Chapter 200: Golden Core Expert.
Two days passed, and the Winter Harvest claimed its first victims of the year.
Lin Xuan sat in his study as he read through the report, his brows gradually tightening.
According to the report, the victims were a group of five people, consisting of four Golden Core cultivators and one mortal.
They had not reported back despite being already inside for over five hours so they began a search party.
Three of the five corpses were found half eaten and had already been identified, while the other two remained missing.
That was not what made Lin Xuan frown.
Deaths were a common occurrence during the Winter Harvest. Every year, there were always courageous fools who ventured too deep into Yew Woods and bit off more than they could chew.
What caught Lin Xuan’s attention was the information about the two missing people.
The mortal was a fifteen-year-old girl while the missing cultivator was a twelve-year-old boy.
Lin Xuan’s expression immediately became solemn.
A twelve-year-old boy in the Golden Core Realm?
There was no way that could be such a coincidence.
Still, hoping desperately that he was wrong, Lin Xuan immediately sent the Shadow Guards to search the family for Lin Zhaofeng.
After all, the name written on the report was Fengzhao.
It could still be a coincidence.
At least, Lin Xuan hoped it was.
"Please let it be a coincidence," he muttered with a sigh.
Only a few minutes later, the Shadow Guards returned with their report that Lin Zhaofeng had been missing for the past two days.
After sending the Shadow Guards away, Lin Xuan headed toward the Rising Dragon Courtyard.
By the time he arrived, the courtyard was unusually quiet.
Most of the younger disciples had already left for the training grounds, leaving only a handful of children behind.
A few of them were sitting cross-legged in the open courtyard, quietly meditating as they cultivated.
Lin Xuan looked around for a moment before his gaze settled on a familiar figure.
Lin Zhaoyue was sweeping the courtyard.
The moment she noticed her father entering, her eyes immediately lit up.
She dropped the broom and ran toward him.
"Father, what brings you here?" Lin Zhaoyue asked excitedly as she reached him.
Lin Xuan looked at his daughter before glancing toward the mostly empty courtyard.
"I came to ask something about Zhaofeng," he replied.
Lin Zhaoyue’s expression changed slightly as she asked, "Zhaofeng? Did he do something wrong?"
Lin Xuan shook his head.
"He has been missing for the past two days."
She stared at her father in surprise before quickly asking, "He hasn’t come back yet?"
"No," Lin Xuan replied.
Just then, Lin Zhaocao, having overheard their conversation, hurried over while breathing heavily.
"Senior Brother Feng is missing?" she asked anxiously.
Lin Xuan immediately recognized her as the girl who had been with Zhaofeng during the Snake Cave incident.
"Yes, he has been missing for a while," Lin Xuan replied reassuringly. "But don’t worry. His life lamp is still burning, so he should be safe for now. We will send a rescue team to look for him."
Lin Zhaocao nodded, but the worry in her eyes did not disappear.
Lin Xuan continued staring at her for a moment, unable to hide his surprise.
Back then, she had still been hovering around the Sixth Layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.
Now, she had already reached the Ninth Layer.
That speed was simply astonishing.
Even some of the Lin Family elders, despite having cultivated for decades, had not reached such a level.
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Name: Lin Zhaocao
Realm: Ninth Layer of the Qi Refinement Realm
Martial Spirit: Fourth-Grade Mortal Rank
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She only has a Fourth-Grade Mortal-Rank Martial Spirit. Some of our elders even have Fifth-Grade Martial Spirits.
So what exactly is the difference?
The one who had the answer was obvious, but whether that answer would actually be shared with him was an entirely different matter.
Lin Xuan turned his head toward Zhaoyue, who stared back at him with an innocent expression.
Before he could say anything, Lin Zhaocao straightened herself and asked, "Patriarch, the reason you came to see Young Miss is because you want to send us on the rescue mission, right?"
Her expression became determined as she continued, "You can trust us, Patriarch. We will definitely find Zhaofeng."
"Uh... no?"
