Chapter 783: Building the Spiritual Land

At the Hundred Refinements Pavilion in Green Carp Market, Wang Qiuli was reviewing ledgers when soft footsteps sounded. She put down the ledgers, looked up towards the stairwell, and saw Cheng Zhenyu ascend, a faint smile on his face, accompanied by Zheng Nan.

"Senior Cheng, Madam Cheng, long time no see." Wang Qiuli smiled genuinely and greeted them.

"Long time no see, young friend Wang." Cheng Zhenyu smiled, nodded, and sat down with Zheng Nan.

As soon as they were seated, a young maidservant came up with a pot of spirit tea, set it down, and then withdrew.

"Senior Cheng, Madam Cheng, this is our newly arrived Golden Mulberry Spirit Tea. It tastes quite good; please give it a try," Wang Qiuli said enthusiastically.

Cheng Zhenyu smiled faintly and said, "No rush for tea, Shopkeeper Wang. I'd like to sell some Scarlet Flame Bamboo, over five hundred years old."

Zheng Nan took out five pieces of red spirit bamboo, about two feet long, and handed them to Wang Qiuli.

Wang Qiuli examined them carefully for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "These Scarlet Flame Bamboo pieces are in good condition. We are willing to offer one hundred thousand spirit stones for them. What do you think, Senior Cheng?"

"No problem."

Wang Qiuli paid the spirit stones and smiled, saying, "Senior Cheng, if I may be so bold as to ask you something: you've traveled far and wide; do you know the whereabouts of a third-tier Concentric Worm?"

Cheng Zhenyu paused, slightly surprised, and asked, "A third-tier Concentric Worm?"

He flicked his wrist, and a red light flew out from his spirit beast bead, revealing a red worm about two feet long. It had a pair of thin red wings on its back, a pair of snail-like antennae on its head, two tails, and a row of short legs on its underside. While cutting Scarlet Flame Bamboo, Cheng Zhenyu unexpectedly found a third-tier low-grade Concentric Worm. The worm's power wasn't strong, and he subdued it with little effort, intending to keep it, thinking it might be useful in the future.

Wang Qiuli was slightly startled. She examined it carefully, feeling extremely excited, though her expression remained outwardly normal. Six months ago, Wang Changsheng had asked her to look out for information about a third-tier Concentric Worm. She hadn't expected Cheng Zhenyu to possess one.

"Senior Cheng, we are willing to acquire this third-tier Concentric Worm at a high price. How about two hundred thousand spirit stones?" Wang Qiuli asked seriously.

Cheng Zhenyu appeared thoughtful. Having traveled extensively and dealt with many merchants, he understood their way of thinking. The Concentric Worm's offensive power wasn't strong, but judging by Wang Qiuli's attitude, it might be able to evolve into another type of spirit insect.

Cheng Zhenyu pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "The Concentric Worm, along with this Scarlet Flame Bamboo, for a Core Formation spiritual item! Spirit stones won't do." He had cut down a large quantity of Scarlet Flame Bamboo at the Zhenhai Sect ruins, valued at over a million. He intended to help Zheng Nan achieve Core Formation, and even with a million spirit stones, he might not be able to bid successfully for a Core Formation spiritual item, as the competition for them was quite fierce.

Wang Qiuli furrowed her brows slightly. She couldn't make a decision regarding a Core Formation spiritual item.

"Agreed, Fellow Daoist Cheng," a rather straightforward male voice suddenly sounded.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Qingling came up, broad smiles on their faces. They had spent several months searching that sea area and found a total of eleven Golden Jade Stones, which were more than enough to refine several defensive magical treasures. During this time, Wang Qingling had been of great help to Wang Changsheng, offering many suggestions. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan needed a third-tier Concentric Worm to cultivate the Concentric Art, and only then could they practice their joint secret technique. Compared to a joint secret technique, a Core Formation spiritual item was insignificant.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, long time no see," Cheng Zhenyu said, cupping his fists in greeting to Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng smiled and nodded, then took out a cyan porcelain bottle and tossed it to Cheng Zhenyu, saying, "Fellow Daoist Cheng, I'll take the Concentric Worm and the Scarlet Flame Bamboo. This is a Core Formation spiritual item."

