Chapter 53: Half a Year

The day after Lin Shigong's breakthrough, which marked the final day of the month-long period, Lin Shiji emerged from his courtyard, his face lined with disappointment and age.

"Perhaps it's fate," Lin Shiji muttered to himself, accepting the limitations of his age and the outcome of his efforts.

Lin Shikang, who had been waiting outside, approached with a sympathetic expression. "Fifth Brother, you did your best. Take some time to rest. The Enforcement Hall has younger members to shoulder the responsibilities now."

Lin Shiji nodded, having already felt the slim chance of success before entering seclusion. Yet, he had wanted to try, just in case.

"Third Brother, did Ninth Brother and Twelfth Brother succeed?" Lin Shiji asked, recalling the fleeting aura of Foundation Establishment he had sensed during his seclusion.

Lin Shikang nodded with a smile. "Shihua broke through in twenty-five days, and Shigong succeeded just yesterday. Two out of three—it's a great blessing."

A hint of a smile appeared on Lin Shiji's bitter face. Despite his own failure, knowing that his brothers had succeeded was a comfort. "Third Brother, please congratulate them on my behalf when they come out of seclusion. I'll head back to the Enforcement Hall; there's much to do."

Lin Shikang nodded, words of consolation caught in his throat. Watching Lin Shiji's lonely figure retreat, he felt a pang of sorrow.

He shook his head, contemplating the missed opportunities and the relentless march of time. If only the family's foundation had been stronger, if only they had had more time. But lamenting was futile.

Lin Shiji's departure left Lin Shikang to ponder the future development of the family. With two new Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Lin family's strength had grown significantly. However, the news needed to be kept secret for now to maintain their strategic advantage. The focus should be on strengthening the family as a whole.

In Qianchuan Market, Lin Tianming sat cross-legged in his meditation chamber, his hands pressed together, eyes tightly shut, beads of sweat occasionally dripping from his forehead as he cultivated diligently.

Time flew by, and half a year passed swiftly. Lin Tianming dedicated a few days each month to studying alchemy with Ye Pinghai, while the rest of his time was spent in intense cultivation.

During this half-year, Lin Tianming made significant progress. With an ample supply of high-quality pills, his cultivation recovered rapidly. Three months prior, he had already regained all the spiritual power lost while refining the sword qi. The following three months saw substantial progress, bringing him close to the late stage of Qi Refinement Level 7. Given another year and a half, he might even reach Qi Refinement Level 8.

His physical cultivation also advanced considerably. His meridians had become thicker and stronger, and his bodily strength had increased noticeably.

After half a year of rigorous cultivation, Lin Tianming opened his eyes, feeling the abundant spiritual power coursing through his body. He was very satisfied with his progress.

At that moment, a message from Ye Pinghai arrived in his meditation chamber.

"Senior Ye has completed the refining of all the medicinal materials," the message read.

Lin Tianming left his seclusion, stepping into the courtyard to await Lin Shilu. At the same time, Lin Shilu, having received the same message, hurriedly put away some refining materials and exited his chamber.

Seeing Lin Shilu emerge, Lin Tianming quickly greeted him. "Fifteenth Grandpa, did you also receive Senior Ye's message?"

Lin Shilu nodded calmly. "Indeed. Let's head to his residence."

In less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived at Ye Pinghai's residence. Lin Shilu and Ye Pinghai sat facing each other, with Lin Tianming seated below them, occasionally pouring spirit tea for the two.

Ye Pinghai took a sip of the jade cup and smiled warmly. "Brother Lin, I'm pleased to inform you that the task you entrusted to me has been completed successfully. It's time to hand over the results."

With that, Ye Pinghai took out five jade bottles and handed them to Lin Shilu, who received them with a beaming smile. Lin Shilu used his spiritual sense to inspect the contents, finding fourteen small Foundation Establishment pills.

Overjoyed, Lin Shilu expressed his heartfelt gratitude. "Brother Ye, you've worked tirelessly for over half a year. You should rest now; there's no need to rush. My grandson and I have been waiting for this moment for half a year, a few more days wouldn't have mattered."

After a half-hour of pleasantries and expressions of gratitude, Lin Shilu took out a storage bag containing the prepared 8,000 spirit stones and two jade bottles with six small Foundation Establishment pills, offering them to Ye Pinghai as payment.

Following the customary three-tenths rule in alchemy, Lin Shilu presented Ye Pinghai with three-tenths of the pills as compensation. Lin Shilu had initially expected fifteen pills from the materials, but the result of seventeen pills was a pleasant surprise, underscoring Ye Pinghai's exceptional alchemy skills.

Ye Pinghai pondered for a moment before accepting the bottles. He took one pill from the bottles and returned it to Lin Shilu. "Brother Lin, I won't refuse the spirit stones and these five pills. However, this additional pill should be for your family; you need it more than I do."

Despite Lin Shilu's attempts to decline, Ye Pinghai's insistence led him to accept the extra pill.

Their goal achieved, Lin Shilu was thrilled. Including the nine small Foundation Establishment pills from before, the Lin family now had twelve, enough to help several family members reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

That evening, Lin Shilu spent over three hundred spirit stones to host a banquet at Yingbin Tower, inviting Ye Pinghai as a token of gratitude.

Ye Pinghai, delighted by the invitation, joined them. They drank over ten bottles of fruit wine, each bottle worth dozens of spirit stones.

Lin Tianming frequently toasted Ye Pinghai, sincerely thanking him for his guidance in alchemy. Ye Pinghai, impressed by Lin Tianming's talent and character, had considered taking him as a disciple and was pleased to see his progress.

During the banquet, Lin Shilu spent several thousand spirit stones to purchase a batch of second-grade pills from Ye Pinghai, primarily second-grade spirit essence pills, along with some restorative pills like Huanyuan Pill and Guyuan Pill.

After the feast, Lin Shilu bid farewell, planning to set off for Qingzhu Mountain at dawn. Ye Pinghai, extending polite well-wishes, saw them off and returned to his residence for rest.