Xiao Fei opened the black wooden box. Inside was a white jade box, and within the jade box lay a small jade bottle, no more than an inch in size.
There were three layers of packaging, each sealed with a talisman.
Xiao Fei opened the jade bottle. Inside, there was only a single drop of black liquid. It emitted no spiritual energy and appeared utterly ordinary.
Yet, this was the very item that had caused the green-eyed father and son to be pursued.
Within an ancient ruin on Turtle Island, there was a hidden cave that produced a substance called Celestial Crystal Spirit Liquid.
This spirit liquid formed only one drop every hundred years, but it greatly aided cultivators in advancing from the late Nascent Soul stage to the Soul Transformation stage.
It was estimated to increase the success rate of achieving Soul Transformation by five to ten percent.
As auxiliary treasures for Soul Transformation were controlled by a few super-large factions, it was incredibly difficult for ordinary cultivators to find even one such item.
While the Celestial Crystal Spirit Liquid's success rate increase wasn't exceptionally high, for ordinary cultivators who could obtain no resources, it was worth risking their lives for.
Originally, the green-eyed father and son, having obtained the treasure, had no intention of sharing it with Xiao Fei. Friendship was friendship, but treasures of this caliber were never given away.
However, they had been relentlessly pursued for years, facing near-death experiences multiple times. The last encounter was particularly perilous, and the father and son had almost perished.
It was Xiao Fei who had saved their lives then.
Therefore, giving him the treasure today was both a thank you and a form of protection fee.
After receiving the treasure, Xiao Fei allowed the green-eyed father and son to reside temporarily on Meteorite Island.
He had taken their money and would now handle their troubles. Anyone who sought to cause them harm from now on would have to face him.
Having accepted the green-eyed father and son's treasure, Xiao Fei then brought out the great sea demon from the prison.
"Master... Master! I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you. From this day forth, I shall serve you diligently and obey your every command."
This burly sea demon was quite afraid of death. It didn't know if Xiao Fei had brought it out to be eaten or for some other purpose.
Thus, the moment it saw Xiao Fei, it immediately declared its loyalty.
Xiao Fei glanced at the great demon, which was prostrate on the ground with a fawning smile. He felt no contempt; it was better to live ignobly than to die with dignity.
"Why were you pursuing the rat demon father and son?"
"I deserve death, Master. It was my greed, hearing that they had obtained Celestial Crystal Liquid from the ancient ruins, that led me astray..."
The great sea demon recounted the entire affair from beginning to end, which matched what the green-eyed father and son had said.
"Reveal your true form for me to see!"
Nascent Soul stage demons could transform into human form, which made cultivation easier.
The great demon before him was stout and robust, and Xiao Fei couldn't discern its original form.
"Yes, Master. However, my true form is rather unsightly and might offend your eyes."
As the great demon spoke, its body rapidly expanded, growing larger and larger until it resembled a small mountain. Its mouth alone was twenty to thirty feet wide.
"So it's a toad!"
Xiao Fei shook his head in disappointment. This creature wasn't appetizing and likely wouldn't fetch a good price.
Seeing Xiao Fei shake his head, the great toad became extremely nervous. It needed to demonstrate its value.
"Reporting to Master, my ancestors possessed the bloodline of the Golden Toad, making me a branch of the Golden Toad lineage!"
The Golden Toad's fearsome reputation in ancient times was no less than that of the Kunpeng. However, it was uncertain how much Golden Toad bloodline remained within this great toad.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fei re-examined the toad, which was like a mountain of flesh. Even with some Golden Toad bloodline, he still couldn't muster any appetite.
"It's quite an accomplishment for you to have grown so large. From now on, you shall remain on Meteorite Island as a guardian spirit beast."
Xiao Fei ultimately decided to keep the creature as a subordinate.
A mid-stage Nascent Soul subordinate, regardless of their combat prowess, was quite intimidating just by their presence.
"Thank you, Master!"
The toad was overjoyed. It didn't realize it had just narrowly escaped death, its life saved by its ugliness.
Next, Xiao Fei placed a restriction on the toad.
This restriction was different from a master-subordinate bond. A master-subordinate bond implied a closer relationship, with only the master able to control the subordinate.
This restriction, however, was like a shackle. Whoever held the key to this shackle could control him.
Xiao Fei carved the main formation for controlling the restriction onto a wooden plaque. From then on, anyone holding this token could control the toad.
"Alright, since you are now a guardian spirit beast, I shall not treat you poorly. I have a pill here that can increase your cultivation by a hundred years. I shall bestow it upon you!"
Having just disciplined it, it was time to offer a reward. If he truly needed its help in the future, it would be more effective if it was willing to exert itself.
Willing contribution and perfunctory effort yielded vastly different results.
"Thank you, Master!"
The toad, having reverted to its human form, immediately prostrated itself again and performed a deep bow to Xiao Fei.
A single pill that increased cultivation by a hundred years was something it, having lived for one to two thousand years, had never consumed before.
It seemed this was not a loss at all.
"If you contribute to Meteorite Island in the future, there will be further rewards."
As Xiao Fei spoke, he presented an egg-sized pill to the toad.
With the passage of time, the quantity of ten-thousand-year spirit herbs in his spatial dimension continued to grow.
He would also select a portion of them to refine into pills.
However, the potency of these pills was too intense, and the rapid increase in cultivation required a long interval before another could be consumed.
Besides consuming them himself, he also used them for gifting, rewarding his subordinates, or occasionally selling one or two.
Pills refined from ten-thousand-year spirit herbs were undoubtedly the most top-tier elixirs in the entire cultivation world.
Only a very select few in the entire cultivation world, under special circumstances, would receive them as gifts.
Each time he presented one, it could help resolve many difficult matters.
Since Xiao Fei decided to take in the green-eyed father and son, various individuals had begun to appear on Meteorite Island.
The strength of Meteorite Island was now considerable, making a direct assault unlikely.
Especially since Meteorite Island had previously defeated the demon race and recently routed powerful demon beasts, any faction wishing to deal with Meteorite Island would have to carefully assess their own strength.
Therefore, to obtain the Celestial Crystal Liquid from the green-eyed father and son, one could only seek opportunities to act covertly.
However, when it came to stealth, the green-eyed father and son were rat demons who had lived for thousands of years. This was their specialty, and who could outwit them?
Thus, during this period, most of the powerful individuals who attacked fell victim to this father and son duo. Before Xiao Fei even had to intervene, they had already resolved the situation.
After repeated failed attempts, the number of cultivators coming to Meteorite Island to seek death had gradually decreased.
With peace on the island, it was time to focus on cultivation and earning spirit stones.
The Eastern Continent was now in turmoil, instigated by the demons.
Some declared themselves kings, some pledged allegiance to the Great Qin Dynasty, and some joined the demon race.
Every day, humans fought humans, or humans fought demons. There was never a moment of peace.
Meteorite Island was located in the Eastern Sea. For now, the focus was on earning spirit stones and developing its own strength.
Over the years, Meteorite Island had indeed accumulated significant wealth. Coupled with Xiao Fei's frequent support with spirit pills like the Foundation Establishment Pill, the number of powerful cultivators on the island had been steadily increasing.