Yuan Ming, enduring heart-wrenching pain, focused his mind and began communicating with the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

Before long, a stream of warmth flowed from inside the tripod, splitting into two and merging into the two Divine Souls.

The originally trembling main soul and clone stabilized immediately, the chaotic Soul Power rapidly steadied, and the insanity-inducing pain greatly decreased.

Yuan Ming felt a slight relief in his heart. The Desire Power's warm flow from the Stealing Heaven Tripod was indeed extremely effective in healing the wounds of the Divine Soul. The most difficult hurdle had passed.

He took a deep breath, forcefully propping himself up into a sitting position, and continued to rapidly form hand signs.

The split clone quickly stabilized, Yuan Ming's appearance within the light sphere became clearer, and the Six Senses of the main soul were also connected to it.

After a long half-day, Yuan Ming walked out with a pale face but with an uncontrollable excitement in his expression.

This time, the application of the Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique was very smooth. He had now split off a completely concentric clone, laying a solid foundation for a future breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Stage.

Zuo Qinghui walked out with him from the inner room, his eyes lively, clearly with another clone controlled by him.

The clone controlled within Zuo Qinghui was precisely the third clone just split off by using the Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique.

Although this clone had already stabilized, it still needed to painstakingly cultivate the Moonlight Technique to solidify completely.

"From now on, I'll be counting on you," Yuan Ming told Zuo Qinghui.

He planned to leave both Zuo Qinghui and the third clone on Evergreen Island. Since the potential of this embodiment of Zuo Qinghui was not high, continuing to take it with him was of no great use. It would be better to leave it to protect his parents.

With Zuo Qinghui's Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation level, coupled with the clone and a large array of Magic Artifacts and talismans left by Yuan Ming, even facing a Core Formation Stage cultivator, there would be no problem protecting his parents for a short duration.

Moreover, this third clone also needed time to recuperate, and Evergreen Island was just the right place.

"You and I share one heart, there is no need for such words. Leave the care of the elders to me," Zuo Qinghui spoke, a flash of yellow light passed over his body, and he submerged into the ground.

Yuan Ming closed his eyes for Breathing Control, absorbing Desire Power to restore his Divine Soul. His pale complexion rapidly revived. He headed to the main hall outside.

Yuan Zuochong and Yuan Mu were already waiting there, knowing that Yuan Ming was about to leave.

"Father, Mother, your son has been unfilial, unable to keep you company for long," Yuan Ming said somberly.

"What nonsense are you talking? Even a fledgling eagle will leave the nest when it grows up, aiming to soar in the vast sky. Ming'er, you have already carved out your own piece of the sky, how could you stay with us old folks forever?" Yuan Zuochong said.

"Ming'er, you have been with us for a year, and we are already very satisfied. Go and do your own things. If there is a chance, come back later," Yuan Mu said tenderly, patting Yuan Ming's head.

"Yes, I will strive to handle things quickly and come back to continue serving you," Yuan Ming said.

"Good, we will wait for your early return," Yuan Mu said, tears flickering in her eyes.

"Zuo Qinghui is my clone, hiding here. If you have any matters, just order him to do it," Yuan Ming knelt down before his parents, kowtowed, and his figure flickered, vanishing into thin air.

Yuan Zuochong and Yuan Mu stared at the empty ground, their expressions filled with melancholy.

...

Dragon King City.

Merely a year had passed, but when Yuan Ming returned, he found the Hundred Pills Square premises had changed significantly from the past.

Originally, the premises had only one building resembling an inn, but now, closer to the street, another four-story building had risen sharply, constructed of blue bricks and tiles, with exterior decorations that appeared rather modest and elegant.

The walls and roofs of the original building were also renovated. While the materials were not as good as the new building, the style had been unified.

The new building seemed to be used for receiving guests daily. A large golden nanmu plaque hung above the front door, inscribed with the words "Hundred Pills Square" in a script that seemed to be from a famous hand. Even with Yuan Ming's calligraphy skills, he could not find any faults.

As he crossed the threshold, he saw that the interior was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside. The furnishings inside were also simple and elegant. The shelves were neatly arranged with porcelain bottles containing elixirs, each bottle marked by a flaming elixir symbol. While it did not enhance the potency of the pills, such uniformity elevated the grade of the elixirs being sold.

Inside the shop, many attendants in light blue long gowns embroidered with the elixir symbol were busy organizing and stocking shelves. They looked very busy, but on closer inspection, Yuan Ming noticed that there seemed to be very few customers in the store.

As they say, all beginnings are difficult. Yuan Ming did not expect Hundred Pills Square to be thriving immediately after opening, but having invested money and seeing such sparse customer flow in such a large shop, he felt slightly discontented.

At the same time, the shop assistants inside also noticed new customers entering. Most of them were newly hired, so they did not recognize Yuan Ming's identity. One of them approached to greet the arrivals.

Before he could speak, he suddenly saw Yuan Ming wave his hand, indicating that he wanted to browse alone, so he tactfully retreated.

However, when Yuan Ming attempted to enter the manor directly, he suddenly noticed that the manor was enveloped by a formation. The quality of the formation seemed rather high. Although he could break it, it would inevitably cause some disturbance.

This practice of separating a customer-facing shop from the living area made Yuan Ming nod in approval internally. However, the thought that this was his own territory and that he couldn't even enter the door after being away for only a year caused him to touch his nose unconsciously.

