540: Chapter 540 Scenery

As the first Family to invest in Liu Xuan, the Lin Family had gained significant benefits over the years. Even if the Liu Family only leaked a bit of soup, it was enough to satisfy everyone.

Lin Xue'er's father, Lin Tianxiong, was wearing a luxurious magic robe. He had become stout and looked like a wealthy landlord.

He lacked a Spiritual Root, and his Late Innate Stage cultivation had been forcibly raised through Heaven And Earth Treasures.

Nearly a hundred years old, Lin Tianxiong still looked quite energetic. Because he had taken longevity elixirs, his hair was only graying. From a Mortal's perspective, he appeared to be in his early sixties.

"Greetings, worthy son-in-law!" Lin Tianxiong appeared somewhat constrained upon seeing Liu Xuan. Before Liu Xuan could greet him, he joined the others in greeting Liu Xuan first.

Among all of Liu Xuan's fathers-in-law, Lin Tianxiong was one of the few Martial Artists, and his strength was in the lowest tier. His position as a manager in the Merchant Alliance was entirely due to his daughter's connections.

Mainly, his relationship with his daughter wasn't very close; they barely met a few times a year.

As for Liu Xuan, a son-in-law whose status and position were becoming increasingly exaggerated, he only saw him occasionally, and their meetings consisted of nothing more than a few polite pleasantries.

"Greetings, Father-in-law!" Liu Xuan cupped his hands in return but did not say much else to him.

Lin Tianxiong was quite traditional in his views, placing great importance on the hierarchy of cultivation Realms. If Liu Xuan spoke too much with him, he might have been tempted to kneel in gratitude, which would have made for an awkward scene.

Liu Xuan found that the best way to interact with him was to give him some Face but not pay him too much attention.

Passing through the crowd in front, Liu Xuan looked toward another Father-in-law at the back of the courtyard: Lin Anqi's father, Lin Tianyue.

"Father-in-law, do you really not intend to attempt Foundation Establishment?" Liu Xuan asked.

"No!" Lin Tianyue waved his hand with an easygoing expression. "Rather than wasting a foundation establishment pill, I'd rather enjoy a few more years of life."

His cultivation had long been at Peak Qi Refining, and he had already tried to break through three times. He had consumed three foundation establishment pills, but all had ended in failure.

Foundation Establishment carried risks. Even with a foundation establishment pill to protect one's life, repeated attempts would still damage one's Origin, and the risk increased with each attempt.

If he continued to force a Breakthrough, failure could easily damage his Lifespan and waste precious resources like foundation establishment pills.

Most importantly, his confidence was gone. The probability of a successful Breakthrough was extremely low. Instead of wasting resources and Lifespan, he preferred to enjoy the rest of his life.

Lin Tianyue had lost his drive. Even if he broke through, he would never be able to reach Core Formation in his lifetime. If he were willing to risk his life for a Breakthrough, perhaps Liu Xuan could have lent him a hand.

"Say no more to this old man. The Old Ancestor is waiting for you," Lin Tianyue gestured toward the upper floor.

Liu Xuan nodded. He did not use any movement techniques but instead walked slowly up the stairs.

On the upper balcony.

Lin Qingyun stood at the edge with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant immortal city. There was no expression on his aged Face, only a trace of lingering attachment deep within his eyes.

"Little Xuan is here!" He didn't turn around, his tone very flat.

"Yes!" Liu Xuan walked to his side. "Greetings, Revered Master!"

"Heh~" Lin Qingyun chuckled softly. "This old man has never taught you anything. I am unworthy of being called your Revered Master!"

"If not for Revered Master back then, how could I have lived so smoothly within the Sect? I might have been killed by someone long ago. It is I who am unworthy of you!"

Lin Qingyun turned to look at Liu Xuan. After a long silence, he sighed. "If you and I had met a hundred years earlier, this old man might have been able to glimpse the Great Dao of the Golden Core. What a pity!!"

