Taking Charge of Family Affairs

Several days later.

Deep within the Lin Residence, in a secluded courtyard.

Lin Hai sat at a stone table in a dark teal brocade robe, leisurely sipping tea.

Footsteps sounded outside. A handsome young man entered the courtyard—it was Lin Chen.

His aura was restrained, yet a lightness unlike before showed in his steps, a sign of spiritual energy flowing naturally through him.

"Father."

Lin Chen bowed respectfully.

Lin Hai set down his teacup and studied him for a moment, looking pleased. "Your aura is solid and your spiritual energy flows smoothly. It seems your realm has stabilized."

"It's thanks to the Essence Condensation Pill you gave me."

Lin Chen answered frankly.

Without the pill steadying his nascent Qi Sea at the critical moment, his breakthrough might truly have fallen apart at the final hurdle.

Then he would have had to spend another year at the tenth level of the Body Tempering Realm before trying again.

Lin Hai nodded slightly. Rather than dwell on the matter, he asked, "Now that you've reached the Spirit Martial Realm, family rules allow you to take charge of an assignment. Is there one you have in mind?"

He paused, then continued.

"The family has quite a few businesses, each with its own demands."

"Every three months, for example, the Lin Family sends a caravan to the capital of Cloud Province. A Spirit Martial Realm cultivator must accompany it as a guard against bandits. The journey is hard, but it broadens your horizons and hones your skills. Many of the family's young disciples favor it."

"There's also Laiyoufu Grand Restaurant on Kaiyang City's East Street, another important family business."

"It draws all sorts of people and takes in money hand over fist. Occasionally, though, martial artists cause trouble, so someone must be there to keep order. It isn't particularly dangerous inside the city, but handling its many daily concerns would test your patience."

"Or you could join the family hunting team. Going deep into the Vast Mountains to hunt beasts and search for precious herbs wouldn't be a bad choice either."

Having named several options, Lin Hai looked at Lin Chen and waited for his decision.

Lin Chen appeared to consider them, though he had already made up his mind.

Guarding a caravan? It sounded good, and the family's young disciples liked the assignment. But it meant traveling a long way, and meeting a powerful enemy on the road would carry no small risk.

Keeping order at the restaurant? Dealing with all manner of townsfolk every day would bring too many distractions and eat into his cultivation time. Lin Chen still wanted to study the Thunderlight Sword Technique while his idle training ran, so that was hardly his first choice.

As for joining the hunting team and fighting on the front line? That needed even less consideration.

These thoughts flashed through his mind.

Lin Chen raised his head and said evenly, "Father, I'd like to go to the Herb Garden."

"Oh?"

Lin Hai raised an eyebrow, surprise flickering in his eyes. "So that's the place you had your eye on."

The Herb Garden lay west of Kaiyang City, in a valley backed by a branch of the Vast Mountains.

The land there was unusual. Its soil held a faint trace of spiritual energy, and Spirit Herbs planted in it grew far faster than they did elsewhere.

According to family records, a Spirit Herb cultivated there for one year reached the age it would take two and a half years to attain outside the garden!

For that reason, the Lin Family had built an estate at the foot of the mountains and sent family members to tend it. Some of the Spirit Herbs grown there went to the family's disciples for cultivation; others were traded for resources.

Lin Chen had his own reasons for choosing the place.

Managing the Herb Garden involved little trouble.

On most days, he would only need to guard against the occasional low-level beast wandering down from the mountains and oversee the garden's affairs.

There, Lin Chen could cultivate in peace and steadily grow stronger without worrying about being swept up in some unexpected conflict.

After all, idle training in Miasma Forest took time.

"Elder Lin Song is currently stationed at the Herb Garden," Lin Hai said slowly.

"He's one of the most senior elders in our family. His cultivation has remained at the Sixth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm for years, and lately he's been cultivating in seclusion, hoping to advance. Come to think of it, the garden does need a manager."

He glanced at Lin Chen and went on:

"If that's where you want to go, then go. But Elder Lin Song dislikes noise. Once you're there, don't disturb his secluded cultivation..."

Lin Hai paused.

"One more thing. Managing the Herb Garden doesn't pay many Spirit Stones, but custom allows you to take some Spirit Herbs each year to aid your cultivation. The family tacitly permits it. As long as you don't go too far, they generally turn a blind eye. Once you arrive, there's no need to ask questions. Just accept them."

Lin Chen's heart stirred. He immediately understood what his father meant.

This was probably the hidden benefit of managing the Herb Garden.

After all, Spirit Herbs were the one thing the garden never lacked.

"I understand."

Lin Chen replied.

He was no stickler for rules. Besides, receiving a few Spirit Herbs each year for his cultivation would be a good thing.

Lin Hai nodded, then asked:

"Now that you're in the Spirit Martial Realm, what cultivation art do you plan to practice? Cultivating spiritual energy is different from Body Tempering. With the right art to guide it, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"I plan to visit the family's Martial Pavilion first, then decide," Lin Chen answered.

The Eight Extremes Fist was only an art for tempering the body in the Body Tempering Realm. It could neither circulate energy through the body nor refine spiritual energy.

Now that his Qi Sea had begun to form, he did need a main cultivation art suited to the Spirit Martial Realm.

Lin Hai thought for a moment. "The Martial Pavilion holds more than a dozen Spirit Martial Realm arts, each with its own strengths. You're steady by nature and dislike rushing into things. One art comes to mind..."

He tipped his head back slightly, as if searching his memory:

"I believe it was called the Evergreen Art. An ancestor found it at an ancient site long ago."

"It's only a mid-tier Spirit Grade art, but it builds a firm foundation and produces rich, enduring spiritual energy. It also offers considerable benefits for longevity."

"More importantly, the Evergreen Art is highly compatible with other arts. If you obtain a higher-level art someday, switching to it should be relatively easy."

At those words, Lin Chen's heart stirred.

He knew his own potential. His future would certainly not be confined to the Lin Family.

An art that could carry him steadily to a higher realm while paving the way for a change later did seem like a fine choice.

"Thank you for the guidance, Father," Lin Chen said.

Lin Hai waved a hand.

"The choice of art is yours to make."

"Go on, then. I'll speak to Elder Lin Song about the Herb Garden. After that, you can head there yourself."

"Yes."

Lin Chen bowed and left the courtyard.

The morning breeze passed through, rustling the old tree in the courtyard.

Lin Hai picked up his now-lukewarm tea and took a small sip, then shook his head.

The Herb Garden... A clever choice. But without the will to struggle, how can he advance boldly along the martial path?

Lin Hai's thinking was not wrong.

After all, who could have imagined that someone was actually cheating?

Ah, well.

Cultivating in peace is fine too. At least it carries little risk.

After all, he reached the Spirit Martial Realm before turning twenty. Perhaps my son truly is a heaven-gifted genius...