In the northern part of the Thousand Tribulation Empire, close to the eastern borders, lies the serene expanse of Quiet Spring Province. Unlike the turbulent energies of the coastal regions, Quiet Spring is known for its gentle landscapes and temperate climate.
Under the jurisdiction of Quiet Spring Province, there are many sects, clans, colossal demons, states, and cities. Among the various settlements, Qing You City stands out as a small, quiet city governed by the Jade Lotus Sect.
The Lin Clan is relatively new to Qing You City. The ancestors of the Lin Clan migrated from the central lands of the Thousand Tribulation Empire.
It is said that the Lin Family was once a great cultivation clan in the central lands. At its peak, it was comparable in power to the entire Quiet Spring Province. However, after facing a great calamity, the clan was forced to relocate to Qing You City.
The Lin family has carried on its legacy for more than three hundred years, and with Lin Tian of the ninth generation, the family's strength had yet to make further progress, lingering perpetually at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Lin'er, your sword can be faster and more powerful."
"Nice, that time was better."
Lin Chen was a young man with broad shoulders, wearing a black robe, practicing his swordsmanship diligently in the courtyard. The precision and speed of his sword were astonishing. The man standing beside him was an old man with a body full of scars. Wearing a peculiar uniform, he looked like a soldier on a battlefield.
After finishing a complete Sword Art, Lin Chen stood up, sheathing his sword. He smiled and went over to Lin Zhen.
"Father, what do you think of my swordsmanship?" Lin Chen asked, grinning.
Lin Zhen crossed his arms. "Soldier's martial art requires an immense stamina. If someone can comprehend its first form and master thrust, sweep, and guard-break they can fight multiple opponents alone."
He paused, then added, "Each move is designed to wound, kill, or disable with ruthless efficiency. But you are touching the profound meaning of the technique. That's quite good,"
Lin Chen returned to his own courtyard after morning practice. The air was crisp, the faint scent of dew-laced plum blossoms clinging to the wind. Quietly, he sat cross-legged beneath an old tree at the center of his yard. He closed his eyes, and began circulating his qi.
His breathing slowed, threads of spiritual energy seeped into his meridians from the surroundings, swirling through his dantian like mist. The remnants of sword practice earlier had left his body sore, but his will remained steady, cutting through the fatigue.
Minutes passed. Then hours.
His closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a sharp gleam flickering within the dark pupils, and his presence surged dramatically in an instant.
Pleasure filled Lin Chen's handsome face, and his words were brimming with excitement and exhilaration: "I've finally broken through the middle stages of Qi Cultivation!"
Even though his swordsmanship was top-notch in the clan, his cultivation was slow. He had a five-element spiritual root — even though it was a high-tier, it was still a waste root.
After calming the excitement within his heart, Lin Chen got up and strode toward the courtyard outside. Sensing his movements, Lin Xuan immediately asked upon seeing Lin Chen, "Lin'er, have you broken through?"
As one of the only three peak Qi Condensation cultivators in the family, how could Lin Xuan not see through Lin Chen's realm? He asked the question simply because he wanted to hear the answer from Lin Chen himself.
Upon receiving Lin Chen's straightforward confirmation, Lin Xuan said, "You advanced without any pills. That kind of diligence is rare these days."
"Thank you, Elder Xuan," Lin Chen replied with a respectful bow.
Lin Xuan nodded approvingly, then tossed him a wooden token. It bore the sigil of the Lin Clan, with an inscription that read Southern Courtyard.
"For now, keep cultivating steadily, you have been assigned to tend to the spiritual gardens. Go to Elder Bo and show him the token and he will show you around"
Lin Chen, blinked. "Tend to the plants?"
Lin Xiao chuckled. "You want to wield a blade like your father? Start by understanding life. Slowly temper your body and mind before you deal with death. That's what Lin Zhen once said."
With the Identity Token for entering and exiting the medicinal field formation, Lin Chen followed a Qi Condensation Realm Sixth Layer family elder towards the medicinal field.
This herbal field was the most vital foundation of the Lin Family, heavily guarded by various formations. Upon entering the herb field with the Identity Token, a bright sight with several cloudy mountains and valleys appeared before their eyes.
Lin Chen was slightly surprised. He found that the spiritual energy here in the herbal fields was even more abundant than in the Lin Family mansion.
The herbal field was extensive, with many Lin Family members present. In addition to over a hundred cultivators, there were also hundreds of ordinary clanspeople and servants.
On a hillside, a large farmstead was erected with hundreds of small houses.
Lin Hao, a cultivator who had been in the herbal field for nearly thirty years, had mediocre talent in spiritual roots and could barely practice cultivation. Therefore, after decades, his cultivation was still only in the Qi Condensation Realm's third layer.
For this reason, he chose to stay in the herbal field, responsible for growing spiritual medicine and training pharmacists and medicine apprentices for the family.
