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Lin Shiming ceased his cultivation and it was already past midnight. He couldn't tell if it was the effect of the battle or something else, but he felt that his cultivation speed had increased by a sliver.
Outside the house came the pitter-patter of light rain, evoking a line of poetry in Lin Shiming's mind, "Heavenly street's light rain moistens like cream!"
Only, the peach blossoms on Qingtao Mountain were probably falling in great numbers again.
Lin Shiming opened the wooden window, and thin lines of rain drifted through the small latticed window, carrying his thoughts to the distant Spirit Peach Tree.
Instead of falling, the peach blossoms, washed by the rain, appeared fresher and more radiant, losing a bit of their reserve and gaining a touch of seductiveness.
The entire night seemed even more ethereal and beautiful.
In that moment, Lin Shiming felt as though his mood had been cleansed by the rain, baptized by the peach blossoms.
Indeed, Lin Shiming recalled, he had been in this world for seventeen years already, yet this was the first time he had appreciated the scenery with such a state of mind.
"Cultivation, cultivation, after all, must have a sense of moderation, tension and relaxation are both necessary!"
Lin Shiming couldn't help but have some enlightenment.
"Knock, knock, knock!" There came a knocking on the door.
"Immortal Master!" Then a young, tender voice followed.
Lin Shiming released his Divine Sense, and saw a little girl about ten years old with her hair in pigtails, bearing some resemblance to Wang Mazhu, but she was bright-eyed, with white teeth, a pretty and delicate face.
She was holding a wooden tea set, with steam still rising from the spout of the teapot, clearly freshly prepared.
"Come in," Lin Shiming said indifferently.
With the creaking of the door, the little girl kept her head down as she brought the teapot to the table.
"Immortal Master, this is the tea I brewed for you!"
"Hmm, leave it there," Lin Shiming wasn't intentionally cold to the little girl. However, he realized that the small window lattice was perfectly aligned with the view of the peach blossoms, and even the quilt rolled up on the bed was patterned with flowers – combined with the decorations in the room, it was clearly a young girl's boudoir!
Turns out Wang Mazhu was not as honest as he seemed to be, regardless of his intentions, but Lin Shiming was a cultivator.
Lin Shiming waved his hand, dismissing the girl who was still standing there.
Then he released the Golden Winged Mantis. Having eaten a Spirit Beast, the mantis had noticeably grown larger, a far better outcome than just consuming Spirit Water. It seemed that from now on, he would need to prepare some late-night snacks for this little mantis lord from time to time.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" The Golden Winged Mantis flew to Lin Shiming's shoulder and rubbed against him with its triangular head.
Lin Shiming took out some Spirit Beast meat, but it was rejected with a shake of the head.
After he brought out Spirit Water, the mantis began to drink eagerly.
It seems the Golden Winged Mantis also had its own peculiarities; having eaten meat, it must drink soup.
Having fed the Golden Winged Mantis, Lin Shiming resumed cultivation, hoping to take advantage of the slightly increased speed and reach the pinnacle of the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer sooner.
The next morning, the rain had stopped, yet Lin Shiming still hadn't thought of a good way to deal with the peach blossoms.
However, at this time, the system notification appeared again.
"Please assess all the children, you will select a Second Spirit Root talent for the family."
Lin Shiming's heart swelled with a huge wave; he had thought the Spirit Peaches were his great harvest.
But to think, the next day's notification was about a Second Spirit Root genius.
One must know, although in this world having a Spirit Root was enough to practice cultivation, the quality of Spirit Roots varied greatly!
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The worst, those with Quintuple Spirit Roots, without resources against the heavens, will reach their limit in the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation. For those with Quadruple Spirit Roots, the situation is slightly better, but it's like comparing 80 steps to 100; without tremendous opportunities, they are unlikely to achieve Foundation Establishment. As for those with Triple Spirit Roots, they are considered average, and that's what I am myself.
Only those with Dual Spirit Roots belong to the level of a minor genius, basically, as long as they have one Foundation Establishment Pill, they can steadily reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.
And the legendary Heavenly Spirit Root is even more against the heavens; as long as they don't die young, they are assuredly cultivators of the Purple Mansion. With slightly greater opportunities, even forming a Golden Core is possible.
Of course, aptitude isn't everything; there are those who, with resources dozens of times greater than ordinary people, have cultivated to even higher realms!
