Zhao's Explanation (Thanks to the reader whose username ends in 5564 for the 5,100-coin tip)

Inside the sixth-floor loft of Ye Yuan Restaurant in Sanyuan City.

Ye Jingyu wore the white robes Ye Jingcheng usually favored, his aura completely concealed, making him seem like an ordinary mortal.

Before Ye Jingyu could enter, the purple nanmu doors opened on their own. Zhao Changyuan led Zhao Wuchang forward, and both cupped their hands toward Ye Jingyu.

"Brother Qianchen, have you made another breakthrough?" Zhao Changyuan could not help asking curiously.

Then he cupped his hands again in congratulations.

"It hardly counts as a breakthrough. If advancing through spirit transformation were truly so easy, there wouldn't be so many frustrated fellow cultivators risking an illicit crossing into the Spirit Realm at the early stage." Ye Jingyu imitated Ye Jingcheng's tone, speaking with calm indifference.

Yet his words struck a chord with all the spirit transformation cultivators in the room's secret realm.

Indeed, if reaching the spirit transformation middle stage were so easy, how could the cultivators at that stage across the entire Eleven Mysteries Realm and Ten Yuan Realm be counted on one's fingers?

Still, everyone felt that Ye Jingyu's cultivation was extraordinary. Otherwise, how could they fail to detect even a trace of it?

Most importantly, as far as they knew, Ye Jingcheng was also a sixth-stage mid-grade alchemist.

Ye Jingyu offered no explanation. He had come today to impersonate Ye Jingcheng, and he had already played the role for a time during the previous spirit transformation trading conference.

Thus, he was even more at ease this time.

He led Ye Qingfu into the secret realm, where countless peach trees stood in rows, like an immortal paradise of peach blossoms.

The peach blossoms had just begun to bloom, their fallen petals drifting in profusion, a breathtaking sight.

Within the grove stood more than a dozen jade tables