Little White

As for Immortal Cultivation practitioners, Lin Chan had only seen them mentioned in Lin Fangzheng's collection of books. He had never heard his senior brothers speak of them in casual conversation.

Ordinary people knew very little about cultivators.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Lin Chan finally asked Lin Fangzheng about it.

"Father! Are there really immortals in this world who feed on qi and live forever?"

Hearing this question, Lin Fangzheng fell silent for a while before saying:

"Of course there are. The Lin Family Main Line consists of cultivators, but immortals and mortals are different. Cultivators occupy spiritual lands to cultivate and do not live among ordinary people. To practice Immortal Cultivation, one must have a Spiritual Root to assist them before they can achieve anything."

Though Lin Chan was young, whenever he wanted to know something, Lin Fangzheng told him everything he knew.

Still, Lin Fangzheng had one concern: he did not know how to bring up the matter of Lin Chan's birth.

Lin Chan was still too young. It was not suitable for him to know such things yet.

Nor did Lin Fangzheng particularly want to tell Lin Chan about the circumstances surrounding his birth.

Barring any unforeseen events, Lin Chan would never have much to do with the main line in this lifetime. Without a Spiritual Root, no matter how hard one struggled, seeking immortality would remain hopeless.

The chasm of talent was just that despairing.

"Can one really not cultivate immortality without a Spiritual Root?"

Lin Chan looked at Lin Fangzheng.

He did not know whether he possessed a Spiritual Root, but he had the Spirit Gathering Physique talent. Presumably, he would not be much worse than a Spiritual Root Bearer.

"Perhaps not!"

Lin Fangzheng did not know the answer to that question either.

He himself lacked a Spiritual Root and had never come into contact with cultivation.

After father and son chatted for a long time, Lin Chan learned much and gained greatly from it.

Lin Chan grew ever more yearning for cultivation.

Immortality was something craved beyond measure by everyone, from princes and nobles down to the common people.

One needed not only longevity, but also transcendent power to ensure one did not die.

For now, Lin Chan could only practice martial arts and strengthen himself. As for Immortal Cultivation, he could only wait until he was older before trying to seek it out.

Every day, he practiced martial arts, read books, and played.

Another cycle of spring and autumn passed.

Amid the autumn wind, Lin Chan performed the White Ape Connecting-the-Spine Fist. His punches carried a remarkable spirit as he struck toward Uncle Liu like a white ape embracing the moon.

Uncle Liu dealt with Lin Chan using only one hand. He defended without attacking and did not move from his spot, merely tempering Lin Chan's martial skills, yet he easily dissolved every one of Lin Chan's moves.

Lin Chan exerted every ounce of strength he had, yet in the end, he could not shake Uncle Liu in the slightest.

"Uncle Liu! I'm not playing anymore."

Having exhausted every method and all his strength, Lin Chan gave up and stopped fighting.

His strength had now entered the Houtian First Layer. He had trained his Skin and Muscle Layer, and when his qi and blood surged, it became as tough as cowhide.

The strength of one arm could reach a hundred jin, more than enough to deal with an ordinary adult man.

But Lin Chan was still under four years old. Even though he grew quickly, he stood only around one meter tall. Before Uncle Liu, he was still far from enough.

"Young Master, your Tong Bei Quan carries considerable spirit. You are not far from mastery. When the master learns of this, he will surely be delighted."

Uncle Liu praised him sincerely.

When he had been Lin Chan's age, he had still been playing with mud in some unknown nook or cranny, while Lin Chan had already achieved a little success.

"Uncle Liu, I'm no longer the Young Master now."

One of Lin Fangzheng's concubines had given birth to a boy for the family some time ago.

Lin Chan was no longer the Lin Family's only male child.

"You are right, Eldest Young Master. I misspoke."

Uncle Liu hurriedly corrected himself.

However, he did not think that newborn child counted as any sort of young master of the household. He was merely a concubine-born son.

Only because the principal wife, Madam Zhang, was kind-hearted could he remain in the household.

Had he encountered someone as jealous as the City Lord's Wife, he would have been driven out long ago.

A concubine's status might not even be higher than that of a guard captain like him.

A concubine-born son might not necessarily grow up safely.

Lin Chan did not know what Uncle Liu was thinking. He was simply delighted to have a younger brother.

