Chapter Thirty-Two: The Seed Acquired, and the Shameless Second Uncle

Yantian Island was not located in the deep sea. At this moment, a hundred meters beneath the core area where Lin Qingyun stood, there was earthfire. Although he had no idea where exactly the seed was hidden within, the only thing Lin Qingyun could do was fish for it, hoping for a stroke of luck.

He stopped activating the formation to draw up the essence of the earthfire. Now, only heat surged upward from below.

Lin Qingyun had been fishing like this for two days. He had already made up his mind: if after a few more days he still had no success, he would seal off this place entirely for the time being and return only when he grew strong enough.

Along the more than two-hundred-meter-long Golden Crow iron line, Lin Qingyun had left several markings, especially on the leading spherical end. In this way, he could manipulate it as a tool, using his techniques.

Of course, this manipulation was entirely blind. He could only sense whether the line struck the underground rock wall or continued moving through the earthfire and magma—he could not perceive any details.

A true master, wielding a life-bonded spiritual artifact refined by their own hand, could extend their senses through it as if it were their own eyes. But Lin Qingyun’s method was nothing more than tossing out a fishing rod, relying on fortune and chance.

Still, this was not mere blind luck, but an attempt based on his knowledge and experience. The presence of the seed’s aura in the essence of the earthfire here suggested it was neither far nor deeply buried. Since the seed’s aura could approach the divine thunderfire of the Celestial Tribulation so closely, perhaps the seed itself would actively draw near as well. This was why Lin Qingyun continuously manipulated the line to search in all directions through the earthfire.

Another three days passed in the blink of an eye. Each time he retrieved the thunderfire, he returned empty-handed. Lin Qingyun glanced at the time—there was not long left before the freshmen combat trial at Haicheng University.

This matter was of great importance. It was an idea that had come to Lin Qingyun after he had beaten Nangong Lingyue. Because of it, he had altered many of his plans.

“Two days. At most, I’ll wait two more days…” Lin Qingyun thought silently.

After trying for another half day, Lin Qingyun noticed the small, gradual depletion of the Celestial Tribulation thunderfire each time he reeled the line back up. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him: instead of letting it slowly wear down, what if he detonated a portion of the thunderfire directly within the earthfire below?

Although there was not much power left from the thunderfire in the Creation Cauldron, Lin Qingyun was not worried. As long as he could assist others in passing tribulations in the future and absorb that power, he would never lack thunderfire.

On the contrary, the thunderfire from the Heaven-Searing Blade’s tribulation, even in residual amounts, was something he could not yet fully utilize. If he used some now, he could always replenish it when needed.

Without hesitation, Lin Qingyun compressed more of the thunderfire into the hollow sphere and lowered it into the earthfire.

This time, when the sphere reached as deep as it could go, Lin Qingyun waited quietly.

A rumble shook the island. When Lin Qingyun activated the incantation left within one cluster of thunderfire, the resulting explosion was so violent that the entire Yantian Island trembled.

This shock was even more intense than when he had previously drawn on the essence of the earthfire.

“What’s happening?” Master Banyue, who had been keeping watch and meditating on the island, looked anxiously toward Lin Qingyun’s location.

“Young Master Lin…” Outside the island, Ma Hengxin, who had been on guard, immediately shouted. Lin Qingfeng, who had been resting in the flying vehicle, leaped up at once and hovered in the air on his sword, surveying the scene.

At this height, he could only hover, not fly quickly.

All around the island, the ground kept cracking open. Elsewhere, flames erupted as magma and seawater collided, sending up towering waves. Black smoke billowed, plunging the area into chaos.

The undersea volcano was erupting. The fierce tremors not only created waves but also produced magma and copious volcanic ash. When it met seawater, thick fog formed, and soon the entire Yantian Island was wrapped in dense mist.

“Damn it, what is he doing in there? Is Yantian Island going to sink?” Lin Qingfeng was at a loss as he watched the rolling black fog.

He had drawn earthfire essence from the island to refine pills, but not to the extent it would sink the island immediately—especially since that damned Lin Qingyun had already finished his alchemy. Why was this happening now?

“Young Master Lin, we can’t stay here any longer.” The might of heaven and earth was something only the truly powerful could withstand. Only those who had reached the pinnacle could stand against it.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, Ma Hengxin advised Lin Qingfeng to retreat.

After all these days, though his hatred still festered, Lin Qingfeng had cooled down. Cursing Lin Qingyun all the while, he could only retreat to the flying vehicle and withdraw, at least beyond the shroud of mist.

Lin Qingyun had not expected that detonating part of the thunderfire within the earthfire would trigger such a violent reaction. He himself had to be cautious, lest he end up sinking with Yantian Island.

Fortunately, despite the intense tremors and the dramatic response on the surface—the surging magma and flames—the core area remained relatively stable.

Just then, as the earthfire and magma churned and the island seemed on the verge of sinking, Lin Qingyun suddenly felt the Golden Crow iron line in his hand tremble. Though the sensation was faint, it was unmistakably different from before.

