Clan Cultivation: Starting with Plundering Demonic Beast Talents

The competition finally came to an end, with the talisman pen belonging to Lin Qingyang and Lin Yaocheng.

Although Brigitte Lin was resentful, she couldn't bring herself to break her promise and left the scene.

Lin Qingyang and Lin Yaocheng were having a good chat in the Internal Affairs Hall.

"Uncle Yaocheng, I've heard about how you took the initiative to share the family's burdens during times of crisis since I was a child."

Lin Qingyang wasn't flattering him, because this matter had indeed been included in the curriculum of the family's early childhood education class by the elders, with Lin Yaocheng being set up as a role model.

"Oh, I feel unworthy of this honor."

Lin Yaocheng waved his hand, a look of reminiscence appearing in his eyes, "Back then, my spiritual roots were inferior, so I could see things more clearly than others. Without the protection of their families, it is difficult for Qi Refining cultivators like us to survive independently."

"Furthermore, being protected by one's family in childhood and then giving back to the family in adulthood is a principle that is not difficult to understand, like a crow feeding its parents."

Then, he looked at Lin Qingyang in front of him and couldn't help but praise, "Qingyang handled things decisively and logically this time, and he was also able to take into account the feelings of us old guys. The future of the family depends on you Qing generation."

Because he was valued by his family when he was young and had served as a manager, he knew very well that the choice Lin Qingyang had just made in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was quite extraordinary.

Thinking it over, he took out a deep blue strange stone from his storage bag. With a hint of reluctance, he said, "I really have nothing to do to help you, Qingfeng, since I need to accumulate spirit stones for you. This stone is something I found when I was young. It is impervious to water and fire, and is not afraid of swords and spears. It is quite strange."

"Unfortunately, I've been to many places, and even the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Feng Huo Shan couldn't figure it out. If you don't mind, keep it as a souvenir, and I hope you can go further on your path to immortality."

Lin Qingyang took the strange stone and looked at it. It was only about the size of a palm and was quite peculiar. Just as he was about to casually put it away, the jade talisman in his mind trembled slightly.

His expression remained unchanged, but his attitude became much more solemn. He accepted the gift with both hands, saying, "I dare not refuse this gift from an elder. Thank you very much, Uncle Yaocheng."

Lin Yaocheng quickly took his leave, and Lin Qingyang didn't stay long either. After thanking the supervisor, he also hurriedly left.

Soon, he returned to his cave, closed the door, and then took out the deep blue stone.

Even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't discern its true nature, so naturally he couldn't either. What he discovered was the jade talisman; under its power, the deep blue stone was surrounded by wisps of chilling energy.

【Frosty Phoenix (Juvenile form, severely injured and in a dormant state)】

It seems that due to a severe injury, he was born with a defect and did not show any talent that could be exploited.

"Even if I could plunder, I doubt I would choose that option."

Lin Qingyang stared at the deep blue stone for a while before he could suppress his excitement, and then a thousand thoughts began to flow through his mind.

If it's essence blood, he might choose to directly plunder the talent.

However, this Frost-Silent Phoenix possesses the bloodline of the True Spirit Azure Phoenix, and upon reaching adulthood, it will be at least a fifth-tier demon beast, comparable to a human Nascent Soul cultivator.

Furthermore, this juvenile is not stillborn and is still alive, so raising it into a natal spirit beast is the best choice.

Imagine if, hundreds of years later, he had a Frosty Phoenix comparable to an infant to protect him, his path to enlightenment would undoubtedly be much smoother.

Of course, this is no small feat. His injuries are probably quite severe, and even a Golden Core sect like Qingyuan Sect would likely have difficulty healing him. Therefore, he has to rely on the jade talisman.

"Once I reach the late stage of Qi Refining, I will have to try to plunder some talents that nourish life force."

Lin Qingyang quickly made a decision to keep it close to his body, as such an important item could be lost or damaged if left anywhere.

He carried it with him at all times, and because the spiritual object was concealed, even a Golden Core cultivator might not be able to discern its origin.

……

Lin Yaocheng, who had also opened a cave at the foot of the mountain, rushed back home only to find that guests had arrived.

He saw his grandson, who was a little over ten years old, engraving weapon-refining inscriptions on a palm-sized stone slab, while the middle-aged man beside him, with his hands behind his back, would occasionally make corrections and guide the child into the field.

"Zong Kai, when did you get back?"

Lin Yaocheng was pleasantly surprised.

"Uncle Yaocheng, I heard that you are still as sharp as ever, and that you can still overpower the younger generation at your age. How could I not come back to see you?"

As he spoke, he took out a bottle of spirit wine from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Knowing that you like mountain monkey wine the most, I specially brought it back from Feng Huo Shan."

"You brat, now that you've become an elder, you're still joking with this old man. Consider this spirit wine your apology."

Lin Yaocheng walked over, sniffed the air, and smelled the aroma of the wine. He then asked, "Are you staying for dinner today?"

"I will never forget Uncle Yaocheng's steamed blue crabs."

Lin Zongkai sat down as he pleased.

Lin Yaocheng felt a sense of relief when he heard that the other party was willing to stay for dinner. None of his children had spiritual roots in his early years, so the spiritual stones he earned had nowhere to be used except to buy some spiritual wine and support cultivators with good spiritual roots in the family.

Zong Kai has a mid-grade spiritual root and good aptitude, but he is one of the first cultivators to enter the mountain. He provided a lot of help to Zong Kai in the early stages of Qi Refining.

Now that the other party has made a name for himself and been promoted to a first-tier high-grade weapon refiner, he became an elder in charge of the family's weapon refining hall three years ago. He has become even closer to him and comes back to see him once a year.

