Chapter 61

That evening, under the leadership of Village Chief Xiao Tianren, all the villagers gathered in the ancestral hall to distribute the necessary living supplies to each household.

This time, Lin Xun had brought back a large number of items, not only cloth, clothes, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other daily necessities, but also some seeds of spirit grains, spirit vegetables, and spirit medicines, as well as some specialized tools for working in spirit fields, such as hoes and sickles.

When all the items were distributed, the villagers were extremely excited. In the past, even when Lian Rufeng, the former guard commander, brought back living supplies, they could barely solve the problem of basic sustenance. How could they compare to what Lin Xun had brought back today, which was not only abundant but also diverse? The comparison was clear.

Most importantly, each household received three imperial silver coins, which was equivalent to three hundred copper coins!

For the villagers who had never left the Three Thousand Mountains, this was already a considerable fortune.

All of this made the villagers more grateful to Lin Xun and raised his prestige in the village to an unprecedented height.

It wasn't until late at night that the villagers gradually dispersed, leaving only Lin Xun and Village Chief Xiao Tianren in the ancestral hall.

"Isn't this a waste? What use is giving money to the villagers? They will spend their whole lives in Feiyun Village; how could they possibly have the opportunity to spend it?"

Xiao Tianren sighed, feeling that Lin Xun was being too generous and that it was unnecessary.

"Maybe they won't need it now, but they might in the future."

Lin Xun smiled, "Besides, this money comes from selling Feiyun Fire Copper. It's like paying them for their mining work."

Xiao Tianren said irritably, "Thirty copper coins would be enough for their wages. How could it be worth three silver coins?"

Lin Xun smiled without answering. Although he had promised Xiao Tianren long ago that the villagers would only receive some wages for mining Feiyun Fire Copper and not share in the profits, how could he really treat the villagers as hired workers? To him, Feiyun Village was no different from his own home, and the villagers were like his family. The wealth he had earned naturally belonged to them as well.

On this point, Lin Xun was never stingy.

"Ah, what can I say about you?"

Xiao Tianren sighed helplessly. In fact, Lin Xun's actions deeply moved him. Seeing that the situation was irreversible, he could only let it be.

"Uncle Xiao, I believe Feiyun Village will only get better in the future. We should look to the long term. To prepare for the future, we must first make everyone prosperous. This way, perhaps one day, all our villagers can live in the city."

Lin Xun said earnestly, "Don't you want your descendants to escape poverty and live a better life, just like the children in the city?"

Xiao Tianren was moved and fell silent. At that moment, he was indeed touched by the beautiful vision Lin Xun had painted.

Yes, they had all been poor for their entire lives. Did they want the next generation to be poor as well?

Of course not!

Lin Xun didn't say anything more and got up to leave.

He knew that change wouldn't happen overnight. Once the villagers became prosperous from the profits of the Feiyun Fire Copper mine, they would naturally consider more long-term plans.

Survival and living are two completely different states.

In the past, the villagers of Feiyun Village were focused on survival, and staying alive was the most critical.

But once they solved the problem of survival, they would naturally start to consider the quality of life and the education of the next generation.

The Feiyun Fire Copper mine provided a solution for survival and a path to a better life for Feiyun Village.

Lin Xun was confident that even if he left in the future, the lives of the villagers would only get better.

Of course, that was assuming nothing went wrong.

But thinking about the reputation and responsibility of Shidingzhai, there was no need to worry.

...

The next morning, Gao Guiyong and Zhou Quan bid farewell and left. They had completed their mission and reached an agreement with Xiao Tianren. They would personally come to Feiyun Village every month to purchase Feiyun Fire Copper and bring the villagers the necessary living supplies.

This was a mutually beneficial transaction, with the trading place set in Feiyun Village, avoiding many unnecessary risks for the villagers.

That morning, Lin Xun also gathered the four children who had reached the first level of True Martial Realm—Ying Liuer and the others—and gave them the spirit medicines he had purchased from the Qingyang Tribe, such as "Qi-Inducing Pill," "Internal Strengthening Pill," and "Meridian-Opening Powder."

There were originally over twenty children in the village, but unfortunately, only Ying Liuer and the other four could sense the qi and guide it into their bodies.

In other words, among the twenty children, only Ying Liuer and the other four had embarked on the path of cultivation, while the others had little hope.

This was reality; those who could become cultivators were always a minority.

From that day on, Lin Xun stepped down from his role as the village's "martial arts instructor." He had taught them everything he could, and the rest was up to the children to practice.

