One day, six months later, the borders within the Immortal Mansion began to silently expand. In less than half a day, the four-hundred-mu Land Realm became five hundred and thirty mu.

Within the Immortal Mansion, Jinbao stared at the newly appeared Black Land with great curiosity. It went over and touched the fresh, dark soil, then scooped up a handful and scampered off to find the Bee Queen.

In the Purple Bamboo Forest, the Bee Queen was engrossed in an old-fashioned illustrated book. When Jinbao came rumbling over, she hastily hid the book under her body.

Jinbao saw this and asked curiously,

"Sister Ruoxi, what are you hiding?"

The Bee Queen shifted her rear, hiding the book more securely, and said evasively,

"Just some notes on refining elixirs. You wouldn’t get it."

Jinbao bought it. In its eyes, refining elixirs was a complete enigma.

Jinbao held up the black soil in its hand, offering it to the Bee Queen.

"Look, this is the new black soil. See if it’s more fertile than the old soil, will you?"

The Bee Queen used her Divine Sense to take a pinch and put it in her mouth to taste. A few moments later, she said joyfully,

"It’s true. The new black soil is indeed more fertile than the old."

Jinbao was overjoyed to hear this and pressed further,

"You can tell by the taste?"

"If you don’t believe me, try some."

Jinbao grabbed a handful, stuffed it into its mouth, and chewed for a moment. It didn’t seem to taste any different from the soil it had eaten before.

’It tastes the same.’

Jinbao was puzzled. Just then, the Bee Queen finally burst out laughing.

"You idiot! The black soil is still the same black soil. Your sister here has seen this happen many times. Only you would be this curious. See? Nanli doesn’t care about it at all."

Realizing the Bee Queen had tricked it, Jinbao stood there dumbfounded. Seeing its dopey expression, the Bee Queen laughed with even more abandon.

In the otherwise boring life of the Immortal Mansion, diversions like this were a welcome change.

After Jinbao left dejectedly, the Bee Queen pulled the illustrated book out from under her rear and resumed reading with great relish. On the cover, the two words "Tortured Romance" were faintly visible.

Jinbao arrived outside the Purple Bamboo Forest in a foul mood. It had been curious since it hadn’t witnessed the Immortal Mansion expand before, but after being teased by the Bee Queen, it couldn’t very well throw a tantrum.

The Bee Queen had been born before it and had spent the most time in the Immortal Mansion, making her its de facto older sister. Fang Qingyuan also held her in high regard, so no matter how angry Jinbao got, it didn’t dare take it out on her.

Just then, however, Nanli ran over from the side, eager to share a new discovery. An idea sparked in Jinbao’s mind. It went right up to Nanli and gave it a hard shove.

Nanli was dazed and confused. She looked at Jinbao with a wronged expression, but Jinbao was now insufferably smug, showing no sign of the misery it felt after being tricked by the Bee Queen.

Having been struck by Jinbao for no reason at all, Nanli hung her head in dejection. So, when Fang Qingyuan entered the Immortal Mansion, she went right up to him and chirped a series of complaints.

Seeing Nanli’s angry little face, Fang Qingyuan realized Jinbao had been bullying her again. He summoned Jinbao and gave its rear several hard smacks.

Jinbao, being thick-skinned, seemed completely unfazed by Fang Qingyuan’s punishment. Nanli, however, was quite satisfied. ’One shove in exchange for several smacks,’ she thought. ’Totally worth it.’

After coaxing the two little ones into making up, Fang Qingyuan went to the new section of the Immortal Mansion’s Land Realm. He had just advanced to the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer, and just as expected, the Immortal Mansion’s area had grown by a third.

The growth of the Immortal Mansion’s Land Realm was proportional to the increase in Fang Qingyuan’s own Magical Power, which filled him with anticipation.

’At the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer, the Immortal Mansion will be close to seven hundred mu. And when I reach the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer—the late stage—my Magical Power will double. That means the Immortal Mansion should expand to fourteen hundred mu.’

’And if I become a Golden Core Cultivator... wouldn’t the Immortal Mansion expand dozens of times over, reaching tens of thousands of mu?’

Lost in these fantasies, Fang Qingyuan chuckled. He had a mountain of troubles to deal with at present; it was better to stay grounded. ’I’ll save such pleasant daydreams for later.’

Fang Qingyuan hadn’t yet decided what to plant on the new land in the Immortal Mansion. After a brief inspection, he left the Immortal Mansion and returned to the outside world.

Fang Qingyuan had completed his deal for Blood Life Pills with Xiqi Leopard six months ago. In exchange, Fang Qingyuan had chosen a large quantity of Demon Summoning Soil, about twenty thousand jin in total.

Combined with the Demon Worm Death Water he had recently acquired from the Demon Sect altar, this was enough for the Longevity Vine in the Immortal Mansion to produce a massive amount of Life Source Liquid.

The Bee Queen was now producing a full fifty bottles of Blood Life Pills each year. Fang Qingyuan had chosen not to sell any of them, planning to take them back to the Southern Border.

’Selling Blood Life Pills in large quantities could easily attract the attention of a Golden Core Cultivator. I have no backing here, so it’s best to keep a low profile.’

