768: Sorry, I need to take a day off.

Zhao Xiongshan's eyes burned with intensity.

He had gained a comprehensive understanding of Lin Yang's identity and background from Zhao Chen and Zhao Hu.

He knew that Lin Yang hailed from the distant Zheng Mu Prefecture and had arrived here by accident through spatial turbulence.

He had also been rescued by Zhao Chen and the others during a trade mission.

A person with such a clear origin, an existing debt of gratitude, astonishing strength, and even more incredible potential was naturally worth the Zhao family's full effort to cultivate and recruit.

Returning to Zheng Mu Prefecture from Xiwu City was simply too difficult.

Even if Lin Yang intended to return in the future, it would take a considerably long time.

This meant that in the days before his return, Lin Yang would have to live here in Xiwu City.

Being able to contend with the peak of the Nie Kong Realm while only in the mid-stage meant that once Lin Yang reached the peak himself, he might even have a chance at possessing strength comparable to the Yuan He Realm.

The Zhao family's overall strength within Xiwu City was quite average; if they could have one more existence at the Yuan He Realm watching over them, there would be a very high probability of taking another step upward.

The benefits and returns that would bring at that time would be beyond imagination.

Therefore, Zhao Xiongshan did his utmost to show his sincerity.

After all, if Lin Yang were to join another family, the loss would be far too great.

In Zhao Xiongshan's mind, Lin Yang's appearance was also an opportunity for their Zhao family to advance further.

Zheng Mu Prefecture was too far away, and Lin Yang was here all alone; as long as they won him over, even if Lin Yang wasn't a member of the Zhao clan by blood, the difference wouldn't be very significant.

Seeing Lin Yang enter the cultivation chamber, Zhao Xiongshan waved his hand and declared, "Until Guest Elder Lin emerges from seclusion, this area is designated as a family forbidden zone. Trespassers will be punished without leniency."

The other elders of the Zhao family exchanged glances and each gave a word of assent, saying nothing more.

Zhao Chen understood what was on Zhao Xiongshan's mind and also felt a faint sense of anticipation... Cultivation knows no years, and time flows like water.

Unbeknownst to anyone, more than thirty thousand years had passed since Lin Yang entered seclusion.

His cultivation had already reached the late stage of the Nie Kong Realm, but he did not emerge; instead, he intended to break through to the peak of the Nie Kong Realm in one go.

Before his seclusion, he had prepared sufficient resources, determined to reach the peak of the Nie Kong Realm this time.

That way, once he emerged, he would have enough power to protect himself and establish a foothold even in a place like Xiwu City.

Thus, nearly another hundred thousand years passed.

On this day, Lin Yang successfully broke through to the peak of the Nie Kong Realm.

Originally, reaching the peak of the Nie Kong Realm would have been enough to end his seclusion, but after the breakthrough, Lin Yang had a faint insight, feeling as though he could take yet another step forward, so he continued his cultivation.

At the same time.

Inside the Zhao family's main hall, Zhao Xiongshan, Zhao Chen, several Zhao family elders, and Zhao Hu were all seated.

Everyone's expression was rather unsightly.

"That Bai Family is going too far! They actually want us to hand over two more treasure lands within the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm. It's absolutely infuriating!" a Zhao family elder said indignantly.

"Zhao Ping, restrain your emotions. We need to discuss a countermeasure, not just vent your temper," Zhao Chen said calmly, glancing at the elder.

Zhao Ping's voice faltered as he said hatefully, "At this point, what else can be done? If we don't hand over the treasure lands, the Bai Family will definitely not let it rest. Our conflict with them hasn't just been for a day or two; they've wanted to move against us for a long time. Now that they have an additional clan elder at the Yuan He Realm, they're probably looking to seize this chance to drive us out of Xiwu City."

Zhao Chen didn't look at him again, merely saying, "Thinking it is one thing, being able to do it is another. My Zhao family has been established in Xiwu City for so many years; we are not easily bullied."

Having said that, he looked toward Zhao Xiongshan and said, "Family Head, this matter requires you to make a decision. Do we hand over the treasure lands, or do we simply fight it out with the Bai Family?"

Zhao Xiongshan lightly tapped the table, not responding immediately, clearly somewhat hesitant and undecided.

At this moment, another Zhao family elder, Zhao Yan, spoke up: "Let's just fight them. If we lose, at worst we start over from scratch. If we yield the treasure lands today, the Bai Family will surely push for more tomorrow, pressuring us step by step to give up all our treasure lands, and then our entire industry. They won't stop until they've picked us clean."

Zhao Hu also chimed in: "I agree with that. One act of compromise leads to endless compromises, but compromise won't make the Bai Family stop; they'll only become more aggressive!"

Zhao Xiongshan still didn't speak. After another long silence, he finally sighed and said:

"It's not that I don't want to fight them, but the Grand Elder failed to break through smoothly last time and has returned to seclusion. With the Supreme Elder alone, it's hard to fight against four hands. Fighting the Bai Family right now is not wise."

