yuán lái rú cǐ 。” mǎ lǎo ér diǎn le diǎn tóu ， zhè dào yǔ tā de cāi cè xiāng fǎng ， duì fāng yī níng dān hòu qī xiū shì ， yòu shēn jiān zhǎng lǎo yī
原来如此。”马老儿点了点头，这倒与他的猜测相仿，对方一凝丹后期修士，又身兼长老一
"So that's how it is," Master Elder Ma nodded. This was indeed similar to his guess; the other party was a late-stage Condensation Core cultivator and also held the position of an elder, so why would he come to such a remote place unless he had some pressing matter?
zhí ， ruò fēi yún yóu lù guò ， yòu zěn huì dào zhè qióng xiāng pì rǎng lái ne 。
职，若非云游路过，又怎会到这穷乡僻壤来呢。
Though his cultivation level wasn't high, as the head of the family, Master Elder Ma was shrewd in his scheming. His mind raced, already formulating what to say: "It's truly a fortunate meeting. If you don’t mind, I can stay here for a while. Although Huangqi Mountain is somewhat remote, it has beautiful scenery and its spiritual veins are quite impressive."
tā xiū wèi bù gāo ， dàn bì jìng shì yī jiā zhī zhǔ ， lùn xīn jī yě shì lǎo jiān jù huá de rén wù ， xīn niàn diàn zhuǎn ， yǐ xiǎng hǎo le shuō cí ：“
他修为不高，但毕竟是一家之主，论心机也是老奸巨猾的人物，心念电转，已想好了说辞：“
"Oh?" Lin Xuan nodded, not saying anything.
nà hái zhēn shì yǒu yuán le ， zhǎng lǎo ruò shì bù qì ， dà kě yǐ zài zhè lǐ zhù xiē shí rì ， huáng qí shān suī dì chǔ piān pì ， què fēng jǐng xiù měi ，
那还真是有缘了，长老若是不弃，大可以在这里住些时日，黄芪山虽地处偏僻，却风景秀美，
"Haha, if you’re willing to stay for a short time, my family will certainly do our utmost to serve you. We have plenty of spirit herbs and crystal stones that can satisfy your needs."
líng mài yě pǒ yǒu bù fán zhī chù 。”
灵脉也颇有不凡之处。”
Now that Lin Xuan was their lifeline, Master Elder Ma naturally had to hold on tightly to the hope of keeping his family alive.
“ ó ？” lín xuān diǎn le diǎn tóu ， bù zhì kě fǒu 。
“哦？”林轩点了点头，不置可否。
Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan felt pleased inside. The other party had offered him a series of benefits before he even spoke. Wasn’t the position of an elder in the Demon Abyss Sect really that useful?
“ hē hē ， zhǎng lǎo ruò shì yuàn yì zài zhè lǐ shāo zuò tíng liú ， wǎn bèi jiā zú yí dìng jié jìn quán lì de shì fèng ， líng cǎo jīng shí ， bì dìng bāo
“呵呵，长老若是愿意在这里稍作停留，晚辈家族一定竭尽全力的侍奉，灵草晶石，必定包
Lin Xuan shook his head inwardly. As the saying went, when someone is overly kind, it’s usually for a reason. In the cultivation world, if someone sought your help, you naturally had to extract as many benefits from them as possible.
nín mǎn yì 。”
您满意。”
Seeing Lin Xuan still wasn’t satisfied, Master Elder Ma gritted his teeth and said, "Senior, what do you think of my daughter? She is quite beautiful."
rú jīn lín xuān yǐ shì tā men de jiù mìng dào cǎo ， mǎ lǎo ér zì rán yào pīn mìng zhuā zhù ràng jiā zú yán xù xià qù de xī wàng 。
如今林轩已是他们的救命稻草，马老儿自然要拼命抓住让家族延续下去的希望。
"Hmm?" Lin Xuan was taken aback. He didn’t understand the other party’s intentions.
lín xuān yī tīng ， xīn zhōng zì shì dà lè ， zì jǐ hái méi kāi kǒu ， duì fāng jū rán xiān xǔ xià yī duī de hǎo chù ， nán dào zhè mó yōu mén de zhǎng lǎo
林轩一听，心中自是大乐，自己还没开口，对方居然先许下一堆的好处，难道这魔幽门的长老
"If Senior doesn’t mind, I would be willing to offer her to you as a wife. As long as there’s no double cultivation, and she can take care of your daily needs like cooking and serving meals," Master Elder Ma added.
