The raider cultivators' methods were brutal, provoking the wrath of men and gods alike.
In the name of an ally, the Qiu Family sternly condemned them, its words righteous and uncompromising, and swore to avenge the Chen Family's bloody slaughter.
Sure enough, it killed a band of raider cultivators and used their heads as offerings on an altar at the Chen Family estate for three months.
Afterward, it took the opportunity to remain in Purple Maple Bay, showing no sign of leaving.
The Xu Family had already assembled its forces to occupy the place, only for this to happen before it could act.
Moreover, rumors spread outside that the Xu Family had exterminated the Chen Family, refusing to spare even the old and weak.
The senior members could not help gritting their teeth and cursing the Qiu Family.
Most likely, the Qiu Family had deliberately steered public opinion to smear them. After all, friction between the two families had persisted for a long time. It claimed the raiders had been Xu Family members in disguise, while the Qiu Family had merely carried out heaven's justice.
After piecing everything together, the Xu Family concluded that these raider cultivators had very likely been Qiu Family members in disguise-the thief crying "Catch the thief!"-using revenge as a pretext to seize the Chen Family's territory.
Yesterday's allies could turn against one another at a moment's notice. Such was the cruel backdrop of cultivation.
And that was indeed what had happened.
The Qiu Family had been persuaded by the Chen Family because the latter had promised to give it seventy percent of the valley's Spirit Land.
Later, when its forces rushed out, they encountered the Liu Family, which had two Foundation Establishment cultivators. After a brief standoff, the Qiu Family simply withdrew.
It had only intended to fight with the wind at its back and crush a weaker opponent. Faced with a family whose reserves ran deeper than its own, it had not the slightest intention of attacking.
It promptly abandoned its promise and left, watching the Chen Family fall.
Yet those within the Qiu Family were deeply displeased. All that preparation and effort had yielded nothing.
Thus, they set their sights on Purple Maple Bay and staged this entire spectacle themselves.
The overall situation was settled. Though there had been a few surprises, the entire Xu Family remained steeped in the joy of victory.
Its own people had fought bitterly from start to finish, only to give away half the gains for nothing.
It felt terrible, but they could only grit their teeth and accept it.
In the end, a Qi Refining family's reserves were still lacking.
Next came the valley's large-scale development. Under the Upper Sect's rules, however, the Xu Family still had to send cultivators out to continue frontier reclamation and exploration.
The Xu Family's focus remained on the valley, while its exploration efforts stayed cautious and steady.
Lin Changheng also breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere of an approaching storm had finally subsided.
Just then, he sensed something and hurried back into his room to activate the [Spirit Gathering Array]. Wisps of spiritual energy converged at the formation's center, like smoke and mist.
He then sat cross-legged in meditation. He had sensed an opportunity to break through!
At the same time, he held two Spirit Stones in his hands.
The "Lihuo Night-Illuminating Art," which had advanced from the practiced realm to [proficiency], immediately began circulating. The dense spiritual energy within the array was drawn into the meridians throughout his body like a great whale swallowing water.
Then, guided by this incomplete high-grade cultivation method, his spiritual power surged like mighty rivers, circulating through a full cycle and being refined strand by strand.
This continued until the sun sank in the west.
Lin Changheng tightened his grip, shattering the Spirit Stones. Their spiritual power was swiftly extracted, turning into two streaks of light that plunged into his body.
Suddenly, a crisp crack rang out within him, as though some shackle had been broken.
The spiritual energy in the Spirit Gathering Array abruptly seethed, forming a small vortex that enveloped him.
Lin Changheng felt his mind become perfectly clear. The magical power stored in his dantian swelled, and his five senses instantly grew exceptionally keen. He could even clearly discern the paths of falling leaves outside the room.
"It worked!"
Qi Refining fifth layer!
Delighted, Lin Changheng still drained the remaining energy from the Spirit Stones before slowly ending his cultivation and rising.
He was thirty-six, nearly thirty-seven, and had only now broken through to the Qi Refining fifth layer.
Overall, his progress had been far too slow, but measured by the time taken to advance through this single layer, it was no longer slow.
