Compared to before, the Little Stone Spirit had grown much larger, already taller than Qi Ping. However, its body remained as it was—a seemingly random collection of various stones. Only the weapon inscriptions flashing with sharp light and its Rank 4 Late-stage aura revealed its terrifying power. It carried the Sin-Burner Sword on its back, which had developed its own spirituality, surpassing even Ling Qianjue's demon sword.
Its growth was due to the mineral veins beneath the Star-Sea Continent and the six Nascent Soul stage weapons Qi Ping had fed it. If it had this strength during the fight against the Supreme Grand Elder, the battle would have been much easier.
Beside it was a cute little tiger blinking its eyes at Qi Ping. This was the Little Immortal Tiger. After breaking through to Golden Core, its size had actually decreased. It was now a beast of good fortune, wrapped in a unique power of luck. Calamities could not touch it, and fortune followed it everywhere. Its combat power was also high, with soul and body strength at the top of its tier.
"Awoo! (Boss!)"
"Ding-ding! (Boss!)"
The two were incredibly excited to see him after so many years. The fluffy Little Immortal Tiger rubbed against Qi Ping's leg.
"It's been a long time. Your strength has improved quite well!" Qi Ping looked at them with pride. Their travels had matured them.
"Awoo! (We've experienced so much! We met many underground creatures and made many friends!)" the tiger said excitedly.
"Ding-ding! (Yes, Boss! We saw creatures we'd never seen before—speaking swamps, and eyeless jumping fish that are very flexible and can travel through the void...)"
"Awoo! (Some were mean and hard to deal with, but others were very nice! Some even said they wanted to migrate here!)"
"Wait... what? Hold on!" Qi Ping had been listening happily, but what was that about fish traveling through the void?
"Awoo! (Wait for what, Boss?)" the tiger asked, confused. It was just getting to the good part!
"You said 'jumping fish' that travel through the void?" Traveling through the void meant space-attribute talent! This was one of the strongest talents in existence. How many people in the cultivation world could truly escape the shackles of time and space? Qi Ping had been planning to find a space-attribute talent after completing his five elements.
"Awoo! (You want to know about the jumping fish? They are so interesting!)"
"Awoo! (They have no eyes, they are round, and they are a bit bigger than the bees. There are several hundred of them in a school! They can create space rifts and space storms!)"
"Awoo! (But they are very friendly and have traveled to many places!)"
Qi Ping was stunned. The tiger's words confirmed his suspicion. Void-Aether Fish! These were the children of the void, migrating throughout the cultivation world! They were strong, excellent at escaping, and most importantly, they could reinforce space, making a territory more stable! Like Earth-Vein Ants, they were beloved by Nature.
He was definitely interested! If he could contract a school of Void-Aether Fish, it would be a massive gain. If he could one day nurture hundreds of thousands of them, his domain would be invincible, and he would have a legion that could travel through the void!
'I can wait a few hundred years for my wood-attribute physique,' he thought. He didn't even have a target for a wood-attribute Animal Companion yet.
"Where are they now?" he asked.
"Awoo! (The jumping fish said they will be here in a while. They said they want to settle here! Is that okay, Boss?)"
"Of course it's okay!" How could it not be? They were Void-Aether Fish! Even in the wider cultivation world, they were rare. Now, his pets were literally leading them to his doorstep. He couldn't help but marvel at the luck of his Animal Companions.
He spent more time listening to their stories. They loved returning from their explorations to tell him everything they had seen. Qi Ping never grew tired of it. Although he loved farming, he also enjoyed hearing about the world, and through their eyes, he saw a completely different side of the Star-Sea Continent.
The underground world was just as vibrant, with its own diverse civilizations. Some were advanced, some primitive, some kind, and some cruel. Their stories gave Qi Ping a much better understanding of the continent. Moreover, by helping the creatures outside the Qingtian Domain through his pets, he had gained more power of living beings. He wondered if his domain could expand even further.
One of the reasons he wanted the Void-Aether Fish was that he hadn't found a satisfactory wood-attribute Animal Companion. He wouldn't settle for anything less than the best. A space-attribute beast like the Void-Aether Fish, which was worth more than a billion spirit stones or even the entire Qingyuan Academy, was a worthy addition.
Currently, his wood-attribute talent had been raised to the "Peak" level through resources and honey. While not as strong as the talent provided by an Animal Companion, it was enough for a five-elements cycle. This allowed him to practice Yin-Yang Five Elements techniques with high efficiency.
From the Eight-Winged Pith-Immortal's memories, he also learned more about the Secret Black Market. It had been established by a "madman" who was once the top Puppet Master in the cultivation world. After a conflict with top powers that resulted in the death of his loved ones, he reached a state of "oneness with the Dao" and became an elusive existence. He created countless puppets; a single thought could activate one anywhere in the world. Even blowing up the entire world wouldn't kill him.
The Secret Black Market's network had broken the rigid class hierarchy of the cultivation world. Most of the top-tier experts born in the last few hundred thousand years were somewhat connected to him. Qi Ping realized that the market wasn't omnipotent; it was just a massive resource integrator. On the Star-Sea Continent, most of its resources came from the continent itself, just traded through special channels. Higher-grade resources required a higher price—often killing members of top forces.
"I should see if I can find a Soul Transformation stage demon insect corpse before the Queen Bee reaches the Late-stage of Nascent Soul. If not, I might have to destroy the Celestial Alliance altar in the Qingtian Domain to raise my authority in the market..."
He didn't want to start a direct conflict yet; he preferred to develop quietly. "Maybe I should go to the Forest Sea Demon Realm? But without Soul Transformation strength, I can't touch the top demon insects there... unless the crows can gain enough power there themselves."
Or, he could wait for the Little Stone Spirit to finish devouring the Rank 6 immortal manor. That might give it the strength of a Soul Transformation expert.
"Let's wait and see. The Queen's breakthrough will take time. For now, the most valuable thing is to nurture the Treant Warriors..."
The combination of an Earth Immortal Druid and a Shepherd of Trees with their Treant Warriors was a perfect match.