Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

He secretly warned himself: if you can win secretly, never take the risk yourself.

Then, Qu Ye glanced at the spirit stones on the array plate with a hint of heartache.

In just a short while, the luster of one of the spirit stones had completely dimmed, and the spiritual energy inside had been completely consumed.

"If even a low-grade first-order formation is like this, I wonder how many spirit stones it would cost to activate a second-order grand formation in Yumen Market."

He carefully stored the spirit stones and the array, cleaned up the surrounding traces, and disappeared from the spot.

Back in the courtyard, Qu Ye cut off a piece of wild boar meat. Looking at the iron-clawed crabs that were scrambling for water plants, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

Just like when he was training Red Hare, he tapped the stones by the pool before feeding the iron-clawed crabs.

dong dong.

The iron-clawed crab paused, looked around warily, and then suddenly scurried back into the crevice, leaving only one of its claws sticking out.

No matter how Qu Ye tried, the Iron Claw Crab remained unusually wary.

"You're an idiot."

Qu Ye was both amused and exasperated, and had no choice but to throw the pork in his hand into the water.

Sensing the scent of food, the iron-clawed crab slowly emerged from the crevice in the rock.

It picked up the pork, took a couple of bites, and Qu Ye could even feel a sense of satisfaction from it.

After staring at the iron-clawed crab for a while, he stood up and returned to the training room.

Qu Ye sat down cross-legged and began to think about the next steps.

As for the queen bee, the hatching of the guard bees shouldn't be a matter of just three to five days, so there's no need to rush.

At this moment, he had completed the refinement of his magical artifacts and tested the power of the Bewildering Killing Array. Only the Sharp Gold Thorn was needed. All of his gains from this mission would then be transformed into real strength.

Since the Golden罡 Technique is not yet fully mastered, I should stay home as much as possible and try to master both techniques in my spare time.

Having made up his mind, Qu Ye activated the restriction, and dense spiritual energy immediately gathered from all directions.

He closed his eyes, activated the Grinding Gold Technique, and began to cultivate.

……

Cicada's Song Mountain, the back mountain.

A mountain breeze swept through the forest, creating a soft rustling sound in the pines.

This place is shrouded in the core of the Hou family's formation year-round, making it difficult for ordinary people to see clearly.

Within the formation, a stone palace was quietly embedded in the mountain wall, surrounded by restrictive patterns, with spiritual light appearing and disappearing, completely isolating the internal and external energy.

In the center of the stone hall, an old man in plain robes sat cross-legged on a futon. His body was emaciated and his face was withered, but his eyes were as deep as wells, making people dare not look directly at him.

His aura was completely concealed, and only a trace of spiritual pressure occasionally escaped, making people vaguely realize that this person was the pillar of the Hou family.

The patriarch of the Hou family was Hou Yuankui.

Footsteps could be heard softly coming from outside the hall.

A moment later, a beautiful figure stopped in front of the door and bowed.

"Ancestor."

Hou Yuankui slowly opened his eyes, his voice calm and steady.

"Come in."

The palace doors opened, and Hou Zhilan stepped inside.

She was still dressed in a light-colored dress, her eyes were cool and aloof, her temperament was calm and composed, and she had an air of pride and composure.

If someone with profound cultivation were to look closely, they would discover that the spiritual pressure emanating from this woman was not simply that of the eighth level of Qi Refining, but rather that it was deeply contained and contained, with a subtle sense of completeness and fullness.

Hou Yuankui's gaze fell on her, and after just one glance, he nodded.

"Not bad, it seems to have been hidden quite well."

Upon hearing this, Hou Zhilan remained composed and replied in a low voice, "Ancestor, the other two families have been secretly watching the Hou family's movements for the past few years. If I reveal my Qi Refining Level 9 cultivation too early, I'm afraid those with ulterior motives will take action prematurely."

"I took it upon myself to suppress my cultivation to the eighth level of Qi Refining and show it to others. Please forgive me, Ancestor."

