57: Chapter 57 Cave Heaven Ze Clan

The afternoon sun in Sunset Town was just right, and the Spiritual Plants on the drying ground were half-dried.

The fragrance of medicine mixed with the scent of freshly cut pine, brewing a steady warmth in the air.

Lin Yue stood on the stone steps of the ancestral hall, the dragon jade at his fingertips heating up slightly—

It was the Rank 7 Spiritual Vein of the Grotto-Heaven resonating with him; the newly unlocked "Spiritual Vein Feedback" function was like a sleeping giant, waiting for his command.

"Clan Leader, the repair Materials for the Town Protecting Array are still short by three carts of Brilliance Crystal Sand. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion said they won't arrive until evening."

Lin Shi walked over holding a ledger, his coarse cloth jacket stained with mortar.

"Should we check with the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce? They sent someone this morning saying they have stock on hand."

"No need."

Lin Yue shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the back mountain on the west side of the town.

"Take the craftsmen to reinforce the watchtower first. I'll find a way regarding the Brilliance Crystal Sand."

Though Lin Shi was puzzled, he still complied and left.

Lin Yue watched his figure disappear around the corner of the market, then turned to Lin Hu, who was guarding the entrance of the ancestral hall, and said:

"Have the brothers from the Sharp Soldiers Camp guard the back mountain entrance. No one is allowed to approach within the next half hour, including the clan elders."

"Yes!"

Although Lin Hu didn't know what the Clan Leader intended to do, the trust built over the past few days left him without the slightest hesitation, and he turned to gather his men.

Only after the warning gong sounded at the town entrance did Lin Yue slowly walk toward the back mountain.

He had walked this path countless times, so familiar that he could feel the texture of every bluestone slab with his eyes closed, but today was different—

Every time his fingertips brushed the dragon jade, he could feel the fifty square kilometers of Spiritual Veins in the Grotto-Heaven responding.

The gold and red spiritual patterns of the World Tree seemed to flow within his own Bloodline.

The bamboo forest on the back mountain was a bit denser than in the morning. On the bamboo joints nourished by the Spiritual Vein Feedback, faint golden patterns flickered in the sunlight.

Lin Yue walked to a clearing deep in the bamboo forest. This was the location of Sunset Town's Spiritual Eye and the starting point he had chosen for the "Spiritual Vein Feedback."

He sat cross-legged, pressed his fingertips against the dragon jade, and sank his Divine Sense into the Grotto-Heaven.

[Primary Grotto-Heaven (Rank: 7)]

[Spiritual Qi Concentration: 300 (Outer world's ordinary environment is 1)]

[Grotto-Heaven Continent: Stable (Area: 50 square kilometers)]

[Spiritual Fields: Eastern Plains and Southern Hills (Automatically nurturing Middle Grade Spiritual Plants)]

[Spiritual River: Daily yield of 800 liters (Contains Spirit Marrow Crystal powder)]

[Mineral Veins: companion spirit iron ore vein, High Grade Spirit Stone vein, dragon pattern jade ore vein, mysterious iron mother vein]

[Core Lifeform: World Tree (Early Stage of Maturity)]

[Chaos Qi Absorption: 150 points/day]

[Functions: Spiritual Vein Feedback (Can export 10% Spiritual Qi), Spiritual Plant Growth Acceleration]

[Status: Excellent]

The branches and leaves of the World Tree stretched out in the center of the Grotto-Heaven, and the spiritual power of twenty-one Foundation Establishment Cultivators was being output steadily.

The water from the Spirit Marrow Spring tinkled, injecting abundant Spiritual Qi into the Spiritual Vein network.

Lin Yue took a deep breath and murmured in his heart:

"Spiritual Vein Feedback, directional output, coverage range—

Sunset Town's back mountain and clan lands."

"Hum—"

A resonant vibration came from deep within the Grotto-Heaven, and a golden-red pillar of light suddenly lit up on the trunk of the World Tree, shooting straight toward the Grotto-Heaven's dome.

Immediately after, Lin Yue could clearly feel a surge of pure Spiritual Qi following the connection point between the dragon jade and the external Spiritual Eye.

It gushed out like a flood through a broken dam, spreading along the veins of the back mountain.

A slight tremor came from the ground, and the leaves in the bamboo forest rustled.

Beneath the originally ordinary soil, the sleeping earth veins were awakened by the Grotto-Heaven's Spiritual Qi, emitting a faint golden light.

