Chapter 26: Grandfather's Shock

Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, a man and a beast landed outside the protective formation of the clan.

Lin Tianming took out his identity token and cast a spell. A streak of green light merged into the colorless Five Elements barrier.

A moment later, the barrier opened a gap over ten feet wide, revealing the scenery within Green Bamboo Mountain. The man and the beast stepped inside together.

As soon as Lin Tianming set foot on the ground, a fiery red figure dashed towards him and hugged him tightly, almost squeezing the life out of him. This was none other than his sister, Lin Tianyue.

Feeling his sister's longing, Lin Tianming wrapped one arm around her waist and patted her head to comfort her.

After a few moments, the young girl calmed down. Lin Tianming held her hand and walked towards Lin Tianfeng and the others, cupping his hands in salute.

"Greetings, fellow clansmen," Lin Tianming said.

The group returned the salute, and Lin Tianfeng spoke up.

"Sixth Brother, this little girl has been waiting here for you every day for the past few days, not leaving even a step. Both of you must be tired. We have our patrol duties to attend to, and you must be exhausted from your journey. Rest well, and I will visit you another day."

"Please go about your duties, Brother. I will invite you over some other day," Lin Tianming replied.

After exchanging salutes, the groups parted ways.

Lin Tianming held Lin Tianyue's hand as they walked along the green stone path towards the mountainside of Green Bamboo Peak. The Golden Eagle followed closely behind.

Gazing at the familiar clan residence, Lin Tianming felt immense joy. His sister kept chattering non-stop, clearly fascinated by the outside world.

Seeing the same longing in his sister's eyes as he once had, Lin Tianming understood her feelings. However, he knew that once one left the clan's warmth for an extended period, they would start missing the warmth of family and reminiscing about the little things in clan life.

In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme. People kill for treasures, and beasts fight for territory. Each day, countless lives are lost, and numerous clans and sects face destruction. The root cause of all this is the competition for cultivation resources and the pursuit of greater power.

Thus, in the perilous world of cultivation, Lin Tianming bore the hope of revitalizing and protecting the clan. Every clan member worked towards this goal, a long and arduous journey.

Cultivation is a lonely path. Family ties, though they may become a burden, are also a guiding light in the journey. Some cultivate for immortality, but Lin Tianming cultivates to protect his family.

At this moment, Lin Tianming's mindset subtly changed.

As they walked towards the mountainside, many fellow clan members passed by. Lin Tianming greeted each one, and they finally reached their small courtyard amidst the envious gazes of many.

Having received Lin Tianyue's message, his grandfather and parents had put aside their tasks, feeling relieved. They gathered outside the courtyard, waiting for Lin Tianming and Lin Tianyue, their joy evident.

Lin Tianming ran towards them and respectfully saluted his grandfather and parents.

"Grandfather, Father, Mother, Tianming is back," he said.

Grandfather Lin Shigong beamed with joy, squinting his eyes, and pulled Lin Tianming and Lin Tianyue into the courtyard, not bothering about his son and daughter-in-law's reactions.

The parents followed, and the family sat happily around the stone table in the courtyard.

Lin Shigong, full of smiles, said, "You brat, you've broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refinement! I thought reaching the sixth level would meet my expectations. You've really surpassed them. It seems you haven't been idle this past year. Good, very good. How is your success rate in refining first-tier low-grade pills?"

"Grandfather, I have successfully refined the Spirit Essence Pill, maintaining a success rate of forty percent, with at least three pills per batch, mostly around four," Lin Tianming replied.

"What! A forty percent success rate and at least three pills per batch for a first-tier mid-grade pill?" Lin Shigong exclaimed in shock and joy. In just one year, Lin Tianming had made such progress, becoming a qualified first-tier mid-grade alchemist. This far exceeded expectations, indicating his extraordinary talent in alchemy.

His parents and sister were equally delighted and began asking about Lin Tianming's experiences over the past year.

In the first half of his tenure guarding Qingfeng Town, Lin Tianming had devoted himself to cultivation and alchemy, consuming many medicinal materials to become a mid-grade alchemist, which was understandable.

If not for the second half spent exploring the ancient ruins, getting injured multiple times, and spending time cultivating divine abilities without sufficient medicinal materials, he could have refined first-tier high-grade pills.

During this visit home, besides submitting the high-grade technique and the inheritance of the third-tier alchemist, Lin Tianming also planned to replenish his medicinal materials. He had considerable wealth now and could exchange for more alchemy materials to take back to Qingfeng Town to further enhance his alchemy skills.

Suddenly, Lin Tianming's expression grew serious. He cast a spell, setting up a protective barrier to prevent eavesdropping.

Seeing this, his grandfather and parents knew he had something important to say and waited for him to speak.

Lin Tianming took out the high-grade technique (Three-Star Sword Technique) and the alchemy insights of Master Yuhua from his storage bag, placing them on the stone table.

His father quickly picked up the technique jade slip, while his grandfather took Master Yuhua's alchemy insights and began examining them.

Three breaths later, Lin Shigong and Lin Xingrong's faces flushed with excitement. Grandfather's wrinkled face turned as red as a monkey's butt, his joy making him look nothing like a nearly hundred-year-old man.

They calmed down and swapped jade slips, continuing their examination.

Lin Tianming then placed over a dozen jade boxes before them.

Grandfather quickly opened one.

"Hidden Spirit Grass!"

Lin Shigong fell into a state of ecstatic frenzy, laughing wildly.

"Heaven bless the Lin family! These more than ten Hidden Spirit Grasses are worth at least three Foundation Establishment Pills if used properly."

Hearing this, his father remembered that Master Yuhua's alchemy insights mentioned a recipe for Minor Foundation Establishment Pills, making his breathing heavy. After all, these Hidden Spirit Grasses were crucial for entering the Foundation Establishment stage!

Mother and sister watched the grandfather and grandson trio with puzzled expressions.

After examining the three items, grandfather and father asked about their origins, looking somewhat worried.

Lin Tianming recounted how he had been forced to kill the red-robed man, mentioning that he had obtained the Hidden Spirit Grass from him.

Listening to his account, the family was stunned. His mother cried, not caring about techniques or pills, only wanting her son to be safe.

Lin Tianming had carefully considered this explanation. He didn't plan to disclose the existence of the Heaven-tier technique, understanding that the fewer people knew, the safer they would be. Revealing such a valuable technique could bring disaster upon the family. Everyone knows the saying, "A man without sin still fears possession of a treasure."

Grandfather's face grew serious. "This matter is of great importance. Tianming, rest for a while. I must immediately summon the clan leader and the hall masters for a meeting in half an hour."

With that, Lin Shigong cast a spell, sending out over ten fiery spiritual birds that scattered in all directions, disappearing in an instant.