Time had flown, and over five months had passed.

In these months, the news of Yuan Ming's competition with Bai Zhengxiong gradually spread, attracting many Returning Void Cultivators from afar who wished to befriend Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming, on his part, welcomed all comers, greatly expanding his network and gradually integrating into the circle of Dongji Sea's Returning Void Cultivators.

During this process, Fairy Yun Luo was quite helpful.

As Yuan Ming's neighbor, she would come by every so often, sometimes inviting Yuan Ming to various trade fairs and symposiums. Initially, Yuan Ming was very grateful for her enthusiastic help, but as time went on, he began to find it somewhat troublesome.

As a Spoken Witch who had mastered the Emotion Manipulation Skill, Yuan Ming was highly sensitive to the emotional changes in others. Each time he met and talked with Fairy Yun Luo, her sparkling eyes and overly apparent thoughts made Yuan Ming feel like a thorn was pressed against his back, causing him great discomfort.

Therefore, when Fairy Yun Luo visited once again, Yuan Ming took the initiative to clarify matters.

"Fairy Yun Luo, you hail from the Central Continent Su Nu Sect, don't you?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Hehe, it's rare that Fellow Daoist Yuan takes an interest in my affairs. Yes, I do come from the Su Nu Sect, although I haven't had much contact with the sect for a long time," Fairy Yun Luo replied with a light laugh.

"I heard that the cultivation techniques of the Su Nu Sect require a Daoist companion for significant advancement. Yet, I see you often alone; why not find a companion?" Yuan Ming inquired tactfully.

"Hehe, you might think highly of yourself, but in the Dongji Sea, few can catch my eye, and there are even fewer like Fellow Daoist Yuan. Since you brought it up, why don't we..." Fairy Yun Luo's eyes suddenly shimmered with emotion.

Yuan Ming hadn't expected Fairy Yun Luo to be so direct and nearly choked on his tea, coughing twice before hastily interrupting, "I appreciate your kindness and help during this period, Fellow Daoist Yun Luo, but I already have a companion, so I must decline your offer."

"...If that's the case, why have I never seen your companion these days?" Fairy Yun Luo asked, taken aback.

"She has currently gone to the Central Continent, and we are temporarily apart," Yuan Ming explained truthfully.

"My sect possesses a secret technique that can probe a man's Primordial Yang. If I am not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Yuan, you have reached Primordial Yang Perfection and are still a virgin. There's no need to fabricate such a flimsy lie just to reject me," Fairy Yun Luo said with a twinkling eye and a light laugh.

"What I've said is no lie, and as a Loose Cultivator, I'm surely not a match for someone of a prestigious origin like Fellow Daoist Yun Luo," Yuan Ming shook his head and continued.

"We are both Returning Void cultivators; there is no real distinction between those from prestigious sects and Loose Cultivators. Besides, your strength is remarkable, and as a Level 5 Array Master, it wouldn't take long to establish your own sect and become a feudal lord," Fairy Yun Luo laughed, showing no signs of backing down.

"Regardless, I truly cannot accept your feelings, Fairy Yun Luo. I've also been somewhat neglecting my cultivation lately and am considering going into seclusion. After today, it might be a long time before we meet again. Please do as you wish," Yuan Ming said with a wry smile, decisively ending the topic and escorting the guest out with tea.

"Since Fellow Daoist Yuan is busy, I won't impose any longer. I'll visit again once you come out of seclusion," Fairy Yun Luo said carefreely with a smile, then departed.

Yuan Ming smiled bitterly to himself, resolving that even after ending his seclusion, he would not let Fairy Yun Luo know.

The Island Protection Array was already set up, and the missionary work of Sikong Zhan and his group was on the right track. Yuan Ming took out the "Primordial True Skill" and began to comprehend it.

With his current level of insight, he mastered this cultivation technique without spending much time.

As he cultivated according to the technique, the seven types of mana in his body were activated, converging towards his Dantian and slowly revolving, soon forming a swirling Mixed Hole Vortex that continued to whirl.

Time swiftly flowed, and soon half a day had passed. The internal situation in the Dantian calmed down; the mana turbulence that used to occur when operating the Nine Elements Technique wasn't present, and the seven types of mana rotated on their own, peacefully coexisting.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming finally let out a sigh of relief and then quickened the speed of the Mixed Hole Vortex, drawing in nature's spiritual energy.

Streams of spiritual energy eagerly converged towards him, integrating into his body at a rate more than twice as fast as when using the Nine Elements Technique.

Yuan Ming was inwardly delighted, yet the strength of his physical body was immense, and the current speed of the Mixed Hole Vortex hadn't even reached the limits that his body could withstand.

With this thought, he sped up the operations of "Primordial True Skill," bringing together a majestic flow of nature's spiritual energy, which soon reached five times that of the initial rate.

He felt a faint tingling all over his body, clearly having reached the limit.

"This rate of cultivation is nearly ten times that of ordinary Returning Void cultivators, but it's still not enough. I want it even faster!" Yuan Ming thought spiritedly, motivating the Undying Tree within his Dantian.

His skin turned black, his limbs morphed into thick tree trunks, and his body quickly transformed into a tall Undying Tree.

As an Undying Tree, his physical strength increased once again, also gaining tremendous regenerative power.

Yuan Ming then further increased the velocity of the Mixed Hole Vortex, reaching fifteen times the drawing speed of nature's spiritual energy compared to ordinary Returning Void cultivators.

