Yudao Peak.

From a distance, this is a divine mountain suspended in the vast sea of clouds, with a radius of over 30,000 miles. It is filled with purple qi and a rich Dao rhyme permeates the air. Countless auspicious clouds and radiant mist envelop it, and occasionally, unidentified spirit birds and exotic beasts can be seen wandering in the mountains.

It is not an ordinary floating mountain, but the exclusive cave mansion of the Supreme Sect Master of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace throughout the generations. Its true form is a genuine innate spirit treasure, and it is also a crucial formation eye of the main altar’s protective array. It was left behind by the founder of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

Whoever succeeds as the Sect Master can possess the control over this treasure and reside in it permanently until they retire and pass on their position.

At the peak of the divine mountain, there is a small blue lake. The dense and pure spiritual energy turns into visible purple mist, spreading across the surface of the lake.

Qing Muling sat in a small pavilion by the lake, frowning as he read through the pile of jade slips beside him. The stone platform in front of him was filled with various delicacies and spirit wine.

After a while, a slightly heavy footstep sounded. Qi Yalan held a three-legged and two-eared purple bronze cauldron the size of a human head. Her eyebrows were tightly furrowed as she walked slowly, her speed somewhat slow.

When she approached, she gently placed the cauldron on the stone platform and let out a long sigh of relief before sitting down beside Qing Muling.

The ground trembled imperceptibly, and the stone platform, which had been enhanced by multiple runes, emitted a series of flowing lights. After a few breaths, the lights disappeared.

“Is it really that heavy?”

Qing Muling raised his head and asked with a smile. Although sword cultivators were not known for their physical strength, it was evident that this purple bronze cauldron was unusually heavy if it made a Nascent Soul stage cultivator like Qi Yalan struggle.

Qi Yalan said irritably, “Next time, I’ll let your Fourth Senior Sister do this kind of heavy work. It’s really… my body is about to fall apart!”

Qing Muling put down the jade slip and held Qi Yalan’s delicate hand. A pure and gentle spiritual power flowed into her body, immediately relieving the extreme discomfort and fatigue.

“According to Master, this Four Extreme Divine Elephant Cauldron is a special spirit treasure of the sect. Any spiritual medicine or ingredients cooked with it will possess extraordinary effects and greatly benefit cultivation. The only drawback is that it is quite heavy, especially this adult Abyssal Serpent with a weight of over a hundred thousand catties, along with precious spiritual medicines that can fill an entire hall, and so much Ice Radiance Holy Spring water. It’s no wonder it exhausted you!”

Qi Yalan smiled and touched Qing Muling with her fragrant and smooth jade hand. She felt a slight heat in her heart and subconsciously moved closer to him, reaching out to wrap her arm around her Junior Brother’s waist.

Qing Muling sighed and made no resistance. Qi Yalan naturally sat on her Junior Brother’s lap, bringing his hand to her waist through the thin fabric. The wonderful and soul-stirring touch was not something that could be easily explained to outsiders.

Since the last time they soaked in the hot spring, their relationship had unknowingly deepened. So much so that Qing Muling occasionally liked to take advantage of his Third Senior Sister. Of course, most of the time, it was this Senior Sister who took advantage of her Junior Brother. However, she would never admit it.

As the Saintess of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, born into a prestigious family with noble bloodline, Qi Yalan had always believed that she paid great attention to her image. In her daily life and interactions with others, she always maintained elegance and grace. It was just that her Junior Brother liked it this way, and she could only reluctantly comply. It wasn’t because she herself was feeling a hint of spring and craving her Junior Brother’s body.

Qi Yalan firmly told herself that this was the truth of the matter and would not accept any objections.

Considering that they were on the territory of the Sect Master, their behavior was not too excessive and they stopped after a moment.

“This big guy has been stewing for seven days and nights, and the heat is almost right,” Qi Yalan said. “Master’s intention is for seventy percent to go to you, and the rest to me. When we finish eating, I can enter seclusion and prepare to overcome the Thunder Tribulation. But I need your cooperation, Junior Brother.”

