With Ling Changqing around, the amount of resources they brought back from the seabed after just a day and a night was already quite substantial.

There were all sorts of Second-Rank and Third-Grade medicinal herb ingredients, Spirit Gold Ore, Inner Cores, and various sea fish and Sea Beasts that could be used as high-end culinary ingredients.

These resources from the sea could be kept for their own use, sold to the Xingyun sun Commerce Association, or put up for public auction at the Marketplace, going to the highest bidder.

"...My love, does the Commerce Association still have any restrictions on the resources our family can purchase?"

Ling Changqing asked gently.

"There are definitely still restrictions, but since the Ling Family is now a Golden Core power, our treatment is certainly a major step up from those small Foundation Establishment powers..."

Xue Qingtan explained in a soft voice.

In the Cultivation Realm, resource monopolies and trade barriers were everywhere. This was especially true when higher-level powers dealt with lower-level ones, piling on all sorts of harsh, restrictive conditions.

Take the Xingyun sun Commerce Association's practices for example. It was incredibly difficult for a small power at the Qi Cultivation Level to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill. It wasn't something you could easily buy just by having Spirit Stones; additional conditions were unavoidable.

If a Foundation Establishment power wanted to buy Foundation Establishment Pills, the corresponding terms were much more relaxed. As long as the buyer had enough Spirit Stones, they could purchase one every three to five years, and the additional conditions weren't too harsh.

Of course, ordinary small Foundation Establishment powers didn't have such abundant financial resources. It would usually take them twenty to thirty years to gather enough resources for one person's Foundation Establishment.

Back then, the Ling Family was by no means comparable to those ordinary small Foundation Establishment powers. After all, Ling Qiyue herself was a Second Rank High Grade Pill Master, so the family's financial situation was naturally much better.

As for powers at the Golden Core Level, the restrictive clauses for purchasing Foundation Establishment Pills and other resources at the Foundation Establishment Level would be reduced even further.

For example, the Ling Family could now purchase ten Foundation Establishment Pills from the Commerce Association every year, as well as other Cultivation Resources needed by Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

If they wanted to buy more Foundation Establishment resources, they had to meet certain specific conditions, such as selling a certain amount of Second-Rank resources to the Commerce Association—be it Medicinal Herbs, Spirit Ore, or ingredients.

Of course, now that Ling Qiyue was a Rank Three Middle grade Alchemist, they no longer needed to purchase any finished Elixirs at the Foundation Establishment Level; they only needed to procure the raw materials.

If they were purchasing unfinished resources, the Commerce Association's restrictive clauses would be relaxed even more.

The Ling Family was now a Golden Core power. According to the Xingyun sun Commerce Association's internal rules, after meeting certain prerequisites, they were allowed to purchase one set of Core Formation Resources every ten years.

One of the relatively simpler conditions was to sell a certain amount of Third Grade Material to the Commerce Association, with the price based on standard market rates.

As for other resources at the Core Formation Level, such as Cultivation Method Scriptures, Divine Techniques, or Magical Treasure Talisman Puppets, the situation was much the same.

These rules were just like the restrictive trade clauses between nations in Ling Changqing's previous life. Their main purpose was to suppress emerging countries and powers to protect the status and interests of established strong nations.

In the Cultivation Realm, this was particularly evident. Trying to access resources of a certain level without having reached that level of strength was incredibly difficult.

And this was only when there was a one-level gap. If the gap exceeded two levels—for instance, a Foundation Establishment power scheming for resources at the Nascent Soul Level—it was absolutely a fool's dream!

Even if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had a stroke of luck in an Immortal Mansion Secret Realm and managed to obtain resources at the Nascent Soul Level, it would be tantamount to courting disaster if the outside world found out.

Unless this lucky individual had a powerful backer for protection, they would inevitably become a target.

"...Actually, you don't need to worry, my love. With the Ling Family of Changqing Continent's current development prospects, there won't be any insurmountable obstacles for the resources we need!"

Xue Qingtan said in conclusion.

The various resources the Ling Family now sold to the Commerce Association each year, in terms of both quantity and quality, left the association's upper management quite satisfied.

So, in return, the higher-ups had also given the Ling Family a lot of preferential treatment.

"That's good to hear."

Ling Changqing nodded. As long as there was no shortage of resources, the Ling Family's rapid development would not be affected.

The most ideal outcome, of course, would be for Changqing Continent, and even the Feiyu Sea Region, to remain peaceful for the next hundred years, allowing the Ling Family to accumulate strength and deepen its foundation in peace.

But such a situation was unlikely to occur. Accidents always happen, and those top powers in Yuzhou still hadn't given up on their search for the Child of Destiny.

"Why must you worry, my love?"

Xue Qingtan seemed to have seen through Ling Changqing's thoughts, her bright, beautiful eyes gazing at him as gently as water.

"No matter what happens in the future, we will always be by your side."

