Chapter 55

In the Lin Family

“It’s Xuan-er!”

Lin Baye looked at the young man who entered, a smile appearing on his face.

“Grandfather.”

The young man stood quietly, gazing at the old man’s slightly weathered face, his voice soft.

Grandfather and grandson fell into a peaceful silence.

Since Lin Xuan arrived in this world, his parents have been missing. It could be said that the elderly man before him raised him single-handedly. Lin Xuan genuinely considered him family.

Looking at the young man before him, Lin Baye felt both comforted and dazed.

With a hearty smile, he said, “Xuan-er, youth should be filled with ambition and vigor, not confined to one place. The young should venture out and explore the world, make the most of their prime years. Family matters will be handled by us old folks so that you young ones don’t need to worry.”

“Since you were small, you’ve never once caused me any trouble. I trust you. If you’re ever out there feeling tired, lost, or homesick, your uncles and I will be here waiting for you. This will always be your home.”

“My grandson, Lin Baye’s grandson, won’t lose to anyone!”

“Go now—seize the era, witness the brilliance of this world, make a name for yourself, and pursue whatever it is you wish.”

Lin Xuan felt a slight warmth in his heart as he looked at the elderly man. He took out a storage ring, placed it on the table, and, suppressing a hint of sadness, said, “Grandfather, I have placed some elixirs I refined recently in this storage ring, as well as a cultivation technique I obtained. You can switch to this technique, but it’s important that you practice it alone and don’t teach it to anyone else.”

“In addition, the elixirs within will help increase your strength. If the family faces a powerful enemy, don’t push yourself too hard. I have left a contingency within the family that should be enough to handle anything.”

Then, Lin Xuan took out another storage ring, explaining, “This ring is for the family. It should be enough to help Uncle Lin Zhan, Grandpa Lin Hu… and the others break through to the Qi Sea Realm. The remaining resources can go towards developing the younger generation.”

Lin Baye accepted the storage ring without asking how Lin Xuan had refined the elixirs or where he was headed.

After explaining everything, Lin Xuan said no more and turned to leave.

As he watched the young man’s departing figure, Lin Baye suddenly chuckled, “Getting old, can’t handle the wind these days… look at me! How could Lin Baye’s grandson be a weakling?”

The door was slightly ajar. The young man turned back, bowing respectfully multiple times before turning again and never looking back.

Lin Baye felt a sense of déjà vu; a warm tear trickled down his cheek. He reached up to wipe it away, noticing his sleeve was already damp.

“Indeed… old… getting old…”

…

After leaving Lin Baye’s residence, Lin Xuan made his way to the Lin family’s back mountain.

In the back mountain of the Lin family

Lin Yan was diligently practicing alchemy, his hair wild from explosions. After this period of tireless alchemy work, he had broken through to the Second Level of Qi Condensation.

“Yes, I did it! I did it!”

Lin Yan looked at the three shiny pills in the alchemy furnace and jumped up with excitement.

“Not bad! A Second-Tier pill with a seven-stripe pattern—producing something like this within a month! Looks like you, Little Yan, are quite the alchemy prodigy,” said an approving voice as a phantom figure emerged from within Lin Yan.

“If you venture beyond the Great Yan Dynasty, joining the Alchemy Hall wouldn’t be a bad option. Wonder if any of my old friends there are still alive…”

Lin Yan’s mentor, the phantom figure, knew that this young man had only started alchemy a month ago. Producing a seven-stripe pill in that time was an exceptional talent, even by Alchemy Hall’s standards.

“Hmm, Little Yan, I think your cousin might be looking for you.”

The old voice faded as the figure disappeared.

“My cousin, Lin Xuan? He’s looking for me?”

A bit confused, Lin Yan got up, dusted himself off, and walked out of the cave.

Outside, he saw a figure dressed in white, standing as if floating, graceful and poised like an immortal.

“Fl-Flying… he flew here?”

Lin Yan’s eyes widened with disbelief. It was his first time seeing someone actually fly!

After wiping his eyes, he saw a familiar figure land in front of him.

“L-Lin Xuan, Cousin?”

Lin Yan was so shocked that he stuttered.

Lin Xuan looked at his stunned cousin and spoke calmly, “A small trick; don’t be surprised.”

“You call that a small trick?” Lin Yan muttered internally.

If that was a “small trick,” he wanted to learn it! Walking on air like that was so cool!

But ultimately, he didn’t ask out loud.

Curious, Lin Yan asked, “Cousin Lin Xuan, what brings you here?”

His cousin rarely sought others out; this was a first.

Without many words, Lin Xuan took out a black card and a finely crafted jade token, handing them to Lin Yan.

“These are for you. I’ll be away from the family for a while, perhaps a year or two. During this time, I’m entrusting the family’s care to you.”

Lin Yan, scratching his head, replied a bit shyly, “Don’t worry, Cousin Lin Xuan, I’ll definitely look after the family.”

“Good.” Lin Xuan nodded, watching Lin Yan accept the items. He said nothing more and turned to leave.

As Lin Yan watched him walk away, he was left a bit confused. “What does he mean?”

Looking at the two items, he saw a black card containing a string of zeros, indicating a balance of a million low-grade spirit stones. The jade token was warm in his hand, clearly valuable. The contents of this token were surely precious.

He thought about being entrusted with the family’s care… wait!

Lin Yan’s eyes widened in realization. “Teacher…”

The phantom figure reappeared, glancing thoughtfully in the direction Lin Xuan had gone. “Little Yan, when will you start learning from your cousin?”

Lin Yan: “…”

Slowly, he opened the jade box. Inside lay a small piece of dark wood—a Sixth-Tier Heaven material known as Soul-Nurturing Wood.

“This boy… he must have sensed my presence. Impressive!”

“So, all these gifts are for me, not for you.”

“Hand them over, Little Yan.”

“?”

“They’re mine, all mine! Haha! With this Soul-Nurturing Wood, I’ll soon have a physical body again. Then… hehehe…”