The Lin Lineage's Legacy

Night fell.

In a rather lavish room in the rear courtyard of the Lin residence.

Xu Yan sat upright at an Eight Immortals table. He had just inspected the entire room and only sat down after finding nothing amiss.

After his cultivation reached the second layer of Qi Refining, his heightened senses had grown increasingly keen. He could detect movement within several dozen meters. Though they were not as wondrous as divine sense, they were still far beyond anything an ordinary mortal possessed.

The night gradually deepened.

He sat motionless at the table. Before him, a candle as thick as an infant's arm had already burned down by more than half.

Only after confirming that the old man and the girl dressed in red had fallen asleep did he slowly take the mask and Storage Bag from inside his robe.

The mask interested him most, so he intended to study it carefully first.

He gently picked it up and slowly put it on his face.

The instant his face touched the mask, he felt a faint chill. Then the mask fitted itself snugly over his entire face.

Xu Yan felt along the edges where the mask met his face and found not the slightest gap, as though it had naturally grown there.

More wondrous still, as he slowly channeled his magic power, the mask seemed to melt, merging with his face.

Marveling at the mask, Xu Yan slowly rose and walked toward a bronze mirror in the room.

He soon reached the mirror. Just as he had expected, an utterly unfamiliar face appeared in it, looking like that of a middle-aged man.

Xu Yan felt a flicker of delight at the sight. He guessed that the Lin lineage's rogue cultivator ancestor had used this mask to disguise himself.

With a thought, the mask slipped naturally off his face, and he carefully tucked it inside his robe. He had a feeling it would prove very useful in his hands.

After putting the mask away, he took out the Storage Bag passed down by the Lin lineage's ancestor.

The Storage Bag before him radiated an azure glow. It looked considerably better than the Golden Light Daoist's, and since it had remained intact for several hundred years, it was probably the sort that could be used for a long time.

As Xu Yan sent a strand of magic power into it, the azure-glowing Storage Bag slowly opened.

He was excited, curious about what the Lin lineage's ancestor had left behind. Still, knowing that the ancestor had been a rogue cultivator like the Golden Light Daoist, he did not hold out much hope. He only wished his haul would surpass the Golden Light Daoist's remaining treasures.

Soon, Xu Yan finished taking stock of the Storage Bag's contents.

"Fifteen low-grade Qi Gathering Pills."

"One first-tier, low-grade cultivation art, the Nine Fires Art. Unfortunately, it only allows cultivation up to the seventh layer of Qi Refining."

"Over a dozen first-tier, low-grade Spirit Herbs. Perhaps they've been stored too long. They've all withered."

"Twenty-three low-grade spirit stones."

"Five sheets of Talisman Paper."

These were all ordinary items. What surprised Xu Yan most was the crimson bronze furnace in the Storage Bag, which emitted a faint glow. It was probably a first-tier magic artifact Pill Furnace. Aside from that, there was a Complete Guide to the Pill Dao and a set of cultivation notes made from some unknown beast's hide.

"It seems the Lin lineage's ancestor was an alchemist!"

Looking at the contents of the Storage Bag, Xu Yan arrived at this conclusion.

He quickly picked up the Complete Guide to the Pill Dao. After leafing through it, he confirmed that it was indeed a pill dao legacy. It contained only the most basic knowledge, mostly methods for refining first-tier pills, and even recorded medicinal prescriptions used by mortals.

It seemed to be an exceedingly ordinary legacy.

Yet Xu Yan's eyes lit up. Alchemy was a relatively prestigious profession among cultivators, ranking among the top three of the hundred cultivation arts.

If he could become an alchemist, he could earn Spirit Stones quickly. Otherwise, obtaining resources as a mere rogue cultivator would be far too difficult.

With that thought, Xu Yan took the cultivation notes from the Storage Bag and slowly opened them.

These cultivation notes were more like an autobiography. Besides recording the life of the Lin lineage's rogue cultivator, they contained his insights into cultivation and alchemy. Xu Yan felt as though he had found a priceless treasure and began reading carefully.

"I am Lin Dao, a disciple under Jade Peak of Medicine King Valley. Alas, I violated the sect's rules. Although my cultivation was not crippled, my master expelled me from Jade Peak, and I was forbidden from using Medicine King Valley's spells for the rest of my life."

This was the opening of the cultivation notes. The old man had introduced himself, presumably for the younger descendants of his lineage to read. Now, however, Xu Yan was the one benefiting.

Xu Yan had little interest in this and continued turning the pages.

"My aptitude was poor. Though I received my master's pill dao legacy, even after sixty years I remained only a first-tier alchemist. Countless furnaces exploded during my pill refining, so I mostly used first-tier magic artifact Pill Furnaces."

"Thus, although I was an alchemist, I have little cultivation wealth to leave my descendants. I am deeply ashamed."

The passages that followed were interspersed with his cultivation insights, all of which Xu Yan quickly skimmed.

Only the final passage caught his attention.

"The countless furnace explosions were all caused by unstable flames within the Pill Furnace. Each explosion was immensely powerful. Had I not prepared beforehand, I would have suffered grievous injuries, if not death. This gave me an idea: could I refine a Pill capable of containing the power of flames, then detonate it at a critical moment to produce the same effect as an exploding furnace?"

"To this end, I conducted several decades of research and finally achieved a breakthrough as the end of my lifespan approached. By using a Space Stone as the core, supplemented with red sand, blackstone, iron essence, and other materials, and refining them through alchemical methods, it should be possible to produce a Pill capable of containing flames. Yet I fear I have no time left to put this into practice. Should a descendant of my lineage possess a spiritual root and inherit my mantle, I hope they will test this on my behalf."

The cultivation notes ended there. The Lin lineage's ancestor had probably reached the end of his lifespan.

Quietly closing the cultivation notes, Xu Yan felt considerable excitement.

If the old man's account was accurate, he could obtain a devastating weapon.

According to his idea, he would refine the Pill described by the old man, seal a compressed Redfire Burning Art spell inside it in advance, then detonate it when facing an enemy...

Moreover, since the spell would be sealed inside beforehand, he would not need to expend his own magic power when fighting another cultivator. Xu Yan grew secretly excited. This would be an ideal weapon for killing people and plundering their possessions.

But he soon calmed down.

Lin Dao had never refined such a Pill himself. Everything was merely conjecture. Even if it could be made, how much power it would unleash remained unknown.

Nevertheless, Xu Yan had already regarded the Pill Lin Dao described as one of his hidden trump cards.

I must learn alchemy, then try refining this Pill!

Xu Yan silently made his decision, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. He still remembered the faces of the short young man and the scar-faced man. Once he was strong enough, he would definitely kill them both.

However, to learn alchemy, he first needed to develop divine sense.

"It looks like I can only attempt alchemy once I reach the third layer of Qi Refining."

Xu Yan sighed softly. The night was already late, and he prepared to rest.

Just as he was about to rest, fluctuations of magic power came from nearby, making his entire body tense.