Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Ghost Valley Sect, Secret Chamber on Netherworld Peak.

"As expected of the legendary treasure, even though it is just a companion lotus seed, the wood attribute aura it contains surpasses that of ordinary fourth-tier wood attribute treasures!"

Lin Changsheng slightly opened his eyes, a surge of vitality flowing within his body, and a rich, verdant aura permeated his entire being.

He opened his hand, and a bright green lotus seed, radiating a verdant glow, floated quietly in his palm.

Before long, Lin Changsheng turned his hand and put away the lotus seeds. There was no joy on his face; instead, he looked deep in thought.

We need to review and analyze this conversation with Master Guigu.

Although the latter seemed calm and had a similar experience to him, possessing the Yin Spirit Cauldron and having been besieged by the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

The exchange of information between the two clarified the origin of the Spirit Wood Cauldron, and to a certain extent, it meant sharing the risks together.

Even so, the forest monks remained wary of Guigu Zhenjun.

He didn't believe that a single Wood Spirit Cauldron was enough to forge a deep and sincere friendship between the two.

As for the lotus seeds that accompany the Seven Treasures Lotus Platform, the other party seemed generous and offered great benefits, proposing that Lin Changsheng risk his life to venture into the Nine Swamp Continent, which had become a forbidden area for the sea race, in exchange for a fourth-level Daoist temple.

The sea race has a long and mysterious history, and its origins can be traced back even to before the human race. Although Lin Changsheng is confident in his own strength and can even contend with the four strongest, infiltrating the sea race's forbidden area is a risky endeavor for him, as it is the home ground of the alien race.

"The True Lord Guigu first offered benefits and then gifted treasures. Although he was polite in his words, I'm afraid he can't refuse this trip to the forbidden area of ​​the sea race."

Lin Changsheng thought to himself.

The other party clearly knew the wonderful uses of the Seven Treasures Lotus Platform. If Lin Changsheng still refused, he would inevitably offend the True Lord's majesty.

Although Guigu Zhenjun was usually kind and gentle, he was not a benevolent person.

"Never mind, even if it's for the purpose of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm in the future, we still need a suitable fourth-order training ground."

Since he couldn't refuse, Lin Changsheng could only focus on improving his own strength to ensure his survival before that happened.

……

Three months later, Hu Xiaoli, who had settled down on Mingling Peak, knocked on the door of the secret chamber.

Soon, he was summoned.

"Since it was Qingluan Zhenren who invited me, I will naturally not be absent."

Lin Changsheng raised his eyes and said calmly.

During his return to Mingling Peak, several of his former disciples sought an audience, but Lin Changsheng remained in seclusion after meeting with Ghost Valley True Monarch.

This made those disciples who had been nominally disciples back then feel uneasy.

Today, Qingluan Zhenren Shen Wenyao summoned the direct disciples of the peak and took the opportunity to invite Lin Changsheng to appear.

After years of development, Mingling Peak now has more than 30 direct disciples, which can be considered the core strength of this lineage.

The disciples of the ordinary peak mostly practice common cultivation techniques and secret arts, and are assigned to manage the market and industry to create value for the sect.

These thirty-odd direct disciples have all received the true teachings of the Golden Core stage and have each divided up their own businesses, belonging to the true management team within the peak.

One or two of them even received Shen Wenyao's devoted teaching and were cultivated as future 'Golden Core Seeds'.

On this day, Shen Wenyao solemnly introduced Lin Changsheng's identity as 'Zhang Meng' to more than thirty of his direct disciples.

It is publicly stated that Lin Changsheng was entrusted by the Supreme Elder to carry out a secret mission under the alias 'Zhang Meng', and now that his term has expired, he has returned and resumed his true identity.

Although there had been rumors within the sect about the identities of Lin Changsheng and Zhang Meng before, Shen Wenyao's personal confirmation today can be considered a definitive conclusion on the matter.

Furthermore, everything within Mingling Peak will be jointly managed by the two True Immortals from now on.

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the disciples within the peak turned to the seemingly young man in white before them.

At the forefront of the disciples, the outstanding and proud senior sister, Xiang Minjun, curiously observed Lin Changsheng, who sat in the main seat with a gentle and composed demeanor. Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and she seemed to be deep in thought.

Besides these, there are several other faces that have changed quite a bit, but are still vaguely familiar.

Faced with these curious, complicated, or excited gazes, Lin Changsheng remained calm, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and his reaction was somewhat indifferent.

An hour later.

The few disciples who had dispersed gathered again outside Lin Changsheng's secret room on Mingling Peak. With Hu Xiaoli's notification, they were successfully summoned by Lin Changsheng.

