Spirit Realm

Lingjia Town.

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, young Qin Lie listlessly rose, quickly washed, and headed straight for the Ling family's dining hall.

Clad in coarse linen, Qin Lie was thin and had a fairly handsome appearance, but his eyes were blank and empty, devoid of any spirit, giving the impression of someone who had lost their soul.

Along the way, many young martial artists from Lingjia Town were also up early, and many of them smiled kindly at Qin Lie.

"Good morning, Qin Lie!"

Ling Feng grinned broadly as Qin Lie approached and waved in greeting.

Unfortunately, Qin Lie seemed not to hear the voices around him; his expression remained blank, and he didn't stop walking, passing Ling Feng and continuing on his way.

"Brother Feng, why are you wasting your breath on an idiot? You know he can't possibly respond to you, yet you still greet him every morning?" Ling Ying, dressed in a bright yellow outfit, was a voluptuous young woman of about sixteen, quite beautiful. She looked at Qin Lie with disdain and spoke casually.

Several young men and women from the Ling family nearby, hearing Ling Ying's words, all turned cold, displeased.

Ling Ying snorted, ignoring their gazes, her pretty face full of disdain.

Those young men and women were mostly at the fourth or fifth level of Body Refinement, completely disregarding Ling Ying, who had already reached the sixth level.

Her eyes were only on Ling Feng, who had reached the seventh level of Body Refinement.

Ling Feng frowned slightly. “Xiao Ying, you haven’t been in Lingjia Town for long and haven’t received any favors from Grandpa Qin Lie, so you might have some reservations about him. I don’t blame you. But all of us Ling family members were helped by Grandpa Qin Shan when he was alive. Even though he passed away two years ago, we still remember his kindness. I hope you can give Qin Lie the respect he deserves for our sake.”

Ling Ying was slightly taken aback. “His grandfather is very powerful?”

“Grandpa Qin Shan is a weapon refiner!” Ling Feng said softly.

Ling Ying looked at him with respect. “Mortal, Profound, Earth, Heaven, and Divine levels, each level is further divided into seven grades. What level of weapon refiner is he? Has he refined any spiritual weapons for the Ling family?”

“No.” Ling Feng shook his head. “Grandpa Qin Shan only knows how to repair spiritual weapons below the fifth grade of the Mortal level.”

“Oh my, that was amazing! I thought he was so powerful, but he’s nothing special!” Ling Ying said with a slightly exaggerated, coquettish laugh.

“For us, this is already incredibly impressive,” Ling Feng said calmly, his expression unchanged. “Five years ago, Grandpa Qin Shan brought Qin Lie to our Ling Family Town and negotiated with our patriarch. In exchange for helping the Ling Family martial artists repair mortal-grade spiritual artifacts, he demanded the mining rights to the numerous mines in Medicine Mountain. He and Qin Lie stayed in Ling Family Town.”

“For the next three years, Grandpa Qin Shan, along with Qin Lie, traveled between Ling Family Town and the mines of Medicine Mountain. During this time, Grandpa Qin Shan was responsible for repairing any broken mortal-grade spiritual artifacts below the fifth rank. As long as the rank did not exceed the fifth rank, no matter how severely damaged the artifact, he could restore it to its original state, without any loss of power!”

“Boom!”

A streak of flame ignited on Ling Feng's wrist, and the crimson ring on his wrist suddenly shone with a brilliant rainbow light!

Immediately, the crimson ring miraculously transformed into a blazing hammer, only half the length of his arm. The hammer was dark red, with clusters of fiery clouds tattooed onto its surface like body tattoos, radiating waves of intense heat.

“This Fire Cloud Hammer is a second-grade mortal-level spiritual weapon, my lifeblood. Three years ago in the Extreme Cold Mountains, I was struck by a blast of icy energy from the spirit beast Ice Soul Python. The Fire Cloud Hammer helped me resist the cold, allowing me to survive by sheer luck. However, the Fire Cloud Hammer was severely damaged. If it weren't for Grandpa Qin Shan's help in repairing it, this Fire Cloud Hammer would probably be ruined long ago.”

