294: Later stage of foundation building, Jinzhou Zhang Family (three-in-one weekend chapter)

Outside the Council Great Hall, all eyes were on Lin Shiming.

The Elders and Foundation Establishment Cultivators had no objections; they knew Lin Xianzhi was not dead, which meant that whoever was chosen as Family Head would represent not only Lin Shiming's wishes but also Lin Xianzhi's.

They naturally waited.

Lin Shiming's gaze finally settled on Lin Houyong. His Fifth Uncle was once a contender for the Foundation Establishment seed against his father, Lin Xianzhi, but now both were Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

His father, Lin Houyuan, had previously served as Family Head, and while he could continue, his father was about to Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and was currently unavailable.

Lin Houyong, however, was just right. He held great prestige among the Hou Generation and Shi Generation, and when the Lin Family participated in the righteous-demonic war, it was Lin Houyong who stabilized the Family's situation and independently managed Lingnan County and Shiling Cave for a long time.

From every perspective, he was the best choice.

"Fifth Uncle, the Family now needs a Family Head who can lead us a step further!"

Lin Shiming's meaning was self-evident.

For Lin Houyong, he was momentarily flattered, completely unexpected that Lin Shiming would look to him.

But then, he also understood that Hou Generation's ninth son, Lin Houyong, was now about to Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

He had to step forward.

It was his undeniable responsibility!

"I am willing to contribute my meager strength to the Family!" Lin Houyong nodded.

And so, the position of Lin Family Head was finally confirmed. Next came the handover.

The handover didn't take much time. Lin Houyong had often acted as interim Family Head for Lin Houyuan and his son!

The Family meeting dispersed, and finally, all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators gathered again in the pavilion by the Green Lotus Pond.

The Cultivators here all knew of Lin Xianzhi's existence.

Of course, they did not know that Lin Xianzhi had gone to the Qian Family.

Lin Shiming glanced at Lin Houyong, as well as Lin Shijie and Lin Houwei, and planned to go to the Qian Family to assist.

But before he could speak, Lin Houyong took out a Storage Pouch.

"Family Head, Seventh Grand Uncle asked me to give this to you!"

Lin Shiming was momentarily stunned, but then he understood that Lin Xianzhi had probably already acted before he announced his wedding.

And had successfully completed the cleanup of the Qian Family.

And headed to Shuangmu Island.

Lin Shiming chuckled. This decisive action was very much in line with his Seventh Grand Uncle.

Since there was no need to go and assist, Lin Shiming felt relieved.

As for the contents of the Storage Pouch, he didn't look at it immediately, but instead looked at Lin Shijie, who had been training on Shuangmu Island for a long time.

"Big Brother, this is the new Cultivation Technique the Family has acquired!" Lin Shiming also took out a Storage Pouch, which naturally contained the Five Flames True Scripture. This Cultivation Technique was undoubtedly much better than the Lin Family's original one.

Lin Shitao had Fire-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots, which suited her, and Lin Shijie also had Fire-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots, so it naturally suited him too.

Moreover, he could see that the true essence within Lin Shijie's body was surging like waves, clearly showing signs of a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. And during this time on Shuangmu Island, he must have fought many battles. At this moment, Lin Shijie no longer exuded a sharp edge but rather a feeling of having completely reined in his sharpness.

His true essence was incredibly solid, and a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage would allow him to maintain his combat strength well.

Lin Shijie was naturally unwilling to accept it at first.

However, with Lin Shiyi and Lin Shitao beside him, after they revealed that they had also received gifts from Lin Shiming, he generously accepted!

For Lin Shiming, if it weren't for these Cultivators, who had spent the past five years helping him collect the ancestral Yao Beast of the Red-haired Demon Monkey, refine the Yuan Magnetic Seal, and even refine Medicinal Pills and Spirit Talismans, his journey in the Small World would have been much more arduous.

He might have even capsized.

Moreover, it was these people who protected the Lin Family, allowing him to go all out.

