Indeed, Ding Wanyan, who cared deeply for Lei Dong, saw her ethereal form instantly solidify. She reached out her jade-like arm and embraced him. Lei Dong swiftly snatched her pearl, securing it in his grasp. Just as Ding Wanyan was about to utter something with a feigned look of annoyance and anger, Lei Dong hooked his arm around her neck and pressed his lips to hers.

For a time, the bridal chamber was filled with boundless splendor.

Several hurried months slipped by. During these months, after a brief stay at the Yin Sha Sect, Lei Dong and his wife traveled to the Great Ding Kingdom, residing in the Royal Manor for a spell. They enjoyed their time together immensely. Especially Lei Dong’s cherished wife; though gentle and gracious in temperament, when it came to the joys of matrimony, she could be mischievous one moment and exquisitely yielding the next, greatly delighting Lei Dong.

Nothing of major consequence transpired during this period, so we shall gloss over it briefly.

Lei Dong’s heart gradually settled, prompting him to contemplate his future objectives. After ten years, culminating in a battle with Huangfu Ce and successfully marrying his Senior Sister, Lei Dong felt a great sense of gratification, yet he constantly pondered what lay ahead.

By now, the couple possessed a net worth of over nineteen million pure spirit stones. The vast majority of this bounty came from his Master as a wedding gift. The remainder stemmed from wedding presents and the spirit stones Ding Wanyan gambled on Lei Dong winning. Of course, the spiritual artifacts and treasures they held, combined, were also quite valuable. Though both were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, their combined wealth rivaled that of many Golden Core Ancestors outside the major sects. Ding Wanyan was dutiful, pooling all the spirit stones and entrusting them to Lei Dong’s safekeeping.

Lei Dong meticulously considered, and discussed with Ding Wanyan, how to utilize this wealth. There was no question of letting it gather dust, nor was it feasible to spend it all as soon as they earned it, as they had in the past. The correct path was to use spirit stones to generate more spirit stones, thus eliminating any future worries concerning cultivation expenses. Furthermore, Lei Dong understood their situation: his wife possessed outstanding aptitude. Although her cultivation required far, far fewer resources than his, Lei Dong believed she was too frugal. If she cultivated at his own terrifying rate of consumption, her progress would be much swifter.

If even one of them reached the Golden Core stage first, their chances of survival in this world would dramatically increase. As a transmigrator, the sense of looming crisis in this chaotic world could never be easily shaken off.

Naturally, Lei Dong was reluctant for the couple to personally manage business ventures. After all, that would consume too much time away from cultivation. Earning spirit stones was merely a means to an end—a necessary external factor to pave the way for them to ascend to the Golden Core stage and perhaps even beyond—it was not the ultimate goal. To spend excessive time purely chasing profit would be counterproductive and unsatisfying.

This realization suggested the necessity of recruiting some personnel to establish an initial core team. Currently, the only true member of Lei Dong’s burgeoning faction was the young girl, Ouyang Rong’er. She possessed a nearly unparalleled talent in planting and alchemy. Her cultivation aptitude was also respectable; theoretically, her potential was slightly superior to his own.

Of course, Lei Dong primarily sought her expertise in planting and alchemy. Her cultivation talent merely ensured she would live longer and be able to serve him for a longer duration.

As for other personnel, Lei Dong had considered options. Recruiting from the Myriad Ghost Cave was certainly inappropriate, as that was his Master’s domain. Poaching his fellow disciples would mean undermining his venerable master, who had built everything up painstakingly. To take his people would be unjustifiable, morally or logically. That left only the option of recruiting rogue cultivators or minor cultivation families willing to pledge allegiance as his foundational cadre.

This approach was not only precedented within the great sects, but quite common. It wasn't tantamount to establishing an independent power base. Even some of Lei Dong’s fellow Foundation Establishment seniors had gathered groups of rogue cultivators to help them manage shops, industries, or even stalls within certain market towns, with many of these helpers not residing within the Myriad Ghost Cave. Foundation Establishment cultivators generally could not independently support a market town; a market town without a Golden Core Ancestor backing it was like a castle built on sand or a structure made of ice—unstable and unreliable.

Moreover, even merchants would be unwilling to set up shop in such a town, wouldn’t they? Thus, although Lei Dong desired to establish a market presence, it seemed highly impractical at this stage. For now, setting up a mere shop or two to gain experience would suffice; if the profits were minor, it would still be beneficial for forming a preliminary team.

In the Great Ding Kingdom, the sovereign’s surname was Ding, making him a member of Ding Wanyan’s clan. This was a rather vast empire; at its widest points, the territory stretched ten thousand li, and its population once peaked at over sixty million. Its economy was thriving, and the living standards of its populace were high.

