4: Chapter 4: A Treasure Presented in a Dark Room, Mystic Armor Searches for Water

Outside the main hall of the ancestral shrine, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Sixth Aunt Lin Wanrong Lin Wanrong pulled Lin Ze behind a white jade pillar sheltered from the wind, her eyes rimmed with red.

She gripped Lin Ze's hands tightly.

"You child, you usually seem more steady than anyone, so why were you so impulsive today?"

Lin Wanrong lowered her voice.

"That Reed Island doesn't even have a ghost's shadow; it's all hidden reefs and cold currents underwater."

"You are only at the second layer of Qi Gathering. If you encounter a water demon that has gained sentience, there won't even be anyone to call for help!"

Looking at this Elder who had raised him, a trace of warmth rose in Lin Ze's heart.

In this cruel cultivation world, this unreserved familial affection was the only softness in the depths of his heart.

He held Sixth Aunt's hand in return, and the Azure Wave Art at Major Achievement level within his body circulated slightly, passing over a trace of spiritual power.

"Sixth Aunt, rest assured. Since I dare to go, I naturally have my plan."

Lin Ze's gaze was clear.

"The Great Grandfather publicly promised a Medium Grade Formation,"

"As long as I stay safely on the island without leaving the array, ordinary water demons can't do anything to me."

"Besides... wealth is found amidst danger."

"If I stay on the main island forever, when will I ever save enough resources to Breakthrough to the Middle Stage of Qi Gathering..."

"Am I supposed to be a bottom-tier fisherman casting nets for the rest of my life?"

Hearing her nephew's mature words, Lin Wanrong was momentarily speechless.

How could she not know the hardships of the Family's lower tiers?

With a sigh, she pulled a sachet from her sleeve and pressed it into Lin Ze's arms.

"Inside this is what I've saved over the years. There are also ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Take them. Once you reach the island, whatever you do, don't be stingy with using the Formation. If the Spirit Stones are gone, they can be earned again, but you only have one life!"

Lin Ze squeezed the sachet, the tip of his nose feeling slightly sour.

"I will remember Sixth Aunt's kindness."

"In three years, I will definitely return in one piece and bring you the fattest spirit fish!"

After comforting Sixth Aunt, Lin Ze watched her descend the mountain, looking back every few steps. Only then did he take a deep breath and turn to disappear into the bamboo forest behind the ancestral shrine.

...

Back hall of the ancestral shrine, side hall.

A bronze Suanni incense burner was puffing out calming spirit incense.

As soon as Lin Ze stepped into the side hall, a soundproofing barrier was laid down around him.

On a red sandalwood armchair in the center of the side hall, Patriarch Lin Zhenhai was holding a cup of spirit tea.

The Dharma-Transmitting Seventh Uncle Lin Zhenyuan stood to the side with his hands behind his back.

"Greetings, Great Grandfather. Greetings, Seventh Uncle."

Lin Ze bowed respectfully.

"Enough, there are no outsiders here, so dispense with those empty formalities."

The Patriarch set down his teacup and looked at Lin Ze below.

"Ze-er, do you feel that I was too heartless at the square today?" the Patriarch asked.

"Great Grandfather has great foresight; your grandson does not dare to make presumptuous guesses."

"But your grandson knows that a compassionate person cannot lead an army. If heavy rewards and punishments are not established, the Family will simply be unable to digest this stretch of water we've conquered."

Lin Ze spoke neither haughtily nor humbly.

"Good, 'a compassionate person cannot lead an army'—well said."

Seventh Uncle Lin Zhenyuan stroked his beard and praised from the side.

"Patriarch, I told you this boy is not only precocious but also has a tough and steady Heart-Nature; he is a talent worth cultivating."

"It's a pity. If only he had Dual Spiritual Roots, I would definitely take him as my personal Disciple."

The Patriarch nodded slightly.

"When you were in the square just now and deliberately chose the most remote 'Reed Island,' did you see some sort of clue?"

Lin Ze's heart skipped a beat. "Your grandson once browsed through an Incomplete Manual in the Family's Scripture Pavilion. Places where reeds touch the sky often have hidden cold veins."

