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

Sun Yigao glanced out the window. The fragrance was familiar—it was the scent from the Ten Mile Peach Blossom Tree he passed every day. Normally, the fragrance stayed within the sect's grounds, but today, it had drifted all the way down to the foot of the mountain. He guessed that Lin Xiao must have done something up there again.

He only lost focus for a moment before pulling his thoughts back and continuing his lecture to the now more alert students.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao finally snapped out of his reverie, still immersed in the beauty of the scene before him. The system's notification chimed in, breaking the silence:

[Ding—Congratulations, Host, for completing the sect construction task: Recruit disciples (1). You have successfully created a Path of Reflection. The reward has been deposited into your storage. Please check your inventory.]

Lin Xiao wasn't in a hurry to check the reward. After all, it wasn't going anywhere. There was something more important he needed to do.

He made his way to the clearing near the cultivation chamber. This area only had a single large stone—the entrance connection point to the Greenfield Secret Realm. Lin Xiao planned to place the entrance to the Icefield Secret Realm here as well. That way, they wouldn't have to go searching all over the place whenever they wanted to enter a realm.

With his decision made, Lin Xiao retrieved the secret realm entrance connection point he had received as a reward from the system along with the Icefield Secret Realm key. Unlike the large stone used for the Greenfield Secret Realm, this time it was a small pool of water, which Lin Xiao thought of as more of an ice pool due to the frigid cold it radiated, with mist swirling above its surface.

He decided to place it next to the moss-covered stone that marked the Greenfield Secret Realm's entrance. The contrast between the green stone and the icy pool seemed fitting.

After setting the ice pool in place, Lin Xiao leaned in and peered into the depths. He knew from his experience with the Greenfield Secret Realm that there would be a slot for the realm key somewhere in the pool, and he trusted the system's security measures.

Upon submerging his head in the icy water, he found that the pool was deceptively deep and spacious. At the bottom, he spotted a peculiar stone pedestal with a small, colorful bubble floating above it. He tossed the realm key into the bubble, and the moment the key made contact, the bubble absorbed it, and the entrance to the Icefield Secret Realm appeared just above the pool.

Satisfied that the mechanism was similar to the Greenfield Secret Realm, Lin Xiao retrieved the key from the bubble, causing the entrance to close once more. After exiting the pool and using his spiritual energy to dry off, he stood there, deep in thought.

Then, an idea struck him. He opened his storage and rummaged through his inventory until he pulled out a silver-tailed fish. The large fish thrashed energetically in his grip, but Lin Xiao's firm hold kept it from escaping.

With a casual toss, he flung the silver-tailed fish into the ice pool. Instantly, the fish seemed at home, swimming happily and even flipping over a few times in delight. However, Lin Xiao noticed that the fish seemed to shrink slightly once inside the pool. Curious, he quickly pulled the fish out and observed that it returned to its original size. Throwing it back in, he saw it shrink again.

Realizing what was happening, Lin Xiao understood that the pool had some unique properties, making it much larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside. This meant that the pool could hold far more than he initially thought.

Excited by this discovery, Lin Xiao decided to add more silver-tailed fish to the pool, but to be cautious, he only placed ten more for now. He planned to observe them for a few days before adding the rest.

If the pool could sustain the fish, they might even breed more, providing a steady supply of delicious silver-tailed fish for the sect. He could already imagine Fuzi, the sect's cook, preparing exquisite dishes with them.

After handling the fish, Lin Xiao planted a few ice stone grasses around the pool—plants he had carefully collected during his time in the Icefield Secret Realm. He surrounded the pool with these snowy-white plants, leaving just a small path for people to pass through. Like with the fish, he didn't plant all the grass at once, wanting to make sure the environment was suitable for their growth.

Pleased with his work, Lin Xiao took a step back to admire the scene. The cold, misty pool nestled beside the lush green stone, surrounded by the pure white ice stone grass, created a striking contrast. It added a refreshing chill to the otherwise warm and serene mountain landscape.

Now, the only thing left from his journey to the Icefield Secret Realm was the Icefield Spirit. But Lin Xiao had no intention of bonding with it just yet. After all, it was captured by Elder Liao, and its purification abilities, though impressive, were somewhat similar to his own Purification Technique. He felt it wasn't something he urgently needed, so he decided to leave it aside for now and focus on more pressing matters.

Lin Xiao had a clear plan for the near future: cultivation. His recent trip to the cultivation world had shown him that, as a sect leader, having a high cultivation level was essential. The sect couldn't remain hidden in the mortal world forever. Though they wouldn't actively seek attention, they wouldn't shy away from it either.

As their reputation grew, so too would the challenges they faced. A powerful sect leader would be a vital shield against any threats that arose.

With that in mind, Lin Xiao resolved that once the sect's affairs were in order, he would enter seclusion to cultivate.

He wouldn't emerge until he reached the Golden Core stage.