When Liu Xuan's fortunes rose, Lin Qingyun's Lifespan was already running low. Though he had cultivated with all his might these years, his potential was exhausted, and he only reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. He had yet to reach Peak Foundation Establishment, let alone touch the Core Formation Bottleneck.

Without reaching Peak Foundation Establishment, one cannot sense the Core Formation Bottleneck. He didn't even have the chance to make a final, desperate gamble.

It would have been fine if he had never seen hope in his life, but if he were a few decades younger, or if Liu Xuan had appeared a few decades earlier, with his talent, he would have definitely had a chance to charge for Core Formation.

To clearly see a sliver of hope yet be just a bit too far to reach it—this was the ultimate regret!

After lamenting for a while, Lin Qingyun turned his clouded gaze toward Liu Xuan. "You are a person of great Luck. This old man has always been curious: are you truly not the Reincarnation of some great power?"

Lin Qingyun had essentially watched Liu Xuan grow up. He saw many of the contradictions in Liu Xuan very clearly, but he simply hadn't spoken of them, as he was also a beneficiary.

Seeing Liu Xuan remain silent, he continued, "Whether you are or not doesn't really matter to the current me."

"However, this old man has an obsession. Before I die, I really want to know one answer." He stared into Liu Xuan's eyes and asked, "If you had helped me with everything you had from the beginning, could you have helped this old man break through to the Golden Core Realm?"

"It should have been possible, but it was impossible!" Liu Xuan answered after a moment of thought.

"Why?" Lin Qingyun asked.

"Because..." Liu Xuan paused and smiled. "Revered Master, you are not a woman."

Lin Qingyun was stunned!

"Hahaha!!"

He burst into laughter, looking at Liu Xuan and nodding repeatedly. "That makes sense, that makes sense!"

"Just being a woman isn't enough; it has to be a beautiful woman, right?"

After laughing for a while, he slowly restrained his smile. "You brat, you seem easygoing, but in truth, you are kind-faced but cold-hearted. Women are secondary; what you truly care about are those children, aren't they?"

Although Lin Qingyun couldn't guess that Liu Xuan possessed a System for gifts and the absurd ability to stack cultivation from his offspring, he could easily guess what Liu Xuan truly cared about from his actions and the many rules of the Liu Family.

Everything leaves a trace, and there were many who understood this. All of Liu Xuan's fathers-in-law were doing their best to nurture their own grandsons or granddaughters.

"Kind-faced but cold-hearted?" Liu Xuan's lips twitched. "Revered Master, you have a deep misunderstanding of me!"

Lin Qingyun didn't explain further and changed the subject to settle his final affairs. "After this old man dies, the position of Lin Family Head will be taken by Junjie. All my relics shall be added to the Family treasury."

"Junjie is a child of extraordinary natural talent. He is the only Genius in my Lin Family with hope for the Golden Core."

Lin Qingyun's eyes held a hint of a plea. "For the sake of my Face, can you look after Junjie as much as possible?"

Liu Xuan nodded in agreement. "My brother-in-law has excellent talent, and his Heart-Nature and abilities are both good. Even without Revered Master's request, I would not mistreat him."

"That is good, that is very good!"

Lin Qingyun hadn't cared much about the Family or Bloodline Legacy before, but on the verge of death, his mindset changed.

The continuation of a Bloodline is also a form of living. It's better than leaving nothing behind and having no one remember that he ever existed.

"The Great Dao is heartless, time waits for no one, longevity is an illusion... three hundred years in a flash, like a dream, like a phantom..."

Lin Qingyun's voice grew lower and lower. The spiritual energy around him dissipated like the wind, and the aura of his Divine Soul extinguished like a candle flame.

In the distance, the sky was filled with red clouds. Below, the immortal city was bustling with people. A breeze blew past, carrying the faint, special scent of talisman ink. Everything was no different than before.

Liu Xuan stood on the balcony for a long time, watching the scenery.

...