"This junior sister is beautiful and intelligent. She must be one of Master's newest disciples in recent years, right?"

Among them, He Dawei, who was slightly overweight, spoke in a friendly tone, but his eyes darted around as if he was thinking about something.

"Replying to Senior, my magical power is meager; I am merely a maidservant by Senior Lin's side."

Looking at the well-dressed Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Ghost Valley Sect who kept calling Lin Changsheng "Master," Hu Xiaoli didn't dare to be negligent. Instead, she felt a little apprehensive after sensing his enthusiasm.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two entered the secret room together to meet Lin Changsheng.

"Disciple greets Master."

Below, two men and one woman, a group of three, worship together, their expressions reverent, performing the rites of disciples.

"Hmm, I have been away for many years on the orders of the Supreme Elder, and your cultivation has not fallen too far behind."

Lin Changsheng glanced at the group and spoke in a calm tone.

The three people in front of them are He Dawei, Han Jiuying, and Wu Gang.

All three were at the Foundation Establishment stage, with He Dawei having the lowest cultivation level, only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. It seemed that he had forcibly advanced through some external means, damaging his meridians and roots, making it difficult for him to improve in the future.

Han Jiuying inherited the "Netherworld Poison Scripture" from the Heavenly Poison Master and is at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Her poison skills are comparable to those of an ordinary late-Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, due to the flaws in the technique, signs of an imbalance in the poison power within her body have begun to appear.

On the contrary, Wu Gang, the youngest, has already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment due to his superior spiritual root aptitude, and seems to have mastered some kind of wood-attribute cultivation technique.

However, this young disciple had been taken in by Lin Changsheng for the shortest time, and there was almost no master-disciple relationship between them.

Lin Changsheng also learned about the situation of the other three disciples from He Dawei.

Hao Chi, the eldest brother of the group, suffered damage to his meridians due to a failed attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage many years ago, and died from his injuries a few years later.

Lu Ming and Yun Miaomiao had developed feelings for each other in their early years and often went out to train together.

The two went out more than a decade ago and have been out of contact ever since, not returning for many years.

"Master, now that you have returned from your travels, I have compiled and organized the detailed operating rules for some of the businesses within the peak. Would you like me to give you a brief report?"

He Dawei suddenly changed the subject and asked tentatively.

"No need. I have been away for many years, and Fairy Shen has been in charge of managing the peak. Everything can continue as before. You can report to her about the management of the business."

"Furthermore, I will be in seclusion for a long period of time in the future. If you wish, you may visit me once a year as usual. If you need anything at other times, I will give you instructions."

The implication is that unless instructed otherwise, there is no need to disturb them.

……

Lin Changsheng was aware of his disciples' ulterior motives.

Although the conditions were tough at first, the disciples who were accepted back then were able to reap the first wave of benefits and complete their initial capital accumulation as Mingling Peak grew and expanded.

Having reached their cultivation limit and accumulated considerable experience, their offspring have a significantly higher starting point than ordinary people.

The only hope now is that he will regain control of Mingling Peak, and as a disciple, he can also gain many benefits.

As for the bond between master and disciple, perhaps little remains after decades of wear and tear.

Lin Changsheng didn't have much to say about this, since he had only taken in these nominal disciples to better establish himself in the Ghost Valley Sect, not to pass on his mantle.

Moreover, for him, the third-tier spiritual vein training ground was merely a transitional phase.

……

A few days later, Lin Changsheng went into seclusion in a secret room.

A vast Nascent Soul level divine sense enveloped the main peak area of ​​Mingling Peak.

Around a towering ancient tree, as if summoned, countless points of emerald green fluorescence emerged, rushing in like a sea of ​​stars, condensing into a green vortex that poured down from above the secret chamber.

In an instant, the entire Mingling Peak was filled with abundant wood-attribute energy, the mountaintops and fields were lush and green, and within a radius of dozens of miles, spiritual herbs and plants grew wildly, as if they had been infused with life, and stretched dynamically towards the secret chamber.

Meanwhile, Lin Changsheng, located in the cave, slowly circulated the Everlasting Spring Technique within his body, greedily absorbing the pure essence accumulated within the spirit tree over the years, making his own magical power more refined and gradually increasing.

An aura of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator swept out, gradually increasing until it reached its peak.

A hint of shock was visible in Shen Wenyao's pretty eyes.

This chilling aura of a Golden Core cultivator surpassed that of almost all other cultivators of the same level she had encountered on ordinary days.

This is simply unheard of.

If she hadn't known that the other party hadn't yet gathered all the necessary spiritual materials for Nascent Soul cultivation, she would have even thought that Lin Changsheng would take advantage of this opportunity to directly break through to the Nascent Soul realm!