Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 294 Filial Piety of Juniors, Third-Rank Geng Metal

This war between the two countries also had a huge impact on the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty's army of cultivators has achieved good results in Jin territory and is making steady progress, which is enough to overshadow some negative, fearful, and worried voices.

However, a perceptive cultivator would know that the atmosphere in the entire cultivation world of the Song Kingdom had quietly begun to become tense and oppressive, hidden beneath the fervor of war.

At the same time, resource prices began to rise, especially healing and mana-restoring pills, as well as various offensive and protective talismans and magical artifacts, which saw significant price increases.

The various sects and families participating in the war were constantly drawing manpower and stockpiling supplies. This oppressive feeling of impending doom gradually enveloped the entire Song territory.

In contrast, Qiyue Island, located in the heart of the Ziji Sect's sphere of influence and not directly bordering the Jin Kingdom, was practically a paradise due to the Ziji Sect's previous strong deterrence.

His ability to cultivate peacefully and live a leisurely life here is due in part to the geographical location, and in part to the resources and methods he had accumulated, his current strength at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, and the sense of security brought by the second-tier high-grade protective array on the island.

More importantly, Lin Changheng was forced to make a fortune from the war!

War is like a meat grinder. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would have reservations if they went there. So the first thing they did before going to the battlefield was to convert their spirit stones and resources into pills, talismans, puppets and other means that could save their lives and assist in combat!

Lin Changheng was renowned for his high-quality pills, surpassing those of other alchemists at the same level, which is why many Foundation Establishment cultivators came to him seeking pills.

Fortunately, Lin Changheng had previously accumulated a batch of pills, which he sold at a high price and were still in short supply.

They even queue up to wait for Dan.

This bustling scene has dramatically elevated Qiyue Island's status among cultivators in the surrounding area! It has transformed from a somewhat mysterious private dojo into an important source of elixirs.

Meanwhile, Lin Changheng's proactive promotion also successfully boosted the sales of the puppets crafted by Yan Mingyi. He knew that during wartime, cultivators' demand for survival and combat support methods would surge, and the puppets made by Yan Mingyi were quite useful whether for combat, exploration, guard duty, or coordinated operations.

Lin Changheng even used some promotional tactics, offering priority purchase rights for his pills to those who bought the puppet.

This move not only quickly opened up the market for puppets, but also made the outside world aware of a surprising fact—this reclusive alchemist Lin Danshi and his seemingly gentle concubine, Fairy Yan, were actually a second-tier puppeteer with remarkable skills!

Wow, that's incredible! Even a concubine possesses a second-tier skill?!

How many people spend their entire lives pursuing second-tier skills, how many families devote all their efforts to cultivating those with second-tier skills, only to fail halfway through, yet a mere concubine can succeed?
It's hard to tell whether it was the concubine's exceptional talent or the superior resources provided by Master Lin.

But the combination of an alchemist who can refine high-quality pills and a puppeteer who can make practical puppets makes them seem even more unfathomable, and the importance of Qiyue Island is increased once again.

As a result, the various businesses of the two island owners, Xu and Cheng, on the neighboring islands also benefited.

Since we're already here, why not buy some more?

But Lin Changheng also knew that temporary prosperity was not absolute.

The shadow of war hangs like a sword of Damocles, and no one can guarantee that it will reach this place. His current leisure is more like a brief calm before the storm, a precious window of opportunity to seize the time to improve his strength and accumulate power.

……

It is located a hundred miles away from Qiyue Island.

A simple, unassuming gray magic boat glided steadily through the thick clouds high in the sky, skillfully avoiding the sight and divine sense of ordinary cultivators.

On the Dharma boat, two figures stood side by side, a man and a woman.

The woman was dressed in a simple black Taoist robe, with a tall and straight posture and a face that was both delicate and resolute. She appeared to be around thirty years old, and her body emanated the magical power fluctuations of the early Foundation Establishment stage. Her gaze was calm as she looked in the direction of Qiyue Island, her eyes filled with a hint of reminiscence and emotion.

