240: Xu Dao and Hope (two-in-one please subscribe)

Lin Shiming naturally didn't think his father was shooting blanks; from his father's worried eyes, Seventh Grand Uncle's situation was probably not optimistic.

One must know that five years of Lifespan was just what Seventh Grand Uncle told them.

How much he truly had left was still uncertain.

"Where is Seventh Grand Uncle?" Lin Shiming asked with a hint of anxiety.

Given Lin Xianzhi's personality, he probably hadn't taken the dragon blood pill.

And after learning that Lin Houshou had a Breakthrough, he definitely wouldn't take the remaining dragon blood pill!

The older generation of the Lin Family was truly too similar.

Perhaps it was precisely because they had endured the Lin Family's darkest low point together that they now cherished this prosperity even more.

"Still in Shiling Cave!" Lin Houyuan said.

"Father, please help me give these spirit tea and dragon blood pill to Thirteenth Uncle!"

Lin Shiming took out some mingxin tea, which was what was left after he consumed some; at this moment, his mind's Root of Deduction was already filled with Spirit Light.

And one must know that in these three years, besides Lin Shitao, who refined Mianyang Pills, the one who refined the most Beast Nurturing Pills was Lin Houxuan, while he himself rarely recuperated from his injuries.

However, the Family currently didn't have any Foundation Establishment Pills, so they could only wait until the next time they purchased Foundation Establishment Pills to give him another dragon blood pill for his Breakthrough.

After Lin Houyuan took the spirit tea, he no longer hesitated and immediately piloted the spirit boat towards Shiling Cave.

In recent years, the Lin Family's reputation in Yunzhou had also grown, subtly becoming the number one Family in Yunzhou.

Especially after the Qian Family recently became extremely low-key, this was even more so.

Lin Shiming traveled all the way and quickly arrived at Shiling Cave.

The underground hall of Shiling Cave had expanded significantly; the Gold-Eating Rats had already begun working, mining Gintetsu Crystal and gold-iron stone, so the output of Shiling Cave had also increased considerably.

He found Lin Houyong in a stone chamber.

The latter was concentrating his Qi, studying a Jade Slip.

In front of him was a Spirit Seeking Compass, precisely the Spirit Seeking Compass used by Spirit Seekers to transplant Spiritual Veins.

And this Spirit Seeking Compass had previously always been used by Lin Xianzhi.

"Fifth Uncle, where is Seventh Grand Uncle!" Lin Shiming seemed a bit anxious, having rushed all the way from Fangmu Mountain.

This also surprised Lin Houyong a bit, but the latter immediately looked worried: "Seventh Grand Uncle went to Qingyun Mountain Range!"

"Shiming, you must persuade Seventh Grand Uncle..." Lin Houyong finished speaking and sighed worriedly.

As Lin Xianzhi was an Elder, he, a Junior, could only advise, but how could he persuade him? He was currently ordered by Lin Xianzhi to study Spirit Seeker materials.

The Family's Spirit Seeker Legacy could not be broken!

Of course, Lin Houyong had another thing he didn't say: Lin Xianzhi's Spirit Light was already starting to dissipate, and his vitality was very weak.

He was now only relying on his Azure Lotus Sword Intent and a stubborn obsession!

And he was still in the Qingyun Mountain Range; this was not how a Cultivator whose end was near should act!

"Alright, I'll go find Seventh Grand Uncle!" Lin Shiming turned and left, heading towards the Qingyun Mountain Range.

The third-grade spirit boat descended very quickly at Shiling Cave, and also ascended very quickly.

Lin Shiming fully unleashed his Divine Sense, searching in the direction Lin Houyong indicated in the Qingyun Mountain Range... Somewhere in the Qingyun Mountain Range, in a gloomy Immortal Cave, a Sword Light swept past.

The Sword Light quickly dissipated, revealing Lin Shiming's figure.

He did not pilot the spirit boat because he had already reached the inner area of the Qingyun Mountain Range, where there were many Purple Mansion Great Demons.

