Chapter 62: Connections

Just as the sky began to lighten, the first clan member woke; the Clan Leader signaled him to stay silent, the member nodded, then began checking his cultivation base, but still couldn't help letting out a joyful cry.

Glared at by the Clan Leader, he immediately behaved, though his excited expression remained visible; he merely held it back tightly, making no further sound for fear of disturbing others.

Seeing that clan members had begun to awaken, Lin Zhangqing recalled the 124 Purple Crystal Scorpions.

Subsequently, clan members woke one after another, each receiving reminders from those already awake to avoid making noise and waking others.

As more and more awakened, until the very last person stirred, the suppressed voices finally erupted uncontrollably.

They discussed their breakthroughs enthusiastically; some advanced only one stage, while those lucky enough to be stuck precisely at the peak might leap two stages at once.

In an instant, over a dozen Qi Refining Ninth Layer and Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators emerged, though those at Qi Refining Seventh or Eighth Layer were even more numerous; the strength of every clan member had greatly increased.

The Clan Leader stepped onto the platform once more, and everyone quietly maintained silence on their own accord.

After scanning the crowd with his gaze, the Clan Leader finally spoke: "For the next two days, none of you are to go out. This is the Concealing Spirit Secret Method, originally something only Foundation Establishment cultivators needed to practice.

But now I am giving it freely to all of you; everyone must learn it within these two days and hide your cultivation bases well. After all, a collective breakthrough draws too much attention, which is not good for the family and will invite outside scrutiny.

Furthermore, from now on, do not discuss what happened last night; just keep it in your hearts. Do not mention it again once we return to the family lands either; treat it as if it never happened. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone agreed readily, promising not to discuss it further and vowing to keep last night's events strictly confidential.

Then, having received the Stabilizing Spirit Secret Method, everyone returned to their quarters to familiarize themselves with their new cultivation bases and practice the secret method.

Lin Zhangqing also received a copy of the secret method, returned to his quarters, and began reading and comprehending it carefully; it seemed manageable, not too difficult! He succeeded after only a few tries, though he was not yet fully proficient and had to constantly devote a portion of his attention to maintaining the method's operation.

After dispersing the method, he would start circulating it again; by repeating this process continuously, he shortened the time needed to activate the method, gradually building up his proficiency.

After practicing for one day, he suppressed his cultivation base to the early stage of Qi Refining Sixth Layer and maintained it steadily.

Seeing that dusk had fallen, Lin Zhangqing stopped practicing the secret method; after scanning the surroundings with his Divine Sense to confirm everything was secure, he entered the Space.

First, he planted the spirit medicines and spirit grasses he had bought yesterday at the market stall in suitable locations, then began tending to the spirit plants within the Space; after a busy period of work, he finally finished.

As the Space grew larger and the number of spirit plants increased, the time required to tend them also grew; someday, he would inevitably be unable to keep up!

Never mind, now was not the time to worry about that; he could deal with it later! For now, he should open those two raw stones; having gained experience from opening stones many times before, Lin Zhangqing was now quite adept, and it took only a short while to open both raw stones.

Having once opened two million spirit stones' worth in a single day, these two pieces of spirit stone raw ore now seemed ordinary by comparison, and his heart remained much calmer.

These two raw ores, one yellow and one green, would likely yield over a hundred Upper Grade Spirit Stones when cut, but this time he would not keep any; better to let Lin Zhangliu absorb them all.

He tossed them into the Deep Pit; tomorrow would reveal the results.

He dared not stay in the Space too long, lest someone come looking for him, discover his absence, and cause trouble.

Exiting the Space and returning to his bedroom, he had now done everything necessary; all that remained was to await the Qingyun Sect's arrangements.

The next day, the Clan Leader went out once and returned with information regarding the family's assigned defense sector.

Every few decades or centuries, a Beast Tide would erupt; therefore, the Qingyun Sect had constructed super-large Defense Fortresses at key transportation hubs on the outer perimeter of the Qingyun Mountain Range, and additionally built smaller Defense Fortresses approximately every hundred li around them.

Together, they formed a complete defensive chain; there were three such chains in total, interlocking to create a comprehensive defense system.

