Storms Brewing

In the courtyard.

"The path of talismans is easy to learn but hard to master. Though your spiritual roots are poor, the Hundred Cultivation Arts place great importance on a single word: comprehension."

In the sunlit courtyard, four Zhou Family youths with inferior spiritual roots stood at the tables, expressions resolute as they raised their brushes to draw talismans.

Especially after Lin Chang'an mentioned that talisman drawing depended on comprehension, it was practically an encouragement to them.

Their spiritual roots were already set in stone, but talisman drawing had only just begun.

"And yet this word, comprehension, has stumped countless cultivators. Some achieve enlightenment the moment they first touch it, while others study bitterly for decades before suddenly attaining enlightenment one day and becoming unstoppable. Such examples are countless in the Cultivation World."

Dressed in a long green robe, Lin Chang'an was like a schoolteacher as he earnestly instructed the Zhou Family's four apprentices.

After all, having accepted the Zhou Family's benefits, he naturally had to teach wholeheartedly. He would not hold anything back like others did.

Once he took someone's money, he truly did the work.

After all, on the path of talismans, he relied on his own talent. That was something others could not learn.

"Broad learning is inferior to mastery. This Golden Light Talisman..."

Lin Chang'an imparted everything he knew without reservation, even seriously pointing out each person's mistakes.

It was not until the sun had climbed high overhead, two hours later, that the four Zhou Family youths at the Qi Refining Early Stage stopped, having consumed over half their mental energy and spiritual power.

"Master Lin, your explanations are excellent. We have listened to Talisman Master Huang as well, but he was never as detailed as you."

The four stepped forward in delight to flatter him, and their praise came from the bottom of their hearts.

Born with inferior spiritual roots, they were far more mature than others their age. Naturally, they could tell who was teaching with care and who was merely going through the motions.

Faced with their flattering attempts to please him, Lin Chang'an accepted them calmly and said with a smile, "Don't butter me up. I'm taking your Zhou Family's spirit stones and resources, so naturally I have to teach seriously. Otherwise, wouldn't your Zhou Family throw me out?"

The four laughed. Over two months of getting along, their initial unease had turned into familiarity, and they had grown accustomed to this easygoing Master Lin.

"The Market has become lively lately. Rogue cultivators are arriving wave after wave. I heard the Market is even preparing to expand and has already begun construction on the outskirts."

"Quite a few rogue cultivators in the Market have struck it lucky recently. I heard many Black Wind Wolf Cubs have been bought by rogue cultivators."

"But I heard they might be spirit beasts raised by our Zhou Family."

As the four departed and their conversation drifted into his ears, Lin Chang'an fell into silent thought.

"The Market is becoming more and more lively. Land Reclamation may mean some chaos, but it is also a good opportunity."

He could take this chance to secretly sell some talismans and earn cultivation resources.

"Perhaps I can also sell a small number of First-Rank Mid-Grade Diamond Talismans. With the Market so lively now, First-Rank Mid-Grade Talismans are nothing unusual."

Just as Lin Chang'an pondered in secret, Er Niu's voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Big Brother Lin, look what I brought you."

Li Erniu entered the courtyard carrying two bottles of spirit wine, his face full of smiles. Lin Chang'an could not help but laugh.

"Er Niu, this spirit wine isn't cheap."

"Big Brother Lin, you've got it wrong. This was a reward from the Lineage. Every cultivator at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage in the Lineage received a bottle of fine spirit wine."

When he heard that it was fine spirit wine, Lin Chang'an could not help smiling. This was the benefit of joining a great clan. Not only did one have someone to rely on, but the clan also gave out rewards during festivals and joyous occasions.

"This fine spirit wine isn't cheap. It costs at least one spirit stone. Is there some happy event in the Lineage?"

"The patriarch purchased two Black Wind Wolf Cubs with Second Tier bloodlines at auction. If they can be raised properly, they will become two spirit beasts at the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future."

