Chapter 53

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Chapter 53: Lin Xin’s Breakthrough

Close to noon, Zhou Luo finally crawled out of bed. As for Bai Zhi Yan, she likely would not emerge until evening.

After a quick wash, he stepped out radiantly into the harsh sunlight, heading straight for the dining room.

Inside the dining room, his wives and concubines were gathered with their children, eating their meal.

"Husband, after everything sister Zhi Yan endured yesterday, frightening as it was, you had to go and exhaust her like that?"

The moment Zhou Luo sat down, Lin Yi Yi struggled to suppress her smile as she spoke.

"I was comforting her," Zhou Luo replied seriously, feigning earnestness.

"Well then, when are you going to find the time to comfort me?" Lin Yi Yi smiled slyly, her eyes conveying mischief.

These words prompted Lin Fei Ying to give her a small kick. "The children are right here."

The little ones blinked their big eyes, faces etched with curiosity, clearly unaware of the meaning.

Zhou Luo merely glanced at Lin Yi Yi’s heavily swollen belly and chuckled, shaking his head. "You focus on taking care of yourself and the baby."

In another month or two, all three sisters were due to give birth.

He wondered how many children born with spiritual roots would grace his family this time.

After the noon meal, Zhou Luo made his way to Shouchun Garden.

He had departed abruptly yesterday; he needed to inform his master about the incident that occurred.

Even though the master likely already knew.

Stepping into Shouchun Garden and entering the alchemy room, Zhou Luo saw Third Young Lady Lin Xin meticulously crafting her potion.

He approached Lin Zhi Shou and bowed respectfully with clasped hands.

"I heard about yesterday. It’s good that nothing major came of it," Lin Zhi Shou stated lightly.

Perhaps concerned Zhou Luo might overthink it, he added, "That person belonged to the Hehuan Sect. Probably slipped in unnoticed."

At the mention of "Hehuan Sect," Zhou Luo was genuinely startled.

This evil sect, once infamous centuries ago, had once ruled nearly a third of Huoyun Country’s territory, a formidable major sect in its own right.

Their signature dual cultivation technique—collecting yin to replenish yang, and collecting yang to replenish yin—had spawned multiple Golden Core cultivators within their ranks, even producing Nascent Soul powerhouses.

It was only after a united campaign by the Huoyun imperial family and various major Immortal Sects that the Hehuan Sect had been purged and faded into history.

However, like a centipede that remains twitching long after death, the sect may have fallen, but its remnants persisted. Disciples still roamed, and rumors claimed they had even resurrected their old symbol on some remote mountain peak.

Zhou Luo had never imagined Bai Zhi Yan’s troubles would be entangled with such an evil sect.

Evidently, this matter was far from concluded.

He resolved silently: upon returning this evening, he would disperse his specially crafted poison throughout Zhou Garden. Such defenses would prevent a repeat of yesterday’s events.

After all, he was now a Second Level Poison Master. With careful preparation, even the Lin Family’s revered Foundation Establishment ancestor would likely find entry into Zhou Garden impossible.

"Master, I’ve succeeded!"

At that precise moment, Lin Xin’s elated cry pierced the air.

Simultaneously, a rich, fragrant aroma of the potion filled the room.

Lin Zhi Shou’s body jerked as he abruptly stood up, strode swiftly to the furnace, and fixed his gaze on the smooth, lustrous Spirit Raising Pill inside it.

He picked it up for careful examination.

Beside him, Lin Xin, after a fleeting moment of delight, resumed her haughty expression.

"That’s wonderful, wonderful! Your progress is truly rapid," Lin Zhi Shou couldn’t help but praise aloud.

Lin Xin raised her chin slightly, her expression indifferent as she looked towards Zhou Luo beside her.

She had been just one step away from becoming a middle first-level Pill Master. Stimulated even further by Zhou Luo’s presence in recent days, she had tapped into her potential and broken through.

Now that she had caught up to him, her naturally proud disposition savored the taste of victory.

Zhou Luo smiled politely. "The Third Young Lady indeed possesses unparalleled natural talent."

Lin Zhi Shou also nodded. "It seems that this year’s Spiritual Pill Conference, yet another talent from our Lin Family will emerge."

The Spiritual Pill Conference was held once a year.