Standing slightly behind her was a middle-aged male cultivator who looked to be in his early forties. He was dressed in a scholar's robe, had a slightly square face, and rarely smiled. He appeared much more composed than the woman beside him.

His cultivation level had not reached the Foundation Establishment stage; it was roughly at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Upon closer inspection, the middle-aged male cultivator's eyebrows and eyes bore a faint resemblance to the black-robed woman's, suggesting a blood relationship.

"Aunt, is this Grandpa Lin's Qiyue Island just ahead?" the scholar-robed male cultivator asked, his tone filled with barely suppressed curiosity. "I never imagined that my grandfather, who was once a fellow Immortal Seedling, would now be a renowned Foundation Establishment cultivator and a second-tier high-grade alchemist!"

Upon hearing this, the woman in black robes, whom he called "aunt," smiled gently on her usually cold face and nodded: "Yes, Yongzhen, Uncle Lin's immortal abode is not far ahead. Back then, your grandfather and Uncle Lin were sworn brothers, supporting each other when they were weak. Your grandfather also received great kindness from Uncle Lin on several occasions."

"Later, your grandfather's path to enlightenment ended, and he devoted himself to helping your uncle and aunt establish their foundations. He worked tirelessly and finally helped your aunt establish her foundation without ever using this connection. You possess a superior spiritual root and are now on the verge of establishing your foundation. With the backing of the Purple Extreme Sect, your chances are even greater. You should not trouble Uncle Lin easily, but it is essential to show your face to him and become familiar with him. In the future, you must treat him with the respect due to a junior, serving and honoring him as you would your grandfather."

"If you can get some help from Uncle Lin in the future, your achievements will be limitless. This is what your grandfather asked me to tell you."

"Moreover, Senior Mo in the sect is willing to take care of you and give you guidance, which is also because of Uncle Lin's face! So you should not forget their kindness. Don't look down on your grandfather, who was only a Qi Refining cultivator all his life. He was able to rise from a farmer's son with a low-grade spiritual root to his current status and cultivate a group of outstanding juniors. This is not unrelated to his gratitude and remembering of kindness."

At this point, the woman in black robes became increasingly serious, enunciating each word clearly, as if she wanted to deeply etch it into the ears of the scholar-official.

"Yongzhen understands!"

The scholar in the Confucian robes straightened his face, nodded earnestly, and his words were firm and resolute.

If Lin Changheng were present at this moment, he would immediately notice that the woman in black robes looked somewhat familiar, with features reminiscent of someone he had met before.

It was none other than Xu Fugui's daughter!

The eighth woman! Xu Bazheng! Possesses a mid-grade spiritual root.

With Xu Fugui's full support, he inherited his brother's legacy and was able to establish his foundation.

Later, instead of staying with the Xu family, he went to the immortal city of the Beast Taming Sun family to become a rogue cultivator and strive for the path of cultivation.

The reason for doing this is twofold. On the one hand, this woman still harbors aspirations for a better future and is trying to strive for a greater possibility.

On the other hand, the Xu family now has three members who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and their resource allocation is already saturated.

Even a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators would be insufficient to support them.

This is always a dynamic matching process. If the Xu family is to accommodate a fourth Foundation Establishment cultivator, they will need to continue to expand and occupy more resources to support it.

In the nearly twenty years since Xu Bazheng broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the Xu family's strategy has been to develop steadily and strengthen its foundation.

However, after the Song-Jin War, with storm brewing and the overall situation likely to change, the Xu family urgently recalled Xu Ba to strengthen their forces and prepare for any eventuality.

Who knows when the opportunity will come, and a new chance to expand our territory will arrive!
The scholar-official Xu Yongzhen was Xu Fugui's grandson, the son of Xu Sanyuan, the third son of Xu Fugui, and a disciple of the Ziji Sect.

"The last time I saw Uncle Lin was when I was a child..."

Xu Bazheng gazed at the island's increasingly close outline, his tone tinged with a sense of感慨 and nostalgia.

She is now seventy-eight years old, and a full sixty years have passed since then.

Time in the world of cultivation is so hard to grasp.

……

At noon.

A gray magic boat flew into the territory of Jade Belt Lake.

