Chapter 372 - 246: Array Dao Breakthrough, Huang Family Crisis

Chapter 372: Chapter 246: Array Dao Breakthrough, Huang Family Crisis

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Xu."

Lin Changheng accepted with a smile, noting that it was getting late. He offered that his Dao Field was now quite large, with plenty of room for him to stay the night.

"In that case, I’ll gratefully accept."

Xu Xujun didn’t refuse.

...

「Three days later.」

After Lin Changheng held a small celebratory banquet with his two neighboring Fellow Daoists and Xu Xujun, who had been convinced to stay, Xu Xujun finally took his leave.

The relationship between the three Isle Masters of Jade Belt Lake grew much closer and more intimate.

After all, having formed a defensive alliance, it was essential for them to deepen their understanding of one another.

Following this, Lin Changheng entered a long period of seclusion.

Aside from his unbroken daily routine of Cultivation and Body Forging, Lin Changheng began to focus his main Energy on Arrays.

His skill in Arrays was now on the cusp of breaking through to Tier One Upper Grade.

He needed to focus his efforts on making that breakthrough.

It was imperative that he become a Tier One Upper Grade Array Master.

...

「A year passed in a flash.」

Lin Changheng’s seclusion was interrupted by Yan Mingyi.

Lin Changheng knew that Yan Mingyi wouldn’t normally interrupt him unless it was for an urgent matter.

When he came out of seclusion, he was met with the sight of an old friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Chef Zeng.

But this Chef Zeng was clearly different from before.

He had lost his usual composure; his face was etched with anxiety and impatience.

The tea on the small table beside him was completely untouched.

"Brother Zeng, it’s been a while. What’s happened?"

Lin Changheng had greeted him with a smile upon emerging, but upon seeing Chef Zeng’s condition, he immediately asked in surprise.

"Younger Brother Lin..."

"My clan is in urgent need of a batch of high-quality, Tier Two Middle Grade Elixirs for healing, detoxification, and restoring Magical Power. I was wondering if you could expedite the refining process?"

Chef Zeng looked as if he wanted to say more, but he skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"You need these kinds of support Elixirs? What’s going on?"

Lin Changheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he sensed that something was amiss.

"Our Old Ancestor passed away six months ago. Three old rival families, who had been lying dormant, sensed an opportunity. They’ve now joined forces to attack our clan and have declared war."

Chef Zeng briefly explained what had happened.

In reality, while the Huang Family’s core ancestral land hadn’t been attacked, their various resource nodes scattered outside had all taken a hit.

All of the Huang Family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators, save for two left behind to guard the ancestral land, had rushed to the front lines to take command.

Conflicts had broken out multiple times.

Huang Qingshan, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had attended that advancement ceremony with Chef Zeng, was gravely injured in an ambush during a round of Magical Combat. He is in desperate need of a very specific Elixir to counteract the poison and heal his wounds. They have the Pill Formula, but only a single set of the necessary Medicinal Materials, leaving them no choice but to seek Lin Changheng’s help.

If the refining process fails, Huang Qingshan’s future as a cultivator—and even his life—will be in jeopardy.

And the Huang Family could not bear the loss of another Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

As for the other Healing Elixirs, they planned to stock up on them for the family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators to carry for emergencies.

"Of course, I can."

Lin Changheng agreed without hesitation, giving a firm nod.

Chef Zeng quickly took out a Storage Bag. Lin Changheng glanced inside before accepting it. "Please, Brother Zeng, make yourself at home here for a short while. I just need to make some preparations, and then I can start the Alchemy."

A hint of joy finally touched Chef Zeng’s expression. "I have other urgent business to attend to, so I won’t impose. I’ll just return to pick up the Elixirs when they’re ready."

"Very well."

The Huang Family’s situation was critical, and the fact that Chef Zeng was out and about meant he was certainly burdened with many missions. Lin Changheng didn’t press him to stay, simply seeing him off.

"Oh, and one more thing. Younger Brother Lin, you should be careful these days. Some of our family’s Tributors and Honored Guest Elders have been attacked. They were forced to publicly announce they were severing all ties with the Huang Family. The enemy is trying to shatter our external support and leave us isolated..."

Chef Zeng’s expression was conflicted as they walked out, as if he were debating whether to say something. He finally spoke up.

"That’s happening as well?"

Lin Changheng clearly hadn’t anticipated that.

"Indeed. That’s why I’m warning you, Younger Brother Lin."

Hearing this, Lin Changheng nodded, his expression turning thoughtful.

"Then I must trouble you with the matter of the Elixirs."

Though his face was etched with deep weariness, Chef Zeng rallied his spirits, gave Lin Changheng a cupped-fist salute, and departed in a streak of Escape Light.

