Chapter 264: Yun Yao's Letter
Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, another peaceful year had gone by for the various powers on Five Dragon Island.
[Life Span: 149//599]
[Realm: Early Golden Core (6/100)]
On this day, Lin Chang'an stood inside a pavilion, a relaxed look between his brows as he admired the fine scenery of Tianquan Peak.
"As expected, after improving my aptitude, my cultivation speed has also increased."
With cultivation progressing smoothly, his mood naturally improved as well.
Beside him lay the recovered Azure-Horned Ox. Ever since it had mistakenly ingested the Mysterious Black Qi, this spirit pet's bloodline seemed to have mutated.
It had been exceedingly lethargic for over a year, and its body had grown noticeably larger. Though it didn’t appear to have changed much, Lin Chang'an noticed that the ox's strength had increased severalfold within just one year.
Its hide had become tougher, its horns harder, and its physique was quietly undergoing a transformation.
This was quite similar to the Phoenix-Chirp Bird's evolution. However, one was like a rapid rebirth through fire, while the other was a slow progression.
"At present, this Azure-Horned Ox already surpasses the typical strength range of quasi–third-rank demon beasts, especially in terms of power."
In the pavilion, Lin Chang'an looked at the ox lazily basking in the sun by the pond and shook his head.
He wasn’t sure if this mutation was good or bad.
But for now, it seemed fine. Even if it was purely physical enhancement, it was still worthwhile.
Certainly better than those mutations that were rumored to be utterly useless.
At that moment, a sword attendant in a dark teal combat outfit walked up respectfully, holding a jade slip with both hands as she began to report.
"Master, this is this year's income from Tianquan Peak. The spirit fish raised in the spring pool were sold..., the spirit herbs, although still immature, are growing well...
Currently, Tianquan Peak houses twenty-three female cultivators from various clans, who respectively..."
Listening to the report, Lin Chang'an revealed a satisfied smile and nodded slightly.
No wonder she was well-trained. For the past two years, almost everything on Tianquan Peak had been managed by the sword attendants.
With her early Foundation Establishment cultivation and cultivating within the cave abode of a Golden Core cultivator like Lin Chang'an, outsiders already regarded her as a trusted confidante, perhaps even a concubine.
Her face still carried traces of baby fat, yet she wore a cold expression—this contrast was oddly intriguing.
However!
Lin Chang'an inadvertently glanced at her attire. This girl was quite clever; she had clearly put thought into it.
His spiritual power was teal, and her outfit was dark teal.
He had planted many ornamental spirit plants on Tianquan Peak and enjoyed collecting and reading ancient books. As a result, her garments were even embroidered with simple green bamboo motifs.
Perhaps being cautious had become her second nature.
"Master, this is this year’s stipend sent by cultivators from Xuanyin Pavilion, along with a few letters."
With that, the sword attendant respectfully presented a pouch of spirit stones and several letter boxes with both hands.
"Letters!"
Lin Chang'an raised his hand, and the items landed on the stone table. He saw letters from Yue Kingdom, Old Hu, and one unfamiliar letter box, prompting him to frown slightly.
"Handle Tianquan Peak's miscellaneous matters later."
This statement made it clear: the development and income of Tianquan Peak were trivial in comparison to other matters.
Upon hearing this, the sword attendant turned pale and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Forgive me, Master!"
"Enough."
Seeing her panic, Lin Chang'an simply shook his head calmly. He neither comforted her nor said anything else.
In the world of cultivation, understanding one's role was the basic rule of survival.
She had been bought by him. It was her duty to adapt to his habits, not the other way around.
Upon realizing she wasn’t punished, the sword attendant secretly sighed in relief.
It seemed she had misunderstood. Back on Azure Wave Island, the female cultivators who trained them had said: in the cultivation world, profit came first. Most cultivators valued benefit over sentiment.
It appeared her master cared more about emotion than she had expected.
In that moment, her expression stiffened, though her mind was racing.
Lin Chang'an couldn't read her thoughts exactly but could roughly guess.
It was nothing more than figuring out how to perform better and gain more status and benefits in the future.
"You've done quite well these past two years, and your cultivation hasn’t slackened. This is your reward."
Lin Chang'an nodded slightly. His expression was calm and unreadable. With a wave of his hand, a portion of the spirit stones flew out from the pouch.
They landed beside the sword attendant as a reward. Her pupils trembled, and she immediately bowed deeply.
"Many thanks for your grace, Master."
Her pair of dim, heterochromatic eyes briefly showed emotion.
Spirit stones! She had actually been rewarded.
Lin Chang'an remained calm and gestured.
"Focus on cultivation. Next time, wear a more presentable magical robe."
