The Strongest Family in the Immortal Cultivation World Starts with Investments!

Lin Xuan activated his Insightful Eye to examine Lin Chen’s situation.

The name Lin Chen had the ring of a protagonist—someone destined for greatness, but only after enduring countless hardships. Like the heroes in countless tales, he would likely suffer early on, only to rise when his latent abilities were unlocked.

If Lin Chen were the protagonist of a novel, Lin Xuan could already imagine the trajectory of the story: the family is destroyed, the young hero barely escapes, and after many trials and tribulations, he finally avenges his family.

Shaking his head, Lin Xuan discarded these dangerous thoughts. He realized that without his intervention, Lin Chen would likely have been overlooked. 

Without sufficient resources, Lin Chen’s latent abilities would never awaken. Without this awakening, his pseudo-roots would doom him to remain at the early stages of Qi Refinement, never reaching higher realms.

[Ding! A purple investment target has been discovered. You may proceed with the investment.]

[Invest three bottles of one-star Gathering Qi Pills, and receive thirty bottles of three-star Golden Jade Pills in return.]

[Invest one hundred one-star grass and wood materials, and receive one thousand three-star grass and wood materials.]

[Invest one copy of a low-grade Profound-tier cultivation method, and receive a low-grade Heaven-tier cultivation method in return.]

Hearing the system’s voice in his mind, Lin Xuan was delighted, amazed at the power of investment feedback. The system not only doubled the value of the investment but also multiplied both the grade and quantity of the returns.

Moreover, Lin Xuan began to notice two emerging patterns.

The first pattern was that the items available for investment were exactly what the recipient needed most. Gathering Qi Pills would help Lin Chen break through Qi Refinement and officially step onto the cultivation path. 

Grass and wood materials would allow him to activate his Grass and Wood Spirit Pearl, accelerating his growth. And the low-grade Profound-tier cultivation method would stabilize his foundations and improve his cultivation speed.

The second pattern was that all the investment items were things Lin Xuan could easily access. His personal stash was nearly depleted from his previous attempts to break through to the Golden Core stage, but as the head of the Lin Family, he had free access to the family’s treasury. While the treasury might not hold top-tier resources, it was well-stocked with one-star materials.

Lin Xuan could easily retrieve the pills and materials from the treasury for his investment in Lin Chen. If the availability of pills and materials was a coincidence, the cultivation method provided further proof of this pattern. 

From his predecessor’s memories, Lin Xuan knew that the highest-level cultivation method in the Lin Family was a low-grade Profound-tier method, and only the family head had access to it. All other elders and ordinary family members could only practice Human-tier methods.

Ordinary family members could select a low- or middle-grade Human-tier method from the family’s scripture pavilion. Upon becoming an elder, they were permitted to switch to a high-grade Human-tier method. As for top-grade Human-tier methods, those were rare treasures only obtained through luck, as the Lin Family didn’t have any in their collection.

Lin Chen himself had received a middle-grade Human-tier method from the scripture pavilion, but due to his poor spiritual roots and lack of resources, he had been unable to break through to Qi Refinement.

Of course, with so few investment cases to draw from, these patterns were not yet fully confirmed. Lin Xuan could only note them in his mind and test them with future investments.

“Grandfather, I’m leaving now.”

“I’ll visit you again when I have time…”

In the ancestral hall, Lin Chen stood up and prepared to leave. Just then, he noticed a sudden flash of light before a young man appeared before him, smiling.

“You…”

Startled by the unexpected presence, Lin Chen was at a loss for words.

“You’re Lin Chen, the grandson of Elder Lin Zhen?” Lin Xuan asked calmly, unaffected by Lin Chen’s shock.

Lin Zhen, whom Lin Chen referred to as his grandfather, had passed away several years ago.

“Yes, but you are…?”

Hearing the man mention his name and refer to his grandfather as Elder Zhen, Lin Chen’s nervousness eased a little. He assumed this must be a senior family member he didn’t recognize. Still, he couldn’t help but steal glances at Lin Xuan, wondering why such a powerful-looking figure had stopped him.

Lin Xuan, appearing only slightly older than Lin Chen, exuded such strength that Lin Chen couldn’t help but feel envious.

“I am Lin Xuan, the family head,” Lin Xuan said with a soft laugh, sensing Lin Chen’s subtle glances and changing emotions.

“The family head!” Lin Chen froze in place, unsure whether to believe it, though a wave of excitement washed over him.

“In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown up so much!” Lin Xuan continued. “Over the years, I’ve been absorbed in my cultivation and neglected youngsters like you. You must have had a tough time after Elder Zhen passed away.”

“From today onward, if you encounter any difficulties, come to me. For now, let’s head to the family treasury to pick up some things.”

Before Lin Chen could fully process what was happening, Lin Xuan had already made his decision.

Though Lin Chen was a bit confused, he barely had time to react before he felt a sudden lightness in his body. The wind rushed past him, and within moments, he and Lin Xuan had arrived at the Lin Family’s treasury.

“Family head!” The elder guarding the treasury was startled to see Lin Xuan and quickly bowed in respect.

“Hmm. I’ve brought this young man to select a few things from the treasury,” Lin Xuan nodded before leading Lin Chen inside.

“You haven’t broken through Qi Refinement yet, so anything too advanced won’t be of much use to you.”

“However, these Gathering Qi Pills and grass and wood materials will be useful to you, so I’ll give you a good amount.” With a thought, the pills and materials floated out of the treasury and into Lin Chen’s hands.

“Oh, and the method you’re cultivating is too low-level for you,” Lin Xuan continued. “I’ll pass on a new cultivation method for you to use for now. Later, I’ll give you something even more suitable.” With that, Lin Xuan handed over the Thick Earth Art, the method he had been practicing himself.

“You’re Elder Zhen’s grandson and a promising descendant of the Lin Family,” Lin Xuan said earnestly. “I hope you’ll train hard and, one day, protect the family on behalf of both your grandfather and me.”

Seeing Lin Chen’s excited expression, Lin Xuan glanced in the direction of the ancestral hall, his tone sincere.

Hearing Lin Xuan’s words, Lin Chen felt something ignite within him—a flame of conviction. In that moment, many things passed through his mind: his grandfather’s kind smile, the conversations he had with the ancestral tablets, and the family head’s expectations for him.

All of this filled him with newfound strength. Lin Chen unconsciously tightened his grip on the cultivation manual and looked at Lin Xuan, bowing deeply in gratitude.

“Lin Chen will never forget the family head’s teachings! I will work hard and protect the family!”

[Ding! Investment successful. Congratulations on receiving the following feedback: 30 bottles of Golden Jade Pills, 1,000 grass and wood materials, and 1 copy of a low-grade Heaven-tier cultivation method.]

[Ding! Family Head Exclusive Task: Investment Task completed. Congratulations on receiving 1 Investment Gift Pack.]