A stalk of Dragon Saliva Grass had convinced Blood Thorn.
A rune beast possessing Golden Star Fragment Fire had made Yang Ling ecstatic.
And now, Old Diao had repeatedly lost his composure after discovering that Lin Xun had designed the new series Violet Hero Battleship.
What should have originally been a test had been effortlessly conquered by Lin Xun, causing Xiaoke and Spirit Vulture to feel surprised and astonished.
For Lin Xun, however, although he had passed with flying colors, there were several things he still did not understand.
……
Lin Zhong had already calmed himself and led Blood Thorn, Yang Ling, and Old Diao away to prepare accommodations for them.
Since Lin Xun now had a chance, he asked a question that had been bugging him, “Why a pharmacist, a blacksmith, and a rune master?”
He had originally thought that Spirit Vulture was going to recruit experts with strong combat abilities. However, Lin Xun had clearly misunderstood.
“At this juncture, they are more useful than normal cultivators and will be a bigger help to you.”Spirit Vulture did not seem surprised as he explained, “Although Mind Cleansing Peak is currently an empty shell that has been abandoned for many years, don’t forget that it is still one of the seventy-two aristocratic peaks and a top-class cultivation paradise in the Forbidden City!”
“The herb gardens here contain concentrated aeth essence and can be used to grow various precious and expensive plants.”
“The medicine production facilities here can produce numerous amazing pills and tonics if utilized well.”
“The smithy here…”
Spirit Vulture easily gave several examples as if he knew Mind Cleansing Peak like the back of his hand. “All in all, although it has been abandoned for many years, Mind Cleansing Peak is still an excellent foundation your ancestors left behind. If used well, it can provide you with endless wealth!”
Lin Xun immediately understood. His eyes shone as he said, “I see.”
Spirit Vulture smiled faintly and said, “It’s not just that. When the three of them begin to bring in endless wealth for Mind Cleansing Peak, you can use the money to hire experts in the Forbidden City.”
“It might be difficult to find a three-legged frog in the city, but there are always many powerful experts you can hire!”
“Hire?”
Lin Xun was taken aback.
“Correct. As the Lin Clan successor, your only option is to hire experts for the time being. It will take too much time and effort to raise your own group. After all, it is not something that can be done in a day, and they would not be able to provide you any help for the time being anyway.”
Spirit Vulture continued his analysis, “Most importantly, once you resolve the Lin Clan’s internal problems, you can recruit from among the Lin Clan disciples and nurture them. This way, you will be able to reduce potential conflict in the clan while also solidifying your position.”
“That is the most important!”
“After all, if your subordinates are all outsiders, will your clansmen tolerate being ordered or critiqued by these people after you unify the clan? It will become a potential source of conflict!”
“As the clan successor, you are responsible for the entire clan. If you let outsiders manage the affairs of Mind Cleansing Peak, it will only harm the harmony of the clan.”
Listening to Spirit Vulture’s long analysis felt like he had been struck by a sudden awakening, making Lin Xun feel as if he had achieved enlightenment.
If not for Spirit Vulture’s reminder, Lin Xun would not have given consideration to these matters.
From this, it could be seen how difficult it was to become a fitting successor.
“Thanks for your guidance,” Lin Xun earnestly thanked Spirit Vulture.
Spirit Vulture laughed and said, “No need to be courteous. I only wanted to remind you that Blood Thorn, Yang Ling, and Old Diao are rare and incomparable talents. If you can convince them to stay their whole lives on Mind Cleansing Peak, I guarantee that they will bring unimaginable benefits to the Lin Clan.”
At this point, Xiaoke, who had been silently listening, could not help but purse her lips and giggle. “It’s true. For the past few years, several factions from the army tried their best to recruit the three of them but were all rejected.”
Lin Xun immediately understood and smiled. “I will do my best.”
He could not help but feel somewhat expectant. When would the trio give him a ‘pleasant surprise’?
Spirit Vulture suddenly said, “However, before they can generate income for Mind Cleansing Peak, there is an urgent matter you have to attend to.”
“What is it?”
“Investment!”
Spirit Vulture patiently explained, “Seeds need to be bought to be planted, herbs need to be bought to manufacture tonics and pills, and even smithing also requires numerous metals. The amount of resources needed for Old Diao to set up arrays will be even more…all of this requires funding.”
Lin Xun’s expression turned rigid as he sighed deeply. “You won’t know the difficulties of a clan until you become responsible for one.”
……
On that same evening, Lin Xun and Lin Zhong left Mind Cleansing Peak and headed to Stone Cauldron Alms once more.
Upon knowing Lin Xun’s intentions, Shi Yu immediately loaned Lin Xun thirty thousand gold coins. He also gave Lin Xun a special Stone Cauldron Alms token.
With the token, Lin Xun could receive the best privileges in Stone Cauldron Alms and purchase all items at the best possible price.
