Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

For the next four months, Qu Ye diligently cultivated his skills, raising worker bees, caring for Red Hare, and refining the Golden Qi Technique.

Occasionally taking a Qi-Boosting Pill can accelerate one's cultivation progress.

Life was peaceful and fulfilling.

During this period, the number of bee colonies returned to its previous level, and even slightly exceeded it.

Although the Golden Gang Technique is not yet fully mastered, it has made significant progress.

This kind of life continued until this day, four months later.

It was early spring, the sun was gentle, and the grasslands were thriving.

A scene brimming with vitality.

On the racecourse, Red Hare was galloping freely, its hooves kicking up patches of green grass.

Four months later, it was no longer that disheveled little colt. Its muscles were smooth, its shoulders were almost as tall as Qu Ye's thighs, and its mane gleamed with a reddish sheen.

Two pairs of eyes watched Red Hare depart from the edge of the racecourse.

Hou Fangping stood outside the fence, hands behind his back, and praised, "This Fiery Cloud Steed is well-bred; it has a vigorous posture and is full of spirit."

Qu Ye stood to the side, smiling modestly.

Hou Fangping turned to Qu Ye and said, "Before I came to check, I was worried that you might have some difficulties since you were new to the horse farm."

"It seems you've adapted well to your work at the Spirit Horse Farm, which is good."

"It's all thanks to the steward's help." Qu Ye bowed respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant.

Hou Fangping hummed in agreement and strode forward, with Qu Ye following behind.

After walking for a while, Hou Fangping spoke again: "If you have any needs in the future, go to Hou Youde and he will try his best to meet them."

This…

Qu Ye was somewhat puzzled and became alert.

Hou Fangping brought him to the Spirit Horse Farm, which meant the debt between them was now fully repaid.

Hou Fangping is no fool for being able to sit in the position of general manager of the spirit beast arena.

Could there be other motives behind their current show of goodwill?

Seeing that Qu Ye only answered softly, Hou Fangping stopped and turned around.

His aura revealed that he had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining!

He smiled slightly and said, "You don't need to worry. After you caught the two thieves last time, the clan elders rewarded me with a Breakthrough Pill, which allowed me to break through my bottleneck."

"This is just a simple expression of gratitude."

Although Qu Ye didn't fully believe it, she felt a little more relaxed and quickly offered her congratulations.

"Congratulations, Steward Hou, on breaking through to the late stage! Foundation Establishment is within reach!"

Hou Fangping waved his hand, "Foundation Establishment? I'm already satisfied with breaking through to the late stage this time. I gave up hope of Foundation Establishment a long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Qu Ye didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent.

After saying that, Hou Fangping did not wait for Qu Ye's reply and walked towards the entrance of the basin.

"Alright, now that the inspection is complete, I should go."

"Manager Hou, let me see you off."

Qu Ye escorted Hou Fangping to the edge of his horse farm, watched him leave, and then returned to his courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, with a thought, he summoned a swarm of worker bees from the woods, which flew out and circled around him.

One hundred and forty-eight.

Qu Ye nodded in satisfaction after counting the number of worker bees.

In the past four months, he consumed four Yuan-Boosting Pills, which, along with the strangely-tasting bear bile, significantly improved his cultivation.

If he could maintain a sufficient supply of pills, combined with his talent for gathering spiritual energy, he estimated that he could break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining within two years.

At that time, I should be able to control about 150 Jade Spirit Bees.

Qu Ye dispersed the swarm of bees.

I've saved up twenty-four pieces of spirit essence during this time, and with spirit rice and medicinal powder running low, it's time to go to the market.

I'll also take a look at the auction that Chen Rong mentioned, to broaden my horizons.

After thinking it over, he headed towards Yumen Market.

.........

Upon arriving at the market, Qu Ye, now with a changed appearance, first went to Ziyun Market and sold twenty-four spirit essences.

After carefully storing the spirit stones, he mingled with the crowd and headed towards Tianxiang Pavilion.