He naturally dared not pilot the spirit boat forward, and precisely because of this, his gratitude towards Seventh Grand Uncle deepened.

The next moment, Lin Shiming froze in place.

Deep within the Immortal Cave, an old man sat hunched over, coughing up fresh blood continuously from the corner of his mouth.

"Seventh Grand Uncle!" Lin Shiming hurried forward, took out a third-grade lotus seed, and then a water spirit coconut, feeding them to Lin Xianzhi.

At this moment, Lin Xianzhi's temples were streaked with white, his entire body was covered in wrinkles, and his entire body's Spirit Light was also dissipating, similar to a reversal of true Qi.

He was too different from the elegant Young Master in Green Lotus Pond thirty years ago!

Only his eyes, filled with strong Sword Intent, remained.

They shimmered with a radiant green lotus, defiant yet fierce!

"Seventh Grand Uncle, please take this dragon blood pill first!" Lin Shiming no longer cared about anything at this moment, directly taking out a dragon blood pill from his Storage Pouch and feeding it into Lin Xianzhi's mouth.

Lin Xianzhi refused, but what did it matter?

If the Dao of the Family was so cruel, saving a tiny bit of resources just for Legacy.

Then the Family was not worth having!

Then the immortal Dao was not worth pursuing!

Lin Shiming watched as Lin Xianzhi took the dragon blood pill. As a trace of vital Qi surged into his heart, Lin Xianzhi's shriveled and aged Physical Body slowly began to regain color, and the wrinkles were smoothed out by Spirit Light.

Only then did Lin Shiming breathe a sigh of relief.

"Seventh Grand Uncle, please heal your injuries first, then take another dragon blood pill later!" At this moment, Lin Shiming was extremely forceful.

Having witnessed the departure of Lin Yuqi and Lin Yutie, he was unwilling for Lin Xianzhi to leave again, even if it cost him greatly.

Lin Xianzhi wanted to say something, but the dragon blood pill had already been taken, and his entire body's vital Qi was recovering, so he could only sit in meditation.

Lin Shiming then walked outside the Immortal Cave. As the Spirit Isolation Formation was activated, his body appeared in the Grotto-heaven World.

He walked in front of the Mingxin Tea Tree, his firm gaze making the Wood Demon's scalp tingle, wanting to kowtow and beg for mercy.

"Mingxin, you have grown for countless years; Lin has long known you possess sentience!"

"Today, whether you are willing or not, I will take half of your vital spirit tea!"

"Since you are my spirit pet, this matter is not up to you. Lin has an Elder to save, and this time I owe you a favor. If Lin's path to immortality is smooth in the future, I promise to help you achieve the Dao!"

Lin Shiming didn't give the Wood Demon a chance to reply with each sentence. After speaking, he continued to walk forward.

The Wood Demon's eyes were also darting around quickly at this moment, fear and hesitation constantly swirling in his gaze.

As Lin Shiming approached, the Mingxin Tea Tree seemed to make a major decision. He leaped down, his left hand transforming into a palm blade, and fiercely slashed at his right arm.

The next moment, the palm blade severed an arm, and simultaneously, the cluster of vital spirit tea on the Mingxin Tea Tree's canopy immediately fell like ripe fruit, a spirit leaf drifting down and merging with the severed right arm, landing in Lin Shiming's palm, transforming into a spirit leaf shimmering with thunder patterns.

This spirit leaf was extremely peculiar, with Spirit Light flowing and thunder patterns flashing.

As this spirit leaf fell, the Wood Demon's body immediately shrunk by nearly half, and after returning to its tree form, it vanished.

Lin Shiming took out a jade box, carefully placed the spirit leaf inside, and then exited the Grotto-heaven World.

His Divine Sense probed, and Seventh Grand Uncle was still in seclusion.

Lin Shiming also simply took out a Mianyang Pill and began to Cultivate.

Previously, he had been focused on Body Refining Cultivation, while his Qi Cultivation had fallen behind. Now was a good time to take a Mianyang Pill.

As soon as the Mianyang Pill entered his body, it transformed into surging true Qi, absorbed by his two spirit platforms.

