It has already been almost a month since I returned to Harem Estate.
The journey from Haiyue Port City to Jintian City is long behind me now, its dust settled, its salt winds faded from memory. Yet I did not come back alone.
Twelve newly purchased beauties followed in disciplined silence, Hong'yi through Hong'liu, Yin'yi through Yin'liu, their steps light, their gazes lowered, yet their auras already subtly intertwined with mine through the Milky Dao Seeds I had released inside their dantians.
Behind them came the eight former river bandits, Guiniang, Hongli, Langyan, Zerou, Jiangyuan, Jiangluan, Beixue, and Heying, women who once wielded blades against the world, now wielding their strength in my name. And beyond them, nearly two hundred carefully screened recruits, eyes sharp, spirits tempered.
This was no collection of fragile flowers. This was the foundation of an elite force.
When I returned to Harem Estate with the vast procession of women behind me, the gates opened not with jealousy or unrest, but with quiet composure.
My wives, Xiaoting, Yaolin, Xueyin, Xueyang, Fenghua, Meiyun, Lingyu, Lingxue, Qingwu, Qingying, Yinqing, Yinxuan, and Yinyin, stood waiting beneath the hanging lanterns, their robes flowing softly in the evening breeze. Not one showed displeasure. Not one revealed insecurity.
Instead, calm smiles curved upon their lips as they observed the newcomers.
They welcomed the entire group with dignified grace, their eyes sharp yet warm, assessing strength, temperament, and potential in a single glance. There was pride in their bearing, pride not only as my women, but as the pillars of this estate.
They understood that every addition strengthened our foundation. And as they stepped forward to receive the new sisters, their smiles carried both authority and quiet possession, reminding everyone present who stood at the very heart of Harem Estate.
The estate shifted the moment I stepped inside. The air itself felt heavier, charged by the presence of so many awakened feminine auras. Silk brushed against stone corridors. Soft laughter echoed like distant chimes.
I stood alone at the balcony overlooking the vast training grounds. Two hundred disciplined women awaited my command below, their formations sharp beneath the morning sun.
Within the inner courtyards, twelve newly bonded cultivators regulated their breathing in quiet chambers, stabilizing the surging energy of recent breakthroughs. My eight former bandit queens lingered in the shade of the pavilion, their gazes bold and possessive, heat and loyalty flickering in their eyes whenever they looked toward me.
Beyond them stood the true foundation of Harem Estate, my original thirteen wives and concubines, each refined, each powerful in her own right. Their presence was steady, dignified, yet no less passionate. They had cultivated beside me from the beginning, shared my bed, my secrets, my ambitions.
Coiled gracefully near the lotus pond were the three Yin Serpents in their human forms, their auras cold and seductive, eyes shimmering with ancient devotion.
And within the protected inner residence, my five young daughters were cared for under the gentlest protection, their tiny forms cradled in silk and warmth, their innate talents already faintly stirring beneath delicate skin. Though still small and innocent, they carried my blood within them, the tender buds of a future lineage destined to grow tall and unshakable.
This was no mere harem, it was a dynasty in the making. An army capable of thought, strategy, and independent action.
Women bound not by empty obedience but by shared cultivation, shared ambition, shared fire. They were blades willingly resting at my side, roots spreading deep into fertile soil, strengthening with every passing breath. And soon, the cultivation world would come to understand what it meant to stand against the master of Harem Estate.
The ex–river bandits did not come empty-handed.
Their seven ships sailed with us, cutting through the waters like obedient beasts returning to a new master.
I personally oversaw their transformation. Hulls once marked by ruthless insignias were stripped and repainted in dignified shades. The sails were dyed anew, deep blue and ash-gray replacing the crude crimson they once flaunted. Even the flags were changed, no more jagged symbols of plunder, but a clean emblem that revealed nothing of their past.
To the common eye, they were now respectable merchant vessels.
All seven ships are currently docked at the port of Jintian City, lined neatly among trading junks and cargo barges.
Quiet. Unassuming. Patient.
I have already begun laying the groundwork to establish a small trading company, goods delivery, minor commerce along the river routes, perhaps escort services once our reputation stabilizes.
It will take time. Registration, permits, negotiations with local officials, these matters require subtlety. Power alone cannot solve everything in the mortal world. Influence must be cultivated just as carefully as qi.
The two hundred new recruits will not simply train within estate walls. Many of them will rotate through the ships, learning navigation, logistics, negotiation, and intelligence gathering.
A merchant vessel travels freely where cultivators raise suspicion. Through trade routes, they will earn silver, gain worldly experience, and quietly collect information along the river cities. Rumors, sect movements, resource fluctuations, everything flows along water. And what floats upon water can be controlled.
For now, however, the estate focuses on consolidation.
