Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

At this point, the only way for Lin Xiao to increase his cultivation speed was to study his cultivation method and deepen his comprehension.

Initially, his mind was solely focused on advancing as quickly as possible, making it impossible for him to settle down and concentrate.

Sun Yigao, who had spent years reading, immediately noticed Lin Xiao's restless state and realized that he was in no condition to focus on his studies.

So, Sun Yigao sat down beside him, pulled up his robe, and began reciting passages from The Analects in a calm, soft voice.

Jiang Youfu, seeing this, figured he had nothing better to do and sat down next to Lin Xiao, continuing to practice drawing Qi into his body.

Thus, with the rhythmic sounds of Sun Yigao's recitation and Jiang Youfu's steady breathing, Lin Xiao gradually began to calm down.

The system silently disabled all the [Comprehension +1] notifications.

After about an hour and a half, Lin Xiao felt a surge of energy within him, like a spring welling up inside.

And then, the system notified him: Ding—Congratulations, Host, on advancing to the third level of Qi Refinement.

Success!

Lin Xiao instantly opened his eyes and jumped to his feet.

His sudden movement startled the two people beside him.

Seeing Lin Xiao's expression, Sun Yigao asked excitedly, "Did it work?"

Lin Xiao nodded with a smile.

Jiang Youfu was stunned. His brother Lin had already reached the third level of Qi Refinement while he hadn't even managed to draw Qi into his body! No wonder Lin Xiao was his idol.

Without further delay, Lin Xiao approached Sun Yigao's mother and began using the Purification of Qi technique.

Because Lin Xiao's cultivation level was still relatively low, the Purification of Qi technique didn't immediately cleanse all the demonic energy. Instead, it purified it bit by bit.

This being his first time using the technique, Lin Xiao kept a spirit stone ready just in case.

However, perhaps because the demon behind this was not particularly powerful, the purification process went smoothly.

Before his spiritual energy was entirely depleted or he needed to use the spirit stone, Lin Xiao successfully cleansed all the demonic energy.

Sun Yigao and Jiang Youfu watched as the grayish pallor on Sun Yigao's mother's face gradually faded, replaced by a healthier, more flushed complexion. Her lips, which had been purplish, slowly turned pale but normal.

Seeing Lin Xiao finish the purification, Sun Yigao rushed forward and asked, "How is my mother?"

Lin Xiao, adjusting to the near-exhaustion of his spiritual energy—akin to feeling extremely hungry—smiled and said, "The demonic energy has been purified. Your mother is out of danger now. However, her vital essence has been severely depleted, so she'll be weak for a while. She needs plenty of rest and sunlight."

Sun Yigao nodded repeatedly, relieved.

Jiang Youfu, witnessing this, silently vowed to redouble his cultivation efforts. The next time someone needed saving, he wanted to be able to help too!

"Water... Water..." Sun Yigao's mother suddenly muttered, as if in the throes of a nightmare.

Sun Yigao hurriedly fetched a cup of water from the outer room and returned to his mother's side.

She opened her eyes as he held her up, gently lifting the cup to her lips.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu quietly left the room to give the mother and son some privacy.

Outside, Jiang Youfu whispered hoarsely, "Lin Xiao, should we leave?"

Feeling refreshed after performing a good deed, Lin Xiao replied softly, "Of course, let's go. It's not like we're staying to bask in their gratitude. So, how does it feel to see the benefits of cultivation?"

Jiang Youfu scratched his head and chuckled. "Cultivating really is amazing. Should we go back to the sect now? I want to keep practicing! I feel like I'm close to drawing Qi into my body!"

Lin Xiao was thrilled to hear this. "Really? Then let's go, back to the sect!" Jiang Youfu then asked, "Aren't we going to show off to Tie Tou and the others?"

Seeing the system notification that his sect's reputation had increased by two points and hearing the system message: Ding—Congratulations, Host, on completing the task to increase sect reputation to 5. The rewards have been issued. Please check.

This increase was likely due to Sun Yigao and Sun Changfu's acknowledgment.

Lin Xiao waved his hand grandly, "We can show off later—cultivation is more important."

With that, the two of them left Sun Yigao's house.

By the time Sun Yigao came out after taking care of his mother, they were already gone.

Back at the Lingxian Sect's grass hut on the mountainside, Jiang Youfu sat in meditation, feeling serene.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao reviewed the sect's data and checked his rewards.

Task reward: Basic Spirit Gathering Array x1, Spirit Stones x10.

Seeing the reward, Lin Xiao's eyes lit up.

A Spirit Gathering Array! This was a powerful tool for cultivation!

And the number of spirit stones had doubled this time!

Glancing at Jiang Youfu, who was still struggling to draw Qi into his body, Lin Xiao immediately took out the Spirit Gathering Array.

It was an intangible array plate that emitted a faint white glow.

Lin Xiao placed it in the center of the grass hut.

As soon as it touched the ground, the array plate sank into the earth, becoming invisible.

However, Lin Xiao knew that he could recall it at any time with a single thought.

Satisfied, he left it in place.

Jiang Youfu, still focused on cultivation, suddenly felt the spiritual energy around him surge.

The sensation of Qi became much clearer.

So he threw himself into his practice with even more determination.

The effects of the Basic Spirit Gathering Array were immediately apparent.

In less than two hours, Jiang Youfu successfully drew Qi into his body, reaching the first level of Qi Refinement!

Ding—Congratulations to sect elder Jiang Youfu for advancing to the first level of Qi Refinement.

Lin Xiao was very pleased.

Quietly, he took out three spirit stones and used them to extend his automated cultivation.

With ten spirit stones remaining in his inventory, Lin Xiao opened the system's shop with satisfaction.

Without hesitation, he spent three spirit stones to buy the two recommended synthesis tools and the cultivation manual.

With everything in hand, Lin Xiao left Jiang Youfu to his cultivation and exited the grass hut.

He placed a straw mat under the Ten Miles Peach Blossom Tree and sat down to begin his research.

First was the spiritual soil synthesis.

When Lin Xiao opened the [Spiritual Soil Synthesis Tool], three familiar slots appeared.

[Soil] + [Water] + [Spiritual Fertilizer/Spirit Stone]

The first two slots were easy enough to fill, but the third required either spiritual fertilizer or a spirit stone.

Though he still had seven spirit stones left, Lin Xiao guessed that only one would be needed, based on previous synthesis experiences.

But since his spirit stones were limited and automated cultivation consumed one per day, he decided to save the stones whenever possible.

For now, he needed to figure out the spiritual fertilizer…

Ordinary fertilizer was typically made from waste, but Lin Xiao knew that plants could also be used to make fertilizer.

However, with the word "spiritual" in the mix…

A gentle breeze blew past, and a few petals fell from the Ten Miles Peach Blossom Tree onto Lin Xiao.

He looked down at the peach blossoms on his lap.

Could these petals from the Ten Miles Peach Blossom Tree be considered spiritual plants? If so, they could be used for making spiritual fertilizer, right?