Although it was noon, the sky was not a bright, clear blue, but rather tinged with the gray and white characteristic of winter. The leaden-gray clouds hung low, seemingly within reach, filtering the sunlight into a cool, halo-like glow.

Beneath the Dharma Boat, the vast surface of Jade Belt Lake was frozen solid, the ice layer of unknown thickness displaying a deep, dark green hue, like a giant emerald inlaid among the mountains. All around the lake, the rolling mountains, the withered trees, and even the distant outline of Moon-Dwelling Island were covered in pristine white snow, a scene of utter desolation.

It is currently winter.

The three islands received a warning at the same moment they arrived.

These are monitoring methods jointly funded by the three islands. As soon as an outsider enters, an early warning will be issued, and the information will be recorded and transmitted via projection, making it easy to understand and respond.

The situation is special now, and a little spirit stone is nothing. Besides, Mishima has suffered losses before, so he is naturally more cautious.

Lin Changheng had just finished refining a batch of pills and, with his mind slightly relaxed, went to the lakeside to fish.

He wasn't sitting on an ordinary wooden bench or stone platform, but rather calmly seated on the back of a massive Black-Armored Earth Tortoise, its shell gleaming like dark iron as it dozed off. This tortoise possessed a steady aura and an enormous body; lying on the shore like a small hill, it remained motionless despite the lake breeze, truly as steadfast as a rock.

The nearby ice floes were all broken, and the fishing rod was made of ordinary green bamboo, with the fishing line dangling into the icy lake water.

Deep beneath the surface of the water, a second-tier [Deep Lake Spirit Clam], the size of a stone mill and with a pale blue spiritual light shimmering on its shell, was faithfully carrying out its task of "driving fish."

It slightly opened its shell, emitting gentle ripples in the water, driving the alert fish toward Lin Changheng's hook.

There's no way around it; the fish in the cultivation world, whether they've absorbed spiritual energy or something else, have exceptionally keen senses and swim at lightning speed, far surpassing the ordinary fish of their previous lives.

Even though Lin Changheng was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he often ended up empty-handed, rarely catching anything. Fortunately, with Xiaobai's help, he could occasionally catch a few silver-scaled fish containing a trace of spiritual energy, which satisfied his appetite and the joy of fishing.

At this moment, he closed his eyes, not asleep, but with his mind emptied, feeling the subtle tremors from the fishing line on his fingertips, listening to the howling of the cold wind sweeping across the frozen lake and the snow-covered pines. His whole being seemed to merge with this icy and snowy landscape, carrying a sense of tranquility and serenity that felt like returning to one's true nature.

Just then, a "hum" sounded, and Lin Changheng's divine sense swept over a bronze mirror-shaped magic artifact in a storage bag, and he saw the approaching flying boat and the two people standing on it.

"It's them."

He had known for some time that the younger generation of Xu Fugui's family would come to visit, and now they had finally arrived. In fact, Lin Changheng and Xu Fugui had been exchanging letters without ever ceasing.

However, since there are no major or important matters to discuss at the moment, and no core information to mention, I haven't gone into detail.

Xu Fugui is now over a hundred years old and has entered the age of enjoying his retirement. As one of the only two remaining among the immortal seedlings from the same place, Fugui's passing is only a matter of time.

If one does not progress on the path, death will be irreversible.

Therefore, Lin Changheng naturally wouldn't refuse visits from the descendants of his friends.

……

In the direction from which the magic boat flew, the formation quietly and automatically parted, creating an opening.

The two men on the boat were both shrewd and knew that Uncle Lin and Grandpa Lin were leading them in.

Carefully passing through the gap in the light curtain, they slowly landed on a simple dock at the edge of the island. With a mixture of awe and anticipation, the two stepped off the magic boat, straightened their robes, and prepared to pay their respects to this senior they had imagined to be a dignified and composed figure—either an old man with an air of otherworldly wisdom and a serious demeanor, or a middle-aged man with a calm and authoritative presence.

However, when they looked up, the sight that greeted them both took them by surprise, instantly shattering all their expectations.

There was no imposing figure among the elders.