Lin Yue opened his eyes and saw fine droplets of Spiritual Qi dew condensing in the air of the back mountain.

They fell onto the grass leaves, refracting a seven-colored halo—

The Spiritual Qi concentration here was soaring at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He stood up and walked forward. With every step he took, a thin layer of light appeared on the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.

By the time he reached the old locust tree at the edge of the clan land, the Spiritual Qi that previously required focused concentration to perceive—

Was now so thick it felt substantial. With one breath, his Dantian Qi Sea swelled slightly.

Lin Yue pinched a hand seal and flicked a ray of spiritual light onto the old locust tree—

Veins similar to the Grotto-Heaven's spiritual patterns actually appeared on the bark. The leaves unfurled at a rate of one every few breaths, and in an instant, they were so green they looked like they were about to drip water.

"That's about enough."

Lin Yue felt the surrounding Spiritual Qi and estimated that the concentration had reached 30 times that of the outside world.

It was equivalent to a Middle Grade spiritual land.

"Time to go check the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion."

The Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion was specially opened last time to help Lin Shi and the others Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Lin Yue pushed aside the vines. Under the wash of Spiritual Qi, the rubble automatically rolled away, revealing the dark cave entrance inside, from which a faint, damp musty smell could be detected.

He didn't enter immediately but instead sank into the Grotto-Heaven once more.

Among the branches and leaves of the World Tree, Chaos Spiritual Qi was condensing into a golden stream of light along the spiritual patterns.

That was the energy source for the "Spiritual Plant Growth Acceleration" function, but Lin Yue was going to use it for something else now—

To simulate the Grotto-Heaven's special lighting and activate the earth veins of the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion.

"Guide the Chaos Spiritual Qi, transform it into 'Spirit-Nurturing Light', and project it directionally into the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion."

In the Grotto-Heaven, the stream of light formed by the Chaos Spiritual Qi suddenly turned and struck the leaves of the World Tree.

After being filtered by the golden-red spiritual patterns, it turned into a soft white light, pierced through the Grotto-Heaven's barrier, and accurately shot into the depths of the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion.

When Lin Yue walked into the Immortal Cave, he saw that white light circling at the top of the cave, like a small artificial sun.

Under the illumination of the white light, the originally damp rock walls seeped with fine water droplets. When the droplets hit the ground, they actually made a crisp sound of spiritual energy colliding.

He walked to the stone platform in the center of the Immortal Cave. This was where his ancestors had meditated. At this moment, the dust on the surface of the stone platform was dissipating in the white light, revealing the blurred Formation patterns carved beneath—

Under the activation of the Spirit-Nurturing Light, these Formation patterns were lighting up bit by bit, like a sleeping giant dragon slowly opening its eyes.

"As expected, there's more to this than meets the eye."

Lin Yue brushed his hand over the Formation patterns on the stone platform, understanding it in his heart.

What the ancestors left behind was not just an Immortal Cave, but an unactivated Spirit-Gathering Formation.

It had remained buried simply because there wasn't enough Spiritual Qi or special lighting.

As the Spirit-Nurturing Light continued to shine, the white light at the top of the cave gradually took on a faint golden hue, intertwining with the light from the Formation patterns.

The water droplets seeping from the rock walls no longer fell to the ground but instead suspended in the air.

They condensed into droplets of Spiritual Qi, like stars embedded in the darkness.

Lin Yue took a deep breath and felt his Dantian Qi Sea churning violently.

The spiritual power of his Middle Foundation Establishment Stage surged within his body, and he actually felt a faint urge to Breakthrough to the Late Stage—

Under the dual effect of the Spirit-Gathering Formation and the Spirit-Nurturing Light, the Spiritual Qi concentration here had reached 80 times that of the outside world, comparable to a High Grade spiritual land!

He walked to the depths of the Immortal Cave, where there was a naturally formed jade bed.

It was originally dull and lusterless, but now it emitted a moist luster under the Spirit-Nurturing Light.

Lin Yue reached out to touch it, and a wave of warmth came from the jade bed. A stream of pure earth Qi surged into his body through his fingertips.

It resonated with the Grotto-Heaven's Spiritual Qi, refining his Meridians—

This jade bed was actually a piece of natural warm jade, which could stabilize a Cultivator's mind during closed-door Cultivation and suppress spiritual power riots during a Breakthrough.

"This is enough."

When Lin Yue exited the Immortal Cave, the sky outside was nearing dusk.