shēn fèn ， zhēn rú cǐ hǎo yòng ？
身份，真如此好用？
The black-robed woman blanched at these words before a flush rose to her face. She was already beautiful, but with this addition, she became even more alluring.
lín xuān àn àn yáo le yáo tóu ， sú huà shuō de hǎo ， wú shì xiàn yīn qín ， fēi jiān jí dào ， duì fāng rú cǐ dī shēng xià qì ， kěn dìng shì yǒu qiú yú jǐ 。
林轩暗暗摇了摇头，俗话说的好，无事献殷勤，非奸即盗，对方如此低声下气，肯定是有求于己。
Unfortunately, Lin Xuan wasn’t a lustful man. He had good control over his desires in that regard. While double cultivation sounded tempting, it was risky before the formation of an essence core. Even if the woman was very beautiful, compared to Qin Yan, Ouyang, and the Phoenix Immortal, she still fell short.
lín xuān liǎn lù chū sì xiào fēi xiào de biǎo qíng ， mò mò bù yǔ 。
林轩脸露出似笑非笑的表情，默默不语。
Thus, Lin Xuan politely declined: "Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t have a preference for women. How many crystal stones can you provide me with each year?"
mǎ lǎo ér xīn zhōng tǎn tè ， tā de yī shuāng ér nǚ gèng bù gǎn hú luàn kāi kǒu shén me ， yī shí zhī jiān ， dà tīng lǐ dǎo shì jìng xià lái le 。
马老儿心中忐忑，他的一双儿女更不敢胡乱开口什么，一时之间，大厅里倒是静下来了。
"Ah… To be honest, my family is small in number, but there’s a small crystal mine here. While I can’t say how much more we have, two thousand crystal stones per year should be manageable," Master Elder Ma said, looking somewhat pained.
“ zài xià sì chù yún yóu ， rú jīn yǒu hé shì de líng mài dào yě bú shì bù kě yǐ tíng xià lái shāo zuò zhěng xiū ， zhǐ bù guò zhè huáng qí shān ……” lín
“在下四处云游，如今有合适的灵脉倒也不是不可以停下来稍作整修，只不过这黄芪山……”林
Lin Xuan nodded. He understood that he shouldn’t ask for too much. Originally, he had been thinking about establishing his cave in this place, but now the other party was not only offering him the best spot, but also promising many benefits.
xuān shuō dào zhè lǐ ， yáo le yáo tóu ， liǎn gèng shì lù chū xiē xǔ shī wàng zhī sè ， dāng rán ， tā zhè me zuò ， xīn zhōng zì shì gù yì de 。
轩说到这里，摇了摇头，脸更是露出些许失望之色，当然，他这么做，心中自是故意的。
As for the request to use it as a mountain stronghold, it wasn’t significant for Lin Xuan.
“ qián bèi ， nín yǒu suǒ bù zhī ， zhè huáng qí shān de líng mài biǎo miàn kàn qù què dìng yě jiù yì bān ér yǐ ， dàn zài quán yǎn fù jìn de shù lǐ zhī dì ，
“前辈，您有所不知，这黄芪山的灵脉表面看去确定也就一般而已，但在泉眼附近的数里之地，
"Alright, considering your sincerity, I agree."
líng qì què chōng zú wú bǐ ， zú kě yǐ yǔ yī děng yī de líng mài xiāng bǐ ， qián bèi ruò shì yuàn yì zài cǐ jìng xiū ， wǎn bèi jiā zú yuàn yì jiāng gāi chù ràng
灵气却充足无比，足可以与一等一的灵脉相比，前辈若是愿意在此静修，晚辈家族愿意将该处让
"Thank you, Master Elder."
chū lái gōng nín kāi pì dòng fǔ 。” mǎ lǎo ér mǎn liǎn xī jì de shuō 。
出来供您开辟洞府。”马老儿满脸希冀的说。
Master Elder Ma was overjoyed. His son and daughter quickly bowed in gratitude; their long-standing worries had been easily resolved. Master Elder Ma hurriedly arranged a feast to entertain Lin Xuan, as even cultivators could occasionally enjoy the simple pleasures of food.
