I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Three days later.

Qingyun Sect, Yingxian Lake.

This remote body of water, far from Qingyunfang City, has now undergone tremendous changes.

From a bird's-eye view, a vast and magnificent complex of buildings, resembling a mirage, stands on the island in the center of Yingxian Lake.

Even across the water, dozens of miles away, Zheng Yifei could feel the extremely luxurious and arrogant aura emanating from that building.

The glazed tiles refracted a colorful halo under the sunlight, the towering towers pierced the clouds, and the faint light of an array flowed around the buildings.

Zheng Yifei stood on the deck of the superior flying boat, facing the strong winds in the sky. The outline of the gold-devouring behemoth was reflected in his deep eyes, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

The flying boat did not fly into Qingyun Market, but instead landed slowly beside a secluded reed bed on the edge of Yingxian Lake.

Xu Zhengkun stood with his hands behind his back under the weeping willows by the lake.

He was still wearing that blue brocade robe, but compared to four years ago, his demeanor had undergone a complete transformation.

The former young sect leader, though sharp and imposing, always carried a hint of melancholy in his eyes, as if he were being controlled by others.

At this moment, Xu Zhengkun concealed his Golden Core stage aura, and his every move exuded the air of a superior who could control the heavens and the earth with ease.

"Yifei, you're finally back."

Xu Zhengkun strode forward, his gaze sweeping over Zheng Yifei. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his face revealed an undisguised shock: "Mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

"You...you have five spiritual roots, how could you be so fast?!"

Not only Zheng Yifei, but Xu Zhengkun's keen divine sense swept over Lin Bao and Chen Shan, who were following behind Zheng Yifei, and found that these two Xu family guards, who were originally only in the middle and late stages of Foundation Establishment, were now both radiating the powerful spiritual pressure of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, only half a step away from the Golden Core stage!

"After running around for a few years, I was lucky and encountered some opportunities."

Zheng Yifei smiled casually and didn't dwell on the topic.

Xu Zhengkun took a deep breath to suppress the shock in his heart.

He knew Zheng Yifei's ability to make money was terrifying, so it was normal for him to use massive amounts of resources to improve his cultivation.

"Come on, this isn't the place to talk. Wen Yuan and the others have been waiting for a long time."

With a wave of his hand, Xu Zhengkun removed the surrounding concealment array and led Zheng Yifei and the other two into a seemingly ordinary but actually isolated courtyard by the lake, which was actually filled with third-order defensive arrays.

As the courtyard gate opened, Zhao Wenyuan and Zhang Biao immediately came out to greet them from the main hall.

"Take off!"

Zhao Wenyuan was so excited that his face turned red. He quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply.

Years of experience have shed his youthful naiveté, giving him the air of a shrewd and capable manager.

"brother!"

Zhang Biao also clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes filled with fervent admiration.

"We're brothers, no need for formalities."

Zheng Yifei raised his right hand, and a gentle yet irresistible spiritual force lifted the two of them up.

The four sat down in the living room, and Zhao Wenyuan was in charge of brewing tea.

"Wen Yuan, tell me about your family's situation over the past few years."

Zheng Yifei picked up the spirit tea, gently skimmed off the foam, and asked directly.

"yes!"

Zhao Wenyuan took out a heavy jade slip and handed it to Zheng Yifei with both hands, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Yifei, the 'Lucky Draw' plan you left behind is simply a bottomless treasure trove!"

The Su family has gone completely mad these past four years. Although Su Wanqing went to the Xuantian Sect, the Su family head personally took charge, utilizing all family connections and business channels to frantically distribute goods.

Zhao Wenyuan swallowed hard and continued his report: "Now, the transport planes have not only covered the thirty-six large markets and hundreds of medium and small markets under the jurisdiction of the Qingyun Sect, but have even made a strong inroad into the markets of the four surrounding sects!"

Those low-level, independent cultivators, who usually have nowhere to pass the time, find the high-stakes, high-reward, visually and aurally stimulating game of the Fortune Transfer Machine a complete game of cat and mouse. It's a game that only costs one spirit coin, anyone can afford it, but once you're on board, you won't get off until you've emptied your pockets!

"Over the past four years, the two Tianyuan gambling dens in Qingyun Market and Sujia Market, along with the rake from the various transfer machines scattered throughout the area, have achieved a total net profit of a full four hundred million low-grade spirit stones!"

When Zhao Wenyuan announced the number, his voice was trembling.

Four hundred million! For Zhao Wenyuan, who once risked his life for a few dozen spirit stones in the Black Mountain Market, this was an astronomical figure that he never dared to dream of.