These Magical Artifacts and Cultivation Techniques were, to him, inconsequential.

Lin Shijie casually looked through them, and discovered a High Grade third-tier magic sword, along with the Five Flames True Scripture, and the cultivation secret arts of the Spirit Control Seal and Soul Restraining Seal!

He was immediately overjoyed.

One must know that the Lin Family's Blazing Fire True Scripture could only be cultivated to the Early Violet Palace Stage, and there was no follow-up Cultivation Technique.

Although this didn't affect Lin Shijie in the short term, once he reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, it would begin to impact his cultivation progress.

And immortal cultivation was never something that would wait for anyone!

Now, this Five Flames True Scripture could not only Breakthrough to the Late Golden Core Stage, but it was also a High Grade Profound Rank Cultivation Technique!

Additionally, that magic sword was no ordinary item.

Lin Shijie immediately wanted to express his gratitude to Lin Shiming, but Lin Shiming waved his hand and continued to ask:

"Big Brother, how is the situation on Shuangmu Island?"

"It's not optimistic. Not far from Shuangmu Island, there's a larger island with many Sea Cloud Birds. Currently, the Lin Family can only rely on Shuangmu Island for defense!" Lin Shijie said with some hesitation.

And this was clearly the hidden danger of Shuangmu Island that Lin Houyuan had mentioned to him before.

Fortunately, Lin Houshou was now stationed on Shuangmu Island, relying on the High Grade third-tier island-protecting Formation.

It could withstand the attacks for a while!

And Lin Xianzhi would also rush to Shuangmu Island immediately. Although the latter needed to Breakthrough, at a critical moment, the Formation protecting Shuangmu Island would still be fine.

Coupled with Lin Xianzhi, he was not far from Peak Foundation Establishment. In fact, the Lin Family was even preparing for Lin Xianzhi, searching for enough Spiritual Veins to converge into a Fourth-Order Spirit Vein, to create the best place for a Breakthrough to the Purple Mansion.

After understanding the situation on Shuangmu Island, he inquired about the conditions in Lingnan County and Shiling Cave.

The spirit mine excavation was extremely smooth, which relieved Lin Shiming.

After the meeting, Lin Shiming took out another Storage Pouch and handed it to Lin Houyong.

Then, after chatting with Lin Shitao for a long time, he once again entered seclusion.

This seclusion was a true death seclusion!

He would not emerge until he Broke through to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Lin Shiming prepared enough Mianyang Pills and entered the Grotto-heaven World.

He took out the Storage Pouch entrusted to him by Lin Xianzhi, and the next moment, a smile appeared on his face.

His Seventh Grand Uncle usually didn't say much, but every word was good advice.

And apparently, in the Grotto-heaven World these days, he had generally understood the habits of the Star Spirit Shell.

What he sent were two Low Grade third-tier Spiritual Veins: one that produced spirit water and one that produced spirit soil.

Don't think that these productive Spiritual Veins are common; one must know that the Lin Family had only discovered such Spiritual Veins twice in total.

These Spiritual Veins were all single-attribute Spiritual Veins, far more valuable than those mixed Spiritual Veins.

Besides the Spiritual Veins, there were also the corpses of two third-tier Yao Beasts of the spirit monkey type.

The rest, Lin Xianzhi did not give, and of course, he was not lacking in ordinary items now.

And now, the Qian Family, without Qian Bosheng and Qian Yongfu, the most precious thing was probably the Spiritual Veins. When they went to the Small World, they almost took all the Qian Family's savings.

Lin Shiming picked up the Spirit Seeking Compass containing the Spiritual Veins, found a low-lying area, and then used the Zilai Sword.

As the purple sword light continuously flew in the low-lying area, a hundred-meter-wide small pond appeared before his eyes.

Lin Shiming waved his hand in satisfaction, and a water-kettle Magical Artifact flew out, and countless spirit water poured into the small pond, accompanied by red Red Spirit Fish.

These Red Spirit Fish were all Medium Grade second-tier beings, famous for their taste, and were also the most famous Spirit Cuisine in the Lin Family's Xing County Market restaurant.