The magical robe the sword attendant wore was clearly not befitting of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—too low-grade.
He had not renamed her, to show that he didn’t require a maid to serve him.
With Foundation Establishment cultivation, she could handle many matters for him. Naturally, she should be properly equipped.
"Take this spirit artifact for your daily cultivation and self-defense."
With a casual wave, a black-sheathed sword floated out from his storage pouch.
It was a spirit artifact he had refined himself, just right for Foundation Establishment use.
Looking at the spirit stones and the rare spirit artifact in her hand, the sword attendant lowered her head, eyes brimming with emotion.
"Yes, Master!"
Though she knew he merely needed her strength, this kind of gift still made her heart tremble.
As Lin Chang'an casually waved her off, the sword attendant bowed low and slowly withdrew from the pavilion.
[Second-rank Low-grade Artifact Refiner (Proficient 8/500)]
"As a second-rank low-grade artifact refiner, the artifacts I make are still lacking, but good materials can make up for the craftsmanship."
Lin Chang'an nodded to himself. His years of effort, combined with the presence of his clone, had allowed his skills to progress steadily.
His artifact refinement had broken through to the second rank.
"At this rate, I should be able to reach the third rank in another fifty to sixty years."
Previously, for pill refinement, talismans, and formations, it had taken him less than sixty years each to break through from the second to the third rank.
Now that he was a Core Formation cultivator, with deeper mana and a stronger flame for forging, his improvement would be even faster.
Not to mention, as a Golden Core cultivator, it was much easier for him to collect the materials needed for refining.
And with his clone’s support, having one more body to train the craft meant that cultivating four arts wouldn’t hinder his overall cultivation at all.
In fact, the improvement might even accelerate.
"Unfortunately, third-rank craft inheritances are exceedingly rare. Ordinary sects don’t have them, so I’ll have to slowly make my own arrangements."
At that thought, Lin Chang'an shook his head. Third-rank refinement skill was enough to forge life-bound magical treasures.
But for now, he still had to wait for the purification of the Fusang Divine Tree—at least until it produced enough materials for him to refine his life-bound magical treasure.
"No rush. At this rate, even when my artifact skills reach third rank, the Fusang Divine Tree may still not be ready."
That Mysterious Black Qi was like bone maggots, extremely difficult to purge. The surface layer had seemed easy, making him think it would be simple.
But after purifying the outer black Qi, he realized how troublesome the inner contamination was within the Fusang Divine Tree.
"I’ve only just formed my core. Everything must be done step by step."
He shook his head lightly and sipped his spirit tea, then turned to the letters before him.
...
In the pavilion, the handsome and graceful Lin Chang'an sat alone before the stone table, occasionally sipping his tea, a smile forming on his lips as he read the letters.
There were three letters from Yue Kingdom—from Li Yifan, Shen Fan, and Wei Yingying, juniors of his. One also came from the Zhou Family.
The messages from his nephews were all similar, mostly reporting their current status, showing some concern for him, and a hint of flattery.
Li Yifan was now the head of the Li Clan. With his close relationship with Shen Fan and his wife, their two clans had become a powerful force in Qingshui Bay, enough to be considered a major clan in a small area.
"Who would've thought that back then, Erniu had so many children, which eventually gave rise to the Li cultivation clan."
Children begetting children, endlessly.
Many of those born back then had poor spiritual roots and little access to cultivation resources. They married early.
But with Li Yifan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator as their clan head, they wanted for nothing. Only their cultivation resources were somewhat lacking.
However, in order to develop the clan, these people had many children. Even the main family now had quite a few descendants—all of whom were Li Yifan's full-blooded brothers.
When he read the letters from Shen Fan and Wei Yingying, he couldn’t help but smile.
"Shen Fan and Wei Yingying not only possess high cultivation, but also have only a few children, allowing them to concentrate resources. Producing one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators among their descendants is not difficult."
According to the letters, one of their descendants had already reached Foundation Establishment, and they were even preparing for a second.
Li Yifan, too, was planning for his descendants to reach Foundation Establishment. But given the size and responsibilities of the family, resources often couldn’t be concentrated.
Even though he himself was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his role in the clan's safety left him unable to act freely.
Unlike Shen Fan and Wei Yingying, who traveled together and had better protection due to their combined strength.
As a result, their developments diverged, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Still, both families were doing well.
Seeing this, Lin Chang’an nodded slightly. He understood that some of this success was surely due to borrowing his influence—after all, he was a Golden Core cultivator and a guest elder of Xuanyin Pavilion.
In the Zhou Family’s letter, aside from thanks, they even sent a beast-taming insight.
"The Zhou Family really is generous."