What came into view was a frozen lakeside, a few old trees covered with icicles, and... in the distance, a giant black tortoise that lay like a small mountain.

What surprised them even more was that on the back of the giant tortoise, which had three tiny protrusions like mountain peaks, sat a handsome young man dressed in a green robe who looked to be no more than twenty years old!
He held a green bamboo fishing rod, his eyes slightly closed, his expression serene, as if he were immersed in his own fishing world. His aura blended strangely with the icy and snowy landscape, making his presence almost imperceptible unless seen with one's own eyes.

This...this is Uncle Lin, Grandpa Lin?

Xu Bazheng and Xu Yongzhen exchanged bewildered glances, both seeing disbelief and astonishment in each other's eyes. This was far from the image they had expected! If this weren't Qiyue Island and the fact that the other party had activated the formation, they would almost have thought they had come to the wrong person.

The young man before them looked excessively young, and his aura was deep and restrained, like an abyss, its depths completely unfathomable. That transcendent demeanor was something no ordinary young cultivator could possess.

Xu Bazheng was the first to react. Suppressing his shock, he quickly pulled the still somewhat dazed Xu Yongzhen forward and bowed deeply to the young man on the turtle's back.
"Junior Xu Bazheng greets Uncle Lin!"

"Young man Xu Yongzhen greets Grandpa Lin!"

The voice unconsciously carried a deeper sense of awe than before.

Xu Yongzhen, in particular, almost couldn't bring himself to call out "Grandpa" when faced with a cultivator who looked even younger than himself.

Lin Changheng didn't open his eyes immediately, but his hand holding the fishing rod paused slightly. At the other end of the fishing line, a silverfish was about to bite the hook, but startled by this, it flicked its tail and disappeared into the deep water in an instant.

He did not rise, remaining seated on the tortoise shell as if he were not a descendant of an old friend, but merely an ordinary visitor. He pointed to two other stone cushions covered with animal hides that had been prepared on the ice beside him, and said in a calm tone, "Hold your poles."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the two did not understand its meaning, but they still did as instructed.

I sat on a cushion and began casting my line into the water to fish.

It's unclear whether it was the addition of the two people that made Lin Changheng's luck much better. He didn't even need Xiaobai to chase the fish away, and he caught them one after another.

On the contrary, the Xu family's two attempts at cultivation yielded no results.

As if the fish had received a warning, they deliberately avoided their hooks.

Suddenly a cold wind blew by, and snowflakes continued to fall. Lin Changheng remained still, fishing in the snow. The other two also didn't dare to move, as they couldn't figure out Lin Changheng's true intentions, so they could only concentrate on fishing.

One day, two days, three days...

The sun sets and the moon rises; three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The three of them seemed to have never moved, it was hard to tell whether they were fishing or meditating.

Almost simultaneously, the fishing rods that the two Xu family members had never touched before suddenly sank.

"Have it!"

As the two cast their lines at the same time, Xu Bazheng's eyes lit up with surprise. He immediately turned to look at Lin Changheng, who was still fishing with his eyes closed and the line motionless, and hesitated before speaking.

Xu Yongzhen, on the other hand, reacted quite differently. He slightly raised his eyelids, his heart as still as an ice lake, and with a steady flick of his wrist, he easily lifted a spirit fish of the same size out of the water.

He didn't even glance at the fish, untied it and put it in the fish basket beside him, then cast the line again. The fishing line cut through the air and landed back in the same spot, as if nothing had happened, returning to that almost meditative state.

Lin Changheng saw everything and nodded to himself. Suddenly, he waved his sleeve, and a powerful magical force enveloped the two of them. They felt a blur before their eyes and found themselves in a lakeside pavilion.

As the aunt and niece looked at each other in astonishment at Lin Changheng's cultivation level, two steaming cups of spiritual tea were already pushed in front of them.

"Thank you."

The two drank tea somewhat reservedly.

At the same time, Xu Bazheng handed over a square wooden box, saying, "This is a token of filial piety from the younger generation."

Lin Changheng planned to wave his hand and put it away, not intending to check it. What useful things could a junior in the early Foundation Establishment stage and late Qi Refining stage offer him? The sentiment was enough.

