The Tip of the Iceberg

What a brilliant open scheme.

An open scheme that left all cultivators unable to refuse, swallowing it as if it were sweet nectar.

Lin Changheng gained a clearer understanding of the upper echelons of this cultivation world once again.

They were by no means mediocre or incompetent.

After chatting a while longer, Lin Changheng stopped disturbing Xu Fugui's rest. They agreed to drink heartily once he had recovered, and then he took his leave.

As for the spirit stones for purchasing the essence blood, Lin Changheng had brought it up during their talk, but Xu Fugui reacted as if he had stepped on a landmine. He refused adamantly and righteously, even elevating the matter to the height of "sacrificing one's life for righteousness," which left Lin Changheng dumbfounded and forced him to drop the subject.

Before he left, Xu Fugui mysteriously revealed a possibility: "If that old man from the Chen Family at the sixth level of Qi Refining is confirmed to be crippled later on, the clan will provide another portion of contributions and rewards."

He added that when that time came, there would be a share for Brother Lin as well!

It was a promise made in advance, one that could not be refused.

Hurrying back to his courtyard, Lin Changheng looked at the array of empty bottles in the box before him, feeling quite satisfied.

At the mouth of the cauldron in his sea of consciousness, the earthy-yellow treasure seed trembled slightly.

[Rock Mountain Turtle Treasure Seed: Spirit Snatching Transformation in progress]

[Spirit Snatching: 54/100]

Not two days later, Lin Changheng received a letter.

It came from the superior Purple Extreme Sect, and the signature was none other than Mo Zhaoli.

Master Mo's darling granddaughter.

Over these past few years, Lin Changheng had received several letters from her almost every year, detailing her current situation and sharing her experiences and information.

Lin Changheng would also reply actively to maintain their relationship.

This time, as Lin Changheng opened the letter, he saw Mo Zhaoli sharing her joy—she had finally broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining!

Finally?!

Lin Changheng was somewhat stunned.

It had only been three years, right? It seemed like it was even less than that, and she had already broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining? A middle-grade spirit root with fifty strands of spiritual rhyme was truly terrifying!

But on second thought, Mo Zhaoli had the full support of her own grandfather, Master Mo, a middle-grade alchemist, as well as the resources she had fought for within the Purple Extreme Sect...

Calculated this way, breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining in less than three years was quite reasonable.

"It seems Mo Zhaoli is only about twenty-three years old now, right? Tsk tsk, already at the sixth level of Qi Refining; her future is truly promising."

In this cultivation world, it was generally believed that if one could break through to the late stage of Qi Refining before the age of forty, the probability of Foundation Establishment later on would be quite high.

If one could reach it before thirty, the probability of Foundation Establishment could be called substantial.

This was because there would be enough time to calmly polish the bottleneck, accumulate strength to break through, and even seek out a Foundation Establishment Pill.

With thorough preparations, the probability would naturally be higher.

If one had not touched the Foundation Establishment bottleneck by their fifties, there was basically no hope.

Not to mention the lack of preparation time left for Foundation Establishment, the decline of vitality and the decay of the physical body were massive obstacles on the path to Foundation Establishment, difficult to overcome.

Following this, Mo Zhaoli made a request.

She asked Lin Changheng to visit Master Mo on her behalf from time to time.

She explained that her grandfather had been somewhat depressed recently due to the recent death of a close friend within the clan, something she could glimpse from the letters he sent her.

She assumed he had been dealt a significant blow.

Out of concern, and unable to be by her grandfather's side to keep him company, Mo Zhaoli made this request.

"A close friend in the clan recently passed away?"

Lin Changheng naturally would not refuse; in terms of reason, emotion, and righteousness, he ought to go.

However, he truly had not noticed this. He and Master Mo had crossed paths outside the alchemy room several times, and on the surface, Master Mo's state seemed normal and unchanged.

There was no way to perceive it.

At the end of the letter, Mo Zhaoli mentioned an important piece of information closely related to the Xu Family.

