After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

Spirit stones, pills, talismans, magical artifacts... piled up all over the ground, a dazzling array.

Looking at the mountain of cultivation resources, Lin Fengmian frowned and sighed deeply.

"It looks like a lot, but for me with ten spiritual roots, it's just a drop in the ocean!"

After others reach the Foundation Establishment stage, one pill can sustain them for half a month of cultivation.

But for him, after taking one pill, the spiritual energy vanished instantly, like water poured into the desert.

The consumption of the five spiritual roots is already astonishing. Now, he has also fused with the bloodline power left behind by Nangong Li, making his physique special. The resources he needs for cultivation are several times greater than those of other cultivators of the same level.

"At this rate, breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage will probably take forever!"

Lin Fengmian sighed, feeling that the road ahead was long and arduous.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he stroked his chin, revealing a mischievous grin:

"Unless... I transform into a notorious womanizer and find dozens of Daoist partners to use as cultivation vessels, indulging in nightly revelry and dual cultivation, then maybe I'll have a chance."

But then he thought again and felt discouraged, shaking his head and smiling bitterly:

"But my taste has become so refined; I simply can't stand any fairy who's below a nine out of ten!"

"It's all because she had such a good start; Chu Qingyi's starting point was just too high!"

Although Nangong Li and Chu Qingyi were both stunning beauties with scores of nine or higher, Yu Xiyue's aloof and ethereal temperament left a deep impression on him.

This has led to the feeling that ordinary female cultivators are always lacking something.

"Never mind, let nature take its course."

Lin Fengmian shook his head, trying to clear these chaotic thoughts from his mind.

Despite his complaints, his hands never stopped moving.

Absorbing spirit stones, swallowing pills, circulating cultivation techniques...

The spiritual spring space rumbled, his spiritual power surged and churned, and the spiritual energy vortex in his dantian spun wildly, greedily devouring the surrounding spiritual energy.

However, the progress in cultivation was like a snail climbing a hill, with negligible advancement.

An hour later, Lin Fengmian was so angry that he stopped cultivating, stood up, and walked towards the spirit herb garden.

"Forget it! If I can't cultivate, I have to find something else to do!"

Upon arriving at the herb garden, one is greeted by a vibrant and thriving scene.

The various spiritual herbs and fruits thrived under the nourishment of the spiritual spring water, their leaves lush and green, their fruits plump and round, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

Lin Fengmian squatted down and carefully examined the growth of each medicinal herb, gently weeding, loosening the soil, and watering it.

Looking at the garden full of vibrant medicinal herbs, his mood finally improved considerably.

These medicinal herbs were his entire fortune; he would rely on them to break through to the Golden Core stage in the future.

After tending to the medicinal herb garden, Lin Fengmian finally came to a corner.

There, quietly, lay an egg.

The egg was the size of a millstone, dark blue in color, with fine lines covering its surface and a faint glow.

Lin Fengmian squatted down, reached out and gently stroked the surface of the eggshell, his movements as if he were caressing some rare treasure.

"Little guy, I'm the one who got your mother killed, so I have to take responsibility for raising you to adulthood."

He murmured softly, his tone tinged with a mix of emotion and apology.

Back in the Amethyst Lion King's cave, he was focused on seizing the treasure and didn't think much about the origin of this egg.

After Nangong Li left, he was feeling troubled and put the matter out of his mind.

Seeing the egg again now, he realized—

"After you turn eighteen, whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you."

After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh and shook his head:

"What nonsense am I talking about?"

However, he then solemnly added:

"However, I will still abide by the laws of my past life and raise you for eighteen years! After you turn eighteen, you can go wherever you want, and I will never stop you."

The eggshell swayed slightly, as if in response to his words.

Lin Fengmian smiled slightly and was about to get up and leave when he suddenly stopped.

Ok?

No, wait a minute!

He turned his head sharply, staring intently at the egg, his brows furrowed, and a deep look of doubt flashed in his eyes.

"The Amethyst Lion King... a lion... egg?"

Lin Fengmian muttered to himself, his mind racing.

Lions, those mythical beasts, aren't they all born from wombs?

The Amethyst Lion King is a genuine lion-type demon beast, and its offspring should be born viviparous. How could it have laid... an egg?

This makes absolutely no sense!

Lin Fengmian was deeply saddened by Nangong Li's departure at the time and did not think much about the matter.

Now that I've calmed down and thought about it carefully, the more I think about it, the more something seems off.

"Could it be... that the Amethyst Lion King picked it up from somewhere else? And wanted to adopt it as his son?"

"Or perhaps... this isn't a descendant of the Amethyst Lion King at all, but rather something it's guarding?"

Lin Fengmian found it increasingly strange, so he squatted down, leaned closer to the egg, and examined it carefully.

The eggshell has intricate and mysterious patterns with a faint shimmering light, and it feels warm to the touch, unlike ordinary monster eggs.

Although Lin Fengmian was quite knowledgeable, after looking at it for a long time, he still couldn't recognize what kind of monster's egg it was.

He scratched his head and sighed helplessly:

"Forget it, let's leave the professional stuff to the professionals."

Having said that, he stood up and shouted towards the depths of the spiritual spring space:

"Little fox spirit! Come here for a second!"

A moment later, a pink shadow shot towards them from afar like an arrow released from a bow.

"Master! Master!"

The little fox demon had two shallow dimples on her face, her fluffy fox ears twitched slightly, and her big, bushy tail swayed happily behind her. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Fengmian, her face full of joy that said, "My master has finally remembered me."

Looking at the little fox demon's innocent and carefree appearance, Lin Fengmian felt a warmth in his heart. He reached out and gently patted her head, saying softly:

"Little fox spirit, could you please take a look and tell me what kind of monster this egg belongs to?"

The little fox demon squinted its eyes, looking quite pleased, and wagged its tail even more enthusiastically as it was being touched.

"Okay! Master, wait a minute!"

After saying that, she skipped and hopped to the egg, bent down, brought her small nose close to the shell, and gently sniffed it.

It circled the egg twice more, then stretched out its little paws and tapped on the eggshell, listening intently.

Its focused and earnest expression, coupled with its fluffy fox ears and bushy tail, made it look exceptionally adorable.

A moment later, the little fox demon stood up, turned and ran back to Lin Fengmian's side, tilting her little face up and speaking in a clear, crisp voice:

"Master! This should be the egg of a snake-like monster!"

"Snakes?"

Lin Fengmian was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and his brows furrowed even more.

How could there be snake-like monster eggs in the cave of the Amethyst Lion King?

A lion adopted a snake as its son?

This art style is just too peculiar.