Although he did not know exactly where his ancestor's confidence came from, Lin Changge inexplicably felt his own passions surge and his blood boil!
Though he was a mortal, if he could follow the ancestor and build up the Lin Household together with him, spreading its mighty reputation and influence... across the vast land,
Then, centuries or even a millennium from now, his name would also be written into the Lin Household's history, to be celebrated and remembered by generations to come!
"Rest assured, ancestor. This junior will work diligently and devote myself heart and soul to the Lin Household, even if I must die ten thousand deaths!"
Gazing at Lin Xiye, Lin Changge spoke with the utmost respect.
His voice held ambition and lofty aspirations!!
He would follow the ancestor and forge a truly glorious, flourishing Lin Household!
Satisfied with Lin Changge's attitude, Lin Xiye nodded. Then, seated atop the giant ferocious tiger, he drifted away, leaving only his aged voice echoing between heaven and earth.
"Do not disappoint me."
"Although you have no Spirit Root and cannot walk the path of cultivation, as long as you contribute to the Lineage, I promise you this: in the years to come... I will grant you a way to live longer!"
"Not just you. Everyone who contributes to the Lineage, whether of my Lin bloodline or an armored guard or household servant, will never be treated unfairly by the Lin Household."
As Lin Xiye's voice faded, the many members of the Lin Household, including the household servants and armored guards... were all reinvigorated!!
To the Lin Household's elders and higher-ups, the "way to extend life" Lin Xiye spoke of was simply irresistible!
They held power, wealth, and status, so naturally they wanted to live longer.
As for the Lin Household's servants and armored guards, with the ancestor Lin Xiye's promise... as long as they continued to render meritorious service in the future, they could steadily rise in status and even join the Lin Household's upper ranks!
It could be said that with just a few words, Lin Xiye had raised the unity of the entire Lin Household to a whole new level.
This was the art of management!!
Of course, Lin Xiye was not making empty promises either.
Although he could not yet give mortals a "way to extend life," once he broke through to the Spirit Nourishing Realm, he could mobilize Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and begin trying to refine some basic pills.
Pills that could extend a mortal's life by several years, or even more than a decade, were not very difficult to refine, and the materials used were usually of ordinary value as well...
As for the household servants, armored guards... and the Lin Household's vassals, those who needed to be won over had to be won over! Those who needed to be given dignity had to be given ample dignity!
Only by employing both kindness and authority and giving them sufficient benefits would they identify with and support the Lin Household!!
After returning to his small courtyard, Lin Xiye casually assigned the giant ferocious tiger a room, then turned and went back to his secret chamber.
When the Zhao Household's third elder had arrived outside Qiao Town earlier, Lin Xiye had faintly sensed signs that he was about to break through to Mid-stage Bone Refining!
It had to be said that the cultivation speed of a Profound-grade Spirit Root was far beyond anything a False Spirit Root could compare to!
After obtaining the Profound-grade Spirit Root, Lin Xiye had broken through one stage after another, encountering almost no cultivation bottlenecks...
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Lin Xiye gradually set aside the distracting thoughts in his mind and became completely tranquil.
With each breath Lin Xiye took, faint Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi flowed into his body, tempering every bone within him.
On the path of immortal cultivation, sixty years passed unnoticed; in the blink of an eye, several days had gone by.
While Lin Xiye frantically increased his strength, advancing step by step toward a breakthrough to the Organ Refining Realm, within the Zhao Household's grounds in Zichuan City, which covered dozens of li,
The Zhao Household's many higher-ups gathered in a magnificent hall.
Even the first elder, a cultivator at the Late-stage Bone Refining Realm whose strength ranked second in the Zhao Household, had come in person!
The atmosphere in the hall was rather strange.
The Zhao Household patriarch, dressed in a splendid robe and bearing an air of nobility, sat upright in the main seat.
Holding a golden wooden staff that symbolized his authority, he looked at the Zhao Household's higher-ups with a worried expression and slowly spoke,
"It has been several days since the third elder went to Qiao Town, and he has yet to return..."
