Xiao Li exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, Master! Thank you! Now I'm an Immortal Artifact too!"

Su Yuan pondered and said, "From now on, your artifact name can be changed to [Floating Light and True Stars Vase]."

"No! That doesn't sound good!" Su Li stuck out her tongue playfully and immediately pulled Little Cai away to play elsewhere.

Having used Su Yuan, she simply ignored him afterward.

Su Yuan sighed helplessly and sat down in the courtyard.

By then, Su Lan and the other three maidservants had already prepared the feast.

Su Yuan took his seat.

Su Lan stepped forward and bowed gracefully. "Greetings, Master."

"Mm. What dishes have you prepared today?" Su Yuan glanced over and saw unfamiliar dishes.

"Master, please take a look. This is braised pork—the meat is from a sixth-grade demon beast, the Iron-Scaled Pig, carefully prepared through thirty-three steps. This is stir-fried Hollow Bamboo Shoots, made from the shoots of the sixth-grade spiritual bamboo, the Serene Heart Hollow Bamboo, stir-fried with lard from the Iron-Scaled Pig..."

Su Lan explained each dish in detail.

Su Yuan took a bite and immediately felt an explosion of flavor in his mouth, whetting his appetite. It was incredibly delicious.

"Excellent, excellent! Su Lan, your culinary skills have improved tremendously!" Su Yuan praised.

Su Lan smiled. "I studied one of your alchemy techniques, Master, which focused on the precise ratios of ingredients. Many of those principles can be applied to cooking. After years of research, I’ve gained some insights!"

Su Yuan gave Su Lan a thoughtful look. This maidservant had dedicated herself to cooking from the start, and now she had truly achieved something remarkable.

The knife skills, heat control, and ingredient pairings in these dishes had reached an impressive level. However, Su Lan’s cultivation was still only at the Nascent Soul peak.

"Keep researching new dishes. As for cultivation... don’t worry about it!"

Su Yuan pointed a finger, and a divine Heavenly Position materialized out of thin air, flying into Su Lan’s consciousness.

Su Lan’s soul merged with the Heavenly Position, and her aura instantly surged to the Void Refining level!

She felt as though she had suddenly gained nine profound insights, including Su Yuan’s alchemy techniques, a trace of flame law comprehension, and some blade techniques.

Though she couldn’t fully grasp the essence of these techniques, she realized she could now use them effortlessly!

The other three maidservants watched with envy, their eyes practically turning red!

Su Lan had ascended to the heavens in a single step!

Su Lan immediately knelt. "Thank you for your grace, Master!"

Su Yuan waved his hand. "Keep up the good work."

"Yes!"

At this moment, Su He, Su Ju, and Su Mei looked at Su Yuan eagerly.

After some thought, Su Yuan turned to Su Mei. "You’ve been accompanying Little Cai all these years, and your contributions are not insignificant. Continue taking care of her!"

He then bestowed a Heavenly Position upon Su Mei as well.

Su Mei’s aura also skyrocketed to the Void Refining level, and she gained mastery in movement techniques and physical enhancement—essential for keeping up with the playful Little Cai.

Su Ju quickly stepped forward. "Master, let me brew tea for you!"

She moved to the side and began preparing tea. Her control over fire had reached an impressive level, and her tea-brewing skills were exceptional.

A thin stream of water poured gracefully from the teapot into the cup, the tea clear and fragrant, exuding a serene and natural aura.

Su Yuan looked at Su Ju in surprise. This little maidservant had clearly devoted herself to the art of tea—she could be called a tea master!

"You’ve done well too," Su Yuan praised before granting her a Heavenly Position in recognition of her efforts.

Only Su He remained, growing increasingly anxious.

"Master, I... I can clean!" Su He stammered.

Su Yuan chuckled and gave her a Heavenly Position as well, though it was of lower grade, only reaching the Nascent Soul level.

Yet Su He was overjoyed to tears. Possessing a divine position meant she now had the potential for longevity.

Truly, even the dogs and chickens of the household could ascend to heaven.

The four maidservants were ecstatic.

Outside, the Green Ox, who had been lying at the entrance, couldn’t help but stand up and pace around the courtyard, its bovine eyes filled with anticipation as it gazed at Su Yuan.

Su Yuan twitched his lips. "Why are you still only at the early Nascent Soul stage?"

The Green Ox blinked in confusion. "Master, isn’t it normal for me to be at the Nascent Soul stage? You’ve been in seclusion for thirty years, not three hundred!"

Su Yuan paused and glanced at the four maidservants. Sensing traces of Little Cai’s bloodline within them, he realized their cultivation progress was actually absurdly fast—faster than even Heavenly Spirit Roots. It was only because they stood beside him and Little Cai that they seemed mediocre. This only highlighted Little Cai’s terrifying potential—just a trace of her bloodline could propel cultivation at an incredible speed.

"You... just focus on cultivating properly!"

Su Yuan flicked his finger and gave the Green Ox the lowest-grade Heavenly Position. Further improvement would depend on its own efforts.

After refining the Heavenly Position, the Green Ox’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. It had always known that serving a genius came with perks.

Su Yuan then turned his attention to the spiritual fields.

Su Da was leading the spirit fish children in planting medicinal herbs, their movements skilled and practiced.

