that penetrates the heart, it is mellow and pure, suitable for cultivators of all spiritual roots. It should belong to a variety of the Hundred Blossoms Brew. However, as the Young Palace Master of the Purple Sword Palace, I have consumed countless drinks and tasted many Hundred Blossoms Brews from the brewing families of the Eastern Sea, yet the spiritual energy in them doesn't amount to even one-hundredth of Brother Ye’s wine. Brother Ye’s spiritual wine can truly be called an unparalleled spiritual vintage. How was this wine brewed?"

The astonishment on Zhou Yi's face was far less profound than the shock reverberating in his heart.

Spiritual brews in the cultivation world are not meant for mortals to drink until they are hopelessly drunk. The sole true purpose of a spiritual brew is to rapidly restore a cultivator's depleted magical power; flavor profiles like mellow sweetness or spiciness are merely incidental tastes with no substantial function.

Zhou Yi was intimately familiar with various spiritual wines. With just one taste, he instantly recognized the immense spiritual energy contained within this liquor.

A mere mouthful of this spiritual brew could instantly restore all his magical power. Considering he was a cultivator at the peak of the late Golden Core stage, the terrifying spiritual energy contained within this wine was staggering.

Cultivators must strictly manage their magical power during combat to avoid depletion, which can easily lead to defeat and death. If one carried a gourd of this spiritual wine, they could almost afford to expend their magical power recklessly to suppress and defeat an opponent, or use it for life-saving purposes when their own reserves ran out.

The moment Zhou Yi realized this, he became reluctant to drink any more.

"This exquisite vintage is far superior to the Hundred Blossoms Brew; it is called the Thousand Blossoms Brew. I used ninety-nine kinds of spiritual herbs ranging from Rank Seven to Rank Twelve, all with over a thousand years of medicinal potency. When they bloomed, I took their petals, blended them with spiritual spring water, and meticulously fermented them. I only have this small gourd, freshly brewed half a month ago. Brother Zhou has arrived at a fortunate time; let us share a few cups."

Ye Qin smiled and refilled both their goblets. His spiritual wine was actually brewed using the petals collected during the process of refining the Nascent Soul Pill and the Spiritual Root Potential Pill, even including the petals of the Sub-Ghost Lotus. The grade of this spiritual wine was likely unmatched throughout the entire Eastern Sea cultivation world.

"It must have required an immense amount of effort to acquire the petals of so many spiritual herbs just to brew this wine; Brother Ye truly has a refined hobby!"

Zhou Yi forced a wry smile.

Fortunately, he did not press the matter further.

He had not come to see Ye Qin merely for a drink.

"After we parted ways in the Sea of Blood, merely a few years have passed, yet upon meeting again today, Brother Ye has leaped from a Golden Core cultivator to a Nascent Soul cultivator! Such progress in cultivation leaves this junior far behind. It is a pity Brother Ye declined to spend a few more years on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List, otherwise, the top three spots would surely have been yours, with a significant chance at the very top."

Zhou Yi expressed some regret.

"The Demon Slaying List is not important to me; there is no need to compete for the top ten," Ye Qin replied, shaking his head. He then inquired, "What about you? You are now at the peak of the late Golden Core stage and rank high on the Demon Slaying List. What are your plans, and when will you attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm?"

He was well aware that Zhou Yi, as the most outstanding direct disciple of the current generation at the Purple Sword Palace, now commanded the vast resources of both the Purple Sword Palace and the Northern Immortal Palace of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator was almost a certainty; it was merely a matter of a few years later than himself.

Therefore, he continued to address him as a brother, not showing deference simply because he had reached the Nascent Soul stage.

"This tenth place on the Golden Core List was achieved purely by luck. Among the top ten on the Demon Slaying List, one was in seclusion attempting to reach Nascent Soul and withdrew from the list a few years ago; I only managed to squeeze into the top ten through that stroke of fortune. I have expended countless efforts over the past few years just to maintain this top-ten ranking. I no longer wish to delay. Once this current flurry of activity subsides, I will formally enter seclusion to strive for Nascent Soul!"