But it did not concern the Xu Family; it concerned the Chen Family!

The letter stated that the Chen Family had been constantly trying to curry favor within the Purple Extreme Sect, bringing generous gifts to plead for support.

It was most likely an attempt to deal with the Xu Family and gain an advantage in the Wilderness valleys.

However, no one within the Purple Extreme Sect responded to this.

It was not that they lacked desire, but the sect had issued strict warnings, repeatedly emphasizing that its disciples were to act as coordinators and managers of the Land Reclamation, not to intervene and become a link in the chain of interests, constrained by greed and swept up by profit.

One must first position oneself correctly to prevent such corruption!

"Currently, the Chen Family is unwilling to accept this and is suspected of turning to the aristocratic clans. It is unclear how that situation is developing. The Xu Family should prepare their countermeasures early."

"I have already spoken to my grandfather about this matter."

Lin Changheng looked at the elegant, delicate handwriting on the letter, knowing full well that this woman felt no sense of belonging to the Xu Family; she only cared for them out of love for her grandfather.

Therefore, it was not easy for the Xu Family to ask her for favors.

Moreover, Mo Zhaoli was still growing, and she might not yet have much of a say within the sect.

He raised his brush to write a reply.

He not only agreed to visit Master Mo but also shared his own recent situation.

He mentioned that he was occasionally able to refine fine-quality pills, showing progress in his alchemy, and that his own cultivation had broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

He also stated clearly that the Xu Family was currently mired in the quagmire of war, and since he was not skilled in combat, it was better for him to focus on alchemy.

The implication was a request for Mo Zhaoli to keep the latter a secret.

The intentional disclosure of this information was the result of careful deliberation by Lin Changheng.

His goal was to increase his own weight.

Being able to refine fine-quality pills meant he had the potential to become a first-rank mid-grade alchemist.

Since he had been a ranked alchemist for nearly four years, it was appropriate to reveal a thing or two.

It was not shocking, merely a sign of modest talent.

In a few days, he would also sell a few fine-quality pills to the Hundred Treasures Hall for the first time, gaining more importance within the Xu Family.

Only in this way would he have the opportunity to get his hands on the Xu Family's mid-grade alchemy secrets.

Next, he would simply wait for the tides of time to change.

That was something beyond his control.

Lin Changheng's dual improvement in alchemy and cultivation also prevented the gap between him and Mo Zhaoli from widening further.

Without contact, relying solely on past sentiments was not enough.

Temporarily adding "interests" with a promising future could alleviate this.

As the distance in status grows, the one of lower standing loses their voice and their importance diminishes—this is the inevitable result of complex human nature.

Although Mo Zhaoli had broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining this time, the gap was actually narrowing.

Lin Changheng did not want to become a relic of nostalgia; he needed to be treated as an equal. To obtain shared information, it was necessary to appropriately flex his muscles.

Only in this way could he continue to receive information from the Purple Extreme Sect. After all, the Purple Extreme Sect was a Core Formation sect and a hegemon of the region; by borrowing their perspective, he could glimpse the grand trends and plan accordingly.

That afternoon.

After finishing his alchemy, Lin Changheng went straight to the Hundred Treasures Hall.

"Alchemist Lin, here to sell pills again?"

The manager, Xu Xuyang, eyes lit up, his handlebar mustache trembling slightly as he hurried out to greet him. This was a big client.

Whether it was selling pills or buying magical artifacts and formations, he never blinked an eye.

"Senior, take a look at these pills."

Lin Changheng remained noncommittal as he pushed forward a box of pills.

"Wait a moment."

Xu Xuyang took out an identification artifact that resembled a bronze mirror and shone it over the pills one by one.

It identified them based on the differences in their medicinal aura.

Lin Changheng watched with a smile.

The surface of the bronze mirror flashed with a yellow light, proving these were standard-quality pills.

Just as he was about to finish, the mirror suddenly shuddered, and a trace of golden light flashed across it.

"Eh? What is this?"