Family Cultivation: I can see the prompts

20: what is familyOn a spring morning, the temperature on Fangmu Mountain’s Peak was very low, and the entire mountain was damp, with dew drops falling one after another, hitting the leaves, the grass, and the ground.

Lin Shiming stood at a corner of the mountain, looking down, only to see a vast sea of clouds, rolling eastward.

Further to the east, a sliver of the rising sun emerged from the horizon, breaking through the sea of clouds, a magnificent sight.

This was Lin Shiming’s second day back on Fangmu Mountain, and he had been notified to wait here.

In the distance, a Spiritual Talisman flew over, turning into a fiery light, and under the twisting Spiritual Qi, it formed a string of characters.

”Hurry to the Green Lotus Pond, the Clan Leader has summoned you!”

Lin Shiming dared not delay, adding a Lightness Technique to his feet, he walked along the bluestone path towards the higher reaches of the mountain.

At a pavilion, a middle-aged man in a green robe was waiting for him; it was the Second Elder, Lin Yuqi.

”The Clan Leader is summoning you by the Green Lotus Pond; don’t make him wait too long!”

”Understood, Second Grandfather!” Lin Shiming nodded, then passed the pavilion and continued walking.

The further he walked, the denser Lin Shiming felt the Spiritual Qi become. Fangmu Mountain had a Third-Rank Spiritual Vein, and the Green Lotus Spiritual Pond was an offshoot of the Spiritual Vein, making it the most concentrated area of Spiritual Qi on the entire Fangmu Mountain.

Soon, Lin Shiming saw a Spiritual Pond about twenty meters in circumference. Compared to the Peach Blossom Valley’s Spiritual Pond, Fangmu Mountain’s Spiritual Pond was larger, with denser Spiritual Qi mist, giving it the immediate impression of an earthly paradise.

In the center of the Spiritual Pond, lush lotus leaves floated on its surface.

Beside the Lotus Pond, there was also a pavilion.

A young man was fishing inside the pavilion.

However, what was strange was that the young man’s hair was as white as snow!

”Are you Hou Yuan’s descendant?” The young man saw Lin Shiming approach, lifted his fishing rod, then flipped it, storing it in his Storage Pouch.

”Replying to Seventh Grand Uncle! Shiming is indeed he!” Lin Shiming now understood that this person, who looked roughly his age, was actually the Lin Family’s Clan Leader, Lin Xianzhi.

He looked far better than rumors suggested.

”Come and sit!” Lin Xianzhi finished speaking and took the lead in sitting at a stone table inside the pavilion.

On the stone table was a chessboard, where the white pieces were clearly suppressed by the black pieces, and the black pieces were steadily encroaching upon the white.

Lin Shiming walked over and sat in the other seat as Lin Xianzhi directed.

In his mind, he wondered if he was being asked to play chess.

But if he were to play chess, he would just need to place black pieces and continue the encroachment.

”Shiming, what do you think a Family is?” Lin Xianzhi spoke first, and he wasn’t talking about the pieces on the chessboard.

Lin Shiming was momentarily stunned by the question.

What is a Family?

Lin Shiming truly couldn’t answer this question for a moment.

Cultivators often say, ”Seek only immortal destiny, ask not about the future.”

The word ”seek” implies searching from top to bottom! It means daring to be a pioneer, daring to make the sun and moon change the sky, daring to contend with heaven, daring to fight with earth!

If that is the case, then why would one care whether the path ahead is a broad highway or thorny mud?

What about a Family? Lin Shiming’s mind was a mess; he couldn’t find a correct answer at all.

Thinking carefully, were the Family principles he once believed in truly correct?

Just as a person must have a goal, what is the goal of a Family Cultivator?

”No rush, you can think more. Look at these white pieces; because they don’t have absolute certainty of victory, they have been hesitant to counterattack! Instead, they’ve been steadily encroached upon and diminished!” Lin Xianzhi saw Lin Shiming’s hesitation and continued to speak.

Lin Shiming again focused on the chessboard and found that the white pieces’ main combat strength was indeed still preserved, with only minor branches and details lost.

However, a successful counterattack would not be easy, as the strength gap between the white and black pieces remained.

Lin Shiming couldn’t help but think of the Lin Family. The Lin Family had been declining for so many years since becoming a Purple Mansion Family; how could it be without someone orchestrating it from behind?

