Chapter 1247: Suspended Void Pill

After activating Gui Bao and returning to Fushang Star, Chen Mobai first retrieved his spiritual consciousness from the Formless Puppet. After confirming there were no major issues, he opened the formation and contacted Qi Yuheng and the others.

A few days later, still at his apartment, Qi Yuheng, Taohua, and Chengxuan, having heard that he had emerged from seclusion, all arrived. All three were doing very well.

Taohua had opened a flower shop specializing in rare and difficult-to-cultivate spiritual flowers and exotic herbs that were extremely useful for cultivators. Besides being ornamental, most of these plants were used for compounding medicines. However, because they were difficult to cultivate, a minor mistake could lead to wilting and financial losses. Consequently, many gardens on Fushang Star chose not to grow them, leaving a void in the market. Alchemists who needed these plants often had to spend considerable sums to purchase them from other planets within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field.

After completing her research, Taohua exchanged spirit stones for start-up capital. She rented dozens of acres of cultivation land in the suburbs and had just sown seeds for several types of flowers and herbs that were absent from the market. One fragrant flower used for compounding incense grew exceptionally fast once planted. After successfully cultivating it, Taohua found an incense shop to partner with, allowing her to earn tens of thousands of Xuangu coins annually. For Soul Transformation cultivators like them, while not a vast sum, it was a promising start. Moreover, if her business grew and expanded to dominate the entire market for this fragrant flower, she could easily earn millions annually.

"Excellent, excellent," Chen Mobai said after listening, unable to stop praising her. "I never expected True Monarch Taohua to be such a talent in business." Back at the Immortal Gate, Taohua's personality had been quite similar to his: she disliked managing affairs and would spend her days drinking tea, lamenting the changing seasons. He never imagined that life on Fushang Star would bring out this hidden talent in her.

"Not at all, not at all," True Monarch Taohua said modestly. "If you were willing to do it, you certainly wouldn't be worse than me." Although she said that, in reality, she was indeed the most successful of the three.

Qi Yuheng had joined a livestock company, and after a period of learning, he had become familiar with Fushang Star's livestock market. However, this sector was already a red ocean due to fierce competition, as imported products were cheaper than locally produced ones, leading local businesses to focus on high-end markets. Even so, he was already preparing to start his own business.

"I opened a repair shop," Chengxuan began. "Currently, I undertake repairs of various high-end mechanical magical artifacts, but my main income comes from the internet..." Unlike Taohua and Qi Yuheng, Chengxuan had leveraged his artifact refining skills to quickly make a significant name for himself within the niche field of repairs. According to him, repair orders were already booked for several years in advance because he only took one order per month. Anything that came into his hands, even with catastrophic damage, could be rebuilt by him from scratch, provided he had the original blueprints. Chengxuan even filmed his repair processes and uploaded the videos to several video websites within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field, earning him the title "Hand-Crafting Immortal" and millions of followers.

"The things I repair and film each month, including fees, amount to tens of thousands. Some live-streaming companies want to sign me, offering high prices, but they mainly want me to promote products..."

After Chengxuan finished recounting his experiences, Chen Mobai was even more surprised. He had never imagined Chengxuan would find such a unique path to success.

"Chunyang, you wouldn't believe it," Taohua chimed in. "Last month, the largest factory on Fushang Star had a problem with one of their ore-smelting machines. That machine was imported from another galaxy, and no one on Fushang Star could repair it. They originally planned to spend a lot of money to invite the manufacturer's cultivators to come for repairs. But one of the shareholders had seen Chengxuan's videos and invited him to take a look. After Chengxuan arrived, he replaced a few parts and connected a line, and the machine was fixed. Currently, that video is still trending on Xuangu Net..." It was precisely after that incident that Chengxuan's repair shop was flooded with orders. If Chengxuan hadn't promptly shut down his order-taking software, he would probably have had decades worth of work already booked.

"Senior Brother, you're amazing!" Chen Mobai couldn't help but admire him.

"Besides the orders from Fushang Star, I actually have tens of thousands of private messages in my online backend, all invitations for me to do repairs," Chengxuan continued. "I plan to set aside some time to sort through them and see if there's anything worth my attention. Or perhaps we can use this to solve our identity issue." Chengxuan then outlined his plans, noting that he was now considered an internet celebrity. Many platforms had extended offers to him, and quite a few of his followers came from influential backgrounds.