"Your grandson thought that instead of going to a resource-rich place to fight with others, it would be better to try my luck in a remote area."

"Hahahaha, you slippery rascal!"

The Patriarch laughed heartily, a rare occurrence, and pointed at Lin Ze.

"You only know one part of it, but not the other!"

"To outsiders, that Reed Island looks desolate, but in reality, there is not only a Mysterious Ice Water Vein underwater, but also a natural 'Cold Spring Spirit Eye'!"

Lin Ze's pupils shrank suddenly.

This was a miniature Immortal Cave that water-attribute Cultivators dreamed of.

Cultivating water-attribute techniques there would not only double the speed but could even imbue one's magic power with a trace of freezing property.

"Such a secret has not been made public by the Family. Firstly, for fear of provoking jealousy and internal strife among those short-sighted clansmen."

"Secondly, that Cold Spring Spirit Eye is deep underwater with turbulent undercurrents; ordinary Qi Gathering Cultivators simply cannot get close to develop it."

Seventh Uncle took over the conversation, walked up to Lin Ze, and pulled out a palm-sized Beast-Taming Bag.

"Since you slippery rascal stumbled upon this treasure land by mistake, the Family naturally won't let you go empty-handed to break new ground."

Seventh Uncle gently untied the bag's opening.

With a soft thud.

A turtle only the size of an adult's fist dropped onto the bluestone floor.

As soon as it landed, it timidly retracted its head and limbs.

"This is..."

Lin Ze's breath hitched.

His Major Achievement level Azure Wave Art gave him an almost instinctive craving for water-attribute spiritual items.

A Tier 1 High Grade Spirit Beast cub... Black-Armored Water-Seeking Turtle!

A trace of heartache flashed in Seventh Uncle's eyes.

"This is a spirit egg I obtained in my early years while traveling deep into Yunmeng Marsh; it only hatched a few days ago."

"Although this turtle's combat power is mediocre, its perception of underwater Spiritual Veins and natural treasures is extremely keen."

Even more rare is that after it matures, it can organize Spiritual Veins underwater. It is an excellent helper for breeding top-grade spirit fish and managing an underwater Immortal Cave."

Lin Ze's heart shook violently.

For Lin Ze, this was the perfect divine pet for his future "underwater farming"!

"This is too precious, your grandson..." Lin Ze made a gesture to decline.

"Take it!"

The Patriarch's voice deepened.

"This is the trump card the Family is giving you. Once you go to Reed Island, use this spirit turtle in coordination with the Formation to firmly occupy that Cold Spring Spirit Eye for me."

"As long as you can gain a firm foothold on that island, you will be a great contributor to the Family!"

"Your grandson will certainly not fail the mission!"

Lin Ze knelt on both knees and took the Beast-Taming Bag.

The moment he touched the Beast-Taming Bag, the panel in his mind suddenly flickered slightly:

[Contracted Spirit Beast fluctuations detected, hundred arts module activation in preparation...]

Lin Ze was ecstatic in his heart, yet he remained respectful on the surface.

After finishing the instructions regarding the spirit turtle, the Patriarch stood up and walked to a complete map of Yunmeng Marsh hanging in the side hall.

"Ze-er, do you know why the Family is in such a hurry to send you all out to occupy islands?"

"Your grandson does not know. Please enlighten me, Great Grandfather."

"Because after the Black Water Gang was wiped out, the balance of this water region was broken."

"Several surrounding Foundation Establishment families, and even large cultivation Sects deep in Yunmeng Marsh, have already turned their gazes here."

"The Family's upper echelon met overnight and decided to fully contract the main island's defensive lines within the next ten years, transforming the Family's foundation into a true war machine!"

"Currently, the Council of Elders is divided into two factions."

Seventh Uncle added from the side, "One faction advocates exhausting the entire clan's strength to mass-produce Tier 1 Medium Grade 'Moon-Tear Pearl Clams'."

"The spirit pearls produced by these mussels are hard currency in the market and can quickly accumulate a massive amount of Spirit Stones for the Family to buy Foundation Establishment Pills and high-level Cultivation Techniques."

