Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

"Lin Zhixia went to the mine?" Lin Ran frowned slightly.

He was quite surprised to find that Lin Zhixia was quite responsible.

"Yes, I wonder how much longer Second Sister will have to search inside." Lin Zhiyao's tone carried a hint of complaint: "Wandering into the mine alone at night, how dangerous is that?"

Before the words were finished, footsteps came from outside the door.

Lin Zhixia pushed open the door and came in, her body covered in mineral dust and several streaks of unknown slime, her hair disheveled, and her face showing obvious fatigue.

She was stunned for a moment when she saw Lin Ran standing in the center of the living room, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"You didn't go to the mine?"

"Why would I go to the mine if I haven't awakened my talent yet?" Lin Ran shrugged. "I'll go after I awaken my talent."

"Even if you awaken, you're not allowed to go!" Song Yishu immediately chimed in, her tone firm. "You can only go after you break through to the Qi Opening Realm!"

Lin Ran casually remarked, "Even an Awakened One at the Qi Opening Realm is no match for me."

"That won't do either!" Song Yishu refused to budge an inch.

Lin Zhixia took off her coat and hung it on the hanger before walking up to Lin Ran.

Her gaze was complex as she scrutinized him for a moment before asking, "What happened to all these injuries on you?"

"I got it while moving things at the orphanage."

Lin Zhixia stared at him for a few seconds, but ultimately didn't press the matter: "Remember to tell me in advance next time you go out, so Mom won't worry."

After saying that, she walked straight to the stairwell and started going upstairs.

"Oh, okay." Lin Ran nodded.

He thought to himself, "I won't be staying here for long anyway."

Lin Zhiyao rolled her eyes at Lin Ran, then turned and followed Lin Zhixia.

Seeing this, Lin Hongbo slowly said, "Alright, now that you're back, get some rest."

"Okay." Lin Ran said smoothly, "I'm going to the orphanage again tomorrow, so I wanted to let you know in advance."

Lin Hongbo frowned slightly: "Why do we still have to go?"

"While there's still some time before it awakens," Lin Ran said casually.

"The Lin Group can donate a sum of money to Ping An Welfare Home as a way of repaying them for raising you all these years."

When money was mentioned, Lin Hongbo's tone returned to its usual composure.

"Some things can't be measured in money." Lin Ran glanced at Lin Hongbo. "Of course, if Mr. Lin is willing to do good deeds, that would be even better."

After saying that, he went straight upstairs and disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

Lin Hongbo picked up the teacup that had long since gone cold from the coffee table and snorted, "You're not even fully grown yet, and you're already lecturing me."

"Xiao Ran is right."

Song Yishu took the teacup from his hand, poured another hot cup, and handed it to him: "Some things really can't be measured by money. It's a good thing that this child values ​​relationships."

"Yes, yes, Madam is absolutely right." Lin Hongbo took the hot tea and blew on the tea leaves floating on the rim of the cup.

Back in his room, Lin Ran sat cross-legged on the bed and took out the fifth-order golden toad crystal core.

The golden crystal, the size of an egg, radiated a warm pulse in my palm; just holding it in my hand, I could feel the powerful spiritual energy it contained.

He closed his eyes and began to circulate the "Myriad Treasures Forging Spirit Technique".

The spiritual energy enveloped the crystal core, and a spiritual power even more concentrated than that of a fourth-order crystal core surged into the meridians.

The Xuanhuang Cauldron slowly rotated in the sea of ​​consciousness, and the nine-grade golden lotus above the mouth of the cauldron also swayed gently, with strands of golden light seeping into the dantian.

Lin Ran focused his mind and quickly discovered a problem.

The spiritual energy emanating from the golden lotus was at least half as weak as it was in the cave.

Back in the cave, the golden light of the golden lotus was almost equal to the spiritual power of the crystal core, increasing cultivation efficiency by more than four times.

Now that the Golden Lotus has been taken into the Xuanhuang Cauldron, although the golden light is still there, it seems to be losing its strength, and the spiritual energy it transmits is much thinner.

"Does it really have to be in that cave where we cultivate?"

Lin Ran tried to use his mind to drive the Xuanhuang Cauldron, hoping to release the Golden Lotus again.

However, the Xuanhuang Cauldron remained motionless, and the golden lotus hung steadily above its mouth, showing no reaction to his thoughts.