Thanks to the care of their Great-Grandmother, the Lin family had been assigned to a relatively peripheral small Defense Fortress; the Fortress Commander was Mu Qingrong, the Great-Grandmother's seventh Disciple, possessing a Purple Mansion Seventh Layer cultivation base. The advantage of this location was that they would not face the main force of the Beast Tide directly; the disadvantage was its peripheral position, meaning reinforcements during emergencies would arrive relatively late, though according to past records, the combat intensity here was comparatively lower.

Since the cooperative defense area had been confirmed, there was no point in delaying; arriving earlier would allow for earlier preparations.

Everyone exited Qingyun City and gathered outside the East Gate, where a large number of Family Cultivators had already assembled, all preparing to depart for their assigned defense sectors.

After locating the family's rendezvous point and ensuring everyone had arrived, they boarded the Wind-Running Boat together and immediately flew toward the target Fortress; all around, Flying Boats of various sizes were likewise departing for their respective destinations.

After another three days of high-speed flight, they finally arrived at Red Maple Fortress; the dozens of li surrounding this Fortress were filled with red maple forests, and during spring and autumn, the maple leaves turned red, creating an exceptionally beautiful and magnificent sight, hence the name Red Maple Fortress.

The Wind-Running Boat landed on the outer perimeter of the Fortress; the Clan Leader went to communicate with the cultivators on duty atop the city walls. After confirming their identities, a Qingyun Sect cultivator led them into the Fortress and arranged accommodations and stationed areas for them.

After settling everyone, the family's three Foundation Establishment cultivators took gifts and went out to visit the Fortress Commander Mu Qingrong, as well as the Regional Commander and others.

This was basic etiquette; wasn't it simply paying respects to the local powers? They did not expect special favors, only to avoid being deliberately made difficult.

Moreover, the Lin family already had a connection with Fortress Commander Mu Qingrong; previously, when the Lin family had visited the Qingyun Sect to see their Great-Grandmother, they had met her, and occasionally she had even hosted them personally, so based on both sentiment and reason, it was even more appropriate to pay this visit.

When the Clan Leader and the others returned, their faces were filled with smiles, suggesting they had gained much.

Then the Clan Leader gathered everyone and announced the day's gains: "Today we visited the Fortress Commander, who has specially permitted us to enter the Outer Perimeter to hunt Demon Beasts, reducing their numbers as much as possible before the true Beast Tide arrives.

Once the Beast Tide forms on a large scale, we are to retreat into the Fortress; furthermore, any Demon Beasts killed during this period will count toward contribution points as usual."

"I plan to divide our 80 clan members into 16 hunting squads; we three Foundation Establishment cultivators will clear Second-Stage Demonic Beasts ahead of the teams and coordinate to ensure everyone's safety."

The crowd below began discussing immediately, with some already forming teams privately; needless to say, Lin Zhangqing and his two companions would definitely be in one hunting squad together.

Seeing that everyone had already begun acting, the Clan Leader did not stop them; he would first let everyone form groups freely, and any unreasonable arrangements could be adjusted afterward.

Lin Zhangqing's group filled up very early; the other two members were Lin Maoben, ranked twentieth among the Mao Generation, and Lin Mao Feng, ranked twenty-third.

Both men often partnered with their father and second uncle, so they were familiar with each other and had good coordination; currently, both possessed Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivation bases.

After everyone had finished organizing themselves voluntarily, the Clan Leader looked them over; seeing nothing particularly unreasonable, he nodded in approval and said: "Hunting Demon Beasts is old business for all of you, so I need not say much, but everyone must remember:

This time, do not venture too deep; coming home alive is the primary goal, while contribution points are secondary.

Each team should come here to collect two large Storage Bags from the Qingyun Sect for carrying Demon Beast Corpses; do not lose them under any circumstances, as they must be returned to the Qingyun Sect after the battle."

"Rest well today; tomorrow morning we will gather and depart for hunting."

His father stepped forward to collect the two large Storage Bags, then led the other four back to his residence.

The five of them began discussing various coordination issues for the hunt; Lin Zhangqing's role was mainly to observe and learn.

He needed to remember how he should coordinate, which position belonged to him, and similar matters...

Fortunately, his father and second uncle had already taught him once before; this time, with two additional people, they only needed to make some adjustments, while everything else remained largely the same.

(End of Chapter)