He watched as the cave entrance was once again covered by vines, as if nothing had happened.

But the thick Spiritual Qi in the air and the faint spiritual patterns all told the story of the transformation here.

Upon returning to the clan land, he happened to run into Lin Hu leading the brothers of the Sharp Soldiers Camp on patrol.

Seeing Lin Yue approach, Lin Hu couldn't help but sniff his nose, a look of surprise appearing on his face:

"Clan Leader, the Spiritual Qi on the back mountain... seems to have become thicker?

I was meditating just now and felt my spiritual power circulating much faster."

"It's your imagination."

Lin Yue said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the busy clan members in the clan land.

Several elderly people turning over Spiritual Plants on the drying ground were now humming little tunes with great energy, their movements much brisker than usual;

Cheers from children came from the direction of the transmission room, clearly indicating that someone had encountered a Breakthrough in their Cultivation.

Though Lin Hu was puzzled, he was tactful enough not to press further.

He followed Lin Yue toward the ancestral hall. As they passed the spiritual fields, he suddenly stopped:

"Clan Leader, look! The spirit grain we planted seems to have grown a section taller!"

Lin Yue looked over and indeed saw that the ears of the spirit grain were much fuller than in the morning.

The leaves were covered with dew condensed from Spiritual Qi, shimmering in the setting sun.

This was a side effect of the Spiritual Vein Feedback; Spiritual Qi not only nourished Cultivators but was also awakening the vitality of this land.

In front of the ancestral hall, Lin De was directing apprentices to bag the dried Spiritual Plants. Seeing Lin Yue approach, he hurried to meet him:

"Clan Leader, the five bottles of qingling pills just refined have actually reached High Grade! They're even better than those refined with Spiritual Plants from the spiritual fields!"

"Oh?"

Lin Yue took the jade bottle and poured out a pill.

The spiritual light on the surface of the pill was much thicker than usual, with faint pill patterns flowing—

This was a sign of sufficient Spiritual Qi. It seemed the Spiritual Vein Feedback not only improved the environmental Spiritual Qi but even the quality of the Medicinal Pills rose accordingly.

"Send the Medicinal Pills to the Grand Elder."

Lin Yue said.

"He's been stuck at the Early Stage Foundation Establishment for a while; perhaps he can use this wave of Spiritual Qi to Breakthrough."

Lin De left as ordered, but Lin Laosan came running over hurriedly with a ledger, anxiety on his face:

"Clan Leader, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion sent someone to say that the price of Brilliance Crystal Sand has risen by thirty percent.

They also said... they said the Spiritual Qi in Sunset Town suddenly became thicker, and they suspect we've found a new mineral vein and want to take the Opportunity to overcharge us."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Yue's mouth:

"Tell them we don't want the Brilliance Crystal Sand anymore.

Then send someone to the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce and tell Steward Liu that Sunset Town wants to exchange Spiritual Plants for medicine. Have them send five carts of Brilliance Crystal Sand, and they don't need to return the change for the excess."

Lin Laosan was stunned for a moment, then reacted:

"Clan Leader means... using these Spiritual Plants we've dried?"

"Yes."

Lin Yue looked at the mountain of Spiritual Plants on the drying ground.

"In this new Spiritual Qi environment, the quality of these Spiritual Plants is already close to Middle Grade Spiritual Plants. The Black Stone Chamber of Commerce won't lose out."

Sure enough, half an hour later, the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce's carriage delivered the Brilliance Crystal Sand.

Steward Liu even came personally. Looking at the thick Spiritual Qi of Sunset Town, his eyes were as bright as if they were glowing:

"Clan Leader Lin, your esteemed land's Spiritual Qi... what kind of Opportunity has it received?"

"It's just the ancestral spirit's protection."

Lin Yue responded calmly, his gaze falling on several wooden crates next to the carriage.

"These are?"

"A small token of my regard."

Steward Liu opened a wooden crate, which contained some auxiliary Materials for refining Magical Artifacts, as well as a few pieces of Ore shimmering with spiritual light.

"I heard the Clan Leader is repairing the Town Protecting Array. These Ores can improve the array's Spiritual Qi conduction. Consider it a bit of respect from the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce."

Lin Yue recognized one of them as the rare "Spirit-Communicating Jade."

It could amplify the power of a Formation. It seemed the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce truly wanted to befriend Sunset Town.

