Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Inside Lin Yu's apartment.

Inside the Taoist study, the statue of the Pure Source Wondrous Dao True Lord exuded a peaceful and reassuring aura, dispelling the chill brought back from the outside world.

Beside the statue's base, the cracks on the [Soaring Eagle] eggshell had noticeably increased, resembling a dense spiderweb. The powerful life force within it beat like a drum, foreshadowing the imminent hatching of a new life.

At this moment, Lin Yu was engaging in "pseudo-cultivation" with his shadow clone.

Discarding distracting thoughts, Lin Yu focused his mind on his body and began to draw spiritual energy from the outside world according to the most basic Qi-drawing method recorded in the incomplete "Creating Animals Method".

The feeling was like dropping a drop of cold, dirty water mixed with sand and oil into a clear stream.

The moment the strange spiritual energy surged into his meridians, a familiar icy and sticky sensation came over him, accompanied by subtle yet deeply ingrained mad murmurs that disturbed his mind and made his meridians feel faintly stinging and sluggish.

He endured the extreme discomfort and used his powerful mental strength to precisely control the wisp of impure spiritual energy. Following the route recorded in the "Creating Animals Method," he circulated it for only one cycle. Before he could even produce any effect from the technique, he immediately severed the connection with the spiritual energy outside and stopped guiding it.

After repeating the process for about an hour, Lin Yu felt as if thousands of mosquitoes were buzzing incessantly in his mind.

He immediately reached for the water glass that had been prepared beforehand and drank the 50 ml of pure spring water in one gulp.

"Gulp..."

The spring water was sweet and refreshing, and an indescribable cool energy instantly swept through my body, like the most efficient and precise purifying storm. Wherever it passed, the intruding polluting spiritual energy melted away like ice and snow, and even those disturbing mental whispers were completely cleansed.

The body regained its clarity and lightness, the mind returned to clarity, and a faint, pure halo appeared on the body's surface—the [Purification] effect had been applied.

"Although the process was uncomfortable, the result is definitely effective and safe." Lin Yu carefully examined himself to confirm that there were no hidden dangers left in his meridians, magical power, or spirit, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

The core of this process lies in "micro-contact, instant purification," utilizing the powerful effects of the spiritual spring to remove contaminants before they cause substantial damage.

In the days that followed, Lin Yu entered an extremely tedious and monotonous, yet purposeful, cycle: drawing Qi into his body → circulating his cultivation technique → drinking spiritual spring water for purification → recovering → drawing Qi again…

With each cycle, his understanding of the characteristics of the eerie spiritual energy deepened, and his body and soul were passively strengthened by a slight "resistance" or "adaptability" in this repeated "pollution-purification" tug-of-war.

To be honest, in his current situation, it doesn't seem like he's practicing the "Creating Animals Technique," but rather undergoing a kind of "immunity" training against the spiritual energy environment of this world.

Soon, Lin Yu assigned this highly repetitive and risky task primarily to his shadow clone.

The shadow clone possesses all of his knowledge and skills, and is tireless. It can meticulously and strictly execute the safety procedures set by the original body, making it more efficient than the original body.

The liberated body, apart from necessary rest and eating to maintain optimal condition, also spends most of its time in the study.

He either devoted himself to cultivating the "Five Thunder Orthodox Method" and the "Heavenly Eye Technique" to improve his strength, or he flipped through the various ancient books he had collected from Jiangyuan City, which exuded a musty smell, trying to find scattered clues about ancient cultivators, purification methods, and even the truth of this world from the pile of old papers. Unfortunately, most of them were useless information, and he gained very little.

Time slips away quietly while you're focused.

Outside the apartment, the valley seemed to stand still through the seasons, with only the ceaseless roar of the waterfall.

Inside the apartment, Lin Yu's "cultivation" was progressing steadily.

[Note: Main quest "Seeking the Dao" completion status updated: Technique learning (1/1), cultivation reached Bronze level (65%/100%).]

