Su Yun stayed in the Xuanming Sect for three days.

In those three days, he reorganized the more than seven hundred female Disciples, dividing them into three major groups according to their cultivation level: Nascent Soul Stage, Golden Core Stage, and Foundation Establishment Stage.

Each group was assigned one captain and one vice-captain.

The captains were selected from the Nascent Soul Stage female cultivators with higher loyalty, while the vice-captains were appointed by Valley Master Su Yao.

He had always been efficient and decisive in his actions.

On the first day, he handled the Xuanming Sect's treasury.

The savings of a major Sect in the Western Region were far more abundant than he had anticipated.

There were over twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones, and countless Medium Grade and Low Grade ones.

The five warehouses were piled full of Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and Spiritual Plants.

Su Yun took all the Spirit Stones, gave the Medicinal Pills and Spiritual Plants to Valley Master Su Yao to manage, and distributed the Magical Artifacts to the newly recruited Disciples.

On the second day, he handled the Xuanming Sect's library.

Cultivation Techniques and secret arts piled up across three whole floors, ranging from Foundation Establishment Stage to Nascent Soul Stage, and from Alchemy to sword techniques; everything was there.

Su Yun flipped through them, selected a few Soul Transformation Stage Cultivation Techniques to put into his Storage Ring, and left the rest for Valley Master Su Yao to organize into volumes, so that a copy could be made to bring back to Qinghe City.

On the third day, he handled the belongings of the male Disciples.

The Xuanming Sect originally had over three thousand Disciples, with two-thirds being male.

Over a thousand were killed in that battle, and the remaining male Disciples dispersed after Su Yun took over the Sect.

Their belongings were piled up in the warehouse.

Su Yun didn't even look at them; he told Liu Xuanqing to sell them all and exchange them for Spirit Stones to distribute to the newly recruited female Disciples.

Three days later, in the early morning, Su Yun took Valley Master Su Yao, Fairy Jianyun, Zi Wuji, and the thirteen Nascent Soul Stage female cultivators recruited from Longyuan City, leaving the Xuanming Sect to return to the Central Region.

The new Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect was Liu Xuanqing, and Su Yun left her in the Western Region to guard this foundation.

Before leaving, he gave a few instructions.

First, the Xuanming Sect was to be renamed the Qinghe Sect, unifying the name with the one in the Central Region.

Second, every year, they were to pay tribute to Qinghe City—Spirit Stones or Medicinal Pills would both do; the amount was not limited, but they could not fail to give them.

Third, if there was any movement in the Western Region, they were to send news immediately.

Liu Xuanqing agreed to each point.

After flying for seven days, the outline of Qinghe City appeared on the horizon.

Su Yun landed at the city gate, and Zhao Lanxin was the first to rush up.

The little girl threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest, her shoulders heaving.

Su Yun hugged her, gently patting her back.

Zhou Ruoyun also ran over, pulling on his sleeve, tears falling drop by drop.

Liu Wugou stood in the crowd, her eyes red, but she was smiling.

Elder Han Yue stood at the very back, her expression calm, but her eyes never left him.

Su Yun walked into the city, followed by those people.

The setting sun dyed the entire city in golden red.

In the following days, Su Yun began to reorganize Qinghe City.

The Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills brought back from the Xuanming Sect gave him sufficient capital, and he began to Cultivate those Golden Core Stage female Disciples on a large scale.

Valley Master Su Yao was in charge of Alchemy, Fairy Ziyun handled the Spiritual Plants, and Zhou Ruoling assisted from the side.

The three of them could refine hundreds of bottles of Medicinal Pills every day, ranging from Foundation Establishment Stage to Nascent Soul Stage.

Lie Yunyan took the Disciples of the Tianhuo Sect to temper the Meridians for those Golden Core Stage female cultivators; they were exhausted every day, but the results were significant.

In just one month, over twenty Peak Golden Core Stage cultivators had a Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage.

Fairy Jianyun led the female cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion to take charge of the defense of Qinghe City.

She set up a Heavenly Sword Formation outside the city, with seventy-two Flying Swords hovering above the city walls, operating day and night.

