It seems I'll need to intensify the treatment after I finish my retreat.

(Modified)

In those clear, fox-like eyes, the worry could no longer be hidden. "Are you confident..."

Heavenly Palace Golden Core.

These four words, to any cultivator, represented an insurmountable chasm.

Even in the Great Xia Dynasty, merely having heard of this term would mark someone as an extraordinary figure.

Su Ji replied without a second thought, "Naturally, I am absolutely confident."

Cultivation emphasizes wealth, companions, methods, and land.

There are too many things in this world that cannot be forced, but as long as one has sufficient "wealth," they become easily attainable.

The Heavenly Palace Golden Core was no exception.

Not to mention, Su Ji's Desolate Meteor Fallen Dragon Art contained a complete method for condensing it.

"However..."

Su Ji changed the subject, his eyes becoming mischievous again as he looked Su Jiu up and down, making her feel entirely uncomfortable.

"Before I go into secluded cultivation, there is something more important to do."

Su Jiu's heart skipped a beat as an ominous premonition welled up inside her.

She subconsciously took a step back, looking at him warily.

"What is it?"

"To consolidate the effects of your treatment, of course."

Su Ji spoke with absolute righteousness.

"I don't know how long my seclusion will last. What if the Yin and Yang energies in your body become unbalanced again?"

"I... I'm already cured!"

A blush spread across Su Jiu's cheeks as she stubbornly retorted.

"Who says?"

Su Ji stepped forward, backing her directly into a corner, and reached out to pinch her fair, smooth cheek.

"Look, your face has gotten thinner. You definitely haven't been resting well lately, suffering from a deficiency of both Qi and blood."

"Nonsense! I gained a pound!"

Su Jiu blurted out, but instantly regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth, wishing she could bite her own tongue off.

"Oh?"

Su Ji raised an eyebrow, his smile growing even wider.

"Gained a pound? That's perfect, it proves my previous treatment was very effective."

"Then we definitely need to consolidate it and strive to make you gain another pound."

After saying this, without waiting for Su Jiu to react, Su Ji scooped her up into his arms.

"You... put me down!"

Su Jiu, both embarrassed and angry, struggled in his embrace.

But her meager strength was no different from a kitten scratching an itch in front of Su Ji.

Su Ji carried her, striding into the room, and then kicked the door shut.

"In broad daylight, what kind of behavior is this..."

Su Jiu's voice grew softer and softer, finally turning into a helpless sigh.

She gave up.

After all, even the Lord of the Holy Land was no match for Su Ji.

Even if she resisted, it would be useless.

...

Two hours later.

Su Jiu lay limply on the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket. Only a pair of watery, fox-like eyes remained exposed, glaring indignantly at the main culprit.

(Deleted)

Su Ji sat cross-legged by the bed in deep satisfaction, feeling the depleted spiritual energy in his body rapidly recovering.

He looked at Su Jiu's expression of suppressed anger and felt in a great mood.

"Junior Sister, how do you feel?"

Su Jiu squeezed a single word through her gritted teeth: "Scram!"

Su Ji nodded in mock seriousness. "You see, even your cursing is so weak. It shows you are still deficient."

"It seems that when I come out of seclusion, I'll have to increase the intensity of the treatment."

Hearing this, Su Jiu was so angry that she grabbed a pillow and threw it right at his face.

Su Ji caught the pillow effortlessly and placed it aside with a grin.

He stood up and stretched lazily.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you."

"I should get going."

Hearing these words, Su Jiu's movements paused.

She poked her small head out from the blanket, a flash of disappointment passing through her beautiful eyes.

"You..."

"Be careful in everything."

A thousand words ultimately merged into these few simple words.

"Rest assured."

Su Ji rubbed her head, then turned and pushed the door open to leave.

...

Coming out of Su Jiu's courtyard, Su Ji felt refreshed, though his steps were slightly floating.

Perhaps he had exerted a bit too much before his seclusion.

Su Ji strolled over and found Li Fan, who was directing disciples to repair the plaza.

Li Fan's soul cultivator Dao companion was also standing nearby, holding an array blueprint and discussing something with several array masters.

Seeing Su Ji approach, Li Fan's serious face was immediately filled with fanatical worship, and he bowed to pay his respects.

"Senior..."

"Alright, skip the formalities."

Su Ji waved his hand, interrupting him directly, and then turned his gaze to the female soul cultivator.

"You, come here for a moment."

Hearing this, the female soul cultivator quickly put down the array blueprint, walked briskly over to Su Ji, and bowed respectfully.

"What are the Sect Master's orders?"

Su Ji looked her over and nodded.

"I'll have to trouble you next. I need you to help me set up some top-tier Spirit Gathering Arrays."

Hearing this, the woman quickly waved her hands.

"The Sect Master jests. It is but a small effort, not troublesome at all."

She assumed Su Ji wanted to set up a cultivation array in his own palace. Such a task was indeed not difficult for her.

Just one Spirit Gathering Array would take half an incense stick of time at most.

The array itself wasn't hard; the difficult part was needing spirit stones to power it.

"No."

Su Ji shook his head, his expression turning a bit more serious.

"This is no small matter."

He held up one finger.

"I want one hundred of them."

The female soul cultivator's expression froze.

A trace of blankness flashed through her lively eyes, followed by confusion, and finally turning into pure shock.

"Sect... Sect Master... how many did you just say?"

Li Fan, standing to the side, also looked as if he had seen a ghost. Although he didn't understand arrays, he knew exactly what the concept of "one hundred top-tier Spirit Gathering Arrays" meant.

Let alone the fact that there wasn't enough spiritual energy nearby to draw from, even if they drained all the spirit veins beneath the sect dry, they still wouldn't need a hundred arrays...

Could it be...

"One hundred."

Su Ji repeated.

"Is there a problem?"

The female soul cultivator opened her mouth, feeling her throat go a bit dry. "No... no problem."

"It's just... Sect Master, the spirit stones and materials required to power one hundred top-tier Spirit Gathering Arrays would likely... likely be an astronomical figure. Moreover... it would require triggering all of the sect's main underground spirit veins, this..."

This was more than just an astronomical figure; this was practically emptying out hundreds of years of the Xiangsi Sect's accumulated wealth!

"There will be plenty of spirit stones."

Su Ji interrupted her directly.

"The same goes for materials. If there isn't enough, get them from the storehouse. If the storehouse doesn't have them, buy them. If you can't buy them, just tell me where they are, and I'll go rob... borrow some."

He paused, hastily correcting his slip of the tongue.

"Oh, right, all of these arrays must be arranged around the mountain peak where I will be in seclusion. Make sure they are perfectly interlinked so they can perfectly gather all the spiritual energy into a single point."

Having money truly means you can do whatever you want.

"Can you get a hundred Spirit Gathering Arrays fully set up within a single day?"

Su Ji asked again.

The woman took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in her heart, and nodded heavily.

"I will try!"

...