Turbulent Winds and Shifting Clouds

As for why the atmosphere within the Xu Family had changed so drastically, it was because another faction had also caught wind of the existence of the mid-grade spirit land, though it was unclear how the information had leaked.

That faction was the Purple Maple Bay Chen Family.

The two clans' settlements were not far apart, less than a hundred miles, and while they had their share of friction and grievances in daily life, they had now set their sights on the same piece of fat in the Wilderness.

They were attempting to get a slice of the pie.

Admittedly, the suzerain, the Purple Extreme Sect, had issued a series of regulations to ensure that Land Reclamation was conducted in an orderly fashion, encouraging everyone to pull in the same direction and reduce internal friction. The core of these rules was the protection of ownership rights for newly discovered resources.

That was—

During Land Reclamation, all discovered resources, spirit lands, and the like, were to be held by the first to occupy them.

Other factions were forbidden from seizing them by taking advantage of the situation; once confirmed, the entire world would rise up to annihilate the offending clan!

Despite this high-pressure clause that no one dared to touch, the problem was that the Xu Family had not "occupied" this spirit land; they hadn't even truly entered the valley, blocked as they were by the poisonous miasma.

At most, it could be called... a discovery! It didn't even count as exploration.

Therefore, the Purple Maple Bay Chen Family had no qualms about setting out to contend for it.

The cultivators of the two clans had already engaged in several skirmishes outside the valley.

There had been no casualties yet.

But based on the way the situation was developing, Lin Changheng judged that they were not far off.

They were merely waiting for a spark to ignite the fuse of conflict.

After the clan's top brass held repeated meetings, the Patriarch, Xu Xuheng, made the final decision and issued a strict order. On one hand, they would dispatch more late-stage and mid-stage Qi Refining experts to the front lines to make full preparations for the escalating conflict, with orders that they must win and were forbidden to lose.

On the other hand, he ordered the clan's alchemists to accelerate the refining of Miasma-Clearing Pills. If necessary, they would rely on the continuous consumption of these pills to brave the poisonous miasma, enter the valley to clear out the demonic beasts, and secure occupation.

Truly, a storm was brewing, and the wind was foul with the scent of rot, the rain destined to be a downpour of blood!

It was far too dangerous; there was no telling how many would die or be injured.

Fortunately, Lin Changheng only needed to refine pills in the rear.

Three days later.

The Immortal Seed Bai Fengxian arrived with a grave expression, bringing bad news.

"What? Fugui has been drafted to the Land Reclamation front lines?"

Lin Changheng was shocked.

Logically speaking, Xu Fugui had been producing offspring for the Xu Family on a massive scale and had just been held up as a model, having married a Xu Family woman with spiritual roots not long ago. How could he be suddenly pulled to the front lines?

This shouldn't be happening; it ran contrary to the Xu Family's original intentions.

Unless an emergency had arisen.

"Yes, the clan's mobilization order came too suddenly—issued and executed immediately. Brother Fugui only had time to pack a few things before setting off, marching into the Wilderness. He didn't even have a chance to say goodbye."

Bai Fengxian had happened to be working with Xu Fugui when he saw several men arrive with the order, their faces stern, moving like the wind. His heart had skipped a beat.

He had assumed they were there to conscript him, a man without spiritual root offspring.

He had long had a premonition, but when it truly arrived, he still felt a sense of bewilderment.

His face had gone pale, and just as he was about to stand up to receive the order, the other party had said, "By order, we are conscripting Xu Fugui to immediately depart for the Wilderness as reinforcements."

Recounting what had just happened, Bai Fengxian's emotions were a complex mix; there was the joy of having escaped the draft, but also the worry for his friend's safety.

Lin Changheng sighed suddenly and patted Bai Fengxian's shoulder. "The situation changes in the blink of an eye. You and I had better make preparations early."

Seeing Bai Fengxian look stunned, he continued to explain, "Now that conflict is imminent, we need a large number of mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators to hold the line, which is why Fugui was pulled into the fray. Once the conflict truly erupts, the early-stage cultivators will inevitably suffer heavy casualties, and then it will be your turn and mine to fill the gaps. It is merely a matter of time..."

