Cultivating immortality begins with discerning the secrets of heaven.

"Yun'er, the matter you asked me to do the other day is making progress."

Lin Yun was overjoyed, his eyes shining, and asked, "Second Uncle, I'm only a collateral branch of the family now, can I still learn martial arts?"

Lin Hairong nodded and chuckled, "Don't worry, your uncle is at the fifth level of Qi Refining, so I still have some influence in the clan. I certainly have that much face."

"Second Uncle, you really are my father. I will take care of you in your old age." Lin Yun was so moved that he almost cried.

"There is a Master Mo in Fire Cloud Valley who has a deep understanding of weapon crafting. Although he is only at the late stage of Qi Refining, several Foundation Establishment families in Xiangnan Ridge have tried to recruit him as their family retainer."

"However, this person is used to a life of leisure and dislikes being bound by anything. He has been living in seclusion for many years and does not participate in any conflicts between forces."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yun asked in confusion, "Then why would Master Mo agree to take me as his disciple?"

"The Taiyuan Ascension Ceremony will be held in four years. It is said that starting from the next Ascension Ceremony, the Taiyuan Sect will recruit ten additional disciples for weapon crafting and ten additional disciples for alchemy."

"This matter has spread throughout the entire Southern Region. We have negotiated with Master Namo and various cultivation families in the Southern Ridge regarding this matter."

"Therefore, Master Mo finally agreed to this matter, and was willing to take on some nominal disciples from various families to teach them basic weapon-refining skills."

"The apprenticeship lasts two years. How well you learn depends entirely on your own destiny. My Lin family can send two people there, and you are one of them!"

It turns out it's related to the Taiyuan Sect. I never expected that the Taiyuan Ascension Meeting, which has remained unchanged for many years, would now be recruiting twenty more disciples specializing in alchemy and weapon crafting.

Lin Yun quickly connected this to the intelligence he had obtained some time ago: the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Taiyuan Sect, Master Xuanzhen, had emerged from seclusion to review various affairs within the sect.

"I reckon there's something wrong with the Hundred Refinement Peak and Pill Cauldron Peak of the Taiyuan Sect. They're short of talent and want to make some changes in that area," Lin Yun thought to himself.

The Taiyuan Ascension Ceremony is held once every ten years, and all the independent cultivators in the Southern Region come to join in the fun.

Each Ascension Ceremony only admits sixty disciples, and the top ten receive a Foundation Establishment Pill.

To participate in the Ascension Conference, there are two strict requirements: one is to be under thirty years old, and the other is to have at least a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation level.

This is the best way for cultivators in the Southern Region to become disciples of the Taiyuan Sect, bar none.

The remaining options are:

1. Family Recommendation: Cultivation families affiliated with the Taiyuan Sect can recommend outstanding members of their families to enter the Taiyuan Sect for cultivation. Of course, each family will not have too many slots.

Second, if one is directly chosen by an elder of the Taiyuan Sect and accepted as a disciple, one can also enter the Taiyuan Sect to cultivate.

III. Order of Ascension to Immortality.

"This is a rare opportunity, you brat, hurry up and thank your second uncle!" Lin Yuanshan said.

Lin Yun took a deep breath, knowing what this meant for him. He clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Uncle Hairong!"

Lin Hairong pulled Lin Yun up and said, "Pack your things later. I'll personally take you to Fire Cloud Valley in two days."

...

Late at night, the father and son, who had worked all day, lay on hard stone beds, staring at the simple ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

  

The two were used to a life of luxury and focused on cultivating their magical powers, never bothering to improve their physical health.

Suddenly settling down to cultivate spiritual fields is such a huge change that it's naturally hard to adapt.

"Son, those going to Fire Cloud Valley to learn martial arts this time include not only members of my Lin family, but also people from other families. Remember to be cautious in your actions and don't offend anyone easily!"

