So what if I have a few billion concubines while I'm cultivating immortality?

"I understand."

Luo Qingluan nodded.

"By the way, I gained quite a lot from this trip."

As Qin Xiao spoke, he took out some of the spirit stones and spirit ores he had brought back from the mine and handed them to Luo Qingluan, saying, "Keep these safe and distribute them to them. They might need them for their cultivation in the future."

Looking at the ore and spirit stones gleaming with spiritual light before her, Luo Qingluan's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You're welcome."

Qin Xiao waved his hand, "I'm going to start forging weapons now, to create flying swords for you. During this time, you will continue to take care of the affairs of the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Luo Qingluan agreed.

Qin Xiao gave a few more instructions, then turned and walked towards the back hall of Zichen Palace.

……

In the quiet room of the rear hall of the Zichen Palace.

The refining cauldron stood silently.

Qin Xiao sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron, closing his eyes and concentrating.

"The key to forging a flying sword lies in the formation of the sword blank."

Qin Xiao silently deduced the refining steps in his mind.

"The Azure Phoenix possesses dual spiritual roots of metal and water, so the flying sword should primarily utilize metal, with water as a secondary element."

"Zi Yan possesses dual spiritual roots of water and earth, so her flying sword should primarily utilize earth and secondarily water."

"The phoenix feather has three spiritual roots: metal, water, and wood. The flying sword must take into account the balance of these three elements."

"Qingyi already has a flying sword, so let's forge a calming magical artifact for her."

"As for the Li sisters..."

Qin Xiao thought for a moment.

Li Anning's spiritual root attribute has not yet been determined.

However, judging from the Heavenly aptitude displayed on the system panel, it is probably some kind of special spiritual root.

Li Changle is also from the Tiandeng class, but his specific attributes are unclear.

"Let's refine it for Qingluan and the others first."

Qin Xiao made up his mind and opened his eyes.

With a thought, the fire of the pill surged from his palm and entered the fire gate of the refining cauldron.

"Buzz..."

The refining cauldron resonated deeply once again.

The patterns on the body of the cauldron lit up one by one.

The indoor temperature began to rise slowly.

Qin Xiao put the prepared spirit ore into the cauldron.

Under the scorching heat of the alchemical fire, the spiritual ore rapidly melted, turning into clumps of molten metal shimmering with various colors of spiritual light.

Qin Xiao used his divine sense to control these molten metals, shaping them according to his vision.

Guided by divine consciousness, the molten metal gradually stretched and thinned, forming a sword blank about three feet long and two fingers wide.

The sword has a long, slender blade with smooth lines.

Qin Xiao then took out several auxiliary materials and incorporated them into the sword embryo to enhance its toughness and spiritual energy conduction.

……

Several days later, Qin Xiao emerged from the quiet room and saw Luo Qingluan waiting outside, seemingly having been waiting for quite some time.

Qin Xiao immediately ordered, "Qingluan, go and call Qingyi, Ziyan, and Fengling here."

"Yes."

Luo Qingluan agreed and turned to leave.

Before long, the four women gathered at the Zichen Palace.

Qin Xiao took out what he had refined over the past few days and handed it to them.

"These are flying swords that I have forged for you. After a blood sacrifice, you will be able to control them to a basic extent."

Luo Qingluan's pale gold flying sword, Mu Ziyan's dark yellow flying sword, and Yu Fengling's three-colored flying sword.

Yu Qingyi received a jade pendant for calming the mind.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The four women expressed their gratitude in unison.

Qin Xiao waved his hand: "Alright, go back and refine your skills properly, and master the sword control technique as soon as possible."

"yes!"

The four women agreed and left happily.

After they left, Qin Xiao rubbed his temples, revealing a hint of fatigue.

Forging three flying swords and one magical artifact in succession consumed a significant amount of his spiritual energy.

However, seeing the four girls looking happy made it all worthwhile.

"Next, we should go and see those two princesses from the previous dynasty."

Qin Xiao got up and walked towards Yongning Palace.

Side hall of Yongning Palace.

Li Anning had already changed into a clean palace dress.

She was already beautiful.

Now that the dirt on her face has been washed away, she looks even more beautiful and refined.

Her face was still somewhat pale, giving her a sickly beauty.

Li Changle also changed her clothes.

Although he still had that stubborn expression, he looked much more refreshed.

Chu Xiu was arranged to stay in another side hall and is resting in the room.

When Qin Xiao entered the hall, Li Anning was leaning against the bed, and Li Changle was sitting by the bed talking to her.

