Chapter 60: By the way, I'll help you break through your bottleneck

Lin Fan carefully stored the ten thousand medium-grade spirit stones into his storage pouch.

He bowed deeply to the two ancestors and respectfully asked, "Seniors, when will you need this junior's assistance for the breakthrough?"

Ancestor Hongluan covered her mouth with a light chuckle, her voice as melodious as silver bells.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator attempting a breakthrough is far from simple like the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stages. Not only will one face the onslaught of inner demons, but celestial phenomena will also manifest. The slightest mistake could lead to death and the scattering of one's soul."

She paused, a trace of solemnity flashing in her eyes.

"Therefore, we must make thorough preparations. Once everything is ready, we will naturally come for you!"

"However..."

Ancestor Hongluan changed her tone, her gaze turning sharp.

"To prevent any accidents, I will seal off your three small mountains with a grand formation. Without our permission, no one is allowed to enter or leave."

"You may carry on inside as you always do!"

Upon hearing Ancestor Hongluan's words, Ji Qingwan felt a surge of ecstatic joy in her heart.

She had originally feared that Lin Fan would be taken away by the two ancestors, making it as difficult as ascending to heaven for her to utilize his breakthrough-assisting ability in the future.

Never did she expect that Ancestor Hongluan would merely enclose the three peaks with an array, allowing Lin Fan to remain right here on the mountain.

This was simply marvelous news!

In this way, Lin Fan could still help her break through her bottlenecks.

However, with the three peaks sealed off by the formation, it meant she would no longer be able to use Lin Fan's ability to help others achieve breakthroughs and thereby earn a massive amount of spirit stones as she used to do.

What a substantial loss this would be!

A trace of reluctance flashed in Ji Qingwan's eyes.

"Who else knows about his ability to assist in breakthroughs?" Qingli asked in a solemn tone.

"Aside from the people on these three mountains, Fellow Daoist Qin Ran of the Hundred Flowers Valley also knows about this matter."

Ji Qingwan did not dare to conceal the truth and answered honestly.

Upon hearing this, Ancestor Qingli furrowed her brows slightly.

After pondering for a moment, she decisively said, "I will erase the memories of these ten people regarding the past two days."

"Junior Sister Hongluan, make a trip to the Hundred Flowers Valley and erase that person's memory as well."

"This matter is of utmost importance; not the slightest whisper of it must leak out!"

Ancestor Qingli's voice carried an unquestionable majesty.

Ancestor Hongluan gave a slight nod and replied, "Senior Sister, rest assured. I know the gravity of the situation and will handle it right away."

Before her voice had even faded, her figure flickered as spiritual light surged around her.

She transformed into a streak of pink light, instantly vanishing from the spot.

Only a faint lingering fragrance drifted in the air.

Watching the direction where Ancestor Hongluan had disappeared, Lin Fan clicked his tongue in secret.

Is this the capability of a Nascent Soul cultivator?

Truly formidable!

***

One day later.

Mists began to billow from the three small mountains where Lin Fan's immortal cave was located.

The swirling mists were ethereal and dreamlike.

Soon, the three small mountains loomed vaguely in the fog before completely disappearing from sight.

It was as if they had never existed at all.

Clearly, this was a formation jointly deployed by the two ancestors of the Joyous Sect to completely conceal this region.

People from the outside could not enter, and naturally, those inside could not leave.

However, this mattered little to Lin Fan.

He couldn't leave anyway; he was simply being "house-arrested" under a different arrangement.

For him, as long as there were sufficient spirit stones, anywhere was the same.

At this moment, Lin Fan sat cross-legged in the cultivation room of his cave.

Before him were piles of spirit stones. Aside from the ten thousand medium-grade spirit stones, there were also five thousand four hundred low-grade spirit stones, which were the reward Lin Fan received for helping those ten people achieve breakthroughs.

Lin Fan took a deep breath and began frantically absorbing the spiritual Qi within the stones.

One spirit stone after another shrank gradually like melting ice until they finally vanished altogether.

And Lin Fan's lifespan began to increase wildly.

A hundred years... two thousand years... thirty thousand years...