Those Red Spirit Fish clearly felt the High Grade third-tier Spiritual Vein in the Grotto-heaven World and were extremely joyful, splashing about.

One by one, they jumped in the water, as if leaping over the Dragon Gate!

But the next moment, Lin Shiming waved his hand again, and dozens of Black Spirit Fish fell into the pond.

These Spirit Fish were like rampaging beasts, and each one had extremely strong vital energy, with their strength reaching the third-tier.

In the blink of an eye, two Red Spirit Fish fell into the bellies of the Black Spirit Fish.

Lin Shiming's face darkened slightly. This was not his original intention. A Spirit Light flew out from his hand, and immediately a Seal fell into the water, separating the Black Spirit Fish and the Red Spirit Fish.

Even though they were divided into two small ponds, the Red Spirit Fish were still clearly terrified, hiding in the mud one by one.

Lin Shiming then took out a Formation Plate. At the two pond mouths, one was placed with an earth-attribute Spiritual Vein, and the other with a water-attribute Spiritual Vein!

As the two Spiritual Veins were laid down, a pool of water emerged, while on the other side, spirit soil began to form, though at an extremely slow pace.

Clearly, being perfectly transplanted also had some impact on the original spirit pool and spirit soil, and it still needed time to recover.

After everything was settled, Lin Shiming looked at the Star Spirit Shell, but at this moment, the Star Spirit Shell was still coiled together by the Dragon Serpent.

And the Golden Winged Mantis and Red-haired Demon Monkey were also rarely by its side. The blood Qi of the three beasts had changed somewhat, implying that the Star Spirit Shell had already released some star spirit floss!

"Dragon Serpent, don't coil the Star Spirit anymore. From now on, let it provide you with star spirit floss regularly!" Lin Shiming said.

The Dragon Serpent looked eagerly at Lin Shiming, then patted the Star Spirit Shell with its tail.

Sure enough, the Star Spirit Shell spat out a wisp of star spirit floss.

The Dragon Serpent swallowed it, and it opened its mouth proudly, its Divine Sense fluctuations also transmitting over:

"I will, I will!"

Its proud demeanor seemed to be telling him that even without him, it could still eat star spirit floss and even share it with the Golden Wings.

Lin Shiming's face darkened slightly. The ability to produce star spirit floss was only because he had given the Star Spirit Shell spirit soil and spirit water, and issued commands, knowing that he had used the Soul Restraining Seal on the Star Spirit Shell.

And the Divine Sense fluctuations from the Star Spirit Shell beside him suddenly surged.

Full of thoughts of 'save me, save me'!

It was clear how terrified the Star Spirit Shell was of these three beasts at this moment!

"The Star Spirit Shell is also my Spirit Beast. Don't coil it anymore. It will automatically provide you with star spirit floss..."

Lin Shiming's expression immediately turned serious. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Star Spirit Shell over, looked at the three beasts, and began to warn them very sternly.

If the Star Spirit Shell was constantly affected by these three beasts, the speed at which it produced star spirit floss would slow down.

After a series of warnings, the Golden Winged Mantis obediently flew back to the Tea Tree and quietly rested.

The Red-haired Demon Monkey, however, howled and grumbled, walking under the Fu Ling Fire Mulberry Tree.

It no longer went to the Heavenly Spirit Fruit Tree. Instead, the third-tier Spirit Peach Tree was still visited by the Red-haired Demon Monkey from time to time, secretly picking one or two Spirit Peach when Lin Shiming wasn't around.

For Lin Shiming, this Spirit Peach was also the least important Spirit Fruit Tree, so he let the Red-haired Demon Monkey do as it pleased.

However, this Red-haired Demon Monkey always picked only one each time, and only the one on the very edge, the one with the poorest Spiritual Qi.

As if it thought Lin Shiming wouldn't know this way.

Lin Shiming didn't point it out, enjoying the Red-haired Demon Monkey's sneakiness!

