“Father, I will definitely not disappoint you! I will only make you proud of me!” Ling Han said.
“Good! Good! Good! You truly are my, Ling Dong Xing’s, son!” Ling Dong Xing too was excited to the point of shedding tears; although he did not know what kind of fateful encounter Ling Han had obtained, the present him could only feel joyful, excited and delighted! He wanted nothing more than to announce to the whole world that his son, Ling Dong Xing’s son, was not a piece of trash!
Liu Yu Tong looked at this scene and, for some reason, the corners of her eyes felt slightly wet.
“Father, I would like to discuss something with you!” Ling Han pulled Ling Dong Xing to a corner of their courtyard, and let Liu Yu Tong go to rest first. There were some words that could only be said to his father and, after all, Liu Yu Tong had not yet obtained his true approval and trust.
“What kind of matter is it for you to be so mysterious about it?” Ling Dong Xing asked with a smile and a bit of curiosity. He was curious what the words that could not even be heard by Liu Yu Tong could be—he naturally thought that Ling Han and Liu Yu Tong were already a couple.
Ling Han said, “Father, let me look at your Spirit Base.”
One could actually view the Spirit Base using a special means, but for those in the Element Gathering Tier, they could directly project an image of their Spirit Base without having to resort to any supporting method.
Ling Dong Xing could not help frowning, before saying, “Why?”
“I would like to find a cultivation technique that best suits you, taking into consideration your Spirit Base,” Ling Han said.
Ling Dong Xing could not help being secretly speechless, how many cultivation techniques had this son of his gotten his hands on to actually be able to choose a cultivation technique best suited to the individual according to their type of Spirit Base? If he had not just witnessed Ling Han’s miracle, he would not believe his words one bit.
He shook his head, yet did not say a single word.
“Father?” When Ling Han looked at Ling Dong Xing, he realized there seemed to be some kind of hidden story.
Ling Dong Xing exhaled a sigh and said, “No matter what the cultivation technique is, it’s useless. My Spirit Base is already destroyed.”
“What!” Ling Han called softly, but very soon, an enraged expression slipped onto his face, “Who did it?”
Ling Dong Xing was a warrior of the Element Gathering Tier, so there was no way that his Spirit Base had been disabled from the start. Thus, the logical conclusion was that it had been crippled by someone else.
Ling Han was someone who would cover the shortcomings of his own people, moreover this was his own father, so naturally he would be seething in anger.
“This matter…. is related to your mother,” Ling Dong Xing sighed, and his face revealed a flash of tenderness, though there also seemed to be remorse and wrath mixed with it. To put it shortly, it was an extremely complicated expression.
“Mother?” Ling Han murmured. According to this body’s memories, Ling Dong Xing had never once mentioned anything about his mother to him. Every time he asked about his mother, Ling Dong Xing would immediately change the subject. The only thing he knew was that, not long after his birth, his mother had passed away.
“In the past, I thought that the issue about your mother would forever be buried within the depths of my heart, but now-” Ling Dong Xing paused. “Han’er, if you can achieve Element Gathering Tier within three years’ time, then I shall tell you about your mother.”
‘…She, she’s not dead!’
A powerful excitement rose up within Ling Han’s heart. The heavens were truly generous to him, not only gifting him with fatherly love, but also gifting him with the chance to obtain motherly love as well! He laughed heartily, and said, “How difficult would that be? I don’t need three years, I will be able to break through to Element Gathering Tier within three months’ time!”
Ling Dong Xing was shaken. Three months to break through from the fourth layer of Body Refining Tier to Element Gathering Tier? Was this possible? Even for him, who had once been acclaimed as the greatest genius of Gray Cloud Town, it had taken a whole two years’ time to make such a gigantic leap.
But once he recalled that Ling Han had broken through two layers within a mere seven days… to break through to Element Gathering Tier within three months didn’t look all that impossible.
He was startled for a moment, before he said, “Very well, if you can break through to Element Gathering Tier within three months, then I shall tell you everything, and you will be the one to go and rescue your mother!”
Rescue? This meant that his mother was currently confined in some place. No wonder Ling Dong Xing had always deceived him by saying his mother had passed away, so it had been a white lie!
Ling Han nodded, but he still said with a smile, “Doesn’t Father want to rescue Mother with your own hands?”