When he met Lin Hao, he was busy in the herb field with three medicine apprentices.
"Hao, I have brought a new person here. His name is Lin Chen. He will work as a medicine apprentice here from now on." After handing Lin Chen over to Lin Hao, the elder who had brought Su Yu to the field didn't linger and left the herbal field.
Lin Hao looked like a giant – very tall, about ten feet, wearing a common garment, having a dark complexion, a robust structure, and a simple look.
Seeing Lin Chen's clean robe, Lin Hao chuckled, saying, "It's good that you're here. Young people should learn some skills. One can't rely on one's family for a lifetime. Not to mention, if you want to raise a family, you have got to work harder."
The three apprentices around him were all older than Lin Chen. The youngest apprentice was already in his twenties and had been in herbal field for five to six years.
The oldest was already in his thirties.
At this age, one could serve as a pharmacist in the herb field.
For an apprentice in the herb field, there were only two possibilities. One was to stay in the medicinal field and wait for the day to be capable of leading by example and becoming a pharmacist.
The other was to leave, find an opportunity to apprentice under an alchemist, and perhaps one day become a formal alchemist.
However, such opportunities were scarce.
The three apprentices who were busily working nearby only glanced at Lin Chen, smiled, and nodded gently as a greeting, and then continued their busy work.
Lin Chen bowed deeply and respectfully said, "Master."
Lin Hao nodded with a smile, handed him a booklet, and said, "This booklet records the spiritual medicines grown in the herbal fields, including their medicinal properties, growth habits, and several spells needed for the cultivation of spiritual medicine."
"By the way, what Technique do you practice?"
Lin Chen replied, "[Core Ocean Scripture] Technique, currently on the second layer."
Lin Hao cheerfully said, "I'll give you half a month to familiarize yourself with this book. After that, I'll teach you how to cultivate spiritual medicine."
The book was a good resource. After thanking Lin Hao, Lin Chen under Lin Hao's arrangement, moved into an empty house in the medicine plantation. A temporary residence for him to settle down in.
Every day, in addition to practicing cultivation techniques and soldier's martial art, he studied the book's knowledge about the nature of various spiritual medicines.
This is the foundation of a pharmacist, in addition to the knowledge of spiritual medicines, the book contains a wood attribute spell called Pure Life Scripture.
Its purpose is to nurture spiritual plants, and helps enhancing the sensitivity and range of perception of the divine sense. When practiced to a high level, one can perceive the growing state of nearby spiritual medicines in an instant.
---
The days blurred together in a haze of cultivation and labor. Lin Chen moved through his routines mechanically - morning sword forms, afternoon herb tending, evening meditation. Yet with each passing day, his father's presence dwindled.
Lin Zhen no longer stood to correct his stances. Now he observed from a worn wheelchair, his once-indomitable frame ravaged by old battlefield wounds. The clan physicians called it "meridian collapse." Lin Chen knew better - it was the accumulated price of a soldier's life.
"Your elbow drops on the backswing," Lin Zhen rasped during one morning session, his voice like parchment tearing in silence. He raised a shaking hand to demonstrate, the motion sending him into a coughing fit that speckled his sleeve with blood.
Lin Chen rushed forward, but his father waved him off with a flick of two fingers, the kind of gesture that once commanded armies of cultivators.
"I'm not dead yet," Lin Zhen muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
---
A soft knock echoed at Lin Chen's door.
It was one of the clan's servants. "Lin Chen … the Patriarch wishes to see you."
When Lin Chen entered Lian Tian's room, the lamps burned low. The air felt stale. Lin Zhen lay on the bed, propped against a pillow, his face pale and his body visibly withered.
"Chen'er," he rasped.
"Father!" Lin Chen knelt by the bedside, gripping his father's hand.
Lin Zhen smiled weakly. "Don't look so grim. I've cheated death more times than I can count."
He wheezed, coughed violently. Blood stained the cloth by his side.
"There are things… you must know."
Lin Zhen's eyes turned distant, as if gazing at something far, far away.
"I was once a soldier in the Battlefield of Myriad Races. I fought with humans, beastkin, giants, specters we fought them all. I met a great man there... cough cough... he taught us the soldier's martial art. He also gave me this"
From beneath his robe, he pulled out a wrapped bundle, sealed with blood-red thread.
"This manual… it is a means for survival and slaughter"
"I wasn't strong," Lin Zhen continued, "but I survived. Because I had this—"
He handed it over with trembling fingers.
"The Iron Blood Manual."
Lin Chen took it silently, reverently.
Lin Zhen then looked at the Patriarch Lin Tian and said to him something in low voice.
Then Lin Zhen smiled one last time.
"Bury me near the southern gardens… I shall reunite with your mother soon."
His eyes closed, never to open again.