[Note: Main quest "Seeking the Dao" completion status updated: Technique learning (1/1), cultivation reached Bronze level (89%/100%).]

……

Finally, after nearly a month in the "Seeking Immortality" world, as the shadow clone completed yet another flawless "absorption-purification" cycle, the long-awaited, cold system notification clearly resounded in Lin Yu's mind:

[Hint: Congratulations! You have successfully cultivated the "Livestock Creation Method" (incomplete) to the Bronze level!]

[Note: The main quest "Seeking the Dao" has been completed. You may choose to leave this game world and return to the player community at any time. (Note: You must exit the game in a safe zone; you cannot exit while in combat or in dangerous areas.)]

finished!

A tremendous sense of relief instantly swept over his entire body. Even with Lin Yu's temper honed through life and death, he couldn't help but exhale a long, thorough breath, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

This means that in this bizarre and dangerous world, he finally has the most fundamental guarantee—a way out that he can withdraw at any time.

However, this sense of ease lasted only a few breaths before being replaced by a larger and more tempting idea.

The thought flashed through his mind like lightning in the darkness the instant he finished his task and relaxed, instantly illuminating every corner of his thoughts.

Lin Yu suddenly remembered what the core difficulty of the main quest was.

It is the strange spiritual energy pollution that cannot be avoided when cultivating the techniques of this world! Countless players are trapped in this stage, either daring not to cultivate, or gradually going crazy and becoming mutated during cultivation.

And I possess the [Pure Spiritual Spring]!

The spiritual spring produces a stable 500 ml of water daily. Drinking 50 ml will grant you a one-hour "purification" effect. I relied on this unique method to safely "grind" my cultivation progress to the maximum!

What does this mean?

This means that the water of the [Pure Spirit Spring] is, for other elite players who are still struggling with quests, especially those who have the strength and resources but are stuck at the pollution threshold, a way to complete the main quest, or even... safely use the "True Law" of this world to cultivate and quickly improve their strength.

Admittedly, other players could not possess shadow clones and a large amount of spiritual spring water like him, allowing them to purify themselves immediately after only a short period of cultivation.

However, based on his own understanding, he realized that drinking from the spiritual spring did not need to be done so frequently.

A player with a strong will can directly cultivate the techniques of this world, and only drink from the spiritual spring to completely purify themselves when the pollution accumulates to near their own limit and they experience obvious discomfort.

In theory, under extreme circumstances, perhaps only 50 milliliters of spiritual spring water would be enough to help a player break through the bottleneck and complete the leap from Iron to Bronze.

Of course, this is an extreme case. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be many players with this kind of willpower.

This isn't just any spring water; it's clearly a monopolistic strategic resource, powerful enough to leverage the high-end player market across five neighborhoods—an unprecedented and enormous business opportunity.

Thinking of this, Lin Yu felt his heart startle uncontrollably and his blood feel slightly hot.

Huge amounts of game currency, rare materials, powerful skill cards, secret intelligence... all of this seems to be within reach.

But he quickly took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Behind every profit lies a deadly danger.

Possessing a treasure is a crime.

If the effects and source of the spiritual spring water were to be revealed, he would immediately become the target of public criticism.

At that time, he will likely face not only curiosity and greed, but also ruthless coveting and plundering.

Although he was confident in his strength, he was able to stand firm in the Gold tier thanks to his equipment, skills, and trump cards.

However, based on what he learned at the gathering of heroes, gold-level was far from the pinnacle in a certain community.

Even in a neighborhood like 9527, the waters run deep. He's at most standing on a certain level at the top of the pyramid; he's by no means invincible.

Therefore, taking it all for oneself is too risky.

He must find a partner—one who is strong enough, reputable, and capable of ensuring the security and confidentiality of the transaction.

Partners need to establish reliable channels to accurately deliver spring water to customers who genuinely need it and have the ability to pay, while effectively deterring and blocking those with ill intentions from spying on it.