It was simply that the first thirty years of his life had been frittered away for various reasons-his comprehension, spiritual roots, depleted essence blood, and more.
But it was not too late yet!
Although he could no longer reach Late Qi Refining before forty, the more favorable age threshold, Lin Changheng still did not feel particularly anxious.
For one thing, anxiety was useless;
For another, once he mastered the [lifespan extension talent] of some turtle-type Demon Beast, his lifespan would increase to a certain extent...
In a sense, extending the length of his life also meant turning back his age.
Could the middle-aged stage of a hundred-year lifespan and that of a two-hundred-year lifespan fall at the same age?
That was true in theory, but it still required concrete verification.
Lin Changheng had always been exceedingly cautious.
In fact, the "Lihuo Night-Illuminating Art" had broken past the practiced realm, where it had been stuck for so long, and entered the proficiency realm thanks to the comprehension boost from the [origin treasure seed-second tier].
Around three months earlier, the [origin treasure seed] Lin Changheng had awaited for so long had finally succeeded in another spirit seizure.
[Origin treasure seed-second tier] [Spirit seizure: 6/100]
It had also accumulated six new points of progress.
Its effects had transformed as a result.
[Refined: Heaven-bestowed insight-flash of inspiration] [Effect: Occasionally enter a state of sudden enlightenment, gaining insight into elementary spells and skills]
He had not even needed to test it deliberately before its effects appeared.
The difficult points and crucial subtleties of the "Lihuo Night-Illuminating Art" that had barred him from [proficiency],
he had merely thought through them from the beginning against the original cultivation text, sorting everything out once, and they had soon yielded as readily as bamboo splitting before a blade. It was a wondrous feeling of "understanding without even needing a hint."
"Sure enough, the gap in comprehension between one person and another is greater than the gap between a person and a domesticated beast."
"No wonder some people pore over the classics until their hair turns white without ever glimpsing the entrance, while others need only a flash of inspiration to ascend the hall and enter its inner mysteries."
With a sigh of wonder,
he removed the jade slip from his forehead. In the courtyard, the night breeze rustled the old tree's remaining leaves, like a clear melody ringing out to mark his ascent.
Not only that, during another attempt to refine the mid-grade [Water Fungus Pill], Lin Changheng suddenly entered a wondrous state. Only when an extraordinary fragrance drifted from the furnace did he come to his senses...
The pill that had always eluded him had actually succeeded.
"Could this be the 'sudden enlightenment' mentioned in its effects?"
Lin Changheng quickly understood.
He immediately quieted his mind to capture that earlier feeling, that state, committing it firmly to memory before analyzing it and trying to understand and reproduce it.
Five days later.
He successfully refined the pills again.
This also meant that Lin Changheng had fully mastered the method of refining the [Water Fungus Pill], entering the ranks of first-tier mid-grade pill masters.
"What a pity I wasted more than twenty sets of ingredients for the [Water Fungus Pill]..."
The crucial point was that the [Water Fungus Pill] formula did not involve Demon Beast essence blood, which was why things had turned out this way.
Otherwise, he could have gained another type of treasure seed as well.
Moreover, the "Secret Notes of the Great Harmony Pill Scroll" recorded only this single pill formula.
"I really do need to make a trip outside."
Lin Changheng sighed.
He truly did not want to go out, but he had to-he needed to put his mid-grade Pill Dao skills to use while avoiding exposure.
On top of that, he had to sell his accumulated pills, obtain new mid-grade pill formulas, acquire essence blood from new Demon Beasts...
All these matters awaited his attention.
Fortunately, his cultivation had now reached the fifth layer. He had many Premium Talismans and a mid-grade magic artifact for protection, as well as the [Fire-Control Art-Transcendent Mastery] to enhance his Fireball Technique, two low-grade offensive magic artifacts to attack with, and the [Earth Escape Art-Path-Peeking] to flee for his life.
The world outside had also grown somewhat calmer, with no powerful enemy like the Chen Family lurking nearby.
He could try traveling with a Xu Family caravan now.
The risks were still manageable.