Cultivation begins in the endless sea.

Chapter 68 Recuperation and Rest

Upon returning to the clan, Lin Qing briefly explained the situation to Lin Shengyuan, but concealed the matter of the projected jade slip.

Then, Lin Shengyuan mentioned the advice of Elder Lin Shengze, and Lin Qing nodded in agreement.

"It was my negligence regarding Bai Ling'er's matter."

"It seems that we still need to revise some rules and regulations to deal with emergencies."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shengyuan hesitated slightly, then spoke after a moment: "Clan leader, there are rumors that the century-old sea beast tide will break out ahead of schedule..."

Is this true?

Looking at Uncle Yuan's round face, which had become quite wrinkled over the years, Lin Qing sighed inwardly. Some things, after all, had to be faced.

He gestured for Lin Shengyuan to sit down, then he gathered his thoughts: "Logically speaking, the sea monster tide won't break out for another thirty years."

"However, according to Elder Su's prediction, the sea monster tide will erupt in fifteen years at the earliest, and twenty years at the latest!"

"What?!"

Lin Shengyuan suddenly stood up, his round face turning deathly pale. He stammered, "Really...?"

"That…"

"Don't panic, your ancestor and I are here!"

Lin Qing's calm voice rang in his ears, bringing the startled Lin Shengyuan back to his senses.

"Yes, our Lin family now has two members who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Still third in the Nine Clans Alliance!"

Lin Shengyuan's eyes regained their sparkle, and he hurriedly asked, "Qing'er and the Ancestor must have a plan, right?"

In his excitement, he even forgot about the title of clan leader.

Lin Qing nodded and said in a deep voice, "Uncle Yuan, this matter must not be made public for now."

"Let me discuss this with my ancestor..."

"Gurgle gurgle..."

Lin Shengyuan took several large gulps of the spiritual tea, finally calming himself down.

After a while, Lin Shengyuan remembered one of Bai Ling'er's suggestions and said:

"Clan leader, your Foundation Establishment advancement ceremony has not yet been held. Bai Ling'er suggests that it be held in the new Linhexuan in Wanfufang City a month from now."

"Firstly, we can take advantage of the influence of this Nine Clans Alliance to greatly promote Lin Hexuan."

"Secondly, the Lin family hasn't had a proper celebration in a very, very long time..."

As an elder of the clan, he has seen too many Lin family members pass away in the past decade. The tragedy of the market still flashes through his mind from time to time, and the new graves on those ancestral lands are now covered with moss...

"The Lin family of Wanling has had a tough time."

Looking at the old man's silver hair that he couldn't hide, Lin Qing was filled with mixed emotions.

"Alright, everything will be arranged according to the clan's wishes!"

……

"The Lin Family Foundation Building Ceremony in Wanling?"

Looking at the invitation, Li Heng, the head of the Li family, muttered to himself and then called Li Yunshang, who was in seclusion, over.

"Yunshang, what did you think of Lin Qing during our last trip to the demon's lair?"

Hearing the patriarch's ambiguous question, Li Yunshang felt a little uncomfortable, but after all, she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and her temperament was far superior to that of ordinary people.

She smoothed the strands of hair from her forehead and answered earnestly:

"Young yet mature, with profound thoughts."

Upon hearing this, Li Liheng was slightly taken aback, not expecting that her genius female disciple would have such a high opinion of Lin Qing.

"You have always been intelligent, skilled in both talisman and array formations, and have always looked down on those up-and-coming talents."

"Since you praise it so highly, then the Li family's gift list this time can't be too perfunctory..."

The same situation occurred in the other major families.

······

On this day, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle.

Xinlin Hexuan in Wanfu Market welcomed its busiest day since its opening.

The foundation-building ceremony of Lin Qing, the current patriarch of the Wanling Lin family, was officially held here.

The celebration was simple in its procedures but very grand.

First, Lin Shengyuan read out the gift lists for each family.