My thoughts are gradually becoming clearer.

Weighing the pros and cons, screening candidates... finally, the target was locked in.

A gathering of heroes.

This is the only guild he has been in close contact with so far. Its strength and foundation are unclear, but it is definitely not weak. The guild leader, Xuan Cheng, gives him the feeling of being calm and wise, and the vice guild leader, [Craftsman], has even demonstrated amazing trading skills.

As a member, I have demonstrated sufficient strength and value, and have a certain degree of influence.

Most importantly, besides the Gathering of Heroes, he really doesn't have a more suitable option right now.

The brutality of the previous round of the game left him with almost no friends who had survived.

"That's it!" A decisive glint flashed in Lin Yu's eyes. Opportunities are fleeting; he had to seize them.

Without further hesitation, he contacted President Xuancheng directly through his friend list.

The information has been carefully considered to be concise and powerful:

"Guild Master, I have completed the main quest."

Almost instantly, a reply came from the other end, carrying just the right amount of praise: "Oh? Congratulations! Witcher, your efficiency far exceeds my expectations. It seems you've found a unique way to safely overcome the pollution crisis."

President Xuancheng's keen insight was exactly what Lin Yu had expected.

He seized the opportunity to continue, delivering his prepared explanation: "Yes, this is thanks to a special talent I possess. It can effectively purify the polluted energy introduced into the body during the cultivation of the 'True Method,' which I call the 'Purifying Spiritual Spring.'"

He attributed the spring to a "gift of nature," which explained the uniqueness of its origin while avoiding revealing the core secrets of the apartment facilities, making it more acceptable to the public.

After all, the diverse talents and abilities of players are part of the system's rules.

After the message was sent, there was a full minute of silence on the other end.

Lin Yu could imagine that at this moment, President Xuan Cheng's heart must be in turmoil, and he must be rapidly assessing the enormous impact and potential value of this news.

Sure enough, when the reply came again, President Xuancheng's tone had become more serious and solemn than ever before, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible excitement:

"Witcher, are you sure? Can this 'Purifying Spring' consistently achieve the effects you describe? Is its daily production really only 500 milliliters?"

"Absolutely certain." Lin Yu's answer was resolute. "I myself am the best proof. The daily output is a fixed 500 ml. Drinking 50 ml will give you a one-hour [Body Purification] effect, which is enough to support several safe cultivation attempts... (In addition, he elaborated on his speculation about the 'Extreme Cultivation Method')."

"...500 ml per day is enough to support 10 players in their crucial breakthrough training..."

Guild Master Xuancheng: "This is no ordinary resource, Demon Hunter. This is a strategic resource capable of influencing the fate of many players and even changing the current power structure of the five districts! So, you contacted me to inform me of this, hoping that..."

"Cooperation." Lin Yu didn't beat around the bush and directly presented the core plan: "I will be responsible for providing the spring water, 500 milliliters per day, and the union will be responsible for establishing a safe channel for sales."

Our target customers are elite players who have the financial means, an urgent need, and the ability to pay the price. I will ultimately take 80% of the profits.

He didn't mention that he would keep some for his own use, but that was an unspoken understanding.

As for the 80% split, Lin Yu believes it is entirely reasonable.

He provides unique and irreplaceable core resources, bearing the greatest risk of exposure.

The union provides channels, credibility, and some security guarantees, which are important, but not irreplaceable.

He has enough confidence to propose this ratio.

"Eighty percent..." President Xuancheng repeated, and almost without hesitation, immediately replied, "Okay."

His decisiveness made Lin Yu raise an eyebrow slightly, it seemed that the other party understood the value of the spring water far better than he had imagined.

"It's reasonable for the union to provide channels and manpower, and to bear the corresponding information and security risks, taking 20% ​​of the profits," President Xuancheng said with a clear mind.