He only slowly woke up after circulating it for several grand cycles.

The Mianyang Pill was quite effective for increasing Cultivation, but taking Medicinal Pills inevitably led to pill toxins. To take it again, one had to wait at least half a month.

The more one took, the longer this pause would be. This was why, even for Sect Cultivators with enough Medicinal Pills, it would still take several years, or even decades, to Breakthrough a Realm during Foundation Establishment.

And if one encountered a Bottleneck without a special Opportunity, one might even be trapped for a lifetime.

The sky had already changed to a clear moon, and inside the Immortal Cave, Lin Xianzhi's injuries had also improved significantly.

Lin Xianzhi beckoned, and Lin Shiming immediately stepped out of the Formation and came to Lin Xianzhi's side, taking out a stone table from his Storage Pouch.

Then he took out a teapot.

Lin Xianzhi couldn't help but glance at Lin Shiming, and only relaxed when he saw it wasn't a fourth-grade spirit tea.

Then he took out another Storage Pouch and handed it to Lin Shiming.

Inside the Storage Pouch, to Lin Shiming's surprise, was an Eight-Winged Mantis.

The Eight-Winged Mantis was clearly more precious than the Six-Winged Sky Mantis, and its Bloodline was purer.

If used for the Golden Winged Mantis, perhaps its fourth pair of mantis wings could grow.

But at the same time, killing this third-grade Middle Stage Six-Winged Sky Mantis probably cost Lin Xianzhi a huge amount of effort, which was also why he was so heavily injured!

Lin Shiming's gratitude deepened even further. He accepted the Storage Pouch, then picked up the teapot and brewed the spirit tea.

This time, the tea fragrance was even more intense, and as it wafted from the spout, his body couldn't help but tremble.

This tea fragrance didn't just smell good; it felt as if his entire Soul began to become active.

"Shiming, what kind of tea is this?" Lin Xianzhi was also a bit puzzled. He had also drunk fourth-grade spirit tea, but none were as peculiar as this one.

"It's the Wood Demon's spirit tea; it has advanced to the third grade!" Lin Shiming replied.

Lin Xianzhi also nodded; he was aware that Lin Shiming had purchased wood spirit essence in White Leaf Continent.

Lin Shiming poured a cup for Lin Xianzhi.

He presented it to Lin Xianzhi with both hands.

The latter took the tea and drank it all in one gulp.

However, the next moment, Lin Xianzhi's body trembled violently.

"Shiming, your tea!"

Lin Xianzhi spoke with extreme shock, but then immediately closed his eyes.

There was still half a mouthful left in the teacup.

The weakness on his body, at this moment, scattered like melting winter snow.

The heroic spirit between his brows once again erupted.

It was as if, at this moment, he had recovered several years of vitality.

Lin Xianzhi directly sat in meditation for an hour. When he woke up, the shock still hadn't dissipated!

"Shiming, this tea of yours is too precious. Is it the vital spirit tea of that Tea Tree?"

Lin Shiming nodded, also letting out a sigh of relief. This Mingxin spirit tea indeed worked.

And in his heart, his regard for the Wood Demon once again rose a notch.

Whether it was the White Cedar Spirit Tree or the current Mingxin Tea Tree, their talents were both Heaven-Defying.

"Shiming, if you drink this tea, it will help your comprehension of the Sword Dao!" Lin Xianzhi said, then refused to drink any more.

"This tea doesn't increase Lifespan much, but it's excellent for Sword Dao comprehension!" Lin Xianzhi saw that Lin Shiming was unmoved and spoke again.

Just now, he took a sip, and his Lifespan increased by about a year, but he saw a green lotus bursting forth from the mud.

At that moment, he felt his entire body transform into a green lotus seed, into a sword of green lotus; he wanted to grow out of the mud.

And he understood that when he could grow out, it also meant his Sword Dao Realm had reached the next Realm after Sword Light Manifestation.

Sword Qi threads!

That Realm was a Realm that only Purple Mansion Sword Cultivators had hope of achieving.

