The three men immediately rushed to the side of Xu Hanji, who was like a sleeping beauty, and worriedly tried to call out to her.

"The Young Miss is fine."

Lin Changheng stood up. Seeing their questioning gazes, he recited the story he had prepared in his mind.

"That remnant of the Chen Family dared to harbor such malicious intent toward Hanji? To be so ruthless?"

Xu Qianzhan’s single eye was terrifying. He narrowed it, his killing intent overflowing. "A festering sore that clings to the bone. Next time I run into him, I won’t let him get away. I’ll tear him limb from limb!"

Xu Xuhe, however, immediately crouched down and took his daughter’s hand, using his Magical Power to check her condition. After confirming his daughter had no lasting harm aside from her Magical Combat injuries, he stood up and said to Lin Changheng in a solemn voice, "Thank you, Alchemist Lin, for saving my daughter. My daughter and I will be sure to reward you handsomely!"

"At the same time, you drove off a Late Stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, clarifying the situation and preventing it from collapsing entirely. You foiled the Tribulation Cultivators’ plan and even left ten of them dead. This is no small contribution. The clan will record it and bestow a separate, generous reward."

Xu Xuhe was an incredibly astute man. He could tell there were some discrepancies in Lin Changheng’s story, but the general logic was sound and the outcome was good. Xu Hanji was unharmed, and there was nothing unusual about her Storage Bag. That was enough!

With a moment’s thought, he knew Alchemist Lin must have concealed some details, likely related to his own secrets. He wasn’t the type to stubbornly dig for answers.

He also clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments, not lumping them together.

For a personal debt, he would offer a personal reward! For a service to the Xu Family, the reward would be granted in the family’s name.

’This style of leadership naturally commands respect,’ Lin Changheng thought. ’It keeps everyone, from top to bottom, united with a single purpose.’

No wonder the Qi Cultivation Clan of the Xu Family was flourishing and now had a significant chance of becoming a Foundation Establishment Clan. It was all closely tied to the conduct of the family’s helmsman.

"Thank you. However, it was the Young Miss’s crucial Talisman that truly determined the outcome. Otherwise, I couldn’t have harmed a Late Stage Qi Cultivation Tribulation Cultivator, no matter what I did."

Lin Changheng made sure to emphasize this point. He didn’t want to be made out to be some great hero and thrust into the spotlight.

"Haha, kid, you’re a lot more honest than that slick fellow Fugui of ours!"

Xu Qianzhan had been listening from the side without a word, but now he couldn’t help but laugh.

"Not at all, not at all," Lin Changheng said with a wave of his hand.

The caravan’s Steward, Xu Xulin, smiled at Lin Changheng. Suddenly remembering something, he reported to Patriarch Xu, "From what I can see, Alchemist Lin dislikes the limelight and prefers to practice Alchemy in peace. I believe the clan should honor the wishes of this great contributor."

"Oh? Then we shall do as Alchemist Lin wishes."

Patriarch Xu was amenable to good advice, not one to quibble over minor details to assert his authority.

For a moment, the four of them chatted and laughed in a harmonious atmosphere.

Afterward, Xu Xulin returned to lead the caravan back, while Lin Changheng and a slowly awakening Xu Hanji boarded Patriarch Xu’s Dharma Ship to return with Xu Qianzhan.

This kind of Tier One Dharma Ship could carry four or five people at most, and its flight speed would decrease as the number of passengers and the overall weight increased.

WHOOSH!

The Dharma Ship ascended, pierced through the clouds, and went whistling through the upper atmosphere.

Fortunately, a small Wind-Blocking Array was active on the Dharma Ship. Those aboard felt none of the biting cold of the wind, and even their robes didn’t stir.

It was certainly a unique experience, completely different from the airplanes of his past life.

Curious, Lin Changheng looked all around.

’When I get the chance, I’ve got to get one of these for myself!’ he thought.

During the journey, he occasionally found himself facing the coolly radiant Xu Hanji through a curtain. With his usual thick skin, he would simply nod as if nothing was amiss.

Xu Hanji would nod in return, but behind the curtain, her beautiful eyes would flash with an unreadable, complex emotion.

...

