99: Chapter 99 Powerful Search Ability

In an instant, the attribute panel shimmered with a faint golden light, and the light screen trembled slightly. The power of the Golden Trait quietly spread out, centering on Qin Changsheng's small courtyard and slowly extending within a radius of one thousand li, like an invisible power of perception, searching for all traces related to the "Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill".

Qin Changsheng focused his mind and calmed his breath, his eyes fixed tightly on the panel as he silently waited for the search results.

One second, two seconds, three seconds... Time passed slowly. The golden light on the panel gradually dimmed and finally faded away completely. Where the treasure information should have appeared, only a line of cold, gray text remained: [Target treasure not found: Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, or the target is outside the search range].

A flash of understanding crossed Qin Changsheng's eyes, and he was not too surprised.

He had long known that the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill was extremely rare. Since the search yielded no results, it was certain that there was no Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill within a thousand-li radius of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

"Since the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill yielded no results, I will try searching for the treasure in Qingyun Lake instead." Qin Changsheng's thoughts shifted, and another idea occurred to him.

He had been thinking about that secret treasure inside Qingyun Lake all along.

Qin Changsheng entered "treasure of Qingyun Lake" into the attribute panel to initiate the search.

But this time, the golden light on the panel had barely appeared before it instantly dissipated, and the gray text appeared again: [Target treasure name is unclear; effective search cannot be conducted].

This result made Qin Changsheng slightly stunned, but he quickly regained his composure. The confusion in his eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a clear realization.

He pondered quietly for a moment and finally fully grasped the limitations of this Golden Trait [Intelligence], feeling enlightened in his heart.

Although this trait was powerful and could precisely search for the traces of treasures, it was not omnipotent.

Firstly, it had a strict range limitation; it could only search for treasures within a radius of one thousand li centered on himself. If the target was outside this range, even if the treasure truly existed, he would not be able to find any clues. The failure to find the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill just now was most likely because it was not within the thousand-li range.

Secondly, it had extremely high requirements for the treasure's name; the specific name of the treasure had to be entered, and vague descriptions would not work.

The previous search for "treasure of Qingyun Lake" was too general, so the trait could not identify the specific target and naturally could not conduct an effective search; whereas when he searched for the foundation condensing herb earlier, because he had entered the accurate name of the treasure, he was able to quickly obtain detailed location information.

Having figured out these two points, Qin Changsheng's heart no longer had any ripples; instead, he felt a bit more relieved.

He had always known that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If such a Heaven-Defying trait had no limitations, it would actually be unreasonable.

Even with the limitations of range and name, this trait was still a massive Opportunity for him.

At the very least, it could help him precisely find the foundation condensing herb within a radius of one thousand li, saving him countless troubles and dangers, and that was enough.

Qin Changsheng slowly withdrew his Divine Sense, and the attribute panel quietly faded away.

What Qin Changsheng needed to do now was to gather Intelligence about Lin Hao—when he would leave the Sect, or when he would be alone.

Then, he would find a way to seize the foundation condensing herb in Lin Hao's possession.

...

Heavenly Sword Sect. Enforcement Hall.

Lin Zhentian sat upright on a sandalwood chair, wearing a deep purple Elder's Daoist robe. His Face was resolute, and his brows carried the natural Pressure of someone who had long held a high position. The aura around him was refined and heavy; he was a genuine Golden Core Stage Cultivator and held considerable prestige within the Sect.

The hall door creaked softly, and Lin Hao, dressed in the uniform of an Inner Sect Disciple, walked slowly into the hall.

"Your son, Lin Hao, pays respects to Father." Lin Hao bowed, his tone respectful.

"Why has your arm not recovered yet?" Lin Zhentian's brows furrowed slightly.

"Father... Your son wants to wait until after Foundation Establishment to take the Medicinal Pill..." Lin Hao's expression was very poor.

That Medicinal Pill for restoring his arm had long been lost.

Over this past year, he had investigated for a long time but had found no clues.

He was embarrassed to ask Lin Zhentian for another Medicinal Pill, so he could only use this excuse.

