The high-grade spirit stone in his hand was already somewhat dulled in color, and traces of the Huàfán Dān’s medicinal power still lingered within his bloodline. This prompted Lei Dong to sigh in satisfaction: having plenty of spirit stones was truly exhilarating. He guessed that across all creation, few Foundation Establishment cultivators indulged in cultivation as extravagantly as he did. After plunging into the sea and thoroughly bathing on the shore, Lei Dong attempted to cultivate again, but even after a full day, a significant amount of medicinal power remained. The cultivation effect on the second day was far inferior to the first.

This caused his brow to furrow deeply. Originally, he had intended to save costs by thoroughly exhausting the residual medicinal properties. However, things had not gone as planned; although the lingering power could still be absorbed, the efficiency was terribly slow. After a full day of cultivation, the results were merely acceptable, and a substantial amount of medicinal power still clung to his bloodline. Others, he mused, would take the time to slowly wear down and absorb even half a trace of residual efficacy to avoid waste.

But for Lei Dong, efficiency was paramount. Even if it meant resorting to robbing others for spirit stones, it was preferable to sluggishly grinding away at residual medicinal properties. From that point forward, Lei Dong consumed one Huàfán Dān every day, utilizing the Tiānmó Biàn technique to completely expend and volatilize all the True Qi and medicinal residue in his body. As a result, his cultivation efficiency soared.

Time slipped by with startling speed. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. This secluded island had not seen a single visitor. Apart from retrieving a batch of pre-ordered pills once, Lei Dong had spent all his time right here. These mere three months had significantly boosted his cultivation. Based on this pace, he estimated that within a year, he could reach the peak of the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, just half a step away from the late stages. The only regrettable thing was that over these three months, the last of his Pútí Qīngxīn Chá had been exhausted, leaving him unable to continue strengthening his Divine Soul.

Naturally, Lei Dong’s cultivation method was terrifyingly extravagant. In just three months, he had consumed two high-grade spirit stones and ninety Huàfán Dān, costing nearly five million in total. Yet, Lei Dong felt compelled to do so. After all, his innate aptitude was too ordinary; cultivating in the conventional manner might see him reach old age without ever breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

When Lei Dong returned to an inn on Canglan Island according to their agreed time, his teammates had already assembled.

This included Captain Qian, who now radiated vigor and spirit, his face flushed with a healthy glow, appearing as if he had aged a dozen years overnight. His entire aura had transformed, becoming profound and unfathomable; a casual glance conveyed a palpable sense of overwhelming pressure. When Lei Dong’s divine sense swept over him, it felt like gazing into an unfathomable, deep ocean.

Seeing this transformation, Lei Dong couldn't help but smile. He cupped his hands and bowed slightly: “Captain, congratulations! You have finally achieved Great Perfection in the Golden Core realm.”

“Lei Dong, this is entirely thanks to your assistance.” Qian Luo’s expression turned serious, his smile fading as he bowed deeply to Lei Dong: “If not for you, the odds of me reaching the Golden Core stage in this life would have been minuscule. Lei Dong, and all you teammates, from this day forward, whenever any of you have a need, Qian Luo will spare no effort.” Saying no more, he added, “Let’s set sail immediately and bring back more Golden Core demonic beasts.”

Lei Dong smiled faintly. Having a Golden Core master at his side, one who owed him a massive debt of gratitude, naturally put him in excellent spirits. However, he shook his head, rejecting Qian Luo’s immediate suggestion: “Captain, let’s postpone the sea voyage for now. Please help me procure four more Golden Core level demonic beasts. Ideally, they should include their spirit souls, inner cores, and flesh and blood.” Lei Dong had fed the entirety of the previous Sabre-Fin Dragon to the Critical Hit Ghost Guard. The flesh and blood of Golden Core demonic beasts proved immensely potent. The Critical Hit Ghost Guard had now reached the apex of level twelve. Lei Dong believed four more would be enough for its breakthrough. Successfully advancing a Ghost General was Lei Dong’s most fundamental objective.

“No problem. Qian Luo will see to it immediately,” Qian Luo replied earnestly, showing no arrogance toward his former teammates despite his Golden Core ascent. Without another word, he hurried out to find someone. With his current status as a Golden Core cultivator, negotiating with Foundation Establishment cultivators would yield far better results than before. Meanwhile, Lei Dong took the opportunity to replenish some elixirs on Canglan Island. Elixirs were very cheap here, so stocking up was not a major issue.

He inquired with several merchants, attempting to find Pútí Qīngxīn Chá or a suitable substitute tea. However, the answers he received were disappointing. Indeed, some major sects in Zhaozhou possessed spirit teas similar to those that strengthened the Divine Soul. But such items were exceedingly rare, hoarded primarily by those Nascent Soul level old monsters, and rarely leaked out. Even when a few grams or ounces occasionally surfaced, the price would be inflated to astronomical levels, rendering them completely impractical.