“Many members of the Ling family suffered similar damage to their spiritual weapons. Fortunately, Grandpa Qin Shan was there, and all the damaged spiritual weapons were repaired; otherwise, the family's losses would have been extremely severe.” Ling Feng sighed, watching Qin Lie's figure from afar.

“But he died two years ago.” Ling Ying asked in surprise.

"The Ling family knows how to repay kindness! Qin Lie is actually quite pitiful. He came to Lingjia Town with his grandfather when he was ten, and he was already like this. When Qin Shan's grandfather was alive, someone took good care of him. But after Qin Shan's grandfather passed away, these past two years... sigh." Ling Feng's tone shifted, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Then isn't the Second Miss even more pitiful? I heard... the patriarch promised Qin Shan that next month, on the Second Miss's fifteenth birthday, she and Qin Lie would get engaged? You're a native of Lingjia Town, is there really such a thing?" Ling Ying suddenly lowered her voice, leaned close to Ling Feng, and whispered, "How could the patriarch agree to the Second Miss's engagement to Qin Lie? Isn't that pushing the Second Miss into a fire pit?"

"I don't know." Ling Feng was equally puzzled about this matter.

In his opinion, even if the patriarch had made a promise with Qin Shan, with Qin Shan's death, that promise was probably no longer valid.

...

Ling Family Dining Hall.

Three square wooden tables were joined together to form a long dining table. On the table were steamed buns, porridge, and side dishes. Ling Chengye, the head of the Ling family, sat at the head of the table, flanked by his sister-in-law, Du Jiaolan, and his third brother, Ling Chengzhi. Beside Du Jiaolan were her two sons, Du Heng and Du Fei. Beside Ling Chengzhi were two young girls, Ling Yushi and Ling Xuanxuan, the daughters of his eldest brother.

The three Ling brothers were Ling Chengye, Ling Chenghui, and Ling Chengzhi. Ten years ago, Ling Chenghui, after breaking through to the Kaiyuan Realm, suffered a cultivation mishap and died. His wife, Du Jiaolan, stayed with the Ling family, using their resources to continue their cultivation.

In this realm called the Spirit Realm, there exists a boundless ocean, upon which lie many continents. These continents are inhabited by various races of beings who constantly refine themselves with the omnipresent spiritual energy, eternally pursuing the ultimate mysteries of the world.

Here, powerful figures stand as majestic as towering mountains, and world-destroying magical artifacts awe the heavens and earth. Hierarchical martial arts factions, like a spiderweb, cover every remote corner of the world!

Here, not only are martial artists and magical artifacts clearly categorized by rank, but even the complex web of forces comprised of various families, sects, and merchant guilds operates on a rigorous hierarchical system.

Martial arts cultivation in the Spirit Realm is divided into ten realms: Body Refinement Realm, Origin Opening Realm, Myriad Manifestations Realm, Profound Understanding Realm, Auspicious Realm, Shattering Realm, Nirvana Realm, Undying Realm, Void Realm, and Domain Beginning Realm. The foundational Body Refinement Realm is divided into nine levels, with subsequent realms further divided into early, middle, and late stages.

Similarly, wondrous magical artifacts and powerful artifact refiners also have clear rank classifications: Mortal Rank, Profound Rank, Earth Rank, Heaven Rank, and Divine Rank, each level containing seven grades.

Even more peculiarly, the families and sects were also hierarchically ranked, divided into five levels: Blue Stone, Black Iron, Red Copper, Silver, and Gold, forming a pyramid-like structure of oppression and constraint.

The lowest level, Blue Stone, comprised the most basic forces in the Spirit Realm, their numbers as numerous as grains of sand in a desert. They could only survive and cultivate by attaching themselves to powerful forces, their dignity ruthlessly trampled upon.

As for the Gold-level forces at the top of the pyramid, they were the most dazzling and supreme beings. They possessed not only the most powerful martial artists, the most wondrous spiritual weapons, the vastest territories and mineral veins, and the most mysterious forbidden realms, but also commanded numerous Silver, Red Copper, Black Iron, and Blue Stone level forces!

A single command from them could change the very fabric of the world, stain rivers and mountains with blood, and annihilate countless lives!

