For He Yi, who was born in the cultivation world, anything involving yin energy usually wasn't a good thing.
Or to put it more bluntly, it was almost always trouble. This was a piece of common knowledge deeply ingrained in the bones of cultivators from the cultivation world.
No longer in the mood to continue meditating, He Yi sat upright, waiting for feedback from the Spirit Detection Talisman he had just used.
He wondered if this might be related to the Jishi Stone...
Moments later, his talisman responded.
Typically, Spirit Detection Talismans are used to detect spiritual energy, but He Yi's was a bit different.
His version had been modified and could detect many other things. He often used it as a general investigative tool.
The feedback confirmed that his earlier perception had not been an illusion. Though the disturbance was brief, there had indeed been something drawing in the yin energy.
However, after flying a considerable distance, the talisman was unable to pinpoint the exact location before the force behind the disturbance dissipated.
This suggested that the source of the power wasn't very close to where he was.
If it had been nearby, the speed of his talisman would have allowed it to at least lock onto the general area, even if not the precise point.
Nevertheless, while the exact location remained unclear, He Yi had determined the general direction.
He looked eastward, where the sky was pitch-black.
The moon was obscured by thick clouds, making the night especially dark.
The force drawing in the yin energy had come from the east.
The next day.
In the imperial palace, Li Zhouxuan had just finished his morning court session and was about to take advantage of the short break before a meeting with his close ministers to grab something to eat. He rarely had much of an appetite before court and had eaten little, so by now, his stomach was growling like an empty drum.
To his surprise, a servant came in and reported that the envoy from the cultivation world wished to see him.
Li Zhouxuan reluctantly had the food removed and went to meet with He Yi.
"What brings you here today, Immortal He?"
Over the past few weeks, although they hadn't interacted frequently, Li Zhouxuan had come to realize that He Yi was not the type to enjoy flattery or excessive formalities. Thus, he dispensed with the usual pleasantries and got straight to the point.
He Yi, too, was direct.
"Can you tell me what's to the east of Pusi Kingdom?"
"The east?"
Li Zhouxuan blinked in surprise, glancing instinctively toward the horizon outside the hall. He wasn't sure why He Yi was asking about this, but he answered honestly:
"If you're asking about the lands within our kingdom, to the east is Hufang Province, home to two sects: the Shangyang Sect and the Lingxian Sect, both of which are allied with Pusi Kingdom."
"If you're asking about lands beyond our borders, farther to the east is an expanse of deep mountains and forests, largely uninhabited, though I've heard rumors of wild men living there. Beyond that, there's a great sea, and across the sea lies the Dingqiang Kingdom. Further east..."
"That's enough, thank you, King Li. That's all I needed to know." He Yi interrupted him.
The force he had sensed had already been quite weak by the time it reached the capital. He Yi had a general understanding of Pusi Kingdom's geography, and based on the distance, the power likely wouldn't have extended beyond this area. If it had, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Given his knowledge, He Yi could roughly estimate that even cultivators in the Nascent Soul or Void Return stages wouldn't be able to manipulate such a force without exerting their full power.
In the mortal realm, it seemed unlikely that anyone could wield such strength.
Of course, the possibility of remnants of the Jishi Sect stirring up trouble couldn't be ruled out either.
But the Jishi Qi and yin energy had different origins, so it seemed unlikely that they could create something of this magnitude.
After some contemplation, He Yi said nothing more and took his leave.
As soon as He Yi left, Li Zhouxuan signaled his servants to bring back the meal. But just as he was taking his second bite, a palace attendant rushed in to report that Immortal He had announced his intention to leave the palace for several days to travel.
Li Zhouxuan had no objections to this.
After all, He Yi was an envoy from the cultivation world. What could he say to oppose it? All he could do was send word to the ancestral hall and inform the elders.
Then he resumed eating. He had a ministers' meeting to attend soon.
Recently, there had been an outbreak of disease in the southern provinces. While not particularly deadly, it had caused significant disruptions to the lives of the people.
Surprisingly, likely influenced by Lingxian Sect, the Qinghe Sect, which had previously shown little interest in the affairs of the common folk, had stepped forward to assist the imperial court in providing relief.
Though Changming Mountain was now fully constructed, Lin Xiao didn't immediately gather everyone to show it off like he usually did.
There was something a bit awkward about it.
For most other constructions, gathering everyone for a tour and celebration made sense. But with Changming Mountain, a cemetery, it just didn't feel appropriate.
After all, who builds a grand burial site and then calls everyone over to say:
"Look! This is what I built for all of us! When we're gone, we can all rest here!"
It was a bit... uncomfortable.
Still, Changming Mountain was Lin Xiao's first independently completed, highly impressive creation.
The fact that he couldn't show it off to everyone was... frustrating.
Just as Lin Xiao was pondering how to resolve this dilemma, Liu Yunian unexpectedly came to his rescue.
That day, having finally finished the construction of Changming Mountain, Lin Xiao had some free time to provide detailed instruction on cultivation techniques to the Teaching and Research Team.
As everyone studied diligently on the top floor of the library, Liu Yunian, who had been lurking outside, started making faces at Lin Xiao through the window.
Seeing that the others were still focused on their studies and not asking any questions, Liu Yunian took the opportunity to send Lin Xiao a message through transmission:
"Brother Xiao! Come here, quick! I've got something to show you!"
Curious, Lin Xiao excused himself and followed Liu Yunian down to the sixth floor.
Before Lin Xiao could ask what was going on, Liu Yunian flashed a mysterious smile and said:
"I did it, Brother Xiao!"
With that, he pulled out several large sheets of paper from his storage ring.
"Take a look! Is this what you had in mind for the Sect Monthly Report?"
Then, he pulled out his notebook and began explaining:
"I've also set up the structure for the Monthly Report department. For now, it's temporarily under the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. We'll have it fully integrated with the information we get from the cultivation world and the Mo family estate. There will be one chief editor to oversee everything and two assistants responsible for gathering and compiling information for the report…"
Lin Xiao was both surprised and delighted as he looked over the first draft of the Sect Monthly Report and listened to Liu Yunian's plans for the new department.
"Excellent work, Yunian!"
Without delay, Lin Xiao grabbed Liu Yunian and headed straight to the new Monthly Report Department to continue working on the project.
They spent the entire night and into the next morning brainstorming and making adjustments.
The next day at dawn.
This happened to be the day Lin Xiao was scheduled to teach a class at the Cultivation Hall on Qingyun Peak.
The disciples were eagerly anticipating it.
Although Lin Xiao was young, his cultivation was deep, and his lectures were engaging. The disciples always looked forward to his teachings.
They expected today's session to be just like any other...