Qing Muling nodded. “Of course, I have no problem with that.”

Speaking of which, Xuebing Xuan’s cultivation level was originally higher than Qi Yalan’s. However, she was often distracted by mundane matters, which delayed her cultivation progress. Unlike Qi Yalan, who was diligent and focused on honing her sword intent. In addition, she had spent more time with Qing Muling, constantly gaining insights from his Dao comprehension. Now, she was about to complete her accumulation and take the first step.

The two of them immediately started eating. Qi Yalan took out the tableware and served a bowlful for her Junior Brother. The white soup soaked the tender and translucent meat, with a hidden golden radiance. The rich aroma filled the air, arousing a strong appetite.

Although the purple bronze cauldron appeared small, its internal space was quite exaggerated. It would take quite some time for the two of them to eat up all the spiritual medicine and ingredients inside.Ever since he demonstrated his talent in front of the supreme elders, Qing Muling had been living on the top of the Imperial Dao Peak. All his needs, including food, drink, and daily necessities, were directly taken care of by Mu Yinghua. He could use her secret palace for cultivation, and whatever resources he needed were readily available. It was as if he could command the wind and summon the rain.

Qing Muling’s daily routine was simple. He would visit the designated medicinal garden every day, and after his cultivation, he would be escorted back to the Imperial Dao Peak by the supreme elders.

To ensure strict confidentiality, Mu Yinghua assigned Qi Yalan to play the role of a maid, taking care of Junior Brother’s daily life. No one else was allowed to contact him, and anyone who dared to disobey would be severely punished.

The medicinal gardens that Qing Muling frequented numbered in the dozens, all filled with spiritual herbs and plants that were nearly ten thousand years old. Due to the vast area, the caretakers, servants, and outer disciples totaled up to a million people. It was possible that some of them were spies planted by certain forces.

For this reason, Mu Yinghua took drastic measures. She gathered these disciples and placed a vicious curse on their Divine Souls. If they dared to leak any information, their souls would be scattered, beyond the help of even immortals.

For thirty years, they could not leave or have any contact with the outside world. Their residences were closely monitored, and apart from the medicinal gardens, they were not allowed to set foot anywhere else, leading a life of isolation.

Of course, they were compensated with ample resources, but they would have to wait until the end of the isolation period to redeem them.

All of this was to ensure Qing Muling’s safety. After all, his talent was too shocking. If it reached the ears of the higher-ups of those superpowers, the consequences would be disastrous. Therefore, confidentiality had to be maintained at all costs.

“…Master’s intention is for me to stay on this Imperial Dao Peak for a year,”

Qing Muling said to his senior sister while enjoying his meal, “With my abilities, I should be able to upgrade all the spiritual herbs and plants in these gardens to the level of sacred herbs. By then, the sect will have a steady supply of sacred herbs for a considerable period.”

Qi Yalan laughed, “By the end of the year, I should have stabilized my new realm, right? Junior Brother, you will also gain a lot of merit contributions and cultivation advancement. It’s a win-win situation.”

Qing Muling’s eyes were deep, “All these are secondary. Master has been very good to me. After enjoying so many benefits from the sect, I should give something back. I hope that in the future, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace can cultivate more core disciples and elders with this, and never have to worry about lacking resources again.”

Elixirs are one of the important foundations of the cultivation civilization, equivalent to the food and grain of mortals. The process of refining elixirs cannot be separated from these spiritual and sacred herbs, which are the basis of the cultivation system.

For any power, herbs are the most important strategic resources. The quantity and quality of herbs a sect can produce each year determine how many disciples it can cultivate, how many other resources it can exchange from the outside world, and directly affect the overall strength of the sect.

Ever since its decline ten thousand years ago, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace had lost many important spiritual herb resources, either destroyed or fallen into the hands of enemies. Many important elixir recipes could not be completed, directly leading to a decrease in the cultivation progress of the disciples. The impact was immeasurable.

Now with Qing Muling, the shortcomings of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace in this aspect can be greatly compensated. The massive amount of sacred herbs produced, whether for self-use or trade, can bring substantial benefits to the sect.