The rich, nearly liquefied spiritual energy filled his entire body, circulated through his meridians, and merged into the vortex in his Dantian, rapidly increasing his mana.

A surge of joy leaped in Yuan Ming's heart. The "Primordial True Skill" seemed tailor-made for him, and the sensation of such rapid increase in mana was truly delightful.

"Having Mana escalate too quickly is not a good thing; remember, the 'Primordial True Skill' itself can cause Mana instability. And with your fast advancement in Cultivation, it might become exceedingly difficult for you to break through to the middle stage of Returning Void," Qi Ye's voice suddenly rang out, reminding him.

"I know, but I think breaking through to the middle stage of Returning Void shouldn't be a big problem," Yuan Ming chuckled, his tone light.

"Oh, do you have a method?" Qi Ye asked curiously.

"I plan to use this." Yuan Ming nodded and took out a white jade bottle, the container for the Three Light Divine Water.

The Three Light Divine Water could refine the body, but when Hua Zhi previously used it, he unexpectedly discovered that it not only refined the Physical Body but also had a certain refining effect on Mana.

He was risking the entire bottle of Three Light Divine Water, but it should suffice to significantly refine his Mana and make breaking through to the middle stage of Returning Void feasible.

"The Three Light Divine Water indeed has some effects, but that's all you have. What about later, when you need to break through the late stage of Returning Void or even advance to the Dharma Manifestation Stage?" Qi Ye asked.

"We'll worry about the future later. With such abundant resources in the Overseas Immortal Cultivation World, there will definitely be items with effects similar to the Three Light Divine Water," Yuan Ming replied, unfazed.

"That's also true," Qi Ye said, no longer pressing the matter. Keep us going by reading on *.

Yuan Ming put away the bottle and continued to cultivate, his expression suddenly showing surprise.

Previously, he had only been verifying the effects of the 'Primordial True Skill' and had not paid attention to the Undying Tree. Just now, as he calmed his emotions and circulated his cultivation, he discovered that the demonic power of the Undying Tree was also circulating in the manner of the 'Primordial True Skill,' rapidly absorbing nature's spiritual energy and enhancing its demonic power.

"This Undying Tree has been cultivating instinctively all along, but now it has changed its cultivation method; it seems that the 'Primordial True Skill' is indeed not simple," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

With the dense spiritual energy on Spiritual Ape Island, and the Gathering Spirit Tree gathering more spiritual energy, he was not overly concerned about the Undying Tree consuming some; he continued to immerse himself in cultivation.

Yuan Ming's main soul flew out of the Cave Mansion, cultivating the Moonlight Technique, while his first soul, as before, controlled the Qi-Blood Power within his body, circulating the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill, and absorbing the Power of the Sun from the void.

...

Time flew swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, seasons changed from spring to winter, and sixty years passed.

In Yuan Ming's secluded spot, a huge Undying Tree dominated the Cave Mansion, its size having grown several times larger than before, with its canopy almost touching the cave's stone ceiling and its hanging vines forming a thick carpet covering every corner of the Cave Mansion.

The demonic power emanating from the Undying Tree had impressively reached the middle stage of Level 5, its aura robust and formidable, commanding respect.

At that moment, the Undying Tree suddenly transformed, its branches and leaves quickly shrinking, and almost instantly, Yuan Ming's figure reappeared.

By now, Yuan Ming's own Mana had successfully broken through to the middle stage of Returning Void.

Cultivating 'Primordial True Skill' and overcoming the bottleneck in Cultivation had indeed been extraordinarily difficult. He had exhausted an entire bottle of Three Light Divine Water to barely manage a successful breakthrough.

During these sixty years, Yuan Ming had not slackened in his cultivation of Soul and Body Cultivation.

His Divine Soul Power had finally progressed further, entering the mid-stage of Word Witch, while his Body Cultivation was slightly behind, although there was progress, it was still in the early stages of the Wandxiang Body.

Such progress in a mere sixty years would have thrilled any other Returning to Void Cultivator, but a smile was rare on Yuan Ming's face at this time.

He raised his hand and summoned the Stealing Heaven Tripod, carefully counting the number of Vow Power Pills inside.

Neither more nor less, there were only forty.

More than half of the century had already passed, but the number of Vow Power Pills was far from sufficient.

Yuan Ming sighed softly, adjusted his appearance slightly, and then stepped out of the secluded Cave Mansion.

Moments later, on Spiritual Ape Island, Yuan Ming summoned Sikong Zhan and others, listening to their reports.

"The mortals and cultivators on Spiritual Ape Island have now pledged allegiance to the Moon Sect, praying regularly every day. Even the mortals and low-level cultivators on the nearby islands have also begun to worship the Nether Moon God about seventy percent..." Sikong Zhan said respectfully.

The Dongji Sea was vast, with distant travels between islands, and almost all islands with Spirit Veins were occupied by cultivators and brought under the rule of Dongji Palace. Despite Sikong Zhan's efforts to develop the Moon Sect, he had to abide by the rules set by Dongji Palace, and could only progress step by step.

Considering the scale of the Moon Sect after sixty years, he had been very dedicated.

But for Yuan Ming, these accomplishments still seemed like a drop in the bucket.

Yuan Ming concealed his disappointment, firstly praising Sikong Zhan and bestowing many rewards, and also provided some guidance on his cultivation doubts. He then encouraged him to broaden his efforts and speed up the growth of believers.

Sikong Zhan naturally rejoiced, thanking Yuan Ming profusely, and assured him that he would double his efforts to further expand the followers of the Moon Sect.