It seems that once it's taken in, it can't be taken out, at least not with his current level of cultivation.

This idea had to be abandoned.

The spiritual energy in the fifth-order crystal core was slowly drawn out and merged into the dantian.

The cyclone expanded little by little, and his cultivation level slowly increased.

As dawn broke outside the window, sparrows hopped around on the windowsill, chirping away.

Lin Ran opened his eyes. The fifth-order crystal core in his palm had dimmed a bit, and about a quarter of its spiritual power had been consumed.

At this moment, his cultivation level had reached the late stage of the third level of Qi Refining.

Although he hadn't slept all night, he was in surprisingly good spirits.

Qi cultivators have a lower need for sleep than ordinary people, and with the continuous nourishment from the spiritual energy emanating from the golden lotus, Lin Ran felt even more awake than if he had slept for ten hours.

He put the crystal core back into his pocket and got up to wash up.

I changed into clean clothes and pulled out a dark blue coat from the closet.

The tracksuit he wore yesterday was completely unwearable, so he casually stuffed it into the trash can.

I grabbed two steamed buns as I passed by the restaurant and ate them as I walked out.

Seeing this, Song Yishu, who was sitting on the sofa, casually asked, "Why are you in such a hurry? Can't you finish your meal before you leave?"

"I'm in a hurry," Lin Ran mumbled, taking a bite of her steamed bun.

"This child, really," Song Yishu couldn't help but mutter.

Lin Zhiyao, standing next to her, curled her lip and said, "He has no manners at all."

"Third sister, don't talk about Ran-ge like that."

Lin Haozhe feigned kindness, saying, "Ran-ge has been living away from home all this time, so no one must have taught him these things. With his parents taking care of him from now on, he'll naturally get better."

"Yes, Haozhe is much more sensible." Lin Zhiyao nodded. "Unlike that guy."

Song Yishu walked over and gently tugged at her ear: "How can you talk like that? That's your brother, not some random guy!"

"He never called me 'sister,' so why should I acknowledge him as my brother?" Lin Zhiyao said, looking indignant.

"Whether he calls you 'sister' or not, he's still your brother!" Song Yishu said sternly. "Don't talk like that again!"

Lin Zhiyao pursed her lips, but ultimately did not refute.

The taxi stopped at the entrance of Ping An Welfare Home.

The paint on the iron gate was mottled, but it was wiped very clean.

The window of the guardhouse was pushed open halfway, and Grandpa Zhang poked his head out, revealing two distinctive large yellow teeth.

"Hey, Lin's back!"

"Good morning, Uncle Zhang." Lin Ran stepped forward, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed it to him.

Grandpa Zhang took the cigarette, his smile deepening: "You're such a filial son."

"Please smoke less. Otherwise, I'm worried I won't be able to see you next time I come."

"Get lost, I'm perfectly healthy!" Old Zhang laughed and cursed, stuffing his cigarette into his pocket. "Go on, go on, Dean Lin is in the yard."

"Okay." Lin Ran stepped into the courtyard.

He hadn't walked more than a few steps when a group of children playing on the playground spotted him and swarmed around him.

"Brother Lin Ran! You haven't come to see us in so long!"

"Brother Lin Ran, we thought you'd forgotten about us!"

"Did Brother Lin Ran bring us anything delicious?"

Lin Ran handed over the plastic bag he was carrying: "Yes, yes, everyone can take this and share it."

The children took the bag and excitedly opened it; inside were several packets of candy and cookies.

A little girl picked out a strawberry-flavored lollipop and held it out to Lin Ran: "Brother Lin Ran, you eat it first!"

"Your brother has already eaten, you guys eat." Lin Ran rubbed her head.

An elderly woman with gray hair stood at the entrance of the nursing home.

He was wearing a faded gray cardigan and stood ramrod straight.

Lin Qinghe, the director of Ping An Welfare Home.

She was the one who raised Lin Ran from infancy.

"Grandma, are you feeling alright?" Lin Ran stepped forward.

Lin Qinghe looked him over, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment: "Okay, all is well. Come and sit down."

She walked to a nearby bench, sat down slowly, and continued, "The Lin Group received a large donation today. It's related to you, isn't it?"

"How many?"

"Ten million."