Free Web NovelChapter 103: Chapter 103: Terrifying Talent
They hadn’t seen each other in twenty years; it was no wonder even Lin Changheng barely recognized her.
Even Ink Master was stunned for a long while.
After a long moment, his voice choked with emotion as he said, "Zhao Li..."
Lin Changheng, who had been pulled aside by Ink Master, simply smiled and nodded when they first met, saying nothing.
He knew this wasn’t his time to speak. The real stars of this reunion were here, and he shouldn’t steal the spotlight.
After a simple yet heartfelt welcoming banquet, several high-ranking members of the Xu Family and Lin Changheng all tactfully took their leave, leaving the grandfather and granddaughter alone.
...
「Three days later.」
Mo Zhaoli paid him a personal visit.
When Lin Changheng opened the door and saw his visitor, he was momentarily stunned before breaking into a familiar smile. "Zhao Li! What brings you here? Please, come in."
Mo Zhaoli handed him a gift basket, a gentle smile on her face. "Brother Lin, you have quite the reputation in the Xu Clan. I didn’t even need to ask around much before a clan member offered to show me the way."
"I’ve only made a few small contributions, that’s all."
Lin Changheng didn’t deny it, only offering a faint smile.
As they walked through the courtyard, Mo Zhaoli looked around with great curiosity. "Brother Lin, the environment in your courtyard is truly wonderful. The flowers and plants complement each other perfectly. It’s nothing like my grandfather’s place—he just grows dense patches of herbs all day. Oh...?"
Mo Zhaoli spoke with an easy familiarity, then suddenly let out a small sound of surprise and stopped in her tracks.
Her attention had been captured by a black turtle in the mud to the side.
She was already crouching beside the mud pit, watching with curiosity as she poked the part of the turtle’s shell sticking out of the mud with a delicate finger.
Lin Changheng chuckled and explained, "This turtle is a Spirit Beast I managed to snag for a bargain. It doesn’t have any other hobbies; it just loves sleeping in the mud."
There was a hint of resignation in his voice.
Hearing this, Mo Zhaoli covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. "It certainly hasn’t learned any of Brother Lin’s fine qualities, then. Back at the Alchemy Shop in the Purple River District, your diligence was plain for all to see."
Hearing the female cultivator speak of the past, Lin Changheng simply shook his head. For him, that period had been one of bleak prospects and drowning in a sea of bitterness—a truly dark and desperate time.
"But even back then, I had a feeling that you would eventually find success after all your hardship, Brother Lin. And now, it’s really come true."
Seemingly sensing his mood, Mo Zhaoli lost interest in the turtle. She stood up, her gaze fixed on Lin Changheng, and spoke softly.
"I..."
Just as Lin Changheng started to speak, he heard Mo Zhaoli say, "Brother Lin, do you know how Li’Er was able to endure at the Purple Extreme Sect?"
"Hm?" Lin Changheng looked at Mo Zhaoli’s earnest face. A thought stirred within him, an idea so sudden it seemed almost unbelievable even to himself.
Before his ’awakening,’ Lin Changheng had always called Mo Zhaoli by the name "Li’Er."
Outwardly, however, he just shook his head slightly, feigning incomprehension.
"It’s because of you, Brother Lin."
Mo Zhaoli looked at Lin Changheng, her lips slightly parted. "It was your refusal to admit defeat, to never give up, that taught me such a conviction exists. A conviction that can carry a person so far, allowing them to inch ever closer to their deepest dreams..."
"So, all the troubles I faced in the Purple Extreme Sect became whetstones to sharpen me. They only made me stronger. To this day, they haven’t broken me; instead, they’ve all become stepping stones under my feet!"
"And it will be the same in the future! Foundation Establishment is difficult, I know, but it won’t be enough to defeat me or frighten me."
"So, I am truly grateful, Brother Lin."
Mo Zhaoli spoke with the utmost sincerity.
