After completing the tour of the Secret Realm Garden, the next stop was naturally the Yaoguang Floating Island, as its entrance was right nearby.
However, Liu Yunan hesitated for a moment as he glanced at the group of new disciples behind him. They had just toured the mid-mountain area, and most of them were already flushed with excitement.
If he took them to the floating island now, would it be too overwhelming?
Internally, Liu Yunan scolded himself for his miscalculation, realizing he hadn't considered this issue beforehand. After thinking it over, he decided it would be better to let everyone return to their dormitories for a rest. After all, they had spent two days in the Mind Trial Path. Although their bodies had been nourished by spiritual energy, they were still somewhat fatigued. Coupled with the excitement from the tour, Liu Yunan worried that some of the new disciples might collapse from exhaustion.
He turned to the group and said, "The rest of the tour will continue tomorrow. For today, this will be the end. Now, I'll take you all to the dormitory area to rest."
As he spoke, he took out a message talisman, infused it with his spiritual sense for a moment, and then sent it to Qin Jianghe. After that, he led the new disciples toward the dormitory area.
Thanks to frequent use, the communication talismans of Lingxian Sect had been continuously improved. One such improvement was the ability to input messages via spiritual sense, allowing for silent communication when speaking aloud was inconvenient.
Before entering seclusion for his breakthrough, Lin Xiao had been working on an even more efficient communication tool, but the sudden timing of his breakthrough prevented him from completing the research. He had gone into the Ziran Platform before he could finish.
Arriving at the dormitory area, Liu Yunan pointed to a row of large grass huts and cleared his throat before explaining, "This will be your temporary residence. Soon, elders will guide you in constructing your permanent dwellings, but for the next few days, you'll rest in these grass huts."
He continued, "If you feel bored staying here, feel free to explore the mid-mountain area and familiarize yourself with the surroundings. You'll be spending a lot of time there in the future."
Liu Yunan then gestured toward a spacious hall on the other side of the mountain, saying, "That is the Cultivation Hall, where you will train. Inside, you'll find many cultivation techniques. If you have free time, feel free to go there, browse the techniques, and familiarize yourselves with them."
After giving these instructions, Liu Yunan thought for a moment, deciding that was enough information for now. He concluded, "Alright, you've been through a long day, so get some rest. Dinner will be brought to you later. Take this time to get to know each other. From today on, you are fellow disciples."
With that, he pulled out his peachwood sword and flew away from the dormitory area, leaving the new disciples behind.
The new disciples stood there, gazing at the rows of grass huts in slight bewilderment. The stark contrast between the wondrous places they had just visited in the mid-mountain and the simplicity of the grass huts left them feeling a bit disoriented. The sudden shift in environment was hard to process, and they needed time to adjust.
Fortunately, this arrangement was only temporary.
Each grass hut was spacious, with stone blocks on the ground topped with large wooden boards, seemingly intended as beds. Each hut could accommodate about twenty people comfortably.
In preparation for the new arrivals, the sect had built plenty of these huts, ensuring there were enough for everyone. Even with more than a hundred new disciples, there would still be several empty huts, even if each held ten people.
Beside each hut, there was a large water jar and several flat stones that could serve as makeshift tables. However, the huts were otherwise sparse in furnishings.
For many of the new disciples, particularly those from impoverished backgrounds or even from Shouxiu Village, the grass huts were acceptable. After hearing Liu Yunan's explanation, they obediently entered the huts and took out their personal supplies from the storage pouches they had received earlier at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.
These small pouches, resembling ordinary coin purses, surprisingly held a vast amount of items inside—something that had amazed the disciples when they first opened them. Even after examining the contents multiple times along the tour, they were still fascinated by how much they held.
As the disciples began settling in and figuring out the supplies inside their pouches, those who were better dressed and more affluent finally snapped out of their daze. It was just a grass hut, after all. If the others could stay in them, so could they.
No matter the reason behind this arrangement, they had fought hard to join the sect and wouldn't let this minor inconvenience bother them. They, too, followed the lead of others and started spreading out their bedding, albeit with some awkwardness. Thus began their new lives of self-reliance and cultivation.
The hundred-odd disciples naturally divided themselves by gender, with the men taking the left-side huts and the women settling on the right. Two empty huts in the middle served as a boundary between them.
Some of the women, unused to sharing living quarters with so many others, felt a bit self-conscious. However, they quickly reminded themselves that they were now in a sect, training to become cultivators. They would be fellow disciples, bound by their pursuit of the Dao, not restricted by worldly conventions. With these thoughts, their initial shyness faded.
Some of the more physically frail disciples had worried that living in such an exposed environment might make them ill, but upon entering the huts, they found the temperature inside to be surprisingly comfortable.
After quickly laying out her bedding, Zhu Xiurong noticed a young girl struggling with her blankets. The girl was small and sweating from the effort. Smiling kindly, Zhu Xiurong stepped forward to help her.
When the bed was finally made, the girl flashed her pearly white teeth in a bright smile, her voice crisp and youthful as she said, "Thank you, Granny! My name is Tong Wan. Daddy says I'm as lovely as a piece of jade, so you can call me Wanwan!"
Zhu Xiurong smiled warmly in return. "Very well, I'll call you Wanwan from now on."
Just then, a voice called softly from outside the women's hut area, "Aunt Yang, how are things on your side?"
Recognizing Liang Zhonghuai's voice, Zhu Xiurong gestured for Tong Wan to wait and stepped outside to find Liang standing at the boundary between the men's and women's huts.
She reassured him with a relaxed expression, "Don't worry, Zhonghuai. I'm fine."
Seeing her in such good spirits, especially after reuniting with her long-lost daughter, Liang felt a wave of relief and happiness for her. "When do you plan to see her?" he asked.