Cultivating immortality begins with discerning the secrets of heaven.

In the southern region of Cangxuan, at Huangzhu Mountain, lies the Lin family.

Every morning, Lin Yun would cook himself a pot of spirit rice porridge, which was his favorite thing to do after a night of cultivation.

Although he only possesses the aptitude of four spiritual roots, he is of the main family bloodline and can enjoy the generous cultivation resources provided by the family.

"They're so happy they've forgotten all about home..."

Sixteen years have passed since I came into this world, and the memories of the bustling streets of my previous life are gradually fading.

The family is thriving, blessed by the ancestor who is in the Foundation Establishment stage above, and with outstanding younger generations shining brightly in the Taiyuan Sect below.

He only needed to follow the family's training step by step and live his peaceful and quiet life of cultivation.

Before long, a refreshing aroma of spirit rice porridge wafted through the air, and even after eating it for so many years, Lin Yun still felt his mouth water.

After tasting a mouthful of the steaming hot spirit rice porridge, Lin Yun couldn't help but exclaim, "It tastes amazing!"

"Let me check if there are any updates to today's intelligence."

That's right, as a time traveler, he also has his own cheat codes.

Since he was diagnosed with spiritual roots at the age of six and embarked on the path of cultivation, an ancient book has been added to his mind.

He called this ancient book the Book of Insight, as it provided him with information about the world every day.

The earth's vein fire in the Cangxuan Domain is flourishing, and metal and wood elements are sprouting, making it ideal for alchemy and weapon crafting.

The Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Taiyuan Sect, Venerable Xuanzhen, has emerged from seclusion and is preparing to oversee various affairs within the sect in the coming days.

In the Azure Profound Eastern Region, within the Forest of Giant Trees, a third-tier Earthly Nether Python laid a nest of eggs.

[The rogue cultivator, Master Mulong, is suffering from a severe injury and has decided to pass on his life's cultivation and memories to his beloved disciple, Chen Guan, today. The price is that Chen Guan will lose his original memories.]

This is called possession!

Lin Yun's lips twitched slightly, and then he drank the refreshing spirit rice porridge while reading the intelligence report.

  

The information provided by the Book of Insight is very disorganized, including both new and old information, both recent and distant information, and sometimes it even provides completely useless information.

For example, information such as a farmer's family in a certain ordinary village having a dead big yellow dog is completely useless.

Of course, sometimes there is also quite useful information.

For example, in the year he discovered his spiritual root, he learned that a powerful cultivator who practiced the Wood Dao had secretly passed away in the Cangxuan Domain, returning all his cultivation to heaven and earth!

Along with this, the vegetation in the entire Cangxuan Domain flourished, and the efficiency of cultivating wood-attribute techniques increased. The lower the cultivation level of a cultivator, the more clearly they could perceive this.

So that year, Lin Yun chose a basic cultivation technique called "Wood Element Technique" and became a Qi Refining stage cultivator in less than two years.

Unfortunately, due to his limited aptitude, he is now sixteen years old and still lingers at the second level of Qi Refining.

"Let's check the next piece of intelligence... What?!"

Lin Yuanshan has taken all the spirit stones from the Hundred Herbs House without permission and is heading to the gambling den, hoping to win back the spirit stones he lost from yesterday's shop.

Lin Yun, who was eating melon seeds, suddenly spat out a mouthful of spirit rice porridge.

He never expected that what was supposed to be a pleasant spectacle would turn into something he himself was eating.

"Old Deng, you've really been bewitched! How could you be so foolish as to go to the gambling den?!"

Lin Yuanshan is his father in this life. Because he is from the main branch of the family, the family entrusted him with an important task and sent him to Zhonglingfang City to take charge of the family's Baicao House.

The Herb Shop is the family's mainstay business in Zhongling Market. It sells medicinal bamboo and spiritual herbs grown by the Lin family themselves. The family has put a lot of effort into this business, which has allowed the Herb Shop to gain a foothold in Zhongling Market.

"From Huangzhu Mountain to Zhongling Market, even if a Qi Refining cultivator travels day and night using their magical artifact, it will still take at least two or three days."

"Unless we get the ancestor out of seclusion and rush there with all his might, it will be too late no matter what we say."

Upon thinking of this, Lin Yun's expression turned rather unpleasant.

Even if he is a member of the main branch, it is impossible for him to alarm the foundation-building ancestor of the family without any evidence.

And how will I explain it then? Will I have to confess about the book of insight in my mind?

It wasn't that Lin Yun didn't trust his clansmen, but rather that he had witnessed too much deceit and treachery in the cultivation world through this book over the years.

No matter how diligently one cultivates, it cannot overcome a single trace of malice from a powerful being who cultivates.

"Old man, you'd better watch out."

With that, Lin Yun finished the spirit rice porridge in one gulp, then ran inside to offer incense and pray for good fortune to his father.

"Thanks to the God of Wealth, my dad has great luck in gambling today and has become the new generation's gambling monster."

"Back in the day, the Chen family's ancestor was able to use two spirit stones to achieve a Foundation Establishment stage cultivation level. My father can do it too!"

After burning a few sticks of incense, Lin Yun felt that he could no longer just sit and wait for death.

"We need to prepare for the worst. If Old Deng loses all the spirit stones in the shop, it might implicate me."

With this thought in mind, Lin Yun quickly went out and went to the family's general affairs hall to find his second uncle.

In the General Affairs Hall, Lin Yun's second uncle, Lin Hairong, was looking through the family's general affairs account books over the years.