Cheng Zhenyu took the cyan porcelain bottle, poured out a pale cyan pill that emitted a unique fragrance, and his face lit up with joy.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Wang. We have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave now."

Cheng Zhenyu stood up to bid farewell and left in a hurry with Zheng Nan.

"Qiuli, you did well," Wang Changsheng earnestly cautioned her. "If Fellow Daoist Cheng comes again in the future, be sure to receive him carefully and don't neglect him." He added that Cheng Zhenyu had brought many benefits to the Wang family.

"Yes, Great-Uncle Ninth."

Wang Changsheng put away the Concentric Worm and Scarlet Flame Bamboo, gave a few more instructions, and then left the market with Wang Qingling, heading straight for Silver Serpent Island.

***

Silver Serpent Island. On a mountain peak filled with exotic flowers and rare plants stood a magnificent cyan palace, with the three large characters "Silver Serpent Hall" carved on its plaque. The mountain was protected by layers of restrictions, making it a forbidden area on Silver Serpent Island.

Inside the hall, in a stone chamber over a hundred zhang in size, there was a pool in the lower-left corner from which spring water continuously welled up, and the spiritual energy within the chamber was exceptionally abundant.

Ye Haitang held a silver formation disk and cast a spell. Soon, abundant spiritual energy permeated the area.

"Father, I succeeded! I finally succeeded!" Ye Haitang's face showed delight as she spoke with a smile.

Ye Lin let out a soft snort and, frowning, said, "It took you over half a year to set it up, which shows your foundation isn't solid enough. Review the basics of formation arrangement. I'll test you in a few days."

Wang Changsheng had obtained a Spirit Eye Spring at the Zhenhai Sect ruins and brought it back to Silver Serpent Island. Ye Haitang then set up formations, using this spring as the foundation to create over a dozen spiritual cultivation grounds. Clan members could spend merit points to enter these grounds and accelerate their cultivation. Of course, the spiritual energy density of these grounds was far inferior to those of major immortal cultivation sects, but compared to other immortal cultivation families, they were already quite good. With these exclusive spiritual grounds, clan members could accelerate their cultivation speed, and it would also encourage them to contribute to the family in order to gain access for cultivation.

For the arrangement of the spiritual grounds' formations, Ye Lin personally explained everything, and Ye Haitang set them up by herself; Ye Lin did not allow anyone else to help her. For other matters, Ye Lin was lenient with Ye Haitang, but when it came to formations, he was extremely strict. Ye Haitang arranged it dozens of times, spending over half a year before finally succeeding. If Ye Lin had done it himself, it would have been completed in less than a month.

Ye Lin and Wang Changyue had less than ten years of lifespan remaining; time was short. Ye Lin had to intensely train Ye Haitang so that she could stand on her own in the future. He not only compiled his insights on formation arrangement into a book but also frequently guided Ye Haitang in setting up formations, hoping she would surpass him.

"I know, Father, but this is my first time setting up a multi-layered formation!" Ye Haitang pouted and murmured. The spiritual grounds' restrictions involved multiple interlocking formations. Ye Haitang had only heard Ye Lin explain them and was practicing for the first time, so it was normal for it to take a longer time.

"If your foundation were solid, it wouldn't have taken you this long to set it up," Ye Lin said earnestly. "Your father doesn't have many years left to live. If you don't study diligently, I won't have the chance to teach you later."

"Father, are you hiding something from me?" Ye Haitang asked, confused. She didn't know that Ye Lin was from the Nine Nether Sect; neither Ye Lin nor Wang Changyue had ever mentioned the Nine Nether Sect to her. In Ye Lin's view, the grievances of the previous generation should be taken to the grave with them. There was no need for future generations to live burdened by hatred from a young age; that was too exhausting.

"No, what you need to know, you will know. All right, now that the formation is set up, let's go back! Your mother is waiting for us for dinner! Your mother made your favorite red bean cakes." As he finished speaking, Ye Lin's face glowed with a happy smile. He had already reached a state of abstaining from grains, so eating was merely a way for the family to gather together. Ye Haitang and Ye Yutong knew their parents didn't have much lifespan left and were happy to spend their remaining time with them.