Returning to the floating island, Lin Xiao finally had some free time to cultivate for two days.
There was still no news from Liao Pantu, but Qin Jianghe had already brought back the 100,000 spirit stones borrowed from the Yuan family.
Lin Xiao immediately took the spirit stones and purchased the Lingti Turtle Shell from the system store.
Luckily, items bought from the store were automatically stored in his private vault. Otherwise, the size of the turtle shell could have easily burst through the walls of his small bamboo hut.
Since he needed to use the system's building fusion function to combine the turtle shell's formation with the city planning blueprint later, Lin Xiao didn't spend as much time researching how to fuse them as he had done with the Changming Mountain.
Instead, he created each of the large formations needed individually.
This saved him some effort.
He really needed time to cultivate now, so saving time where he could was a priority.
By the time Lin Xiao had finished creating the various formations in the formation hall, a month had already passed.
However, there was still no word from Senior Liao over at Changming.
Fortunately, the smaller individual burial spaces within the area could still be accessed, so the sect members could continue mourning their relatives without delay.
During that month, Xiushui Town at the foot of the mountain had been completely finished, and the villagers were starting to prepare for the new year.
The disciples of the Lingxian Sect had also made significant progress in their cultivation lessons.
Most disciples had already become proficient in mastering the first layer of their techniques, with some even advancing to the second layer. The research team's workload had been significantly alleviated.
Qin Jianghe and Liu Yunan had further refined the details of establishing and managing the trading center.
They had also contacted the Li imperial family, gaining preliminary access to some trustworthy sects through their connections.
Some were within Pusi Kingdom, while others came from neighboring countries.
A few days ago, Lin Yun successfully broke through from the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage to the Golden Core stage, becoming a Golden Core cultivator.
After stabilizing his realm, he saw the sound transmission talisman left by Lin Xiao and immediately sought him out, only to find his younger brother locked up in the formation hall once again, so he didn't disturb him.
He knew that as soon as Lin Xiao came out, dinner would never be missed.
Thus, on the evening Lin Xiao emerged, the two brothers finally met at the dinner table.
At the table, Lin Xiao directly asked for Lin Yun's opinion, effectively announcing his decision to everyone present.
Naturally, Lin Yun had no objections to his younger brother's request.
No one else questioned Lin Xiao's decision either. Among the younger generation, Lin Yun had always been both capable and hardworking. Most importantly, he was very steady in nature, making him the perfect candidate to manage the trading center.
The elders had no intention of competing with the younger generation for this responsibility. Watching these juniors grow steadily was their greatest joy.
After confirming Lin Yun as the manager of the trading center, Lin Yun began taking part in discussions on the many matters related to it.
As a result, Liu Yunan, Qin Jianghe, and Lin Yun formed a three-person task force to handle the project.
Of course, other sect members would occasionally offer suggestions during mealtimes, but the three of them were primarily responsible for it.
Lin Xiao no longer interfered, only providing technical support when necessary.
With most of the current affairs settled, Lin Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to focus on his cultivation.
That night, after setting up a Spirit Gathering Array in his room, he began meditating, but the system's notification sound suddenly rang out.
"Ding—Congratulations to the host! The Lingyun Mountain facility within the sect has successfully nurtured a Grade One Spirit Vein. Yaoguang Floating Island has been upgraded by one level. As a result, the size of the island has increased, the concentration of spiritual energy within has risen, and the quality of the soil has improved. This allows for better growth of high-level spirit plants and provides an enhanced environment for cultivators."
"Ding—Congratulations to the host for obtaining a sect-produced spirit vein. The future is bright! A reward has been sent to the host's private vault, please check it."
Two notifications popped up in quick succession, catching Lin Xiao by surprise.
No wonder he had just felt the spiritual energy around him suddenly become denser—so it turned out that Lingyun Mountain had given birth to a Grade One Spirit Vein!
Thinking back, it had taken only a few years for the once spiritually barren Lingyun Mountain to nurture its own spirit vein.
If this pace continued, did that mean the mountain could soon give rise to a Grade Two, Grade Three, or even higher-level spirit vein?
Who knows, someday the Lingxian Sect might become a sacred land with spiritual energy more abundant than the rest of the cultivation world!
The thought made him quite happy.
Despite his excitement, Lin Xiao still checked the rewards he had just received.
This was the first time the system had sent him a reward since its update.
Oh, the previous reward for Yigao's breakthrough didn't count, as that was personal to Yigao and wasn't really related to the system update. It had followed the normal progression of the cultivation technique.
But this time was different. He had a feeling that the rewards might have improved after the system's update.
Sure enough, when Lin Xiao saw the name of the newly added item in his private vault, his heart skipped a beat.
[Tianquan Floating Island Token]
Item Details: The Tianquan Floating Island Token allows the user to summon the Tianquan Floating Island and gain full ownership of it. Once used, control of the island will be integrated into the system's floating island control panel, and its functions can be copied from the system for use. Note: Control can be delegated, but ownership belongs solely to the sect leader of the Lingxian Sect.
This time, it wasn't just fragments but a complete token capable of summoning an entire floating island!
Lin Xiao was overjoyed.
However, his joy was soon followed by concern.
To be honest, their sect didn't really need more land right now.
There were still many unoccupied peaks and valleys on Beishan, not to mention that Yaoguang Floating Island had just been upgraded and expanded.
Now there was yet another floating island.
With only a hundred or so people in the Lingxian Sect, there was no way to fully occupy all these lands.
So this time, Lin Xiao didn't excitedly summon the island and start decorating it as he had done before. Instead, he chose to leave the island in his private vault for now.
They could deal with it once their sect grew larger.
After all, it seemed rather excessive for a sect of just one or two hundred people to occupy a whole mountain range, plus two floating islands.
With the system's two notifications, the Lingxian Sect now had a Grade One spirit vein and another floating island. Satisfied, Lin Xiao resumed his meditation, focusing on his cultivation.
Only with greater cultivation strength could he achieve more of what he wanted without being so constrained.
——
In the Qinghe Sect to the south of Pusi Kingdom:
Han Weishu's letter had been rushed through the postal stations on fast horses and finally reached her father, Sect Leader Han, after a month.
In fact, the letter had arrived at Niutou Village eight days earlier.
It had personally delivered Tong Jialiang's letter into the hands of his uncle and aunt.