When he reached the entrance, he noticed that Tianxiang Pavilion was different from usual.

A red silk cloth hung above the door, and a row of fragrant flowers was placed on each side, their faint fragrance wafting in the air.

Two cultivators dressed in brocade robes stood at the entrance, with magical artifacts hanging from their waists, their eyes scanning the passersby warily.

Qu Ye remained expressionless until he personally witnessed a mid-stage cultivator handing out an invitation, which was then inspected by a cultivator in brocade robes before being allowed to pass. Only then did he return to the market area and retrieve the invitation he had hidden.

Back at the entrance of Tianxiang Pavilion, Qu Ye handed over the invitation.

One of the cultivators in brocade robes took it, examined it from all angles, nodded, and stepped aside, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please come in. Second floor."

Led by the waiter, Qu Ye went up the stairs to the second floor of Tianxiang Pavilion.

The second floor of Tianxiang Pavilion is a spacious hall, shaped like a semicircle.

In the center of the hall was a high platform, surrounded by hundreds of chairs, most of which were already occupied.

The third floor has a row of individual seats, with fruits and snacks available next to them, clearly intended for people of high status.

There was no floor between the two floors, making it easy for the cultivators on the third floor to see the situation below.

Qu Ye found his seat, which was a little back, but he could still clearly see the view of the platform after sitting down.

After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he suddenly heard a commotion downstairs.

Qu Ye looked up and saw a young female cultivator walking up the stairs.

The female cultivator wore a moon-white long dress with a bright green belt around her waist. Her face was aloof, and her eyes held a hint of haughtiness that kept people at a distance.

Several Hou family disciples followed her, heading towards the second-floor seats, while she, led by a waiter, went straight to the third floor.

"This is... Hou Zhilan?"

"It really is her, she has such a strong presence."

"She's so beautiful. I'd be willing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage if I could marry her."

"?"

"Are you suffering from hysteria?"

People around them were whispering.

Qu Ye had heard of this woman; she was a rising star among the younger generation of the Hou family, possessing three spiritual roots and an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivation, but this was the first time he had met her.

Immediately afterwards, a young man dressed in a blue robe led a few people up.

He had a handsome face, a slight smile on his lips, and walked at a leisurely pace, as if he were browsing a market rather than attending an auction.

This person is named Sun Shaofeng. Like Hou Zhilan, he is a leader of the younger generation in his respective family.

He also went up to the third floor, sat down in the seat next to Hou Zhilan, and cupped his hands in greeting to Hou Zhilan: "Sister Zhilan, you've arrived early."

Hou Zhilan glanced at him and gave a faint "hmm".

Sun Shaofeng didn't mind, smiled and sat down, picking up a spiritual fruit from the side and eating it.

The last person to go up to the third floor was a burly young man wearing a black short robe with the Yang family crest embroidered on the cuffs.

This person's name is Yang Fengrui.

He nodded to Sun Shaofeng and Hou Zhilan respectively, as if to say hello.

After waiting a while, a dozen or so well-known figures from the market arrived one after another, went up to the third floor, and chatted and laughed.

……

When almost everyone had arrived.

hum!

A bright light suddenly appeared in the sky, enveloping the auction stage.

"Welcome, fellow practitioners, to Tianxiang Pavilion. I am Chen Rong, and I am honored to have the Pavilion Master's approval to host this auction."

A tall, elegantly dressed female cultivator with beautiful features smiled and bowed to those above and to the left and right of the audience.

"However, I must make this clear from the outset: this auction strictly prohibits threats of divine sense, malicious price gouging, collusion in private... Any behavior that disrupts the normal auction order will result in expulsion from the auction venue at best, and the abolition of cultivation at worst."

After Chen Rong finished speaking, from the hidden room behind her, an aura far exceeding that of the Qi Refining stage slowly enveloped the entire area.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Qu Ye's expression turned solemn. Such a powerful aura could only belong to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.