This region fell under the sphere of influence of the Yin Sha Sect, yet it bordered the majority of the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s territory. Furthermore, this kingdom even had a long, narrow sliver of land poking directly into the sphere of influence of the Heavenly Sound Palace.

Within the Great Ding Kingdom, although nominally under the Yin Sha Sect’s authority, the sect actually governed it with a style akin to grazing livestock. One could establish a stronghold, form a small sect, create a cultivation family, or even open a market town exclusively for cultivators. The prerequisite was accepting Yin Sha Sect's oversight and submitting a certain quota of resources, equivalent to a fixed number of spirit stones, every ten years.

In fact, for top-tier sects like the Yin Sha Sect, aside from their core territories which were under absolute control, vast expanses of surrounding land were classified as Directly Controlled Zones. Beyond that were scattered territories across Kangzhou, referred to as Indirectly Controlled Zones.

Directly Controlled Zones included areas governed by the Myriad Ghost Cave and the various other Caves and Manors. In these territories, regardless of one's power, even a small family could not take root.

The Directly Controlled Zone was precisely this area, belonging to the Yin Sha Sect's domain, where everything revolved around the Yin Sha Sect’s leadership. Although the Yin Sha Sect might not always exercise this dominance, it certainly possessed the right and the capability to erase any entity that dared to defy it. Every large or small power within this region had to rely upon the shelter of the Yin Sha Sect.

The Indirectly Controlled Zones were far more numerous. A large portion of the world was not under the control of the Eight Great Sects. However, for their respective interests, these sects would use their strength to cooperate with local minor powers, acting as their patrons and supporters. The goal, naturally, was to share the profits—manipulating these minor sects and powers remotely, treating them as chess pieces to contend against other top-tier sects, attempting to seize more resources, strengthen themselves, and weaken their enemies.

It was through all these layered structures that the colossal bodies of the top-tier sects were formed, their roots intertwined and their influence extended to the extreme.

Presently, however, Lei Dong was only concerned with turning his household spirit stones into mother stones that would generate more small spirit stones. His gaze was momentarily fixed on the prosperous Great Ding Kingdom. Some might claim that the prosperity of the mortal world had nothing to do with cultivators?

This notion was incorrect. Cultivators were human, possessing the seven emotions and six desires; they too enjoyed various forms of pleasure. Some favored male companionship, others female; some delighted in fine cuisine, or in being revered and worshipped. Consequently, the more powerful the mortal nation, the more cultivators tended to congregate there. The more affluent the area, the higher the likelihood of cultivators living in seclusion or directly integrating into powerful families as honored retainers.

It was within the Dingnan Royal Manor, his wife's ancestral home in the Great Ding Kingdom, that Lei Dong discovered two Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator retainers and over twenty Qi Refining retainers. In contrast to retainers in other influential families who might become arrogant enough to try and usurp their masters, those in the Dingnan Royal Manor were remarkably compliant and extremely courteous to their patrons. The reason was simple: the Old Prince and Princess's daughter was one of the Yin Sha Twin Heroes. Such a formidable reputation was not something two ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could afford to lightly slight. As for the Qi Refining rogue cultivators, they dared not cause any trouble whatsoever.

Nevertheless, this observation showed that a considerable number of cultivators were gathered in the Great Ding Kingdom. Cultivators shared a common trait: they preferred to congregate in specific areas. After all, humans are gregarious beings; cultivators also need companions and a community to feel a sense of security. Moreover, where cultivators were numerous, finding partners for trade or collaboration was much simpler.

Furthermore, the region was vast, boasting numerous spiritual ley lines and abundant resources. Across thousands of li of land lay countless beautiful spots featuring famous mountains and grand lakes.

Thus, Lei Dong selected this location for his development not just because of the high density of cultivators. Being situated at the juncture bordering the Heavenly Dao Alliance, with a corner encroaching upon the Heavenly Sound Palace’s territory, this tri-border region was exactly what Lei Dong favored. It promised numerous opportunities and infinite possibilities. In terms of security, it was also excellent, as it fell within the Yin Sha Sect's Directly Controlled Zone. Should hostile forces attempt disruption, the sect was there to intercede on their behalf.

The Great Ding Kingdom possessed a total of four cultivator market towns. These towns were less like markets and more like small cities or towns. After repeated comparisons, Lei Dong selected one located in the northeast. Among the four, it was neither the largest nor the smallest, but its location was exceptionally advantageous. It lay only a thousand li from the Heavenly Dao Alliance's sphere of influence and even closer—a mere eight hundred li—to the Heavenly Sound Palace’s territory. This location, the very corner that poked into the Heavenly Sound Palace’s domain, gave Lei Dong particular satisfaction.