"In the Xiangnanling area, the Qi Refining families are nothing special, but the Zhong, Yang, and Chen families are Foundation Establishment families, and none of them are easy to mess with."

"Especially the Zhong family. Their ancestors included a Core Formation True Person. They are a family with a thousand-year history. Even if you don't want to be on good terms with them, you should never offend them."

Lin Yun said helplessly, "Dad, if only you had thought things through like this before you went to the casino and squandered your money."

"Alas, I am so sorry for what happened to you. It's too late to regret it now."

"But no matter what, this is a rare opportunity. If you learn something this time, you can either participate in the Ascension Conference to compete for one of the ten spots for weapon-refining disciples and join a top sect, or you can return to your family and become a weapon refiner within the family. You won't have to suffer with me anymore."

"Whether our father and I can return to the main branch of the family tree depends on you."

Lin Yun sighed inwardly. Neither of the two conditions for returning to the main branch of the family tree was simple.

Becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, especially for a cultivator with four spiritual roots like him, was an insurmountable hurdle.

In the cultivation world, countless cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining have died with regrets at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Currently, the only known items that can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment are Foundation Establishment Pills and rare spiritual objects.

Both are so precious that even a cultivation family like the Lin family would have a hard time obtaining them.

"Father, I will do my best."

...

The next day at dawn, Lin Yuanshan left home early to cultivate spiritual fields on the family's wasteland.

He told Lin Yun to stay and rest, pack his things, and prepare to head to Fire Cloud Valley.

Lin Yun, who was alone at home, had a sudden thought and activated the Book of Insight in his mind.

The next moment, fragments of illusory text appeared in his field of vision.

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 Dragon-Locking Well in the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty exhibited unusual activity. The Emperor personally intervened to suppress it, but several wisps of dragon energy still leaked out.]

"What kind of power is this Great Qian Immortal Dynasty? I've been in the Cangxuan Southern Region for so many years and I've never even heard of it."

Lin Yun frowned and muttered to himself, continuing to look down.

[With no leader in the Wood Dragon Immortal City, several disciples of True Immortal Wood Dragon have completely turned against each other in their struggle for power.]

[Outside the bamboo fields of Huangzhushan, a mutated stalagmite has sprouted; consuming it can replenish qi and blood, and nourish the body.]

At this moment, Lin Yun could no longer sit still and rushed to the bamboo field on the main mountain of his family.

Cultivating spirit bamboo is one of the core industries of the Lin family. Some varieties of spirit bamboo have special growing environments, and only the mountain occupied by the Lin family in the vicinity can meet these requirements.

"Heavens have mercy, this Book of Insight has finally provided some useful information."

...

Huangzhushan is covered with dense bamboo forests, and some of the precious bamboo fields have been specially protected by restrictions.

Three kinds of sacred bamboo are planted on this mountain.

Green Wind Bamboo is suitable for brewing wine. The Lingjiu Fang Green Bamboo Brew uses this bamboo as its brewing material.

Yellow bamboo grows one segment per year and matures in ten years. The bamboo extract inside can be used to replace some auxiliary medicines in traditional Chinese medicine formulas.

Stoneheart Bamboo: Once mature, this bamboo can be used as a spiritual material for crafting magical artifacts. It is tough and hard, but when dug out in its stalagmite state, it can slightly invigorate one's qi and blood, equivalent to some common old ginseng.

With the help of the Book of Insight, Lin Yun wandered around the foot of the mountain for a while and quickly located the position of the mutated stalagmite.

It had just sprouted on the outskirts of that field of stone bamboo.

But now that he has been stripped of his status as the head of the main branch, it won't be so easy for him to go back up the mountain.

After some negotiation, Lin Yun brought up his grandfather, claiming that he was about to leave home to learn his craft and wanted to visit his grandfather before leaving.

Upon hearing the name of the Ji Mai clan elder, the guards of the main mountain immediately allowed them to pass.