“ dào rú cǐ shì hǎo ， kǒng pà yǒu suǒ qiú ， bù yòng guǎi wān mò jiǎo ， zhí shuō jiù xíng le 。”
“道如此示好，恐怕有所求，不用拐弯抹角，直说就行了。”
The next morning, Lin Xuan left Huangqi Mountain with Master Elder Ma’s personal escort to visit the Zhang family.
lín xuān hē le yī kǒu xiāng míng ， dàn dàn de dào 。
林轩喝了一口香茗，淡淡的道。
There was nothing much to narrate after that; the Zhang family was also an outer force under the Demon Abyss Sect. How dare they offend a high-ranking elder! Moreover, Lin Xuan had inadvertently shown off his extraordinary abilities, far surpassing those of his peers. Even if the other party was displeased inside, they had to show outward submission.
mǎ lǎo ér yě jué de huǒ hòu chà bu duō ， zài dǎ mǎ hǔ yǎn duì fāng kěn dìng yào bù lè yì ， jiā zú néng fǒu yán xù xià qù zài cǐ yī jǔ ， tā xī le
马老儿也觉得火候差不多，再打马虎眼对方肯定要不乐意，家族能否延续下去在此一举，他吸了
"Haha, Senior is indeed a master, keeping your skills hidden," Master Elder Ma praised him on their way back, his demeanor growing even more respectful.
kǒu qì ， jiāng jǐn zhāng de xīn qíng píng fù xià qù ， rán hòu bǎ yǔ zhāng jiā de ēn yuàn huǎn huǎn jiǎng chū 。
口气，将紧张的心情平复下去，然后把与张家的恩怨缓缓讲出。
No wonder this young man could become such a high-ranking elder; his cultivation and abilities were likely at the peak of late-stage Condensation Core cultivators.
lín xuān bù dòng shēng sè de tīng zhe ， xīn zhōng yě zài píng gū ， zǐ xì xún wèn le zhāng jiā de qíng xíng ， yě jiù fàng xià le xīn ， zhè bó shì qíng ， duì
林轩不动声色的听着，心中也在评估，仔细询问了张家的情形，也就放下了心，这伯事情，对
"Master doesn’t need to be so polite. I’m just repaying your kindness with my services," Lin Xuan said. "But what about that spiritual vein area?"
zì jǐ lái shuō ， suī fēi jǔ shǒu zhī láo ， dàn yào jiě jué yě shí fēn de róng yì 。
自己来说，虽非举手之劳，但要解决也十分的容易。
"Haha, Master Elder, there’s no rush. How could I dare lie? Do you want to go now?" Master Elder Ma looked surprised.
dāng rán ， tā shì bú huì qīng yì dā yìng 。
当然，他是不会轻易答应。
Lin Xuan nodded without saying anything more. His expression was clear enough.
mǎ lǎo ér jiàn lín xuān chén yín ， máng zài cì chóng shēn le yuàn yì wèi tā tí gōng jīng shí líng cǎo 。
马老儿见林轩沉吟，忙再次重申了愿意为他提供晶石灵草。
"Alright." Master Elder Ma thought to himself but didn’t ask any further questions as they turned towards the southeast. Lin Xuan followed silently behind.
lín xuān yī jiù méi yǒu biǎo tài zhī yì ， bú shì tā tān xīn ， ér shì xiū xiān jiè de guī jǔ jiù shì rú cǐ ， duì fāng jì rán yǒu qiú yú jǐ ， nà hǎo chù
林轩依旧没有表态之意，不是他贪心，而是修仙界的规矩就是如此，对方既然有求于己，那好处
After half an hour, they arrived at a valley. Master Elder Ma’s concealment light slowly descended, while Lin Xuan released his divine sense to scan the area.
dāng rán yào jǐn liàng de zhà qǔ 。
当然要尽量的榨取。
To be honest, he was somewhat surprised. The spiritual energy here wasn’t weak, but it didn’t seem much different from nearby areas. Could this person have been exaggerating or lying?
jiàn lín xuān hái bù mǎn zú ， mǎ lǎo ér yǎo le yǎo yá 。
见林轩还不满足，马老儿咬了咬牙。
But something about him seemed certain and confident. Lin Xuan shook his head, deciding not to delve deeper; they would see what happened once they went down.
