Chapter 92: Five Years Later

Time flies like an arrow, and the days and months pass swiftly; five years have gone by in the blink of an eye.

As time flows on, people and circumstances change with each passing moment.

At this moment, when he opened his eyes, he saw a vast grotto under the sky, an extremely spacious cavern with a broad, clear spring flowing through it.

But this spring was not ordinary water; it was a liquid manifestation of spiritual energy. The cave entrance was cluttered with scattered stones, giving it a rough and untidy appearance.

Regardless, these were the refining materials he had painstakingly gathered, kept there so they could be readily accessed whenever needed.

On the other side lay an array of peculiar magical instruments, including a colossal alchemical cauldron crafted entirely from rare and precious materials.

There were also many strange and exotic artifacts that Lin Yang could not use, ranging from various swords and spears to a replica of the legendary Thousand Mechanism Umbrella from his previous life, which he had painstakingly forged himself.

This umbrella could unleash a variety of attacks but was somewhat ostentatious. He also fashioned a golden imitation of the mythical Xuanyuan Sword, a pure gold replica modeled after the legendary blade.

Outside the cave was a field of medicinal herbs, cultivated with great care by Lin Yang himself. These herbs were high-grade spiritual medicines obtained through trade, some of which could continue to grow, so he planted them outside for ongoing harvest.

With his cultivation advancing, Lin Yang seemed to have entered a new realm altogether.

The path of the Golden Core stage—where the elixir solidifies and the primordial spirit becomes tangible—marks the beginning of eternal life. To ordinary mortals, this stage appears omnipotent, and they mistakenly believe that the practitioner’s lifespan extends thousands of years, but in truth, it grants immortality for several centuries.

At this point, Lin Yang had already begun cultivating his soul. As his power grew, the resources required for alchemy increased exponentially, and the spiritual energy he needed became immense. His intense absorption even risked depleting the spiritual energy eye.

Nevertheless, his strength had risen to become a standout among Golden Core practitioners, thanks to his profound cultivation techniques and advanced spells.

Due to conflicts with juniors, he once fought and defeated Master Lei, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, pinning him to the ground. This incident helped cement his formidable reputation, earning him the title of a peerless master of both alchemy and martial arts.

Now, his cultivation progress had significantly slowed. Though his techniques kept pace, the resources could not keep up.

The cultivation environment across the continent was harsh, with various sects willing to fight fiercely over even the smallest resource.

Currently, he controlled the majority of the high-end pill market in the Yue Kingdom, but this dominance had severely depleted the kingdom’s resources.

By leveraging these pills, he had continuously drained the spiritual stones from other cultivators.

Most of the spiritual stones stored by the people of the Yue Kingdom had been exhausted by him, and the kingdom’s strength had greatly increased as a result.

He had also spent one million spiritual stones to upgrade his pill refining ability to the third tier, elevating his alchemy to a new level.

With this advancement, he could refine pills suitable for Golden Core and even Nascent Soul cultivators, significantly boosting the Yue Kingdom’s power.

Within five years, eight Golden Core masters had emerged, and even the Giant Sword Sect had an elderly Nascent Soul cultivator.

Rumor had it that this cultivator was born with a Heavenly Spirit root but had begun cultivation at an advanced age, causing him to be stuck at the pinnacle of the Golden Core stage.

Thanks to Lin Yang’s pills, this cultivator successfully broke through to Nascent Soul, becoming the only one in nearly a century to do so.

This greatly enhanced Lin Yang’s fame, making him the undisputed top alchemist in the Yue Kingdom.

During these five years, there was also a bloody trial, during which all materials for refining Foundation Establishment pills were handed over to Lin Yang, doubling the production of such pills this year.

This dramatically bolstered the strength of the lower ranks of the Yue Kingdom, producing numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Not to mention, he secretly kept some for himself, which would have doubled the output even more.

Because of his influence, the Great Jin Dynasty felt threatened and sent envoys to recruit Lin Yang.

When these envoys arrived, the Yue Kingdom’s factions discovered them, and several major sects came to force them away.

During this year, the Spirit Beast Sect purchased pills from Lin Yang and resold them to the Demon Gate, profiting handsomely.

The Spirit Beast Sect’s actions alarmed other sects, who then collaborated to sell Lin Yang’s pills to the future righteous alliance.

The entire Yue Kingdom was revitalized thanks to Lin Yang’s presence. The continuous flow of resources greatly enhanced the strength of its people.

Name: Lin Yang
Age: 35/500
Cultivation: Early Golden Core (2 million/10 million)
Technique: Five Elements Art (2,000/20,000) Master
Main Profession: Third-tier Junior Alchemist
Secondary Professions: Second-tier Superior Talismancer, Second-tier Superior Formation Master, Second-tier Superior Refining Master, Second-tier Superior Beast Tamer, Second-tier Superior Puppeteer
Spiritual Stones: 472,000
Attribute Points: 12,000
Skills: …………

At present, his strength had plateaued at this level. If he were not concerned about time, it might take another twenty years to advance one tier.

However, that would mean eighty years to become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Yet, in forty or fifty years, the war between the righteous and the demonic forces would begin, and he was almost bound to the Yue Kingdom—or rather, to the seven great sects.

Escaping at will would be difficult, and he might become the primary target, facing outright assassination or control.

Never underestimate a person’s cunning, for when conflict erupts, as long as Lin Yang is present, the Yue Kingdom’s pill supply will be secure.

He could even refine various bizarre pills, such as the Burst Qi Pill, which temporarily boosts combat power, and the Vitality Pill, which rapidly restores spiritual energy or heals wounds.

His arsenal included antidotes and poisons of all kinds—a veritable cornerstone of combat effectiveness.

If he is not destroyed, then who else could be?

Thus, when cultivators from the Great Jin Dynasty came seeking him, he felt a growing sense of urgency.

He even feared that some unscrupulous Ancient Spirit ancestors might strike without regard for honor or lifespan.

Or that a Nascent Soul ancestor nearing the end of their life might go mad and attack him, leaving him powerless to seek justice even in death.

He had considered exchanging large quantities of pills for spiritual stones in other regions, but encroaching on others’ livelihoods would provoke retaliation.

Without sufficient power, he dared not take such risks; he still wished to preserve his life.

Currently, he had only two options:

The first was to establish a secret caravan to quietly distribute pills throughout the continent and earn spiritual stones.

But this approach was both risky and slow, as his pills were highly distinctive. The best were unmistakably his, easily attracting attention.

He could lower the quality, but then they wouldn’t sell, making it pointless.

So, he dismissed this method outright.

The second option was to repair the ancient teleportation array in the Yue Kingdom and then join the Star Palace in the Chaotic Star Sea—or establish his own trade guild to sell pills there.

This method was far more reliable. As long as he occupied that spiritual vein, he could remain undetected.

That vein yielded only tens of thousands of spiritual stones annually.

If he could find an excuse to request resources from Huangfeng Valley, he could repair the formation and travel to the Chaotic Star Sea.

…