Lin Changheng waved a hand, and the Array closed behind him. His expression was grim. It was obvious the three rival families didn’t just want to provoke a war; they wanted to utterly ruin the Huang Family’s reputation and leave them completely isolated.

The more famous someone was, the more likely they were to be targeted.

And the name ’Alchemist Lin’...

Hiss!

Lin Changheng sucked in a breath. Some fool who didn’t know any better might actually try to cause trouble.

They might come after him.

After instructing his Spirit Beasts to be cautious and watch for any disturbances, he explained the situation to Yan Mingyi. He told her not to leave the island for the time being, ignore any visitors, and simply state that he was in deep seclusion.

...

With that, Lin Changheng fired up his cauldron and went into seclusion.

In truth, he had already achieved a breakthrough in the Array Dao.

After a year of honing his skills, he had reached Tier One Upper Grade and become an Upper Grade Array Master.

However, this sudden Alchemy task had interrupted his plans. He would have to multitask while refining the pills, dividing his attention to continue organizing and consolidating his recent gains in the Array Dao.

Still, this served as a great confidence booster for Lin Changheng. At the very least, it proved that slow, persistent effort truly paid off. It was a tedious process, but he had finally broken through.

And he still had more than two hundred and sixty years of Lifespan remaining.

He had no worries about lacking the time to grind his way to further heights.

...

Perhaps Lin Changheng had been overthinking things. While there were more cultivators flying across Jade Belt Lake, none of them stopped.

The few who did approach headed for the other two islands, either to purchase goods or make inquiries.

Yan Mingyi gradually relaxed, but she still dutifully heeded his instructions and remained on Moonrest Island.

Moonrest Island was now essentially self-sufficient in terms of Spiritual Food. They had opened up two new Spirit Fields, each over ten mu in size, and the Spirit Vegetable and Spirit Fruit seeds they had planted had already matured.

The seeds had been purchased from Rising Sun Island.

Xu Maoling’s island had just about every variety of these one could imagine.

...

「A little over twenty days later.」

A figure appeared on the horizon, flying erratically as if stumbling through the air.

"It’s Chef Zeng."

Yan Mingyi, keeping Lin Changheng’s instructions firmly in mind, observed him through the island’s Array. She saw that Chef Zeng’s face was pale and his aura was in disarray, as if he had just survived a major battle.

But she didn’t rashly open the Array to let him in. Instead, she hurried to Lin Changheng’s Secluded Meditation Chamber to inform her husband.

After all, she knew that the Cultivation Realm was full of deceptively realistic Illusion Skills, not to mention techniques for altering one’s appearance.

She dared not trust what she saw so easily.

Lin Changheng had already finished refining the Elixirs and was in the middle of his Cultivation. He strode out quickly, swept his Divine Sense over Chef Zeng, and only after confirming his aura matched did he welcome him in.

"Brother Zeng, what happened?"

Lin Changheng led him to a pavilion near the lake and poured a cup of Clearing Tea.

"It was those scoundrels! I don’t know how they learned of my plans, but they ambushed me on the road, intending to kill me. Fortunately, I had a piece of Spiritual Food with Explosive Spirit properties. After eating it, my Magical Power surged by thirty percent, which was just enough to escape."

Chef Zeng ground his teeth in anger.

He had been planning to ask for help from the Mangdang Mountain Huang Family, another branch of their clan that possessed a Dual Foundation Establishment.

The two families shared a common origin, having split off two hundred years ago. Though contact had grown sparse, they were still connected by blood. The Huang Family had dispatched Chef Zeng—the same silver-tongued man who had once successfully persuaded Lin Changheng—to convince the Mangdang Mountain Huang Family to intervene.

But the Mangdang Mountain Huang Family had already heard the news. Facing three well-prepared enemy families, they refused to commit to helping, merely offering Chef Zeng their warmest hospitality.

They were attentive to his every need, yet studiously avoided the one topic that mattered.

Chef Zeng, burning with anxiety, tried to broach the subject several times, only to be cut off and his inquiries deflected.

He understood their true intentions perfectly well, but since they refused to state their position, he had no choice but to give up. Then, he was ambushed on his way back...

"They set up an ambush in advance?"

Lin Changheng’s sharp mind immediately seized on the key point.

"I found it strange, too."

Chef Zeng shared the same suspicion.

"What are your plans now, Brother Zeng? As for the Elixirs you requested, they are ready."

Lin Changheng asked, changing the subject.

"My foundation wasn’t harmed. After a night of meditation, I should be about seventy or eighty percent recovered by tomorrow. I’ll head straight back to the clan then."

Chef Zeng’s eyes flashed with determination. Not daring to delay any longer, he gritted his teeth and made his decision.