“ qián bèi ， nín kàn wǎn bèi zhè ge nǚ ér shēng dé rú hé ？”
“前辈，您看晚辈这个女儿生得如何？”
Thus, he retracted his light and slowly descended as well.
“ ń ？” lín xuān yī lèng ， méi míng bái duì fāng yào zuò shén me 。
“嗯？”林轩一愣，没明白对方要做什么。
At first, there was nothing unusual, but when they were only a few dozen feet from the ground, a transparent barrier suddenly appeared in front of them.
“ ruò shì qián bèi bù qì ， wǎn bèi yuàn jiāng xiǎo nǚ fèng xiàn yú nǐ ， zhǐ yào bù zuò shuāng xiū lú dǐng ， pū chuáng dié bèi ， huò zhě shì fèng yǐn shí qǐ jū ， suí
“若是前辈不弃，晚辈愿将小女奉献于你，只要不做双修炉鼎，铺床叠被，或者侍奉饮食起居，随
Lin Xuan was startled. Could this place have some kind of array set up? Was the other party trying to ambush him?
qián bèi lè yì 。”
前辈乐意。”
The thought flashed through his mind before he quickly dismissed it. The barrier wasn’t strange; he easily passed through it.
nà hēi yī nǚ zǐ tīng le ， liǎn sè yī bái ， suí jí yī lǚ hóng yùn shēng le lái ， cǐ nǚ běn jiù zī róng bù fán ， zhè yàng yī lái ， gèng duō le jǐ fēn
那黑衣女子听了，脸色一白，随即一缕红晕升了来，此女本就姿容不凡，这样一来，更多了几分
"Ah, what is this?"
yòu rén de guāng cǎi 。
诱人的光彩。
Lin Xuan widened his eyes and showed a hint of surprise as the spiritual energy became much denser after passing through the barrier, several times more than outside. Even compared to top-tier spiritual veins, there was no difference.
kě xī lín xuān bìng fēi hào sè zhī tú ， zhèng què de shuō ， zài nǚ sè fāng miàn ， tā shí fēn bǎ wò de zhù 。
可惜林轩并非好色之徒，正确的说，在女色方面，他十分把握的住。
Master Elder Ma stood below, smiling.
suī rán shuāng xiū tīng qǐ lái yě hěn yòu rén ， dàn zài níng chéng yuán yīng yǐ qián ， hài duō lì shǎo 。
虽然双修听起来也很诱人，但在凝成元婴以前，害多利少。
After landing beside him, Lin Xuan carefully examined the surroundings before speaking thoughtfully: "Master, the nearby spiritual energy isn’t naturally so dense; it must have been gathered by some ancient cultivator."
hé kuàng cǐ nǚ zài piào liàng ， yǔ qín yán ， ōu yáng ， kǒng què xiān zi xiāng bǐ ， hái shì chà le bù shǎo 。
何况此女再漂亮，与秦妍，欧阳，孔雀仙子相比，还是差了不少。
"Haha, Senior has good eyesight. Indeed, this place was set with an ancient restriction," Master Elder Ma said.
gù ér zhè tiáo ， lín xuān zì rán shì wǎn yán xiè jué 。
故而这条，林轩自然是婉言谢绝。
Lin Xuan didn’t reveal his thoughts as he continued to scan with his divine sense. The valley covered about ten acres and was enclosed in a semi-circular transparent light, making the spiritual energy inside much denser than outside.
“ duō xiè jiā zhǔ hǎo yì ， dàn lǐ mǒu bù hǎo nǚ sè ， nǐ yī nián néng wèi wǒ tí gōng duō shǎo jīng shí ？”
“多谢家主好意，但李某不好女色，你一年能为我提供多少晶石？”
This situation wasn’t unfamiliar to Lin Xuan; it resembled the forbidden array on Spirit Herb Mountain.
