"Brother Xiao, didn't you say that He Yi was a Golden Core cultivator? He passed the Heart-Testing Path so quickly!" Liu Yunan remarked as he continued his work.
Lin Xiao recalled that He Yi had entered the Heart-Testing Path in the morning and exited by evening. For someone at the Golden Core stage, that speed was impressive.
However, since He Yi had a budding form of Primordial Qi in his Golden Core due to Lin Xiao's influence, it made sense that he passed the Heart-Testing Path so quickly.
In Lin Xiao's understanding, it was as if He Yi had absorbed some of his own Dao heart influence, meaning He Yi's Dao heart was affected by Lin Xiao's to a significant degree, which in turn helped him form the Primordial Qi.
Given this, it was only natural that He Yi passed the Heart-Testing Path. In fact, with He Yi cultivating the Original Essence Sutra, his speed would likely surpass expectations.
Lin Xiao explained this to Liu Yunan.
Hearing this, Liu Yunan was amazed. "So, there's actually a method this convenient?"
"I didn't expect it either. When I first saw him faint, I was confused too," Lin Xiao admitted.
"Hey, hey, Brother Xiao, could you share it with me as well? Maybe I could also be influenced by you and form some Primordial Qi?" Liu Yunan eagerly suggested, thinking that if it worked for him, his cultivation speed would skyrocket. Plus, he could finally start cultivating the Original Essence Sutra, which had always seemed daunting to him.
Lin Xiao shot him a sideways glance, exasperated. "How many times have I talked to you from childhood until now? Even after we started cultivating, I've often discussed the Dao with you, but have you ever felt the slightest sign of Primordial Qi in your dantian?"
Liu Yunan put down his jade slip and moved closer, throwing an arm around Lin Xiao's shoulders.
"Ah, Brother Xiao, that's not fair! You only comprehended the path of Primordial Qi shortly before you went into seclusion. You didn't have time to influence us with your Dao heart, right? Come on, just give it a shot!" He nudged Lin Xiao playfully, winking at him.
Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, alright, stop with the fake sweetness." He pulled out a stack of small booklets and stuffed them into Liu Yunan's arms.
"I've already written down my insights on cultivating Primordial Qi. I was planning to put these in the sect's library and the cultivation hall tomorrow. Since you're so eager, I'll leave it to you to handle."
Liu Yunan cheerfully accepted the booklets, placing them in his storage ring with a grin.
"Of course, Brother Xiao! You're always so busy, so leave these small matters to me!"
After parting ways, Lin Xiao returned to his small bamboo house atop Lingyun Mountain on the floating island. The night was deep by then.
Sitting at his desk, Lin Xiao pulled out the jade slip where he had recorded the patterns he'd seen in the Deadstone Mine and studied it again for a while, but he still couldn't make any sense of it.
He suddenly recalled what He Yi had mentioned earlier—apparently, in the major sects of the cultivation world, there were many ancient records and artifacts related to Deadstone. Perhaps those texts contained some clues.
"Maybe I should ask He Yi about it tomorrow," Lin Xiao thought.
Having no breakthroughs in his research, Lin Xiao stored away the jade slip. He rested his head in his hands, staring at the flickering lamp on his desk in a daze.
He also wondered what changes the system update would bring. Sect Development 2.0...
Wasn't the current pace of their sect's growth sufficient? Lin Xiao thought it was pretty good.
He couldn't figure out what the system had planned.
But one thing was clear—he needed to focus on cultivating more diligently. Increasing his strength would never be a bad thing. With that in mind, Lin Xiao began to meditate.
After nearly three years, the spiritual energy produced by Lingyun Mountain had become increasingly dense, now almost on par with the spiritual energy generated by a first-grade spiritual vein beneath the floating island.
Lin Xiao estimated that it wouldn't be long before Lingyun Mountain gave birth to a first-grade spiritual vein of its own.
Feeling the rich spiritual energy around him, comparable to that of a first-grade vein, Lin Xiao was delighted.
"Looks like the sect has another aspect that's on its way to being further perfected," he thought.
The next morning, Lin Xiao and Liu Yunan descended the mountain to visit Village Chief Du at his home.
Most of the family had already gone out to work. Only Village Chief Du, his daughter-in-law, and his young grandson were home.
When Village Chief Du saw Lin Xiao and Liu Yunan approaching, his face lit up with a broad smile, and he beckoned them over.
"Brother Xiao, Brother Nan, come on in! Have some hot porridge—it's still warm in the pot."
It was the dead of winter, and white clouds of breath puffed from Village Chief Du's mouth as he spoke.
The two of them didn't refuse, gratefully accepting two steaming bowls of porridge served by the village chief's wife.
"Sect Master, Elder Nan, what brings you here today?" Lin Xiao asked after taking a sip of the hot porridge.
Village Chief Du watched them drink the porridge, his face kind and benevolent.
"Well, it's like this—the village has benefited greatly from Lingxian Sect's care these past few years, so the villagers all wanted to show their gratitude."
Hearing that the villagers wanted to give them something, Lin Xiao quickly waved his hand in refusal.
"No need, no need, Village Chief. Please tell everyone not to go to any trouble. We don't lack for anything, and seeing that everyone's lives have improved makes us happy enough."
"That's right, Village Chief. The villagers have only just started to live more comfortably. There's no need for them to give us anything," Liu Yunan chimed in.
Seeing how eager they were to refuse, Village Chief Du chuckled.
"We know you don't need anything, and the villagers aren't offering anything valuable. It's just something we all worked on together, and it can't be undone now. Just think of it as a token of our appreciation, and please don't be offended when you see it."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao and Liu Yunan stopped trying to decline. They decided to go along and see what it was.
After finishing their porridge, Village Chief Du led them outside.
Lin Xiao and Liu Yunan exchanged puzzled glances. Weren't they supposed to be receiving something? Why were they heading outside? Was the gift not at Village Chief Du's house?
Village Chief Du led them to the west side of the halfway point of Beishan Mountain, where Lingxian Sect was situated.
This area was filled with dense forest, separated from the village by a large patch of brambles and bushes. It was closer to the halfway point of Beishan Mountain, where Lingxian Sect was located. If a stone staircase were built along the steep cliff, it would provide direct access to the mountain.
However, the area had always been overgrown with shrubs and small hills, with a small pond nearby. The ground was muddy, so the water in the pond was often murky, like a small swamp.
In the past, Lin Xiao and the others would often come here to catch frogs and dig for eels.
But this time, they found that the area had undergone a significant transformation.
The once overgrown path through the thorny bushes had been cleared, forming a small road about three meters wide.
This area wasn't lacking in fertile land, but it had never been developed because the soil was full of large and small rocks deeply embedded in the ground.
Additionally, many hardy weeds with long, tough roots grew here, making it difficult to cultivate.