The Dragon Serpent, meanwhile, kept darting around in the swamp.

It kept asking for stones and constantly told Lin Shiming that it wanted more, more!

After dealing with the four beasts, Lin Shiming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Red-haired Demon Monkey and the Golden Wings were clearly on the verge of a Breakthrough, possibly even earlier than him, to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Wang Jiao, on the other hand, had just been born and had consumed fewer Beast Nurturing Pills, so it still had some distance to go.

The Mingxin Tea Tree nearby, perhaps because it was placed in Fourth-Order spirit soil, had already begun to sprout new branches.

However, the Wood Demon's main body still hadn't appeared.

Lin Shiming ignored it, found a stone platform, took out a meditation cushion, and began to consume Mianyang Pills.

He was still Cultivating the Purple Wood Heart Sutra. The best time to change Cultivation Techniques would be when the Third-Order Spiritual Vein upgraded to a Fourth-Order Spiritual Vein, creating a tide of Spiritual Qi. Only then could changing Cultivation Techniques allow him to quickly resume his Cultivation.

As the Mianyang Pill entered his stomach, pure Spiritual Qi surged into his body, guided by his True Essence, and one cycle after another began.

His three spirit platforms also began to greedily absorb the Spiritual Qi.

His True Essence expanded step by step.

Lin Shiming didn't know how much time had passed.

He only knew that between waking and closing his eyes, the Star Spirit Shells in the Spirit Pond flickered and then faded.

He only knew that at a certain moment, after absorbing the flames from the Magic Treasure Pill Furnace, the Red-haired Demon Monkey suddenly burst into flames all over its body, then fell asleep under the Fu Ling Fire Mulberry Tree.

He only knew that the Third-Order Spirit Peach Tree had lost its Spirit Peach and bloomed again.

He only knew that the three yuan forging spirit flower, at some unknown time, had already grown large leaves, and a three-petaled red flower swayed in the Ying Feng (wind)!

…Cultivation knows no years. Consuming Mianyang Pills, refining, Cultivating.

The process was monotonous and repetitive.

He forgot the passage of time; only the actions of the Red-haired Demon Monkey, Golden Wings, and other Yao Beasts, as well as the Spirit Plants within his Small World, made him feel time flying by.

One day, he opened his eyes, and at this moment, his aura had reached its Peak.

Two streaks of sharp light transformed into purple long rainbows, shooting out from his eyes.

Wang Jiao was startled awake and emerged from the swamp, while Golden Wings, at this moment, had also fallen into a deep sleep.

Lin Shiming took out another Medicinal Pill. This Medicinal Pill was the Three Yuan Azure Spirit Pill, which Purple Mansion Loose Cultivator had bestowed upon him.

He opened the stopper, and a surge of pure True Essence gushed out.

This Three Yuan Azure Spirit Pill was highly effective even for Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

And it was perfectly suited for breaking through to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

As a green Medicinal Pill entered his mouth, he felt a torrential surge of Spiritual Qi violently rushing into his body.

However, this violent surge was no cause for concern for Lin Shiming's Meridians, which had been tempered by three spirit platforms and countless True Essence.

In the end, at the moment of Breakthrough, he was still lacking a bit of Spiritual Qi.

Lin Shiming took out several High-Grade Spirit Stones and the remaining Three Yuan Azure Spirit Pill before his True Essence was barely sufficient.

As his three spirit platforms resonated simultaneously, Lin Shiming felt as if a floodgate had suddenly disappeared within his body, and a torrent rushed a thousand miles.

And his aura, at this moment, surged to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Late Foundation Establishment Stage, finally successful!

Lin Shiming exhaled a turbid breath, his eyes filled with emotion.

Recalling the blooming of an ordinary Spirit Peach Tree in his Grotto-heaven World, he knew that three years had passed since he entered seclusion.

And he was now fifty-three years old!

A Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator at fifty-three, from the perspective of his early Cultivation, was already beyond his expectations.