The Ling family was merely a small clan, not even reaching the Azure Stone level. The Ling family, along with several other small clans in the surrounding area, were all affiliated with the Xingyun Pavilion, an Azure Stone level power in Ice Rock City. They had to pay substantial tribute to the Xingyun Pavilion annually to receive its protection and maintain their foothold in Lingjia Town.

“Tap tap!”

Footsteps approached from afar. Soon, Qin Lie appeared precisely on time, mechanically walking to the table opposite Ling Chengye, sitting down blankly, and picking up his bowl to eat.

For five years, Qin Lie had arrived at breakfast every morning without fail. Although everyone in Lingjia Town considered Qin Lie a fool, his habit of eating on time every day had never changed. For the first three years, Qin Shan had brought him along. After Qin Shan's death, Qin Lie had come alone for the past two years, still maintaining this good habit.

Every morning after breakfast, Qin Lie would enter the medicinal herb mountain behind Lingjia Town, venturing into the mines. He wouldn't return to Lingjia Town until dusk, sharing dinner with the Ling family before returning alone to his lodgings to rest.

Day after day, year after year, he lived this way, his life unchanging and undisturbed.

For five years, no one knew what he and his grandfather were doing, spending so much time in the medicinal herb mountain mines. Even the family head, Ling Chengye, remained perplexed.

“Heh!” Du Fei suddenly couldn't help but chuckle, glancing sideways at Qin Lie, and said mockingly, “My future brother-in-law has a decent appetite. Even if Xuanxuan and he get engaged next month, it's no big deal. Just consider him a well-behaved but eccentric pet dog.”

Having said that, Du Fei looked at Ling Xuanxuan with a strange smile.

Clad in fiery red leather armor, Ling Xuanxuan's slender figure already hinted at its allure. Her exquisitely beautiful face was framed by bright, intelligent eyes. At only fifteen, her beauty was renowned far and wide.

"Bang!"

Ling Xuanxuan slammed her bare, white hand heavily on the table. The bowl of rice in front of her bounced, splashing half a bowl of thin porridge onto the faces of Du Jiaolan, Du Heng, and Du Fei across the table. Although Du Jiaolan, Du Heng, and Du Fei reacted quickly, they were still quite disheveled from the porridge.

"I'd rather die than be engaged to him!"

Before Du Jiaolan could react, Ling Xuanxuan abruptly stood up, ignoring her father Ling Chengye's grim expression, and rushed out of the house like a ball of fire.

As she passed the wooden door, she slapped it open, and a burst of orange-red flame erupted. The wide wooden door suddenly shattered, and before a dozen or so pieces of wood even hit the ground, Ling Xuanxuan's slender figure had vanished.

Just as Ling Chengye was about to rebuke her, he suddenly froze. He looked at the fallen wood shards, his eyes brightening, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Big Brother! When did Xuanxuan reach the seventh level of Body Refinement? Her spiritual energy is overflowing—that's clearly the unique mark of the seventh level of Body Refinement!” Ling Chengzhi excitedly slammed his hand on the table, his face beaming with joy. “Reaching the seventh level of Body Refinement at fifteen! Xuanxuan's talent is even more astonishing than Yu Shi's! Judging by her current pace, she'll definitely reach the Opening Yuan Realm before she's twenty. The Opening Yuan Realm… she'll surely gain the favor of the Star Cloud Pavilion in the future!”

Ling Chengye suppressed his excitement, coughed lightly, and asked Ling Yu Shi, “When did Xuanxuan break through?”

Ling Yu Shi, wearing a green dress, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders, had a delicate face with an elegant, serene expression. Her skin was as white as jade, and even sitting, her tall, alluring figure drew a burning gaze from Du Heng beside him, his eyes never leaving her for a moment.

“My little sister just broke through seven days ago. She was so excited to tell Father the good news right away, but…” Ling Yushi’s tone shifted, and she sighed softly, “But a couple of days ago she heard that Father had already promised Grandpa Qin Shan that he would get engaged to Qin Lie on her birthday, so…”

Ling Yushi didn’t finish her sentence. Ling Chengye had already guessed the reason, and his expression was helpless.

