Upon returning to his room, Lin Zufeng, realizing he had nothing pressing to do, decided to take stock of the items in his Storage Pouch. The Storage Pouch was a small, two-cubic-meter pouch issued by the Family to its Lin Clan, a standard allocation for Qi Refining Cultivators. The current space in the Storage Pouch was sufficient; Qi Refining Cultivators generally didn't have much to store.
He emptied everything from his Storage Pouch: thirty-six Low-Grade Spirit Stones, which he had saved by being frugal with the stipend issued by the Family over the past two years; a first-tier, Medium Grade Magical Artifact, the Azure Edge Sword, which was a standard Family weapon; the first-tier, High Grade Nine Dragons Cauldron gifted by his Eighth Uncle; fifteen Bi Gu Dan, enough for forty-five days; fifty catties of Spirit Rice; five catties of unhulled Spirit Valley; sixteen talismans from his Sixth Aunt; the seeds required for the recently assigned Spirit Field planting task; and in terms of Cultivation Technique, his primary Cultivation Technique, the "Fire Flame Art," the basic sword art "Imperial Sword Art," and two Secret Manuals obtained from the Lin Clan.
This was his entire net worth at the moment—one word: poor, two words: poor, poor. Lin Zufeng sighed deeply. The four essential elements of Cultivation were wealth, companions, Cultivation Technique, and land, with wealth ranking first. It seemed he would need to find ways to earn more Spirit Stones in the future. After organizing all his belongings, he placed them back into his Storage Pouch. He then took out "Lian Dan Chu Jie" and began to study it diligently. Ten days passed like this, and he gained a preliminary understanding of Alchemy.
On the day of departure, Fourth Elder Lin Rulan arrived at Lin Zufeng's door early in the morning and called out, "Lin Zufeng, are you all prepared? We should depart for the Spirit Field today."
Lin Zufeng replied, "Reporting to Fourth Elder, your grand-nephew is ready and can depart at any time."
Fourth Elder Lin Rulan said, "Very well, then let us depart." With that, she took out a small flying boat capable of carrying five people, powered by Low-Grade Spirit Stones. This small flying boat was essential for Foundation Establishment Cultivators traveling long distances, as only those who had achieved a Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage could fly through the air.
The two boarded the flying boat, and the Fourth Elder controlled it as it ascended. At a speed of one thousand kilometers per hour, it would take approximately three hours to cover the three thousand kilometers to the Family's Chessboard Mountain first-tier Spiritual Vein.
Lin Zufeng thought to himself, "I must acquire my own flying Magical Artifact in the future. It would save so much time and effort when traveling, and be much safer too."
Inside the flying boat, Fourth Elder Lin Rulan said to Lin Zufeng, "How much have you learned from the two Secret Manuals in the past month? Have you mastered the cultivation methods for the Spirit Medicine required for the two Medicinal Pills? And have you Cultivated the 'Hiding Spirit Mantra' that the Clan Chief assigned?"
Lin Zufeng replied, "Reporting to Fourth Elder, I have initially grasped the knowledge of cultivating the Spirit Medicine for the two Medicinal Pills; only practice is lacking. I have also read a good deal of 'Lian Dan Chu Jie' and plan to strengthen my reading and simulate Alchemy during my cultivation breaks, then practice when I have the Spirit Medicine. The 'Hiding Spirit Mantra' has also reached Minor Achievement, and I will strengthen its Cultivation during my breaks as well, striving to reach the Major Achievement Realm as soon as possible."
Fourth Elder Lin Rulan listened and said, "Not bad. To achieve this much in just over twenty days shows you've truly put in diligent effort. But you must not become arrogant or complacent. You should know that there are always people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. You must strengthen your Cultivation in the future. Cultivation values perseverance; you must not be negligent, do you understand?"
Lin Zufeng replied, "I understand, Fourth Elder." The two conversed in the flying boat, mostly with Lin Zufeng asking questions and the Fourth Elder answering. Lin Zufeng consulted the Fourth Elder on many perplexing aspects of Cultivation, and the Fourth Elder patiently explained them to Lin Zufeng. Through the Fourth Elder's guidance, many previously confusing points in his Cultivation suddenly became clear. He learned a great deal.
Unconsciously, three hours had passed. From the flying boat, they could already see the general outline of Chessboard Mountain, where the Spiritual Vein was located. Chessboard Mountain stood a hundred zhang tall, shrouded in white mist, exuding a hint of an Immortal Realm. The environment was quite pleasant. In less than an incense stick's time, the flying boat slowly descended to the mountainside of Chessboard Mountain.