That way, someone would inherit the family estate, and he could freely leave home to Seek Immortality and the Dao without worrying that the Lin Family would have no heir.

In a few years, he could teach this younger brother martial arts.

Lin Chan was already older and mature in thought, so it was no longer appropriate for a wet nurse to care for him. A young maidservant was assigned to his side, along with two attendants who often waited upon him.

The maidservant naturally cared for Lin Chan's daily needs, while the attendants accompanied him in martial practice and carried messages.

There were no means of communication in these times. Friends relied entirely on letters and word of mouth to stay in touch, and all sorts of miscellaneous matters required someone to handle them, so attendants and servants were indispensable.

The attendants closest to Lin Chan were Uncle Liu's nephews, Xiao Can and Xiao Si. They were four or five years older than Lin Chan, but their martial skills were somewhat inferior, and neither had broken through to the Houtian realm.

After martial practice ended, Lin Chan rested briefly, put on his clothes, and went into Lin Fangzheng's study to find a book to read.

Reading every day had already become his habit.

Another month passed, and familiar words appeared before Lin Chan.

[You have successfully survived four years in the cultivation world. You may choose one of the following talents.]

[Eagle Eye: Immediately gain the eyesight of a hawk, allowing you to see tiny objects within one thousand meters.]

[Animal Doppelganger: When touching an animal, your spiritual consciousness may enter its body, turning that animal into a doppelganger puppet. Only one animal may be controlled at a time.]

[Stone Skin: Your skin can become tougher at will, greatly multiplying your defensive power.]

Faced with these three choices, Lin Chan barely hesitated before choosing the second.

The second had the strongest utility and looked especially fun.

He was still too young, and his movements were heavily restricted. Even when he could attend Li Xingxiao's Private School, he merely traveled between the school and home each day, living along a single straight line. He had no way to see what the real world was like.

With this Animal Doppelganger, he could use his double to go outside and see what the real world beyond was truly like.

He could also venture into dangerous places and search for traces of immortals.

Having obtained the talent, Lin Chan prepared to test it.

"Xiao Can!"

Lin Chan called for his personal attendant.

"Young Master!"

After entering the room, Xiao Can looked toward Lin Chan.

"Bring me one of the little dogs that guards the courtyard."

Lin Chan said.

"Yes, Young Master!"

Xiao Can assumed Lin Chan wanted to play with a dog, so he immediately went to the kennel and selected the gentlest Little White Dog.

"All right, leave. I want to play by myself for a while."

Lin Chan chased away the attendants, shut the doors and windows, and hid alone in his room to test his new talent.

He reached out and stroked the Little White Dog's head. It felt as though his soul had left his body, and through the contact between his hand and the dog, he was able to enter the Little White Dog's body.

At first, the Little White Dog stared silently at Lin Chan. Then it realized something was wrong and began to resist.

Lin Chan possessed the soul of a man in his thirties. In an instant, he suppressed the Little White Dog and seized control of its body.

The Little White Dog's innocent soul was squeezed into the furthest corner of its sea of consciousness by Lin Chan.

With the Little White Dog's vision, Lin Chan immediately looked toward his own body.

At that moment, Lin Chan's body had lost its soul and gone limp, as though he had suddenly died.

Lin Chan was frightened and immediately released the Animal Doppelganger, returning to his own body.

If his physical body were destroyed while his soul was outside it and he became trapped in the Little White Dog's body, the loss would outweigh the gain.

The Little White Dog, having experienced Lin Chan's possession, looked at the childlike Lin Chan with utter fear.

Whether because it was still unfamiliar with reclaiming its body or because it feared Lin Chan, the Little White Dog's four limbs trembled, yet it could not move.

Lin Chan carefully sensed his own body. It did not seem to have worsened because his soul had left it. Instead, it seemed to be in even better condition.

It was truly strange that a body could improve after losing its soul.

Thus, Lin Chan decided to try again.

This time, however, he would do it on the bed. The floor was too cold.

He looked at the trembling Little White Dog to one side and reached out to pick it up.

The Little White Dog was frightened by Lin Chan's action and wanted to flee, but its four limbs moved apart in uncoordinated directions as though they had split into separate households. It could only let Lin Chan carry it onto the bed.