“ zhè ge …… bù mán zhǎng lǎo ， wǒ mǎ jiā rén dīng xī shǎo ， hǎo zài zhè huáng qí shān zhōng yǒu yī xiǎo xíng de jīng kuàng ， duō le bù gǎn shuō ， dàn měi nián
“这个……不瞒长老，我马家人丁稀少，好在这黄芪山中有一小型的晶矿，多了不敢说，但每年
Both were the work of ancient cultivators, but one collected geothermal energy while the other gathered spiritual energy. The principles should be similar, though this one was smaller in scale.
liǎng wàn jīng shí hái shì ná de chū lái de 。” mǎ lǎo ér yǒu xiē ròu téng de shuō dào 。
两万晶石还是拿的出来的。”马老儿有些肉疼的说道。
"Is Senior satisfied with this place?"
lín xuān diǎn le diǎn tóu ， tā yě míng bái jiàn hǎo jiù shōu ， běn lái zì jǐ hái zhuó mó zhe zěn me kāi kǒu zài zhè lǐ jiàn lì dòng fǔ ， méi xiǎng dào duì fāng bù
林轩点了点头，他也明白见好就收，本来自己还琢磨着怎么开口在这里建立洞府，没想到对方不
"It’s fine." Lin Xuan crossed his arms behind his back and searched for a suitable location to establish his cave.
jǐn zhǔ dòng jiāng zuì hǎo de dì fāng ràng chū ， hái xǔ xià zhū duō hǎo chù 。
仅主动将最好的地方让出，还许下诸多好处。
Master Elder Ma was good at reading people; seeing Lin Xuan’s expression, he knew that the other party wanted him to leave. So, he politely excused himself first: "Young Master, you’ve truly gained from this."
zhì yú nà dāng kào shān de yāo qiú ， duì zì jǐ lái shuō shí zài bù suàn shén me 。
至于那当靠山的要求，对自己来说实在不算什么。
"Can’t say it’s all gain. We each have our needs," Lin Xuan said as he waved his sleeves and a series of green sword qi flew out, quickly carving out a small cave.
“ hǎo ， kān jiā zhǔ zhè me xīn chéng ， wǒ dā yìng le 。”
“好，看家主这么心诚，我答应了。”
At the base of the cliff, though not spacious, the cave had everything needed for practice: a training room, living quarters, and even a spirit beast house. After that, Lin Xuan took out an array flag and set it up outside with care. Although this place was remote and well-protected by Master Elder Ma’s family, being cautious couldn’t hurt.
“ duō xiè zhǎng lǎo 。”
“多谢长老。”
After setting everything in order, Lin Xuan and Yue'er began their separate cultivation. He first placed the magic bees from Yuxuan Sect in the spirit beast house.
mǎ lǎo ér dà xǐ ， tā de yī zi yī nǚ yě máng wān yāo xíng lǐ ， yuán běn kùn rǎo le tā men duō rì de yǐn yōu ， jiù zhè me qīng yì de jiě jué diào le 。
马老儿大喜，他的一子一女也忙弯腰行礼，原本困扰了他们多日的隐忧，就这么轻易的解决掉了。
These venomous insects were powerful, and as larvae, they could be easily trained to mature into a formidable weapon once fully grown. However, he needed to first claim them before using them; for Lin Xuan, this was no challenge. He quickly set up a small array and completed the claiming ritual with his blood.
mǎ lǎo ér máng fēn fù rén shè xià yàn xí ， kuǎn dài lín xuān ， xiū xiān zhě suī kě bì gǔ ， dàn ǒu ěr yě huì xiǎng shòu yī xià kǒu fù zhī rén yù 。
马老儿忙吩咐人设下宴席，款待林轩，修仙者虽可辟谷，但偶尔也会享受一下口腹之人欲。
Then came the meticulous cultivation process, which would take time. Lin Xuan didn’t have the time now, so he left it to grow while he returned to the training room.
dì èr tiān yī zǎo ， lín xuān lí kāi le huáng qí shān ， zài mǎ lǎo ér de qīn zì péi bàn xià qián qù bài fǎng zhāng jiā 。
第二天一早，林轩离开了黄芪山，在马老儿的亲自陪伴下前去拜访张家。
Now that he had reached late-stage Condensation Core, his immediate goal was to reach the peak of this stage and then find a way to form an essence core.
