Chapter 133: A Thousand Thunder Threads

Within the Lin family, Lin Tian also met with his grandfather, Lin Ke, and briefed him on the situation in the marketplace.

“You’re saying that Feng Shen was seen in the marketplace with another figure dressed in black, and that this person is also a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator?” Lin Ke asked with some doubt.

“That’s right. I saw it with my own eyes. But I don’t recognize that man in black; he doesn’t seem to be from the Feng family,” Lin Tian replied.

“Hmm, now that you mention it, I have a guess. That man in black is likely from the Bu family. I’ve heard that they have a disciple who is close to breaking through. It must be him. If that’s the case, the Feng family has gained another ally, which makes our chances of victory even slimmer,” Lin Ke sighed.

“I hope the Yang Xiao I invited can assist our family. His skills are indeed numerous. Outside the Linlang Blessed Land, he was able to hold his own against top disciples of the demonic path, which alone proves his extraordinary strength,” Lin Tian said.

“Let’s hope so. With Lin Ling’s expertise in artifact forging, we should have some chance of winning. But when it comes to the battle over cultivation techniques, our family’s grip is quite weak. If we lose that round, even if there’s a third contest, it will be difficult for us to win overall. In that case, defeat is inevitable. It seems we must rely heavily on our young friend Yang Xiao this time,” Lin Ke said thoughtfully.

“Grandfather, what is this third contest about? Is our family also weak in that area?” Lin Tian asked, puzzled.

“If there is a third contest, it will be about mastering the source of the Linlang Blessed Land’s sealing formations. These formation sources were originally scattered by our ancestors throughout the air of the Linlang Blessed Land. Of course, the formation source concentrated near the Spiritual Energy Array is the most abundant. A century ago, our family still possessed more formation sources than the Feng family, but in the last hundred years, none of our disciples have entered the Spiritual Energy Array. As a result, we have fallen far behind in controlling these sealing formation sources,” Lin Ke explained.

“Formation sources? You mean these mystical patterns on my wrist? I only knew they could control the teleportation arrays in and out of the Linlang Blessed Land, but I didn’t realize they were called formation sources,” Lin Tian suddenly understood.

“Come here, let me see. Hmm, not bad—you already have two formation sources. Having two outside the Spiritual Energy Array is quite remarkable. But as far as I know, Feng Shen has entered the array twice and now possesses six formation sources, the most among young cultivators in the Linlang Blessed Land. Our ancestors divided the formation sources into a hundred parts and scattered them throughout the land. Whoever controls these sources can command the sealing formations of the Linlang Blessed Land and gain immense power. Our families agreed that the third contest would be about these formation sources; the disciples from both sides must manipulate the formation’s power to duel. But clearly, our family has fallen behind in this area, with no real chance of victory. So, we must win both prior contests, though even that will be difficult,” Lin Ke said.

“I see. I didn’t know there was a contest over formation sources. Grandfather, you must have some formation sources too, right? How many do you have?” Lin Tian asked again.

“In the last hundred years, our family lost the first two contests, so we never needed a third. It’s not surprising you didn’t know. Only after discovering Lin Ling’s talent in artifact forging did I start to consider competing for the championship. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the strength to contend and would have had to concede victory to the Feng family. As for me, I have thirteen formation sources, accumulated over the years I entered the Spiritual Energy Array—one more than Feng Ye. Unfortunately, formation sources cannot be transferred. If they could, our family could consolidate all of ours onto one person and rival the Feng family,” Lin Ke lamented.

“Don’t worry, Grandfather. Our family will surely rise again,” Lin Tian comforted him.

“I hope so. The gap between us and the Feng family grows wider with each passing day. I’m truly anxious,” Lin Ke sighed deeply.

Soon, Yang Xiao and Lin Ling arrived at Lin Ling’s residence—a mountain peak rich in spiritual energy. Although somewhat smaller than the peak where Lin Ke resided, its concentration of spiritual energy was equally abundant.

“For the sake of artifact forging, there is a particularly strong vein of subterranean fire within this mountain,” Lin Ling explained to Yang Xiao.

“This mountain is indeed perfect for forging artifacts. It seems Senior Lin Ke has taken special care of you,” Yang Xiao admired. Since the place suited forging, Yang Xiao planned to use it to refine some treasures he carried.

Before long, Yang Xiao and Lin Ling entered a room dedicated to artifact forging, fully equipped with all manner of advanced instruments, fitting for Lin Ling’s status as a master forger.

When Lin Ling opened a hidden storage cabinet behind the wall, Yang Xiao was stunned. Inside were over a hundred varieties of rare forging materials, each of immense value if sold outside. Securing such materials must have been no small feat for Lin Ling.

This showed how plentiful the artifact materials were within the Linlang Blessed Land and how their emphasis on forging allowed them to unearth these heavenly treasures.

“Ah, Thousand Thunder Silk? This is a crucial material for forging thunder-attributed artifacts, especially high-grade ones. With it, the artifact gains remarkable toughness and resistance to damage. It’s truly a rare and precious material,” Yang Xiao said, intrigued by a fine silk-like substance. He had searched for it before but never found any—now here it was.

The Thousand Thunder Silk shimmered with a metallic sheen, crackling with flashes of lightning. It was clearly an extraordinary material.