According to Shi Yu, fewer than a hundred people in the entire Forbidden City could obtain this token.
This included the royal family, noble clans, Qinglu Academy, the army, and other powerful factions.
It showed how valuable the token was.
Of course, Shi Yu had not given it out merely because of his status but mainly due to the precious treasures Lin Xun had left with Stone Cauldron Alms to auction. The value of these treasures was enough to qualify him for such a privilege.
Before leaving Stone Cauldron Alms, Shi Yu suddenly asked about the national exam. Upon reconfirming that Lin Xun was indeed not going to participate, Shi Yu could not help but feel somewhat regretful.
At the same time, Lin Xun also found out that Shi Yu had already registered for this year’s national exam.
It wasn’t just Shi Yu. Ning Meng and the other Blood Kill Camp batchmates such as Marquis Jing Hai’s granddaughter, Bai Lingxi, Zhao Yin, Zhangsun Hen, Li Duxing, Qi Can, Ye Xiaoqi…would all be participating in this year’s national exam.
This showed that this year’s national exam was truly going to be a gathering of talented and powerful geniuses!
Regretfully, Lin Xun was not participating.
Although Shi Yu felt regretful for Lin Xun, he also understood that Lin Xun’s current circumstances were pretty terrible, and he could not afford to waste any time on the national exam.
In the end, Shi Yu invited Lin Xun to join a gathering with their other Blood Kill Camp companions to see how everyone had changed after the national exam was over.
Lin Xun thought it over for a while before nodding.
Blood Kill Camp was a place he had special feelings for, and it would be nice to meet the friends from back then once more.
……
It was already late night by the time they left Stone Cauldron Alms.
Lin Zhong was driving the carriage at the front while Lin Xun was lost in thought inside the carriage.
It was a gorgeous carriage that had been gifted to Lin Xun by Shi Yu. He had originally wanted to give Lin Xun some young female servants as well but was firmly rejected.
What else could he do? Lin Xun had an entire clan to manage but had no money. He already had so many affairs to tend to and could not afford to support a few more servants.
“Three hundred thousand gold coins should tide us over for a while…”
Lin Xun inwardly sighed.
Money! Money! Money!
Nothing could be done without money. This life of poverty was something he would have to look into changing after resolving the clan’s internal problems and unifying it once more.
For the time being, however, Lin Xun could only rely on himself to earn money.
Creak!
The swiftly advancing carriage suddenly stopped, causing the wheels to produce a harsh noise as they scraped against the ground.
Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed as he awoke from his thoughts.
“Young Master, we’ve encountered an ambush.”
There was a strange tone in Lin Zhong’s voice as if he had no choice but to make a difficult decision. “Wait in the carriage. These…people shall be dealt with by this old servant!”
Rustle!
Lin Xun lifted the window curtains and saw that they had stopped in a wide and empty alley.
A few figures stood in their path.
Their leader was an elder that gave off a cryptic and chilling aura as if he was linked to the world around him. Although he was merely standing there, he gave off the sensation that he could stop ten thousand men alone.
Heaven Ascension stage!
Lin Xun’s heart shook.
Who wanted him dead so much that they would send an expert of such caliber?
The figures behind the elder pulsed with killing intent and gave off extraordinary auras. They were all Spirit Sea stage and above experts!
This made Lin Xun’s heart churn again. An elite force like this was definitely not sent by any ordinary faction.
Could it be the Chi Clan?
Before Lin Xun could react, Lin Zhong’s body rose into the air. An eye-catching, snow-silver spear that was five feet long had appeared in his hand.
Lin Zhong looked like he had become another person. His back was straight, and his eyes flashed fiercely as he stood in the air with his clothes billowing around him.
An unrivaled aura spread from his body like a ferocious tiger that proudly ruled over the primeval forest!
Who would dare to believe that this was the same old hunchback servant who had silently guarded Mind Cleansing Peak for more than ten years?
The change was far too drastic!
Lin Xun’s eyes shone brightly.
White Casanova Shen Jinglun! Have you finally decided to stop hiding your identity?
By this time, Lin Xun finally realized why Lin Zhong would expose his identity. It was because there was a Heaven Ascension expert among the group that was ambushing them!
In this situation, Lin Zhong would never idly stand by unless he wasn’t White Casanova Shen Jinglun.
I did not expect that encountering an ambush tonight would actually be a good thing…
A smile rose from the corners of Lin Xun’s mouth.
Gasps sounded from the distance. The ambushers had clearly not expected the old servant accompanying Lin Xun to suddenly transform into a peerless expert.
Shiing!
The silver spear seemed to roar like a dragon.
At the same time, Lin Zhong’s figure dashed forward as he brandished his spear.
That unparalleled elegance made him seem like a legend that had walked out from a fairy tale!