Currently, in the Lin Family, of over eighty cultivators, there are only two with Dual Spirit Roots. One is the old clan head, Lin Xianzhi, and the other is Lin Shiming's eldest brother, the senior of his generation, Lin Shijie.
Not to mention the old clan head, just speaking of his eldest brother, Lin Shijie, he's not yet twenty-five and has already reached the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation. He is expected to reach the Ninth Level before he turns thirty, and after polishing his cultivation for a few years, he can prepare for Foundation Establishment.
In the Lin Family, there are rewards for those who discover they have Spirit Roots: five Spirit Stones for a Quintuple Spirit Root, ten for a Quadruple Spirit Root, and fifty for a Triple Spirit Root.
For a genius with Dual Spirit Root aptitude, bringing such a person into the family warrants a reward of two hundred Spirit Stones, and giving birth to a Dual Spirit Root genius merits a whopping five hundred Spirit Stones, equal to ten years of Lin Shiming's salary.
Of course, what Lin Shiming values most is not now but thirty years later when that child grows up and reaches Foundation Establishment, contributing back to the family.
Lin Shiming does not believe in the philosophy of a loner. In his view, a Loose Cultivator is just that; even with incredible resources, they are merely nouveau riche Loose Cultivators who, without the structured operation of a family, find it difficult to travel far on the road of immortal cultivation.
It's like expecting a solitary wolf to be fierce without bounds, but for a lone wolf that cannot even secure meals daily, it's unimaginable to become a mighty wolf king one day.
Even if such luck was possible, it would only be a few brutes with exceedingly good fortune.
Therefore, developing the family and then advancing oneself within it is the direction Lin Shiming has set for himself.
Lin Shiming didn't delay; a Dual Spirit Root combined with a Spirit Peach Tree was enough to gain the family's attention, so he directly flew on his sword to the Qingtao Town Hall.
He called over Lin Yang, who was still in his dreams, and gave him an order to gather all the children around ten years of age for an assembly to advance toward immortal cultivation.
After speaking, Lin Shiming promptly flew towards Fangmu Mountain without stopping.
It took a day to hurry back to Fangmu Mountain, where he explained the situation with the Spirit Peach Tree to his father, Lin Houyuan. He hadn't mentioned the Dual Spirit Root yet; that would be too complicated to explain.
Lin Houyuan was also very happy when he found out.
He praised Shiming thoroughly, then arranged for Lin Shiming to find his third older sister, Lin Shiqi, who was known as a Second Rank Inferior Grade Spirit Plant Master.
When he found Lin Shiqi, she was in the medicinal garden on Fangmu Mountain, tending to the Spirit Plants.
She stood with hands on hips, pouting, focused on studying some Second Rank herbs.
"Third sister, I finally found you!" Lin Shiming recounted the affair with the Spirit Peach Tree in full.
Waving her hand, she replied,
"I already know about the matter; Uncle told me. But, Seventh Brother, you really have quite the luck!"
Lin Shiqi was obviously a bit emotional and envious; with that Spirit Peach Tree, Lin Shiming would get at least an extra hundred-plus Spirit Stones, while she worked hard tending herbs in the garden for a mere three Spirit Stone stipend per month, with a salary of just five Spirit Stones a month.
Of course, if she managed to break through to become a Second Rank Intermediate Grade Spirit Plant Master, the treatment would be incomparably better.
So, Lin Shiqi's short-term goal is to break through to become a Second Rank Intermediate Grade Spirit Plant Master, and only then to break through to the Fifth Level of Qi Cultivation.
"No worries, Third Sister. As long as you agree to teach me a month of Spirit Plant transplantation techniques, I'll make sure you earn no less than a hundred Spirit Stones!" Lin Shiming promised confidently.
Feeling a bit helpless with the Spirit Peach Tree, Lin Shiming had the idea to learn Spirit Plant and Alchemy techniques.
With system prompts, he could point out some incorrect techniques, and with prompts, there would also be no shortage of opportunities to find treasures.
"Sure, that's no problem; there are books on Spirit Plants in the family. But with so many Spirit Stones, you're not asking me to help you fight and kill Demonic Beasts, right?"
"It's not about fighting; it has nothing to do with strength! I guarantee you'll be more than satisfied!" Lin Shiming assured once more, and Lin Shiqi agreed to it.