A moment later, washed up and fully dressed, the two of them walked out of the Inner Study hand in hand.

Ling Qiyue and the other women were still waiting outside. Seeing the looks on their faces, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Facing the women’s gazes, Luo Qingxuan’s Yu Yan reddened slightly, and she actually felt a bit embarrassed.

"Sister, why don’t we talk a bit more?"

Ling Qiyue said softly.

Luo Qingxuan nodded. "Alright. There are some matters we do need to plan for in advance." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Afterward, Ling Qiyue and the other women spoke with Luo Qingxuan for a while longer, finalizing the details of their cooperation on some of the most sensitive matters.

First and foremost, of course, was the issue of Ling Changqing’s safety. To ensure no outside suspicion was aroused, Luo Qingxuan was to have no further direct contact with the Deep Sea Dragon Palace. She also could not leave the Changqing Continent, lest any outsiders detect something was amiss.

As for business cooperation, they could actually hold off for the next few years and revisit the matter after Ling Qiyue became a Nascent Soul True Monarch in the future.

Although the Feiyu Sea Region had no Rank Four Spirit Vein Cave Mansion Hall, which would affect Luo Qingxuan’s daily cultivation, the results would actually be better as long as she continued to engage in Dual Cultivation with Ling Changqing.

"...The Ling Family’s power is already growing very quickly, and the many Golden Core powers in the surrounding sea regions have become wary. So, we don’t necessarily have to be impatient for quick gains. Simply maintaining our current rate of development will be enough."

Ling Qiyue concluded.

Even so, ever since Qin Yun, Ling Yulu, and Ling Yuzhu advanced to become Golden Core Masters, the Ling Family now possessed the ability to truly control the Feiyu Sea Region.

Next, as long as the number of Foundation Establishment and Late Stage Qi Cultivators in the family increased, they could fully develop and utilize the resources of the entire sea region.

"Mm, these are your family’s internal affairs. As your elder sister, I won’t meddle."

Luo Qingxuan said this, but the entire foundation of the Feiyu Sea Region couldn’t compare to her private fiefdom, so naturally, she didn’t care too much about it.

And so, the matter was settled.

Luo Qingxuan changed her identity and appearance, moving into Ling Changqing’s Cave Mansion Hall. She typically met with no outsiders, aside from Ling Qiyue and the other women.

Ling Changqing continued to teach his female students during the day, occasionally going to the Pill Hall for Opening the Furnace and Refining Pills or to create Talismans.

Venturing out to sea was also an essential task. Benefiting from a significant increase in his Luck and Fortune, Ling Changqing was able to smoothly bring back a great deal of resources each time without being targeted by the lethal beasts of the Deep Sea.

Driven by curiosity, Luo Qingxuan also accompanied Ling Changqing out a few times. With the help of a genuine Nascent Soul True Monarch, their haul was even more abundant each time.

Night, of course, was time for cultivation. He was besieged in turns by Luo Qingxuan and the other women. The exquisite, unparalleled pleasure goes without saying, but it also left him utterly drained and exhausted.

Fortunately, Ling Changqing was now a Golden Core Master, and with a High Rank Body Cultivation Technique supporting him, his recovery ability far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level, which was the only reason he could persist.

Besides their own cultivation and attending to Ling Changqing, Ling Qiyue and the other women didn’t forget to manage the family’s territory.

Since becoming the masters of the Feiyu Sea Region, the family would select a batch of mortal subjects from various regions every six months and collectively migrate them to settle on the Changqing Continent.

Combined with natural reproduction, the mortal population on the Changqing Continent had now exceeded one billion and was still growing rapidly.

Thanks to this, the number of new Spirit Field Medicinal Gardens, mines, and orchards developed on the Changqing Continent each year was quite considerable.

Of course, there were also newly established cities and ports, roads and bridges, and various types of workshops. Combined with the ever-increasing population, the Changqing Continent grew more and more bustling and prosperous.

At the same time, many of the Core Formation powers in the surrounding sea regions began to show willingness to do business with the Feiyu Sea Region, trading goods and resources, which further accelerated the region’s prosperity.

This was especially true thanks to the discreet patronage of the Xingyun sun Commerce Association, which allowed the Ling Family to purchase large quantities of urgently needed development resources each year. This enabled the family to thrive, its power growing at a rate far surpassing that of veteran Golden Core powers.

Before they knew it, more than half a year had quietly passed.

Things were calm on the outside. No power had noticed Luo Qingxuan, so it seemed the higher-ups of the major powers, including some of the Dragon Race’s informants, were still being kept in the dark.

On this day, Ling Changqing finally announced that he would be entering Cultivation in Seclusion. He planned to digest the gains he had accumulated over this period, and his Dual Cultivation with the women would come to a temporary end.