"This matter is of great importance and must be kept absolutely confidential. I will have the Vice President of the 'Craftsmen' Association take full responsibility for liaising with you. She is in charge of the union's logistics, manufacturing, and the most core trading network, and her abilities are beyond question."

The specific pricing strategy, delivery method, and customer selection will be discussed and decided by the two of you.

The union will utilize all available resources to ensure your absolute safety and privacy, and that of the spring source.

"Okay, I trust the abilities of the [Craftsman] Vice President." Lin Yu was very satisfied with this arrangement. He had already personally experienced the abilities of that mysterious Vice President.

Not long after the call ended, a friend request came in from [Craftsman].

The communication between the two parties was surprisingly efficient.

The craftsman seemed to have already learned the details from the chairman, and without any pleasantries, went straight to the point.

In just a few words, the details of the collaboration were quickly finalized:

Supply: Lin Yu provides 500 ml of "purifying spiritual spring" daily.

Delivery: The same mysterious elven messenger will be used for instant delivery across space, which is the core element to ensure Lin Yu's concealment.

Pricing: The initial trial price is 200 game coins per 50 ml of spring water.

This price is enough to filter out most ordinary players, targeting only the true elites.

They also accept equivalent hard currency such as rare materials and skill cards that have been certified by the guild.

Sales: The union is responsible for finding, screening and contacting buyers, giving priority to supplying core members of the Heroes' Guild and friendly forces with long-term cooperation.

Revenue: 80% of the sales revenue goes to Lin Yu, and settlements are made every three days.

Lin Yu can choose to receive game currency directly, or exchange it for various materials he designates from the guild's inventory.

The agreement was reached, and the cooperation officially began.

The "Purifying Spirit Spring" was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake. Although it was not made public, it quickly stirred up huge undercurrents and tremors in the most elite circle of the five districts.

What does it mean to be able to safely access and utilize the dangerous and powerful "True Law" of this world? It means that one can quickly complete the main quest that has stuck countless people.

This means that a shortcut to safely cultivate and rapidly improve in this realm may be found, and it means gaining a huge advantage in the upcoming game and possible confrontations.

The price of 200 game coins per 50 ml did not deter potential buyers; on the contrary, its scarcity and effectiveness quickly made the "Purifying Spring" a symbol of power and status.

As soon as the spring water is released through the channels of the "craftsmen," it is immediately snapped up by big shots or their agents who have heard the news.

Lin Yu's game currency balance began to jump and surge at an unprecedented speed.

At the same time, all sorts of rare materials that had never been released before, high-quality skill cards, high-level equipment, and even some secret information about specific game worlds and rare quests... began to flow into Lin Yu's hands continuously as part of the "payment" through the safe and secretive channels of the [Craftsman].

Faced with this sudden influx of wealth, Lin Yu remained relatively clear-headed.

After acquiring a large amount of game currency and resources, Lin Yu's first action was to use the guild's channels to purchase a large amount of materials to upgrade the apartment's level and the door's level, further strengthening the apartment's defenses.

As for equipment, skill cards, and items, Lin Yu kept most of them, since no one knew whether he would need them in the future.

If they're really not that useful, just sell them to the union.

With the support of these vast resources, his strength was being consolidated, solidified, and quietly enhanced at an unprecedented speed.

All these upheavals and transformations are hidden beneath absolute tranquility and secrecy.

The vast majority of players, including most members of the Heroes' Guild, only vaguely knew that a divine item called "Purifying Spirit Spring" had appeared and was being sold at exorbitant prices on the black market, but no one knew where it came from or who controlled it.

Lin Yu, the player with the ID "Demon Hunter," under the strict protection of the highest level of the Heroes' Gathering and his own extreme caution, was like a behind-the-scenes operator, enjoying the rapid growth brought by resources while continuing his low-key and dormant work.

……

Just as Lin Yu was enjoying the peaceful time of accumulating resources and steadily improving his strength, in the Daoist study, the [Soaring Eagle] egg that had accompanied him for so long finally met its end.