The instant he felt something, Lin Qingyun began to slowly reel in the Golden Crow iron line.

When the line was fully retrieved, he found, next to the remaining thunderfire within the spherical end, a small, thumb-sized, fiery red, crystalline seed. The seed already had a tender sprout, like a tiny flame.

“Ha! I fished it up…” Unable to contain his joy, Lin Qingyun laughed aloud. He had only been trying his luck, planning to seal the area and leave if nothing worked.

Over the past month, he had tried all sorts of methods. If this last attempt failed, he was ready to go.

Now, having succeeded, he was overjoyed.

This seed was no ordinary treasure. What truly thrilled Lin Qingyun, however, was that it was a new clue—one he had never discovered even at the height of his previous life—a clue related to his parents’ disappearance.

After careful inspection, Lin Qingyun realized he did not recognize the seed at all, which only deepened his curiosity.

Decades after his previous life, the cultivation world on Earth had developed rapidly, far surpassing its current state. Lin Qingyun had stood at the peak of that world, yet even he had never seen such a seed. Its uniqueness was evident.

When he reached out to touch it, his fingers were immediately scorched. When he probed with his spiritual sense, he felt a burning pain.

Clearly, he could not examine it further for now. But since it was in his possession, there was no rush. With a thought, he summoned the Creation Cauldron and placed the seed inside.

With the thunderfire present, the seed remained calm, nestled beside the thunderfire.

Having obtained the seed, Lin Qingyun felt no further attachment to the now-abandoned island and left swiftly.

“It’s good you’re alright…” Master Banyue, who had been cultivating and keeping watch for over twenty days, was now standing guard outside due to the great disturbance on Yantian Island.

Seeing Lin Qingyun emerge safely at last, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Though he had only visited Chifeng Monastery as a child and played around Master Banyue, and they had little contact since, both in his previous life—when Master Banyue and the Grandmaster of Chifeng had risked everything to rescue him—and in this life, the care shown by Master Banyue had rekindled in Lin Qingyun a sense of warmth and belonging.

“Uncle Banyue, I’m fine. Is Lin Qingfeng and his lot still out there?” Lin Qingyun smiled and nodded to Master Banyue to indicate he was unharmed.

“They’ve been here the whole time. Your second uncle, Lin Kunshan, even showed up in person, but seems to have left in recent days. Just now, when the earthfire and magma erupted and the fog rolled in, they must have pulled back a bit, but they haven’t left.” For over twenty days, Master Banyue had remained vigilant, well aware of the situation outside.

“No need to bother with them. Let’s leave at once.” Lin Qingyun glanced at Yantian Island, then set out toward the landing pad with Master Banyue.

Although the fog was thick, it was not dangerous—Lin Qingyun boarded the flying vehicle with Master Banyue and departed. Though he was gone, he still activated the island’s defenses as he left.

“Young Master Lin, there’s movement. A flying vehicle just left from the other side of Yantian Island…” As soon as Lin Qingyun departed, an array master in Lin Qingfeng’s group detected the activity.

Their formation was mainly for concealment, not for defense, but it was enough to sense Lin Qingyun’s departure.

“Pursue him! Go after him!” The moment Lin Qingyun finally appeared, Lin Qingfeng ordered pursuit.

Unfortunately, Lin Qingyun’s vehicle was top-of-the-line and had been specially modified. Without a lock on his position, there was no way they could catch up.

“Aaah!” In the flying vehicle, Lin Qingfeng, who had waited over twenty days, howled with rage.

A few minutes later, Lin Qingyun’s vehicle had entered the mainland’s airspace, speeding back toward Jianghai. As he checked his communicator, he received a flood of messages—including a call request from Lin Kunshan.

Just then, Lin Qingyun had finished bathing and changed into fresh clothes. Relaxing comfortably in a chair with delicious snacks, he saw his second uncle’s call come through. He did not refuse, connecting directly to the vehicle’s communication system.

In his office, dressed formally and with a stern expression, Lin Kunshan faced Lin Qingyun.

“Ah!” Lin Kunshan sighed softly. “Qingyun, first let me apologize. Though your parents were informed about this matter when they were still here, after their disappearance, Yantian Island became your property. I should have explained more clearly. That was my oversight.”

He wore a heavy expression, enduring humiliation, and apologized right away.

Yet his meaning was clear: this matter had already been discussed with Lin Qingyun’s parents.

Impressive—second uncle was truly a shrewd businessman, far more formidable than his son Lin Qingfeng. The implication was much the same—Lin Qingfeng had raged before, insisting that if his parents were still alive and knew the island could secure Lin Qingfeng’s future and help him become powerful, they would surely agree.

But before lying, these people never considered that this was not a mere matter of an island.

Still, credit where it’s due: second uncle was a consummate businessman, caring little for pride in pursuit of profit. His words were flawless. Lin Qingyun’s parents were missing and could not be questioned, and he only skimmed over the issue, leaving no room for argument.