Lin Zhentian nodded slightly, not doubting Lin Hao.

His gaze fell upon Lin Hao, and with a slight sweep of his Divine Sense, he clearly sensed the changes in his spiritual power and the improvement in his cultivation.

His originally tense Face gradually relaxed, and a clear flash of satisfaction crossed his eyes. His tone also softened slightly: "Rise. It seems you have not been lax during this period; your cultivation has improved quite a bit."

Hearing his father's praise, Lin Hao felt a surge of joy and slightly raised his head: "Your son dares not be lax. Since the failure in the last Grand Competition, I have been focused on hard cultivation, seeking only to improve my cultivation as soon as possible, achieve Foundation Establishment, and not lose Face for Father and the Lin family."

Although he said this, in his heart, he was secretly harboring resentment toward Hu Nan.

In the last Grand Competition, he was miserably defeated by Hu Nan, which caused him to lose Face within the Sect.

He had never forgotten this humiliation.

Lin Zhentian nodded slightly, gently stroking his beard: "You are now at the Perfection of the Level 10 Qi Refining Stage, and your Foundation is becoming increasingly stable. You must be planning for Foundation Establishment!"

"I ask you, how much confidence do you have in successfully achieving Foundation Establishment?"

Mentioning Foundation Establishment, a flash of confidence crossed Lin Hao's eyes, and he hurriedly replied: "Reporting to Father, your son already has a Medium Grade foundation establishment pill. This pill can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 20%. Coupled with the enhancement of my Spiritual Root, your son has a 50% chance of successfully breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage."

His Spiritual Root was a dual Spiritual Root, so the chance of Foundation Establishment was much higher than those with Low Grade Spiritual Roots.

Lin Zhentian nodded slowly: "A 50% chance is acceptable. However, the matter of Foundation Establishment concerns your entire path of immortal cultivation and cannot tolerate the slightest mistake. Every bit more confidence means one less bit of danger."

As his voice fell, Lin Zhentian waved his hand and took out a Spiritual Plant that was emerald green and had lustrous leaves from the Storage Pouch at his waist. The Spiritual Plant was surrounded by a faint Spiritual Qi.

He tossed it gently, and the foundation condensing herb floated slowly in front of Lin Hao, landing steadily in his hands.

Lin Hao subconsciously caught the foundation condensing herb. A flash of surprise and astonishment crossed his eyes, and he hurriedly looked up at Lin Zhentian, his tone urgent: "Father, is this... a foundation condensing herb?"

Although he had never personally searched for it, he knew the efficacy of the foundation condensing herb; it could increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 30% and was an excellent Spiritual Plant for assisting with Foundation Establishment, being extremely rare.

"Correct, this is indeed a foundation condensing herb." Lin Zhentian spoke slowly, his tone carrying a bit of solemnity, "This foundation condensing herb was obtained by your father at a great cost."

"Thank you, Father! Your son will definitely succeed in Foundation Establishment!" With this foundation condensing herb, he no longer had any concerns about Foundation Establishment, and his confidence was much greater.

Lin Zhentian looked at his excited appearance and nodded with satisfaction. His tone softened a bit as he asked slowly: "Hao'er, your father asks you, if you successfully achieve Foundation Establishment and break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, what is the first thing you want to do?"

He hoped in his heart that Lin Hao would say things like focusing on cultivation or serving the Sect, so that he could become the pride of the Lin family in the future and help him advance further within the Sect.

But who would have known, upon hearing this question, the gratitude in Lin Hao's eyes instantly faded, replaced by thick hostility and unwillingness: "Father, if your son successfully achieves Foundation Establishment, the first thing I will do is go find Hu Nan! Make him pay the price, and let everyone know that offending your son and offending the Lin family will have no good outcome!"

"Presumptuous!" Lin Zhentian slammed his hand onto the armrest of his chair, and the Golden Core Stage Pressure around him erupted, instantly enveloping the entire hall. Lin Hao felt his chest tighten, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

The smugness and hostility on his Face instantly froze, replaced by panic and fear.

