Chapter 198 The Way of the Heart
Lin Shiming walked down the corridor with Lin Houyuan, and at that moment, Lin Shiming suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since he had walked with his father.
Busy with cultivation and the threat from the Heavenly Demon Sect, he could hardly catch his breath, and neither could the Lin Family.
Fleeing, fighting to the death, enduring hardship in practice!
They hadn't relaxed for a moment.
Of course, it wasn't just his father; his interactions with the rest of the younger generations and his own generation had also become much colder.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that cultivators, too, were slowly aging, and old friends were gradually disappearing. Several of his uncles and elders from the Hou generation could never return to Fangmu Mountain, never return to the Lin Family.
Without achieving immortality, the pursuit of cultivation would eventually be in vain.
At that moment, he thought of Lin Yuqing. If he calculated correctly, the Great Elder Lin Yuqing was already over one hundred and ten years old, with not many years left until his one hundred and twentieth birthday.
But being a Body Refining Cultivator, he looked full of vigor, like a middle-aged man.
However, he understood that when the Great Elder's birthday approaches, he would age rapidly, just like the Second Elder Lin Yuqi.
Dust to dust, earth to earth.
Only on the Lin Family Clan genealogy and the Family Jade Book would a record remain.
Lin Houyuan also continued to discuss matters of the family with him, talking about current deficiencies of the family and unfulfilled wishes.
This time, they talked a lot.
It felt as though they were not in Jiuye City at that moment but next to the Yinzhi Pavilion on Fangmu Mountain.
"Shiming, you should start thinking about a lifelong companion," Lin Houyuan suddenly said without rhyme or reason.
Lin Shiming was a little stunned at the moment, but then he realized that while his own generation was obsessed with becoming stronger, the Xian, Yu, and Hou generations were thinking about when they would have to sacrifice themselves for the family's protection and heritage…
The number of cultivators in the family had fallen from forty to only a handful now, not a burden on Lin Shiming's shoulders, but rather on the shoulders of Lin Xianzhi, Lin Houyuan, and other elderly family members.
"I'll consider it!" Lin Shiming replied ambiguously, for the first time not rejecting the idea outright.
Perhaps a companion is indeed needed on the road of immortal cultivation.
In Lin Shiming's mind, a lovely figure flashed by.
"Shiming, as the Family Head, you should also pay attention to the other members of the family!" Lin Houyuan spoke again.
In the nearly seven years since he came to the Heavenly River State, Lin Shiming had almost always been in seclusion or battle.
Lin Shiming nodded his head and then took his leave from Lin Houyuan, first visiting Lin Yuqing.
The two talked about the Mountain Ape Body Refining Technique, and as the latter grew excited, he demonstrated the power of a Foundation Establishment Body Refinement Cultivator, making Lin Yuqing laugh heartily.
He also quietly listened to Lin Yuqing's views and experiences about Body Refinement Cultivators.
In the end, they talked about Lin Shilei. The Great Elder Lin Yuqing laughed, saying Lin Shilei had left the mountain to gain experience at the age of fifteen, two years earlier than Lin Shiming had, with a proud tone and laughter more joyous than ever.
Lin Shiming visited the Fifth Elder Lin Yuzheng and listened to him tell stories of the family's merchant caravans; he had not imagined that his uncle had once been a carefree young man.
He also listened to the Second Elder Lin Houshou talk about formations, as if he were back in the Treasure Pavilion, listening to the essentials of basic spells.
The Second Elder, at that moment, was brimming with vitality, especially upon learning that the Dragon Blood Pill might give him a chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment level, Lin Shiming seemed to see a Third Rank Array Master in his lively expression.
Lin Houwei didn't say much to Lin Shiming; the two of them simply took out their wine flasks and drank merrily.
And the wine was none other than the Monkey Wine that Lin Shiming had discovered, brewed by the Lin Family.
Speaking of which, it had been nearly ten years since Lin Shiming had a taste of Monkey Wine after acquiring the Mingxin Tea Tree; now as he drank it again, it tasted both astringent and sweet.
At this moment, he couldn't help but recall the amusing incidents in Qingtao Town.
The teasing from his third sister, and that shy girl, Lin Shitao, who by now was probably already a Second Rank Superior Grade alchemist of the Lin Family.
