The proposition put forth by Lei Dong had been thoroughly considered. Given his current cultivation progress, reaching the Golden Core stage would not be achievable in a short span. Securing a Golden Core level companion quickly would significantly boost his survivability. Although he intended to elevate his Critical Hit Ghost Guard to the Ghost General level, it remained uncertain whether a Ghost General could hold the line in a one-on-one duel against a Golden Core cultivator. After all, cultivators who managed to reach the Golden Core realm were seldom impoverished. Even if a cultivator started out poor, once they achieved the Golden Core, their financial situation would swiftly improve. The speed and sources by which Golden Core cultivators acquired Spirit Stones far surpassed those available to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Therefore, in this world, the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators, even those dedicated to earning Spirit Stones, would consider earning over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones annually to be quite good, representing high income. Even adventuring in dangerous locations like the Boundless Sea Area, earning several hundred thousand a year would be the absolute ceiling. Captain Qian’s team was already quite profitable; if they ventured out twice a year and managed to slay, on average, three Golden Core demonic beasts each time, the total revenue might reach four or five million Spirit Stones. After deducting various expenses and consumables, the actual amount received by the six members would only be a few hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Furthermore, this few hundred thousand Spirit Stones was not pure profit. In such perilous zones, who dared venture out without stockpiling items like elixirs and high-powered talismans? Despite the figure of a few hundred thousand Spirit Stones, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even one in the late stage, it remained a considerable sum. Otherwise, why would anyone eagerly risk immense danger to venture into such extremely hazardous places?

Individuals like Lei Dong, with his abnormal earning methods, were exceedingly rare. For him, precisely because his natural aptitude was average, making his cultivation inherently slow, his primary consideration after amassing wealth was continuously enhancing the destructive power of his spirit artifacts. This resulted in a situation where his cultivation appeared low, but his actual combat prowess was formidable, often allowing him to defeat stronger opponents without even feigning weakness. As his wealth accumulated deeper and deeper, acquiring more wealth became easier. It was akin to how difficult it is for someone starting with nothing to earn one million. But once you possess ten million, earning another million becomes relatively effortless.

Such a disparity existed between Lei Dong and the other members of the team. Even though Captain Qian was already in the late Foundation Establishment stage, he had been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for fifteen years, likely spending that time accumulating Spirit Stones only to buy elixirs to attempt a breakthrough. After failing, he would resume his journey to earn money. Consequently, the spirit artifacts and equipment he possessed were leagues behind Lei Dong’s.

Upon hearing Lei Dong mention advancing to the Golden Core stage, Captain Qian’s eyes initially lit up, only to dim immediately afterward, a look of deep pain crossing his face. To be stuck at the same cultivation level for fifteen years without any progress, having tried and failed repeatedly to reach the Golden Core—what agony that was! If his aptitude had been mediocre, it might be excusable. But those who reached the peak of Foundation Establishment at his age were hardly untalented. Once, Captain Qian was a promising young genius whose talent drew praise wherever he went. Now, while he might not face outright disdain, true powerhouses paid him no mind. Golden Core—those two words were muttered in his dreams every night.

“Lei Dong, stop pulling my leg,” Captain Qian forced a bitter smile and shook his head. “If I could break through to Golden Core, would I still be lingering here until today?”

“To advance to Foundation Establishment, one has the Foundation Establishment Pill. To advance to Golden Core, one has the Ascension Pill,” Lei Dong stated calmly. “Given Captain Qian’s aptitude, a single Ascension Pill should provide at least a forty percent chance of success, correct? Coupled with other rare natural treasures, such as Spirit Liquid for Core Condensation or Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow, forcing the probability up to sixty percent shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Ascension Pill, Ascension Pill,” Captain Qian murmured the name several times, his longing evident, but then he shook his head with a wry smile. “Lei Dong, I told you not to tease me. The Ascension Pill can greatly assist a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator in forming a core. However, the materials required to refine this pill are exceedingly rare and costly across the entire world. Even so, refining just one pill from ten sets of materials is considered a miracle result from divine intervention. Can you imagine how valuable this thing is? I recently heard one appeared at an auction, but do you know the price? It was aggressively bid up to sixteen million Spirit Stones. Heavens, is there any way for a person to live? That’s a staggering sixteen million Spirit Stones! Even disciples from top-tier major sects, outside of the very few elite favorites of the sect, find it unaffordable.” Recounting that price made Captain Qian’s mouth twitch involuntarily; it was truly terrifying. Its value was equivalent to over ten Golden Core level demonic beasts.

Having spent several years in the Boundless Sea Area, Captain Qian had indeed managed to dispatch around ten Golden Core demonic beasts. But that was the result of concerted efforts with his teammates, and the Spirit Stones were never his alone to claim. Even if he kept them all, it would still fall short after accounting for numerous expenses and the need to purchase various miscellaneous items. And given his status as Captain, his rate of earning Spirit Stones was relatively quick. It would still take him twenty to thirty years to save up that much in Spirit Stones.