The digits representing his lifespan kept jumping, making Lin Fan's heart blossom with joy.

A hurried month flashed by in the blink of an eye.

Only then did he finish absorbing all the spirit stones.

Lin Fan pulled up his attribute panel.

[Name: Lin Fan]
[Remaining Lifespan: 1,018,608 years]
[Cultivation: Mid Foundation Establishment]
[Spiritual Roots: Five-Element Spiritual Roots]
[Hoarded Cultivation: 32,376 + 60]

Lin Fan's lifespan had increased to a terrifyingly vast number exceeding one million years. Barring any unforeseen catastrophes, he had already achieved longevity.

The hoarded cultivation had also grown explosively due to assisting those ten individuals in their breakthroughs.

However, Lin Fan was not in a hurry to refine it.

"I wonder to what extent this hoarded cultivation will increase after I help those two Nascent Soul ancestors achieve their breakthroughs!"

Lin Fan thought to himself.

He slowly stood up and pushed open the heavy stone door of the cultivation chamber.

A faint wave of spiritual Qi drifted out from the crack in the door.

Su Xingyu was quietly standing guard outside.

Her gaze was lowered and her expression was focused, resembling a delicate jade sculpture.

Ever since Lin Fan entered the cultivation room, she had stood guard here without moving a single step away.

She was terrified that someone might disturb Lin Fan's closed-door cultivation.

"Brother-in-law, you've finished your cultivation."

Su Xingyu spoke softly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.

Lin Fan smiled and nodded.

"I haven't been able to look after you properly during this time!"

His tone carried a trace of apology.

Scarcely had Su Xingyu arrived when he went to Ji Qingwan's cave to assist with breakthroughs.

Upon returning from Ji Qingwan's cave, he immediately plunged into the cultivation room to absorb spirit stones without stopping to rest.

Counting it up, he truly had neglected Su Xingyu for over a month.

"I'm not in a hurry at all. Breaking through a bit later also has its benefits; it allows one to properly consolidate their cultivation and temper their magical power."

Su Xingyu smiled sweetly, revealing two charming dimples.

Before coming to the Joyous Sect, her cultivation had already reached the eleventh layer of Qi Refinement.

It was only because her foundation was somewhat unstable that she had delayed her breakthrough.

"Has anything happened during this period?"

Lin Fan changed the subject.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Su Xingyu shook her head.

"Xiyue has been leading Bai Jie and Li Jiu in cultivating spiritual vegetables and fruits, and they are growing very well. We'll be able to harvest them before long."

"Half a month ago, Senior Ji and Senior Nangong cleared out a room in the cave specifically designated for breakthroughs, setting up a large number of restrictive arrays inside."

"Breaking through in that room from now on can isolate the fluctuations and phenomena generated during the breakthrough, preventing others from noticing."

Su Xingyu reported in detail the events that had transpired during this time.

Just at that moment, a streak of spiritual light cut across the sky and flew toward them.

It circled before Lin Fan and gradually slowed down.

Lin Fan reached out his palm, and a delicate paper crane within the spiritual light drifted down lightly onto his hand.

The paper crane looked lifelike, emitting a faint ripple of spiritual Qi.

"Lin Fan, get ready. I plan to make my breakthrough tomorrow!"

The clear and cold voice of Ancestor Qingli came from the paper crane, carrying a hint of unquestionable majesty.

"It seems there is a tough battle to be fought tomorrow."

Lin Fan stretched lazily.

"After a whole month of closed-door cultivation absorbing spirit stones, my body feels a bit stiff."

He turned his gaze toward Su Xingyu.

"Come, let's go to my room. You can give me a massage to help me relax."

"By the way, I'll also help you break through your bottleneck."

The corners of Lin Fan's mouth curved upward into a mischievous smile.

Su Xingyu's cheeks flushed red instantly, resembling ripe apples. She nodded lightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Mhm."

Lin Fan took Su Xingyu's soft little hand and walked toward his room.

Su Xingyu lowered her head, following closely behind Lin Fan, her heart beating wildly like a frightened little deer.

Entering the room, Lin Fan turned and shut the door behind them...