While the opportunity to learn at Qingyuan Sect came every two years.

Currently, the time for the next Spiritual Pill Conference was approaching.

Following this conference, a total of ten outstanding talents selected from both these events would go to study at Qingshan Sect.

Lin Zhi Shou’s words reminded Zhou Luo of the promise he had made to Wang Yu Wei.

It looked like he needed to hurry up and concoct the Bi Shui Dan.

He retracted his thoughts.

Lin Zhi Shou, beaming happily, began to instruct both of them on advancing to become middle first-level Pill Masters.

In his eyes, whether it was Zhou Luo or Lin Xin, they both marked the beginning of the revival of the Lin Family’s Alchemy Division.

Time passed, and the day’s instruction came to an end.

Lin Xin and Zhou Luo left Shouchun Garden one after the other.

Then, Lin Xin suddenly turned around. The last rays of the setting sun cast a somewhat divine aura upon her pale, haughty face.

She squinted her eyes and spoke in a lecturing tone. "If you spend your life only marrying wives and fathering children, then you’ll inevitably remain mediocre, becoming nothing more than my stepping stone."

Her words were brutally candid, laying bare her arrogance completely.

Zhou Luo lightly smiled, his words heavy with implication. "Junior Sister, I hope you will perform exceptionally well at this Spiritual Pill Conference."

Lin Xin’s pretty face darkened slightly.

The mere words "Junior Sister" sparked displeasure within her.

Added to that were the seemingly concerned words that followed, delivered in a tone more befitting an elder instructing a junior.

Her expression turned icy cold.

If this had been two years ago, she surely would have lost her temper on the spot and punished him severely.

But now, the times had changed. He was no longer the dependent son-in-law she could manipulate at will.

Ultimately, she said nothing, turned, and walked away.

After she had gone, Zhou Luo gave a contemptuous snort. "A stepping stone? How laughable."

Returning to Zhou Garden, Zhou Luo immediately buried himself in the alchemy room.

Back in Panshi City, he’d already bought all the herbs needed to refine Bi Shui Dan.

It had cost him a hefty sum of spiritual stones then.

If the information Wang Yu Wei offered about the Immortal Sect wasn’t worth it later, he absolutely wouldn’t hand over Bi Shui Dan.

He retrieved the herbs and began refining the Bi Shui Dan.

It wasn’t until past nine in the evening that he finally stretched his limbs and exited the room.

During that time, Lin Fei Ying had come once to deliver food.

She naturally couldn’t recognize it as Bi Shui Dan, assuming he was cultivating or studying, so she quietly set down the meal and left.

Walking to the second floor, Zhou Luo stood in the corridor, eyeing the rooms lit by candlelight, eventually heading towards Bai Zhi Yan’s chamber.

He worked hard for another night.

Over the next few days, perhaps to prevent a recurrence of the previous incident,

the family assigned two fifth layer of Qi Refinement guards to Zhou Garden. Although their strength was ordinary, it far surpassed Zhou Luo’s Qi Refinement level two.

Zhou Luo didn’t refuse them.

Because the Spiritual Pill Conference was about to start, Lin Zhi Shou took Lin Xin with him to the host location, the Wang Family in the East City.

Originally, Zhou Luo had also wanted to go observe.

But since he’d already qualified for the conference and the family preferred he stay, he was refused.

This was fine too.

With Lin Zhi Shou away, Zhou Luo could focus entirely on refining Bi Shui Dan.

Besides Bi Shui Dan, the Second Level poison he’d planned to concoct was also now in preparation.

It was fortunate that the Lin Family had no poison making specialists.

Therefore, even though he purchased a large pile of bizarre materials, the family didn’t grow overly suspicious.

It was just that sourcing materials for the Second Level low-grade poison proved somewhat difficult.

After several days, Zhou Luo finally gathered everything and successfully concocted a poison called Wind Severing Powder.

Once inhaled, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would temporarily lose all spiritual energy, while a Qi Refinement cultivator might suffer permanent crippling.

After ensuring everyone in Zhou Garden took the antidote, he spread the Wind Severing Powder in every corner of the estate.

This meant anyone sneaking in would inevitably inhale this invisible, odorless toxin.

As for someone blatantly infiltrating like Zhao Yuan had done before—well, that would be up to the two family-assigned guards to handle.