Changqing Continent.

Yuzhou and its neighboring sea regions were in the depths of winter. Outside the Grand Array of the family headquarters, a piercingly cold wind howled day and night. As far as the eye could see, everything was a vast expanse of white snow.

In an orchard spanning dozens of acres, Xiao Meiniang, the three other women, and a group of female students were picking Spirit Fruits, carefully sealing them away in special Cold Jade Boxes.

Outside, the cold was so bitter that water froze the instant it dripped. But here in the orchard, protected by the light barrier of the Grand Array, the air was suffused with Spiritual Qi and as warm as spring.

Nourished day and night by the underground Third Grade Spirit Vein, the fruit trees within were lush and verdant. The various Spirit Fruits hanging from their branches gleamed translucently and emitted a delightful fragrance.

Ling Changqing, who had no shortage of Spirit Stones, would often dissolve Elixirs rich in Spiritual Energy Essence into Spiritual Spring Water, then have the female students water the fruit trees with it daily.

Thanks to this lavish investment, these Third Grade Spirit Fruit Trees—which would normally need at least a decade to blossom and bear fruit—had already produced their first ripe harvest.

Of course, this was mainly because the trees Xue Qingtan had brought over from the Xingyun sun Commerce Association were already mature, not saplings. Otherwise, they would have had to wait at least one or two hundred years for them to blossom and bear fruit.

"...I hear that lately, many visiting Loose Cultivators have been coming to request the use of our Third Grade Spirit Vein Cave Mansions for cultivation in seclusion, hoping to achieve a breakthrough!"

Yang Yunfei, looking exceptionally beautiful in her snow-white fox fur cloak, sealed the Cold Jade Box in her hands. A relaxed smile graced her bright, beautiful eyes.

Chen Zihan, who was beside her, said, "That’s to be expected, isn’t it? With Master here, our Changqing Continent is getting more and more popular!"

Life is hard for Loose Cultivators. They lead a nomadic existence and rarely have access to a stable Cave Mansion Hall for them to live and engage in cultivation in seclusion.

Yet for a Cultivator, such a place is an essential condition for advancing their cultivation and recovering from injuries.

Therefore, Loose Cultivators with some means will try to rent a Cave Mansion Hall for their cultivation. The principle is the same as ordinary people in the mortal world renting a place to live.

Back when Ling Changqing was only at the Qi Cultivation Stage, he had also rented a Cave Mansion Hall from Tang Qiu Yao. It was only later that he managed to win over the stunning beauty, and the tenant became the landlord.

Families or Sects with idle Spirit Vein Cave Mansion Halls would usually not refuse such business; in fact, it is often a significant source of income for these factions.

Since the Ling Family now controlled an entire sea region, and the number of their own clan members was limited, they had a great number of idle Spirit Vein Cave Mansion Halls perfectly suited to be rented out for a profit.

The rental prices Ling Qiyue set for the Cave Mansion Halls were quite reasonable, and she didn’t impose any harsh additional conditions. This attracted many Loose Cultivators from neighboring sea regions.

"...Look, you guys. Someone else is attempting a breakthrough to the Core Formation Realm!"

Li Hanyou, whose beauty was captivating and whose aura was bewitching, suddenly said.

The four women raised their heads and looked. In the distant mountain range, a Spiritual Energy Vortex several miles in diameter had already taken shape. A misty, rosy glow faintly shone from within, and the vortex was still slowly expanding.

From the looks of it, a Cultivator was indeed attempting Core Formation. Moreover, the aura was unfamiliar; it wasn’t one of the Ling Clan Members.

Xiao Meiniang watched for a moment, her dark, lustrous eyes scrutinizing the phenomenon, before she shook her head slightly and said,

"His foundation is mediocre and unstable. The chances of success look far too low!"

"Indeed. Compared to the phenomenon we saw when Sister Qin Yun broke through to Core Formation a while back, this is far too lacking."

Yang Yunfei nodded in agreement.

Although their own cultivation wasn’t high, they had been by Ling Changqing’s side for a long time and regularly interacted with heaven-gifted women like Ling Qiyue and Tang Qiu Yao. As a result, their judgment was naturally quite discerning.

"I’d say he’ll end up as a Pseudo Core master at best. There’s maybe a twenty to thirty percent chance of forming a True Pill, but a Golden Core is completely out of the question."

Li Hanyou said with a sweet smile.

The three other women had no objection to her judgment. It might seem easy for the women within the Ling Family to advance—all achieving the Dao Fruit of a Golden Core Master—but that was only because of Ling Changqing. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

In the outside world, forget about a Golden Core or a True Pill; even reaching the Pseudo Core stage was an achievement that most Loose Cultivators desperately sought but could never attain.

Once someone became a Pseudo Core Cultivator, although the increase in combat strength wasn’t significant, their lifespan would increase by a hundred years—equivalent to the entire life of a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator.

The theoretical maximum lifespan of a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator is one hundred and twenty years, but in reality, few ever live that long. Most would be fortunate to reach half that age, which in a way made them worse off than ordinary mortals.

The Cultivation Realm is a world of great contention. Life-and-death battles are commonplace, and Loose Cultivators face a harsh existence. It was a high-probability event for them to die prematurely for any number of reasons.

"Without Master, our future fates... I’m afraid they wouldn’t be much better than that of this Loose Cultivator in seclusion, would they?"

Yang Yunfei pursed her lips and murmured.

The four women exchanged a look, falling silent.

Even though they were all still at the Qi Cultivation Stage—the strongest among them, Yang Yunfei, being only at the Qi Cultivation 9th Layer—the resources and treatment they enjoyed were on par with those of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Nascent Soul powers.

Furthermore, they received personal guidance from Ling Changqing himself—an opportunity so rare that even the Direct Disciples of a Divinity Transformation Powerhouse would find it hard to come by.

As long as they served Ling Changqing well, setting aside the distant future, they wouldn’t have to worry about a thing at least until they reached the Golden Core Master Realm. They could simply follow the steps and focus on their cultivation.

Without Ling Changqing, the Ling Family would never have risen, and the Feiyu Sea Region would still be a disorganized mess. Given the four women’s origins, it was truly hard to say how far they could have gone on their own.