While such a gift might be a foundation for a Foundation Establishment clan, it wasn’t difficult for a Golden Core cultivator to obtain if he wished.
The Zhou Family's gesture was simply embellishment.
Inside their letter box, a jade slip containing the beast-taming insight was well preserved.
Lin Chang’an picked it up and nodded. This was one of the advantages of being a Golden Core cultivator.
Afterward, he opened the letter from Old Hu.
"Old Hu... as expected of someone from the Law Enforcement Hall of Bihai Palace, he really knows a lot."
Lin Chang’an nodded to himself. Old Hu’s letter was quite useful.
In his usual teasing tone, Old Hu shared information about the current state of the Demon-Beast Sea Abyss and the state of that region.
Though seemingly unrelated to Lin Chang’an, the intel was highly valuable.
"Some sensitive information, of course, Old Hu wouldn’t dare reveal, but surface-level knowledge is still useful. If I had to investigate on my own, it would be time-consuming and inefficient, and might not even be timely."
With Old Hu's help, he could now foresee regional upheavals in those sea areas and whether they would affect Five Dragon Island.
However, when he opened the last unfamiliar letter, Lin Chang’an's expression suddenly changed.
"This is...!"
Though the jade talisman-letter appeared ordinary, the familiar aura instantly told him who it was from.
"Yun Yao!"
In the next instant, Lin Chang’an released his full divine sense. In the distance, the sword attendant remained focused, sitting cross-legged in meditation on a smooth stone by the pond.
She was always ready for Lin Chang’an’s instructions.
This alone showed how, once she regained the ability to cultivate, she treasured every moment and refused to waste any time, despite her slow progress.
The value of what was lost and regained could only be felt by the one who experienced it.
This was what pleased Lin Chang’an most. He had nurtured a capable subordinate, not a burden.
Then there was the Azure-Horned Ox, still sleeping soundly in the pond, basking in the sun.
After a cautious probe, Lin Chang’an, seated in the pavilion, calmly formed a hand seal. The characters on the letter began to shift.
But as Lin Chang’an read the contents, his pupils shrank, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
"I can’t believe how lucky I was last time."
Back when he was planning to gather ingredients for Spirit-Mending Pills, he had gone hunting for the Sinister Spirit Beast King in the Fog Sea of Tongtian and nearly overreached out of greed.
Fortunately, he calmed down, suppressed his desires, and chose to refine the Heaven-Mending Pill first.
He later went to the black market to trade for a demon core and the sword attendant. Upon his return to refine the Spirit-Mending Pill, the island where he had hunted the Sinister Spirit Beast King was discovered.
The Mystic Yin Divine Sect sensed the Phoenix-Chirp Bird’s aura and had been investigating the matter secretly for over a year.
"I didn’t expect the Phoenix-Chirp Bird to stir up such a storm!"
After seeing Yun Yao’s warnings later in the letter, another chill ran down Lin Chang’an’s back.
He finally understood why a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Mystic Yin Divine Sect would be alarmed by a Phoenix-Chirp Bird.
Ultimately, the Phoenix-Chirp Bird was just an exotic beast. Even if it was third-rank, to a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was merely a stronger ant.
"Within the greatest secret realm of the Demon-Beast Sea Abyss, there lies a treasure trove that requires an extremely Yin or extremely Yang item to extract..."
Reading this, Lin Chang’an fell silent.
A treasure coveted even by Nascent Soul cultivators—the opportunity must be immense.
At the same time, he felt immensely relieved that he had been cautious and never exposed the Phoenix-Chirp Bird.
"Since it’s so deeply involved, the Phoenix-Chirp Bird must be completely hidden from now on. It can only be my trump card.
Even when hunting alone in the future, I must erase all traces of its involvement."
The thought of nearly being targeted by a Nascent Soul faction chilled Lin Chang’an to the core.
He simply wasn’t confident enough to face a Nascent Soul power. If targeted, his only option would be to escape.
As for confronting a Nascent Soul cultivator directly? His only chance would be a contest of speed!
Either detonate his Golden Core before capture—
Or be captured before he could explode, and then have his soul searched!
These were the only two outcomes he could imagine. There was no third option.
Early Golden Core versus Nascent Soul—there was no solution!
"Unless I become a Nascent Soul cultivator myself, I must never reveal the Phoenix-Chirp Bird."
Thinking this, Lin Chang’an nodded deeply.
No wonder Yun Yao had gone through so much trouble just to send this letter, even disguising her identity in Sea Abyss City.
She had even delayed it for such a long time. Lin Chang’an felt a mix of emotions and deep gratitude in his heart.
Thank you to all fellow Daoists for your support.