Lin Zhentian's Face was livid: "Do you know what kind of nonsense you are spouting!? It is just a minor personal grievance, yet you have remembered it until now, and you dare to say in front of your father that you want to focus your primary energy after Foundation Establishment on revenge?"

Lin Hao was trembling all over with fear, hurriedly bowing his head, not daring to breathe loudly. His former arrogance had vanished completely, leaving only full-hearted panic: "Fa-Father, your son knows he was wrong..."

"You know you were wrong? You don't know you were wrong at all!" Lin Zhentian was furious, his tone becoming increasingly severe, "What is Hu Nan? Merely a piece of trash with a Low Grade Four-Element Spiritual Root!"

"Do you think he can stir up any trouble? The shackles of a Low Grade Spiritual Root are hard to break. Even if he is at the Level 10 Qi Refining Stage now, he is ultimately a piece of trash who cannot achieve Foundation Establishment! In this lifetime, it is impossible for him to step into the Foundation Establishment Stage. Before long, his Lifespan will be exhausted, and he will turn into a handful of yellow earth!"

He paused, took a deep breath to suppress the anger in his heart, and his tone softened slightly, yet it still carried severe instruction: "That Hu Nan is merely a passerby in your life, an insignificant piece of trash! You are a descendant of the Lin family and a Core Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. In the future, you must support the Lin family and strive for higher cultivation Realms. How can you let such trash and such trivial matters hinder your progress?"

"Your father spent a great price to buy you the foundation condensing herb, hoping for you to achieve Foundation Establishment early, so that you can focus on cultivation, improve your strength, bring glory to the Lin family, and contribute to the Sect, not so that you can bicker over personal grievances with a piece of trash after Foundation Establishment!"

Lin Zhentian's tone was full of frustration at his failure to live up to expectations, "You are short-sighted and narrow-minded, only staring at this bit of humiliation right in front of you. How can you accomplish great things? How can you support the future of the Lin family?"

Lin Hao kept his head lowered, trembling all over, his Face full of shame and panic. Every word of his father was like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely into his heart.

He had never seen his father so angry, and he had never thought that the revenge he had been longing for would be so ridiculous and so unworthy of mention in his father's eyes.

"Father... Your son really knows he was wrong." Lin Hao's voice carried a hint of choking, his tone sincere.

Lin Zhentian looked at his shameful appearance, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided a bit. The Pressure around his body also slowly receded, his tone still serious: "This grudge is not that it cannot be avenged. But revenge must be done with discretion and consideration for Face!"

"Once you successfully achieve Foundation Establishment, there will naturally be Cultivators who will depend on you and listen to your commands."

"At that time, you only need to send a few subordinates to quietly finish off Hu Nan. It will be unknown to everyone, and you will have avenged the grudge without delaying your cultivation, nor will you lower your status or lose Face for the Lin family."

Upon hearing this, the panic in Lin Hao's eyes instantly faded, replaced by joy: "Thank you, Father! Your son understands!"

Seeing that he had realized it, Lin Zhentian's expression completely relaxed, and his tone also softened a bit: "It is good that you understand. Remember, those who accomplish great things must first discard distracting thoughts and distinguish between what is important and what is urgent. Foundation Establishment is the most important thing for you right now; revenge is merely a matter of lifting a hand, and you must absolutely not lose the big picture for the sake of a small matter."

Lin Zhentian taught earnestly, "Once your strength is strong enough, let alone one Hu Nan, even people ten or a hundred times stronger than him will only be able to be manipulated by you."

"Your son will firmly remember Father's teachings!" Lin Hao bowed deeply.

Lin Zhentian nodded slightly and waved his hand, his tone softening a little: "Alright, you may go. Cultivate well. Keep the foundation condensing herb safe; you must absolutely not be careless about the matter of Foundation Establishment."

"Your son obeys!" Lin Hao carefully put away the foundation condensing herb, bowed respectfully again, turned around, and walked quickly out of the Elder's Hall.