Chapter 40
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Chapter 40: The Lottery Again
After such a long time, Lin Zi Er was finally pregnant; his hard work was finally rewarded.
Zhou Luo gradually realized that as his cultivation improved, the difficulty of conceiving had indeed increased quite considerably.
If it had been the him right at the beginning, he’d probably have had over a dozen children by now.
Gains and losses went hand in hand.
He absolutely could not neglect his cultivation.
Otherwise, even if he obtained the Fifth Level alchemy skill, as just a Qi Refinement cultivator, someone could still crush him with one slap.
The lottery was merely an aid; his actual realm was the main priority.
Halting his cultivation, Zhou Luo turned his consciousness back to the lottery page. With a slight intention, the golden sphere of light began to spin.
He watched the white spinning wheel quietly, his mind completely calm.
He had realized that the more he desired something specific, the less likely he was to obtain it.
It was better to have a relaxed demeanor; perhaps the system would give him a nice surprise.
A few seconds later, the golden sphere of light stopped on the "magical artifact" section.
As expected, being unfocused really brought good luck.
If it was a magical artifact, then the item drawn probably wouldn’t be too bad.
Whether it was an artifact that provided basic combat power or one that enhanced cultivation, both were things he needed right now.
[Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Spirit Xiyu!]
[The reward has been automatically sent to the host’s backpack. Please check!]
"Spirit Xiyu?" Zhou Luo had never heard of this magical artifact.
He immediately looked over at the backpack.
He found that there was now an icon resembling a jade pendant there.
[Spirit Xiyu]
[Grade: top-level first-level]
[Description: Tempered from the essence blood of a mighty magical beast. When worn, it steadies the spirit, grants immunity to certain degrees of mental attacks, and significantly enhances one’s mental power.]
To think it was actually a top-level first-level magical artifact.
Zhou Luo was quite surprised.
Coincidentally, he was exactly lacking such an artifact.
A few days prior, when attempting to refine a top-level first-level potion, he had encountered a situation where his mental power was completely drained.
Even though he was already a top-level first-level Pill Master, facing a potion of the same peak rank demanded far more mental energy than previous potions.
This had drastically slowed down his pill refining speed.
Now, with this artifact, he no longer needed to worry about that problem.
He decisively chose to use it.
The next moment, Zhou Luo in the real world suddenly discovered a white jade pendant appearing in his hand.
Wearing it around his neck, he instantly felt a cooling clarity emanating from the Spirit Xiyu. It seeped through his skin into his heart, calming his spirit and clearing his heart of the path, as though he were floating upon a tranquil lake.
A while later, when Zhou Luo attempted cultivation again.
The sensation felt markedly different from before.
If his prior cultivation had been like trudging through a desert, now it felt as if treading on white clouds, utterly free of distractions or resistance.
Truly worthy of a top-level first-level magical artifact.
Approaching noon, Zhou Luo stepped out of his training room and entered the first-floor hall.
He found little Shi Yi, accompanied by her maid, playing with the Snow Mountain Spirit Cat.
The small white feline lay lazily sprawled across a table, appearing listless.
Yet Shi Yi stared at it intently, bright-eyed and giggling, waving her tiny limbs excitedly now and then.
She didn’t even notice Zhou Luo approaching.
"Master," the maid curtsied respectfully.
Zhou Luo took a seat beside the Snow Mountain Spirit Cat, gently stroking its soft fur with his right hand.
Suddenly, a jolt stirred within his chest.
The Snow Mountain Spirit Cat jerked its eyes open, its gaze filled with confusion.
Simultaneously, Shi Yi tilted her head in puzzlement, asking in a small, milky voice, "Little White, where is the kite?"
Then she noticed Zhou Luo and exclaimed, "Father!"
Zhou Luo scooped her into his arms. "Time to prepare for lunch."
"Oh." Shi Yi sounded somewhat disappointed.
Zhou Luo unconsciously covered the spot where the pendant rested, deep in thought.
This top-level first-level magical artifact truly proved useful, able even to block the Snow Mountain Spirit Cat’s illusions.
Currently, the spirit cat, still in its juvenile stage, was gradually awakening its illusion ability.
Had it been before, Zhou Luo might still have been affected.
But with the Spirit Xiyu, he remained entirely unaffected.
After pondering, he carried Shi Yi toward the dining room, with the Snow Mountain Spirit Cat obediently trailing its master.
With the children growing, the dining table had become much livelier.
The little ones chirped back and forth like sparrows outside the window – the lively chatter wasn’t noisy but instead radiated a warm coziness.
The Snow Mountain Spirit Cat curled quietly near Shi Yi.
Since learning how deeply Shi Yi adored it, Zhou Luo had entrusted it to protect the little mistress.
Indeed, it fulfilled its duty faithfully, occasionally guiding Shi Yi into joyful illusions.
This was something Zhou Luo permitted.
He had discovered the illusions caused Shi Yi no harm, and such practice frequently boosted the spirit cat’s mastery over illusions.
Holding the youngest Xiao Shiya, Zhou Luo suddenly felt an impulse to capture the scene before him.
Regrettably, this world had no cameras.
Magical artifacts capable of recording images weren’t cheap either.
He could only hope to obtain one later, if luck permitted.
After the meal, Zhou Luo gave a few instructions and headed alone toward the spiritual vein.
At this point, he still had fully three months of unused access time.
With nothing pressing at hand, cultivation was naturally the priority.
Returning to the spiritual vein, Zhou Luo discovered his training room had now been assigned to the inner circle.
The Lin Family’s spiritual vein was distributed in an Eight Trigrams formation, divided by defensive arrays into the outer circle, inner circle, and core circle.
The core circle was where the main lineage family and prominent clan members cultivated.
The outer circle was designated for cultivating junior clan members deemed insignificant, as well as male spouses who had married into the family.
The inner circle, sandwiched in between, usually housed the clan’s vital pillars or those considered its future hope.
It seemed that after his previous conversation with the Great Elder, his status had improved.
Settling cross-legged on the meditation cushion within the room,
Zhou Luo began to circulate the Spirit Gathering Technique.
As soon as he initiated the technique, he distinctly felt the speed at which spiritual energy absorbed here had increased dozens of times over.
If he cultivated steadily at this pace, a breakthrough seemed imminent.
He calmed his mind and heart, sinking deep into secluded cultivation.
During this period, another major event occurred within the Lin Family.
A newly contested spiritual mine was suddenly ambushed by an unknown force. The cultivators stationed there suffered heavy casualties.
Investigations later revealed evil cultivators were involved.
Consequently, the Lin Family reinforced the guarding force at that mine.
However, the clan’s cultivators had already sustained significant losses during the previous conflict.
Bolstering defenses there now might leave their other spiritual mines vulnerable to watchful, ill-intentioned parties.
To address this, the Elder Council deliberated and unanimously decided to dispatch numerous formation masters to station at their other mines.
After all, the effectiveness of a single formation master equalled that of over a dozen regular cultivators.
Additionally, the Lin Family’s first group of male marriage recruits were deployed to various mines.
Newer recruits who had married into the family took over their domestic roles, thus truly embodying the sentiment: "Your wife and children are cared for; you need not worry."
From then on, apart from Zhou Luo,
none of the men who had initially entered the Lin Family through marriage remained within the clan grounds.
