"Some cultivators may be stuck at the same level for years, but once they gain insight into their Daoist name, they can break through a long-standing bottleneck. Many cultivators who have lost hope of improving their cultivation will use the last of their lifespan to meditate on a Daoist name, hoping for a breakthrough. However, the number who succeed is very small."
"I see!" the four of them responded in unison, enlightened.
None of them had expected that a Daoist name could be so useful.
For Lin Xiao, Sun Yigao, and Yang Jinshu, their first thought was about how the Daoist name could help with their cultivation. However, Mo Yuanjiao had different thoughts.
He mainly thought that having a Daoist name sounded really cool!
Once he had a Daoist name, people would start calling him "Venerable [Name]!" Just imagining it made him feel awesome!
When he got his Daoist name, the first person he'd make call him that would be his father.
Everyone kept this in mind, planning to meditate and seek their own Daoist names whenever they had free time.
After discussing this, Liao Pantu joined in with the teaching group's work.
It was the cusp of late autumn and early winter, and the sunlight had a sharp, chilly brightness.
Many plants that couldn't withstand the cold had already withered and fallen.
Around midday, the people of Xiushui Village no longer wandered outside with bowls of food, visiting neighbors. Instead, they chose to eat their warm meals at home and then enjoy a bowl of hot tea when they went out.
After a morning of hard work, the post-lunch rest was their most pleasant time of day.
However, in the past few days, the elders and children of the village were not strolling in the village or sunbathing after lunch. Instead, they had run to the outskirts of the village behind Lingxian Academy.
Here, a large group of shirtless men was busily digging, moving bricks, hammering stones, and packing soil.
With the weather getting colder and fewer insects around, the recent agricultural work had lightened up after fertilizing the fields, which gave the village time to start its expansion. The village chief had officially begun organizing the construction of the new town.
Though the village chief had money and had hired strong laborers from nearby villages, there was no way he would exclude the villagers from such a profitable task.
After planning the boundaries and layout of the town, the first task was to build a wall!
Since the village was transitioning to a town and had ample funding, the village chief, Du, and the village elders decided to build a wall around the land designated by the imperial court for Xiushui Town.
The wall wasn't particularly high, ranging from three to five meters depending on the terrain.
Its main purpose was to keep out wild animals from the deep mountains, such as wolves, tigers, and leopards.
Although the people of Xiushui Village had lived here for many years, wild beasts still occasionally wandered into the village due to the nearby dense forests and mountains.
Many villagers still remembered the incident eight years ago when a wild boar had broken into the village, destroying the walls of several courtyards and even causing damage to livestock.
The elders often recalled how, in the old days, a tiger had once entered the village, killing and injuring many villagers.
Now that the village had money and official approval, the first thing Du and the village elders thought to do was to quickly build the wall, so that everyone could sleep more peacefully at night.
The section of the wall that bordered Lingxian Sect was located halfway up the Northern Mountain Range.
The area beyond the mountain range didn't fall within the boundaries of Xiushui Village or the new Xiushui Town.
Therefore, after discussions with Lingxian Sect, the village began constructing the wall from behind Lingxian Academy.
The academy was nestled against the mountain, with a stream running behind it. The wall began behind the stream, enclosing both the academy and the stream within the boundaries of Xiushui Town. The wall continued along the edge of fields and houses, following the course of the stream.
When it reached the cemetery hill, the wall turned, enclosing both the cemetery and the surrounding farmland.
In this way, the wall formed a square, ending at the other side of the mountain.
Apart from the main gate, which opened towards the road leading out, the only gap in the wall was the section bordering Lingxian Sect on the mountain slope.
Looking at the layout, it seemed like Xiushui Town was backed by Lingxian Sect, facing the outside world and the main road.
Planning it on paper was easy, but the actual construction was far from simple.
To ensure its sturdiness, although the wall wasn't particularly high, it was built to be quite thick—about two meters.
This way, it wouldn't be easily knocked down by large beasts.
As a result, the construction was progressing slowly.
Village Chief Du, who was overseeing the work, looked at the weather and the pace of the project and sighed, thinking they probably wouldn't finish before the ground froze.
With springtime work coming up again, the wall would likely have to be completed under the blazing sun next summer. He sighed heavily.
At that moment, two people wearing identical uniforms from Lingxian Sect appeared from around the corner of Lingxian Academy's wall and greeted him with a bow.
"Greetings, Village Chief Du," they said in unison.
"I'm Baishu, and this is Liang Zhonghuai," Baishu introduced himself and his companion.
Village Chief Du quickly waved his hands and replied:
"Oh, no need for such formalities... What brings you here?"
Perhaps it was because he had watched Lin Xiao, Jiang Youfu, and the others grow up, but Village Chief Du didn't refer to the young members of Lingxian Sect as "immortals" like outsiders did. He treated them more like respected youths.
"It's like this, Village Chief. Since the weather has turned colder, we were thinking that construction might be more difficult for you all. So starting today, the disciples of Qingyun Peak will pair up and take turns coming down to loosen the soil and keep the area warm, to help with building the wall," Baishu explained with a smile.
Lingxian Sect had been keeping the entire sect updated on the progress of Xiushui Village's construction, so the disciples of Qingyun Peak were well aware of the situation.
After forming their study groups last night, they had also discussed the ongoing construction in the village.
The elders of the sect had always taught them not to forget to help mortals as their cultivation progressed, so when they learned that Xiushui Village was building a town, they kept it in mind. Last night, they gathered together and brainstormed ways they could help.
After all, Xiushui Village was currently the only place where the elders felt comfortable allowing them to go without supervision.
Baishu did all the talking since Liang Zhonghuai felt Baishu was better with words. He stood quietly by his side, occasionally glancing at the construction of the wall and admiring the scenery of Xiushui Village.
The last time he had come here, it had been at night, and he had been too preoccupied with helping Aunt Yang find her daughter to notice the village.
Now, in broad daylight, he could take in the view. The mountains and waters complemented each other. Though it was late autumn and the landscape was somewhat bleak, many plants, perhaps nourished by spiritual energy, still thrived. The green mountains and waters created a serene and beautiful scene.
It was different from a typical quiet village.
Here, there was bustling activity, with lively markets, winding paths, and a mix of low, rustic farmhouses alongside tall, ornate inns and grand estates. It created a picture of a thriving mountain village, both contrasting and harmonious.
This was the village that had birthed their Lingxian Sect.