Putting aside the trouble caused by the Supreme Sect, Lei Dong had truly struck it rich. When the final accounts were settled, he was left with a staggering forty-eight billion spirit stones. Such a sum made even the mighty Nascent Soul cultivators, Tian Mo and Xue Mo, feel as if their foundations were shaking.

Even the Yin Sha Sect would find it incredibly difficult to produce such a vast amount of spirit stones instantly, setting aside their current massive assets. With this colossal fortune, Lei Dong’s subsequent development was poised to enter a period of rapid acceleration.

Based on travel estimations, the group from the Supreme Sect would take at least four years, and perhaps seven or eight, for a round trip. Lei Dong preferred to be cautious, so he set his sights beyond the four-year mark. He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could resolve the invading Supreme Sect contingent within just four years.

His goal was merely to achieve a rudimentary level of self-preservation after four years had passed. Tian Mo had only recently ascended to the middle stage of Nascent Soul, and advancing to the late stage was not achievable in a short timeframe; even four years of secluded cultivation within the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land would fall far short, so the focus for improvement couldn't be placed on her.

She was young, after all, and would have countless opportunities to cultivate in the future. Lei Dong decided to task her with a significant trading venture to Zhao Prefecture. Keeping such a massive sum of spirit stones idle was pure waste. He planned to acquire more talismans, flying boats, and puppets in Kang Prefecture, then use them to procure large quantities of elixirs from Zhao Prefecture.

Although such a huge influx of spirit stones might quickly equalize the price disparity between the two regions, Lei Dong no longer cared about that; he intended to suspend trade for several decades after concluding this massive undertaking.

To ensure Tian Mo had ample manpower, Lei Dong also assigned over a hundred Foundation Establishment experts and ten Golden Core masters to her command.

As for the elixirs worth several hundred million spirit stones that Xue Xia brought back, along with the resources gifted by Lan Qisi, Lei Dong chose not to sell them for the time being. Instead, he designated everything to supply his own people for cultivation or for forging magical artifacts to enhance their strength.

The Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land was undoubtedly one of Lei Dong’s primary assets currently. Four years spent cultivating entirely within the small world would equate to nearly fifty years of normal cultivation time. Even more precious was the extraordinarily abundant spiritual energy within the Grotto-Heaven, which accelerated cultivation speed by more than double compared to the outside world. Thus, a mere four years might well be equivalent to a century of cultivation for an ordinary person.

This naturally led Lei Dong to marvel once more: the great sages of antiquity were truly astonishingly powerful to have created such a miracle.

The first batch for cultivation training had already been fully listed, with Xue Mo naturally taking the top spot. Given Xue Mo’s aptitude and cultivation level, he could quickly advance to the middle stage of Nascent Soul, drastically boosting his strength to become a formidable power second only to Tian Mo.

The second sequence belonged to Lei Dong’s master, Old Ancestor Wan Gui. Lei Dong’s respect and affection for his master were deeply felt. His master was already close to the Nascent Soul stage. If he cultivated in the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, his speed would be terrifyingly fast. This way, Lei Dong could rapidly gain a very powerful reliance. Lei Dong even contemplated encouraging his elder to push harder; perhaps with the supply of massive resources, he could even break through to the middle stage of Nascent Soul. A middle-stage Nascent Soul expert could contend against two or three early-stage Nascent Souls without issue. Moreover, since he commanded myriad ghosts and specialized in the Ghost Commanding Art, with two mid-stage Ghost Kings, numerous vengeful spirits, and the innate spiritual treasure Nether River Chart aiding him, he might even defeat a weaker late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Next in line were Ding Wanyan, Dongfang Fu, and Qi Feifei—the mainstays of the younger generation. Their aptitudes were all top-tier; even Qi Feifei, though slightly inferior, was not significantly behind. Under these conditions, if the former two completed their secluded training, the probability of them breaking through to the early Nascent Soul stage was high. Qi Feifei also held a certain chance, depending on her efforts.

If all three managed to achieve Nascent Soul, Lei Dong’s faction would boast six Nascent Soul cultivators, and these six would all be terrifyingly potent individuals, each possessing dual supreme-grade Ghost Kings, creating an exceptionally powerful formation. It was worth noting that Dongfang Fu’s Xuanbing Dragon battle pet far exceeded the value of a supreme-grade spirit ghost; it could be considered a divine entity, and with careful nurturing, it could advance alongside its master’s strength without major hindrance all the way to the late Nascent Soul stage.

This creature made even Lei Dong envious; its lineage was far richer and nobler than that of the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger. The Shadow Tiger’s bloodline was inherited from the divine beast White Tiger of the desolate ancient era, possessing only a single trace. In this lifetime, it was likely nearing its limit at the peak Golden Core stage. To advance further, without an immense fortuitous encounter, it would require an ocean of resources to be poured into it. But even if it were force-fed resources to the early Nascent Soul stage, further advancement would be exceedingly difficult.

However, a pet on the level of the Xuanbing Dragon could not be acquired easily; one couldn't find even a handful in all of Kang Prefecture. It could only be said that Dongfang Fu had encountered truly excellent fortune.

Setting aside whether Lei Dong could abandon a pet he had grown up with and faced numerous dangers alongside since childhood, even if he wanted to abandon it, he would struggle to find even half a Xuanbing Dragon of that caliber. Regarding this matter, Lei Dong could only dispatch someone to a sect in Kang Prefecture called the Beast Taming Sect to gather intelligence, perhaps buying information on methods to increase the richness of the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger’s bloodline.