“Phew!”

Just then, Qin Lie, who had been engrossed in his meal since entering, suddenly stood up. As if he hadn’t heard a thing about the conversation or the conflict, he finished eating and left as usual.

He headed straight for the medicinal herb mountain behind Ling Family Town.

“Big brother, I have a few things I want to talk to you about privately.” Ling Chengzhi also suddenly stood up, gave his older brother a wink, and left the dining hall after Qin Lie.

Ling Chengye followed thoughtfully.

On the rugged mountain path, the brothers Ling Chengye and Ling Chengzhi kept a distance from Qin Lie, also heading towards Medicine Mountain. Their gazes lingered on Qin Lie as they spoke in hushed tones.

“It’s been five years. Ever since Qin Shan brought Qin Lie here, the grandfather and grandson have been in the mines during the day. Brother, aren’t you curious about what they’ve been doing in the mines? What have they discovered?”

“Of course I’m curious. But Qin Shan and I had an agreement not to trespass into the mines without reason. Besides, our Ling family has been cultivating the mines in Medicine Mountain for years, and we haven’t found any valuable spirit stones. Otherwise, why would I have agreed to give the mines to him and his grandson?”

“And what about Xuanxuan and Qin Lie’s marriage? Brother, I know you wouldn’t sacrifice Xuanxuan’s lifelong happiness, why?”

“Before Qin Shan passed away, he insisted that I agree to this. Considering his help to us over the years, I gritted my teeth and agreed. But it’s not what you think. He probably just hoped that after his death, Qin Lie would continue to receive our Ling family’s support.” "The family's care."

"How so?"

"It's just an engagement. Qin Lie and Xuanxuan are both fifteen. He asked our Ling family to take care of Qin Lie until he's seventeen. When Qin Lie turns seventeen, either Qin Lie or I can unilaterally dissolve the engagement. This engagement exists so that Qin Lie will have the status of a son-in-law during these years, and the Ling family won't mistreat him. That's all."

"Don't worry, Xuanxuan has already broken through to the seventh level of Body Refinement and is destined to enter the Nebula Pavilion in the future. Naturally, I won't let Qin Lie affect her future. When the time comes, I will immediately dissolve the engagement!"

"I see." Ling Chengzhi nodded. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother, there's something I'm not sure if I should say, sigh..."

"Speak!" The Ling family head frowned and shouted.

“According to what you’ve said, the engagement is just a formality. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Qin Lie and Xuanxuan. He could be engaged to Yu Shi too, right? Even if Yu Shi is two years older than Qin Lie, it shouldn’t matter, right?” Ling Chengzhi probed.

The Ling family head’s face suddenly darkened.

“Brother, I know you loved Yu Shi and Xuanxuan equally, and so did I,” Ling Chengzhi said carefully, his words heavy with emotion. “But even an engagement will affect a young woman’s reputation. Xuanxuan is only fifteen this year, and she’s already reached the seventh level of Body Refinement! We can both see that her talent for cultivation and her comprehension of spiritual techniques far surpass Yu Shi’s. Xuanxuan’s future… is absolutely limitless. She will be the true hope of our Ling family!”

At this point, Ling Chengzhi’s expression became solemn. “In the future, Xuanxuan will enter an even higher level of martial arts.” "The land has reached a level we can't even begin to comprehend! In this situation, she might be able to marry into a powerful force we can't even imagine, but if she has a past engagement, it will be a stain, affecting her future..."

"Third brother, you're becoming more and more pragmatic." The Ling family head shook his head and sighed. "Let me consider this matter. Alas, Yu Shi is a hardworking and quiet girl. I know she would agree if I did this, but I just can't bring myself to be cruel to her..."

"For the future of the family, and for Xuanxuan's future, please consider this carefully, elder brother," Ling Chengzhi advised.

The Ling family head remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Let's not talk about this for now. You've been in charge of the Medicine Mountain area all these years, and I've never interfered much. Why did you insist on calling me to Medicine Mountain today? What's going on?"

"You'll know when we get there. I have a feeling this might be related to Qin Lie."