Stay connected through empire
In a conversation with his second brother, Lin Shiyi, Lin Shiming heard about Lin Shimo. In his words, Lin Shiyi was full of regret, believing that if Lin Shimo had stayed, with the family's current strength, they would have been completely capable of purchasing a Foundation Establishment Pill for him.
And now, with the Corpse Refining Sect attacking Zhao Kingdom, if they were to meet on the battlefield, how would he face it?
Lin Shiming made it a point to meet every member of the Lin Family.
That night, he sat in the courtyard of Laiyue Tower for the entire night.
At this moment, his resolve for cultivating towards immortality and protecting his family was firmer than ever before.
He also had to seize this opportunity at the Jiuye Dao Enlightenment Platform.
The next day, Lin Shiming entered the Cave Heaven World and took out the Spirit-Seeking Plate that contained a Fourth Rank Inferior Grade Spiritual Vein.
Before the Purple Mansion, the Lin Family was unable to install a Fourth Rank Spiritual Vein, but since Lin Xianzhi had given it to him, he might as well place the Spiritual Vein into the Cave Heaven space. Not only would this prevent others from discovering it, but it would also aid him in successfully cultivating the seeds of the Purple Gold Vine and the Poisonous Dragon Vine.
Moreover, the Golden Winged Mantis and the Red-haired Demon Monkey would no longer need to stay confined in the Storage Bag; in the Cave Heaven World, they could rapidly strengthen through cultivation.
In the Cultivation World, extracting Spiritual Veins requires cultivators to cast special Spirit Arts and have expertise in the knowledge of Spirit-Seeking Masters.
But placing a Spiritual Vein is much simpler, which is also why some Spirit-Seeking Master loose cultivators specialize in extracting Spiritual Veins from unknown mountain ranges to sell to Cultivator Families.
No sooner had the Spirit-Seeking Plate flown out than it floated in mid-air, and a roaring sound akin to a dragon's chant was heard. Then, one could see a yellow Spiritual Energy, resembling a true dragon, surging toward the depths of the Cave Heaven World.
The next moment, the Spiritual Energy in this space violently surged, and the Spirit Plants he had previously planted began to grow wildly almost instantly.
These ordinary Spirit Grasses had never enjoyed such an abundance of Spiritual Energy.
"A Third Rank Supreme Grade pinnacle Spiritual Vein!" Lin Shiming, feeling the Spiritual Energy, was also quite delighted.
This Spiritual Vein had been cut and extracted back when he collected it due to limitations of his Spirit-Seeking Plate, but now reaching a Third Rank Supreme Grade made him extremely satisfied.
Even if he managed to break through to the Purple Mansion later and took this Spiritual Vein out to place on Fangmu Mountain, there was a great likelihood that the Spiritual Vein would transform into a Fourth Rank Spiritual Vein.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Once the Spiritual Vein was placed, Lin Shiming proceeded to plant the seeds of the Purple Gold Vine, Green Snake Vine, and Poisonous Dragon Vine, and then nourished them with the Purple Wood True Essence from the Purple Wood Heart Sutra.
After all this was done, another day had passed.
Lin Shiming then released the Golden Winged Mantis and the Red-haired Demon Monkey.
Upon being freed, the two Spirit Beasts ran about wildly within the space, particularly the Red-haired Demon Monkey, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity and who was exceedingly excited. With this Spiritual Vein in the Cave Heaven World, they would no longer need to enter the cramped space of the Spirit Beast Bag.
Subsequently, Lin Shiming took out the Spirit-Devouring Ants and placed them in a corner. With the Blood Covenant, he wasn't afraid that these ants would nibble away his Cave Heaven World.
Finally, Lin Shiming began to take out the Storage Bag to examine the Spirit Shield purchased by Lin Xianzhi.
The name of the Spirit Shield was Star Wood Shield, its main material constructed from meteoric starwood, exceedingly tough.
Even a regular Superior Grade magic sword could hardly break through the shield.
After stroking it a few times, Lin Shiming began to joyously refine the Star Wood Shield, as the Jiuye Conference was on the morrow.
He had to complete the refinement of the Star Wood Shield by then.