But Xu Bazheng's next words made Lin Changheng raise an eyebrow: "There's a small piece of [Gengjin] inside."

【Gengjin】is a special third-tier spiritual material that takes hundreds of years to be formed through the tempering of the earth's veins. It can compress spiritual energy to an extreme degree, causing it to tear apart, thus giving the blade the special effect of "breaking spirits". It has excellent penetrability to protective qi and magical barriers!
It is an extremely suitable material for refining swords, knives, and other weapons known for their sharpness.

It can be integrated into one's own magical artifact embryo to enhance the "Spirit Breaking" effect.

"Uncle Lin, you must have heard about my brother, right? These are the spiritual materials he brought back with him when he had his accident last time. They've been sitting there unused, but since we're here to visit, we decided to bring them to you as a token of our respect."

"You are interested."

Lin Changheng smiled and did not refuse their kindness. He opened the box, glanced at the golden material with its hidden brilliance, waved his hand to put it away, and began to chat with the two of them.

The conversation was mostly led by Lin Changheng. Although he acted very kind and approachable, the two of them remained quite reserved, only answering each other's questions.

Lin Changheng mainly mentioned three things.

First, he reminisced about his relationship with Xu Fugui, inquired about his recent situation, and reassured the two that their relationship was "stable."

Secondly, they inquired about the situation of the Sun Family Immortal City where Xu Bazheng lived and learned that the city's business was rather mediocre, far inferior to the Floating Life Immortal City. It could only be considered a larger, more prosperous market town, and there were signs of suppression from the upper sect, limiting its future development.

Thirdly, it involves Xu Yongzhen. Now that the Ziji Sect is fully engaged in the Song-Jin conflict, it's unknown whether a Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator like him might be assigned to the battlefield.

The answer he received was that his current performance and cultivation level had already entered the queue for Foundation Establishment Pills, so he could be temporarily exempted from conscription. After breaking through, he would finally participate in the battle as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He also stated that they owed much of their success to the invaluable assistance of Uncle-Master Mo. Because the sect is currently focused on preparations for war, other matters have become somewhat chaotic, or rather, forced to give way to war preparations, leading to some loopholes and weakened oversight.

Corruption has led to occasional instances where quotas for Foundation Building Pills are taken up by competitors.

If this had actually happened to him, being out of the ranks would have meant he would be forced to go to the battlefield. Fortunately, the presence of Uncle Mo, a powerful figure within the sect, prevented this from happening.

When this was mentioned, Xu Yongzhen's gratitude was clearly evident.

……

"If you have any problems or troubles in the future, you can come to me. Although I may not be able to solve them, I will definitely not refuse to solve them if I can."

When the two were saying goodbye, Lin Changheng also made a rare statement, but his gaze mostly lingered on Xu Yongzhen.

At the same time, they were also given some high-quality pills to improve their cultivation.

Between Xu Bazheng, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and Xu Yongzhen, Lin Changheng favored Xu Yongzhen more.

Through the fishing incident, Lin Changheng discerned that this person possessed extraordinary character and a calm, detached nature. Coupled with his superior spiritual root and the sect behind him, he had the potential to advance further after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

This is Lin Changheng's judgment from the perspective of a senior, or rather, an elder.

He is willing to make appropriate investments and provide assistance to such people.

He guessed that Xu Fugui probably meant the same thing, even though the other party did not say it explicitly in the letter, otherwise he would not have asked his daughter to bring his grandson here.

On the one hand, it was because he valued and thought highly of Xu Yongzhen; on the other hand, it was because he had a very accurate grasp of Lin Changheng's personality. If this young man could not catch Lin Changheng's eye, even if Lin Changheng agreed out of politeness, he would not be able to truly provide long-term investment and assistance.

For Lin Changheng, the rest of the time was spent waiting.

When Master Bai sent over the [Centennial Warm Jade] used to refine the embryo of the magic weapon, he was indeed itching to get his hands on it.

But while we were waiting, the Huang family arrived first.

Chef Zeng arrived on the island, bringing the last two hundred portions of the essence blood of the Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon.

Enough to bring about life!
(End of this chapter)