On this day, Lin Yu neither cultivated nor paid attention to the transaction. Instead, he sat in front of the statue of Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun with a slight excitement, looking at the bird egg covered with golden patterns in front of him.

Under Lin Yu's gaze, the cracks on the eggshell suddenly increased, spreading out like a spider web. Intense golden divine light shone through the cracks, illuminating the entire study in a magnificent light.

A pure and majestic aura began to permeate the air, even causing a slight resonance in the statue of the [Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun].

"It's about to hatch!" Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stopped cultivating, focusing all his attention on observing.

"Click...click..."

The crisp cracking sound continued.

Finally, a small piece of the eggshell was pushed open, and a wet little head covered with pale golden down struggled to emerge.

It has a pair of eyes that look like they're made of pure gold, clear and sharp, with a hint of the bewilderment of a newborn creature, but more so with an innate pride and majesty.

The little guy struggled hard, using its still somewhat immature beak and claws to pry open and peel away the surrounding eggshell.

Soon, its entire body was revealed.

It is not large in size and its entire body is covered with pale golden downy feathers.

Although its claws were small, they were exceptionally sharp, gleaming with a cold light.

It shook off the slime on its body, stood up unsteadily, then tilted its head and curiously looked at Lin Yu, who was standing close by, with its golden eyes.

Through that subtle connection in their souls, Lin Yu could clearly feel the little guy's closeness and dependence on him.

"You're finally out. From today onwards, your name will be 'Jin Ling'." Lin Yu reached out and gently touched the little guy's head.

The little guy seemed to like the name very much, affectionately rubbing his beak against Lin Yu's fingers and making a soft "cheep cheep" sound.

【Flying Eagle (infancy stage)】

Category: Mythical Beast (Bound to Player: Lin Yu)

Rank: Bronze (Growth Stage, Upgradeable)

Status: Healthy, Hungry

talent:

【Divine Eagle Vision】: Born with super dynamic vision and farsightedness, able to perceive energy flow and see through some illusions.

【Riding the Wind】: Possesses an extremely high affinity for wind elements, and its flight speed and agility far surpass those of birds of the same level, continuously improving as it grows.

【Spellbreaker Golden Claw】: The claws contain a trace of divine power, and have a strong destructive force against shields, defensive equipment, and seals.

Skills: None

Description: A descendant of the divine eagle under Erlang Shen's command, with boundless potential. Nurture it well, and it will become your reliable partner as you soar through the heavens and tear through the sky.

(Note: Feeding it meat or special minerals containing spiritual energy can accelerate its growth. Its current level is low, so it needs careful protection.)

Looking at Jin Ling's attribute panel, Lin Yu was overjoyed.

Although it is still in its infancy, its talents are exceptional.

He immediately took out a piece of the essence meat from some kind of bronze-level demon beast that he had prepared beforehand from his storage space.

Upon smelling the aroma of meat, Jinling immediately let out an urgent chirp, flapped its wings, and hopped over to begin pecking at the food.

Seeing Xiao Jinling wolfing down her food, Lin Yu revealed a rare, gentle smile.

In this perilous world, having a trustworthy partner feels really good.

With Jin Ling joining the family, Lin Yu's life gained another element—feeding and accompanying this magnificent fledgling eagle.

Every day, he would set aside time to feed Golden Feather with meat from demonic beasts rich in spiritual energy. Occasionally, he would also crush some low-grade minerals containing metallic energy and mix them into its food to promote the growth of its claws and beak.

Jinling's growth rate is astonishing; she changes almost every day.

The pale golden downy feathers gradually faded, replaced by a more lustrous and hard dark golden feather. Its size also increased at a visible rate, and its wingspan soon exceeded that of an adult goshawk.

Its eyes grew sharper, and when it occasionally flapped its wings and flew low, it could already create gusts of wind.