The two disembarked from the flying boat. The Fourth Elder said, "Lin Zufeng, we have arrived at Chessboard Mountain. Ahead is the entrance to the Formation. Take out the token I gave you, inject your magical power into it, and insert it into the Formation's eye to open the Formation." At this moment, outside the Formation, it was a hazy white, and nothing could be seen inside.
Lin Zufeng took out the token, injected his magical power, and inserted the token into the Formation's eye. Immediately, the white mist surged, and a small path appeared in the middle. The two walked leisurely along the mountain path.
The Fourth Elder said, "This Formation is called the Flying Elephant Formation, a second-tier Formation. It can trap and kill enemies. Any Cultivator below Foundation Establishment Late Stage who enters this Formation will surely die. You must keep your token safe; it is the only proof of entry and exit for the Formation and must not be lost."
As they spoke, they walked to the Spirit Field. The Fourth Elder pointed to the Spirit Field in front of them and said, "Lin Zufeng, these ten acres of Spirit Field are entrusted to you. Cultivate them diligently, pay attention to safety, and do not venture deep into the mountain range to explore or seek treasures. There are many high-tier Yao Beasts and poisonous creatures deep within the mountain range, as well as Cultivators who engage in robbery. Your current cultivation is not enough to deal with them. I will return at this time next year to collect the Spirit Medicine. During this period, if there are any special circumstances, you can send a message to the Family to request support. If the Lin Clan travel at full speed, they can arrive in two hours. Do you remember this?"
Lin Zufeng replied, "I understand, Fourth Elder. I will remember your teachings. I will not casually enter or exit the mountain-protecting Formation unless necessary."
Fourth Elder Lin Rulan took out a small Storage Pouch and handed it to Lin Zufeng, saying, "Inside here is your one-year supply: one hundred catties of Spirit Rice and thirty Bi Gu Dan. Keep them well. Remember, safety first."
Lin Zufeng took the Storage Pouch and hung it on his waist. The Fourth Elder turned and walked towards the outside of the Formation. Lin Zufeng escorted the Fourth Elder to the Formation entrance and stopped, saying, "Farewell, Fourth Elder."
The Fourth Elder nodded and said, "Take care." She then summoned her flying boat, and as it ascended, it vanished in the blink of an eye.
After closing the Formation entrance, Lin Zufeng turned and walked towards the Spirit Field. Looking at the ten acres of Spirit Field around him, he felt incredibly excited. He could now Cultivate according to his own plan. He walked a full circle around the Spirit Field, and another hour passed. By now, he had a clear understanding of the general situation on the Spiritual Vein.
In the middle of the Spirit Field, a small mountain spring river flowed through, serving as the irrigation source for the Spirit Field. Behind the Spirit Field were towering trees. To the left was a hundred-meter-high stone mountain. The Immortal Cave for his daily Cultivation and rest was excavated from this stone mountain. Entering the Immortal Cave, there was a twenty-square-meter Cultivation room, a thirty-square-meter reception room, a fifteen-square-meter resting room, and a small kitchen. It contained daily necessities, which were likely left by the previous Lin Clan who planted the Spirit Field. Moonlight Stones were left in the cave, illuminating the interior as if it were daylight. Today, he would first familiarize himself with the environment, then rest well for the night, and begin his labor tomorrow.
Lin Zufeng went to the resting room. Perhaps it was due to the change of environment, or perhaps it was his first time living alone, but he couldn't fall asleep. So, he got up and went to the Cultivation room to Cultivate. Some time ago, Fourth Elder Lin Rulan had given him three Nourishing Meridian Pills, and one was still unused. Although the injuries to his Meridians from his Breakthrough to the sixth layer were not fully healed under the nourishment of the Nourishing Meridian Pills, they were almost better. He hoped that taking this third Nourishing Meridian Pill would completely restore his Meridian injuries, otherwise, it might affect his later Cultivation plans. He took the Nourishing Meridian Pill, circulated his Cultivation Technique to refine the medicinal power, and attached the medicinal power to the injured parts of his Meridians, slowly refining it and nourishing the injured Meridians.
The night passed without a word. Outside the Immortal Cave, the sky was already bright. Lin Zufeng stood up and let out a long breath. His Meridian injuries were finally fully healed, thanks to Fourth Elder's Nourishing Meridian Pill. Otherwise, it would have taken at least a year for his Meridian injuries to fully recover. From this, it was clear that Medicinal Pills were also very important for Cultivation; taking Medicinal Pills could yield twice the result with half the effort. This further strengthened his determination to learn Alchemy.