"The collateral branches of the clan are growing larger and larger, and the spiritual fields that the offspring of these branches can be allocated are running out. We need to cultivate some more..."

"Hmm? Yun'er, why aren't you cultivating on the mountain? What are you doing here?"

Lin Hairong smiled warmly when he saw Lin Yun.

"Nephew greets Second Uncle. It's been a while since I've seen you, I've missed you terribly!" Lin Yun said with a fawning smile.

Lin Hairong didn't believe it. He joked, "You're such a smooth talker, you must have something to ask of me."

"Tell me, what's the matter? Are you planning to come to the General Affairs Hall to share some of my burden?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yun quickly went behind his second uncle and began massaging his shoulders and back, displaying the demeanor of a filial nephew.

"My second uncle works very hard in the General Affairs Office, and I feel sorry for him. I would like to share some of the burden, but my ability is limited."

"Get to the point!"

Lin Yun dared not talk nonsense anymore and quickly asked, "Second Uncle, how's the apprenticeship I asked you to find for me a while ago coming along?"

"Whether it's alchemy or weapon crafting, it's fine. I think my talent for cultivation is too low. With only four spiritual roots, I might as well learn a cultivation skill to support myself and contribute to the family in the future."

Hearing this encouraging speech, Lin Hairong smiled with satisfaction.

"Hahaha, it's rare to see someone with this kind of inclination, how could I not keep an eye out for you?"

"However, in the Xiangnanling area, it is not easy to find a skilled alchemist or weapon refiner. There are a few talisman masters, but unfortunately you are not interested in the Dao of Talismans."

Among the various arts of cultivation, alchemy, artifact crafting, array formations, and talismans are the most sought-after. The remaining arts, such as puppetry, beast taming, and feng shui, are somewhat less popular.

The reason Lin Yun wanted to learn alchemy or weapon crafting was because of the first piece of information revealed by the Book of Insight.

The earth's vein fire in the Cangxuan Domain is flourishing, and metal and wood elements are sprouting, making it ideal for alchemy and weapon crafting.

This intelligence has been displayed for seven years. Judging from the trend, the Cangxuan Domain may be in a state of flourishing metal and wood for a long time to come.

Knowing he lacked talent in cultivation, he preferred to go with the flow, because if you're in the right place at the right time, even a pig can take off.

"Second Uncle, have you found a suitable one?" Lin Yun asked with concern.

Lin Hairong then kept everyone in suspense, saying meaningfully, "Wait a little longer. At the earliest, seven days; at the latest, fifteen days. There should be a result on this matter."

"Thank you very much, Second Uncle. I will await your good news!" Lin Yun said happily.

He knew that if Lin Hairong acted like this, it meant he was almost certain of success.

"Alright, alright, go back to your cultivation and don't disturb my important business," Lin Hairong said with a laugh.

"Then I'll take my leave. Second Uncle, please don't overwork yourself and take care of your health." Lin Yun clasped his hands in a fist salute and then left the General Affairs Hall.

...

Back at the foot of the main mountain, Lin Yun's mind was still unsettled.

Located in the core area of ​​the spiritual vein, he can enjoy a richer spiritual energy than the surrounding area. Even so, he is still some distance away from the third level of the Qi Refining stage.

"I hope I'm overthinking it. What if Dad really does have a lucky streak and wins a few thousand spirit stones from the gambling den? Then I could just coast straight to the late stage of Qi Refining!"

"On the other hand, what if we really lose everything..."

Lin Yun dared not think any further. He quickly composed himself, cleared his mind of distractions, and began cultivating. He feared that in a while, this place would no longer belong to him.

Only the main branch of the family can live and cultivate here on the family's main mountain.

As for the collateral branches of the clan, they live in the outer areas radiated by the spiritual veins. Although they also have spiritual energy, the concentration is far less than that of this place.

And so, he spent the whole day in this arduous cultivation, and Lin Yun felt that the spiritual power in his dantian had become slightly stronger.

"If you continue cultivating like this, in another two or three years or so, you should be able to reach the third level of the Qi Refining stage."

"With the support of his family's resources, it's not unreasonable for him to reach the third level of Qi Refining before the age of twenty. If the opportunity is right, he should be able to break through to the middle level of Qi Refining before the age of thirty."

After briefly assessing his future cultivation potential, Lin Yun nervously activated the Book of Insight in his mind.

"Old Deng, I urge you to be kind!"

The earth's vein fire in the Cangxuan Domain is flourishing, and metal and wood elements are sprouting, making it ideal for alchemy and weapon crafting.

[In the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty, a dragon arose in Yuzhou, causing the magical formations of several cities to collapse, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries among cultivators and mortals.]

In Huangtu Village, Old Man Li unearthed a piece of dark yellow crystal while plowing his field. Mistaking it for top-grade yellow jade, he hid it under his bed as a family heirloom.

[The rogue cultivator, Master Mulong, successfully possessed a body and secretly left his cave dwelling with all his possessions. From then on, he was Chen Guan, a Qi Refining cultivator.]

At this moment, Lin Yun had no interest in gossiping about others and quickly looked at the information related to his father.

Lin Yuanshan not only lost all his spirit stones, but also pawned all the spirit herbs and medicinal bamboo from the Hundred Herbs House.

When Lin Yun saw this last piece of intelligence, his vision went black, and he almost coughed up blood.

"I've seen fathers who cause trouble, but I've never seen anyone cause their son so much trouble!"

Even the spiritual herbs in the shop have been mortgaged; the family will never let this matter pass easily.

...