Progressing steadily at a leisurely pace.

    Ao Le and Lan Feihu remained vigilant, but the journey was undisturbed.

    One might think—

    Lu Qingfeng, though a Prince Consort of the Dragon Palace, and accompanied by the Little Dragon Girl, Ao Le, originates from the Human Clan. Despite being known as a prodigy, he''s only in the Soul Condensation Realm, and without his status as Prince Consort, not even Third Realm experts like Lan Feihu would take much notice of him, let alone formidable Fourth Realm entities.

    As for Ao Le, being of the Dragon Clan but of a gentle and timid disposition as a lady, it''s doubtful she''ll ever reach the grandeur of the Primordial Spirit Realm.

    One barely entering the Second Realm, possessing great potential.

    The other with slow progress in cultivation, lingering in the Third Realm.

    Failing to reach the Fourth Realm, powers like the Min River Dragon Palace, with Fourth Realm beings at the helm, would not be interested.

    They would not risk provoking the Min River Dragon Lord by launching a reckless assault only to find trouble.

    Moreover,

    Lan Feihu is already a Third Realm master himself, commanding fifteen hundred troops of the Min River Navy, formidable in battle. Even seven or eight regular Third Realm adversaries would struggle to overcome him.

    More numerous foes or a Fourth Realm intervention would be unrealistic.

    Lesser forces without Fourth Realm leadership wouldn''t dare to provoke the Min River Dragon Palace.

    Hence,

    Ao Le, nestled in Lu Qingfeng''s arms, kept her vigilance with a blend of shyness and focus, yet the journey remained peaceful throughout.

    It was only in the waters of Yuan Lake ahead that a commotion stirred, like chickens scattering and dogs leaping.

    Before long,

    Yuan Bi swooped down from the skies, landing before Lu Qingfeng and Ao Le, "Your Highness, Prince Consort, we''ve swept clear Yin Mountain Island and its surrounding territories for a hundred miles. We can temporarily settle on Yin Mountain Island to regroup before advancing further into the depths of Yuan Lake."

    With the presence of Yuan Bi, Lan Feihu, and Ao Le, all Third Realm experts, only the arrival of a Fourth Realm heavyweight could pose a threat; otherwise, even a dozen Third Realm contenders would be of no concern.

    Yet the expansive waters of Yuan Lake and its multitude of islands pose a difficulty.

    If every nook and cranny isn''t thoroughly searched, and a hidden master launches a surprise attack, the three of them might not falter, but Lu Qingfeng might face danger.

    Yuan Bi was cautious, strategizing each step.

    "Let''s follow General Yuan''s direction."

    Lu Qingfeng, less experienced with military strategy and fortification than Yuan Bi, naturally heeded the advice. Additionally, he deeply valued his life, especially now when the situation seemed promising.

    ...

    Atop Yin Mountain Island, named for a peak resembling a seal impression, Lu Qingfeng''s group set up camp.

    Lan Feihu took charge of fifteen hundred Min River Navy troops guarding Lu Qingfeng and Ao Le and stationed them around Yin Mountain Island. Yuan Bi, with his own force of Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals, initiated a thorough investigation of the islands and the seven-thousand-mile stretch of water, using Yin Mountain Island as a base.

    Sounds straightforward,

    but Yuan Lake has numerous islands, each with its own complexities. A single oversight could miss a Third Realm demon and threaten Lu Qingfeng. Beneath the surface, the underwater terrains are even more intricate than the islands.

    Such a searching operation couldn''t be completed in merely a day or two.

    Lu Qingfeng entrusted all such affairs to Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi,

    while he and Ao Le remained on Yin Mountain Island.

    "Yuan Lake has been untamed for a long while, a realm of desolation. You''ll have to endure some hardships with me during this initial phase."

    Atop Yin Mountain Island, Lu Qingfeng gazed across the vast expanse of the seven-thousand-mile Yuan Lake, then turned to Ao Le at his side and spoke.

    Ao Le shook her head, "Being with my husband, Le''er doesn''t feel any hardship."

    Holding a sword in one hand and placing the other in Lu Qingfeng''s palm, she smiled eagerly, revealing joyful waves in her eyes, "In the future, Yuan Lake will be my husband''s foundation. Although Le''er lacks skills in literature and martial arts, I''m still a Third Realm Practitioner. With the Flying Tiger General and General Yuan leading the troops, Le''er will serve as my husband''s trusted aide."

    Ao Le gazed up at Lu Qingfeng with a playful twinkle in her eyes.

    "Ha ha!"

    "Min River Dragon Palace''s Little Dragon Girl as my personal guard? Let''s see who dares to cause trouble in Yuan Lake?!"

    Lu Qingfeng couldn''t help but burst into laughter upon hearing this.