After saying this, he didn't give the other elders a chance to speak further and immediately followed up:

"It's better to yield the treasure lands for now; we can stall for time. With this whole business regarding the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, the Bai Family won't have the energy to deal with us fully once they get the treasure lands. As long as we can stall until the Grand Elder's next breakthrough, or..."

At this point, he glanced in the direction of Lin Yang's cultivation chamber:

"Or wait until Guest Elder Lin emerges. There might be a turning point then. For now, it's not suitable to fight the Bai Family head-on."

Hearing this, the elders fell into silence. Zhao Ping, whose temper was clearly more fiery, couldn't help but say again:

"Family Head, are you still pinning your hopes on that fellow?"

"I'm not trying to pour cold water on this, but he's been in seclusion for over a hundred thousand years. Even if he can improve, how much can he possibly improve? Even if he was nearly at the late stage of the Nie Kong Realm when he entered, this seclusion at most would bring him to the peak of the Nie Kong Realm."

"Even if that's the case, and even if he can fight above his level, the gap between the Nie Kong Realm and the Yuan He Realm isn't just a little bit. It's fine to fight across minor stages within the same realm, but fighting across a major realm is simply unrealistic."

Continuing, Zhao Ping snorted: "As for breaking through to the Yuan He Realm? That's simply impossible. No matter how extraordinary he is, even if he can break through the bottleneck that traps most people, it takes time—a vast amount of time to accumulate before a breakthrough to the Yuan He Realm is possible. But we can't afford to wait!"

Zhao Xiongshan did not speak.

Because what Zhao Ping said also made a lot of sense.

However, he ultimately said:

"Yield the treasure lands. Stall a bit longer; perhaps the Grand Elder will break through next time, or wait for the Supreme Elder to improve a bit more. We haven't reached the final moment yet, so let's endure for now. As long as we can stall until the Grand Elder breaks through, current concessions will be worth it."

"Family Head..." Zhao Ping wanted to say something more, but he was stopped by Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen said, "The Family Head's intention is to stall as much as possible. We still have some resources left; unless we can't stall any longer, we won't fight. I also feel that stalling for now is better."

Now, no one objected anymore.

However, the atmosphere became even heavier.

"Everyone go about your business. Send word down that everyone should try to avoid conflict with the Bai Family during this period, especially the younger generation. Don't be impulsive, lest you give the Bai Family an opening," Zhao Xiongshan said with a weary wave of his hand... Inside the cultivation chamber.

Lin Yang opened his eyes, which shone brightly.

"Such a short amount of time, yet the improvement is actually this great."

When he had previously broken through to the peak of the Nie Kong Realm, he could have originally emerged from seclusion directly.

But at the very moment of his breakthrough, he had gained some extra insight.

He hadn't expected that the gains brought by that sliver of insight would be immense.

In just a few hundred years, he had nearly reached the limit of the Nie Kong Realm.

Now, he was just one step away from entering the Yuan He Realm!

One must know that under normal circumstances, breaking through from the peak of the Nie Kong Realm to the Yuan He Realm, even without any bottlenecks, requires a very long time to accumulate foundation before a successful breakthrough.

This had suddenly saved him an unknown number of years of effort.

"My current combat power is likely at least comparable to the mid-stage of the Yuan He Realm."

Lin Yang condensed a World-in-a-Flower at his fingertips, felt the power fluctuations slightly, and then quietly dispersed it.

The gains from that sliver of insight were very significant.

Originally, having broken through to the peak of the Nie Kong Realm, he could only roughly fight against an ordinary early-stage Yuan He Realm cultivator.

Now, he was at least comparable to the mid-stage of the Yuan He Realm.

Of course, that was a normal mid-stage Yuan He Realm; if it were the kind that had accumulated for many years and was about to break through to the late stage, there would probably still be a bit of a gap.

"This is enough. With combat power comparable to an ordinary mid-stage Yuan He Realm, I could be an ancestor or a Supreme Elder for a second-rate family in Xiwu City."

Lin Yang was very satisfied.

Then, he took a step forward and left the cultivation chamber.

His emergence from seclusion did not alert the Zhao family members.

Because the display of all the Zhao family elders coming to see him off before his seclusion had felt a bit too much for him.

There was no need to notify them in advance upon his emergence and have everyone come to welcome him together.

Lin Yang walked toward the Zhao family's main hall, intending to head over himself.

But he soon discovered that a suppressed atmosphere seemed to permeate the entire Zhao family.

The faces of some Zhao clan members wore expressions of worry.

"Did something happen?" Lin Yang speculated to himself.

He also increased his speed toward the main hall.

At the same time, he informed Zhao Hu of the news of his emergence, asking Zhao Hu to help pass it along.

Before his seclusion, he hadn't exchanged communication talismans with Zhao Xiongshan and the others, so now he could only ask Zhao Hu to help relay the message.

Although he could also directly release his power to announce it, that would be somewhat impolite.

Very quickly.

By the time Lin Yang arrived at the Zhao family's main hall, Zhao Xiongshan and the others had already arrived.

Seeing Lin Yang approach, Zhao Xiongshan said, "Guest Elder Lin, why didn't you give us a heads-up about emerging from seclusion so we could go and welcome you?"

