Cultivating immortality begins with discerning the secrets of heaven.

This was the first time Wu Qi'en had ever seen the head of the family so distraught. He asked in a trembling voice, "Uncle, what happened to the Lin family of Huangzhushan...?"

Upon hearing his nephew's question, Wu Zhong's face turned frighteningly grim. He whispered, "Iron Fang... has fallen into the hands of the Lin family."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qi'en's eyes widened in disbelief.

"How is that possible? Iron Fang led his men to attack the cultivators delivering goods for the Lin family. He's a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator!"

"Could it be that the Lin family has such a deep foundation that they need to send more than two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to escort them just to supply goods to the shops in the market?"

The Night Wolf Bandits led by Tieya were definitely not weak. Several cultivation families in Jinye Plain had tried to wipe them out, but all of them failed.

If he doesn't encounter two or more late-stage Qi Refining cultivators head-on, even if Tieya can't defeat them, escaping shouldn't be a problem at all.

"It could be that the news leaked, or it could just be bad luck that we ran into several elders of the Lin family acting together." Wu Chong narrowed his eyes, his voice icy cold.

Wu Qi'en's face turned deathly pale. In that instant, he finally understood why his uncle had insisted on finding out Tieya's whereabouts.

This person has done too much dirty work for the Wu family, and some of his deeds are simply too shameful to be exposed. If all of them were revealed, the Wu family would face the hostility of several other families in Jinye Plain.

Wu Chong glanced at his nephew and breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that he wasn't completely stupid; at least he could see the situation clearly.

"Qi En, what do you think is most important to a family?"

Wu Qi'en was slightly taken aback, somewhat puzzled as to why he would be asked this question, but he still honestly answered:

"That is naturally the Foundation Establishment Ancestor who protects the family. As long as the Ancestor is alive, he can intimidate outside cultivators and prevent them from attacking."

  

Just like his answer back then, an elder of the Wu family had asked Wu Zhong the same question years ago, and he had given the same answer.

"Yes, the protection of a Foundation Establishment stage ancestor is naturally important."

The way that elder looked at me back then must have been the same way I look at this nephew.

Wu Chong shook his head and quickly made a decision: "Write a letter to Patriarch Tie Luo. Since the Lin family wants the mining rights to the purple-patterned copper mother mine, let them take it."

As long as his eldest son, Wu Tong, can successfully establish his foundation, none of this matters.

...

Towards the South Ridge, Fire Cloud Valley.

clang!clang!clang!

With a series of muffled sounds, Lin Yun finally succeeded in refining a prototype of a low-grade magic weapon.

This is a long sword forged from refined iron. It is pure white and has a chilling gleam. The blade is wide and long, and the back of the blade has been specially thickened!

Lin Yun lifted the fine iron longsword with one hand with satisfaction. It was heavy and still warm to the touch.

"Thanks to the Blood Transporting Technique, which established an internal energy and blood foundation, my strength has greatly increased. Otherwise, it would be quite difficult to forge the prototype of the magic weapon."

call out!call out!call out!

Lin Yun tried swinging the sword a few times, and the sound of wind breaking came one after another.

"It can easily break through metal and stone."

The next step is to temper and refine the sword, and inscribe it with spirit patterns, and it will be considered a qualified refined iron magic weapon.

If you were to sell it, it should fetch around seventy or eighty spirit stones; that's the market price for a refined iron magic weapon.

In the cultivation world, the most common low-grade magical artifacts are those forged from refined iron, collectively known as refined iron magical artifacts. They are popular among many independent cultivators because of their low cost and durability.

After examining it for a while, Lin Yun took out the stone bamboo spear that his family had bestowed upon him and compared it with the other spears.

"The spirit of the Stone Bamboo Spear is obviously much more abundant, after all, it is made from Stone Heart Bamboo."

After careful comparison, Lin Yun discovered that the spiritual patterns engraved on the Stone Bamboo Spear were faint and indistinct, making them impossible to detect.

