Late at night, Lin Shiming emerged from meditation, having once again filled the Spirit Talisman of the Heavenly Wood with spiritual energy.


    Each time he stored energy, it was as if he was refining his spirit anew, always rendering his spiritual power more condensed.


    Lin Shiming did not rise immediately, but began to reflect on the spell battles of the day, filtering through all the details once more, summarizing the instances where he performed poorly or encountered great peril.


    Thus, Lin Shiming spent another hour in reflection until his divine sense spread out into the distance, and only then did he realize that someone was admiring the night sky today.


    Regretfully, there was neither moon nor stars tonight.


    Lin Shiming pushed the door open and walked toward the courtyard, and Lin Houyuan turned his head back.


    Thetter deeply surveyed Lin Shiming against the night sky for a long time before revealing a gratified smile.


    "You''ve grown up!"


    A simple phrase, yet what Lin Shiming saw on the other''s face was worry, regretting his ownck of strength.


    Indeed, the day had been perilous, and the future might be even more so.


    The pursuit of Immortal Cultivation is itself an act against heaven.


    "I''ve worried father. In the future, Shiming will certainly redouble his efforts in cultivation!" Lin Shiming responded with a warmed heart.


    He had also taken notice of Lin Houyuan''s actions during the day; his father was the type to risk his life at critical moments.


    "Here, this is something the Seventh Great-Uncle gave to you!" Lin Houyuan handed him a Jade Slip, noting that all of Li Yucheng''s treasures were there.


    Three supreme grade magic swords, along with a supreme grade Spirit Shield Artifact, and that broken Scorpion Demon Banner.


    At the end, there was also a spirit talisman shaped like a long strip embroidered with a ck dagger.


    It was indeed Li Yucheng''s prized talisman.


    This brought great joy and surprise to Lin Shiming.


    Given the family head''s way of doing things, it was certain that some treasures would be shared with Xie An, unless the Lin Family no longer wished to rely on the name of Zi Xuan Hermit.


    Of course, more likely, the family gave Xie An other benefits, while they had kept these treasures for him.


    That was indeed characteristic of the Seventh Great-Uncle.


    "And this is a reward from the family!" Before Lin Shiming could emerge from his tion over the talisman, he saw Lin Houyuan take out a Storage Bag.


    Inside the Storage Bag were two thousand Spirit Stones and two bottles of Green Spirit Pills.


    Although not much, they represented a gesture from the family.


    Lin Shiming nodded and epted it.


    In the night, the two of them talked for a long time. Cultivators can spend a great deal of time in seclusion—since thest time he had a lengthy conversation with Lin Houyuan, he was still a teenager. It had been so long, he didn''t even know how to talk with his father.


    But that day, for the first time, Lin Houyuan revealed various dangers of the Cultivation World to him, and the conversationsted through the night.


    The father he remembered was not much of a talker, but this night, he spoke at length.


    The night was like water, quietly passing by.


    The next day was the Lin Family''s auction event, the final stage of the Foundation Establishment Conference.


    The Lin Family was especially cautious and meticulous this time due to the trouble stirred by the Li Family, keeping records of each suspicious Loose Cultivator.


    When the auction officially began, the auctioneer was none other than Lin Shiming''s thirty-year-old cousin, the chubby cultivator Lin Houyuan.


    With just a few words, he stirred up the enthusiasm of all the cultivators present.


    "Wee all Loose Cultivators and family members to attend our Lin Family''s auction. I am Lin Houyuan, and this time, the treasures have been meticulously selected by Seventh Great-Uncle, so everyone can bid with confidence. The auction rules are the same as any other auction—the highest bidder wins!"


    "Without further ado, let''s get to the first auction item, a bottle of second-rank, superior grade Monkey Wine!"


    "I believe many of you have tasted Monkey Wine before, not only does it restore spiritual power, but it also has the effects of healing wounds and removing hidden injuries."


    "Moreover, this second-rank, superior grade Monkey Wine is far better than the intermediate grade Monkey Wine that everyone has had. It can be a life-saving elixir at critical moments! Our Lin Family can only brew ten jin every ten years!"


    "One bottle, one jin, with a starting bid of 1,000 Spirit Stones, and each bid must be no less than ten Spirit Stones!"


    As the auction started, Lin Houyuan opened the bottle of wine, and a rich fragrance filled the entire auction hall.


    The Loose Cultivators and Qi Cultivation families were thoroughly inmed with enthusiasm, and many Foundation Establishment families also began to participate in the bidding.


    "1,200 Spirit Stones!"


    "1,300 Spirit Stones!"


    ...


    In the end, the winning bid was 2,200 Spirit Stones, which was considered a high price even among second-rank elixirs.


    Lin Shiming noted this with some delight, knowing that half of the profits from the family''s Monkey Wine and Spirit Peach business belonged to him.


    Of course, this time Lin Shiming was seated at the very back, as he had a more important task.


    To observe the Qian Family.


    The actions and information of the Qian Family were key to this family auction.


    The Lin Family elders were mostly clear on the basic information about their family, and by the same token, it could be assumed that the remaining elders of the Huang Family also knew about the matters concerning the Purple Mansion Cave Mansion and the Foundation Establishment Pills.


    Whether the Qian Family had obtained this information from the remnant members of the Huang Family was critical.


    The auction continued, and the following treasures, although not as good as the second-rank, superior grade Monkey Wine, were still much sought after, with numerous second-rank high-quality treasures inciting a fresh surge in the bidding frenzy.


    Some of these items belonged to the Lin Family, while others were consigned by different Cultivators.


    During this time, Lin Shiming himself made a sessful bid for a Spirit Grass, but the Qian Family didn''t move at all, theirposed demeanor causing Lin Shiming a bit of hesitation.


    Finally, it came to the most crucial and show-stopping final auction item.


    Lin Houyuan, visibly excited, took a tray from a maidservant next to him, and a fiery red small g appeared in his hand.


    "The next item for our finale auction is a third-rank, inferior grade Fire Attribute Magic Artifact, the zing Fire Banner. Its power is definitely one of the top within spell-attacking Magic Artifacts, and the esteemed members present may bid on it!"


    As the zing Fire Banner was unveiled, all the Foundation Establishment families were shocked, as it was well known that the Lin Family did not have a high reputation in Yunzhou because theycked a third-rank Alchemist and a third-rank Artifact Refiner.


    Now, with the appearance of a third-rank artifact, Cultivators paid great attention, whereas the Loose Cultivators were only mildly interested.


    "Yes, it was indeed refined by our Lin Family Head during his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment as well as his advancement to third-rank Artifact Refiner. This is his first third-rank artifact. The starting bid is 10,000 Spirit Stones, and each bid must increase by no less than 500 Spirit Stones!"


    Following Lin Houyuan''s confirmation, the Loose Cultivator families began to bid, and even Xie An showed some interest upon seeing the zing Fire Banner.


    A pure Fire Attribute Magic Artifact could have a special role at critical moments.


    Furthermore, as the older apprentice-brother of Lin Xianzhi, he indeed wished to support the Lin Family.


    In the end, the zing Fire Banner was sold for 28,000 Spirit Stones to Xie An.


    Lin Shiming, seated at the back, breathed a sigh of relief after the sale waspleted. The Qian Family didn''t know about the Formation Artifact Manual.


    Otherwise, they would never miss the opportunity to study this zing Fire Banner. Not to mention two or three thousand Spirit Stones, they might have continued to bid even if it cost fifty or sixty thousand.