This Formation could withstand a full-strength blow from a Mid Spirit Severing Stage cultivator; it was Fairy Jianyun's trump card.

Su Yun was very satisfied when he saw it.

After Valley Master Su Yao had a Breakthrough to the Soul Transformation Stage, her Alchemy skills also improved to a new level.

She began to research mass production methods for the Soul Transformation Stage Pill.

Although progress was slow, she already had some leads.

Su Yun gave her all the Spiritual Plants brought back from the Xuanming Sect, telling her to use them as she pleased.

Valley Master Su Yao was moved to tears and threw herself into the Pill Refining Room, not coming out for several days.

Zi Wuji returned to the Purple Mansion and brought Zi Ling over.

Zi Ling blushed when she saw Su Yun, lowering her head and not speaking.

Su Yun asked her how her Cultivation was going, and she said she was at the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.

Su Yun nodded and said, "Not bad."

Zi Ling looked up at him, then lowered her head again.

Zi Wuji stood to the side, watching his daughter's demeanor, and sighed.

Liu Wugou was still busy every day, managing the affairs of Qinghe City.

Her cultivation was not high, only Peak Golden Core Stage, but her management skills were top-notch.

Sometimes Su Yun would go find her, and she would lean into his arms, telling him about recent events in the city.

Who had a Breakthrough, who was slacking off, which shop's rent needed to be raised, which Disciple should be promoted.

Su Yun listened, nodding occasionally.

As she spoke, she would fall asleep, and Su Yun would place her on the bed, cover her with a thin quilt, and get up to leave.

Elder Han Yue still lived in the small courtyard in the east of the city.

Su Yun went to see her every few days, bringing a pot of wine, and the two would sit under the bamboo and drink slowly.

She didn't speak much, and he didn't speak much either, but that quietness made him feel comfortable.

Once, he asked her if she wanted to move to the main hall to live, but she shook her head, saying it was quiet here.

Su Yun did not force her.

Zhao Lanxin came to his courtyard every day.

Sometimes she brought newly made clothes, sometimes she brought stewed soup, and sometimes she brought nothing, just sitting quietly beside him and embroidering.

Her cultivation had reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage—the speed was not fast, but it was solid.

Su Yun sometimes guided her Cultivation.

She learned very seriously, but she couldn't help but peek at him.

When she was caught by him, she would blush and lower her head, only to raise it to peek again after a while.

Days passed by like this.

Qinghe City grew larger and larger, turning from a small city into the most prosperous city within a radius of a thousand miles.

Every day, Loose Cultivators came to join Su Yun's faction.

No men, only women.

This was Su Yun's rule, and it had never changed.

Those newly arrived female cultivators went through layers of screening; those with good Aptitude stayed, and those with average Aptitude were given enough travel expenses to leave.

Even so, in just one month, Qinghe City had over five hundred more female cultivators.

Su Yun turned no one away.

For every new female cultivator, he would personally enlighten them.

As the golden light flashed, they became his people.

In their Dantian, the feedback of spiritual power poured in continuously.

His cultivation climbed steadily, getting closer and closer to the Late Soul Transformation Stage.

This evening, Su Yun was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.

Liu Xuanqing sent news from the Western Region.

Several major Sects in the Western Region had begun to pay attention to the Qinghe Sect.

The destruction of the Xuanming Sect could not be kept hidden; those Sects had sent spies to inquire about news, wanting to know what background this Su Yun from the Central Region really had.

Liu Xuanqing said that for now, no one dared to make a move, but sooner or later someone would be unable to resist.

Su Yun finished reading the message and placed the note on the table.

Among those major Sects in the Western Region, there were quite a few old monsters at the Soul Transformation Stage.

He alone was not enough.

He needed more helpers at the Soul Transformation Stage.

Valley Master Su Yao counted as one, Fairy Jianyun counted as one, and Zi Wuji counted as one.

Three was still too few.

He leaned back in his chair, gazing at the sky.

The Northern Wilderness, the Western Region, the Central Region.

The road he had to walk was still very long.