Extensive dual cultivation cycles continue nightly, refining foundations, strengthening meridians, deepening bonds.
By day, disciplined formations sharpen into lethal precision beneath the sun. By night, heat coils beneath silk sheets, breath intertwines, and power rises in layered waves.
An army is not forged by steel alone, but by unity, loyalty, and shared hunger. When the time comes, whether through commerce or conquest, Harem Estate will be ready.
Fortunately, I had already prepared a large dormitory compound to accommodate the two hundred women. Spacious courtyards, shared chambers, training halls, everything arranged with discipline in mind.
For now, my twenty personal maids will oversee their transformation, drilling them in etiquette, service, coordination, and martial foundations. They will learn how to move with grace in the halls and how to draw steel without hesitation on the battlefield. Refinement and lethality will grow side by side.
As for me, my role is far more intimate and far more crucial. I will guide their cultivation personally, strengthening their foundations, deepening our connection, tempering their bodies and spirits into something sharper, more devoted.
Loyalty cannot simply be demanded; it must be nurtured through shared power and undeniable presence. At present, Harem Estate can comfortably house at least six hundred people. And if needed, I can expand further, multi-level dormitories rising skyward, turning this estate into a fortress of beauty, strength, and unwavering allegiance.
During the past month, Wanyue and Lingwan paid me a quiet visit under the cover of dusk. Over tea and low conversation, they informed me that the Wang Family had indeed sent a few delegations to the Gathering of Heroes in Zhenhe City. However, neither of them were chosen to attend, and neither was my alleged sister, Tianhui.
Only then did I realize I had not seen any trace of their presences during the event. It seems they were likely summoned directly into the inner halls, where discussions of greater importance unfold beyond the eyes of common participants.
Their expressions turned more serious as the topic shifted.
The demonic cults, once scattered and operating from shadows, have grown increasingly bold. Their attacks are no longer confined to remote regions; they have begun pressing toward the central continent itself.
That, Wanyue explained, is one of the primary reasons Tianhui has yet to appear. She remains occupied, coordinating alongside key figures within the Wang Family to respond to this growing threat. Mobilization, intelligence gathering, countermeasures, these are not tasks that allow leisure.
What unsettled me most was that even Wanyue and Lingwan had only recently learned of the situation's severity.
When the first incidents occurred, the information was classified at the highest level. The families and major factions kept it concealed while they investigated which forces were involved and sought to understand the cults' deeper objectives. Acting blindly against an unknown enemy would have been reckless. Now, however, the pattern of attacks has become clearer, and secrecy is no longer sustainable.
Certain details have begun circulating among sects and noble families, ensuring that preparations can be made. Defensive formations are being reinforced. Patrols along trade routes have increased.
Even the imperial government has taken notice, quietly deploying its own measures to stabilize the region. For now, this is the extent of what we commoners are permitted to know. But the air itself feels different, tense, anticipatory. A storm is gathering beyond the horizon, and when it finally breaks, the cultivation world will not remain unchanged.
I also did not neglect the treasures I brought back.
The Moon Spirit Pearls were carefully refined over several nights, their gentle lunar essence purified and shaped into delicate bracelets, slender necklaces, and elegant earrings. Each piece shimmered with a soft inner glow, subtle yet profound.
I distributed them evenly among my wives and concubines, ensuring none were favored above another. Their effects would quietly amplify harmony during dual cultivation, deepening resonance and smoothing the circulation of yin and yang. I even prepared additional pieces for my other women, including Wanyue and Lingwan, should they choose to remain by my side longer in the future.
My main bedchamber also underwent transformation. I dismantled portions of the original formation and embedded Coral Blood Crystals into the surrounding array nodes.
Once activated, a warm crimson light pulses faintly beneath the floor, enriching vitality and accelerating recovery. The air within the chamber now feels thicker, almost intoxicating, amplifying every shared breath and every intimate exchange of qi. Dual cultivation there has become far more efficient, what once required hours of careful guidance can now achieve twice the result in a single night.
The Sea-Dragon Scales were too valuable to waste on decoration. I personally oversaw their forging, folding the water-aspected material into finely tempered swords and concealed daggers. Each blade carries a faint oceanic hum when infused with qi, fluid yet sharp beyond common steel.
I presented these weapons to my wives, ensuring they would never again rely on ordinary market arms. Beauty should never mean vulnerability. With these in hand, they are as deadly as they are graceful.
As for the Sea Mist Silk, its properties are too useful to ignore. I instructed my wives to tailor the bolts into fitted cloaks, light, breathable, yet capable of bending light itself when supplied with qi. Once worn and activated, the figure beneath becomes little more than a shifting blur.