"Qingyang Island, the Su family has presented a congratulatory gift: a second-grade, high-level Breakthrough Pill!"

"What?"

"Did I hear that right? The Su family used a high-grade second-tier spirit pill? Huh?"

The onlookers immediately started discussing among themselves. Lin Qing and Lin Canglan exchanged a glance, also feeling quite surprised.

This second-grade superior barrier-breaking pill not only requires Ancestor Su Qing to refine it personally, but also requires more than ten years of spiritual herbs to prepare the complete formula.

Based on Lin Qing's current level of water-based alchemy, the success rate of producing first-grade high-quality pills is about 30% to 40%.

Less than 10% of the pills are of the second-tier initial grade!

This is one of the reasons why his progress was slow after he reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Normally, it would take him at least thirty or forty years to break through to the later stage.

"Clan Chief Lin, you are young and promising, with a bright future ahead of you!"

The gift-givers were Su Changtian and Su Wending.

Although he was quite dissatisfied with Lin Qing, he still did his best to complete the task assigned by the clan leader.

Su Wending, who stood half a step behind Su Changtian, had a complicated expression.

"I never imagined that the little greenhorn from ten years ago would now be a Foundation Establishment cultivator..."

Bai Ling'er was very perceptive, and soon, at Lin Qing's prompting, she led the Su family to their seats in the VIP section.

"Gu Family Beach, the Gu family presents a congratulatory gift: a mid-grade second-tier earthen sword stone!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qing was overjoyed, for this was the spirit ore from which he could once again condense the Five Elements Sword Qi using the "Sword Condensation Technique".

He looked up and saw Li Yunshang's beautiful eyes crinkling with a half-smile. Lin Qing immediately understood that she had seen through a clue during their last trip to the demon's lair, and thus presented him with this generous gift!

"What a clever woman..."

Lin Qing suddenly recalled the enchanting scenery in the demon's lair cave... and couldn't help but steal another glance at Li Yunshang.

As if sensing his gaze, Li Yunshang turned her head as well. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment before quickly looking away...

"Little Six, could it be...?"

Standing not far away, Lin Canglan took in the whole scene. His heart stirred, and he began to observe Li Yunshang without making a sound.

"Moon Bay, the Chen family presented a congratulatory gift: a two-hundred-year-old spiritual herb."

The fact that Chen Enzhi, the head of the Chen family, came in person showed great respect to the Lin family.

Lin Canglan naturally went to greet him personally. During the Nine Clans Alliance, this in-law was the first to send a message of goodwill, making him a worthy ally.

"...The Zuo family..."

"...The Qian family..."

At this moment, Lin Hexuan's two courtyards were already surrounded by onlookers, including members of the nine major families, as well as low-level rogue cultivators and foreign merchants who had come from overseas to trade...

Seeing this lively scene, the older generation of cultivators, including Lin Shengyuan, Lin Shengze, Lin Shengyu, and Lin Shengkui, couldn't help but shed tears of joy...

Lin Yunzhou, along with his wife Shen, Lin Yunyue, Lin Yunpu, and others who had benefited from the trend of adding colors to the surname Lin after Lin Qing's success in naming their children—Lin Lan, Lin Zi, and so on—felt a surge of pride.

Lin Kaishu, Lin Kaihua, Lin Kaiqian, and other young people of the new generation are filled with admiration...

"When I grow up, I want to be a clan leader!"

Lin Kaiqian murmured to himself with a look of longing. Lin Kaihua, standing beside him, chuckled, "The clan leader was already at the fourth level of Qi Refining at your age!"

"You've only just broken through to the second level of training..."

Lin Kaiqian raised his head and retorted defiantly:

"My success is the result of years of hard work and gradual accumulation..."

Just then, a sharp, thin voice suddenly came from not far away from him.

"Chief Lin has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage at just over thirty years old. Is this some kind of empty boast created by the entire clan?"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell into complete silence…