hòu miàn de shì qíng ， jiù méi shén me hǎo xù shù ， nà xìng zhāng de xiū xiān jiā zú ， tóng yàng shì mó yōu mén de wài wéi shì lì ， zěn me gǎn dé zuì wèi gāo
后面的事情，就没什么好叙述，那姓张的修仙家族，同样是魔幽门的外围势力，怎么敢得罪位高
Though simple in theory, the actual process was incredibly difficult. However, Lin Xuan’s path had always been bumpy, so he wasn’t afraid of any challenges.
quán zhòng de zhǎng lǎo ， hé kuàng lín xuān zài bù jīng yì de shí hòu hái lù le yī shǒu ， xiǎn chū yuǎn shèng tóng jiē xiū shì de jīng rén shén tōng ， duì fāng zòng rán xīn zhōng
权重的长老，何况林轩在不经意的时候还露了一手，显出远胜同阶修士的惊人神通，对方纵然心中
Before that, there was one more thing he needed to do. He took out an array flag from his storage pouch and released it.
"So that's how it is," Master Elder Ma nodded. This was indeed similar to his guess; the other party was a late-stage Condensation Core cultivator and also held the position of an elder, so why would he come to such a remote place unless he had some pressing matter?
Though his cultivation level wasn't high, as the head of the family, Master Elder Ma was shrewd in his scheming. His mind raced, already formulating what to say: "It's truly a fortunate meeting. If you don’t mind, I can stay here for a while. Although Huangqi Mountain is somewhat remote, it has beautiful scenery and its spiritual veins are quite impressive."
"Oh?" Lin Xuan nodded, not saying anything.
"Haha, if you’re willing to stay for a short time, my family will certainly do our utmost to serve you. We have plenty of spirit herbs and crystal stones that can satisfy your needs."
Now that Lin Xuan was their lifeline, Master Elder Ma naturally had to hold on tightly to the hope of keeping his family alive.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan felt pleased inside. The other party had offered him a series of benefits before he even spoke. Wasn’t the position of an elder in the Demon Abyss Sect really that useful?
Lin Xuan shook his head inwardly. As the saying went, when someone is overly kind, it’s usually for a reason. In the cultivation world, if someone sought your help, you naturally had to extract as many benefits from them as possible.
Seeing Lin Xuan still wasn’t satisfied, Master Elder Ma gritted his teeth and said, "Senior, what do you think of my daughter? She is quite beautiful."
"Hmm?" Lin Xuan was taken aback. He didn’t understand the other party’s intentions.
"If Senior doesn’t mind, I would be willing to offer her to you as a wife. As long as there’s no double cultivation, and she can take care of your daily needs like cooking and serving meals," Master Elder Ma added.
The black-robed woman blanched at these words before a flush rose to her face. She was already beautiful, but with this addition, she became even more alluring.
Unfortunately, Lin Xuan wasn’t a lustful man. He had good control over his desires in that regard. While double cultivation sounded tempting, it was risky before the formation of an essence core. Even if the woman was very beautiful, compared to Qin Yan, Ouyang, and the Phoenix Immortal, she still fell short.
Thus, Lin Xuan politely declined: "Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t have a preference for women. How many crystal stones can you provide me with each year?"
"Ah… To be honest, my family is small in number, but there’s a small crystal mine here. While I can’t say how much more we have, two thousand crystal stones per year should be manageable," Master Elder Ma said, looking somewhat pained.
Lin Xuan nodded. He understood that he shouldn’t ask for too much. Originally, he had been thinking about establishing his cave in this place, but now the other party was not only offering him the best spot, but also promising many benefits.
As for the request to use it as a mountain stronghold, it wasn’t significant for Lin Xuan.
"Alright, considering your sincerity, I agree."
"Thank you, Master Elder."
Master Elder Ma was overjoyed. His son and daughter quickly bowed in gratitude; their long-standing worries had been easily resolved. Master Elder Ma hurriedly arranged a feast to entertain Lin Xuan, as even cultivators could occasionally enjoy the simple pleasures of food.
The next morning, Lin Xuan left Huangqi Mountain with Master Elder Ma’s personal escort to visit the Zhang family.
There was nothing much to narrate after that; the Zhang family was also an outer force under the Demon Abyss Sect. How dare they offend a high-ranking elder! Moreover, Lin Xuan had inadvertently shown off his extraordinary abilities, far surpassing those of his peers. Even if the other party was displeased inside, they had to show outward submission.
