Cultivation begins in the endless sea.

On the way here, Lin Qing had already prepared her speech in her mind.

Therefore, when faced with the patriarch's question, Lin Qing calmly replied, "There were many people talking too much just now, and I was afraid that some speculations might get out, which wouldn't be good, so I..."

Lin Qing then took out the small snail he had obtained from the withered old man.

"what?"

Lin Canglan took the small snail and examined it carefully.

"This thing...it seems to belong to a sea creature?"

Lin Qing nodded upon hearing this and explained, "After Qing'er killed this person, she not only seized the spirit boat but also obtained this small conch shell, which allowed her to escape by sheer luck."

"This little snail has the ability to hear in all directions and can hide in water."

"I see. No wonder you were able to escape the pirates' inescapable net."

No, according to you…

Lin Canglan narrowed his tiger-like eyes and murmured, "Could it be that sea creatures have really gotten involved?"

That makes sense.

After all, there are very few human cultivators of the Purple Mansion realm near Wanfu Market, and even fewer who have grudges against the Su family.

The sea tribe is different; after all, your Su family targets my Purple Mansion sea tribe every few decades.

If I can't take down his Xingxiu Sect, can't I at least teach your Su family a lesson?

Didn't you go off to secretly kill someone? Then you'll have to bear the consequences of being killed yourself!

Why didn't you think of sea creatures before?

As early as ancient times, the human race and the sea race had a pact: except for the hundred-year beast tide, the sea race was strictly forbidden from provoking the human race!

Furthermore, those at the Nascent Soul stage or above are strictly prohibited from participating in the battle.

The two clans have always adhered to their ancestral teachings and have lived in peace, at least on the surface.

Lin Canglan stared at the small conch in his hand, lost in thought. It seemed there must have been some upheaval within the sea creatures, otherwise they wouldn't dare to act so recklessly!

Or is the century-old beast tide about to erupt ahead of schedule?

"It's like one problem after another!"

Lin Canglan accepted the small snail, then took out a jade bottle, looked at Lin Qing with a solemn expression, and said in a deep voice:

"Lin Yunqing, the fifth-generation disciple of the Lin family of Wanling."

Lin Qing's expression turned serious. He already had some guesses about the contents of the jade bottle, and said in a deep voice, "Lin Yunqing is here."

Lin Canglan continued in a deep voice:

"Our ancestor, Lin Haicheng, fought against eight clans and established himself in Wanling!"

"Our second ancestor, Lin Runben, slew the sea monster and continued the lineage!"

...

"The Lin family of Wanling, through five generations of illustrious achievements, has not a single member betrayed their ancestors or forgotten their lineage, nor has any member shirked their responsibilities!"

Lin Canglan slowly handed over the jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill, his eyes fixed on Lin Qing with an unquestionable and expectant look.

"Today, our clan faces another crisis. Our markets have been destroyed, our people have perished, the sea creatures are stirring, and the once-in-a-century beast tide may arrive ahead of schedule!"

"The Lin family needs future generations to carry on the aspirations of their ancestors and shoulder the responsibilities of the clan!"

"This Foundation Building Elixir was passed down to Lin Yunqing, the fifth generation of the Lin family. May you maintain a steadfast heart, uphold good intentions, adhere to righteousness, and cultivate longevity! May you live up to the expectations of the Lin family and to your beloved!"

Lin Qing's heart trembled. He bowed solemnly and accepted the jade bottle with both hands.

This bottle weighs a thousand pounds.

This pill represents the Lin family's hopes and dreams, the result of countless individuals risking their lives! It is also the culmination of over a decade of concerted effort from the entire Lin family!

"Junior Lin Yunqing will humbly follow the teachings of our ancestor, inheriting his legacy and safeguarding the foundation of Wanling!"

"I will never fail my clan in this lifetime!"

Lin Canglan looked at Lin Qing's solemn expression and nodded slightly, no longer pursuing Lin Qing's previous explanation.

"Good, that's a true son of the Lin family!"

"I see that your spiritual power is abundant; why don't you go into seclusion here today and prepare for a breakthrough?"