Lin Changheng smiled. He didn’t accept her thanks, but he did adopt the familiar address she had used. "Your Brother Lin was just being himself, chasing his own dream. I never imagined it would inspire you, Li’Er; that’s an unexpected boon. But ultimately, the one you should be thanking is yourself. The ability to learn from everything around you is a rare talent."
His words made Mo Zhaoli fall into a thoughtful silence. After a long while, her expression broke into a smile, and she bowed. "Li’Er has learned a valuable lesson."
Mo Zhaoli’s reaction made Lin Changheng’s eyelid twitch. ’No wonder she’s so close to Foundation Establishment at such a young age,’ he thought. ’Her comprehension—or rather, her ability to learn and apply new concepts—is simply too powerful. That’s a talent even more terrifying than her Spirit Root!’
’If nothing unexpected happens to her, Foundation Establishment might not be her limit.’
While they talked, they had entered the house, where Lin Changheng immediately took out some Spirit Tea Leaves to brew tea.
"Li’Er, try this tea."
"Alright."
The two of them stopped talking about the past, and their conversation shifted to more recent matters.
Lin Changheng soon learned of her plans following this family visit.
Mo Zhaoli didn’t hide anything, telling him directly that she had accepted several missions from the Purple Extreme Sect related to pioneering the untamed lands.
She would soon be heading to the Wilderness to complete them.
Her goal was to accumulate contribution points within the sect while hunting Demon Beasts for materials she could trade for Spirit Stones, all in order to acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill. freewebnøvel.com
The Dharma Ship she had arrived in was borrowed from her senior martial sister for the journey.
Apparently, during the pioneering process, if any of the allied forces encountered Demon Beasts or other problems they couldn’t handle, they would report it to the Purple Extreme Sect. The sect would then issue targeted missions based on the difficulty, which could be accepted by its disciples or even by the sect’s own Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
But didn’t this mean that the clans and other factions pioneering the lands could become overly reliant on the Purple Extreme Sect?
The answer was no. The Purple Extreme Sect’s assistance wasn’t free; they would take a cut of the rewards!
For high-difficulty tasks, they took a percentage.
For low-difficulty tasks, they took a fixed fee.
This system directly quashed any thoughts other factions might have had about exploiting the Purple Extreme Sect to do their dirty work.
Moreover, the exact fees were set by the Purple Extreme Sect’s own Task Hall.
It was tantamount to a situation where, once you accepted help from the Purple Extreme Sect, they became the player, the referee, and the organizer all in one. How could anyone compete with that? It was the very definition of being the fish on the chopping block, while they held the knife.
While this system achieved its intended effect, it also created another problem: no faction dared to cooperate with or ask for help from the Purple Extreme Sect, turning instead to the likes of Noble Families and Foundation Establishment Clans.
Thus, it became an intractable dilemma, a problem with no apparent solution.
This, then, was the fundamental reason why the Purple Extreme Sect had been so overjoyed—and had so publicly bestowed a Foundation Establishment Pill—when the Xu Family did the unprecedented and offered them a Spiritual Land!
...
After they finished their tea and he had heard about Mo Zhaoli’s recent situation, Lin Changheng considered for a moment before speaking. "Li’Er, if you’re short on Spirit Stones, I can lend you three hundred."
Mo Zhaoli listened, thought for a moment, and seemed conflicted. In the end, she agreed, because Foundation Establishment was indeed a massive drain on resources. "Thank you, Brother Lin. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can."
Lin Changheng nodded. "There’s no rush."
This was a figure Lin Changheng had carefully considered from multiple angles.
’Too much would be a bad idea,’ he reasoned. ’It would expose my own wealth and put undue pressure on Mo Zhaoli. There’s always a chance a large debt can turn a friend into an enemy.’
’Too little would be useless to her—like trying to scratch an itch through a boot. It would be better not to lend anything at all.’
’But factoring in my status as a Middle Grade Alchemist, my earning potential, and my own cultivation expenses, three hundred Spirit Stones is the perfect amount.’
’Ink Master is also a Middle Grade Alchemist, so Mo Zhaoli would have some idea of what a person of that rank is worth. She’ll understand the weight of this sum and the sincerity behind it.’