Hou Yuankui waved his hand.

"What crime have you committed? Hiding your sharpness and knowing when to advance and retreat are things you should have learned."

"If you are like some of the younger generation in the clan, who want everyone to know about even the slightest progress they make, then I will be disappointed in you."

Hou Zhilan felt relieved and gave a slight bow.

"You flatter me, Ancestor. I was just overthinking it."

The stone hall fell silent for a moment.

Hou Yuankui looked at her and said:

"Now that we've come this far, there's no need to hide anything. How far are you from Foundation Establishment?"

Hou Zhilan pondered for a moment before answering truthfully: "If I accumulate power normally, I am confident that I can fully accumulate my magical power within three years. However, I still need to condense the wood seed, which may take about four years."

Hou Yuankui simply hummed in response, his expression revealing nothing.

Hou Zhilan paused for a moment, then spoke again: "By the way, Ancestor, before that, Zhilan has a few important matters to report."

"speak."

"There have been many unusual movements in the market recently."

Hou Zhilan's voice was steady and her thoughts were clear.

"Over the past year, the number of unfamiliar faces in the market has increased significantly. Some of them may appear to be independent cultivators, with scattered movements, but they actually stay for a long time."

"In addition, three spirit fields and two beast farms were attacked or stolen. Although the losses were not significant, they still kept the clan's disciples busy."

"In addition, the Sun family has been making too much noise lately."

"Not long ago, Sun Shaofeng gathered many disciples, claiming that the family's spiritual treasures had been stolen and that he was searching the market for cultivators above the fifth level of Qi Refining. He hasn't completely given up yet."

Unexpectedly, a smile appeared on Hou Yuankui's lips: "Sun Shaofeng? I vaguely remember him. Isn't he the great-grandson that Fatty Sun dotes on?"

"I remember at your two-hundredth birthday banquet, you two were sitting together whispering to each other, and Fatty Sun even wanted you two to get engaged."

Hou Zhilan's gaze remained calm: "Grandpa, please don't make fun of Zhilan. I was young and naive back then, and we were just casual acquaintances."

Hou Yuankui didn't dwell on it, skipping the topic and letting Hou Zhilan continue.

Hou Zhilan thought for a moment and continued:

"The Yang family is quite quiet, managing the market silently, and remaining indifferent to the actions of the clan and the Sun family."

"Most importantly, there are signs that the surrounding properties have been secretly spied on. Although not obvious, it doesn't seem like the work of ordinary rogue cultivators."

After speaking, she looked at Hou Yuankui and waited quietly.

The stone hall fell silent once again.

Hou Yuankui listened without the slightest surprise, as if these things were already within his expectations.

After a long pause, he finally spoke calmly: "The fact that you can see these things means you've actually used your brain."

"There have indeed been undercurrents in the market lately. Whether it's the Sun family or others, they can no longer hold back and are bound to make a move eventually."

Hou Zhilan's gaze sharpened slightly upon hearing this.

"Did the Ancestor already know this?"

Hou Yuankui said calmly, "Yumen Market is only so big, and Chanming Mountain is not far from the market. How could the slightest movement of the wind and grass escape my notice?"

"Since I've been nearing the end of my life, Fatty Sun has appeared to be well-behaved, but in reality, he has never given up on other ideas. As for those people outside the neighborhood, some came for profit, and some took advantage of the chaos; it's not surprising."

"But these are not the fundamental problems."

Hou Zhilan was slightly taken aback.

"Ancestor, isn't this the root of the problem?"

Hou Yuankui raised his eyelids, his eyes revealing a certainty born from weathering many storms.

"The storms in the marketplace are ultimately just storms."

"As long as my Hou family produces another Foundation Establishment cultivator, these storms will naturally not be able to bring down the Hou family's prestige."

His voice wasn't loud, but his words carried an undeniable weight, like a heavy stone falling to the ground.

Hou Zhilan paused for a moment, then nodded gently.

She understood what the ancestor meant.