Now, as a member of a branch family, Lin Yun ascended the main mountain and looked at the familiar scenery around him, feeling a mix of emotions.

After walking along the mountain path covered with bamboo leaves, Lin Yun arrived at the outer edge of the bamboo field where the stone bamboo was planted.

"Luckily, it's outside the herb field, and only a bamboo shoot has sprouted, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome."

Lin Yun sighed. With the vision provided by the Book of Insight, he could sense that this newly sprouted stalagmite contained a surge of vital energy, far exceeding that of ordinary stone heart stalagmites.

Each bamboo field planted with spirit bamboo is protected by a restriction, and even members of the main lineage are not allowed to enter without permission.

However, the family doesn't strictly control these bamboo shoots growing on the outskirts, allowing the main branch members to pick them at will.

Lin Yun covered his palm with spiritual energy, and with a little effort, he easily dug out the mutated stone heart bamboo shoot buried in the mountain soil.

He moved very quickly, almost instantly putting it into his storage bag.

After doing all this, he straightened up and walked toward a cave halfway up the mountain.

After quite a while, just as Lin Yun was about to speak before arriving at the cave, the restriction in front of the cave was lifted, and a kind voice came from inside the cave:

"Come in, Yun'er."

"Yes, Grandpa!" Lin Yun strode into the cave and saw a slightly hunched figure sitting cross-legged on a futon, looking at Lin Yun with a kind expression.

"Lin Yun greets Grandpa! May Grandpa enjoy good health and may his Taoist arts flourish forever." Lin Yun bowed in greeting.

Lin Jing's smile widened, and he beckoned to Lin Yun, "Come and sit down. What brings you to your grandfather's place today?"

"You must be exhausted from clearing the land these past few days. Here are some white spirit fruits, take them and eat them."

Lin Yun didn't stand on ceremony. He took the plump and round spiritual fruits and stuffed them into his mouth.

He mumbled incoherently, "Grandpa is the best. I was thinking of going to Fire Cloud Valley to learn martial arts soon, and I won't be able to come home for several years. I was afraid that Grandpa would miss me, so I came up the mountain to visit Grandpa before I left."

Hearing his grandson call him "Grandpa" repeatedly, Lin Jing couldn't help but feel sorry for his grandson.

"Good child, you'll have to suffer from this from now on."

"You did nothing wrong, yet you're being dragged down by that good-for-nothing father of yours."

At this point, Lin Jing sighed helplessly.

This was a family decision, and he couldn't change anything about it.

"It's alright. Actually, I've also been thinking about learning a skill, otherwise I wouldn't have asked Uncle Hai Rong to help me plan it out so early."

"If one can master the skills, one can also refine magical artifacts for the family in the future and contribute one's own strength."

Such a sensible child at such a young age, and he takes his spiritual practice step by step without being arrogant or impatient. What a wonderful child!

Lin Jing felt increasingly sorry for his poor grandson, and felt his savings starting to wane.

"Sigh, if only your father had been half as sensible as you when he was young. He was a notorious playboy in the family back then, good for nothing. It was only later that he became more restrained."

"It's a pity that someone so old could still make such a grave mistake."

At this point, Lin Jing patted his storage bag, revealing several shiny stones in his hand.

"Good child, take these spirit stones. You'll always need them when you're out and about."

Lin Yun quickly declined, not daring to accept.

But he couldn't resist his grandfather, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and the eight spirit stones were forced into his hands.

"Grandpa, how can this be..." Lin Yun said embarrassedly.

Lin Jing sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Keep it. Now that you've lost your status as a member of the main branch, the family won't provide you with any more resources. You'll have to work harder on your own."

"In the path of cultivation, without exceptional natural talent and aptitude, one can only rely on accumulating resources."

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Lin Yun finally accepted the gift, thinking that it was good to have an elder in the clan.

After chatting for a while, Lin Yun reluctantly left the cave and descended the main mountain.

...