Lin Xuan’s response left Lin Zhaocao stunned.
"This is Yew Woods we are talking about," he explained with a sigh. "Even though most of the spirit beasts have gone into hibernation, they will still come out if something disturbs them."
He looked between the two girls before continuing, "I’m here for the exact opposite reason. I want all of you to stay here while I’m away."
Lin Zhaocao’s determined expression immediately stiffened.
She had clearly expected something completely different.
"Um, Patriarch, can I at least tag along?" Lin Zhaocao immediately offered, looking at him with hopeful eyes. "I’ll definitely be very obedient."
Lin Xuan turned toward Zhaoyue.
His daughter merely shrugged, as if she had nothing to do with the matter.
"If you are obedient, then you will stay here with the young—"
Lin Xuan’s words suddenly stopped.
A system message appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations on raising one of your family members to the Golden Core Realm!]
[Rewarding you with 100 Large Pristine Spirit Stones and 1 Compass Artifact.]
"Huh?"
Lin Xuan stared at the notification.
Isn’t that a little too convenient?
Before he could even complain, the compass suddenly appeared in his hand, while the spirit stones were transferred directly into his spatial ring.
Lin Zhaoyue immediately noticed the compass and her eyes lit up.
"Father, isn’t that the Xinyuan Luo?" she exclaimed excitedly. "This is perfect! If Zhaocao holds it, it can lead us straight to Zhaofeng!"
Before Lin Xuan could say anything, Zhaoyue snatched the compass from his hand and immediately placed it into Zhaocao’s hands.
"Father, you have to let us go with you," she said with a bright smile. "I’m bored."
Lin Xuan ignored her and instead gaze upon the compass in Lin Zhaocao’s hands.
He narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the artifact.
A system panel soon appeared before him.
[Item: Xinyuan Luo Compass]
[Effect: It leads the user toward the one thing they desire the most.]
[Warning: Holding the compass for a prolonged period will cause the user’s heart to be taken by a Heart Demon.]
Lin Xuan’s expression immediately changed.
"Give that to me."
Lin Zhaocao blinked in confusion before obediently handing the compass back to him.
Lin Xuan quickly put it away and thought for a while before saying, "Alright. You two will come with me."
Zhaocao’s eyes widened slightly.
"Really?"
Lin Xuan nodded.
With the compass in hand, he had intended to travel alone with Zhaocao.
Since she was the one using the compass, taking her with him was the most efficient choice.
However, the journey through Yew Woods would likely be rather boring for her if she had to travel alone with him the entire time.
Taking Zhaoyue along would at least give her some company.
Besides, Lin Xuan knew his daughter well enough.
Even if he refused to take her, Zhaoyue would probably find some excuse to follow them anyway.
In that case, bringing her along was practically killing three birds with one stone.
Zhaoyue, meanwhile, had already expected this outcome.
She smiled innocently as she stood beside Zhaocao.
Lin Xuan could only sigh.
"Let’s go before its too late."
Zhaoyue immediately smiled.
"Alright, Father!"
Lin Xuan took out his flying sword and let it expand beneath them before allowing the two girls to step onto it.
Once they were settled, he stepped onto the sword as well and immediately flew into the distance.
At that very moment, an excited young man was running around the training grounds.
He was only thirteen years old, yet his face was filled with overwhelming excitement.
"I’ve finally broken through to the Golden Core Realm!"
His shout echoed across the entire training ground.
"I’ve finally reached the Golden Core Realm!"
His voice was so loud that there was no way anyone nearby could have missed it.
The younger disciples who had been training immediately stopped what they were doing.
Naturally curious about the commotion, they turned toward the source of the voice.
Before long, several children began rushing toward the excited young man.
More followed behind them.
Within moments, a crowd had gathered around the grinning figure.
It was Lin Zhaowen.
The thirteen-year-old young boy stood in the middle of the crowd, unable to contain his excitement as he repeatedly clenched his fists.
He had finally reached the Golden Core Realm.