"That's simple," Chen Mobai immediately said. "I'll refine a Heaven's Abacus Bead for Senior Brother." A fourth-tier Heaven's Abacus Bead would be sufficient for handling data and private messages, and he could refine one in a day.

"Okay, thanks." Chengxuan didn't refuse. Since he was refining one, Chen Mobai decided to refine one for Qi Yuheng and Taohua as well.

"I learned something at Liuyuan Livestock regarding the Minor Dao Integration Flower..." As they discussed this, Qi Yuheng suddenly enveloped the four of them with his Dharma Realm, then gravely revealed what he had learned: "Soul Transformation cultivators with local Fushang Star residency are eligible to exchange for Xuanyu Pills. The owner of Liuyuan Livestock specifically immigrated to Fushang Star for this residency."

The owner of Liuyuan Livestock, where Qi Yuheng currently worked, was originally a Soul Transformation cultivator from Wangxing within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field. However, the competition for Xuanyu Pills there was intense, so he deliberately used his connections to acquire residency on Fushang Star, investing hundreds of millions in land and factories here for that purpose.

"Does temporary residency count?" Chen Mobai couldn't help but ask after hearing this.

But Qi Yuheng shook his head. "No, it definitely doesn't count. He probably just feared having four more competitors, which is why that bastard only granted us temporary residency." The Minor Dao Integration Flowers that had matured this cycle had already been taken by Huo Gaoyuan, another Void Refinement cultivator from Fushang Star, to be refined into "Xuanyu Pills" at the core of the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field. After the pills were refined, Fushang Star would also receive half a batch. However, the exact number of pills in this half-batch was uncertain; if a powerful figure desired one, Fushang Star might receive one less due to the allocation process. But basically three or four pills were usually available.

"Currently, there are 147 Soul Transformation cultivators on Fushang Star. Half of them, like the owner of Liuyuan Livestock, have acquired residency through investment immigration, and these individuals all have influential backgrounds, specifically to compete for Xuanyu Pills." Because Qi Yuheng only had temporary residency, he posed no threat to his boss, who therefore greatly valued him. The boss even hinted that once she obtained a Xuanyu Pill, she would entrust him with managing the Fushang Star operations and help him acquire permanent residency. It was precisely for this reason that the proud and ambitious Qi Yuheng had continued working there until now. However, if Chengxuan could resolve the residency issue, Qi Yuheng still intended to start his own business. He wasn't the type to be subordinate to others.

"When will the Xuanyu Pills likely be refined?" Chen Mobai immediately asked the most crucial question after hearing this.

"Xuanyu Pills are refined in batches," Qi Yuheng replied. "The very first batches were refined long ago, but those were mainly for export to other Dao Fields. Some were even personally reserved by Dao Lords for their disciples. Those were the earliest batches. After that, Void Refinement cultivators would purchase them, followed by distribution among the major star systems within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field. Fushang Star would likely be among the last to receive them. However, even at the latest, it won't exceed a hundred years. If it's fast, it might even be within this sexagenary cycle (60 years)."

Qi Yuheng shared all the inside information he had gathered from his work. Taohua and Chengxuan were clearly hearing this for the first time and were greatly surprised.

"Will we be able to catch the next opportunity?" For them, this batch of Xuanyu Pills was certainly out of reach. Even if they resolved their residency issues, none of the four had reached the Perfected Soul Transformation stage.

"The cultivation technology for Minor Dao Integration Flowers is already very mature, and they can ripen in three thousand years." Hearing Qi Yuheng's words, Taohua and Chengxuan's hearts sank, and Chen Mobai's brows furrowed as he wondered what methods he could use to qualify for the Xuanyu Pills within a few decades. "However, the Minor Dao Integration Flowers on Fushang Star are cultivated in batches, so a harvest can be obtained every three hundred years."

The latter half of Qi Yuheng's sentence made Chen Mobai breathe a sigh of relief. But Taohua and Chengxuan still looked worried. How could they possibly advance from the early Soul Transformation stage to the perfected stage in just three hundred years? However, if there was a batch every three hundred years, they could try to compete for the opportunity six hundred years later. Even Chen Mobai only adjusted his goal to the batch three hundred years later.