Mortals often say time flies like an arrow, and this is even truer in the Cultivation Realm. In the blink of an eye, nearly four years had passed.

In the Outer World, numerous Noble Families, clans, and Loose Cultivators had once again begun a "small-scale reclamation" under the organization of the Upper Sect.

As for the Xu Family’s internal affairs, however, several major events had occurred in those years—events significant enough to shake the clan to its core and change its entire outlook.

First, friction between the Foundation Establishment Qiu Family and the Xu Family had intensified.

The former territory of the Chen Family had been "borrowed" by the Qiu Family, who had then proceeded to occupy most of the Chen Family’s Spiritual Land and businesses. The Xu Family, of course, was not foolish enough to let the Qiu Family devour everything, so they had claimed a few locations for themselves.

But how could they allow another to sleep soundly so close to their own bed?

Due to their geographical proximity, the seeds of conflict between the Qiu Family and the Xu Family were naturally sown.

Just as it had been between the Chen Family and the Xu Family before.

Things were fine at first. But as the Xu Family continued to flourish, the Qiu Family grew restless and began to suppress them, deliberately manufacturing friction.

The Xu Family could only endure it; they couldn’t possibly go to war with the Qiu Family.

After all, the other party was a Foundation Establishment Clan. They might just be waiting for a pretext to attack.

...

Second, it was during this tumultuous time,

Patriarch Xu had disappeared from the clan for over a month. Everyone, including Lin Changheng, believed he had taken the Foundation Establishment Pill and left to attempt Foundation Establishment.

For a time, all the surrounding families watched with bated breath.

The Qiu Family, naturally aware of this, found a baseless excuse and brazenly launched an attack.

Their goal was to strike a blow against the Xu Family, sow discord, and disrupt Patriarch Xu’s state of mind, hoping the distraction would cause a mistake and lead to his Foundation Establishment Failure.

It was an exceptionally vicious move!

A scheme to pull the rug out from under them!

But who would have known that at the critical moment, Patriarch Xu would appear in public? He stood forth with his unparalleled prestige and calmed the hearts of his clan.

He was still in the clan, acting as a pillar of stability!

This meant that someone else had gone out to attempt Foundation Establishment—it wasn’t the Patriarch!

The Xu Clan Members, Cultivators from the Outer World, and even Lin Changheng—none of them could believe it when they heard the news.

This was a man who held immense power, whose word was law in the Xu Family. Furthermore, his strength had long since reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation. His status, seniority, strength, and ability were all more than sufficient! And yet he hadn’t chosen to attempt Foundation Establishment himself?!

What a bizarre turn of events! Who would even believe it?

But there he was, truly in the Xu Family! And his presence had shattered the Qiu Family’s scheme!

「Two months later.」

Someone returned.

He was an unfamiliar face. Even Lin Changheng, who had been with the Xu Family for nearly thirty years, had only seen him a handful of times.

It was a middle-aged Cultivator with slanted phoenix eyes. He was Patriarch Xu Xuhe’s clan brother and Xu Hanji’s clan uncle.

His name was Xu Xujun.

He generally paid no mind to worldly matters, spending his years in Cultivation.

When Lin Changheng heard the news, he too went to take a look from afar. He circulated his Spirit Detecting Skill slightly, and even from several li away, he could feel an indescribable, vast power—far beyond anything a Qi Cultivation cultivator could possess!

Foundation Establishment Stage!

His Realm was already stable; you couldn’t even tell he was a newly advanced cultivator!

Instantly, mountain-shaking cheers erupted throughout the Xu Family. Everyone was ecstatic!

This didn’t just represent a new Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator; it signified an elevation, a leap forward in the clan’s status. It meant the Xu Family had transformed from a Qi Cultivation Clan into a Foundation Establishment Clan!

Moreover, the oppressive difficulties from the outside world, which had been like dark clouds gathering over a city, would now be easily resolved!

If the Qiu Family wanted to try anything now, they would have to consider if they could bear the consequences of a mutually destructive conflict—of trading the life of one Foundation Establishment Cultivator for another.

Furthermore, the Xu Family had a major advantage: Xu Xujun was in the prime of his life, at least twenty years younger than the Qiu Family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

...