You Are My Benefactor

"Reporting to Brother, more than two hundred Spirit Stones were dug up beneath the large tree in the courtyard, along with these precious pills..."

The moment Zhang Qing saw the items discovered during the confiscation, he laughed in fury and said coldly, "Good! Very good! Tell me, where did these two beasts get so many Spirit Stones and pills?"

"Not long ago, that beast had to empty his entire family fortune just to trade for a mid-grade magic artifact, the Cold Moon Blade. Yet now, so much has been found in his home!"

"And the other one—everyone knows his talent is poor, and every last resource he had always went into his cultivation."

With Zhang Qing's furious rebuke, he laid bare every scrap of the two men's background. It was obvious he was saying that these two could not possibly have possessed such wealth.

"Brother Zhang Qing, this was found beneath the bed in the house."

Another bottle of pills appeared, and Zhang Qing immediately flew into a rage. "Good! This is a secret pill refined by the Beast Taming Zhou Family. What fine fellow disciples they truly are."

Watching Zhang Qing perform alone, Lin Chang'an understood perfectly. Those two paupers really should have had no family fortune left. After all, cultivators at that age would pour any Spirit Stones they possessed into their own cultivation. Only after their cultivation had stagnated and they had given up would they begin saving up a family fortune for their descendants.

In other words, all these things were compensation being given to him.

Watching Zhang Qing put on an act, Lin Chang'an also filled his face with fury. "No wonder those two wanted to assassinate me. It seems they had betrayed the sect long ago."

With the two of them working in tacit coordination, the matter of those two betraying the sect was turned into ironclad proof.

At that moment, the surrounding fellow disciples no longer looked at him with the dissatisfaction they had shown before. Instead, their faces were full of anger. They had not believed the two had betrayed the sect before, but now the evidence was conclusive!

Although Lin Chang'an was only half a sect member, he was still one of their own. If someone sold out the sect, they were traitors, and everyone wished they could kill them.

Seeing how people's hearts had changed in the blink of an eye, Lin Chang'an could not help secretly nodding. Elder Lu's methods were truly formidable.

With one simple move, he had resolved every conflict, delivered the compensation, and left Lin Chang'an unable to say anything about it.

That old fox was truly ruthless.

"Junior Brother, those two traitors committed such deeds. Letting them die so easily was truly letting them off too lightly."

With a furious expression, Zhang Qing placed all the confiscated goods into Lin Chang'an's hands and said generously, "Junior Brother, Elder Lu has ordered that all the property of these two traitors be handed over to you."

Yet Lin Chang'an caught a trace of heartache in Zhang Qing's eyes and could not help smiling. "Brother, listen to yourself."

As the two exchanged polite refusals, they entered the house. Zhang Qing now had a bottle of pills in his hand, and he transmitted awkwardly, "Junior Brother, isn't this inappropriate? Elder Lu gave this to you."

But Lin Chang'an wore a solemn expression and waved his hand. "I usually either refine pills or cultivate, and I truly cannot spare the attention to look after the sect's properties. I will have to trouble you greatly, Brother."

Lin Chang'an said this before everyone. Zhang Qing immediately beamed with delight. Though his mouth said it was improper, his hand was very honest as it tucked the bottle of pills into his storage pouch.

"Oh, right. Let the junior brothers outside make their picks as well."

Lin Chang'an suddenly turned around and grandly waved a hand at the crowd in the courtyard. This time, none of them showed the anger and dissatisfaction from before. Instead, they all revealed grateful expressions.

"Many thanks, Brother Lin/Alchemist Lin."

Clearly, the initial rejection had vanished. After all, they were now united on the same front, and the two dead men were obviously traitors.

Dividing up traitors' wives and concubines—was that not only natural?

For a moment, some even wore excited smiles. "Come on, I think that concubine from earlier was quite good."

"Haha, Brother is generous. I'll take the older one."

Amid excited cheers, Li Han and Qi Feng, who emerged from the house, stood in stark contrast to them. A faint scent of blood now clung to the two of them.

Inside the house, Zhang Qing and Lin Chang'an, both of whom had gained benefits, exchanged glances and smiled.

"Junior Brother, you're forthright!"

Looking at Lin Chang'an, Zhang Qing could not help nodding in satisfaction. This junior brother was simply his benefactor. Ever since meeting him, his source of wealth had never run dry.

This disturbance did not cause much of an impact. Hardly anyone even knew about it before it passed away as lightly as a drifting cloud.

Those mining still mined every day. The only improvement was that the sect had brought in their families, which counted as a ray of dawn amid their numb spirits.

The oppressed remained oppressed. Only those with good talent and value received special treatment.

Patrol Prefecture.

"This is the Fireball Technique. At early Qi Condensation, you do not have much spiritual power, so you cannot waste it. Right now, the most practical techniques for you are the Wind Riding Technique and the Object Manipulation Technique..."

In the courtyard, Lin Chang'an leisurely guided Qi Feng and Li Han in learning these basic spells, and the two were deeply grateful.

Though these were basic spells, no one would teach them for free.

"Brother Lin, this Fireball Technique is terrifying. Martial artists are no match for it at all."

Qi Feng could not help saying in shock. Beside him, Li Han also stared in amazement as the Fireball Technique melted an ordinary mortal weapon.

But Lin Chang'an shook his head at the two. "You have only seen the power of the Fireball Technique, not the casting speed at early Qi Condensation or the spiritual power it consumes. An Innate Martial Artist can easily evade it through swift movements and agile turns. If the battle drags on, and an immortal cultivator has no decisive methods such as magic artifacts or talismans, then he can only wait for death."

"Therefore, early Qi Condensation is called Nurturing the Mortal, while the mid stage is called the beginning of shedding mortality."

Seeing the puzzled looks in their eyes, Lin Chang'an let out a soft sigh, shook his head, and explained in greater detail.

"At early Qi Condensation, the spiritual power you cultivate nourishes the body and the Primordial Spirit. The increase in combat strength relies almost entirely on spells. Only at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation does true shedding of mortality begin."

At this point, Lin Chang'an said gravely, "Breaking through to mid Qi Refining can be summed up in only eight words: 'keen ears and bright eyes, marrow washed and wisdom awakened.'"

"At that time, not only is the body enhanced, but spiritual power also becomes much more abundant, allowing you to cast more spells. At the same time, learning becomes like suddenly being enlightened. Spells that were difficult to master in the early stage become much easier then."

After hearing this, Li Han could not help revealing a hopeful expression. "Brother Lin, are you saying that if I break through to mid Qi Refining, I'll be able to learn the Fireball Technique easily?"

His talent was the worst. He had spent over half a month studying the Fireball Technique, yet he could only produce a tiny flicker of flame. It was fine for starting a fire, but as an attack, it left much to be desired.

"More or less. But you can learn the Wind Riding Technique first. This spell is relatively simple, especially for those who were martial artists to begin with. It will be easier to learn."

Li Han was a complete novice, while Qi Feng was only slightly better. In the mortal world, he had known of immortal cultivators, but he knew nothing of the specifics.

Before the two of them, Lin Chang'an carefully instructed them. They were merely basic spells; even if he did not teach them, they could find someone else to do so. He might as well teach them himself.

"When immortal cultivators possess methods such as magic artifacts, talismans, and spirit beasts, mortal Innate Martial Artists are no match for them. But if they lose all of that, it is not as though there have never been Innate Martial Artists who turned the tables and killed immortal cultivators."

Thank you, fellow Daoists, for your support.