After escorting Village Chief Du back to his home, Lin Xiao and Liu Yun Nan returned to the sect.
The two headed straight to the Cultivation Hall and pulled Qin Jianghe out.
Seeing Liu Yun Nan, who was neither dealing with matters in the Miscellaneous Hall nor cultivating, show up with Lin Xiao, Qin Jianghe was somewhat surprised and asked:
"Why aren't you cultivating?"
Lin Xiao waved a key in front of Qin Jianghe's face and said:
"Our sect now has a farmstead down the mountain."
"Huh? Xiao Ge'er, why would we get a farmstead down the mountain?" Qin Jianghe took the key, turning it over in his hand to inspect it. It was indeed just an ordinary key.
Lin Xiao and Liu Yun Nan then explained the origin of the farmstead, each contributing a sentence.
After hearing the story, Qin Jianghe was deeply moved. He returned the key to Lin Xiao and asked:
"Xiao Ge'er, do you have any plans in mind?"
Lin Xiao nodded.
"I'm planning to move some of our sect's basic spiritual plants down to the farmstead for cultivation and then sell these spiritual plants exclusively to cultivators in the mortal realm."
Hearing this, Qin Jianghe nodded in agreement:
"That makes sense. After all, these low-grade spiritual plants not only take up space but also don't fetch a good price in the cultivation world."
Every time their Finance Hall went to the cultivation world, they would sell the surplus spiritual grains and low-quality medicinal herbs—these low-grade spiritual plants.
However, the profits from this were never very high.
Compared to items like talismans, formation plates, pills, and artifacts, the revenue from selling low-grade spiritual plants was much lower.
"Once more cultivators start visiting the farmstead for trade, it will naturally evolve into a trading hub. When that happens, we'll need to set up defensive formations for the farmstead," Lin Xiao continued.
"If we plan to turn it into a trading center, it can't be included within the sect's protective formation. Also, we'll need to carefully draft regulations and management procedures for the trading center."
Liu Yun Nan immediately patted his chest and said:
"Don't worry, Xiao Ge'er! We're experienced in this. We'll definitely get it done!"
Lin Xiao smiled.
"I trust you both with the sect's matters, so there's nothing for me to worry about."
"Alright, let's proceed like this for now. You two can start drafting the regulations, and I'll handle the defensive formations for the farmstead."
After discussing the matter, Lin Xiao prepared to go find He Yi and ask about the symbols he had found in the mine.
However, noticing that it was still early, not even mid-morning yet, he realized that Qingyun Peak's Cultivation Hall was still in session, so he decided to put it off for now.
Suddenly, another thought crossed his mind.
"Hey, System, why haven't you finished updating yet?"
[Ding—System update has completed. Since the diligent host was cultivating last night, the system, being excellent, refrained from interrupting and entered a dormant state.]
[Thanks to the host's hard work, Lingxian Sect has now formed the foundation of a proper sect. To further enhance its development, the Sect Construction 2.0 version is now officially launched.]
[There are countless sects in the world, and the resources in the world where the host's sect resides are scarce, filled with danger. If the sect develops too slowly, it will be difficult to rise above. The host is encouraged to be bold, expand aggressively, and create a one-of-a-kind super sect.]
A flurry of notifications flooded Lin Xiao's mind, leaving his head buzzing. And before he could even process everything, the system chimed in again:
[Ding—Congratulations to the host for unlocking the 2.0 Sect Construction Mission: For a sect to become a super sect, it must be renowned in its territory. The host is tasked with greatly expanding the sect's reputation in the mortal realm, gaining the allegiance of no fewer than ten mortal realm sects.]
Lin Xiao sucked in a sharp breath.
"Wow, you're really throwing a big mission at me right after the update. Might as well have not updated at all!" Lin Xiao complained loudly to the system.
However, the system remained unfazed:
[As the difficulty of the mission increases, so too will the rewards. The host's efforts will not go unrewarded, so please work hard and strive to complete the mission as soon as possible.]
The system even played a little firework display in Lin Xiao's mind.
What could Lin Xiao do? He could only carefully reread the mission details. Upon confirming that there was no time limit, he breathed a sigh of relief.
As for the rewards? He'd let fate decide.
Sensing Lin Xiao's lack of enthusiasm, the system quickly cut off the second firework display, leaving no trace behind.
Lin Xiao: …
Forget it. He decided not to worry about it for now. His priority was setting up the formation for the farmstead.
He headed to the Formation Hall.
Since most people were cultivating at the moment, the hall was empty.
Alone in the grand hall, Lin Xiao didn't rush to carve the formation but instead grabbed a brush and ink from a nearby desk and began sketching out his thoughts.
Since he planned to develop this farmstead into a trading center for cultivators in the mortal realm, the formation couldn't just be a simple defensive one.
However, no matter what, security was paramount. He jotted that down.
He tapped his forehead with the brush, deep in thought.
Secondly, there needed to be a prohibition against cultivators engaging in combat inside.
If the place truly became a bustling trading hub in the future, and cultivators started fighting, who knew how much damage would be done? Such losses would severely tarnish the reputation of the trading center, potentially leading to its decline.
This was an absolute must and was added to the list.
In addition…
Lin Xiao thought about the toll systems used in the cultivation world's cities, as well as the bookshop he had visited during the Talisman Masters' Conference.
Elder Liao had mentioned that the bookshop was run by his rival, Yin Xuanzi.
Setting aside the toll system for now, Lin Xiao was particularly drawn to the shop's fee collection mechanism.
If he could implement a similar system, then all sellers or vendors in the trading center would have to register their shops, and buyers would need a receipt to leave.
This would significantly reduce theft and robbery.
Moreover, it would make it easier to collect taxes from those doing business there.
The more Lin Xiao thought about it, the more excited he became.
However, Elder Liao had mentioned that the reason the shop had this capability was due to a special artifact: a turtle shell…