"Family Head Zhao thinks too highly of me; I wouldn't dare expect that," Lin Yang said, quickly glancing at everyone's expressions.

Even in the eyes of Zhao Xiongshan and the others, there were difficult-to-conceal traces of worry and fatigue.

"Congratulations to Guest Elder Lin on your successful breakthrough and emergence. To go from the mid-stage of the Nie Kong Realm all the way to the peak is truly worth celebrating," Zhao Xiongshan congratulated with a smile.

Zhao Chen, Zhao Hu, and several elders also offered their congratulations one after another.

Even Zhao Ping, who had previously had some complaints about Lin Yang, also offered his congratulations, although his expression wasn't very pleasant.

Lin Yang returned the gestures one by one, then took the initiative to ask, "Family Head Zhao, I see that everyone's expressions seem a bit off. Has something happened?"

He was a bit curious about what could happen to make all the Zhao family elders, including Zhao Xiongshan, so distressed.

Before his seclusion, the entire Zhao family had been quite peaceful.

Seeing his inquiry, Zhao Xiongshan sighed and didn't hide anything, saying:

"Guest Elder Lin might not know, but about fifty thousand years after you entered seclusion, a Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm suddenly appeared outside Xiwu City. That secret realm is massive, rich in resources, and contains many good things and mineral veins."

"In particular, there are several patches of land within it that are exceptionally fertile for some reason. Not only do crops grow quickly on them, but they also grow well. Planting some high-level medicinal ingredients on them can make their medicinal effects even stronger, and it can also cultivate some special medicinal ingredients that are normally very difficult to grow."

"After several rounds of testing, those treasure lands were divided into three grades: A, B, and C, based on their fertility."

"Guest Elder Lin should also understand that for us cultivators, medicinal pill resources are used everywhere, so those treasure lands are of immense value."

"After several contests and with the approval from above, our Zhao family was ultimately allocated three small patches of Grade C treasure land."

"Originally, there weren't any problems at first, but later, the Bai Family, which was originally in the same second-rate family status as us, gained an additional clan elder at the Yuan He Realm."

"They didn't dare to compete for the treasure lands of the first-rate families and the Five Great Families, and coupled with the fact that they've always been at odds with our Zhao family, they first came to seize our treasure lands."

"Initially, they snatched one patch, then later demanded two more; now our treasure lands are gone."

"However, the Bai Family still refuses to stop. Relying on their extra Yuan He Realm clan elder, they've begun trying to annex us."

"So..."

At this point, Zhao Xiongshan didn't continue, but Lin Yang already fully understood.

The reason the entire Zhao family was now filled with worry was due to the pressure brought by the Bai Family.

"That Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm appeared suddenly?" Lin Yang found it a bit strange.

"Yes, it appeared very suddenly," Zhao Xiongshan nodded.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Lin Yang asked again.

Zhao Xiongshan sighed again: "We'll stall for now. Although the Bai Family has an extra Yuan He Realm clan elder, their foundation is ultimately insufficient; they don't dare to challenge the authority of those established first-rate families, nor do they dare to go too far."

"Has the Grand Elder still not broken through?" Lin Yang couldn't help but ask.

He knew about that Grand Elder of the Zhao family, who had been in seclusion for many years, attempting to reach the Yuan He Realm.

Hearing this, Zhao Xiongshan gave a bitter smile: "The Grand Elder failed his attempt not long after you entered seclusion, and later went back into seclusion to attempt a second breakthrough."

"Uh..." For a moment, Lin Yang didn't quite know how to respond to that.

No wonder the Zhao family was being so yielding.

They were presumably waiting for the outcome of the Grand Elder's current attempt.

If he could succeed, the Zhao family would also have two Yuan He Realm experts.

Then they could contend with the Bai Family.

After a pause, Lin Yang still said, "If there's a place where you need my help, I can give it a try."

The Zhao family had treated him well, and there was the debt of gratitude from when Zhao Chen and the others first rescued him while he was unconscious.

He was still willing to give the Zhao family a hand.

Zhao Xiongshan's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Does Guest Elder Lin now have the confidence to fight across a major realm?"

The others also instantly stared at Lin Yang.

Lin Yang nodded slightly: "I should be able to give it a try."

He didn't state it too absolutely.

As the saying goes, one should leave some leeway for oneself.

Zhao Xiongshan was immediately overjoyed, but he quickly calmed down: "In that case, I'll first thank Guest Elder Lin. However, this matter still needs to be carefully planned; we cannot let you fall into a dangerous situation, Guest Elder Lin."

"Family Head Zhao is too polite. Whatever arrangements you have, feel free to carry them out. When you need me to take action, just let me know," Lin Yang said.

Zhao Xiongshan nodded heavily, expressing his gratitude to Lin Yang once more, and then, as if remembering something, he suddenly said:

"By the way, Guest Elder Lin, that ominous Ancient Ruins over by Baichi City in Jidong Prefecture suddenly expanded once again forty thousand years ago, swallowing another city adjacent to Baichi City and designating it as a restricted zone."

"Hmm? What? That Ancient Ruins expanded again?"

Lin Yang was startled. (End of Chapter)