He shook his head with a complicated expression:

"I was originally planning to arrange a fine cave dwelling for you once I got the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"It's a pity that Wanfu Market was destroyed in an instant..."

"But that's why this Foundation Establishment Pill came into your hands so quickly."

It turned out that Su Qing had sought out Lin Canglan that day to discuss this matter. Although they had successfully captured the Purple Mansion Sea Demon, refining it into a Foundation Establishment Pill would require at least three months of preparation time. With the Su family facing this misfortune, the timeline would likely be delayed.

However, if Lin Canglan is willing to pay 20,000 spirit stones, Su Qing can give him a Foundation Establishment Pill from his family's collection in advance.

Lin Canglan was certainly tempted!

Twenty thousand is indeed not a small amount, even with the significant increase in Lin Hexuan's income in recent years.

After some haggling, they finally obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill ahead of schedule by paying 12,000 spirit stones plus a huge favor that the Lin family owed the Su family!

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Lin Canglan made up his mind, which led to the conversation described above.

"Alright, I believe that Xiao Liu will definitely be able to break through smoothly."

"I will explain things to your parents myself, so you can focus on your seclusion!"

Seeing this, what else could Lin Qing say? He bowed respectfully, and after Lin Canglan left the cave, he lightly leaped and sat cross-legged on the futon.

Lin Canglan's cave dwelling is naturally the place with the richest spiritual energy on Wanling Island.

He took a deep breath of spiritual energy to calm his mind.

He wasn't in a hurry to establish his foundation immediately. Instead, he took out his notebook jade slip and carefully reviewed it again.

According to the experience of countless predecessors and sages, after the great changes in the world, the difficulties of Foundation Establishment suddenly increased, which is why people became heavily reliant on Foundation Establishment Pills.

There are three stages in foundation building.

The first hurdle is the physical body. Cultivators must draw in a massive amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth to refine it during the Foundation Establishment process, which is extremely painful and tests the body's endurance.

At this point, if a cultivator is over sixty years old (the optimal age for cultivation) or has a physical disability, the difficulty will increase exponentially, especially for those with physical disabilities, who will find it extremely difficult.

Lin Qing is only in his early thirties, in the prime of his life, so this hurdle is no problem for him.

The second challenge is the challenge of spiritual awareness. In fact, the challenge of spiritual awareness and the third challenge of magical power arrive almost simultaneously, making them exceptionally dangerous!

This is because cultivators in the Divine Sense Barrier will first fall into an illusion to test their resolve to pursue the Dao. Then they will begin to temper their divine sense, using the power of their divine sense to transform the spiritual energy flowing into heaven and earth into their own true essence.

During the Qi Refining stage, cultivators can only circulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for their own use.

During the Foundation Establishment stage, the flowing spiritual energy transforms into a denser liquid state, accumulating in the dantian and meridians.

This is when you need Foundation Establishment Pills.

The Foundation Establishment Pill not only maintains a sufficient supply of spiritual energy, ensuring that the cultivator can complete the conversion in one go and open up a sufficiently large sea of ​​mana, but it can also form a soft protective shield to prevent the cultivator's spiritual power from being exhausted and damaged, leading to dementia or even death!

"The journey has been filled with trials and tribulations, including the battles on Fallen Feather Island and underwater, which have tempered my spirit."

"Your meridians are strong, and you are in your prime."

"There's also the Foundation Establishment Pill as a backup."

Lin Qing closed his eyes slightly, held the Foundation Establishment Pill in front of his dantian with both hands, and was about to enter a state of breakthrough.

"I can do it!"

"Boom—"

As if sensing something, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged into Lin Qing's body.

Lin Qing frowned and immediately began to observe internally.

……

In Tingyun Mountain, affected by this spiritual energy, many meditating cultivators were suddenly awakened and opened their eyes, looking towards the mountaintop with surprise and uncertainty.

Lin Shenglei, who was resting with his eyes closed in the quiet room, sensed something was wrong. He slowly opened his eyes, looked at his empty left arm, and his expression became complicated.