He had only hoped to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment before sixty, but now he had surpassed that by quite a bit.

However, for his current self, it was not enough. Cultivation became more difficult the further one progressed.

Moreover, he had to be extremely careful and guard against the Qingxuan Sect, a ticking bomb that could detonate at any moment!

Lin Shiming did not immediately get up but continued to Cultivate to stabilize his cultivation.

After another three days, Lin Shiming woke up again, feeling the True Essence in his body, which was more than three times greater than before, and he was very satisfied.

Moreover, he suddenly discovered that a new power had appeared within his body. This power was like the special True Essence from his reverse Cultivation of the Purple Wood Heart Sutra, which could enhance his catalyzing ability and healing ability.

But he knew that ever since he returned to the Lin Family, he had never reverse Cultivated again, and he also felt that this kind of True Essence did not consume his lifespan.

It was as if his catalyzing ability had increased several times, just like before.

Lin Shiming got up and walked to a three yuan forging spirit flower. After a full seven years and many catalyzations, the three yuan forging spirit flower was only one step away from maturity.

Lin Shiming infused True Essence to catalyze it. After exhausting more than half of this True Essence, this three yuan forging spirit flower actually matured. The mature Forging Spirit Flower emitted a refreshing fragrance.

Just a sniff of it made all the fatigue from his Cultivation disappear, and his Divine Soul seemed to have condensed a little.

This was precisely the ability of the three yuan forging spirit flower.

To verify his guess, Lin Shiming experimented with an ordinary Spirit Flower. The next moment, he concluded that if his previous True Essence was about twice the normal, it was now four times. In other words, as long as he was willing to expend True Essence, a Spirit Fruit that would mature in a thousand years could mature in two hundred and fifty years.

Naturally, he was full of doubts about this, but then he guessed that it might be his Spirit Body within him that had been further released.

There are two types of Spirit Bodies in the Cultivation world: one is the Innate Spirit Body. Cultivators with this type, even those with Three Spiritual Roots or Four Spiritual Roots, are highly sought after by various Sects. The other type is his hidden Spirit Body.

It must be unearthed gradually after breaking through to the Purple Mansion Stage.

In fact, it could even be said that this hidden Spirit Body is a Divine Ability.

A hidden Spirit Body is naturally not as good as an Innate Spirit Body, but a Spirit Body like Lin Shiming's is definitely a hot commodity for various Sects.

One must know that he already has four times the catalyzing speed now. When he reaches the Purple Mansion Stage and his Minor Divine Ability fully forms, the catalyzing speed will be even faster!

However, feeling the consumption rate of his catalyzing True Essence, Lin Shiming shook his head.

This True Essence clearly came from the Spirit Body within him. Even though he had three spirit platforms and his True Essence was three times that of an ordinary Cultivator, this catalyzing True Essence was a normal amount.

Nevertheless, Lin Shiming was confident that he could ripen all these three yuan forging spirit flowers, and his Spirit Splitting Art could also be fully Cultivated to Major Achievement, possibly even allowing him to Breakthrough to the Purple Mansion's Divine Sense!

As Lin Shiming thought of this, he was incredibly excited.

It took him a long time to calm down.

The gains from this seclusion were truly immense.

He was also confident in fighting all Cultivators below the Purple Mansion Stage.

The gap in cultivation between the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and the Peak Foundation Establishment was not as great as imagined.

It could even be understood that a Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator is a Cultivator whose True Essence has been refined to the extreme, but the quantity of True Essence does not offer a significant advantage over a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

Of course, achieving the ultimate True Essence is not something all Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators can do.

And even if reaching Peak Foundation Establishment was not realistic in the short term, he could use the three yuan forging spirit flower to enhance his Divine Sense.

After examining the three yuan forging spirit flower, Lin Shiming looked towards the Spirit Pond.

Over these three years, the Star Spirit Shells continuously produced star spirit floss. Initially, there were the three big eaters: the Red-haired Demon Monkey, Golden Wings, and Wang Jiao.

