Chapter 2: The Lin Family of Green Bamboo Mountain

In the southern part of Weiguo, Qingzhou lies Green Bamboo Mountain.

Green Bamboo Mountain is part of the expansive Luoyun Mountain Range, which stretches for thousands of miles.

Besides the Lin Family of Green Bamboo Mountain, the area is also home to the Jin Family of Golden Horn Mountain, the Sun Family of Flying Eagle Mountain, the Wu Family of Jiuhua Mountain, and the Luo Family of White Cloud Mountain. Each of these five families has Foundation Establishment cultivators to oversee them, along with more than twenty smaller Qi Refining families residing in the area.

From a high vantage point, Green Bamboo Mountain resembles a coiled giant snake. The head of the snake looks like a giant bamboo, standing a thousand feet tall at the center of the mountain.

Green Bamboo Mountain spans over a hundred miles, featuring numerous valleys and hidden rivers. The diverse terrain and the mist that often envelops the mountaintop give it an appearance of an earthly paradise.

The mountain is covered with vast stretches of Qingling Bamboo, a first-grade wood-attribute spiritual material. Qingling Bamboo is highly resilient, enhancing the toughness of spiritual weapons when used in their crafting, making it a favored material for creating flying swords.

The Lin Family has called Green Bamboo Mountain their home for over 800 years.

The founder, Lin Renfeng, was a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. At the age of 400, he was injured while treasure hunting in the monster-infested Fenglin Mountain Range. Severely wounded, he returned to Qingzhou. Unable to progress in his cultivation due to his injuries, he founded the Lin Family on Green Bamboo Mountain using his life's savings.

Currently, the Lin Family has 175 cultivators. Since the passing of the ancestor six hundred years ago, the family has grown significantly, now in its tenth generation. Over 800 years, the Lin Family has gained some fame in southern Weiguo, Qingzhou, with two Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a hundred Qi Refining cultivators.

In a courtyard on the mountainside of Green Bamboo Mountain, Lin Tianming sat cross-legged on his bed.

He held a milky-white stone the size of a child's fist, clear and sparkling, and cultivated. Spiritual energy flowed swiftly through his meridians into his dantian.

After more than an hour of meditation, the milky-white stone gradually shrank until it disappeared into a wisp of smoke.

A gleam of joy flashed in Lin Tianming's eyes as he eagerly checked his dantian with his spiritual sense.

His dantian had significantly expanded, and he was close to reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining. With about ten more spiritual stones, he believed he could break through to the fifth level.

Lin Tianming sighed, noting that using spiritual stones for cultivation was indeed much faster. One lower-grade spiritual stone saved him days of hard work.

Lin Tianming, a sixteen-year-old cultivator of the Lin Family on Green Bamboo Mountain, possessed dual wood and fire spiritual roots. He was in the fourth level of Qi Refining, dressed in a simple green robe, with clear and handsome features and eyes that revealed wisdom beyond his years.

He had unknowingly been cultivating for several hours.

As evening approached, he used up two spiritual stones, feeling a pang of distress. However, seeing the increased spiritual energy in his dantian and nearing the fifth level of Qi Refining, he felt gratified.

The Lin Family had many cultivators, but limited resources. In the early stages of Qi Refining, each member received one spiritual stone per month. In the mid-stages, they received three lower-grade spiritual stones monthly. To gain more resources, they had to contribute to the family by completing tasks to earn spiritual stones and elixirs.

After half a day of cultivation, his stomach growled. Stretching, he opened the door just as Lin Tianyue approached.

Tianyue smiled brightly and said, "Brother, dinner is ready. Mother sent me to call you."

Tianming smiled back, "I'm starving. Let's go eat."

He took Tianyue's hand and headed to the main hall.

Lin Tianyue, his younger sister, wore a red dress. On closer inspection, the siblings shared some resemblance. She was sure to grow into a beauty.

