Qingtao Mountain is located directly north of Fangmu Mountain; the mountain is not high, but it's covered with green peach trees. Come springtime, a gentle breeze flutters through, causing peach blossoms to dance across the hills as if it were a peach blossom fairyland, beautiful beyond measure.
At the mountain's peak, there stands a centennial Spirit Peach Tree, from which Qingtao Mountain derives its name.
The Spirit Peach Tree flowers annually and bears fruit every three years, producing anywhere from ten to a hundred peaches in one go.
These Spirit Peaches are akin to Spirit Water and other such Spiritual Objects, offering excellent benefits to cultivation. A single Spirit Peach is worth five or six Spirit Stones, and if two hundred peaches are harvested, the yield is a thousand Spirit Stones—an impressive sum for the entire Lin Family.
And to think that for an average Qi Cultivation middle-stage cultivator of the Lin Family, the annual salary is only twenty Spirit Stones, even less for beginners who earn just five a year, and only fifty per year for those in the later stages.
It has been over two years since the last maturation of the Spirit Peaches; this year's harvest is assured.
Of course, as the protector of Qingtao Mountain, another responsibility is to provide protection for the town of Qingtao at the mountain's base, eliminating any Demonic Beasts that cause trouble or violence.
By the time Lin Shiming arrived at Qingtao Mountain, it was already the third day since his meeting with Lin Houyuan. After leaving the Council Hall, he had gone to the family's Contribution Hall to collect two Spirit Talismans, ten jin of Spirit Water, and fifty jin of Spirit Rice.
In addition, he exchanged all his Spirit Stone salary for the next three years for Spirit Water, exchanging seventy-two Spirit Stones at the internal rate for seven jin of Spirit Water.
These provisions were the preferred diet of the Golden Winged Mantis and could also occasionally serve as his own cultivation materials.
The two Spirit Talismans were the Water Shield Technique and the Golden Sword Technique, both Second Rank Superior Grade. Used cleverly, they could even be effective against cultivators in the late Qi Cultivation stage.
Beyond the talismans, Lin Houyuan also slipped him a Second Rank Intermediate Grade Green Spirit Sword.
With his own savings, including six or seven Intermediate Grade Spirit Talismans, this journey was bound to be foolproof.
Qingtao Mountain was in early spring, with green buds sprouting pink flowers, some of which couldn't wait to bloom, filling the air with their fragrance.
Hills after hills of peach blossoms filled Lin Shiming's eyes.
Such a scene would inspire poetry if not for the limitations of talent!
Lin Shiming first took a flying sword to the town hall of Qingtao Town at the base of the mountain to inform the town head, a congenital martial artist named Lin Yang, of his arrival.
As per tradition, he handed Lin Yang a communication Spirit Talisman, the simplest kind of talisman that only needed to be lit to send a message.
After grasping enough information about the town, Lin Shiming resumed flying with his sword, heading straight to the top of Qingtao Mountain.
Peach Blossom Mountain's peak was surprisingly flat, with even denser peach trees all blooming in pink.
Of course, if one thinks this pink beauty is purely scenic, they are bound to take a great tumble.
Atop Qingtao Mountain lies a Three Profound Peach Blossom Formation, personally laid out by Lin Yushui, the Fourth Elder of the Lin Family, and it is a Second Rank Intermediate Grade Formation.
This formation, built around the Spirit Peach Tree, can draw upon the Spiritual Power of the Spirit Peaches in times of crisis, forming a grand killing Formation with both Illusion Techniques and offensive capabilities!
Lin Shiming took out a communication talisman and sent it into the Formation.
Shortly after, the falling peach blossoms ceased, the scene frozen in time.
Then, the peach trees began to align as if forming an honor guard, creating a pathway wide enough to accommodate ten people walking side by side.
"Shiming, aren't you not yet twenty? Why has the family sent you here?" came a hearty voice as a middle-aged man in a Taoist robe strode forward.
"Uncle Thirteen, Shiming isn't a child anymore, it's time I contributed to the family," Lin Shiming replied with a smile.
