Cultivating immortality begins with discerning the secrets of heaven.

"What? Didn't you just say you were being selfless and wanted to hand it over directly to the family?" Lin Hairong asked with amusement.

"Hehe, I was just joking around." Lin Yunqian chuckled.

Lin Hairong shook his head, ceasing his banter, and said seriously, "Tell me, what do you want to exchange it for?"

"This Fire Marrow Heart is worth about three hundred spirit stones on the market. The family will naturally not take advantage of you. If you want to exchange it all for spirit stones, that's fine too."

Lin Yun had already considered this; he was not a miser who liked to hold a pile of spirit stones and count them for fun.

Only by transforming it into one's own strength can its greatest value be realized.

"I plan to exchange for six bottles of Nourishing Spirit Pills, three hundred catties of Spirit Yun Rice, and two Qi-tonifying and Blood-nourishing spiritual herbs. They don't need to be too old; ten years old will suffice."

Lin Hairong was not surprised. He nodded and said, "Six bottles of Nourishing Spirit Pills cost ninety spirit stones, three hundred catties of Spirit Yun Rice cost ninety spirit stones, and two ten-year-old Qi-tonifying and Blood-nourishing spiritual herbs cost about forty spirit stones."

"You still have eighty spirit stones left to use. Why don't you exchange them for another low-grade magic artifact from the family for protection?"

However, Lin Yun shook his head, clasped his hands and said, "I will keep thirty of the eighty spirit stones on me for emergencies, and the remaining fifty will be my second uncle's reward for making this trip."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hairong said unhappily, "Why are you being so formal? There's no need for us, uncle and nephew, to talk about compensation!"

But Lin Yun firmly said, "Second Uncle, not to mention that you have to spend time and energy running around for my sake, which will delay your cultivation and family affairs."

"Right now, in the Lin family, the only people I can rely on are you and Grandpa. The stronger you are, the more you can help me."

"My second uncle has been stuck at the fifth level of Qi Refining for a long time. If he can reach the sixth level of Qi Refining as soon as possible, he can also try to break through to the later stage of Qi Refining sooner."

"Fifty spirit stones, consider it my investment in the future."

Lin Yun was certainly not someone who would forget kindness. He absolutely did not believe that his second uncle had not contributed to his ability to learn martial arts in Fire Cloud Valley as a member of a branch of the family.

Looking at the other Foundation Establishment families, apart from Chen Guan, who is in a special situation, all the people who came were members of the main lineage.

Hearing these words, Lin Hairong's face showed emotion. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he really didn't know what to say.

"I've always heard of older people investing in younger ones, but you've done the opposite."

"Yun'er, you've grown up."

Lin Yun chuckled and said, "I can't count on my father anymore. Now I can only hope that my uncle will become successful. If you become strong, Uncle Hairong, I can continue to live off my parents."

Only my nephew can talk about sponging off his parents so openly.

Lin Hairong was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Okay, then I'll shamelessly accept your investment."

  

"In fact, your Fire Marrow Heart really did solve the family's urgent problem."

Lin Yun's heart stirred as he recalled the intelligence he had just seen in the Book of Insight that morning.

"Oh? Has anything happened in the family lately?"

Lin Hairong nodded and said in a deep voice, "In the Upper Sect, someone wants to slow down Hongye's cultivation speed so that she can compete for the next batch of Foundation Establishment Pills."

"Within three years, the Taiyuan Sect will refine a new batch of Foundation Establishment Pills. Ten of them will be allocated to the top ten disciples in the Ascension Conference, and the rest will be distributed to the various peaks of the Taiyuan Sect."

"If Hongye can reach the ninth level of Qi Refining within three years, and with the help of her family to accumulate sect contributions, obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill should not be difficult."

So that's how it is... Lin Hongye has only recently entered the eighth level of Qi Refining. If she wants to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining within three years, she will need external assistance.

Besides her exceptional talent, Lin Hongye's rapid progress in cultivation was also due to the fact that she had consumed a considerable amount of elixirs.

The more of the same type of pills you take, the lower their subsequent effects will be.

Although the Lin family is large and wealthy, it cannot afford to squander the late-stage Qi Refining pills like this.

Therefore, this Fire Marrow Heart is extremely precious. It is a first-tier fire-attribute spiritual object that can be used for weapon crafting and can also assist cultivators practicing fire-based techniques in advancing quickly.

Lin Hongye happened to be practicing fire-attribute techniques.

"I wonder which disciples of the Taiyuan Sect are targeting Sister Hongye?" Lin Yun asked curiously.

Lin Hairong sighed and said, "There are several people, among whom the most vehemently reacted was a disciple named Wu Tong. He is a member of the Wu family of Jinyeyuan. Because Hongye and he are both disciples of Lingxu Peak, they have a direct competitive relationship."

Wu Tong, Lingxu Peak... everything makes sense.

No wonder Wu Tong sent people to Nanling to abduct the spirit bamboo that the Lin family was sending to sell in the market; it was all to completely block Lin Hongye's growth.

Without the help of her family, it will be extremely difficult for Lin Hongye to reach the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage within three years.

Without the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining, Lin Hongye may miss out on the next batch of Foundation Establishment Pills produced by the Taiyuan Sect. As a result, Lin Hongye will have to wait another ten years.

If it were any other disciple of average talent, waiting another ten years wouldn't be a problem.

But Lin Hongye is different. She has dual spiritual roots of fire and earth, and is the main bloodline of the Lin family with the best spiritual root aptitude in hundreds of years.

Her peers were all geniuses from the entire Cangxuan Southern Region, and as the saying goes, if you're slow at one step, you'll be slow at every step.

While other prodigies have already taken Foundation Establishment Pills and advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, she is still wasting her time in the Qi Refining stage.

Ten years is a long time; so much can change in that time. Others become sect elders after ten years of cultivation in the Foundation Establishment stage, while you are still a Qi Refining disciple. This clearly shows the difference between you and others.

"Now that we have this Fire Marrow Heart, the family will save a lot of pills for the late stage of Qi Refining. It's really crucial," Lin Hairong sighed.

It seems that fate has already turned in favor of the Lin family.

"Second Uncle, there's something else I need to say. Some time ago, I attended the trade fair in Fire Cloud Valley and overheard someone talking about a group of bandits called Night Wolf Bandits, who seem to have shown up in the Southern Ridge."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hairong frowned deeply and said, "Night Wolf Bandits... those are notorious thieves from Jinye Plain, why would they come to Nanling?"

Is the source of this message credible?

Lin Yun nodded solemnly: "It should be true, so Second Uncle, please be careful when you return to the family this time. Also, please make sure the cultivators who transport the family's spiritual herbs and bamboo are more vigilant."

"I understand!" Lin Hairong gave his nephew a deep look, and added, "If this is proven true, I will give you another credit."

And so, Lin Yun personally handed the Fire Marrow Heart to his second uncle.

Lin Hairong acted prudently, not rushing to set off. Instead, he stayed in Lin Yun's courtyard to recover his magical power. Only after confirming that his spiritual energy was sufficient did he ride the bamboo leaf boat away.

"Now we just need to wait for the family to send over the cultivation resources. In the meantime, we can focus on learning weapon crafting."

...