"Immortal Master."

When Li Anning saw Qin Xiao, she quickly tried to get up.

"No need for such formalities."

Qin Xiao walked to the bedside and placed his hand on her wrist.

A wisp of spiritual energy probed in, checking her condition.

The spiritual energy within Li Anning's body has basically stabilized.

However, there was still some blockage in the meridians, which was obviously caused by the previous surge of spiritual energy.

"The underlying health issues in your body still need to be addressed gradually."

Qin Xiao withdrew his hand and said, "From this day forward, you will cultivate with me. I will teach you the correct techniques and guide the spiritual energy within your body."

"To cultivate under the immortal master?"

A hint of confusion flashed in Li Anning's eyes.

"good."

Qin Xiao nodded. "You possess spiritual roots and have the aptitude for cultivation. If left unchecked, the spiritual power within you will eventually erupt, and at that point, even a god would find it difficult to save you."

Upon hearing this, Li Anning's face paled. "Then... then what should I do?"

"Become my disciple, or..."

Qin Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "Or you could enter my harem and become my Daoist partner."

Li Anning was stunned.

Li Changle's eyes widened, and she suddenly stood up: "You...you really didn't have good intentions!"

Qin Xiao glanced at her and said calmly, "I have given her a choice. How she chooses is up to her."

Li Anning bit her lip and hesitated for a moment.

She raised her head, looked at Qin Xiao, and asked softly, "Immortal Master, if I were to become your disciple, would you also save me and pass on your cultivation techniques to me?"

"meeting."

Qin Xiao nodded.

"Then I'll choose to become an apprentice first."

As Li Anning spoke, she struggled to get out of bed and bow.

"etc."

Qin Xiao stopped her, saying, "It's fine for me to become your disciple, but I have a condition."

Li Anning asked, "What are the conditions?"

"Your sister, Li Changle, will also be practicing cultivation."

Qin Xiao looked at Li Chang Le, "She also possesses spiritual roots, and her aptitude is no worse than yours. You two, either become disciples together, or enter the harem together."

"you!"

Li Changle's face turned bright red with anger. "You're threatening us!"

"Think what you want."

Qin Xiao remained calm. "I'm merely giving you a chance. The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties and dangers. Having more companions means having more help. You sisters are deeply devoted to each other; wouldn't it be better to cultivate together, supporting one another?"

Li Anning looked at her sister, then at Qin Xiao.

Finally, she gently tugged at Li Changle's sleeve and whispered, "Sister, let's agree to the Immortal Master's request. I believe he's a good person; he truly wants to save us."

Looking at her sister's pleading eyes, Li Changle felt a struggle in her heart.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and glared at Qin Xiao resentfully: "Fine! We agree! We'll become his disciples!"

A smile appeared on Qin Xiao's face.

"In that case, let's perform the apprenticeship ceremony."

With Li Changle's help, Li Anning got out of bed and respectfully kowtowed three times to Qin Xiao.

"Disciple Li Anning greets Master."

"Disciple Li Changle... greets Master."

Although Li Changle was unwilling, she still kowtowed.

"very good."

Qin Xiao accepted their greetings and helped them up. "From this day forward, you are my disciples. I will teach you cultivation methods and guide you on the path of immortality."

As he spoke, he took out two thin books and handed them to the two men respectively.

"This is the most basic Qi-inducing method extracted from the 'Hehuan Immortal Scripture.' You should study it on your own first. If you have any questions, you can ask me or your senior sisters."

"Senior sister?"

Both Li Anning and Li Changle were somewhat puzzled.

"Luo Qingluan, Yu Qingyi, Mu Ziyan, and Yu Fengling, they are all my Daoist partners, and can also be considered your senior sisters."

Qin Xiao explained, "They started cultivating earlier than you and have more experience. It will be beneficial for you to learn from them."

"Yes, Master."

Li Anning obediently agreed.

Although Li Changle didn't speak, he nodded.

"Alright, you can rest now. We'll begin our formal training tomorrow."

After Qin Xiao finished speaking, he turned and left the side hall.

As he stepped out of the palace gate, he looked up at the night sky.

He took the Li sisters as his apprentices.

Although it's not as direct as taking someone as a Daoist partner.

But feelings can develop gradually.

The two are still young.

Sooner or later, they will be Daoist partners.

"Next, we should start investigating that Qingyang Daoist."

A cold glint flashed in Qin Xiao's eyes.

Through this person, we might be able to uncover more information about cultivators in this world.