’One hundred thousand Spirit Stones! Truly befitting a Core Formation Cultivator!’

Until now, Lü Zhong had been agonizing over not having enough Spirit Stones to gather the Spirit Medicines he needed.

’Now that I have so many, I won’t have to worry for quite some time!’

As he continued taking inventory, he found a blank page from a book.

Its material was identical to the half-page he had obtained before, only this one was perfectly intact.

Lü Zhong studied it for a while but couldn’t figure out its purpose, so he had no choice but to place it in his Storage Bag.

’Thirty-seven bottles of Pills. I haven’t heard of most of the names on the labels, but since a Golden Core Master carried them, they can’t be trash. I’ll have an Appraiser identify them when I get back. Then I’ll know what these Pills are worth.’

’Three ingots of Iron Essence. They’re all materials for refining Magical Treasures. I can save them to forge my Lifebound Treasure later.’

’A Water and Wood Technique, the *Shore Water Cyan Jade Technique*. It’s a high-level art that allows cultivation up to Late-stage Core Formation. Since Yu Feng’Er has Water and Wood Dual Spirit Roots, I’ll sell this Cultivation Technique to the Yu Family. The Yu Family will surely be more than willing to buy it.’

Additionally, there were eleven Mid-High Grade Magical Artifacts and two Middle-Grade Dharma Robes.

The rest were miscellaneous items with little value.

’All in all, this Storage Bag was a pretty big haul.’

Lü Zhong couldn’t help but chuckle. ’It’s a shame this Sea Slave never forged a Lifebound Treasure, or the haul would’ve been even bigger! People always say a heart is never sated, just like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. I guess I’m getting a little too greedy. If he’d actually forged a Lifebound Treasure, he probably wouldn’t have been hunted down and killed.’

As for the sea ship, Lü Zhong planned to rent it to the Chengde Commerce Association for the time being.

The Commerce Association had recently developed a need for maritime shipping. A lot of goods needed to be transported to Outer Sea Commercial Harbors and handed over to associations that specialized in the East Sea Route. Until now, they had always hired ships from other Commerce Associations, spending a hefty sum of Spirit Stones for each trip.

’As the saying goes, "Keep the profits within the family." I’d rather those Spirit Stones end up in my own pockets.’

He cleaned up the scene, burning the corpse to ash. He then made some necessary modifications to the broken Array and didn’t forget to secure the sea ship, lest the tide carry it off to who-knows-where.

Only after finishing all this did Lü Zhong begin to concoct the Grass Spirit Creation Liquid.

...

「Half a year later.」

One day, a sea ship sailed into Changchun Harbor.

Many sailors were sunbathing at the port, and they all looked at the ship with odd expressions.

"That’s strange. Why is a ship arriving now?"

"It’s the middle of the year! Sailing through the Sea Tide Stage... they must be insane!"

Anyone could tell this was a large, ocean-going vessel built for long-distance routes.

According to established sailing patterns, such ships always arrived at Changchun Harbor at the end of the year.

This had always been the case, without exception.

The Sea Tide Stage swept in from east to west.

For a ship to arrive mid-year meant it had been battling Sea Beasts the entire way. In such treacherous conditions, survival was a near-impossibility, even with a Golden Core Master as an escort. That’s why the sailors called the owner insane.

Everyone was curious. What kind of cargo could it be carrying, and which Commerce Association was there to receive it?

"Here comes the Commerce Association to receive the goods."

"Chengde Commerce Association? Isn’t that a minor association?"

Seeing that it was the Chengde Commerce Association, the crowd of onlookers on the docks immediately broke into a commotion.

’Such a minor Commerce Association actually has this kind of pull?’

Meanwhile, on the ship, Yu Feng’Er saw Lü Zhong, her lovely eyes still wide with astonishment. When she had first received his message saying he’d "found" a sea ship, she hadn’t been able to believe it.

A sea ship was worth hundreds of thousands—it was tantamount to stumbling upon a Golden Core Pill.

"Chairman, the Port Official has finished the inspection. He said the ship’s certificate can be issued in a few days," a Steward hurried over to report to Yu Feng’Er.

"It’s... it’s actually real!" Yu Feng’Er still couldn’t believe it.

But since the Port Official had confirmed it, the sea ship truly had been "found."

Once the ship’s certificate was issued, the vessel would become Lü Zhong’s personal property.

After temporarily docking the ship in a berth, the two returned to Lintao Pavilion.

They hadn’t seen each other in half a year. Their reunion was more passionate than a honeymoon.

The two of them shared a long, intimate reunion.

Afterward, Yu Feng’Er snuggled in Lü Zhong’s arms, savoring his familiar warmth. A flush still colored her cheeks when she suddenly let out a small chuckle.

"What is it?" Lü Zhong asked, confused.

"My love, have you not noticed a change in me?" Yu Feng’Er wrapped her arms around Lü Zhong, intentionally flaring her aura.

"Oh, you’ve reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!" Lü Zhong finally realized that Yu Feng’Er had broken through. ’No wonder that took so long,’ he thought with a grin. "This is truly a double blessing! It looks like we won’t just be Foundation Establishment Dao Companions, but we’ll become Core Formation Dao Companions in the future—the envy of everyone!"

"Hehe, I’ll work my hardest!"

They remained in their room for a full half-month before finally emerging.

After seeing Yu Feng’Er off, Lü Zhong rubbed his aching back. ’Maybe I should eat something to recover my strength,’ he mused. On second thought, he decided against it. He didn’t want outsiders thinking he couldn’t handle it.

He turned and walked toward the Quiet Chamber.

’During this trip to Ganquan Island, I successfully concocted the Grass Spirit Creation Liquid. The yield was lower than I’d hoped, but it’s enough to last until the end of this year’s Sea Tide Stage.’

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, regulating his aura.

He consumed a dose of the Creation Liquid, and a burst of Pure Spiritual Qi instantly diffused through his body.

He quickly finished refining it.

Closing his eyes, Lü Zhong carefully considered the difference between the Creation Liquid and a Pill. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

’Compared to a Grass Spirit Pill, the Grass Spirit Creation Liquid is slightly less effective at increasing one’s cultivation, providing only about ninety percent of the Pill’s benefit.’

’And yet, a single dose of Grass Spirit Creation Liquid costs twice as much to make as a Grass Spirit Pill.’