    Ao Le''s eyes curved into crescents as she let out an equally joyous laugh.

    The couple stood atop Yin Mountain, conversing as husband and wife. Ao Le held high hopes for the future, eager to strive alongside Lu Qingfeng, shoulder to shoulder in battle, and to cultivate Yuan Lake together, her heart brimming with happiness.

    Her temperament even seemed brighter.

    Lu Qingfeng surveyed Yuan Lake, his heart filled with an indescribable sense of liberation upon seeing the ripples across the water.

    The Dragon Palace had every necessity, with powerful beings like the Min River Dragon Lord ensuring there was no threat to life. However, Lu Qingfeng harbored many secrets, from Immortal Dao Techniques to his myriad of Divine Skills; exposure would spell disaster.

    Thus, he had lived with a constant tension for ten long years. Even for someone like him, it was exhausting.

    Now freed from his cage, Lu Qingfeng at last had the freedom to act on his own accord.

    "In the path of Sexual Cultivation, reaching the Second Realm, ''Soul Condensation,'' requires the successive gathering of the Human, Earth, and Heavenly Souls."

    "Achieving Perfection in Opening the Acupoint reveals the shadow of the Human Soul within the Life Soul—that is the entry into the Human Soul level of the Soul Condensation Realm. From that point on, wisdom elevates, penetrating the mind, articulating spells, and forming seals. In the mortal realm, they are called possessors of Divine Skills. In the Dao of Sexual Cultivation, they are known as Mages."

    "Subsequently, one must strengthen the Human Soul with Magic Gate techniques and deepen understanding through experience. When the time is ripe, the Earth Soul will take form."

    "The Daoist Field within the Soul, the Earth-encompassing Soul."

    "The Earth Soul embodies the Daoist Field, recording past experiences. The more experiences and deeper the insights, the stronger the Earth Soul and Daoist Field become, and the greater the potential."

    Many practitioners of Nature Dao are able to gauge their potential at this stage. Those with a narrow and insubstantial Daoist Field have limited futures, perhaps forever trapped within the Earth Soul Realm.

    The opposite would indicate boundless potential.

    "Now that my Human Soul has formed, my next step is to gather the Earth Soul."

    Thus,

    upon grasping the techniques of Sexual Cultivation, Lu Qingfeng knew the opportunity had come to leave the Dragon Palace and devote himself anew to Immortal Dao.

    Little did he expect—

    The Min River Dragon Lord demonstrated such grandeur by immediately promoting Lu Qingfeng, who had just completed the condensation of his Human Soul, to a Fourth-Grade Divine Being and even entrusted him as a Sealed Border Official in charge of a territory.

    This was in order to enrich Lu Qingfeng''s experience, help him comprehend the diverse facets of life and the operation of heaven and earth.

    When the time comes for him to condense the Earth Soul and give rise to the Daoist Field within his soul, he will undoubtedly be a top-tier practitioner among those of the Nature Dao Cultivation.

    Truly a painstaking effort.

    "This favor—"

    Lu Qingfeng shook his head. The Dragon Lord had treated him with immense kindness. Even considering his powerful talent and the significant status of being the Dragon Palace Prince Consort, the gratitude owed was profound.

    The Dragon Lord treated him with such sincerity, and Lu Qingfeng accepted it with peace of mind.

    For one, he was Ao Le''s husband and had no need for formalities.

    Secondly, he was confident in his achievements and believed he could repay the Min River Dragon Lord eventually, so accepting it did not leave him feeling guilty.

    The latter point was of the utmost importance.

    However, the Min River Dragon Lord''s good intentions were bound to be in vain.

    "Speaking of reality, just within ''Primordial,'' I have already gone through sixteen lifetimes, experienced nine different worlds, and cultivated for more than nine thousand years. My wealth of experience is unparalleled by anyone in the world."

    This point—

    Was something the Min River Dragon Lord could not have imagined, nor could the myriad cultivators of the Immortal Qin Realm.

    Even—

    Lu Qingfeng himself couldn''t have fathomed it.

    "Ordinary Nature Dao Ccultivators, once their Human Soul has condensed, have a Life Span of at most two to three hundred years. Even using their entire life to experience and comprehend, their insights would still be limited."

    "And if it takes too much time, not only will their spirits become weary and their appearances age, whether they can condense the Earth Soul remains uncertain. Even if they do succeed, the exhaustion of their Life Span would influence their future cultivation."

    Hence, experiencing life and condensing the Earth Soul also require a good measure.

    Or else one will live with eternal regret.

    Even an Upper Immortal undergoing Reincarnation cannot awaken their past insights between condensing the Human Soul and before the Earth Soul is formed. The Daoist Field would only have the hurried experiences and comprehension of a few decades from this life.

