Chapter 1973: Recent Developments

"Alright." He Baichuan forced a wry smile. In the vast Myriad-Phenomenon Sea, it was rare to find a Grand Island Master like Lu Ye, especially with Three Realms Island now being a top-tier Spirit Island. Other Grand Island Masters would firmly hold the financial power of their islands, but Lu Ye seemed completely unconcerned. He Baichuan didn't know whether to call him broad-minded or simply carefree.

Setting aside the matter of spirit jades for now, He Baichuan said, "Junior Brother, several new Moonshadow cultivators have recently emerged on the island. Besides those present, our island now has eighteen other Moonshadows." These newly promoted Moonshadows were all cultivators from the Jade Snail Realm. They had already been late-stage Constellations when they first came to the Myriad-Phenomenon Sea, and their cultivation on Three Realms Island over the years allowed them to advance.

As for the Nine Provinces, cultivators there started too late. While there were now late-stage Constellations, no Moonshadow-level cultivators had emerged yet. Regarding the Green Dawn Dao Realm... that realm itself had an issue. Cultivators who advanced to Constellation there had their path forward blocked, essentially having no hope of reaching the Moonshadow level.

"Junior Brother, please suggest a plan for how to accommodate these new Moonshadows," He Baichuan said.

Lu Ye asked, "How do other Spirit Islands manage them?"

He Baichuan explained, "Although there's no strict rule in the Myriad-Phenomenon Sea about the maximum number of Moonshadows a Spirit Island can accommodate, other factions typically send new Moonshadows away. They either return to their home realms or leave the island to make a living on their own. After all, the energy on each Spirit Island is limited, and Moonshadow cultivation consumes far more resources than Constellation cultivation. If there are too many Moonshadows, it can affect the efficiency of Constellations' cultivation. Thus, other Spirit Islands generally don't keep too many Moonshadows."

For example, Baiyue and Zixuan back in the day didn't have many Moonshadows. It wasn't that they lacked them, but rather there was no need to keep so many Moonshadows on a Spirit Island. Each Spirit Island can only have five stationed Moonshadows. So, even if there were a hundred Moonshadows on an island, if a conflict truly broke out, only those five officially registered guardians could participate in combat. Three Realms Island now has over twenty Moonshadows, and that number will only grow. Therefore, it's time to consider this issue.

Indeed, sending out the excess Moonshadows is a viable option. At their cultivation level, making a living on their own would certainly not be a problem. However, given the uncertain situation with Yuan Du, doing so might give enemies an opportunity. As for sending them back to their home realms... not only is the journey long, but merely passing through the Chaos Burst Zone poses an enormous risk for Moonshadows; they could very well perish.

After a moment's thought, Lu Ye said, "Let them do as they wish; there's no need to send them away." They are all newly advanced Moonshadows. Even if they consume the island's energy, how much could they possibly deplete if their numbers aren't excessive? Furthermore, he could adjust the power of the Small Constellation Hall, which would be sufficient to ensure Three Realms Island maintains an excellent cultivation environment.

"In that case, I thank you on their behalf, Junior Brother," He Baichuan nodded. He had actually been somewhat concerned about the new Moonshadows' ability to make a living. Lu Ye's words undoubtedly relieved his worries, as these new Moonshadows were all from his Jade Snail Realm. Allowing them to stay and continue cultivating would undoubtedly help them stabilize their cultivation base more effectively.

"Oh, by the way," Lu Ye suddenly asked, "has anyone come looking for me while I was away?" If Ma Bin were to come to Three Realms Island, he would surely have Zhu Yuan notify him. Although three months wasn't a long time, the speed of Sun Sages was immense. If Ma Bin had truly set off right after they parted ways, he might already be in the Myriad-Phenomenon Sea.

"Yes," He Baichuan nodded. "I was just about to tell you about it, Junior Brother."

"Oh?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Where are they?"

He Baichuan replied, "They're at the Spirit Jade Ore Vein."

"Huh?" Lu Ye was taken aback. Was Ma Bin that efficient? He had arrived and even entered the Spirit Jade Ore Vein before Lu Ye himself had returned. But then he thought again, that didn't quite add up. If Ma Bin had arrived, he would definitely contact Lu Ye directly. If Lu Ye wasn't there, Ma Bin would simply wait; it was unlikely he would interact with He Baichuan. If it wasn't Ma Bin, then who was currently in the Spirit Jade Ore Vein?

Lu Ye suddenly had a bad feeling and looked at He Baichuan. "Who are you talking about, Senior Brother?"

"Our Three Realms Island's patron, Senior Jiuyan from the Chime Bell Realm," He Baichuan looked at him, puzzled. "Who else could it be, Junior Brother?"

"Jiuyan..." Lu Ye was stunned. Why would Jiuyan come to Three Realms Island and even occupy its Spirit Jade Ore Vein? What was she doing? The crucial point was that he had already promised Ma Bin he could use the Spirit Jade Ore Vein for healing. But now Jiuyan was entrenched there. If the two of them were to meet accidentally... Lu Ye didn't dare to imagine what might happen.

He suddenly recalled something Ma Bin had said earlier. When that former Senior from the Nine Provinces mentioned the Spirit Jade Ore Vein, he said it wasn't just a resource exclusively available to top-tier realms; it also pertained to the path beyond Sun Sagehood... Lu Ye didn't know what the path beyond Sun Sagehood entailed; his cultivation level wasn't high enough to have encountered it yet. But now it seemed Jiuyan might have come to Three Realms Island for that very reason. However, the timing was incredibly unfortunate.