Bai Fengxian came to a realization and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Brother Lin is right. I must trade my savings for useful magical artifacts and begin refining them immediately to avoid being caught in a panic when the time comes! At the same time, I must desperately push my cultivation higher; every extra bit of strength is another chance at survival."

With that, he prepared to take his leave.

"Wait."

Lin Changheng handed a box containing three pills to Bai Fengxian. "At a juncture like this, money is bound to be tight. Take these and use them first."

"Many thanks, Brother Lin!"

Gripping the pill box tightly, Bai Fengxian's eyes reddened, and he nodded heavily.

A thousand words and all their friendship were contained within his resolute gaze. "A friend in need is a friend indeed. Since Brother Lin treats me this way, if there is ever a need in the future, I will surely repay you even if it costs me my life!"

After seeing Bai Fengxian off, Lin Changheng sat cross-legged to meditate, but he found himself restless.

With danger lurking on all sides, he could not find peace of mind.

After pondering for a moment, he rose and headed toward the Hundred Treasures Hall.

He, too, needed to acquire some means of self-protection to set his mind at ease.

Now that his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he could control one first-grade mid-tier magical artifact, or two low-tier ones.

Yet, the only item in his hand was a low-grade Wandering Bee Blade, which was truly insufficient.

As he passed by, Lin Changheng took the opportunity to seek out several other immortal seedling friends, all of whom he hinted at the situation to in veiled terms.

This caused their expressions to change drastically.

In their extreme panic, some even asked to borrow pills, and Lin Changheng took the moment to lend them three pills or a few spirit stones.

This served to resolve their most pressing needs.

These immortal seedlings had been friends for over a decade, and their characters were not poor; everyone had long since figured each other out, or they would not have continued to associate. None of them were the type to bite the hand that fed them or turn into enemies over a small favor.

Even if there were such a person, losing a few pills to see a person's true colors was not a loss.

As for the pills he gifted, they were all standard-grade; the fine-grade pills were still kept tightly under wraps, as Lin Changheng would not show them to others easily.

Inside the Hundred Treasures Hall.

The flow of people was like a loom, with heads bobbing everywhere.

The Chen Family's intervention meant the news had leaked, rendering any strict prohibition useless, so the upper echelons of the Xu Family had moderately relaxed their control over information.

Thus, the clansmen of the Xu Family began to spend their spirit stones to improve their own strength.

The Xu Family was happy to see this; after all, it was domestic demand, which was beneficial and harmless.

Lin Changheng did not go to the ordinary counters but went straight to find the manager of the Hundred Treasures Hall.

Getting straight to the point, he requested to purchase a mid-grade magical artifact.

Many clansmen had come to purchase magical artifacts and pills today, so the manager, Xu Xuyang, was long since accustomed to it, but those buying mid-grade artifacts were few and far between, so he still could not help but offer a reminder:

"Alchemist Lin, it is very difficult for those in the early stage of Qi Refining to control mid-grade magical artifacts. With insufficient mana and divine sense, you are more likely to be burdened by it instead."

"Your words are most wise, Senior, but I have gained some slight insights in my cultivation and have touched upon the bottleneck of the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Since I cannot break through, I intend to use a mid-grade magical artifact to motivate myself; perhaps it will bring inspiration and provide the opportunity to break through."

"If it truly does not work, I shall keep it for future use."

Lin Changheng had his excuse ready, which was more than enough to cover his tracks.

"As long as you are clear in your mind, Alchemist Lin."

The manager, Xu Xuyang, chuckled. He had fulfilled his duty of offering advice and leaving a good impression; he knew when to stop, for saying more might risk causing offense.

With his experience, he would naturally not do such a foolish thing.

Following this, Lin Changheng chose one from the five or six mid-grade magical artifacts he brought out.

It was a green banner.

Named the Azure Flood Dragon Flag, it was a mid-grade defensive magical artifact.

Its quality was close to fine-grade, and the price was two hundred and sixty low-grade spirit stones.

The price of a fine-grade mid-grade magical artifact was usually around three hundred spirit stones.

This price was slightly inflated, but still acceptable.

"Let me also look at some low-grade offensive magical artifacts."

After selecting the flag, Lin Changheng thought for a moment and added.