    Such was the case with Lu Qingfeng.

    Even in the Primordial era, this was incredibly rare and virtually unique.

    "Over nine thousand years."

    "I wonder what kind of Earth Soul will condense and what sort of Daoist Field will emerge."

    Lu Qingfeng also harbored expectations.

    However—

    "The more experiences, the broader and more complex the condensed Daoist Field, and the more horrific the required accumulations."

    Aside from needing a vast amount of time to go through these experiences and perceptions, the condensation and strengthening of the Earth Soul, as well as the solidifying of the Daoist Field all demand even more time for cultivation refinement, to increase Soul Power with persistence akin to the Water Milling technique.

    With that in mind—

    The time needed to perfect the Earth Soul and the Daoist Field, hence advancing to the Heavenly Soul Realm, is unknown.

    "My husband supervises Yuan Lake. The Earth Soul and Daoist Field you will condense in the future will undoubtedly be the foremost in the world, and achieving Perfection won''t be easy."

    "But with the Mirror Stone gifted by your father-king, my husband can act with assurance. The Mirror Stone will support the accumulation of Soul Power, and all you need to focus on is refining your Daoist Field."

    Ao Le looked out at Yuan Lake, where Yuan Bi led one thousand five hundred Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals out for reconnaissance. She watched over Yin Mountain Island, where Lan Feihu commanded the Armored Soldiers to construct Arrays and fortify the island''s defenses—contemplating Lu Qingfeng''s cultivation with a crisp voice. Sear?h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Mirror Stone."

    Lu Qingfeng reached into his chest pocket and pulled out six fist-sized jade stones, their surfaces polished smooth like a copper mirror. They did not reflect the forms of Lu Qingfeng or Ao Le, but rather, there were resplendent blossoms blooming intensely within.

    Radiant in purples and reds—extremely pleasing to the eye.

    "It''s a pity that my father-king had been pursued in previous years and only arrived at Min River three hundred years ago. Despite being vast and well-supplied with common treasures and cultivation resources, Min River''s foundation remains thin and its accumulations inadequate. Treasures like Mirror Stone, however, are exceedingly scarce."

    Ao Le looked at the Mirror Stones in Lu Qingfeng''s hands and pointed to one that had nine flowers within it, "These six Mirror Stones, though, are all ''Nine Flower Mirror Stones,'' each comparable in value to nine ''Single Flower Mirror Stones.'' With repeated usage, they will suffice for my husband''s solitary cultivation."

    The Primordial era consists of countless realms, like grains of sand in the Ganges River.

    Lu Qingfeng has only traversed nine of them and has yet to fully appreciate the scenery and creatures of these worlds.

    Each world typically has its uniqueness.

    Some cultivation resources and products are rarely seen elsewhere, even items that have long since disappeared.

    Such as the Mirror Stone.

    It is unique to the Immortal Qin Realm. Or rather, in the nine worlds Lu Qingfeng had previously experienced, such a wondrous item had yet to be encountered.

    [Wondrous Item: Mirror Stone]

    [Grade: Nine Flowers]

    [Description: ''Flowers in the mirror, the moon on the water,'' are marvels of nature and creation cherished by heaven and earth. Divided into nine grades, a Mirror Stone contains pure Soul Power, which can replenish the consumption of the Divine Soul and strengthen it.]

    "Mirror Stone."

    Compared to Spirit Stones—which replenish True Yuan and Mana, and reinforce them, an essential and highly prized item for Immortal Dao Cultivators—

    Mirror Stones are the stuff of dreams for Nature Dao Cultivators in the Immortal Qin and even all practitioners.

    They share a similar wonder to Soul Swinging Stones.

    Yet they are far more valuable than the latter, and Spirit Stones cannot even compare.

    "One Nine Flowers Mirror Stone, upon refining the ''Nine Flowers,'' can save a Soul Condensation Realm Mage from thirty to fifty years of arduous cultivation and accumulation."

    "Furthermore, after refining, if the Mirror Stone is set aside, in ten years, it will regenerate nine flowers."

    "An endless supply, inexhaustible in use."

    "One Nine Flowers Mirror Stone, even placed among mid-tier Nature Dao Immortal Sects guarded by Third Realm Practitioners, could become a treasure of inheritance."

    Lu Qingfeng tidied Ao Le''s hair, unadorned by makeup, with a smile and said, "Mirror Stones are precious, and Nine Flowers Mirror Stones are especially hard to find in the world. Even within the Dragon Palace, where there are many Nature Dao Cultivators, there are still not enough Mirror Stones to go around. If I were not satisfied with the six Nine Flowers Mirror Stones gifted by your father-king, wouldn''t that be insatiable greed?"