Lu Qingyang favored two types of people.
One was those with exceptional talent.
The other was those who had a high degree of devotion to him.
Coincidentally,
Lin Lin in front of him possessed both qualities.
With a thought, Lu Qingyang immediately drew the vast spiritual energy from all directions toward Lin Lin, causing his bottleneck at the late first-tier to shatter instantly.
"Boom!"
A powerful aura surged from the young man's body, sweeping out like a storm of spiritual energy, causing the surrounding area to be turbulent with flying sand and rocks.
Moments later,
the fluctuations gradually subsided.
Just as Lin Lin was breaking through, Lu Qingyang also restrained his own power, and everything returned to normal.
"I've broken through!"
Lin Lin sensed the surging spiritual energy within him, and a smile appeared on his resolute face.
The vast spiritual energy inside him gave him an unprecedented feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
"Late first-tier, according to the 'Qingyang Qi Refining Technique,' I have now stepped into the seventh layer of Qi Refining!"
The seventh layer of Qi Refining is one of the levels defined by the 'Qingyang Qi Refining Technique.'
The Qi Refining period is divided into ten layers: the first three layers correspond to the early first-tier.
The middle three layers correspond to the mid first-tier.
The last three layers correspond to the late first-tier.
As for the tenth layer of Qi Refining, it represents the pinnacle of the first tier.
This is the complete hierarchical analysis of the 'Qingyang Qi Refining Technique.'
To break the limits of Qi Refining and climb to higher levels, one must exchange for higher-tier cultivation secrets.
For many cultivators, the strength of the late first-tier is not top-tier,
but for Lin Lin, the late first-tier was an unattainable dream a month ago.
Fifteen years ago, a celestial phenomenon occurred, and blood rain poured.
Monsters emerged and ravaged the Yan Realm, and the Taihua Sect was also deeply affected.
Lin Lin was born into wealth, but due to an invasion of monsters in the city, his parents sacrificed themselves to pave the way for his escape.
Since then,
Lin Lin has been determined to kill all monsters and avenge his parents.
Unfortunately, the monsters were incredibly powerful and not something ordinary people could resist.
Low-level monsters could be killed with ordinary military weapons.
However, high-level monsters could only be countered by cultivators.
Lin Lin had attempted to embark on the wild path of cultivation in this realm.
He even risked swallowing the blood of monsters, but unfortunately, he did not gain extraordinary power and become a rare cultivator.
Though he did not become extraordinary through consuming monster blood, he did not despair. He practiced martial arts diligently day after day, hoping that one day he could defy fate and become a true cultivator.
Until the Heavenly Court chat group appeared, Lin Lin finally found the opportunity to control extraordinary power.
When he finally cultivated his first wisp of spiritual energy and officially stepped into the ranks of true cultivators, his faith in Lu Qingyang grew even stronger.
As his cultivation deepened, his faith in Lu Qingyang also deepened.
This breakthrough to the late first-tier actually brought Lin Lin to the realm of a devout believer.
The seventh layer of Qi Refining!
Late first-tier!
"Compared to half a month ago, my strength has greatly improved, but the seventh layer of Qi Refining is still not enough to fulfill my revenge. I need stronger power to achieve my goal!"
Lin Lin's gaze became more determined.
The monsters that had harmed his parents might have been killed by other cultivators, but this did not shake his resolve to eliminate all monsters in the world.
However,
to truly cleanse this world of monsters, the strength of the late first-tier was far from enough; he needed to break through to higher levels.
Therefore,
after advancing to the late first-tier, Lin Lin did not linger but immediately set out to hunt monsters elsewhere.
"A rare talent!"
Lu Qingyang, seeing through Lin Lin's current state with his profound vision, did not pay further attention.
In just half a month, he had risen from a mortal to the late first-tier; such talent clearly surpassed others.
However, among the 22 million believers in this realm, it was not uncommon for a genius to emerge, so Lu Qingyang would not constantly focus on a first-tier late-stage cultivator.
Nevertheless,
given that Lin Lin had reached the level of a devout believer.
Lu Qingyang still kept a trace of his divine sense on him, ready to intervene if Lin Lin faced life-threatening danger.
After all—
a devout believer could offer incense once a day.
The value of a devout believer was comparable to millions of ordinary believers, and if a high-tier devout believer, it could even exceed the contribution of several million ordinary believers.
"Since there is already someone like Lin Lin, perhaps a second or third Lin Lin will emerge. I should keep a closer eye on other believers in the future."
After realizing that he couldn't actively spread his faith and establish the Heavenly Court chat group, Lu Qingyang adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards all believers.
Especially for those with talent, occasionally showing divine signs might make their faith more devout. If they could enter the ranks of devout believers like Lin Lin, the gains would be enormous.
Before long, Lu Qingyang's divine sense returned to his body.
During this period, he had been searching for talents similar to Lin Lin, and indeed, among the more than 22 million believers in this realm, some mortals had outstanding physiques and progressed rapidly in their cultivation.
Among them,
two individuals particularly caught Lu Qingyang's attention.
[Name: Zhang Ming]
[Species: Human]
[Cultivation Level: Late First-Tier]
[Level of Faith: Fanatical Believer]
[Name: Shen Xue]
[Species: Human]
[Cultivation Level: Late First-Tier]
[Level of Faith: Fanatical Believer]
Both of them were originally mortals. After joining the Heavenly Court chat group, they, like Lin Lin, advanced to the late first-tier within half a month.
Currently, they even had the potential to reach the peak of the first tier.
However,
what truly drew Lu Qingyang's attention was that both of them were fanatical believers. With the right opportunity, they could possibly advance to the ranks of devout believers.
This was the main reason Lu Qingyang closely monitored them.
Other mortal talents also had comparable cultivation speeds, but regrettably, their levels of faith were not high, and even advancing to sincere believers was quite difficult.
In comparison,
the two fanatical believers were evidently more valuable for nurturing.
However,
making the two truly become devout believers was not an easy task. It might require saving them at a critical moment or long-term subtle guidance.
Therefore,
Lu Qingyang temporarily focused on observing the two without taking significant actions.
For an immortal tree with a lifespan of tens of thousands of years, time was not an urgent matter. Watching the growth process of these talents was also a unique pleasure.
4o