The iron-tang of blood lingered in the air of the ancestral hall, mixing with the fading scent of ozone and scorched cedar. Lin Chen stood amidst the corpses of the Zhang Clan, his chest heaving, his hands trembling—not from fear, but from the sheer volume of power coursing through his newly forged meridians. The [Pure-Yang Body] was like a wild stallion; it had carried him to victory, but now it threatened to gallop over his own sanity.
Fang Lin, seated atop his spirit tablet in the grey, ethereal dimension of the system, watched the boy closely. He saw the way the golden light flickered in Chen's eyes—a sign of spiritual instability.
"Calm your breath, Chen," Fang's voice echoed, sounding like a distant mountain bell. "The fire of the sun is a tool, not a master. If you let it burn without purpose, you will end up like that iron sword in your hand—brittle and broken."
Lin Chen looked down at his sword. The blade was warped, the metal discolored by the extreme heat he had forced through it. With a sigh, he sheathed the ruined weapon and knelt toward the tablet. "Ancestor, the Zhang Clan... their Patriarch is at the peak of Foundation Establishment. He is only one step away from the Golden Core stage you once held. When he finds out his son is dead..."
"He will come," Fang interrupted coldly. "And when he does, he will bring every spear and blade the Zhangs possess. That is why we do not sit here and wait to be slaughtered. We prepare. The Lin Clan has been a 9th-grade family for too long. It is time we stop acting like prey."
Fang turned his attention to the System interface. 180 Clan Fate Points sat in his balance. It was a meager sum for a man who used to trade in Spirit Stones by the millions, but in the realm of Fate, it was enough to tip the scales.
[System! Activate 'Resource Scouting' (Level 1). Scope: The Lin Family Estate.]
[DING! 50 CFP Deducted. Scanning Territory...]
[Scanning... 20%... 65%... 100%.]
[Scan Complete. Hidden Resources Detected: 3.]
Aged Spirit-Soil (Small Patch): Located behind the family kitchens. Suitable for growing 1st-tier herbs.
Ancestral Hidden Vault: A concealed compartment in the study of the former Patriarch. (Contents unknown).
The Fading Qi-Vein: A subterranean spiritual spring located 50 meters directly beneath the Ancestral Hall. (Current State: Blocked).
Fang's ghostly eyes sharpened. A Qi-Vein? Even a fading one was a treasure for a 9th-grade clan. Most small families had to rely on the thin, ambient Qi of the world. Having a direct spring meant cultivation speeds could double or triple for everyone in the house.
"The spring is the key," Fang muttered. "But I need the rest of the family to stop being useless."
Aside from Lin Chen, the Lin family consisted of three elders—Fang's younger brothers and cousins—and about thirty younger descendants. Most of them were cowards who had spent the last month arguing over who got to keep the silver tea sets. To survive the Zhangs, Fang needed to unify them.
[System! Spend 10 CFP. Initiate 'Ancestral Dream' protocol.]
[Target: Elder Lin Feng (Clan Head Pro-tem).]
The Dream of the Burning Mountain
In a bedroom not far from the hall, Lin Feng was tossing and turning. He was a man in his sixties, his hair white, his cultivation stuck at the 9th Layer of Qi Condensation for twenty years. He was currently dreaming of fleeing to the neighboring province with the family's remaining gold.
Suddenly, the dream shifted. The peaceful forest he was imagining erupted into a sea of violet flames. A massive shadow loomed over him, blotting out the sun. It was Fang Lin, but he looked as he did at the height of his power—clad in dragon-scale armor, his Golden Core radiating a pressure that made the very heavens tremble.
"Lin Feng!" the giant roared.
Lin Feng fell to his knees in the dream-mud. "Big brother?! You... you're dead!"
"I am the Ancestor!" Fang's voice cracked like thunder. "And I have watched you prepare to abandon my bones to the dogs. You would sell the Lin name for a handful of silver? Look at your grandson, Chen! While you were packing your bags, he was bathing in the blood of our enemies in the hall!"
"Big brother, mercy!" Lin Feng cried, his face pale. "The Zhangs... they are too strong!"
"The Zhangs are dust!" Fang reached down, his spectral hand grabbing Lin Feng's spirit by the throat. "Listen well. Beneath my feet, a spiritual spring sleeps. To the north of the kitchen, the soil is blessed. Wake the family. Arm the youths. If I see a single carriage packed for flight, I will burn your soul until there is nothing left to reincarnate. Do you understand?"
"I understand! I will do it! I will do it!"
The Midnight Gathering
Lin Feng awoke with a scream, his bedsheets soaked in sweat. He didn't wait. He scrambled out of bed, his heart hammering against his ribs, and ran toward the courtyard, shouting for the elders.
Fang Lin watched from the grey space, satisfied. "Fear is a great motivator, but results are better."
[System! Spend 80 CFP. Upgrade 'Spiritual Root' of the second-most loyal descendant.]
[Target Located: Lin Yan (Age 16). Status: High Loyalty, Low Talent.]
[Enhancement Complete. Spiritual Root: Low -> Mid.]
Lin Yan, a girl who was currently sharpening a wood-axe in the courtyard, suddenly felt a jolt of clarity. The Qi that usually felt like thick sludge now felt as light as air. She broke through to the 4th Layer of Qi Condensation right there in the dirt.
By the time the moon reached its zenith, the entire Lin family was gathered in front of the Ancestral Hall. Lin Feng stood at the front, his legs still shaking, but his eyes were wide with a frantic energy.
"The Ancestor has spoken!" Lin Feng announced to the confused crowd. "He has returned as a Guardian Spirit! Look at Lin Chen! Look at the corpses of the Zhangs!"
The clan members gasped. They saw the charred remains of Zhang Hu and the four guards being dragged out by Lin Chen. They saw the golden glow in Chen's eyes.
"The Ancestor has pointed the way," Lin Feng continued, pointing toward the hall floor. "There is power beneath us. Dig! We have six hours until dawn, and I want every shovel in this estate hitting the earth!"
Fang Lin watched as his descendants, driven by a mix of ancestral terror and newfound hope, began to tear up the stone flooring of his own hall. He didn't mind the mess. In the cultivation world, a beautiful hall was useless if everyone inside was a corpse.
"That's it," Fang whispered. "Dig deep. Find the vein. When the Zhang Patriarch arrives tomorrow, I want this house to be a fortress of Qi."
[DING! CFP Balance: 40.]
[New Objective: Break the Qi-Vein Seal.]
[Warning: The Seal is guarded by a 'Grave-Rot Spirit' formed from the stagnant energy.]
Fang's spectral brow furrowed. A Grave-Rot Spirit? At my current level, I can't fight it. Chen is too inexperienced. I need to spend those last 40 points wisely...
He looked at the shop. There, a one-time-use item sat: [Ancestral Possession - 30 Seconds].
"Thirty seconds," Fang hissed. "In thirty seconds, I'll remind this world why they used to call me the 'Iron-Handed Golden Core'."