The greatest advantage of monster beasts like Black Wind Wolves was their short growth cycle. Unlike the Zhou Family's current Clan-Protecting Spirit Beast, the Black Water Turtle, which had taken nearly two hundred years to reach adulthood.

It had already seen off two or three generations of people.

"Two monster beast cubs with Second Tier bloodlines—this truly is a happy occasion."

As Lin Chang'an accepted the spirit wine with a smile, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind. The smile on his face instantly stiffened.

Old Man He, Black Wind Wolf Cubs, and the Zhou Family purchasing two Second-tier Monster Beast cubs at auction—each matter seemed harmless on its own. But when all of them were connected, why did something seem increasingly wrong?

As though he had thought of something, Lin Chang'an suppressed the suspicion in his heart and casually asked without changing expression, "Er Niu, I heard that quite a few Black Wind Wolf cubs have been auctioned in the Market recently?"

Li Erniu did not think much of it and instead nodded with a smile.

"Yes. I heard even the Black Market has them. Many cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage have already bought them. Even I suspect the Lineage might be taking this opportunity to sell spirit beasts."

As he said this, Li Erniu revealed a yearning expression and sighed, "If I can break through to the Qi Refining Late Stage one day, I'll buy a spirit beast cub from the Lineage for the brat at home too."

Seeing Li Erniu's expression, Lin Chang'an seemed to grasp something, and his brows drew tightly together.

"Er Niu, did you just say that the Zhou Family is selling spirit beasts outside?"

Hearing this, Li Erniu smiled somewhat proudly.

"Though the Lineage has not admitted it, who in all of Green Bamboo Mountain Market does not know the Beast-Taming Zhou Family's golden nameplate?"

Looking at Er Niu, the smile on Lin Chang'an's face stiffened further. Even the Zhou Family's own people believed it. The unease in his heart grew ever stronger.

He had only just joined the Zhou Family and rejoiced at having someone to rely on. Why did it suddenly feel as if he had stepped into the vortex of a conspiracy?

Zhou Family.

"Father, are you saying that quite a few Black Wind Wolf Cubs have been sold in the Market recently?"

Zhou Renmao, the Head of the Zhou Family, had just purchased two Second-tier Monster Beast cubs at auction. The joy on his face had vanished without a trace, replaced by gravity.

"That's right. Almost the moment you transferred spirit stones from the Lineage and purchased those two spirit beasts outside, this happened in the Market."

The Zhou Family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor, his hair and beard entirely white, wore a grave expression.

"Wang Family!"

Father and son compared their accounts, then exchanged a glance and named the mastermind behind it, their faces ugly.

"Damn it, this Wang Family really is a lingering ghost."

Though Zhou Renmao was furious, as the Head of the Zhou Family, he quickly calmed down and thought of a response.

"Raising spirit beasts requires time, let alone Second-tier Spirit Beasts. With Land Reclamation imminent, the Wang Family is deliberately draining our Lineage's reserves, just as they did eighteen years ago.

"They will use Land Reclamation to continuously weaken our Zhou Family. Even these Second-tier Spirit Beasts may become the final straw that breaks our Zhou Family's back."

At this point, Zhou Renmao gritted his teeth. "This Wang Family is still as vicious and sinister as ever."

Second-tier Spirit Beast cubs were already extremely expensive. Once the Zhou Family sank into the mire and missed the best period for raising them, the spirit beasts would be ruined.

"Stabilize first. No matter what, two Second-tier Spirit Beast cubs are a good thing for the Lineage. This time, we will make a bigger display of it. At the same time, use this period to recruit more people from among the rogue cultivators outside."

This Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Zhou Family pondered for a moment. Their Zhou Family could only defend passively now, after all; there was still a gap in strength between the two great families.

Though the Zhou Family had two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he had at most around thirty years of lifespan remaining. Even counting the Clan-Protecting Spirit Beast, they had only three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Wang Family, on the other hand, had five Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single clan. The two oldest old bastards still had fifty or sixty years of lifespan left, while the other three were in their prime.

They could only block with earth when water came.