This is a procedure that all weapon refiners perform when refining weapons, using a unique method to conceal the spirit patterns they have inscribed.

After all, many unique spirit patterns are the core of a weapon-refining inheritance. If someone learns them, it would be equivalent to exposing one's weapon-refining inheritance.

"Currently, Master Mo is only teaching us the most basic weapon-refining techniques. At most, we can refine a low-grade refined iron magic weapon."

"If I want to further my studies in weapon crafting in the future, I will have to find a sufficiently advanced weapon crafting lineage."

Lin Yun muttered to himself, then put down the fine iron longsword, intending to temper it in a few days.

"Let's see what Chen Guan plans to do today."

With a helpless sigh to himself, Lin Yun activated the Book of Insight once more.

Ever since Chen Guan obtained a mysterious page, the Book of Insight has gone mad, no longer providing any other information, but instead focusing on spying on Chen Guan.

Chen Guan refined a batch of Spirit Transformation Pills for himself, yielding seven pills in one batch: two inferior ones and five superior ones.

After spying on Chen Guan for some time, Lin Yun learned a lot of personal information about him.

This Core Formation expert was an alchemist who had been cultivating in the Northern Region of Cangxuan. He had also established a large market specifically for independent cultivators to trade, which he called Wood Dragon Immortal City.

"The Spirit Transformation Pill, a high-grade first-tier pill, suitable for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. It can improve mana and enhance cultivation..."

luxury!

It's incredibly extravagant to start consuming such pills at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"This old thing made thorough preparations before possessing another body, and after successfully possessing the body, he took all his possessions with him and left."

"No wonder they're so extravagant in refining such miraculous elixirs."

How substantial is the wealth of an old monster in the Core Formation stage?

Lin Yun dared not even think about it; he estimated that the combined wealth of seven or eight Lin families couldn't compare to what was in that person's storage bag.

Chen Guan consumed two Spirit Transformation Pills, and with their immense medicinal power, he easily advanced to the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage.

After consolidating his magical power, Chen Guan brewed a secret medicinal liquid for himself using various spiritual herbs. While soaking in it, his blood and energy surged like a surging tide, flowing endlessly like a vast ocean.

Chen Guan refined a set of needle-type magical artifacts, which were of high-grade quality, for his own protection.

After reviewing a few spells, Chen Guan has decided to visit you tonight to inquire about his request for Lin Hongye's help.

"Hmm? Tonight?" Lin Yun was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but glance out the window; night had already fallen.

At the same time, there was a loud knocking sound coming from outside the courtyard.

"Is Brother Lin Yun here? I, Chen, have come to pay my respects."

Damn, he was right on time!

After mentally complaining, Lin Yun coughed and said, "Brother Chen, please wait a moment, I'll be right there."

As the courtyard gate opened, Chen Guan waited with a gentle and refined smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry to bother Brother Lin so late. Please accept this bottle of Nourishing Spirit Pill as an apology."

As he spoke, Chen Guan handed over a jade porcelain bottle.

"Oh, how can I accept this!" Lin Yun feigned surprise and kept declining, "We are both disciples of Master Mo, there's no need to be so polite. It's just a visit, how could I possibly accept your pills?"

However, Chen Guan insisted: "Brother Lin Yun, please don't be so polite with me. Just accept it. Now that I'm at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, this bottle of Nourishing Spirit Pills won't be of much use to me."

"Well... well, you're too kind."

"Please come in and sit down, Brother Chen. I don't have any spirit tea to offer, so please don't mind."

Unable to refuse, Lin Yun had no choice but to accept the bottle of Spirit Nourishing Pills and beckon Chen Guan in.

Upon seeing this, Chen Guan's smile deepened.

"It's alright, I'm not one to pretentiously follow trends."

Upon entering the courtyard, Chen Guan went straight to the point: "Brother Lin Yun, regarding the matter of inquiring about the noblewoman Red Leaf Fairy, have you made any progress?"

...