As the saying goes, "The teacher leads you to the door, but cultivation is up to the individual."

...

Whether it was eliminating Lian Rufeng and his group or using the power of Shidingzhai to suppress the Wu Family Trading Company, it was all to eliminate the hidden dangers for Feiyun Village.

Cultivating the children and mining Feiyun Fire Copper were for the future development of Feiyun Village.

Now that these matters were progressing smoothly, Lin Xun was finally free from the various trivial tasks.

But Lin Xun did not relax at all. With the assurance of abundant supplies, he no longer had to worry about food and cultivation.

During the day, he practiced martial arts and engraved spirit patterns, and at night, he refined his cultivation and trained his soul.

Every three days, he entered the "Spirit Pattern Battle Realm—Thousand Waves of the Sea" to challenge himself, making full use of every moment.

Occasionally, he would also practice combat with Xia Zhi, using the insights gained to improve his self-created combat techniques.

Xia Zhi, on the other hand, spent her days eating and sleeping, living a carefree life.

Half a month later.

Thanks to the continuous refinement with Blood Marrow Sand and the complete absorption of the power of "Four Seasons Precious Brew," Lin Xun successfully reached the fifth level of the True Martial Realm, the "Bone Washing" stage.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In the courtyard, Lin Xun's figure moved like lightning, leaving trails in the air. His Sky-Piercing Saber was like a fierce and swift bolt of lightning, executing various techniques.

A large rock was thrown over, and before it even hit the ground, it was sliced into neat stone strips by layers of wave-like saber shadows, as easily as cutting tofu.

Each stone strip was as thick as a thumb and three inches long, perfectly uniform.

Bang!

Before the stone strips even hit the ground, they exploded into fine powder, scattering in the air.

This single strike demonstrated Lin Xun's incredible speed, precise control, and the powerful internal force in his saber, which turned the rock into powder.

"Indeed, reaching the Bone Washing stage has further enhanced my control over power."

Lin Xun sheathed his saber and stood still, quietly sensing the subtle details of his strike.

The Bone Washing stage is the fifth level of the True Martial Realm. At this stage, the entire body's bone marrow is refined like silver, as described by "blood refined like broth, bone marrow washed like frost."

At the same time, advancing to the fifth level of the True Martial Realm significantly increased Lin Xun's spiritual energy, doubling its thickness. His entire body was filled with surging energy, and he exuded a fierce and intimidating aura, like a wolf or a tiger.

This marked a further enhancement of his overall energy.

The next stage, the sixth level of the True Martial Realm, the "Blood Boiling" stage, involves refining the blood to a boiling, burning state, making it lively and vigorous within the body, with abundant blood and spirit energy.

At this stage, the cultivator's entire body, including the skin, muscles, bones, blood, organs, and energy, would reach a state of "true gold refined by fire." Even if their cultivation stopped advancing, they could easily live to over a hundred years old!

However, for Lin Xun, who had just advanced to the fifth level of the True Martial Realm, the "Blood Boiling" stage was still far away. His current priority was to solidify his foundation.

After advancing to a new realm, a period of consolidation was needed to familiarize himself with the new power.

"Do you plan to keep practicing like this every day?" Xia Zhi asked, having thrown the rock earlier.

"Of course not." Lin Xun put away his Sky-Piercing Saber, sat at a stone table, and drank a cup of chilled tea, feeling refreshed.

"In about a month, we will leave here and head to Ziyao Empire's Donglin City. I've been thinking for a long time. To become stronger, you need to find a powerful master or enter a strong academy."

Lin Xun said casually, "Once we get to Donglin City, I'll help you look for information."

Xia Zhi shook her head, "I don't want to find a master."

Lin Xun was taken aback and smiled, "Then how about entering an academy?"

In the cities of the empire, there were various academies, mainly for guiding cultivation. Some academies taught cultivation skills, such as spirit patterns, alchemy, medicine, music, spirit plants, beast taming, military strategy, and more, with a wide range of courses.

"Will you go?" Xia Zhi raised her face, her clear and black eyes fixed on Lin Xun, looking serious.

"Me?" Lin Xun thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'm not sure yet."

"If you don't go, I won't go either." Xia Zhi said.

Lin Xun felt helpless, "We'll see when the time comes."

"Anyway, you can't leave me behind." Xia Zhi, seemingly recalling something, had a determined look on her beautiful and serene face.

With that, she turned and walked into the room.

Watching Xia Zhi's disappearing back, Lin Xun, sitting alone in the courtyard, fell silent.

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