"Seventh Grand Uncle, this spirit tea, only you can drink it! Do you want Shiming to enter that Mysterious Grade Secret Realm alone in two years?"

"And in two years, even if Shiming returns safely, he will definitely have made a name for himself by then. Without a Purple Mansion Cultivator, the Lin Family will still face a great disaster!"

"And only you can quickly Breakthrough to Purple Mansion!" Lin Shiming shook his head, saying each word clearly.

His words were not without reason.

The Qingxuan Sect's Secret Realm trip was already fraught with danger. After coming out, how would they face Zi Xuan Sanren and the covetous gazes of the other Families?

Lin Xianzhi became silent upon hearing this. He had to admit that Lin Shiming's words made sense. He deeply believed that with Lin Shiming's talent, he could Breakthrough to Purple Mansion, or even Golden Core.

But Lin Shiming was still young after all. Breaking through to Late Foundation Establishment Stage would still be ten to twenty years later, and this was in the most favorable circumstances. If it wasn't smooth, and he got stuck at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Bottleneck, it would be even more indefinite.

Only then did Lin Xianzhi nod, giving his consent.

He carefully picked up the remaining teapot, sealed it in a jade box, and affixed a spirit talisman.

He didn't say any superfluous words, nor would Lin Xianzhi say them, but his repeated actions had long represented his care and affection for Lin Shiming.

Lin Xianzhi took Lin Shiming and piloted the spirit boat towards Shiling Cave.

Shiling Cave had a third-grade Spiritual Vein, where the effect of consuming this spirit tea would be maximized.

And Lin Shiming finally relaxed.

This spirit tea was different from Medicinal Pills; it had to be drunk early, otherwise, most of its spiritual power effect would disappear.

He still didn't believe that Lin Xianzhi would rather waste it than drink it.

With this spirit tea, Lin Xianzhi could probably gain ten years of Lifespan. Although not much, if he found the main ingredients for Purple Mansion Jade Liquid in the Secret Realm and also obtained the longevity-increasing spirit fruit from the Qingxuan Sect.

By then, he would be able to Breakthrough to Purple Mansion, reaching a full five hundred years of Lifespan.

Lin Xianzhi landed at Shiling Cave, while Lin Shiming once again boarded the spirit boat and headed towards Fangmu Mountain.

Only two years remained until the Secret Realm trip, and both his Cultivation and sword techniques needed to be improved again.

Furthermore, he needed to perform Bloodline Restoration for the Golden Winged Mantis and the Red-haired Demon Monkey.

Especially for the Golden Winged Mantis, obtaining the Eight-Winged Mantis's corpse this time greatly increased his confidence in the Golden Winged Mantis growing its fourth pair of wings.

By then, with the Golden Winged Mantis's speed and its indestructible attacks, even a Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection would have a headache if ambushed!

Two days later, Lin Shiming returned to Fangmu Mountain and also met Lin Houwei, who had come out of seclusion.

This cheerful Thirteenth Uncle had broken through to Foundation Establishment, full of vigor and vitality.

Upon seeing Lin Shiming, he insisted on dragging Lin Shiming to drink for a while.

This pot of spirit wine was the Lin Family's rare High Grade monkey wine, costing hundreds of Spirit Stones.

If Lin Shiming hadn't used Cultivate as an excuse, Lin Houwei would have dragged him to drink for a day and a night.

After all, he was now a Foundation Establishment Elder, with a considerable salary.

Moreover, this Thirteenth Uncle, who had just been promoted to Elder, was also determined to refine spirit wine using the Family's water spirit coconut!

This bold statement naturally received Lin Shiming's support. Although he had never seen coconut wine, it didn't prevent him from yearning for it!

And with Thirteenth Uncle's Dao of wine, being able to say such a thing indicated he had some confidence.

After bidding farewell, Lin Shiming met Lin Houyuan again.

After staying in Fangmu Mountain for a day, he returned to his Immortal Cave again.

With the closing of the Formation, it also marked the beginning of his next seclusion!