Chapter 29: Collecting Rewards

The next morning, a ray of slightly dazzling sunlight shone through a small window onto Lin Tianming's handsome face. He opened his eyes, which were filled with a hint of spiritual energy, and got up. After tidying up his room, he prepared to go out.

With the rewards now confirmed, he planned to go to the Merit Hall to collect them. Besides collecting his rewards, he intended to exchange some materials he didn't need for merit points and purchase some essential items.

Having made up his mind, Lin Tianming left his room, summoned the Qingfeng Sword, and flew towards the pavilion on the mountainside.

The Merit Hall was bustling with people. Many family members were presenting various spiritual herbs, beast cores, and parts to the hall's stewards, exchanging these items for pills and talismans. Most of the items were common first-tier materials.

Seeing Lin Tianming enter, everyone paused their activities to greet him. As the most talented member of the Lin family since the time of the ancestors, Lin Tianming was always in the spotlight.

In response to the goodwill of many clan members, Lin Tianming returned their greetings with cupped hands, treating everyone with respect regardless of their cultivation levels. His gentlemanly demeanor and polite behavior earned him widespread admiration and praise.

Lin Shixin, observing this, felt very satisfied. This young man's cultivation, strength, and temperament were all excellent. He was indeed the future hope of the Lin family. With some opportunities and without an untimely death, he could definitely lead the family back to its former glory as a Foundation Establishment clan.

After greeting the clan members in the hall, Lin Tianming approached Lin Shixin and respectfully bowed.

"Greetings, Tenth Granduncle," Lin Tianming said.

Lin Shixin, smiling with narrowed eyes, replied, "Your rewards have been mostly prepared. Tell me what you need, and I'll get them for you, especially the upper-grade first-tier alchemical materials, talismans, and spiritual weapons."

"Tenth Granduncle, I need twenty-five sets each of the alchemical materials for these two pill recipes," Lin Tianming said, handing over two pill recipes to Lin Shixin. These were for the Strong Spirit Pill and Body Refining Pill, crucial for his cultivation of the Tiangang Overlord Body Art.

Lin Shixin examined the pill recipes, his expression turning a mix of green and purple. An inner voice echoed in his mind, "This little rascal really knows how to pick them. All these are some of the more precious first-tier spiritual herbs."

"Fine. This young man has both talent and a good temperament. He is the future of our family, and it's worth taking care of him. After all, he's asking for first-tier materials, which are relatively precious but not forbidden."

"And what about the talismans and spiritual weapons?" Lin Shixin asked.

Lin Tianming continued, "I need four upper-grade first-tier attack talismans, four defense talismans, and two speed talismans. For the spiritual weapons, I need three defensive ones. That's all. Also, I want to sell some Fasting Pills."

With that, Lin Tianming took out a hundred Fasting Pills. He had initially made 136 pills with all the materials he had. After consuming some during his year of seclusion, he had over a hundred left. Selling a hundred and keeping some for personal use was a practical decision, as he was still in the Qi Refinement stage and needed Fasting Pills for extended periods of cultivation.

"Hundred Fasting Pills will get you eighty merit points. Anything else?" Lin Shixin inquired.

Lin Tianming hesitated before cautiously asking, "Tenth Granduncle, do we still have any second-tier Green Spirit Bamboo for sale?"

"What do you need second-tier Green Spirit Bamboo for? We have plenty of first-tier ones, but second-tier ones are rare. In the hundred-li bamboo forest, there are fewer than a hundred second-tier Green Spirit Bamboo. These are the oldest ones, rarely sold."

"I want to exchange for twenty second-tier Green Spirit Bamboo and ask Fifteenth Granduncle to craft a set of flying sword spiritual weapons for me. My current spiritual weapons are too weak to fully utilize my abilities."

"Alright. Each second-tier Green Spirit Bamboo is quite expensive, with excellent toughness and sharpness, making it one of the best materials for crafting spiritual swords. Each one costs 150 lower-grade spirit stones, which is not cheap. Given your contributions, you can go and cut them yourself."

Lin Tianming was momentarily stunned. Each bamboo cost 150 spirit stones, and twenty would cost 3,000 spirit stones. It was indeed expensive. Without his substantial rewards for the family, he wouldn't be able to afford it.

After half an hour, Lin Shixin handed a storage bag to Lin Tianming.

"Everything is inside. Check it. Also, give me your token."

Lin Tianming respectfully handed over his token. Lin Shixin took out a larger token, performed some hand seals, and a green light flashed. A number briefly appeared on Lin Tianming's token before disappearing.

Now, Lin Tianming's family token showed 2,080 merit points. Out of the 5,000 merit points, only this amount remained.

Lin Tianming felt a pang of heartache. He had once been reluctant to spend even a few dozen spirit stones. Now, thousands were spent in a blink. The thought of it made his heart bleed.

Taking the storage bag, Lin Tianming inspected its contents. Inside were over a hundred sets of various herbs, several colorful talismans, and three defensive spiritual weapons.

The three spiritual weapons included a turtle shell-like shield, a small umbrella, and a red inner armor. After a brief inspection, Lin Tianming withdrew his consciousness.

Lin Shixin then handed Lin Tianming a token made from Green Spirit Bamboo, saying, "This token grants access to the bamboo forest's inner area. Without it, you wouldn't last long before the formations would strike you down."

Lin Tianming took the token, bowed to Lin Shixin, and left.

Half an hour later, Lin Tianming arrived at a valley at the base of Qingzhu Mountain. The entire valley was shrouded in mist, with a sea of bamboo stretching as far as the eye could see, covering nearly a hundred li.

Lin Tianming took out the token and performed a hand seal. A light screen appeared, opening a several-zhang-wide entrance. A strong metallic aura wafted out.

Due to the large area of the bamboo forest, a formation was maintained to keep the metallic spiritual energy contained, benefiting the growth of the Green Spirit Bamboo.

Green Spirit Bamboo is a first-tier spiritual material with a growth cycle of 500 years. Most of it remains first-tier, with only a few rare ones advancing to the second tier.

The Lin family had initially settled here upon discovering the vast bamboo forest. Over 800 years, the bamboo forest's area had more than doubled, with several hundred second-tier Green Spirit Bamboo. Annual consumption and sales left nearly a hundred, one of the Lin family's greatest assets.

Lin Tianming put the token away, leaped through the light screen, and entered the bamboo forest.