At twelve years old, Lin Tianyue had triple spiritual roots of gold, wood, and fire. After two years of cultivation, she had reached the first level of Qi Refining, showing great potential within the Lin Family.

In the main hall, Ren Yuxuan was setting the table.

Before Lin Tianming even entered, he called out from a distance, "Mother, what's for dinner?"

He hurried to his seat and began devouring his meal.

His mother, Ren Yuxuan, looked on with a pained expression. "Slow down, there's plenty."

Tianyue added, "Brother, eat slower. No one is taking it from you."

Tianming chuckled and asked, "When will Father return?"

"Your father is escorting a batch of crafting materials and spiritual weapons to the Luoyun Market. He won't be back for a few days," Ren Yuxuan replied. "Before he left, he asked me to ensure you focus on your cultivation and strive to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining soon so you can take on family tasks and help alleviate the family's burdens."

"I understand, Mother," Tianming responded. "I will work hard to cultivate and contribute to the family. The world is vast, and I can't wait to explore it."

Since discovering his dual spiritual roots at the age of ten, the family had high expectations for him.

In the Lin Family's 800-year history, only the founder, Lin Renfeng, had dual gold and fire spiritual roots. Over the centuries, the best talent in the family had been triple spiritual roots, with most members having four or five.

In large sects or powerful families, abundant resources might enable one to reach the Golden Core stage, but the Lin Family couldn't afford such luxuries.

After dinner, while his mother cleaned up, Tianming and Tianyue sat in the courtyard, where he guided her in practicing elemental spells.

Tianming formed a seal with his fingers, causing a small yellow flame to dance on his fingertips. With a shout, the flame expanded into a massive fireball and shot into the sky, exploding with a thunderous roar.

Tianyue watched in awe, exclaiming, "I want to be as powerful as you, brother."

Tianming patiently explained the elemental spells. "Fireball Technique is a basic spell that gathers fire-attribute spiritual energy with one's spiritual sense. The stronger your spiritual sense, the more powerful and accurate the fireball."

"Practice diligently. If you have any questions, ask Grandpa Qi at the Hall of Transmission tomorrow," he advised.

"I will, brother. I won't bother you anymore. I'm going to find Sister Tianqin," Tianyue said and quickly ran off.

Back in the main hall, his mother approached, holding a dark green storage bag.

"Tianming, this is for you. Your father left it before going to the market. It's what we've saved over the past two years to help you with your cultivation," Ren Yuxuan said, handing him the bag.

Curious, Tianming asked, "What is it?"

"See for yourself," she replied.

Tianming eagerly examined the bag, excited to see what his father, Lin Xingrong, had left for him.

Returning to his room, he pulled out the dark green storage bag. Adorned with embroidered birds and beasts in golden thread, it was far superior to his basic storage bag.

He imprinted his spiritual sense on the bag, refining it. Within a quarter of an hour, he had refined the bag and explored its contents.

It was a mid-grade first-tier storage bag, with space the size of a room. Inside were thirty-five lower-grade spiritual stones and a bottle of Spirit Essence Pills, containing three bright green pills.

Overjoyed, Lin Tianming couldn't resist examining a Spirit Essence Pill closely.

Spirit Essence Pills, commonly used by Qi Refining cultivators, were packed with spiritual energy, far more effective than spiritual stones.

Each pill saved a month's worth of cultivation, and three were worth at least twenty lower-grade spiritual stones.

He stored the spiritual stones and Spirit Essence Pills, comparing his new bag to his old lower-grade one, which had the space of a small table.

Every family member received a lower-grade storage bag, a flying sword, and three lower-grade spiritual stones upon reaching the first level of Qi Refining.

Now, with forty lower-grade spiritual stones and three Spirit Essence Pills, he had enough resources for the next year or two. Fully refined, he should reach the fifth level of Qi Refining, maybe even the sixth.

After organizing his belongings, he lay down. After half a month of intense cultivation, he hadn't rested well.

Within minutes, he was fast asleep, snoring softly.