Just then, Yuan Ming suddenly saw a young girl in white emerging from behind the shop. It was Yan Sijing.

She walked into the shop and looked up to see Yuan Ming, her eyes instantly brightening.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan," Yan Sijing smiled, "my sister just mentioned that you might return in a few days and asked me to wait for you here in the shop. I didn't expect to meet you so soon."

Yuan Ming nodded, "Indeed, it's a coincidence. How about Xi Ying? Is she still in the manor?"

"Yes, Sister Xi Ying is in her residence, in deep meditation practice. She also instructed that if you returned, you could go directly to see her," she said.

As she spoke, Yan Sijing took out a token from her storage bag, "Fellow Daoist Yuan, my sister purchased a formation set for protection four months ago. Take good care of this entry token."

Yuan Ming took the token and then chatted with Yan Sijing as they walked.

"The shop doesn't seem to have many customers. Didn't you do any advertising when you opened?" Yuan Ming asked.

Yan Sijing felt a bit wronged as she responded, "We did advertise, but there are already numerous shops selling elixirs in Dragon King City. Being new with limited resources and not having any distinctive elixirs to offer, it's truly hard to make a name for ourselves. My sister is also worried about this."

Yuan Ming furrowed his brows slightly, acknowledging the truth in Yan Sijing's words. In the East Sea, the market for elixirs was just so big. Opening a shop without any unique features could perhaps maintain a balance of income and expenses through other means, but it would be difficult to grow significantly.

Putting aside the reasons that Xi Ying supported the Hundred Pills Square, since Yuan Ming had invested in it, he naturally had certain expectations for Hundred Pills Square and would not just watch idly.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, later arrange to find a few trustworthy people who are clever. It's not necessary for them to know alchemy, but having some basic skills would be best. Later, I will teach them how to make Spirit Incense. The shop can bundle Spirit Incense and Spirit Pills for sale, which could serve as a unique feature," Yuan Ming said.

"Spirit Incense? I think I've heard of that, but it seems its effects aren't as good as those of elixirs. Can it really attract customers?" Yan Sijing asked, blinking her beautiful eyes with some concern.

"Heh, people always like a little advantage," Yuan Ming chuckled, "especially Loose Cultivators who are more frugal with their Spirit Stones. Say a pill costs ten Spirit Stones, they might find it expensive. But if you offer them an extra stick of Spirit Incense, even if the total cost doesn't reach ten Spirit Stones, they'll think it's a good deal."

Yan Sijing nodded thoughtfully, memorizing Yuan Ming's words, then hurried off to arrange for the staff and to relay Yuan Ming's suggestions to Yan Siyun.

Soon, Yuan Ming arrived outside the room where Xi Ying was staying. Just as he was about to knock, the door opened by itself, and Xi Ying was already sitting at the table, her eyes fixed on him.

"Long time no see." Yuan Ming smiled as he entered the room, feeling a slight fragrance in the air.

"Are your parents well settled?" Xi Ying asked.

Yuan Ming sat by the table and poured himself a cup of tea. "Yes, I chose an inconspicuous island and left a soul split there to guard it. How about here, are we ready to collect that spiritual material?"

"Almost, we can set off tomorrow," Xi Ying nodded.

"Where exactly is it?" Yuan Ming asked, his expression altering.

"Remember the Fusang Divine Tree mentioned in the information you looked at last time? The spiritual material we need is the Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit that grows on that tree. This fruit is extremely precious: the flesh, core, and even the stem can all be used as materials for refining Nascent Soul Stage elixirs, and the fruit only ripens once every three hundred years, with only twenty-one fruits each time," Xi Ying explained slowly.

"Such a divine item must have many contenders. I'm afraid they are mostly Nascent Soul cultivators. It seems we will have to go to some lengths to acquire it," Yuan Ming frowned.

"That's not necessarily the case. Since the Fusang Divine Tree is occupied by Fusang Island and protected by the Golden Crow, other islands cannot forcefully take it. They can only obtain it through exchanges of interest. Fusang Island thrives and prospers for thousands of years because of this," Xi Ying said.

"How does the exchange work? Tell me more," Yuan Ming's brow rose slightly, asking.

"The Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit is ultimately limited. Over time, a tradition has formed. Every three hundred years, when the Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit ripens, Fusang Island hosts an Immortal Fruit Conference, inviting the Eastern Sea Islands to participate. The fruits are distributed by lottery and competition, ultimately deciding the top sixteen islands. These islands each receive a Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit, and of course, the required exchanges of interest still take place. They are merely competing for eligibility," Xi Ying explained.

Yuan Ming nodded thoughtfully, "So, we just need to be among the top sixteen? But it seems that participating in the Immortal Fruit Conference requires representing an island. Under what identity should we join? Also, will Nascent Soul cultivators participate?"

"You needn't worry about that. Although the Immortal Fruit Conference only allows the Eastern Sea Islands to participate, it doesn't require the on-stage competitors to be the direct disciples of those islands. Apart from Nascent Soul cultivators, the islands can send any cultivator to fight. However, a single person can only fight once, win or lose, and cannot compete again," Xi Ying said with a smile.

"That's a relief," Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

(There have been many events recently, but Wang Yu will try to ensure stable updates)

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