After all, the Lin Family possessed a Profound Rank Purple Mansion Cultivation Technique, capable of Cultivating to the Purple Mansion Realm.

He also thought of Seventh Grand Uncle, who had been suppressed and healing all this time.

Seventh Grand Uncle was waiting for his injuries to heal and return to his Peak; the Lin Family was also waiting, waiting for an opportunity to rise, waiting for a chance to turn the tide.

Then Seventh Grand Uncle’s meaning was clear.

The Lin Family had an enemy, and a very powerful one, and he was asking Lin Shiming about his feelings and reliance on the Family.

Of course, this also meant that Lin Shiming was gradually moving towards the high echelons of the Lin Family, towards management.

In Cultivation Families, there are always some Family disciples who are obsessed with the path of Cultivation, feeling that the Family would drag them down, and then they leave to venture out on their own.

There are three thousand paths to immortality, each takes one.

This was not uncommon; there was even once a Heavenly Spiritual Root Cultivator who, after helping his Family become a Purple Mansion Family, departed gracefully, citing the Perfection of Karma as his reason, and never reappeared.

For a Family that had poured all its efforts into nurturing a Genius, this was disheartening, yet they were powerless!

”Replying to Seventh Grand Uncle, Shiming is dull-witted and can only understand Family as the root. I was born here, raised here, and the Family is like my Dao Heart!”

”When the Family prospers, I prosper; when the Family declines, I decline!”

”Therefore, Shiming is willing to become the Family’s sharp sword, eradicating all enemies!” Lin Shiming spoke each word distinctly.

And at this moment, his concept of Family became much clearer.

Yes, as a Family Cultivator, from birth, he was with the Family. To reach the true end of the immortal path, the words ”Family” cannot be escaped.

”Hmm! Much better than your father’s answer.” Lin Xianzhi nodded, then continued to speak:

”You should have guessed that our Lin Family has a powerful enemy, a Purple Mansion Family!”

”I was also injured by those people and poisoned with a strange venom. Although I’ve managed to suppress and resolve most of it over the past thirty years by relying on the Green Lotus Spiritual Pond’s spiritual lotus root and lotus seeds, most of my Meridians throughout my body are damaged and blocked, and my Cultivation has even begun to regress. Taking action is completely out of the question!”

”Fortunately, the High Grade Second-Rank spirit wine you brought back this time can just treat internal injuries, adjust Meridians, and harmonize Spiritual Qi. It shouldn’t be long before I can recover my Foundation Establishment Middle Stage combat power.”

”I called you here mainly to ask what reward you want?”

”Replying to Seventh Grand Uncle, retrieving the spirit wine this time was an effort of the entire Family. Shiming merely contributed a tiny bit of meager strength within it and dares not ask for a reward.” Lin Shiming repeatedly waved his hand.

The Family had achieved a great victory this time, with Elders giving their all and uncles losing their lives; he dared not claim credit.

He was also incapable of doing such a thing.

”A Family should inherently have both rewards and punishments. Since you won’t say, I’ll give you a High Grade Second-Rank Flying Sword!” Lin Xianzhi didn’t wait for Lin Shiming’s reply, directly flicked his hand, and a dark green small sword appeared in Lin Shiming’s hand.

”This sword is named Ink Lotus Sword. It was used by me in my youth, and now it only holds commemorative significance for me, so I bestow it upon you! May you continue to strive and reach new heights!”

”Additionally, you can Cultivate here and Breakthrough to the sixth layer of Qi!”

”Thank you, Seventh Grand Uncle!” Lin Shiming quickly waved his hand in thanks, also greatly pleased by the Clan Leader’s suggestion to Breakthrough here.

One must know that this Spiritual Pond was a Third-Rank Spiritual Pond. Cultivating and Breaking through here would not only double the speed but also make it easier to consolidate one’s Cultivation.

However, before that, Lin Shiming had two things to ask about.

”Seventh Grand Uncle, Shiming has an item he doesn’t recognize; I wonder if I could ask Seventh Grand Uncle to help identify it.” Lin Shiming took out the mysterious cabinet door stone. He had originally intended to search for this item in the scripture hall of the Treasure Pavilion, but with the experienced Seventh Grand Uncle here, it would naturally be quicker to show it to him.

”Oh!” Lin Xianzhi took it and, upon seeing it, was clearly startled by the stone’s ability to absorb Divine Sense.