The Star Palace's ruling was like a bucket of cold water, dousing the ever-fiercer flames of war between Divine Wind Island and Tianxing City.
Once the news spread, the various powers of the Chaotic Star Sea reacted differently. Some were relieved that the conflict had not escalated into an all-out war, while others regretted missing the spectacle of two great powers mauling each other. Regardless, no one dared deny the Star Palace its due respect, and both Divine Wind Island and Tianxing City sheathed their claws for the time being.
Chen Ming did not delay paying the eighty thousand Spirit Stones in compensation. He delivered the full amount to Tianxing City on the third day after the ruling. He sent Liu Qingqing to escort it personally, adopting a humble stance and giving Jiang Yue a way to step down gracefully. Though Jiang Yue remained dissatisfied, faced with the Star Palace's authority, he could only hold his nose and accept the payment, publicly declaring the matter closed.
Although the covert struggle had stopped, neither side relaxed its vigilance in the slightest. Patrols around Divine Wind Island remained intensive, while Tianxing City's merchant ships steered clear of its surrounding waters. An unspoken understanding formed between them: leave me alone, and I will leave you alone.
Chen Ming welcomed the peace and devoted all his energy to developing the spirit vein and building up the island.
Once the spirit vein officially went into operation, the concentration of spiritual energy on Divine Wind Island nearly doubled. The disciples' cultivation progressed noticeably faster. Within just two months, more than a dozen disciples at late Foundation Establishment successfully broke through to the Golden Core stage, bringing the island's total number of Golden Core cultivators past forty in one stroke.
Meanwhile, Chen Ming also began preparing to