He nodded and said:

"Thank you for your care, Steward Liu."

Steward Liu beamed with joy, said a few more words about cooperation, and then left with the Spiritual Plants.

Lin Yue watched the carriage disappear at the town entrance, then turned to Lin Shi and said:

"Start the repairs on the Town Protecting Array tonight. Use the Spirit-Communicating Jade as the Formation eye. I want the Spiritual Qi of Sunset Town to double in concentration once more."

When night fell, the light of the Town Protecting Array lit up over Sunset Town.

The spiritual light from the Spirit-Communicating Jade Formation eye intertwined with the Spiritual Vein Feedback from the back mountain, forming a massive Spiritual Qi vortex.

The clan members stood at their courtyard gates, looking at the Spiritual Qi dew condensing in the air, their faces full of awe and excitement—

They didn't know why all of this was happening; they only knew that Sunset Town was getting better and better.

Lin Yue stood on the roof of the ancestral hall, looking toward the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion.

The Spirit-Nurturing Light there had faded into the cave walls, and only the Formation patterns on the stone platform were still glowing faintly.

Like a lighthouse in the dark night, waiting for the first person to attempt the trial.

He knew that before long, a group of Cultivators who had broken through their Bottlenecks would emerge in Sunset Town, and this was only the beginning.

Late at night, he sank into the Grotto-Heaven once more.

The branches and leaves of the World Tree shimmered with silver light in the night, and the spiritual power output of the twenty-one Foundation Establishment Cultivators was stable at 260 points/day.

By the Spirit Marrow Spring, the newly condensed Spirit Marrow Crystals were already the size of a fist, shimmering with a seven-colored halo.

Lin Yue walked to the edge of the spiritual fields, where companion spirit insects were accelerating the growth of the newly planted condensing qi flowers.

The Spiritual Plants that originally required three days to mature had already sprouted flower stalks—

The "Spiritual Plant Growth Acceleration" function was indeed useful, though it consumed quite a bit of Chaos Spiritual Qi.

"It's time for the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion to show its value."

Lin Yue looked at the spiritual patterns in the Grotto-Heaven, already having a candidate in mind.

Lin Hai of the Sharp Soldiers Camp had excellent Aptitude but had damaged his Foundation years ago while protecting the clan.

He had been stuck at the middle stage of Qi Refinement for many years, but recently, due to the Family's improvement and abundant resources, he had broken through to the Late Stage of Qi Refinement.

The Warm Jade Bed in the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion might be able to repair his Foundation and allow him to take a step further to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

When he left the Grotto-Heaven, the horizon was already turning pale.

Lin Yue walked down from the ancestral hall roof and happened to run into Lin Hai leading his brothers to change shifts.

His old injuries had actually mostly healed under the nourishment of the Spiritual Qi, and his gaze was much sharper than before.

"Lin Hai, come with me."

Lin Yue led him toward the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion. The vines automatically parted under the guidance of Spiritual Qi, revealing the Grotto-Heaven inside that was as bright as day.

Lin Hai walked into the Immortal Cave and was so shocked he couldn't speak as he looked at the Spiritual Qi droplets suspended in the air and the glowing Formation patterns:

"Clan Leader, this... this is..."

"From today on, this place is for your use."

Lin Yue pointed at the stone platform in the center.

"Your Foundation might be repaired here."

Lin Hai fell to his knees with a thud, his eyes red:

"The Clan Leader's kindness, this subordinate..."

"Get up."

Lin Yue helped him up.

"Only when Sunset Town is strong can each of us truly become strong."

As he walked out of the Immortal Cave, the morning sun was rising from the mountain peak, and golden sunlight pierced through the mist, spilling onto the roofs of Sunset Town.

The spiritual light of the Town Protecting Array intertwined with the sunlight, enveloping the entire town in a warm halo.

Lin Yue stood before the mountain wall, watching the vines of the Spirit Essence Grotto-Mansion close back up, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The Spiritual Vein Feedback paved a smooth path for the clan members' Cultivation, and the Spirit-Nurturing Light activated the sleeping Treasure Trove.

The seventh Rank of the Grotto-Heaven was not just a leap in power, but the beginning of protection.

The rise of Sunset Town was never just his own affair, but that of the entire Family.

On this land nourished by Spiritual Qi, they were collectively writing a legend.

On the distant field ridges, early-rising clan members had already begun farming. The spirit grain swayed slightly in the morning dew, exuding vibrant vitality.