Cultivation begins in the endless sea.

Chapter 8 Unexpected Events

The deeper into the sea, the more illegible the handwriting became.

Lin Qing's fingertips moved slowly along the route, then his gaze suddenly stopped.

About four hundred miles west of Luoyu Island, there is a crescent-shaped archipelago with the words "Hanyue" written in small ancient seal script on the side.

With a gentle infusion of magic power, the words "Cold Moon" appeared, along with a line of smaller characters.

"The water is icy cold, and the earth's veins are dark and gloomy."

Lin Qing's heart pounded wildly; he never expected to actually find a suitable place on the map!

He suppressed his excitement and continued reading. He used Wanling and Qingyang Island as the core, radiating outwards to four main shipping routes.

The first route leads directly to the Ningguo Continent in the Northern Region, and is also the sea route for cultivators surnamed Chao.

The second path leads to Yunqi Island, a perilous journey marked with numerous dangerous areas, including the lairs of third-tier demonic beasts and fourth-tier great demons.

The third route leads deep into the misty open sea, where there are almost no markings, except for the words "Gui Xu" (meaning "Return to the Ruins") carved on the side, giving it a mysterious and unpredictable feel.

The last route bypassed the many dangers of the main area and eventually led to a cultivator market called Azure Dragon Bay.

"This…"

Only after seeing this did Lin Qing truly understand the value of this picture!

At the same time, he also became very interested in the identity of the cultivator surnamed Chao.

"Is this a rogue cultivator, a family, or a sect?"

"What is his purpose?"

"Is it Guixu?"

Thinking of this place for no apparent reason, Lin Qing couldn't help but turn his gaze back to the map.

"This map is probably incredibly valuable even on the mainland!"

My mind was filled with thoughts, but after a long while, I finally calmed down.

Just then, a shout broke the silence around the stone house.

"Haha, Little Six, Little Six."

Lin Qing immediately recognized the signature hearty laughter as coming from her uncle, Lin Shengqian.

He quickly ran out happily. Having stayed on this small island for a long time, the time he looked forward to most each year was the family's twice-yearly goods collection time.

Unexpectedly, it was my closest uncle who came this time.

Upon exiting the stone house, one sees an elderly man with a full head of silver hair leading a tall and robust young man striding towards them.

The tall man was half a step behind Lin Shengqian; he was Lin Yunzhou.

"Ha, Xiao Liu, you're really amazing."

"Four years have passed, and your cultivation has improved by a significant margin again!"

"It makes us old guys feel ashamed of ourselves."

Upon meeting, Lin Shengqian noticed Lin Qing's rapid progress in cultivation and couldn't help but praise him.

"It's all thanks to the good care of the family that Liu'er can cultivate in peace."

"Thanks to your hard work and perseverance!"

Lin Qing speaks eloquently, and these words are not entirely flattery.

The Lin family's current fortune is entirely due to the hard work and perseverance of generations of ancestors!

Upon hearing this, Lin Shengqian laughed heartily, nodded, patted Lin Qing on the shoulder, and said with a smile:

"Our little Liu knows how to talk."

"He's truly outstanding in every way!"

As he spoke the last sentence, his eyes glanced at Lin Yunzhou, intentionally or unintentionally.

The latter clearly sensed the signal from his elders, his face immediately turning bright red, and he stammered as he spoke:

"Long time no see, Qing-di."

"It's been a long time, Brother Yunzhou."

"Uncle, let's go in and have some spiritual tea."

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Lin Qing quickly smoothed things over and invited Lin Shengqian into the house for tea.

"No rush for tea, how about we play a game first?"

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Lin Qing, as if afraid that she might disagree.

Lin Qing was itching to try it, so he immediately replied with an "okay".

Just as the two were excitedly preparing to return to the house, Lin Shengqian suddenly stopped, and at the same time, Lin Qing also turned around abruptly.

Lin Yunzhou, who was following behind them, was startled, thinking he had done something wrong. Just as he was at a loss, he heard a hurried shout in his ear:

"Immortal Master!"

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, there is trouble at the mine!"

"There's trouble at the mine!"

Lin Yunzhou then realized what was happening and quickly moved aside, only to find that the person running towards him from a distance was an old acquaintance, Lin Fu, one of the mine's managers.

Judging from his panicked expression, the situation at the mine is probably not optimistic.

"What's the panic!"

Lin Shengqian exuded an imposing aura without being angry. His silver hair fluttered in the wind, and his entire being emanated a powerful presence that immediately intimidated Lin Fu.

"With us here, the sky won't fall!"

Lin Fu then came to his senses from the panic.

It's not his fault; it's just that the tragic scene of the other two Innate Realm experts who were traveling with him being devoured by demonic beasts in an instant was too shocking.

"I deserve to die, I deserve to die."

Lin Fu hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.

"Alright, alright, quickly explain the whole story."

Lin Shengqian said in a deep voice.

……

Half an hour later, the group of four arrived at the iron ore entrance. The entrance was packed with miners, and a dozen or so were rolling on the ground, wailing and calling out the names of their loved ones.

"This…"

Lin Shengqian glanced at the chaotic scene before him, frowned, hesitated for a moment, and whispered to Lin Qing:

"Little Liu, you're in charge of Falling Feather Island now. Your uncle won't interfere in this matter for now; you can handle it with peace of mind."

"If it really doesn't work, your uncle will cover for you!"

Lin Qing understood that this was also a test from his elders. After all, if he successfully established his foundation, succeeding as the clan leader would be a certainty.

The clan leader not only needs to be powerful in cultivation, but also needs to know how to manage and operate a business.

"Okay, thank you for your concern, Uncle."

Lin Qing sincerely accepted Lin Shengqian's arrangement and then began to systematically assign tasks.

"Quiet, everyone!"

At Lin Qing's instruction, Lin Fu unleashed his Lion's Roar technique, which temporarily suppressed the noise at the scene.

"The immortal masters have arrived!"

"The monsters must be eliminated!"

The mortal miners then realized what was happening and knelt down to pay their respects to the immortal master.

"Please, Immortal Master, save my child!"

"He's only eighteen!"

A woman suddenly became agitated and shouted at Lin Yunzhou in a hoarse voice.

In her memory, this tall and robust immortal master was still the most senior official.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yunzhou quickly waved his hand.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me."

Seeing him in such a disheveled state, Lin Shengqian couldn't help but scold him:

"You're a hopeless case!"

"Stay on the sidelines and watch how Xiao Liu handles it!"

Seeing Yunzhou's discomfiture, Lin Qing didn't know how to offer any advice. After all, his performance just now was indeed rather poor.

"Rest assured, everyone. Our Lin family will never mistreat any of our own family members!"

"We will never give up any hope!"

"Now please split into two teams. The team that is not injured, please return to the rest area and wait."

"Team One, those who are injured or have family members who are injured, please stay and explain the situation in as much detail as possible."

"The families of those still trapped in the mines, come and register separately!"

"Don't worry, it's a subsidy for you!"

"Everyone needs to hurry, after all, there are still our own people anxiously waiting for our rescue in the cave."

Lin Qing outlined a process in a few simple words, and then discussed it with Lin Shengqian.

"Uncle, what do you think? Should I go down into the mine first, or...?"

Lin Shengqian's eyes widened, his face full of displeasure:

"You are the hope of our Lin family. How can we let you go in alone? What if something happens to you? Wouldn't I become a great sinner against the Lin family!"