Ling Dong Xing’s fierce eyes widened, and he showed an excited expression, yet very quickly calmed down again. He said, “My Spirit Base is already destroyed, I have to take Return Origin Pills just to recover Origin Power; there is no way for me to advance forward! And to save your mother would require at least the cultivation level of Flower Blossom Tier.”
Aside from the legendary Shattering Void Tier, there were in total nine tiers in martial arts, which were respectively Body Refining, Element Gathering, Gushing Spring, Spiritual Ocean, Spiritual Pedestal, Flower Blossom, Spiritual Infant, Deity Transformation and Heaven Tiers.
Flower Blossom Tier—the sixth tier. What kind of concept was this?
The strongest warrior of the Eight Great Clans of Rain Country was only of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, and according to the rumors, the Imperial Clan possessed extremely powerful warriors of the Flower Blossom Tier to keep watch over the central administration, which was what kept the Eight Great Clans in check, ensuring they have no thoughts of trying anything funny.
Someone who had reached the cultivation of the Flower Blossom Tier would be able to start their own country to hand down to their descendants!
However, to Ling Han who had once been a warrior of the Heaven Tier, so what if it was the Flower Blossom Tier? And in this new life, all of his starting conditions were even more outstanding—Immortal Grade Spirit Base, Indestructible Heaven Scroll… moreover, he had already passed through all nine tiers of martial arts once, so there was no way he would encounter any kind of bottleneck, and his excellent alchemist skills would be able to provide him with all kinds of alchemical pills and medicines.
Thirty years, at most, fifty years, and he would be able to once again return to the pinnacle!
Ling Han laughed and said, “Father, the Spirit Base is a part of the body, there is no such thing as being unable to heal the Spirit Base, just let me take a look.”
Ling Dong Xing stared at Ling Han for a while before he finally nodded, and said, “Very well!” He raised both arms as if he were holding something and, with a mental command, he projected the Spirit Base in his Dantian into open view.
Ling Han was slightly shocked—Ling Dong Xing’s Spirit Base was surprisingly the low level Heaven Grade “Broken Edge Sword”, of the gold alignment. No wonder that even though Ling Dong Xing had long had his Spirit Base crippled, he was still in the ninth layer of Element Gathering Tier. That was because the speed of his cultivation was very quick, and he had long since achieved this kind of cultivation level.
However, currently this Broken Edge Sword had long lost its blade, and only a bit of the sword hilt was left behind. There was no possible way that it could continue to absorb Spiritual Qi, so it was practically completely destroyed.
The destruction of the Spirit Base meant that it was no longer possible for the owner’s martial arts to improve further.
However, making it recover was of no difficulty to Ling Han.
He said, “Father, your Spirit Base can still be healed, but I currently do not have the necessary medicinal ingredients on hand, so I need some time.”
There really was hope?
Ling Dong Xing could not help it as his hands tightened into fists. If he could, he would of course want to personally save his wife from her abyss of suffering, but because his Spirit Base had been destroyed, he could only place his hopes on his son.
In the past, when Ling Han’s Spirit Base was awakened, and yet it was revealed to be the Five Elements Disarray Spirit Base, Ling Dong Xing felt unbearably disappointed and painful. From that moment, he gave up his hopes and deceived Ling Han by saying his mother had already died, shouldering all the pain and longing by himself.
“Han’er, is what you’re saying the truth?” He asked in a trembling voice.
“Of course it’s the truth,” Ling Han replied solemnly. “Give me three years, no, two years’ time, and I will definitely find the medicinal ingredients for Father and create an alchemical pill to heal Father’s Spirit Base.”
Ling Dong Xing said generously, “Very well, then at that time, the two of us, father and son, will join forces to save your mother and reunite our family!”
“En!” Ling Han nodded.
“However, you will still have to obediently go to Hu Yang Academy for me!” Ling Dong Xing suddenly switched the topic.
Ling Han could not help feeling a little depressed—he had already displayed such excellent talents, so why did his old man still not believe him, and compel him to go to Hu Yang Academy? However, his father’s doing was all for his sake, and was well-meant.
Since his father wanted him to go so much, then he’d just go. It didn’t matter where he cultivated anyway. Moreover, Grey Cloud Town was too small, and could not possibly supply the cultivation resources he required anyway.