After seeing off An Miaoli and her niece, Ye Chen felt a bit baffled. What was that all about? But when he checked the system's reward, his confusion melted away, replaced by a delighted grin.

"Lanke Jade: When worn by a cultivator, it protects the soul, ensuring immunity to heart demons before the Immortal Ascension Tribulation, nullifying all illusions, and continuously nurturing spiritual sense, raising its upper limit…"

No critical hit, but the reward was exactly what he needed. Heart demons were the greatest foe on a cultivator's path. Some cultivators boasted unparalleled physical strength but faltered in willpower, easily succumbing to heart demons and failing at critical moments.

Ye Chen had read of a prodigy with Deity Transformation potential, nurtured meticulously by their sect. On the verge of breaking through to Soul Transformation, they dreamed of failing the breakthrough, their body possessed by a heavenly demon, slaughtering their sect, killing their partner, and refining their family into pills. That dream shattered their confidence, filling them with dread. He delayed his seclusion for the breakthrough, unable to muster the courage, and ultimately died with regrets.

That was the work of a heart demon—omnipresent, insidious, and relentless. With the Lanke Jade, Ye Chen would be immune to heart demons until his Immortal Ascension Tribulation. Its value was immense. Beyond that, it nurtured spiritual sense and raised its ceiling. He'd been disappointed when gifting An Yuyi the Soul-Nourishing Stone didn't trigger a critical hit, but this reward from An Miaoli more than made up for it.

An Miaoli truly was a remarkable woman!

The next day, Li Feihuang arrived.

She informed Ye Chen that she was about to enter seclusion to break through to the Golden Core stage. Her urgency stemmed not only from the mounting pressure from the Great Chu Dynasty but also from her defeat in the Divine Will Cave Heaven. As a royal daughter of Great Chu, Li Feihuang had always been supremely confident, rarely meeting her match among peers. Yet Ye Chen had bested her twice.

The first loss she could brush off, but the second? With all her trump cards revealed, she couldn't even withstand a single strike. The reality was hard to swallow.

Thus, she was determined to enter seclusion, form a ninth-grade Golden Core, and elevate her Fire Phoenix Spirit Body to the Moon Phoenix Body. If she could master even a fraction of the True Phoenix Treasure Technique during the process, it would be perfect. Then, Ye Chen would stand no chance against her.

"After I break through to Golden Core, my physique will advance as well, and I might even acquire the True Phoenix Treasure Technique," she said earnestly before leaving. "When the time comes, if Fellow Daoist Ye has also reached Golden Core, I'd trouble you to test my strength."

She called it a test, but her intentions were clear. As a royal daughter, how could she remain weaker than her vassal? In the cultivation world's dynasties, unlike mortal empires, the emperor had to be the strongest under the ancestor to command respect.

Ye Chen understood her meaning perfectly and nodded calmly, agreeing to her request. Inwardly, he marveled at her unshakable confidence. Couldn't beat me at Foundation Establishment, and now you think you'll win at Golden Core? Just don't cry when you lose again.

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He escorted her to the door, watching as she departed with a confident nod, her figure drifting away gracefully.

...

After Li Feihuang entered seclusion, the days passed steadily.

An Yuyi visited frequently, and each time, An Miaoli accompanied her. Ye Chen couldn't help but wonder—did An Miaoli, a grand elder of the Divine Will Sect, have nothing better to do than tag along?

Her demeanor was colder than before, laced with an even stronger sense of detachment, as if she were here against her will. If she was so unwilling, why come at all? Ye Chen was genuinely baffled.

Still, it was a boon for him. A weekly two-hundredfold feedback from a high-value cultivator like An Miaoli was perfect. In his good mood, he even warmed up to An Yuyi. His change in attitude thrilled her. My plan is working, she thought, doubling down on her resolve to keep bringing her aunt.

An Miaoli, however, grew increasingly irritated watching this unfold. Ye Chen's cunning was infuriating—playing with her niece's emotions just to get close to her. The more he schemed, the more she disdained him. Once An Yuyi saw through his manipulations and came to her senses, An Miaoli vowed to cut off all contact with him. Let his schemes end in nothing.

...

The Heavenly Evolution Pavilion auction finally arrived. With treasures like the Eternal Cosmos Sutra fragment on offer, it drew powerhouses from sects and clans within the Divine Will Sect's domain, as well as rogue cultivators and even experts from beyond the sect's territory. Divine Will City buzzed with activity.

The Ye Boutique branch thrived in the excitement, with goods flying off the shelves. Ye Chen's wealth swelled, making him even more confident about securing the scripture fragment.

When the day arrived, Ye Chen headed to Heavenly Evolution Pavilion early. As a high-spending regular, he didn't need to verify his funds and was ushered straight to a private booth to await the auction's start.

At the Divine Will Sect, An Miaoli's expression was tinged with hesitation. After paying a premium to secure the Star Thunder Stone from Heavenly Evolution Pavilion, her spirit stone reserves were nearly depleted. But the Thunderbane Bamboo Core was non-negotiable.

An Yuyi's dual spiritual roots needed to be balanced to ensure the Star Thunder Stone could serve as the core material for a ninth-grade Golden Core. Without balance, her spiritual energy flow would be imperfect, capping her core at seventh grade, maybe eighth at best.

To prepare, An Miaoli had liquidated many assets, amassing thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones. She'd nearly emptied her coffers, but she didn't mind. These were mere possessions. If her niece could form a ninth-grade Golden Core, it would all be worth it.

Thirty thousand spirit stones roughly matched the Thunderbane Bamboo Core's value, but as a rare aptitude-enhancing treasure, it was bound to fetch a higher price. The Eternal Cosmos Sutra fragment had drawn powerhouses from major factions, and those who missed out on the scripture would likely bid aggressively on the Thunderbane Bamboo Core to boost their juniors' potential.

After a moment's hesitation, An Miaoli glided to the sect's Internal Affairs Hall. Using her authority as grand elder, she borrowed another thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones, bringing her total to sixty thousand, an amount far exceeding the Thunderbane Bamboo Core's base value. With this, she was confident she could secure it.

Once An Yuyi broke through, An Miaoli could focus on rebuilding her spirit stone reserves, repaying the sect, and preparing for her own Nascent Soul breakthrough. But the thought of her debts and the immense resources needed for Nascent Soul made her sigh. The path to immortality was arduous. Even as a late-stage Golden Core cultivator and grand elder of the Divine Will Sect, she fretted over spirit stones.

For some reason, Ye Chen's image flashed through her mind. The Ye Boutique branch was thriving, raking in profits daily. Ye Chen's wealth likely surpassed that of most Golden Core cultivators by now.

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