The two drank heartily. Lin Yaocheng, being older, reminisced about his family's development in recent years, saying with some emotion, "Since the calamity we suffered thirty years ago, my Lin family has seen a surge of talented individuals in the last ten years or so. I estimate our fortune has rebounded."

"Uncle, I haven't paid attention to the younger generation of the family for a long time. I could offer some assistance."

Lin Zongkai listened with great interest.

"Take Fourth Brother's two granddaughters for example. They were born of the same mother and have spiritual roots of near-top quality. They are just the right age to cultivate the Pure Maiden Heart-to-Heart Technique passed down by the ancestor. It is estimated that they will be able to establish their foundation in the future."

"The clan leader has made up his mind that the two of them will not be sent out until they have cultivated to the late stage of Qi Refining."

"Secondly, Lin Qingwan, who specializes in talismans, and your disciple Lin Qingzhu, both have a great chance of becoming high-grade talisman masters and weapon refiners before the age of sixty, and then they can expect to become first-grade top-grade talisman masters and weapon refiners within the next forty years."

"Of course, these people have all received strong support from their families. Lin Qingyang, whom I met today, is more prudent and has a good sense of propriety, but unfortunately his spiritual root is not very good."

Lin Yaocheng really cares about the younger generation of his family, so he knows a lot about their backgrounds. After all, before his grandson was born, he planned to give his fortune to one of them and ask him to take care of the next generation.

After listening, Lin Zongkai seemed to be deep in thought. "I had heard of the first four people before, but I recently heard a bit about Lin Qingyang from my third brother. He has inferior spiritual roots, but he has accumulated knowledge and skills and made great progress. Within half a year, he first broke through to the level of talisman-making apprentice, and then refined a mid-grade talisman within a few days."

"If he truly is a late bloomer, I will speak up for him at the family elders' meeting when the list of talisman masters is finalized."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yaocheng's smile widened, and he raised his glass, saying, "May my Qingchi Lin family prosper forever."

……

On the other side, halfway up the mountain, lies Qingling Pavilion.

Within this area, there are about twenty cave dwellings, second only to the Lingyun Pavilion where the stewards and elders reside. The lowest concentration of spiritual energy among them is equivalent to a mid-grade first-order spiritual vein.

Those who live here are generally cultivators with medium or higher spiritual roots, or those who have mastered the first-order medium or higher skills of talismans, pills, and artifacts.

Brigitte Lin was not originally qualified to live here, but because she was included in the list of candidates for training as a talisman master, and her sister's promotion to a high-grade talisman master was almost a certainty.

Only then did they manage to move into their sister's cave dwelling.

After returning from the Imperial Household Department, she was furious, so she wrote a letter expressing her grievances and sent it to her sister in Nanhefang at the foot of the mountain.

Because of the inconvenience of communication, it normally takes at least a month to receive a reply.

This time, however, Brigitte Lin received a reply a few days later, along with a mid-grade talisman brush.

The messenger was a clerk from Nanhefang, so she asked him a few more questions.

"After receiving your letter, Miss Qingwan wrote back that same day, giving me three spirit stones as a reward, requesting that it be returned within seven days, and that your reply be brought back to Nanhefang as well."

"Also, I will be returning to the market tomorrow, so please write a reply as soon as possible."

After he finished speaking, he hurriedly headed down to the ordinary town at the foot of the mountain because he wanted to visit his family.

When Lin Qingxia returned to her cave, she had a bad feeling. Her older sister was usually frugal and had invested all her spirit stones in making talismans. She didn't need the spirit stones, so she wouldn't spend them to send a servant to deliver talisman brushes to her.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, she opened the letter. The delicate handwriting was very familiar.

"My sister Qingxia, since we parted five years ago in the spring, several winters and summers have passed."

"I received news from home that the Imperial Household Department has taken the Silver Spirit Pen and given it to my cousin Qingyang and Uncle Yaoming. You seemed very distressed in your letter, which worried your elder sister greatly. So I bought a Green Jade Pen from Nanhefang for you to use temporarily."

"Furthermore, I would like to tell you a few things. Our Lin family ancestors lived and thrived in Qingchi Mountain for only a few hundred years. During that time, there were countless hardships and dangers. More than thirty years ago, there was even a crisis of the clan's annihilation. Fortunately, everyone was connected by blood and worked together to continue the family's heritage to this day."

"We are of the same race, like sailors on the same boat. I hope you will not harbor any resentment towards your brother, but instead focus on honing your skills. Sister, Qingwan, handwritten."

Brigitte Lin read the letter for a long time and thought about many things. How could a jade pen be purchased in half a day?

I guess my older sister had prepared this for herself long ago.

Thinking of the care her older sister had given her over the years, her eyes welled up with tears.

Therefore, she took much of the advice to heart and immediately wrote another letter, hoping that the shopkeeper would bring it back as soon as possible, not daring to let her sister worry about her too much.

……

Since exchanging for the Silver Spirit Pen that day, Lin Qingyang has become even more adept at drawing talismans, and he has even drawn an additional water arrow talisman.

This is a relatively basic low-grade talisman. Although it cannot add to his income, mastering another type of talisman will be beneficial for his later understanding of other mid-to-high-grade talismans.

In the blink of an eye, several months have passed.

The family's mutated spirit fish have finally grown to more than fifty individuals.

Lin Qingyang went to the Internal Affairs Hall immediately. With his nineteenth uncle, Lin Zongyu, acting as a steward, he was able to bring the ten red-tailed spirit fish back to his cave without any trouble.

……