“Only sixteen million?” Lei Dong expressed surprise. It seemed the Ascension Pill was somewhat cheaper here than in Kang Prefecture. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Lei Dong had converted his primary goal to the Golden Core Dao. Naturally, he had researched various methods for impacting the Golden Core. The Yin-Yang Joyful Union Technique of the Dual Cultivation Sect was undoubtedly one of the most effective methods.

However, very few were qualified to practice the Yin-Yang Joyful Union Technique. Aside from that, the Ascension Pill offered the best results. While many other methods existed, all were slightly inferior. But undoubtedly, every resource capable of increasing the chance of breaking through to the Golden Core was priced astronomically. The most expensive, naturally, was the Ascension Pill.

After consuming the Ascension Pill, one would ascend in a single step, becoming a figure on the Golden Core Dao, capable of sweeping across the land and dominating heaven and earth. This was the dream of every Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, in Kang Prefecture, the price for an Ascension Pill usually soared above twenty million. Unless one was a top disciple within a top sect, it was impossible to afford such an item. Even those top disciples, without soliciting Spirit Stones everywhere and receiving subsidies from their elders and sect seniors, could not easily procure an Ascension Pill.

“What do you mean, ‘only sixteen million’?” Captain Qian’s eyes widened. “Do you think earning sixteen million is easy? From the moment I started cultivating until now, the total Spirit Stones I’ve earned don't even reach that figure. I think it’s more realistic for me to honestly buy something like the Dream Pill.”

Lei Dong chuckled. Indeed, the Ascension Pill was not something attainable by ordinary people. To cater to market demand, there were low-to-mid-tier elixirs for impacting the Golden Core. The Dream Pill was one such item, valued almost as highly as a top-grade spirit artifact. Depending on the cultivator’s spiritual root aptitude, the chance of successful core formation ranged from one to three percent. Of course, that so-called three percent chance applied only to those cultivators deemed peerless geniuses. An average person would only have about a fifteen percent chance of advancement. Lei Dong had not expected that in Zhao Prefecture, an item named the Dream Pill also existed—even the name was identical. It seemed the two prefectures indeed had connections; many things were mutually traded, suggesting some form of trade relationship existed between them.

“The efficacy rate of the Dream Pill is too low,” Lei Dong shook his head, dismissing it. “Captain, you are also starting to age, and you’ve missed the optimal window for advancement. It will be very difficult to advance later in life. I suggest accumulating resources until the success rate is pushed to sixty or seventy percent before attempting the breakthrough. As for Spirit Stones, I want to ask. Qing Niangzi, you are not in a hurry to reach the Golden Core. If we first help the Captain raise a portion of the Spirit Stones, and once he succeeds, he repays you at double the price, promising to remain in your team in the Boundless Sea Area for no less than twenty years, while battle spoils are divided according to the current ratio. If he fails this time, then he should forget about it for the rest of his life and honestly stay here with everyone to pay off the debt.”

Qing Niangzi was startled; this was the first time she had ever heard of such an arrangement. It was true that people attempting to reach the Golden Core would borrow Spirit Stones from everywhere. If they succeeded, all was well. If they failed, the aspiring cultivator would fall into a quagmire, and the borrowed Spirit Stones might be lost entirely. However, the proposal Lei Dong presented was tempting. Indeed, she was in no rush for the Golden Core now. If she could truly help Captain Qian attempt his breakthrough, the returns for her would undoubtedly be massive. After careful consideration, Qing Niangzi stated seriously, “If the Captain’s chance of breaking through to the Golden Core can reach sixty percent or higher, I am willing to sell off everything I own to support him; I can gather three million Spirit Stones.”

“Old Zhao, what about you?” Lei Dong asked with a smile.

“I haven’t saved as much as Qing Niangzi, but if I sell everything and tighten my belt, I can scrape together a little over two million,” the surnamed Zhao stated after careful thought.

“I can contribute three million,” Shangguan seemed quite moved by Lei Dong’s proposal. If the Captain truly managed to reach the Golden Core, this would undoubtedly be an investment with huge returns.

“Very good, that’s eight hundred million already,” Lei Dong said with a grin. “Captain Qian, if you sell off what you can, you should be able to raise at least three million Spirit Stones? Also, don't rush to return Old Zhang’s inheritance for now; let’s temporarily use it. Whether you succeed in forming the core or not, the full amount will be returned to them eventually. Moreover, if you become a Golden Core cultivator, taking better care of Old Zhang’s family in the future, I believe Old Zhang’s spirit in heaven would be very willing. We can certainly gather at least two million Spirit Stones from Old Zhang’s account. With this, we have thirteen million in hand. I, Lei Dong, am willing to contribute an additional five million Spirit Stones—tsk tsk, eighteen million Spirit Stones should give us a very good chance to secure an Ascension Pill.”