Upon hearing Liu Yunan's excited report, Lin Xiao immediately understood that He Yi had successfully emerged from Wenxin Road and joined the sect. Seeing how animated Liu Yunan was, he let him finish recounting He Yi's observations before speaking up:
"Illusory Spirit Immortal Peach Tree? That name does have a fittingly mystical tone for the cultivation world."
"Exactly, Brother Xiao! It sounds so grand! Oh, and later, He Yi saw our floating island and was utterly amazed. He said he couldn't figure out what kind of array we were using to keep it suspended. Though the island isn't large, he assumed it must take a great deal of spirit stones to maintain, saying he never expected a sect in the mortal realm to be so rich in hidden treasures," Liu Yunan said, sounding both proud and slightly concerned. "Brother Xiao, does it really cost a lot of spirit stones to keep the island floating?"
Liu Yunan was starting to feel uneasy. He was already contemplating if he should persuade Brother Xiao to stop spending so many spirit stones to keep the island afloat, thinking it wasn't really necessary.
"No, don't listen to him. Our floating island is different from what he's thinking—it doesn't require much at all. Just settle He Yi in according to the standard for Qingyun Peak disciples, and I'll deal with the rest when I get back," Lin Xiao explained.
"Got it, Brother Xiao. Oh, right, one more thing—yesterday, the village chief sent a message asking if we could visit the village when we have some free time," Liu Yunan added, recalling the message that Yuan Jinsheng had relayed.
"Alright, we'll find a time to head down after I return."
...
After disconnecting the Locking Ring, Lin Xiao turned to the system and asked, "You've always referred to it as the 'Ten Mile Peach Blossom Tree,' but how come He Yi called it the 'Illusory Spirit Immortal Peach Tree'?"
The system's mechanical, neutral voice sounded in his mind:
"Reminder: The true name of the Ten Mile Peach Blossom Tree is indeed Ten Mile Peach Blossom Tree. The name Illusory Spirit Immortal Peach Tree was coined by someone unfamiliar with it, based on its ability to transform its leaves. Its primary feature is that its fragrance travels ten miles, hence the name."
"Because of the fragrance?" Lin Xiao thought the reasoning was almost too simple.
"Correct," the system confirmed.
Well, that explained it.
Still feeling something was off, Lin Xiao pondered for a moment before asking again, "Is that all? Are you hiding anything else from me?"
"What does the host mean? This system supports the host in exploring the vast unknowns of the world but assures you that all disclosed information is accurate."
Hearing the system's response, Lin Xiao couldn't help but feel it was withholding plenty of information.
"Hmph, so secretive. As a system, you should be more open and honest," Lin Xiao grumbled.
"Oh."
...
By the time Lin Xiao returned to Lingxian Sect in the evening, he greeted Liu Yunan briefly before heading straight to the Qingyun Peak dormitories to find He Yi.
He Yi, now officially a part of Lingxian Sect, had adapted surprisingly quickly. Upon learning that new disciples were expected to build their own dormitories, he followed Liu Yunan's directions and quickly constructed a new courtyard next to an existing one, mirroring its layout exactly, without any attempts to make his place stand out.
Not only had He Yi built the courtyard, but he had also constructed the entire structure, including the deep water pool present in every yard. The only thing left unfinished was space for five more rooms for future residents.
At the moment, He Yi sat inside his new house, staring blankly at a food box filled with an array of spirit-infused dishes. It was a rich and nourishing meal.
Apparently, this kind of spirit food was provided every evening.
Yesterday, due to his sudden arrival and the fact that Liu Yunan had been busy showing him around the sect, there had been no meal arranged for him. But today, his meal arrived promptly, along with a reusable food box. According to the disciple assigned to help He Yi integrate into Qingyun Peak, this box was standard for everyone.
Oh, and Liu Yunan had mentioned that, since He Yi had missed the formal induction, they had arranged for a Qingyun Peak disciple named Bai Shu to assist him over the next month. Bai Shu would guide him through the daily life of a Qingyun Peak disciple to help him adjust.
He Yi recalled how, earlier that morning, Bai Shu had taken him to Cultivation Hall for a lecture.
Initially, He Yi thought Cultivation Hall was fairly normal—its concentration of spiritual energy was quite high, probably due to a Spirit Gathering Formation, which was common in sects.
However, he had noticed that the entire area around Shuishui Village, near Lingxian Sect, had a denser concentration of spiritual energy compared to most places in the mortal realm.
At first, He Yi thought little of it. It made sense that sects would be located in areas with higher spiritual energy.
But after he passed through Wenxin Road and entered the sect grounds with Liu Yunan, he had realized something: the spiritual energy within the sect itself was almost on par with the cultivation world!
This far exceeded what he would expect from a typical mortal realm sect.
And within the Cultivation Hall, the spiritual energy was even denser!
It wasn't much different from the small sects in the cultivation world.
Small sects in the cultivation world were usually either situated on their own weak spiritual veins or relied on branches of larger sects' spiritual veins for sustenance.
Could it be that this unremarkable sect in the mortal realm possessed a full-fledged spiritual vein?
Not to mention, this sect even maintained a floating island. Although it wasn't large, the cost in spirit stones must have been considerable.
Moreover, this sect had a spiritual chef who could prepare spirit food.
He Yi stared at the spirit-infused meal before him.
The chef was clearly quite skilled.
Many of the ingredients were common spirit-food materials. Typically, much of the spirit energy in such ingredients would be lost during cooking. But in this dish, the spirit energy remained intact.
Even the most ordinary ingredients brimmed with spirit energy.
He Yi had also been informed that the sect's Spirit Food Hall was located on the floating island, and though he had visited it with Liu Yunan last night, it had been too late to meet the head of the hall.
Apparently, the hall was managed by Elder Jiang, who was said to be very approachable.
According to Bai Shu, the Immortal Food Chapter of the sect's core scripture, Benyuan Heart Method, had been created by this Elder Jiang, building upon the original techniques of the Benyuan Heart Method.
Oh yes, that Cultivation Hall and its bookshelf...
When the lesson had officially begun, He Yi hadn't yet chosen a cultivation technique, so Bai Shu had lent him a copy of his own, the Benyuan Heart Method.
And to He Yi's shock, it was a mid-tier Heaven-grade technique!
Even Fuzong, the top sect in the Southern and Northern Spirit Domains, didn't possess a technique of this caliber! The highest-grade technique Fuzong had, disregarding spiritual root requirements, was only a low-tier Heaven-grade.
What's more, as He Yi browsed through the Benyuan Heart Method, he was stunned to discover that the technique had nothing to do with the cultivator's spiritual root aptitude!