Jiuyan had never mentioned coming to Three Realms Island before... No, Lu Ye suddenly remembered. Three Realms Island's promotion to a top-tier Spirit Island happened after the great battle with Zixuan. Before that, Three Realms Island was merely a high-grade Spirit Island, which naturally wouldn't have attracted Jiuyan. She was Three Realms Island's overt patron. It was with her renowned name that Three Realms Island established itself in the Myriad-Phenomenon Sea and rapidly developed and grew. Jiuyan had never made any demands regarding this. Now, with the Spirit Jade Ore Vein of Three Realms Island beneficial to her cultivation, and her presence within it, who could possibly object? Not to mention Lu Ye wasn't even there at the time; even if he had been, he wouldn't dare utter a single word of dissent.

But if this were the case, what about Ma Bin? Lu Ye's head spun with worry. Many thoughts flashed through his mind. Taking Ma Bin back to the Little Folk was clearly inappropriate. His personal reluctance to interact with them was secondary; his main concern was to avoid involvement with the Nine Provinces. Given this, there was only one place left to go!

"How are Senior Sister Luan and Elder Yanmiao doing recently?" Lu Ye turned to Yu Xi and Cheng Xin, who were nearby.

Yu Xi had a classic foxy-charming face, and her smile exuded countless alluring charms. She gently responded, "To answer the Grand Island Master, Senior Sister Luan and Elder Yanmiao have been very concerned about you, Grand Island Master. A few days ago, they sent a message, saying that if you returned, they had good news to share with you."

Lu Ye paused, then suddenly understood, and couldn't help but chuckle. "Excellent, excellent! I'll go visit the two Senior Sisters later!" Yu Xi didn't speak too plainly, as there was a Sun Sage from their own star system on Three Realms Island at that moment, so she dared not be too explicit. However, Lu Ye already knew what she meant. He hadn't expected that in just a few years, those two had succeeded!

This was truly a delightful surprise. Although this good news shouldn't be made public, it meant Ma Bin could now go to the Mermaid Clan's spiritual land to heal, without worrying about disturbing the two women's cultivation. In fact, the two of them could even seek advice from Ma Bin on cultivation experiences after becoming a Sun Sage. As a seasoned Sun Sage who had advanced countless years ago, he would certainly be able to guide two new Sun Sages. This way, Three Realms Island would effectively have its own Sun Sages. Although they had just advanced, a Sun Sage was still a Sun Sage, far beyond what a Moonshadow could compare to. With his worries swept away, Lu Ye's mood lightened considerably.

"Also..." He Baichuan said, taking out a storage ring and handing it to Lu Ye. "Over the past few years, our island has been offering full rewards and managed to find a few treasures for you, Junior Brother. There aren't many, but please make do with them."

Lu Ye took it and his mood brightened even further. These were clearly treasures used to refine the Essence Source. Although the quantity was indeed small, finding even these few items in a place like the Myriad-Phenomenon Sea was undoubtedly very difficult. If they could find these, they could certainly find more.

"Increase the reward significantly," Lu Ye instructed. "Collect as many of these treasures as possible, no matter the cost."

"Alright, I'll arrange it later," He Baichuan replied.

With the meeting concluded, everyone dispersed. Lu Ye now had a general understanding of the situation on Three Realms Island over the past few years. In his bamboo building, he sat cross-legged, activating the power of his Talent Tree to refine those few treasures. He felt the quality of his Essence Source improve slightly, bringing him a step closer to perfection.

Satisfied, he rose, left the bamboo building, and headed in a certain direction. There were few people on the path. On Three Realms Island, cultivators only moved about when performing patrol duties; most of the time, they were engaged in their individual cultivation. Having come from impoverished places, they naturally understood how precious and rare such an excellent cultivation environment was. No cultivator with any ambition would waste their time. Thus, the environment of Three Realms Island could be described as two distinct parts: the bustling, lively trade zone, and the quiet, deserted main island cultivator stationed area where few people were seen.

He soon arrived in front of a pavilion. With a flick of his finger in the air before him, the formation was triggered. Soon, a head popped out from the second floor of the pavilion. Seeing Lu Ye, the person was overjoyed. "Big Brother!" As the words fell, the head retracted. There was a rapid thudding sound, and the door opened wide. Chu Shen walked out, beaming, "Big Brother, you're back!" Outsiders only assumed Lu Ye had been in seclusion cultivating for the past few years. Only a select few knew he hadn't been on Three Realms Island during that time, and Chu Shen was undoubtedly one of them.

Lu Ye looked him up and down and nodded slightly. "Your cultivation has advanced quite well. You're already a Moonshadow?" Chu Shen's cultivation talent was undoubtedly extremely high. He was already close to Moonshadow when they last met, so his current advancement was not surprising.

Chu Shen chuckled, "Thanks to you, Big Brother. If I hadn't come to Three Realms Island to cultivate, my cultivation wouldn't have improved so quickly. Come in, Big Brother, let's talk."

A moment later, the two brothers were seated. Chu Shen poured Lu Ye a cup of tea, then looked at him curiously. "Big Brother, when will you advance to Sun Sagehood?"

Lu Ye laughed wryly. "Is Sun Sagehood that easy?"

Chu Shen said, as if it were the most obvious thing, "Of course it's not easy for others, but for you, Big Brother, it's effortless." It seemed that in his eyes, Lu Ye was omnipotent.

Lu Ye didn't know why Chu Shen thought that way and could only reply, "I still need to refine myself for a while."