"Elders, what do you all make of this?"
As soon as the Zhao Household patriarch finished speaking, a Zhao Household elder at Mid-stage Blood Refining slowly rose and said dismissively,
"You worry too much, patriarch. That Lin Household ancestor is nothing but a good-for-nothing at Mid-stage Blood Refining with a False Spirit Root."
"Back then, if the Lin Household had not possessed an Immortal Ascension Token, how would he have been qualified to enter the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect to cultivate?"
"Besides, he is already a hundred and ten years old, and his Qi and Blood have declined throughout his body... He is no threat to the third elder!"
"Even taking ten thousand steps back, supposing he has some trump cards, the third elder could still leave at his leisure even if he proved no match for him..."
"In my opinion, the third elder has probably already taken Qiao Town and is tying up loose ends, which is why he has yet to return."
Hearing this, quite a few Zhao Household elders chimed in,
"The seventh elder is absolutely right!"
"Qiao Town is a full seven hundred li from our Zichuan City! If the third elder were alone, he could make the round trip in half a day."
"But those armored guards are martial artists and mortals... The journey there and back would take five or six days."
"Perhaps the third elder is already on his way back as we speak."
"Of course, if you are still worried, patriarch, you could send an elder to Qiao Town to investigate."
As the elders all talked at once, the Zhao Household patriarch grew increasingly worried.
He had a faint feeling that something had most likely happened to the third elder!!
Even if the third elder had taken Qiao Town without a hitch and needed to stay there to tie up loose ends, he would have sent someone back to Zichuan City with a message.
But now... no messenger had returned at all.
"Second elder, sorry for the trouble, but please make a trip to Qiao Town."
"If our Zhao Household's third elder really has come to harm in Qiao Town... our Zhao Household will surely wash the Lin Household in blood!!"
As he spoke, a vicious glint flashed in the Zhao Household patriarch's eyes.
"Yes, patriarch!"
Upon receiving the order, the Zhao Household's second elder left the hall without hesitation, then became a blur and sped straight out of Zichuan City.
The Zhao Household had seventeen immortal cultivators in total.
Of those, ten were at the Skin Refining Realm! Three were at the Blood Refining Realm! Three were at the Bone Refining Realm! One was at the Organ Refining Realm!
The Zhao Household's first elder, second elder, and patriarch were all cultivators at the Bone Refining Realm!
Within a thousand li of Zichuan City, only the Zhao Household had so many immortal cultivators!!
There was nothing to be done about it. The requirements to become an immortal cultivator were simply too demanding!
Under normal circumstances, perhaps only one or two people in ten thousand mortals possessed a Spirit Root!
And even among immortal cultivators who possessed Spirit Roots, most had only False Spirit Roots! Those with False Spirit Roots would find it difficult to cultivate to the Bone Refining Realm even if they exhausted their entire lives.
Within a thousand li of Zichuan City, there were around a million mortals, while the number of local immortal cultivators was at most two or three hundred.
And most cultivators were at the very bottom, in the Body Tempering Skin Refining Realm!
The immortal path was hard, harder than climbing to the heavens!
Even if the cultivators of the world gave their all, they would struggle to take even half a step forward. So-called geniuses... were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Inside a secret chamber on the Lin Household grounds, Lin Xiye's cultivation realm rose once again after several days of secluded cultivation!
Even Lin Xiye had not expected that, with the aid of the century-old Spirit Tempering Grass and his Profound-grade Spirit Root, he would cross two minor realms in succession and break straight through to the Late-stage Bone Refining Realm!
However, after reaching the Late-stage Bone Refining Realm, his cultivation speed had noticeably slowed.
The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi on the Lin Household grounds was simply too thin.
After he had used up the medicinal power of the century-old Spirit Tempering Grass, the cultivation environment on the Lin Household grounds could hardly support Lin Xi in making further breakthroughs...