"That guy got us temporary residency for a hundred years, probably just to ensure we wouldn't qualify." Qi Yuheng then brought up Gao Tian, explaining that while every Soul Transformation cultivator on Fushang Star could apply for Xuanyu Pills, the approval process was handled by the four core stars of the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field, and generally, only cultivators at the Perfected Soul Transformation stage were granted approval. However, it didn't exclude those with profound backgrounds from pre-ordering a pill. Gao Tian, as Lao Xiaoyu's disciple, had already waited one cycle. Although all arrangements had been made for this time, success wasn't guaranteed. Therefore, it was understandable that he had preemptively eliminated four potential competitors to be safe.

"Let's first figure out how to get permanent residency." Chen Mobai felt that things should be taken one step at a time. Since other Soul Transformation cultivators could immigrate and obtain permanent residency, there was no reason they couldn't. It was just about spending money; at worst, Chen Mobai could provide more spirit stones.

"I previously inquired with the relevant departments," Qi Yuheng said. "For those of us with unknown origins, we can only apply for permanent residency after sixty years of temporary residency without any record of violating laws. Of course, whether the application is approved after that is another matter. There's also another way: find a Void Refinement cultivator from the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field to vouch for us, and then we can get immediate residency..." The advantage of Qi Yuheng working for a large company all these years was that it had a dedicated legal department that understood all the regulations on Fushang Star and even within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field. He could simply ask if he didn't understand something and get an answer.

"Void Refinement?" Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but think of Bai Guang, whose whereabouts were unknown. Unfortunately, by Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field standards, Bai Guang was also of unknown origin. However, the attitude towards Void Refinement cultivators was certainly different, and if she were with them, they could directly approach the Void Refinement cultivator guarding the Xuanyang Galaxy to prove their native status within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field.

"Then let's settle down for a hundred years first," Chen Mobai concluded. "If Senior Brother Chengxuan's followers have other methods, we can discuss them then." Ultimately, Chen Mobai decided on their next steps on Fushang Star. If there were no Xuanyu Pills, they might have to figure out a way to leave after understanding the situation within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field. But since this opportunity existed, they definitely had to pursue it. After all, even on any other planet within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field, cultivators of unknown origin would still need sixty years of temporary residency before they could obtain permanent status. It was better to develop here for a century; with their capabilities, they were certainly capable of achieving significant success.

"Given Chunyang's talent, by the time the next Xuanyu Pills are refined, he will surely have reached the Perfected Soul Transformation stage," Chengxuan said, full of expectation. "The three of us can build up our connections over these years, and perhaps then we can truly exchange for a pill for him." Once one reached Void Refinement, their status and position would be completely different. An existence at this cultivation realm would be an honored guest in any Dao Field. At least within the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field, a Void Refinement cultivator, if willing, could not only obtain residency at any time and govern a star system but also receive a sixth-tier magical artifact, a cave dwelling with a sixth-tier spiritual vein, and sixth-tier medicinal cultivation resources. The only condition was to meet the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Lord once.

"If only we could contact Old Ancestor Bai Guang." After Qi Yuheng finished describing the treatment of Void Refinement cultivators in the Xuangu Cauldron Dao Field, which he had inquired about, he looked at Chen Mobai and said. It wasn't just him; Taohua and Chengxuan felt the same.

"Ahem, I'll try to see if I can contact her." Chen Mobai naturally understood what they meant. He wondered what the outcome of her battle with the King of the Underworld was. He hoped that after obtaining the Lingxiao Immortal Armor, she would be out of danger. Chen Mobai felt a slight worry after thinking of Bai Guang.

After their reunion and conversation concluded, Qi Yuheng and the other two hastily left Chen Mobai's apartment. Their businesses on Fushang Star were just beginning, and it was a time for diligent effort. Chen Mobai also left briefly, and following their advice, he went to a local bank and exchanged his ten top-grade spirit stones for Xuangu coins. As a Soul Transformation cultivator, possessing such top-grade spirit stones was considered normal wealth there and wouldn't attract undue attention.

After Chen Mobai received ten million Xuangu coins, the very first thing he did was to buy a quiet villa in the suburbs. The apartment still had a somewhat complex flow of people, and it wasn't very convenient for gathering with Qi Yuheng and the others. After moving into his new home, Chen Mobai set up a set of formations to protect his villa. Next, he took out his phone from the Immortal Gate and proxied his way into the Boundary Gate.