「In the Cultivation Chamber.」

As the layers of internal and external Array Restrictions activated, Ling Changqing sat upright on the Cloud Bed. He took two Profound Yin Water Pearls from his Storage Pouch, along with more than ten Pill Bottles of various styles.

These were all Cultivation Resources Luo Qingxuan had prepared for him, every one of them a treasure that other Golden Core Cultivators could only dream of acquiring.

Forget everything else—if Ling Changqing could successfully refine just these two Profound Yin Water Pearls, his primary cultivation technique, the Supreme Profound Oceanic Soft Water Technique, could advance two full levels, causing his actual combat prowess to rise substantially.

...

「Pan Yun Mountain Range, Yu Family Headquarters.」

Deep within the mist-wreathed Immortal Mountains, amidst their overlapping peaks, two magnificent Escape Lights streaked silently by, disappearing over the horizon in the blink of an eye.

A moment later, the Escape Lights descended halfway up a seemingly unremarkable peak, revealing two stunningly beautiful Female Cultivators whose robes fluttered in the wind, their charm beyond compare.

It was none other than Yu Yalan and Yu Youqin.

"...Is this where Aunt is in Cultivation in Seclusion? It doesn’t look like anything special."

Yu Youqin murmured in confusion as she glanced around.

Yu Yalan smiled. "Aunt is the family’s foremost master of the Path of Celestial Secret Art and Divination. There is profound meaning in her every word and action; it’s not for us to speculate idly."

"Yes. We’ve come to welcome Aunt as she emerges from her seclusion and, while we’re at it, ask her to help solve this difficult problem. Then, the future of both the family and ourselves will be guaranteed."

"But he is, after all, a Child of Destiny, the likes of which has never been seen before. Even Aunt might find it... But there’s no harm in trying!"

"Exactly. No matter how the outside world views this, I have always believed that the Child of Destiny belongs to our Yu Family..."

The two women conversed in low voices, walking with light steps toward the cave entrance several hundred yards away.

Crouching at the cave entrance were two ink-black statues of Xiezhi divine beasts, each about ten feet tall, exuding a cold, grim, and majestic aura.

These were two Quasi Rank Four Mechanical Puppet Beasts, their combat strength approaching that of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

However, Yu Yalan presented a Spirit Talisman that flowed with a silver radiance, and the two Mechanical Puppet Beasts did not stop them, allowing the two women to enter the cave mansion.

The furnishings inside the cave mansion could not be called luxurious; in fact, they were quite simple, not at all like the residence of a veteran Nascent Soul True Monarch.

The two women passed through the foyer, following a wooden corridor of simple, ancient design that gave off a faint aura of antiquity as they walked deeper into the Cave Mansion Hall.

After a moment, the view before them suddenly opened up to reveal a lake of rippling turquoise water.

In a jade pavilion at the heart of the lake sat a graceful, slender figure in a deep cyan dress.

An elegant and clear voice called out from a distance, "Yalan, is that you? Come and sit."

Yu Yalan answered in affirmation and walked over with Yu Youqin.

In the pavilion, the beautiful woman in the cyan dress sat with elegant poise. Her fair Yu Yan was dignified and serene, and her bright eyes, clear as water, held a scholarly air.

On the table before her was an ancient paper book, a cup of clear tea, and next to them, blue-green smoke drifted from a jade-colored Golden Toad Swallowing the Moon incense burner.

This was Yu Yalan’s aunt, Yu Ruoshuang, who had a Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation. She also possessed an astonishing talent for the Path of Celestial Secret Art and Divination; it was said that even some of the old-timers in the family who had been in seclusion for a thousand years admitted their inferiority to her.

The two women entered the pavilion together, bowed to Yu Ruoshuang, and then took the lower seats.

Yu Ruoshuang’s eyes twinkled, and she spoke with a gentle smile, "What sort of difficult problem have you encountered that made you think to come find your aunt to solve it?"

Yu Yalan nodded. "It is not just a personal problem for us, but a problem for the entire family. If it is not handled well, the consequences could be very severe..."

"Is that so? Let’s hear it."

A hint of gravity appeared in Yu Ruoshuang’s beautiful eyes. Her own niece was not one to be an alarmist, so this must be real trouble.

"Several years ago, while my sister and I were participating in the training in Dragon Soul Valley, we encountered..."

Yu Yalan recounted their past experience, making sure to stress Ling Changqing’s identity as the Child of Destiny.

Right now, the higher-ups of the major powers were all investing massive resources and sparing no effort to track down the Child of Destiny.

If the Yu Family couldn’t emerge victorious in this contest, forget vying for dominion over Yuzhou; it was uncertain if the family could even continue to exist.

Yu Ruoshuang pursed her cherry lips. After pondering for a moment, she asked, "This is no small matter. Do you have any of his tokens with you?"

"Of course."

Yu Yalan took out a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Cloud Pattern Jade Pendants, and Yu Youqin took out a pair of Jade Rings. These were all things they had taken from Ling Changqing back then.