Fang Qingyuan had no desire to confront a Golden Core Cultivator just yet. Even if he wasn’t afraid, it would put him in a very passive position, and he didn’t want to attract more trouble.

Xiqi Leopard had changed their next order to five years from now. With such a long timeframe, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t guarantee he would still be in the Outer Sea.

In response, Xiqi Leopard had thought for a moment before telling Fang Qingyuan to just find any branch of the Black Hand Organization and give the elixirs to them.

When Fang Qingyuan heard this, he lamented inwardly, ’Why can’t Xiqi Leopard just buy them year by year?’

But it was a Golden Core Cultivator’s decision, so Fang Qingyuan had to accept it. Moreover, from Xiqi Leopard’s attitude, Fang Qingyuan discovered that the relationship between the Black Hand Organization and the Little Demon Abyss was anything but ordinary.

’Perhaps Little Demon Abyss is one of the secret backers of the Black Hand Organization, which is spread throughout the entire Cultivation Realm.’

Fang Qingyuan wasn’t interested in such things; they were far beyond his current level. Right now, he was more concerned with how to further improve his Spirit Root aptitude.

Currently, Fang Qingyuan’s Spirit Root aptitudes were Metal: 34, Wood: 33, Earth: 33, Fire: 34, and Water: 36.

This was a massive improvement compared to when he first arrived in the Outer Sea, but without the nourishment from cultivator corpses, the growth of his Spirit Root aptitude had slowed dramatically.

But even with the slowdown, Fang Qingyuan didn’t dare resort to his previous methods. The cautionary tale of Huo Hu was a stark reminder. ’Compared to Huo Hu’s esteemed status, what am I?’

....

Time flies for a cultivator. Three more years passed in a flash, and Fang Qingyuan had now been in the Outer Sea for twelve years.

On this particular day, Fang Qingyuan was on Iron Wind Island, exchanging sea beast hunting tips with Shen Wan Jun.

Ever since Tuoba Ye’s death, he had been too busy with his cultivation to personally oversee his ship, the *Evergreen*. As a result, its profits over the years had been quite mediocre.

After ten years, it had barely managed to recoup the initial cost of the vessel.

Going by the principle that breaking even is as good as a loss, Fang Qingyuan’s investment was a clear failure, a fact Shen Wan Jun frequently used to tease him.

Having known Shen Wan Jun for twelve years, they had long since become good friends, so Fang Qingyuan didn’t take this level of teasing to heart.

Shen Wan Jun knew nothing about the Blood Life Pills. In her eyes, Fang Qingyuan was just a minor Alchemist of questionable skill who could only refine Blood Qi Pills and Blood Soul Pills to make a living.

In the courtyard, Fang Qingyuan and Shen Wan Jun sat around a brazier, from which steam was bubbling up.

After a moment, Shen Wan Jun poured tea for Fang Qingyuan. Just then, an elderly Foundation Establishment Cultivator with graying hair and a white beard hurried over to her.

"Young Master, the Great Zhou Academy’s expansion war... it’s over."

Fang Qingyuan paused, his teacup halfway to his lips. He looked at Uncle Hua, who seemed to have aged even more. ’This loyal old servant probably doesn’t have many years left.’

Shen Wan Jun looked at Fang Qingyuan. She had a feeling she was about to be separated from her friend.

As expected, Fang Qingyuan set down his tea and said to her,

"Miss Shen, with the expansion war over, it’s time for me to go back. I only came to the Outer Sea to escape the turmoil of the war in the first place. Now that the fighting has ended, I have no reason to stay. As for the *Evergreen*... if you like it, how about I sell it to you at a discount?"

Shen Wan Jun watched him and said with a bright smile,

"Alright. But you’ll have to give me a generous discount, you hear?"

Shen Wan Jun had never shown such a playful side to anyone. For some reason, she suddenly felt the urge to say it today.

After Fang Qingyuan left, Uncle Hua spoke to the now visibly melancholy Shen Wan Jun.

"You know, that Pill Master is actually a good match for you. He has a gentle nature and a good temper. Crucially, his skills aren’t too intimidating. You, Young Master, are too strong-willed. Which of the male Foundation Establishment Cultivators on this island hasn’t waded through blood and carnage? When two tigers fight, one is bound to be hurt, isn’t that right?"

Uncle Hua continued to ramble on. When one gets old, not even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator can resist the urge to speak his mind.

Shen Wan Jun listened quietly to Uncle Hua’s rambling. ’In a few more years,’ she wondered, ’who will be left to ramble on for me?’

....

After leaving Shen Wan Jun, Fang Qingyuan felt as if the world had suddenly opened up. The sky and earth were the same, but his state of mind was completely different.

’The expansion war is over, so it’s time for me to go back. I’ve completed the task Lechuan gave me all those years ago with flying colors. I can’t wait to see the look on his face.’

’And Jiang Kui, Zhang Yuan, and everyone at Yuanling Mountain... I haven’t seen them in over a decade. I miss them more and more.’

’Southern Border... I, Fang Qingyuan, am coming home.’