C9 Book Collection Hall!

Lin Xuan was no fool. If there had been any real closeness, Lin Yumo wouldn't have grown distant from them over the years. It's in the face of adversity that true affection reveals itself!

Everyone shunned Lin Xuan as if he were a venomous creature, keeping their distance for fear of bad luck. Yet, there was one seemingly naive maidservant, Qing Tan, who remained. She cared for Lin Xuan with unwavering dedication for years, the two of them becoming each other's support...

"Okay, Qing Tan, get your things together. You'll be accompanying the clan elder to the main house shortly," Lin Xuan instructed. Qing Tan nodded briskly, like a pecking hen, and hurried back to her room to get ready.

Truth be told, there wasn't much to pack—just a few changes of clothes. Since the death of his parents, Lin Xuan had been left with nothing, enduring a life of hardship alongside Qing Tan. Without the family's aid, he likely wouldn't have made it to adulthood.

When noon arrived, Lin Xuan, who had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, finally caught sight of the clan elder. They boarded a carriage and set off for the main house.

The main house of the Lin family exuded a grandeur that the branch families couldn't match. The towering archway at the entrance alone signaled the Lin family's impressive stature.

The Lin estate seemed endless, with its palatial buildings, pavilions, artificial mountains, and water features stretching over hundreds of acres—an immense display of power.

Lin Xuan was taken aback by the sheer scale of it all. This was the true might of the Lin family. In a world where martial prowess reigned supreme, the size of a family's territory was a testament to their strength. Without significant power, such a vast domain would have been lost to others long ago.

The clan elder led them along a lengthy cobblestone path to a small courtyard within the Lin family's inner quarters, which housed seven or eight rooms.

Lin Xuan and three others were settled into this space.

"From now on, this will be where you train. The Lin family's main house includes a library, a medicinal herb pavilion, the Replacement Hall, and more," they were told.

"Each month, the main family will allocate some resources for your cultivation practices," Lin Yue informed Lin Xuan and the others. "Additionally, with the Lin family token in hand, you may visit the library and select a spiritual technique that matches your rank. This is the main family's way of motivating you, with the hope that you'll contribute to the family's prosperity."

"Beyond your training, you can head to the Replacement Hall to pick up assignments. Completing these family tasks will earn you corresponding merits."

"And with enough merits, you can exchange them for anything you desire within the main family!"

Lin Yue meticulously outlined the advantages of training with the main family, sparking a sense of wonder in Lin Xuan and his companions.

But Lin Yue was a man in constant demand. Once he finished his explanation, he promptly departed, leaving the rest to Lin Xuan and the group to discover on their own.

While Lin Yue was present, Lin Xuan and Lin Tianyi managed to keep their rivalry subdued. However, as soon as Lin Yue was gone, Lin Tianyi's demeanor changed. He looked down on Lin Xuan with contempt, saying, "Country bumpkin, even if you bested Lin Tong, you might have been something in the branch family, but here in the main family, you're nothing more than an insignificant ant!"

"And let me tell you, I won't be the one seeking vengeance for Lin Tong, but rest assured, now that you're in the main family, someone will surely settle the score on his behalf!"

Lin Tianyi was known for his high self-regard and aloof nature.

Yet, contrary to Lin Xuan's expectations, Lin Tianyi had no intention of avenging Lin Tong. Instead, he 'deliberately' hinted at potential dangers to Lin Xuan, as if to caution him...

While the subtext went over the heads of others, Lin Xuan perceived the true message loud and clear.

He couldn't fathom Lin Tianyi's true intentions.

Caught in his musings, Lin Xuan sought to delve deeper into the matter, but Lin Tianyi had already walked away mid-conversation.

Pointing at two rooms on the north side of the courtyard, Lin Tianyi declared, "I'm claiming these. You all can choose from what's left."

"Heh, what's really going on in Lin Tianyi's head?" Lin Xuan mused, his curiosity about Lin Tianyi piqued in that moment.

After Lin Tianyi departed, the usually reticent Lin Zifeng also took his leave, selecting two rooms to the south.

This left only Lin Xuan, Lin Yumo, and their maidservants remaining.

Lin Yumo gave Lin Xuan a penetrating look. Before departing, she suddenly spoke up, "Lin Tong has an elder brother who was chosen by the main family from among the branches last year. He's now cultivating with the main family, and rumor has it... he's on the verge of breaking into the Spirit Warrior realm!"

"Lin Xuan, you'd best watch out for yourself!"

With those words, Lin Yumo, accompanied by her maidservant, took her leave, heading for a room on the west side.

That left Lin Xuan and Qing Tan with the only two rooms on the east side.

"Halfway to becoming a Spirit Warrior... I definitely need to be on guard and strengthen my abilities as quickly as possible," Lin Xuan murmured under his breath, now understanding Lin Tianyi's earlier words.

Having been in this world for some time, Lin Xuan had come to grasp its basic concepts, such as the levels of cultivation.

The cultivation hierarchy was segmented into eight major realms: Spirit Cultivator, Spirit Warrior, Spirit Master, Spirit Sovereign, Spirit King, Spirit Saint, Spirit Emperor, and Spirit Emperor.

Each major realm was further divided into nine minor realms. The journey of cultivation grew increasingly challenging, with a vast chasm separating each realm, making them nearly insurmountable.

With this in mind, Lin Xuan settled Qing Tan into her room to tidy up before he headed straight for the library, as Elder Lin Yue had suggested, eager to acquire a new Spirit Skill for his arsenal.

Upon arriving at the library, Lin Xuan discovered something astonishing. In such a crucial place, there was no one present except for a single elder.

"Oh... wait... there's someone else..." Following the elder's directions, Lin Xuan entered the library with his wooden token and to his surprise, spotted an old man sweeping the floor behind the numerous bookshelves.

For a moment, Lin Xuan's mind raced with tales of legendary sweeper monks, but upon closer inspection, he realized the old man was simply ordinary.

"Heh, I guess I let my imagination run wild. But of course, it makes sense. This library is deep within the Lin family's territory. Who would dare to come here looking for trouble?"

Lin Xuan swiftly turned, his primary reason for visiting still clear in his mind. He followed the bookshelf's cues directly to the section housing the spiritual techniques.

The library was adequately supervised by a single elder, precisely because access to the cultivation and spiritual techniques required special permission.

While books on less critical subjects like geography and humanities might be accessible without such permissions, spiritual techniques were not.

The elder at the entrance was responsible for activating the necessary permissions on Lin Xuan's wooden token. This token fascinated Lin Xuan, seeming even more intriguing than the smartphones from his previous life on Lan Xing, its workings a mystery to him.

As expected, upon reaching the spiritual techniques section, Lin Xuan's token began to emit a soft glow, responding to a series of scrolls on the shelves, both basking in a gentle radiance.

"This must be the spiritual technique I'm allowed to select!"