When Golden Wings and the Red-haired Demon Monkey entered seclusion, most of the supply went into Wang Jiao's body, and a small portion went into the mouths of the Black Spirit Fish and Red Spirit Fish. He first looked at the Red Spirit Fish, and saw that this group of Red Spirit Fish had all grown much larger than before, and the red spirit patterns on their bodies had also increased.

Looking at their blood Qi levels, they were already no less than Second-Order High Grade Spirit Fish.

And this was only in a short three years. One must know that before this, the Red Spirit Fish had never exceeded Second-Order High Grade.

After consuming some star spirit floss, they had already become Second-Order High Grade.

This also confirmed that his guess was not wrong. These Black Spirit Fish were originally ordinary Spirit Fish, and only after consuming a lot of star spirit floss spat out by the Star Spirit Shells did they grow into Third-Order Spirit Fish.

And this completely put Lin Shiming at ease. In this way, he could also start Body Refining Cultivation by consuming these Spirit Fish.

Allowing his Body Refining cultivation to also reach the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Lin Shiming did not immediately cook the Spirit Fish but exited the Grotto-heaven World.

Having not emerged from his Immortal Cave for a long time, many Storage Pouches and several Sound Transmission Talismans had appeared outside his Immortal Cave.

Lin Shiming first looked at the talismans. The first talisman was left by Lin Houyong.

The talisman stated that the Qian Family had declined, and the Qingxuan Sect had even dispatched Cultivators to investigate, including Xie An. However, upon learning that Lin Shiming was in a death seclusion for Cultivation, and after the incident, was also preparing for a wedding, they eventually left.

And the Qingxuan Sect, as expected, took action. The tribute from various Families increased by a full five-tenths. Not only that, the Qian Family's territory was occupied by Cultivators from the Zhang Family who came from Jin Province, and most of the former Li Family's territory also became the Zhang Family's territory. Most importantly, the Zhang Family was a Purple Mansion Family.

However, one of their Purple Mansion Cultivators unfortunately perished in Tianhe City, and another was on the verge of passing away.

Moreover, even their Purple Mansion Cultivator within the Qingxuan Sect's territory was rumored to be in seclusion attempting to Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage, and it was a death seclusion.

The probability of success was not high, which was also the main reason why the Zhang Family withdrew from Jin Province and came to the more remote Yun Province to develop.

Of course, this Zhang Family from Jin Province was also Lei Xuan's enemy. In Lin Shiming's view, this Zhang Family from Jin Province might even be looking for Lei Xuan, and also for the Yellow Grade Secret Realm.

The Lin Family's last entry into the Yellow Grade Secret Realm yielded immense gains and provided sufficient training for the Family's Qi Refining Cultivators.

Furthermore, the Yellow Grade Secret Realm could also be used to Cultivate Spirit Plants.

Last time, the Lin Family planted many seeds of rare Spirit Medicine in the Secret Realm. These seeds also had one thing in common: they were very difficult to grow in the outside world.

However, regardless of the reason, this Zhang Family would be an enemy in the future.

Aside from the Zhang Family's matters, the Family had gained two more Foundation Establishment Cultivators: Lei Xuan and Lin Houxuan.

Lei Xuan, a Thunder Spiritual Root Cultivator, naturally had an easier Breakthrough, while Lin Houxuan was breaking through for the second time, also using dragon blood pills and Foundation Establishment Pills.

However, his success also meant that the Family had gained another Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

The last talisman was Lin Shitao's talisman, which indicated that she was already able to refine Third-Order Medium Grade Beast Nurturing Pills.

This Pill Formula for the Beast Nurturing Pill came from the Fourth-Order Pill Formula Legacy, and there were also many Third-Order Medium Grade Beast Nurturing Pills in the Storage Pouch, which meant that Lin Shiming's Wang Jiao had hope of quickly breaking through to the Third-Order Middle Stage.

He then began the Ancestral Return Secret Art. At this moment, Lin Shiming even looked forward to the moment Wang Jiao became a true Dragon!