Zhou Yi commented self-deprecatingly.

"Brother Zhou's cultivation is already at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and your prestige has been firmly established over these years; it is time for you to become a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Ye Qin stated.

"Oh, right, since your honored wife has established her own Azure Pill Palace, does Brother Ye have any plans...?"

Zhou Yi hesitated slightly before speaking, his expression thoughtful. He was genuinely worried that Ye Qin might leave the Purple Sword Palace as a result.

"I will naturally remain the Fifth Elder of the Purple Sword Palace; you need not worry about that!" Ye Qin smiled. "My wife establishing the Azure Pill Palace is primarily to settle the many fellow sect members from the Azure Pill Sect residing in the Eastern Sea. Were it not for that, with her detached nature, she would never undertake the construction of an immortal palace."

"That is a relief! Although my Purple Sword Palace is now the governing immortal palace of the Northern Sector of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the situation remains unstable; there are still many immortal palaces secretly harboring disobedience. Brother Ye, as a Guest Elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, your willingness to remain serving as an Elder in the Purple Sword Palace is undoubtedly greatly beneficial to stabilizing the situation. The Sovereign plans to gather the power of the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Northern Sect Lineage soon to build a true immortal city in the Sea of Blood. The Sovereign has entrusted me to invite you to the Sea of Blood to assist in the construction of this immortal city. I wonder if you are available in the near future?"

Zhou Yi’s face lit up with joy; this was the true reason he rushed back to White Float City from the Sea of Blood.

"Brother Zhou, please relay to the Sovereign that once the Azure Pill matters are concluded, I will depart for the Sea of Blood to assist Sovereign Zhou in establishing the immortal city!"

Ye Qin considered for a moment before agreeing.

"Thank you, Brother Ye. I shall take my leave in the next few days and return to the Sea of Blood to report this matter to the Sovereign!"

Zhou Yi was overjoyed and said quickly.

The two chatted idly for a while longer, and after half an hour, Zhou Yi finally departed.

Ye Qin discussed this with Huangfu Bing'er.

Huangfu Bing'er did not object, though she felt a pang of sadness that their time together was too brief. With the new Azure Pill Palace recently built, she could not easily leave at the moment and would be unable to accompany Ye Qin to the Sea of Blood.

Since the decision to travel to the Sea of Blood had been made, Ye Qin naturally needed to make preparations, especially concerning his magical artifacts.

In the cultivation chamber of the Azure Pill Palace.

Ye Qin sat cross-legged, opening his mouth to shoot out five small flying swords that circled within a few yards around him.

These five Primordial Spirit artifacts appeared somewhat dim. They had sustained a degree of damage during the Grand Heavenly Tribulation. Although they displayed considerable power, their quality was ultimately insufficient to completely withstand the fierce bombardment of the heavenly lightning.

Fortunately, Ye Qin had possessed the minor Divine Ability-grade Xun Thunder Ancient Mirror and a set of minor Divine Ability-grade Silver Flood Dragon Flying Blades at the time; otherwise, lacking artifacts of sufficient might, he might not have been able to fully guard against the three bolts of Great Heavenly Lightning.

"It seems I must refine the Primordial Spirit artifacts for this Great Five Elements Sword Array into minor Divine Ability-grade artifacts! Otherwise, these few low-grade Primordial Spirit artifacts will be too weak and unsustainable in battle against demon cultivators in the Sea of Blood. Besides refining the Great Five Elements Sword Array, the Minor Three Marvel Sword Array should also be forged—all into minor Divine Ability-grade artifacts."

Ye Qin carefully inspected the degree of damage to the five flying swords and muttered to himself.

Thunder and fire damage wood, and the wood-element Heavenly Sound Silk Flute Sword sustained the most severe harm, showing dozens of cracks, and being scorched by the heavenly lightning fire, rendering it almost scrap metal, requiring complete re-forging. Next was the Heavenly One Ethereal Water Sword, which also suffered damage. In contrast, the Southern Bright Blazing Fire Sword, the Golden Crow Radiant Light Sword, and the Yellow Heaven Deep Earth Sword sustained lighter damage and would be easier to repair.