One quarter of an hour later, after Lin Ran had repeatedly confirmed and accepted the fact that the over thirty-meter-long python before her was indeed her Grand Ancestor, she asked in astonishment, "Grand Ancestor, how did you suddenly change so much?
"My father told me that an spiritual beast's strength can mostly be discerned by observing its physical form. You're almost as big as Great-Grandma now, right? Could it be that your cultivation has also reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation?"
Lin Ran looked at the unfamiliar python before her. She couldn't detect Lin Xuan's cultivation, but she could understand that something extraordinary had happened to him through the changes in his physical form.
"I don't know. It's probably a legacy left by my mother."
Lin Xuan casually replied, and Lin Ran took it as the truth. Among spiritual beasts, leaving behind cultivation levels and even innate talent abilities through legacies for future generations was not uncommon.
However, being able to preserve half of such legacies was considered extremely rare, let alone a case like Grand Ancestor's, which she had never heard of before.
At this moment, Lin Ran suddenly realized that her recent breakthrough was also peculiar. She had intended to investigate it after the breakthrough, but Grand Ancestor had diverted her attention.
"Grand Ancestor, when I was cultivating just now, did you help me break through?"
Lin Ran looked at Lin Xuan respectfully and asked.
Lin Xuan smiled and said, "Are you talking about this?"
With that, Lin Xuan summoned strands of moonlight, which wrapped around Lin Ran. Lin Ran was astonished by the scene.
"Moonlight!?"
Between heaven and earth, most cultivators primarily relied on absorbing spiritual energy. To be precise, not only cultivators, but even demonic beasts and spirit beasts followed this practice.
Sunlight and Moonlight.
Everyone knew these were excellent resources, but to absorb them, one needed techniques capable of harnessing the essence of heaven and earth. Even among demonic and spirit beasts, only those with exceptional innate talents could directly absorb and cultivate using sunlight and moonlight upon birth.
"I observed you earlier and noticed that you were stuck at the bottleneck of the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, so I gave you a hand," Lin Xuan explained.
Lin Ran hesitated for a moment and nodded, "But, Grand Ancestor, how can you absorb moonlight?"
"Your Grand Ancestor has unique talents. I was born with this ability. No need to ask more questions," Lin Xuan replied impatiently.
This time, he wasn't lying. It seemed like he had discovered his ability to absorb moonlight right after waking up. It was likely one of the perks of being transported to this world, perhaps even a reward from the system.
Lin Ran sensed her Grand Ancestor's impatience but refrained from commenting further. She consoled herself, thinking that her Grand Ancestor's bloodline might have mutated, which was a great thing for her father and the Lin family.
"Ran'er, Grand Ancestor wants to know, what exactly is the crisis in the Lin family that your father mentioned earlier?"
Lin Xuan got back to the point.
Lin Ran's expression changed slightly, and her previously joyful face now bore a hint of worry.
"Grand Ancestor, it's okay if you don't know. You're only twenty days old, and you've just been through a life-and-death situation."
"Alright, tell me. What happened?"
Lin Xuan interrupted.
Lin Ran nodded.
"About two months ago, my third brother, Lin Mengyuan, found a small Red Gold vein in a valley outside Qingfeng Town. Red Gold is a top-grade material with extraordinary value. Once we mine and refine this Red Gold vein, the Lin family's influence and resources will experience a short-term surge.
"Initially, under the control of Grandfather and several Uncles, including my father, everything was going smoothly. However, shortly after we started mining the Red Gold vein, just about a month ago, we received news from the Zhang family in Renhuai County.
"They claimed that their disciple had discovered a Red Gold vein half a year ago, and they even provided the location. It was the same valley we found."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan fell into silence. The situation was clear: the Zhang family had their eyes on the Lin family's Red Gold vein. As for the claim of it being half a year ago, it was undoubtedly a fabrication.
According to the unspoken rules of this world, any discovery made on one's territory belonged to that power, as long as it didn't exceed their rank. Of course, they had to be capable of defending it.
The Zhang family's public announcement of the location was a move meant to provoke the Lin family. If the Lin family refused to yield, the nearby cultivation powers in Qingfeng Town would likely covet this mining site.
Lin Xuan wasn't in a hurry to make a decision; there was something fishy about this situation. The Lin family's original strength should have been enough to claim such a Red Gold vein. For the Zhang family, a second-ranked power with Foundation Establishment cultivators, claiming a small Red Gold vein didn't seem to justify such a loss of face.
"After this incident, in less than a day, Grandfather, several Uncles, my father, and the rest of the family made a unanimous decision to hand over the Red Gold vein to the Zhang family."
Lin Ran explained in the stone pavilion.
Lin Xuan nodded, content with the Lin family's decision. However, Lin Ran's face showed a trace of sadness, despair, and even a hint of murderous intent.
"On the same day, my third uncle left with the family's documents to formally submit to the Zhang family. But things took a turn that very night. The spirit tablet that my third uncle left in the ancestral hall suddenly shattered.
"Furthermore, a Red Gold Tiger, which had just advanced to the Second Rank, emerged from the Luoshen Mountains. It rampaged and devoured ordinary people in Qingfeng Town.
"My grandfather, several uncles, along with more than half of the family's cultivators, and even your mother, Grand Ancestor, who is my great-grandmother, worked together to wound and drive away the Red Gold Tiger. However, none of the Lin family cultivators who went to confront it survived.
"The only one who returned was my great-grandmother, and after giving birth to you, Grand Ancestor, she departed from this world. You, Grand Ancestor, were born prematurely and remained on the brink of life and death."
As Lin Ran's words fell, Lin Xuan's gaze narrowed. It was no wonder that the Lin family referred to his recent life-and-death experience; the root of the issue lay here.