These cloaks will be reserved for myself, Qingwu, Qingying, and my twelve new concubines from Haiyue Port City. With proper coordination, we will be able to slip into even heavily guarded territories unnoticed. Commerce builds influence, armies build power, but information, gathered from the shadows, builds dominance.
During this past month of consolidation, pleasure, and preparation, I did not neglect the most important matter, cultivation. Every night of shared warmth, every pill refined, every formation activated was measured against a single purpose: progress.
I personally reviewed each woman's realm, activating my Perception Eyes to peer beyond the surface and into the truth of their cultivation. Through that sharpened sight, I measured the stability of their foundations, the density of their qi, the refinement and resilience of their meridians.
Nothing could be concealed from me, not hidden flaws, not unstable breakthroughs, not dormant potential waiting to be awakened. Harem Estate is not built on beauty alone. It is built on strength layered with precision and intent, like silk wrapped tightly over unyielding steel.
My wives, Xiaoting, Yaolin, Xueyin, Xueyang, Fenghua, Meiyun, Lingyu, Lingxue, Qingwu, Qingying, Yinqing, Yinxuan, and Yinyin, have all reached the 6th Stage of Foundation Establishment. Their progress is not solely because of me. They cultivate diligently on their own, consuming the pills and elixirs I provide, refining their cores with discipline and pride.
Yet since the bedchamber formation was enhanced, our dual cultivation has accelerated their advancement significantly. When we entwine beneath the crimson glow, their qi responds eagerly, flowing smoother, denser, more obedient. Their foundations are now firm, their auras steady and mature.
The eight former river bandits, Guiniang, Hongli, Langyan, Zerou, Jiangyuan, Jiangluan, Beixue, and Heying, already possessed solid cultivation before coming under my banner. Their temperaments are fierce, their bodies tempered by battle and hardship.
With focused guidance and relentless dual cycles, I have pushed each of them into the 8th Stage of Foundation Establishment. They advance with hunger, their competitiveness driving them to seek my attention, to prove themselves stronger, more deserving. Their progress has been sharp and aggressive, just like their personalities.
As for the twelve new concubines from Haiyue Port City, Hong'yi through Hong'liu, Yin'yi through Yin'liu, their starting points were more modest. But their talent is not lacking.
Through careful refinement, patient guidance, and steady circulation exercises shared in intimate closeness, I have helped all twelve reach the 4th Stage of Qi Condensation. Their qi is now stable, no longer fragile or scattered. When they kneel before me during cultivation, their breathing synchronized, I can feel their growth clearly, eager, devoted, and steadily rising.
My twenty personal maids have also benefited from structured training and occasional guidance. All of them now stand at the 6th Stage of Qi Condensation. Their progress is balanced, neither rushed nor unstable. They serve during the day with grace and discipline, and by night they refine their breathing techniques together in coordinated cycles. Their loyalty has deepened alongside their strength, forming a reliable inner circle that supports both the estate and my personal cultivation.
The two hundred recruits remain the most varied group. The majority currently range between the 1st and 3rd Stage of Qi Condensation, their foundations still shallow but steadily improving.
Some among them remain at Peak Body Tempering, muscles taut and spirits hardened, just a step away from true qi awakening. With sufficient pills and proper instruction, their breakthrough is only a matter of time. I have ordered rotational guidance sessions to ensure none stagnate.
When I observe them training across the courtyards, blades flashing, breaths rising in unison, I see potential, not weakness. Raw ore waiting to be refined. Their numbers alone are formidable, but once their average cultivation rises further, they will become a disciplined force capable of overwhelming lesser sects.
Of course, I did not neglect my own path.
With hundreds of refined partners for dual cultivating with me, breath entwined, qi harmonized, yin and yang cycling in powerful tides, I consolidated my foundation to its peak.
Just yesterday, beneath the crimson-lit formation of my chamber, my dantian trembled and compressed, energy crystallizing into something radiant and unyielding. I have officially stepped into the Golden Core Realm.
For now, I am satisfied. The estate grows stronger day by day. Foundations are stabilizing. Mid-stage breakthroughs are within reach for many. When the storm of demonic cults finally collides with the central continent, Harem Estate will not cower behind walls. We will stand prepared, cultivated bodies, sharpened blades, and bonds forged as intimately as they are unbreakable.
With that resolve steady in my heart, I return once more to my bedchamber, where another group of women already kneel in quiet anticipation beneath the warm crimson glow of the formation.
Silk clings to curves, breaths rise and fall in restrained desire, and their eyes shine with devotion and hunger, not merely for pleasure, but for power.
I will push their cultivation forward with myself as the axis, the core, the driving force around which their qi revolves. As my Golden Core stabilizes and radiates, every shared cycle will elevate them further. This estate moves to the rhythm of my heartbeat, and I intend to make it thunder.