"However, Brother Yifei, according to the young sect leader's... no, according to the sect leader's instructions, not a single penny of this 400 million cash flow was kept. It was all poured into the Yingxian Lake mega-project."

Zhao Wenyuan glanced at Zheng Yifei cautiously, afraid that he would get angry.

"metropolitan?"

Zheng Yifei caught the word, raised an eyebrow, and turned to look at Xu Zhengkun.

Xu Zhengkun picked up his teacup, smiled slightly, and said with an air of domineering confidence: "Yifei, it's normal for Wen Yuan to call me by the wrong name. After all, I only officially took over as the sect leader of Qingyun Sect last month."

"Congratulations, Brother Kun, you've got real power now."

Zheng Yifei cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"This is all thanks to you."

Xu Zhengkun put down his teacup, his eyes gleaming with unprecedented ambition and brilliance: "The 'media plus logistics' closed-loop strategy you proposed back then has now taken full shape and unleashed unimaginable power!"

Xu Zhengkun stood up, walked to a map of the Southern Wilderness hanging in the main hall, and drew a huge circle on it with his finger: "The daily circulation of the Qingyun Daily has now exceeded 200 million copies!"

It not only completely covered the territory of Qingyun Sect, but also established branches and distribution points in four surrounding sects, including Luoxia Sect, Tiejian Sect, and Xuanshui Palace.

The higher-ups of those sects initially tried to resist, but the independent cultivators had no resistance to the extraordinary stories, cultivation technique analyses, and price information in the newspapers.

Now, the GG page of the Qingyun Daily has become incredibly valuable, with every inch of space worth its weight in gold.

"Just from GG fees alone, the annual net profit is consistently around 500 million low-grade spirit stones!"

"And the logistics network you've planned."

Xu Zhengkun took a deep breath, his tone filled with profound shock: "It's terrifying. Qingyun Express now has tens of thousands of large and medium-sized transport airships, and hundreds of thousands of low-level Qi Refining cultivators delivering goods for us."

It not only covers 1.5 billion cultivators within the Qingyun Sect's territory, but also completely breaks down trade barriers between the four surrounding sects.

Specialties from the Southern Wilderness and medicinal herbs from the Northern Sea are now circulated more than tenfold faster through our logistics network! Last year's logistics revenue exceeded one billion yuan!

Xu Zhengkun turned around and looked intently at Zheng Yifei: "The Xu family's total wealth now far exceeds the combined wealth of the eight major families within the Qingyun Sect."

Even within the entire Xuantian Sect's territory, the Xu family's wealth definitely ranks among the top three!

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yifei nodded slightly.

This was exactly the result he wanted. Only by binding the Xu family to his cause with absolute benefits could he have the confidence to overturn the chessboard in the world of cultivation.

"With this massive amount of resources as a safety net, the Xu family finally has hope of breaking the deadlock."

Xu Zhengkun's tone became serious. "My father, Xu Tianyang, has officially stepped down from his position as sect leader. He has taken the top-grade natural treasures and massive amounts of spirit stones that the Xu family has accumulated over the years and entered a critical stage to break through to the Nascent Soul stage!"

My younger brother has also broken through to the Golden Core stage. The Xu family now has three Golden Core cultivators, firmly suppressing the eight major families. Even within the Xuan Tian Sect, they have a certain degree of influence, and the Grand Elder doesn't dare to openly suppress the Qing Yun Sect.

"Aiming for the Nascent Soul stage?"

Zheng Yifei's eyes narrowed.

"That's right."

Xu Zhengkun clenched his fists, a fierce glint in his eyes: "The reason why Elder Qin Cang dared to suppress us so blatantly at the recruitment ceremony, and why Hu Xiaotian dared to snatch Zheng Hai's top-grade Breakthrough Pill in the inner sect, is because the Xu family has no Nascent Soul cultivator in charge!"

As long as my father can successfully break through to the Nascent Soul stage, Qin Cang's absolute power in the Xuan Tian Sect will be broken.

With a Nascent Soul cultivator at its helm, the higher-ups of the Xuan Tian Sect would never dare to treat this subordinate sect with such disrespect again!

Zheng Yifei nodded. Xu Tianyang's seclusion was the most crucial step for the Xu family to get rid of the suppression from the Grand Elder.

"So, to facilitate the completion of your 'mirage,' the Xu family has gone all out this time."

Xu Zhengkun took a deep breath and announced a number that would shake the entire Southern Wilderness.

"The super gambling den at Yingxian Lake has a total investment of 1.2 billion low-grade spirit stones!"