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

Lin Ran casually replied, "It's alright, let's go to the rat's nest."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiafei responded and turned to walk deeper into the mine tunnel.

The mine tunnels are intricate and have many forks, so even though Lin Ran had been there several times, he could hardly remember them all.

In contrast, Zhang Jiafei didn't even need to figure out which way to go when he crossed the intersection; he just kept going forward.

To be able to make a living as a guide in an abandoned mine requires some skill.

His familiarity with this mine pit far surpasses that of the average person.

Once deep inside the rat's nest, the sharp-clawed rats quickly swarmed in from all sides.

Lin Ran charged into the swarm of rats with his sword drawn, the blade flashing as fireballs cleared a path.

First-tier Claw Rats fell in droves, and even when encountering a second-tier Claw Rat, it was finished off with a single strike.

Two hours later, both backpacks were full.

This time, Lin Ran killed more than 400 first-tier claw rats and seven second-tier claw rats.

After carefully storing the crystal core, the two headed out of the mine.

Upon reaching the mine exit, Lin Ran stopped and tossed five second-tier crystal cores to Zhang Jiafei.

"Thank you, senior!" Zhang Jiafei carefully took the crystal core and put it into his coat pocket.

Lin Ran shook his head: "You're welcome."

As he was about to leave, he glanced at Zhang Jiafei again and said, "You can never earn all the money in the world. If you're not short of money right now, there's no need to linger here."

In total, Zhang Jiafei obtained two third-tier crystal cores, more than twenty second-tier crystal cores, and dozens of first-tier crystal cores from him, with a total value of nearly one million.

If it were just for making a living, this money would be enough to ensure Zhang Jiafei's comfort for more than a decade.

Even if it's for future planning, you can choose a more relaxed way of life.

Zhang Jiafei gave a sincere smile: "I want to buy an apartment in the city with an elevator so that my parents can live with me."

As he spoke, a light seemed to gleam in his eyes.

Lin Ran was slightly moved, reached into his bag and took out two more second-tier crystal cores, which he casually tossed over.

Zhang Jiafei quickly reached out and caught it, looked down at the crystal core in his palm, then looked up at Lin Ran, somewhat bewildered.

"What are you doing, senior?"

"Congratulations on your new home in advance!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiafei's expression became complicated.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he put the crystal core into his pocket and bowed solemnly to Lin Ran: "Thank you, senior!"

Lin Ran waved his hand: "We've known each other for a while now, so let me give you some advice. Even if you want to make money, you have to make sure you can survive first."

"Yes, I will definitely be more careful in the future!" Zhang Jiafei nodded vigorously.

Everyone has their own ambitions, and Lin Ran couldn't persuade him to give up his ideals.

Even if you try to persuade them, it probably won't make a difference.

"Alright, we'll meet again someday!" Lin Ran turned and walked outside.

"Take care, senior!"

Take care of yourself too!

Lin Ran walked out of the mine tunnel carrying two backpacks. Two guards were leaning against the guard post, yawning.

Upon seeing him come out, they quickly straightened their posture, as if they were seeing a superior officer.

Lin Ran nodded and quickly left.

Everyone has their own unavoidable circumstances. Just as Zhang Jiafei needs to earn money to buy an apartment with an elevator, he also needs to hunt for crystal cores to reach a higher realm.

Tonight, he will attempt to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Tomorrow, let's go to the beach.

Back at the Lin family home, Lin Ran put the two backpacks into the wardrobe.

He paused slightly as he closed the cabinet door.

The memory of Liu Xiulan stuffing things into the wardrobe is still fresh in our minds; we must be wary of this kind of thing.

Although Liu Xiulan has been kicked out of the Lin family, who can guarantee that no one else will do something similar?

Even if no one intends to harm him, it would still be a troublesome matter if someone barged in while he was practicing his cultivation techniques.

However, there is no good solution at the moment, because the "Ten Thousand Treasures Spirit Forging Technique" does not include formations.

Lin Ran closed the door again and poured all the crystal cores from his backpack onto the bed.

Six third-order crystal cores and more than four hundred first-order crystal cores were all he had gained from his trip to the mine.

There are a few second-order crystal cores left, which were previously given to Zhang Jiafei.

He sat cross-legged and first picked up the third-order crystal core.

The Xuanhuang Cauldron slowly rotated in the sea of ​​consciousness, and the petals of the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus swayed gently.

