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As for the side of the Luo Yan Empire overthinking the matter of Ying Changkong, Xiao Lin naturally knew nothing about it. Of course, even if he had known, he would at most have given a slight smile and sat back to watch the shifting winds and clouds.
At this point, the secret realm exploration journey had already concluded.
After returning to the Xiao Clan, those who had followed Xiao Lin to explore the realm and survived naturally received extra rewards from the family; this was the Xiao Clan's affirmation of its kinsmen!
As for the three Da Dou Shi of the Xiao Clan who had died, their families would similarly receive compensation. However, when Xiao Lin handed the storage ring stripped from Ying Changkong to Clan Leader Xiao Dongcheng, the latter's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The resources inside were enough to match five or six current Xiao Clans; how could he not be shocked? In fact, the word "shocked" could no longer express his current inner state. This caused Xiao Dongcheng to once think that Xiao Lin had raided the nest of some Dou Huang power.
Although the truth was essentially that, in response to Clan Leader Xiao Dongcheng's inquiry, Xiao Lin merely smiled and did not tell him the reason. Seeing this, Xiao Dongcheng did not ask further.
Currently, the reason the Xiao Clan held such a status in the capital of the Jia Ma Empire was all brought about by Xiao Lin. It could be said that from top to bottom, including Clan Leader Xiao Dongcheng, everyone in the Xiao Clan trusted Xiao Lin unconditionally.
Since Xiao Lin was unwilling to say more, Xiao Dongcheng naturally would not press him.
What he needed to do now was wait for the day he could no longer work and could no longer lead the Xiao Clan, then hand the position of Clan Leader over to Xiao Lin. Other than that, no matter what Xiao Lin wanted to do, he would not interfere.
Actually, after getting along for so long, how could Xiao Dongcheng not see that Xiao Lin possessed secrets? He was simply unwilling to get to the bottom of it. After all, he could see that everything Xiao Lin did was for the Xiao Clan.
As long as he knew this point, what else was there to investigate?
After this, Xiao Lin returned once again to his daily routine of cultivation plus raising the child. Because of the Foundation Building Elixir that Xiao Lin had bid for last time, Xiao Zhan's recent cultivation speed had also increased by a large margin.
Furthermore, under Xiao Lin's suggestion, the current Xiao Clan had also begun to recruit alchemists from outside while simultaneously training its own alchemists within the family.
To this end, Xiao Lin selected many clan members whose Dou Qi contained wood within fire—matching the standard for becoming an alchemist—and had them enter as apprentices under some alchemists of the Alchemist Association.
Although this wouldn't allow the Xiao Clan to immediately obtain high-level alchemists, after a long time, having the Xiao Clan possess some low-tier alchemists would be no problem.
In this way, when members of the Xiao Clan wanted to use Tier 1 to Tier 3 medicinal pills in the future, it would no longer be an issue. It must be said, the apprenticeship fees were just a tiny bit high.
It went without saying that alchemists were truly the most money-burning profession on the continent. Just placing some clan members as apprentices in the Alchemist Association consumed a significant amount of resources.
This was only the result of the Xiao Clan now being a Dou Wang clan, causing the Alchemist Association to be willing to give some face. Otherwise, people from an ordinary Dou Ling clan wouldn't even have the qualifications to be apprentices at the Alchemist Association!
Even for a Dou Wang clan, this counted as a major bloodletting.
Fortunately, not long ago, Xiao Lin had stripped the storage ring from Ying Changkong's body, giving the Xiao Clan a massive influx of income. Otherwise, the Xiao Clan might really have been unable to squeeze more than a few people into the Alchemist Association as apprentices!
However, under Xiao Lin's secret manipulation, the Xiao Clan had gradually stepped onto the right track and was developing in a good direction. He believed that the future Xiao Clan, even without Xiao Lin, would be able to occupy a place within the Jia Ma Empire!
After handling the family affairs, Xiao Lin naturally began his own cultivation. Since Xiao Zhan was still in the Dou Zhi Qi stage, there was no need to be too anxious; he just let him continue cultivating step by step.
Beyond that, there wasn't much else Xiao Lin could do for his son. At most, when news spread, the Xiao Clan would send people to the Alchemist Association to buy or go to the Mittel Auction House to bid for some Foundation Building Elixirs.
As for Xiao Lin himself, while he was cultivating his Dou Qi, he was also researching his secondary profession—Spiritual Array Master!
Ever since he had condensed his first Spiritual Seal back then, it was equivalent to Xiao Lin becoming a Rank 1 Spiritual Array Master.
Subsequently, if Xiao Lin wanted to raise his level as a Spiritual Array Master, he needed to constantly increase the number of Spiritual Seals he could condense. Of course, while raising his level as a Spiritual Array Master, Xiao Lin similarly did not fall behind in his research of arrays.
After all, even if your level as a Spiritual Array Master increases, without formation diagrams, you cannot arrange a Spiritual Array!
Fortunately, Xiao Lin had already mastered the Nine Foundation Formations; even if he didn't have any formation diagrams in hand, as long as he was given time, he could deduce any array possessing various functions from those Nine Foundation Formations.
This cultivation period lasted for nearly another year.
During this year, Xiao Lin successfully raised his Dou Qi cultivation to the peak of Nine-Star Dou Huang. To put it bluntly, in terms of Dou Qi cultivation alone, Xiao Lin was already the number one person in the Jia Ma Empire.
Although Yun Shan was also at the Nine-Star Dou Huang realm, he had not broken through to this realm for very long, and his cultivation talent was not as good as Xiao Lin's; naturally, he had not yet reached the peak within the Nine-Star Dou Huang realm.
Of course, such a cultivation speed was actually considered slow for Xiao Lin. Compared to when he first awakened his past life memories, the speed of cultivation was truly several times worse.
However, this was normal.
Firstly, it was because his cultivation was now high; naturally, the speed would not be as fast as it was during the Dou Ling stage.
Secondly, Xiao Lin now had to spend a portion of his time raising his level as a Spiritual Array Master and researching new arrays through the Nine Foundation Formations!
Consequently, because of his divided attention, his cultivation progress naturally slowed down.
But today, one year and three months later, he was going to catch up on his cultivation progress!
In the back mountains of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Lin had already been sitting cross-legged here alone for a long time.
At this moment, if someone who knew what a Spiritual Array Master was were present, they would discover that around Xiao Lin's body, one Spiritual Seal after another emitting white light had appeared.
Furthermore, the number of these Spiritual Seals was constantly increasing. From only a few at the start, to over ten, over twenty, over thirty, and finally breaking the forty mark!
"Rank 2 Spiritual Array Master, success!"
Looking at the forty Spiritual Seals floating around his body, Xiao Lin knew that according to the knowledge passed down by his master, he had officially stepped into the ranks of a Rank 2 Spiritual Array Master!
Subsequently, along with a thought from Xiao Lin, these forty Spiritual Seals began to arrange themselves according to the combination he had envisioned, forming a special formation—the Spirit Gathering Formation!
That's right; during this year or so, besides his cultivation breaking through to peak Nine-Star Dou Huang and his status as a Spiritual Array Master rising to Rank 2, Xiao Lin had also researched the Spirit Gathering Formation!
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