Su Yuan bestowed each of them with the lowest-grade Heavenly Positions, ensuring they wouldn’t have to worry about lifespan.

Low-grade divine positions like these didn’t consume any of Su Yuan’s own power—they were as abundant as heavenly soldiers in the celestial court.

The children in the fields immediately knelt and thanked him profusely.

At that moment, Sect Leader Gu arrived hurriedly at the foot of the mountain.

Su Yuan opened the cave dwelling’s entrance.

Gu Qingzhu strode confidently into Cave #6, his aura radiating the powerful presence of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

He quickly ascended to the mountaintop and bowed deeply upon seeing Su Yuan. "Greetings, Ancestor!"

His face still carried the same confident smile.

Su Yuan nodded. "Brother Gu, your cultivation has progressed swiftly!"

Hearing Su Yuan’s casual address, Gu Qingzhu relaxed and laughed. "Ancestor Su, my cultivation speed has increased dramatically in recent years. It feels like there are no bottlenecks at all! In less than a hundred years, I might even attempt the Void Refining stage!"

Su Yuan nodded. "Good."

Gu Qingzhu’s confident gaze swept over Su Lan, Su Ju, and Su Mei—then he froze.

The overwhelming aura emanating from the three made him feel as though he were facing primordial beasts, his heart skipping several beats!

Even Su He’s presence exerted pressure on him.

Su Yuan shot the four maidservants a look. "Why are you still here? Leave."

"Yes, Master!"

Su Lan and the others quickly bowed apologetically and suppressed their cultivation auras before retreating.

Gu Qingzhu stared blankly at their departing figures, only snapping back to reality when they disappeared.

His previously confident expression collapsed.

"Ancestor Su... how are their auras so strong?" he blurted out.

"I granted it to them," Su Yuan said. "Before this, they were only at the Nascent Soul stage."

Gu Qingzhu sighed in relief—then froze again. "They... reached the Nascent Soul stage on their own?"

Su Yuan waved his hand. "Don’t dwell on the details. Tell me, how is the training of the new generation progressing?"

Gu Qingzhu composed himself. "Ancestor, we’ve gathered geniuses from countless realms, recruiting 1.6 million disciples with top-grade spiritual roots or higher. Currently, 1.2 million have reached the Golden Core stage or above, 300,000 are at the Foundation Establishment stage, and 100,000 newly enrolled are still at the Qi Refining stage."

He paused. "Many of the Golden Core disciples have comprehended multiple insights. A few exceptional prodigies have even grasped fragments of laws! With sufficient energy, they could advance to the Void Refining stage soon!"

Su Yuan nodded. "It seems the training has been effective."

Gu Qingzhu hesitated.

"Speak freely."

"Ancestor, our aggressive recruitment of geniuses seems to have drawn the attention of the Immortal Realm. Recent intelligence suggests that envoys from the Immortal Realm have begun investigating certain worlds."

Su Yuan’s gaze sharpened. "So soon? It’s only been a few decades!"

"Due to the ongoing war between the Immortal and Demon Realms, many immortal cultivators are stationed in the spatial turbulence of the lower realms. Sects with heritage can contact these immortals, who then send agents to investigate—and even target our disciples. There have already been multiple casualties."

Su Yuan frowned. His Mind Echo could cross realms to assist, but if a Seven Stars Sect disciple was instantly killed, even he couldn’t intervene in time.

Gu Qingzhu added, "Moreover, our slaughter in the mortal worlds aligned with the Demon Realm has also drawn the attention of demonic immortals, who are now targeting our people."

Su Yuan tapped the table. "Cease large-scale recruitment for now. Shift to small-scale, selective enrollment. Meanwhile, accelerate the expansion of the merchant association. Song Cai has already laid the foundation for the Seven Stars Merchant Association, correct? These trained geniuses will join the association for experience. Our next goal is wealth—specifically, war profiteering—while elevating the reputation of the Seven Stars Merchant Association!"

Gu Qingzhu couldn’t help but ask, "Ancestor, if we trade with both the Immortal and Demon Realms, won’t we incur hostility from both sides?"

"No. The Seven Stars Merchant Association will not provoke, but we will not fear conflict. Transactions will be fair. But anyone who dares break our rules will regret it."

Su Yuan spoke calmly.

"Yes!" Gu Qingzhu affirmed.

"Mm. How many Seven Stars Bronze Cards have been distributed?" Su Yuan asked.

"Following your instructions, we’ve issued them to Great Ascension cultivators in every top-tier mortal realm!" Gu Qingzhu replied respectfully.

Su Yuan nodded. "Good. The first Seven Stars Grand Convention can now be prepared. Make the necessary arrangements and gather the required items."

Gu Qingzhu accepted the order and departed.

Meanwhile, Su Yuan waved his hand, summoning Su Qian, who had been visiting Hidden Star Immortal Lord.

Su Qian blinked in surprise before bowing. "Master."

"Transform into a large immortal ark. We’re heading into the spatial turbulence," Su Yuan ordered.

"Understood!"

Su Qian nodded, and the Myriad Treasures Heaven-Earth Cauldron instantly morphed into a massive immortal ark. Inside, a small marketplace rapidly took shape.

Su Yuan’s second primordial spirit appeared on the ark, which then flashed into the spatial turbulence.