"Haha, Senior is indeed a master, keeping your skills hidden," Master Elder Ma praised him on their way back, his demeanor growing even more respectful.
No wonder this young man could become such a high-ranking elder; his cultivation and abilities were likely at the peak of late-stage Condensation Core cultivators.
"Master doesn’t need to be so polite. I’m just repaying your kindness with my services," Lin Xuan said. "But what about that spiritual vein area?"
"Haha, Master Elder, there’s no rush. How could I dare lie? Do you want to go now?" Master Elder Ma looked surprised.
Lin Xuan nodded without saying anything more. His expression was clear enough.
"Alright." Master Elder Ma thought to himself but didn’t ask any further questions as they turned towards the southeast. Lin Xuan followed silently behind.
After half an hour, they arrived at a valley. Master Elder Ma’s concealment light slowly descended, while Lin Xuan released his divine sense to scan the area.
To be honest, he was somewhat surprised. The spiritual energy here wasn’t weak, but it didn’t seem much different from nearby areas. Could this person have been exaggerating or lying?
But something about him seemed certain and confident. Lin Xuan shook his head, deciding not to delve deeper; they would see what happened once they went down.
Thus, he retracted his light and slowly descended as well.
At first, there was nothing unusual, but when they were only a few dozen feet from the ground, a transparent barrier suddenly appeared in front of them.
Lin Xuan was startled. Could this place have some kind of array set up? Was the other party trying to ambush him?
The thought flashed through his mind before he quickly dismissed it. The barrier wasn’t strange; he easily passed through it.
"Ah, what is this?"
Lin Xuan widened his eyes and showed a hint of surprise as the spiritual energy became much denser after passing through the barrier, several times more than outside. Even compared to top-tier spiritual veins, there was no difference.
Master Elder Ma stood below, smiling.
After landing beside him, Lin Xuan carefully examined the surroundings before speaking thoughtfully: "Master, the nearby spiritual energy isn’t naturally so dense; it must have been gathered by some ancient cultivator."
"Haha, Senior has good eyesight. Indeed, this place was set with an ancient restriction," Master Elder Ma said.
Lin Xuan didn’t reveal his thoughts as he continued to scan with his divine sense. The valley covered about ten acres and was enclosed in a semi-circular transparent light, making the spiritual energy inside much denser than outside.
This situation wasn’t unfamiliar to Lin Xuan; it resembled the forbidden array on Spirit Herb Mountain.
Both were the work of ancient cultivators, but one collected geothermal energy while the other gathered spiritual energy. The principles should be similar, though this one was smaller in scale.
"Is Senior satisfied with this place?"
"It’s fine." Lin Xuan crossed his arms behind his back and searched for a suitable location to establish his cave.
Master Elder Ma was good at reading people; seeing Lin Xuan’s expression, he knew that the other party wanted him to leave. So, he politely excused himself first: "Young Master, you’ve truly gained from this."
"Can’t say it’s all gain. We each have our needs," Lin Xuan said as he waved his sleeves and a series of green sword qi flew out, quickly carving out a small cave.
At the base of the cliff, though not spacious, the cave had everything needed for practice: a training room, living quarters, and even a spirit beast house. After that, Lin Xuan took out an array flag and set it up outside with care. Although this place was remote and well-protected by Master Elder Ma’s family, being cautious couldn’t hurt.
After setting everything in order, Lin Xuan and Yue'er began their separate cultivation. He first placed the magic bees from Yuxuan Sect in the spirit beast house.
These venomous insects were powerful, and as larvae, they could be easily trained to mature into a formidable weapon once fully grown. However, he needed to first claim them before using them; for Lin Xuan, this was no challenge. He quickly set up a small array and completed the claiming ritual with his blood.
Then came the meticulous cultivation process, which would take time. Lin Xuan didn’t have the time now, so he left it to grow while he returned to the training room.
Now that he had reached late-stage Condensation Core, his immediate goal was to reach the peak of this stage and then find a way to form an essence core.
Though simple in theory, the actual process was incredibly difficult. However, Lin Xuan’s path had always been bumpy, so he wasn’t afraid of any challenges.
Before that, there was one more thing he needed to do. He took out an array flag from his storage pouch and released it.