Of course, this was merely a long shot on Lei Dong’s part, as any such method, even if it existed, would certainly not be simple. But for his own sake and that of his beloved wife’s battle pet, it was worth a try. Especially since Ding Wanyan cherished her own battle pet even more than Lei Dong and could not bear to part with it.

Moving past battle pets, the next group slated for priority cultivation on Lei Dong’s list were his younger sister, Lei Qing’er, and his disciple, Ya Nü (Mute Girl). Both young lasses possessed exquisite aptitude. While they might be slightly inferior to prodigies like Dongfang Fu and Wanyan, who appear once in a century, they were certainly not inferior to geniuses like Qi Feifei.

It was worth mentioning that through arduous cultivation on their journey, both girls had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Giving them this opportunity to strive forward, Nascent Soul might be unlikely, but reaching the peak of the Golden Core stage was almost certain.

When Lei Dong sent the previously hidden Ya Nü into the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land and asked Xue Mo to guide her cultivation, Xue Mo was instantly shocked upon seeing the ugly red blotches on Ya Nü’s face. He urgently summoned Lei Dong, demanding to examine Ya Nü.

The gaze Xue Mo fixed upon Ya Nü was so fervent that it thoroughly terrified the girl. If Lei Dong hadn't been certain that Xue Mo's desires lay elsewhere, he might have suspected the eccentric old man harbored some peculiar perversion.

“Innate Spiritual Blood Body! A Spiritual Blood Body!” After examining her under Lei Dong’s watchful eye, Xue Mo muttered incessantly, bordering on maniacal. After a prolonged period of frenzy, he grabbed Lei Dong: “My Lord, give her to me, give her to me!”

If not for being wary of the old man’s immense power, Lei Dong would have wanted to kick him away instantly. He could only say, “Old Xue, calm down. What is a Spiritual Blood Body?” Lei Dong had long suspected Ya Nü’s bloodline was somewhat special, but in his busy state, he had forgotten to investigate it.

“The Spiritual Blood Body is one of the most unique physiques, a matter of innate talent. It shows no pattern in inheritance. However, those possessing the Spiritual Blood Body experience incredibly swift and profound progress when cultivating certain unique earthly techniques—for instance, our sect’s Blood Fiend Divine Art.” Xue Mo’s eyes shone brilliantly: “I have spent my entire life searching for a successor to the Spiritual Blood Body, growing utterly hopeless. But I never expected that a mere disciple you casually accepted would possess the Spiritual Blood Body.”

Lei Dong finally understood; so this Spiritual Blood Body, along with Wanyan’s Yin Sha Body, Dongfang Fu’s Xuanbing Body, and his own Netherworld Body, were all types of special innate talents. But then again, his own Netherworld Body was formed by tempering his physique with the Netherworld Essence, the ultimate treasure under heaven.

He had to admit that some people were born with supreme talent, something that couldn’t be acquired through envy alone. With slight curiosity, he asked, “Are you, Old Xue, also a Spiritual Blood Body?”

Xue Mo chuckled awkwardly: “How could that be? If I were a Spiritual Blood Body, would I only have achieved this little? However, speaking of which, this child Ya Nü is truly gifted; not only does she possess the world’s rarest Spiritual Blood Body, but her aptitude is also outstanding. Of course, the vast majority of those possessing innate gifted bloodlines also possess superior spiritual root aptitude, at the very least reaching the level of a genius.”

Lei Dong felt an urge to give him a few solid hits; he himself now possessed a gifted bloodline, yet his spiritual root aptitude was only upper-middle tier.

Xue Mo continued: “My Lord, you absolutely must let me take Ya Nü as my disciple! That shoddy cultivation method she is practicing is nothing compared to my Blood Fiend Divine Art. Keeping her as your disciple is simply wasting talent. Also, don't let those red blotches on her face deceive you; once she cultivates the Blood Fiend Divine Art, those spots will refine away quickly.”

“That can’t be said,” Lei Dong chuckled slyly. “I didn’t know Ya Nü’s talent before, but now I have officially accepted her into my lineage as a formal disciple of the Yin Sha Sect. She can fully exchange contribution points to acquire the Blood Fiend Divine Art herself.”

Xue Mo grew anxious and quickly pleaded: “My Lord, but I have cultivated the Blood Fiend Divine Art for several hundred years; my experience is incomparably rich. Isn't that better than her figuring things out on her own?”

“Alright, alright, I was just teasing you. Truthfully, I have been an exceedingly negligent master, rarely guiding her. Letting her apprentice under you is actually her great fortune.” Lei Dong rarely saw Xue Mo so eager and couldn't help but laugh. He beckoned Ya Nü over: “Did you hear what I just said? From now on, you will follow Old Xue to cultivate the Blood Fiend Divine Art; he will be your true master.”

Ya Nü glanced at Lei Dong, then at Xue Mo, a peculiar spark in her eyes, and immediately began the ritual of apprenticeship without hesitation.

Her eagerness was so palpable that it made Lei Dong puff out his cheeks in mock anger; even if he was letting her change masters, did she need to be that exaggerated?

As for that fellow Xue Mo, he had unexpectedly gained a massive advantage and was so delighted his mouth couldn't close. He immediately began pulling out his personal treasures to coax Ya Nü into a good mood.

Lei Dong was also somewhat happy for Ya Nü; this child had a naturally bitter fate. Having the opportunity to cultivate the Blood Fiend Divine Art and remove the red spots was a great blessing. He knew her character and was certain she wouldn't truly betray him; once her cultivation matured, she would be another one of his powerful commanders.

..., (To be continued)