"You're right. I was overthinking things."

Ling Changqing smiled, temporarily setting aside his worries.

'Then again, with my status as a Child of Destiny, as long as I keep a low profile, trouble shouldn't come looking for me, right?'

The three of them continued scavenging for resources on the seabed, occasionally hunting some high-value sea fish and Sea Beasts, and steering clear of any particularly dangerous creatures they encountered.

If they couldn't avoid one, Ling Qiyue and Xue Qingtan would team up to kill it as quickly as possible with overwhelming force, so as not to attract the attention of other dangerous creatures nearby.

After a day and a night, with all their Storage Magical Artifacts stuffed to the brim, the three of them returned home, completely satisfied.

As for how to divide the spoils, the three had already agreed on a plan on their way back. More than half would be sold to the Xingyun sun Commerce Association's branch, and the proceeds would be split evenly among the three of them.

The portion belonging to the family would be used to cultivate the newcomers and strengthen the family's foundation.

Ling Qiyue had already calculated that as long as she and Ling Changqing went out to sea once every three months, their harvest would not only cover their own Cultivation needs but also cover the expenses of the entire family.

If it were any other Golden Core power, it would be impossible for them to have such uniquely advantageous conditions. They would have no choice but to painstakingly manage various industries, accumulating their assets bit by bit.

The three returned to the family headquarters. Just as they sat down in the Inner Study, Tang Qiu Yao, elegant and poised in a white cross-collared dress, walked in with a solemn expression.

"Husband, you're back!"

The beautiful woman's gaze fell on Ling Changqing, and she seemed to hesitate, as if wanting to say something but holding back.

"What happened?"

Ling Qiyue could tell at a glance that her best friend and personal maid had something on her mind.

"Meng Feiyu, the head of the Xianyin Pavilion's local branch, has been waiting for a long time!"

Tang Qiu Yao pursed her cherry-red lips and said in a low voice.

Ling Changqing's eyebrows twitched slightly. From Tang Qiu Yao's tone alone, it wasn't difficult to guess some of the reason why.

'I've met that Meng Feiyu before. She must have noticed something, so is she here for a showdown now?'

'But as long as she's still willing to talk, things haven't reached an irreversible point.'

"If that's the case, then I'll go over..."

Before Ling Changqing could finish, Xue Qingtan cut in.

"My love, why don't you let me go meet with her first? If she thinks she can just waltz in here like that, isn't that letting her off too easily?"

Ling Qiyue: "..."

Tang Qiu Yao: "..."

Ling Changqing, feeling slightly awkward, cleared his throat with a soft cough and said:

"Alright. My love, you can go and feel her out first. I'll come over later."

Xue Qingtan agreed, gracefully rising to her feet and swaying out of the room with a waist as supple as a water snake.

Meng Feiyu was currently waiting in a nearby flower-adorned hall. She wore a complex and magnificent, bright-yellow Embroidered Phoenix Palace Robe adorned with the sun, moon, and stars. Her beautiful, jade-like face looked noble and radiant, and her every movement was alluring.

"...Master, you should probably listen to what they're saying. Things seem to be more interesting than you imagined!"

In his Sea of Consciousness, Gong Ling, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

Ling Changqing, who was sipping his tea with his head lowered, looked slightly startled, then responded:

'Alright, we'll do as you say!'

The Era Star Palace in his Sea of Consciousness flickered for a moment, and then the scene from the flower hall next door appeared.

Two stunningly beautiful women, one bright and imposing, the other exquisitely picturesque, stood facing each other. Their gazes were ice-cold, as if locked in a confrontation.

"...I never expected that the founding ancestor of the Hongmeng Divine Hall would be reborn in this era, at the very beginning of the Child of Destiny's advent!"

Xue Qingtan's jade-like face was frosty as she spoke with a smirk that wasn't quite a smile.

Meng Feiyu snorted, retorting without showing any weakness:

"So what? I come from a past era, but don't you come from the future? The last Her Majesty the Goddess Empress of the Piaomiao Divine Dynasty!

I didn't expect you to have also mastered the Majestic Divine Power to trace back the River of Time, returning from that Dharma Decline Era where all heavens fell, back to this very point in spacetime when the Child of Destiny descended upon this world!"

The expression in Xue Qingtan's full, beautiful eyes flickered several times before her gaze turned chillingly cold.

"That's right. I gave up all my Cultivation and the vast majority of my memories, reincarnating with just a wisp of my Divine Soul, all to use his supreme Destiny to turn the tide and defy fate!

What about you? Traveling downstream along the River of Time from the Hongmeng Era countless eons ago, willingly losing all your Cultivation and most of your memories—what reason do you have for approaching him?"

"You're quite honest!"

Meng Feiyu gave a cold smile. "My thoughts are exactly the same as yours. It's all to change certain constants in the unseen world, to make the future evolve in a direction we both desire more!"

Ling Changqing: "..."