One merchant was willing to place a special order for Lei Dong, but the quoted price was staggering, even for a wealthy man like him. For the time being, he had to drop the matter. Nevertheless, Lei Dong was not entirely without gain. He learned one piece of intelligence: deep within the Endless Sea, very occasionally, a demonic beast known as the Dragon Turtle could be found. This beast grew slowly, requiring ten thousand years to fully mature into a Golden Core level demonic beast. However, the Dragon Turtle possessed a distinct trait compared to common Golden Core demonic beasts: once fully adult, a Lóngguī Xiāng (Dragon Turtle Incense) would naturally condense within its body. Burning this incense during closed-door cultivation not only provided the effect of calming the mind and settling the spirit but also aided in nourishing the Divine Soul.

This made the Dragon Turtle—a Golden Core demonic beast—even more valuable than ordinary ones, leading to intense pursuit and indiscriminate slaughter. Consequently, the already rare Dragon Turtle had become a genuine rarity.

Of course, Lei Dong could only listen to this news and let it rest. He had ventured into the Endless Sea before, but even a month or more of sailing only ever took him around the outermost fringes. To locate a Dragon Turtle in this seemingly endless ocean, the probability was simply too low.

After lingering on Canglan Island for several days, Qian Luo, leveraging his unique status as a Golden Core cultivator, quickly managed to secure four Golden Core demonic beasts for Lei Dong. However, the cost was significant. The four beasts drained seven million spirit stones, causing Lei Dong’s purse to deflate considerably. But Lei Dong’s heart was soaring; with these few beasts, he was confident he could soon push the Critical Hit Ghost Guard to the Ghost General level. And the combat strength of a Ghost General was vastly different from that of a mere Ghost Guard.

With everyone assembled, they set off toward the deeper parts of the sea once more. Lei Dong had no immediate plans to leave this area. After all, it was a dangerous place, yet simultaneously a zone where immense wealth congregated. Earning more money here would allow him to purchase more precious elixirs when they returned to the interior of Zhaozhou, and even if he didn't use them himself, making a considerable profit on the price difference would be worthwhile.

The flying vessel used for this voyage was the one they had hijacked previously, in which Lei Dong held a fifty percent stake. Due to their prior agreement, Qian Luo was required to maintain his former two-and-a-half percent share as the nominal captain. After reallocating the profit shares, Lei Dong held the highest portion at thirty-five percent. Qian Luo maintained twenty-five percent. The remaining forty percent was split evenly among Shuang, Shangguan, Qing Niangzi, and Old Zhao, with one percent each, leaving the final one percent for discretionary allocation.

For example, this discretionary portion would cover assignments for dangerous tasks, such as dealing with "Feng Yin Beasts."

This large flying ship spanned over thirty zhang in length. Although it consumed more spirit stones, its speed was double that of the previous vessel. At full throttle, it could reach nearly two thousand li per hour. Lei Dong and the others stood at the bow. Qian Luo had relinquished piloting duties to the other three Hualing Foundation Establishment cultivators, who took turns managing the ship.

“Captain Qian, shall we test the footwork of a Golden Core cultivator?” Lei Dong asked with a smile shortly after the flying ship had left the harbor.

Qian Luo paused slightly, then chuckled, “Need we compare? I trust Brother Qian’s wings are much faster than mine.” While his words were polite, his mind harbored a different opinion. He privately felt that although Lei Dong’s wings were fast, Lei Dong was currently only Foundation Establishment, whereas he, as a Golden Core cultivator, possessed sufficient justification—even without spirit stones for Golden Core artifacts—to believe his own performance on his decent quality previous flying spiritual tool, combined with his current cultivation, should surpass Lei Dong’s speed.

Lei Dong, well aware of his thoughts, smiled again: “Captain Qian, let’s keep it close, perhaps a hundred li. The wager will be one high-grade spirit stone.”

Qian Luo’s eyes instantly brightened. Desperately short of spirit stones, his heart felt a pang of greed. However, constrained by the favor Lei Dong had shown him, he felt awkward about taking a high-grade stone from him. He shook his head: “Never mind, never mind. No comparison. It’s pointless for me, a Golden Core, to bully a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Besides, right now, I don’t even have a few upper-grade stones, let alone a high-grade one.”

“Haha, Captain Qian, there’s no need to stand on ceremony with me,” Lei Dong laughed. “If you lose, you can simply owe me.”

Having achieved the Golden Core stage, Qian Luo possessed an inherent sense of pride. Hearing this, he could no longer hold back and laughed heartily: “Good, Brother Lei, since you insist on gifting me a spirit stone, I won’t be impolite.”

They enlisted Old Zhao as the referee. With a shout, both men shot forward simultaneously. Initially, Lei Dong relied solely on the Ghost Shadow Evasion technique, enhanced by the Blood-Colored Cloak and the Netherworld Great Method. The speed of the Ghost Shadow Evasion instantly surged to two thousand li per hour. Flying in mid-air, he resembled a streak of blood light, moving at incredible velocity. However, Qian Luo, now a Golden Core cultivator, unleashed a burst of speed that matched Lei Dong’s, as he laughed loudly: “Brother Lei, your senior brother is taking the lead!” With those words, he unleashed a surge of cyan light and swiftly pulled away from Lei Dong.

A smile touched Lei Dong’s lips. He raised the pair of Asura Wings and gave them a powerful beat.