A third-order crystal core transformed into a torrent of spiritual energy that flowed into the meridians. The Xuanhuang Cauldron absorbed it all, purified it, and then channeled it into the dantian.

Time passed second by second, and the vortex of energy in the dantian rapidly grew stronger.

During this time, Song Yishu knocked on the door and called him to have dinner.

Lin Ran lied and said he wasn't hungry, but he couldn't resist Song Yishu's persistence.

In the end, I paused my practice and went to have dinner first.

Upon returning, he quickly absorbed the remaining third-tier crystal cores, and his cultivation finally stopped at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from the sixth level.

He absorbed more than two hundred first-order crystal cores in one go.

The spiritual energy of low-level crystal cores is far less pure than that of third-level crystal cores, and low-level crystal cores also have more impurities and slower absorption efficiency.

The Xuanhuang Cauldron was running wildly, and impurities were peeled away layer by layer, while pure true essence was continuously poured into the dantian.

click!

A soft sound rang out in my mind, like thin ice shattering.

The dantian qi vortex suddenly expanded, and its circulation speed increased again.

The speed at which spiritual energy surged through the meridians also increased significantly, and some previously stagnant barriers were broken up.

Qi Refining Level 6, done!

Lin Ran opened his eyes, clenched his fist, and a protective aura automatically appeared on the surface of his skin.

If he were to encounter that Innate Realm assassin again now, he wouldn't even need the Golden Light Mantra; he could withstand the opponent's blade head-on simply by relying on his protective spiritual light.

By this time, the sky outside the window was already turning white. He put away the remaining two hundred or so first-tier crystal cores and got up to wash up.

Originally, they planned to visit the orphanage first and then go to the beach, but Song Yishu insisted that they go buy clothes first.

"No need, I have enough clothes." Lin Ran picked up a steamed bun and casually refused.

Song Yishu put down her chopsticks, her tone leaving no room for argument: "That's not enough! You can't wear any of the clothes in your closet anymore. You have to listen to me today!"

Song Yishu had already made up her mind when she saw the few old clothes in Lin Ran's wardrobe.

I'll buy him some ready-made clothes this weekend, and then have a few haute couture gowns custom-made for him.

"I have other things to do," Lin Ran said with a helpless expression.

Song Yishu scoffed, "It's the weekend, what could you possibly have to do?"

"I'm going to visit Grandma Lin at the welfare home."

Upon hearing this, Song Yishu's tone immediately softened: "We need to go to the orphanage, and we also need to buy clothes. We can buy the clothes in the morning and go to the orphanage in the afternoon, it won't interfere with anything."

Lin Ran wanted to say something more, but Song Yishu had already gotten up to get her bag.

"Don't dawdle, I'll wait for you at the door."

Lin Zhixia walked by with a coffee cup in her hand, leaving behind the comment: "Don't struggle anymore, Mom already checked the mall's new arrivals records last night."

"You're up this early too?" Lin Ran asked casually.

"There's nothing we can do; the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations doesn't have weekends."

"That must have been quite tough..."

Lin Ran and Song Yishu arrived at Times Square, where a Rolls-Royce was parked. The two got out of the car.

Song Yishu took Lin Ran's arm and led him inside. Lin Ran tried to pull his hand away, but Song Yishu held it firmly.

"Come this way first." Song Yishu dragged him into a men's clothing store.

The sales assistant approached, her professional smile barely open before Song Yishu waved her hand dismissively.

"Bring all your latest seasonal styles over here. A few sets of casual wear and a few sets of sportswear, please."

The sales assistant's smile grew even brighter, and she immediately jogged off to retrieve some stock. In no time, she was pushing a mobile clothes rack, which was filled with all kinds of men's clothing.

"This one, this one, and this one." Song Yishu picked out three shirts and stuffed them into Lin Ran's arms: "Go try them on."

Lin Ran looked slightly helpless as he carried the clothes into the fitting room.

A short while later, Lin Ran, who had changed his clothes, pulled back the curtain.

Song Yishu took two steps back, looked him over carefully, and then asked him to turn around and take a look.

"Great, it makes you look more energetic. Next one."

"This one looks good too, it suits my skin tone. Next one."

"The white one is more versatile, so I'll keep it too."

Then came pants, jackets, and sportswear. Without exception, she bought every single piece of clothing that Lin Ran had tried on.

You finally manage to leave one store, only to be met with another, and another...

After buying the clothes, Song Yishu pulled Lin Ran into the shoe store.

"Now that we're here, we should definitely change everything from head to toe."