"The other faction advocates spending heavily to hire Formation Masters and Artifact Refiners to build two Tier 2 Low Grade 'flying cloud wave-breaking ships' in the secret dock behind Feiyun Island's mountain!"

"With spirit ships, we can attack or defend, and even go deep into the inner sea of Yunmeng Marsh to hunt high-level water demons!"

Building ships or raising mussels!

This was a choice of macro-strategy for a cultivation Family.

Raising mussels was farming for stability; building ships was military expansion!

The Patriarch turned back to look at Lin Ze and asked seemingly casually.

"Ze-er, your little head has always been bright. If it were you, which path would you choose?"

This was another test.

Lin Ze pondered for a moment, rapidly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

"In reply to Great Grandfather, your grandson believes that only children make a single choice. The Family... needs to grasp both, but must distinguish between priorities."

Lin Ze looked up.

"One must eat one bite at a time. Building spirit ships costs an enormous amount and easily draws the wariness and sabotage of rival forces."

"Your grandson suggests that on the surface, we grandly Cultivate 'Moon-Tear Pearl Clams' to signal to the outside world that we are recuperating and focusing on farming."

"In secret, we continuously funnel the Spirit Stones earned from cultivating the pearl mussels into the shipyard behind the mountain."

"Repairing the plank road openly while advancing through Chencang secretly—when the 'flying cloud wave-breaking ship' is launched, that will be the time for our Lin Clan to dominate this outer water region!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the side hall fell into silence.

The Patriarch and Seventh Uncle looked at each other, both seeing shock in the other's eyes.

Sixteen years old!

A green youth who hadn't even stepped out into the cultivation world could actually articulate a grand strategy like 'repairing the plank road openly while advancing through Chencang secretly'!

"A Prodigy..."

Seventh Uncle muttered to himself, "With such a mind, how could the Heavens be so blind as to give him a Pseudo-Spiritual Root!"

The Patriarch took a deep breath, and the way he looked at Lin Ze had completely changed.

"Good!"

"What a 'repairing the plank road openly while advancing through Chencang secretly'!"

A flush of excitement appeared on the Patriarch's face.

"Ze-er, go to Reed Island and do as you please. The Family's treasury will always be open to you. Go!"

...

Two hours later.

The sky was bright, and the morning mist gradually dispersed.

On the bluestone pier of Feiyun Island, Lin Ze carried a bundle on his back, a Beast-Taming Bag hanging at his waist, and stepped onto his small black-canopied boat.

In his Storage Pouch, besides his own fishing net, lay the supplies uniformly distributed by the Family:

Half a year's double stipend (six Low-Grade Spirit Stones).

A bottle of Tier 1 Low Grade Qi Gathering Pills (three pills).

A set of Formation Flags and a Formation Plate for the Tier 1 Medium Grade Water-Moon Heaven-Blurring Array.

And the sachet Sixth Aunt had pressed on him (ten Spirit Stones), plus the Black-Armored Water-Seeking Turtle privately gifted by Seventh Uncle.

This was all the capital he had for breaking new ground.

Standing at the bow of the boat with his eyes slightly closed, Lin Ze's mind moved, and that semi-transparent panel emerged again.

[Name: Lin Ze]

[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Layer 2]

[Cultivation Technique: Azure Wave Art (Major Achievement) 990/1000]

[Spell: Water Arrow Technique (Perfection)]

[hundred arts: Spirit Net Technique (Major Achievement)]

His gaze swept over the gray prompt below that had not yet been lit up.

[hundred arts: Beast Taming (Uninitiated) 0/200]

As soon as he reached the island and completed the contract, he could use 'Heaven Rewards Diligence' to grind his beast-taming skill to Perfection.

When that time came, an ordinary water-seeking turtle might not necessarily be unable to be ground into a Black Tortoise Divine Beast!

"Splash..."

Lin Ze moved the scull, and the Major Achievement level Azure Wave Art magic power surged out.

The small black-canopied boat cleaved through the waves, speeding toward the vast waters in the far north.