The man before him was Lin Shiming's Uncle Thirteen, Lin Houwei, a Seventh Layer Qi Cultivation practitioner and member of the family's Demon Hunting Team.
The previous Qingtao Mountain members had perished, and with the Spirit Peaches nearing maturity, Lin Houwei had no choice but to come and guard for a while.
But a late-stage family cultivator's time couldn't be wasted here forever.
Moreover, Lin Houwei was still a Qi Cultivation late-stage cultivator with extremely strong combat spell capabilities.
Since childhood, Lin Shiming had never lacked experience in spell combat from this uncle of his.
"That's right, you've always been exceptionally perceptive since you were young, practicing various basic spells even better than some old-timers."
Occasionally guided by the system prompts, Lin Shiming indeed demonstrated remarkable talent in spellcasting.
"Alright, Shiming, now that you've come, I must go, the Demon Hunting Team is very busy at the moment."
"Uncle Thirteen, are you sure you won't stay for a chat? I've brought a flask of Qingtao Spiritual Wine with me!" Lin Shiming knew his Uncle Thirteen was a notorious drinker, so he had deliberately brought a flask of Qingtao Spiritual Wine when he left the family.
This Spiritual Wine was made from the Lin Family's Spirit Water and Qingtao, a signature beverage of the Lin Family's tavern, costing twenty Spirit Stones for a small flask.
"Haha, I'll take the wine, but I won't stay," said Lin Houwei as he took the flask, uncorked it, and downed it in one gulp.
While drinking, he murmured to himself that Shiming really understood him.
After gulping it down, his face instantly lit up with a flush of pleasure.
He closed his eyes, shook his head, clearly intoxicated.
"You need to work harder, my boy. In three years, the Qingxuan Sect will sell the Foundation Establishment Pills, and this time, even if it costs a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, our Lin Family must seize one!"
"Both your father and your fifth uncle are candidates for Foundation Establishment, which will be discussed based on family contributions," Lin Houwei said before handing over the formation flag and the usage Jade Slip to Lin Shiming, then without looking back, flew into the sky.
Before long, he had vanished from sight.
Lin Shiming was left standing there, pondering these words. He knew very well that despite the current calm in the Lin Family, what lurked beneath was a storm of endless vehemence.
The family's old patriarch and Supreme Elder, Lin Xianzhi, had sustained serious injuries. Though he was only 150 years old, far from the age limit of 250 years,
his wounds from over the years had not healed, and rumors had already spread far and wide.
The Lin Family needed a new Foundation Establishment cultivator!
At this moment, Lin Shiming thought a lot, including about his father and his fifth uncle. When he eventually considered that he was still just a Qi Cultivation fifth layer cultivator, he scoffed at himself a few times and then put it aside.
He then began to carefully inspect the formation flag and the Jade Slip in his hands. Injecting spiritual power into the Jade Slip, he could instantly grasp the knowledge within, which was also a magical recording tool unique to cultivators.
The technique of controlling the formation flag was not complicated, and Lin Shiming had already mastered it proficiently within half an hour, leaving his Divine Sense within the formation flag.
Now, even if a late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator were to come, Lin Shiming was confident that relying on the formation and his many trump cards, he could face the challenge.
"Please patrol all Spirit Peach Trees, you will discover a new Second Rank Spirit Peach Tree that's about to bear fruit!"
Just then, the system's prompt arrived, instantly invigorating Lin Shiming!
A new Spirit Peach Tree!
One that's about to bear fruit!
This system prompt gave Lin Shiming a huge surprise on the first day.
When a Spirit Peach Tree bore fruit, even if it only produced twenty peaches, that amounted to a hundred Spirit Stones,
but aside from the wastelands deficient in Spiritual Energy, a Spirit Peach Tree could yield at least fifty fruits.
Even if handed over to the family, they would grant Lin a thirty percent reward, which was still a substantial gain.
For Lin Shiming, who now needed to provide for both himself and the Golden Winged Mantis, this was undoubtedly fantastic news.