With the blueprints, the necessary formations, and the turtle shell all in place, the only thing left was the construction materials.
A month had passed, but due to the large demand, the building material production within the Lake Province was insufficient. As a result, Liu Yunan had to scout for other material suppliers in different cities.
At the same time, the Refining Hall had also taken some time to forge materials for key components, such as the main beams and pillars.
However, since the Refining Hall had monthly production tasks to complete, even when they found extra time, they couldn't speed up the process significantly. Thus, the city construction had been temporarily put on hold.
Fortunately, Lin Xiao's use of the fusion function wouldn't take much time later on, so this slight delay wasn't a major issue.
After putting away the blueprints, Lin Xiao was about to return to his cultivation when he noticed that it had started to snow outside.
It was snowing.
Lin Xiao did some calculations and realized that there were only ten days left until New Year's Eve.
The new year was fast approaching.
He used the communication ring to contact Liu Yunan.
"Yunan, I have some special plans for this year's celebration. In the next few days, follow my instructions to make some preparations."
...
The next day, the Lingxian Sect received a sound transmission talisman.
What made this surprising was that the talisman wasn't from within the Lingxian Sect.
It came from the Qinghe Sect's leader, likely something they had kept in storage for some time, as they were known for being thrifty.
Although the three major sects had earned far more spirit stones in the past two years than before, they still adhered to the principle of spending their resources wisely.
Sound transmission talismans were not essential for cultivation, and they hadn't been on the procurement list of the three major sects for the past couple of years. So, it was speculated that this talisman came from the Qinghe Sect's own reserves.
This was the first time the Lingxian Sect had received a sound transmission talisman from an external sect.
In the past, whether it was with Xiushui Village, the prefect of Liaoju Prefecture, or the Li royal family, the talismans used were always ones sent out by the Lingxian Sect.
The content of the talisman started with what sounded like a routine New Year's greeting.
At first, Lin Xiao thought it was simply a formality due to the fact that the Qinghe Sect leader's daughter was training at the Lingxian Sect. However, as he continued to listen, he realized the real purpose behind this unexpected transmission.
"I have long admired your esteemed sect's reputation, and it is clear that your strength is both deep and unfathomable. It is truly fate that we share the same territory, and that my daughter has been fortunate enough to cultivate in the profound Daoist teachings of the Lingxian Sect. Today, I, Han Shangyi, as the leader of the Qinghe Sect, humbly request that our sects form a brotherhood alliance. In the future, we can support each other and strive for the Dao together."
Though Han Shangyi's words were polite and reserved, Lin Xiao could hear the underlying meaning—while he proposed a brotherhood alliance, it was clear that the Qinghe Sect intended to submit to the Lingxian Sect's authority.
Lin Xiao suspected that Han Weishu must have told her father something that led to this.
This wasn't outside of his expectations. After all, he had opened the sect for new disciples without placing any restrictions on their background.
"System, if I accept this proposal from the Qinghe Sect, does that count as completing one-tenth of my mission?" he asked the system.
[This will be determined based on the actual relationship between the two sects after you accept the proposal.] The system responded indifferently.
Lin Xiao smiled and didn't continue the conversation with the system.
Instead, he turned to the elders gathered in the sect's main hall. "What do you all think?"
Since this was the first time they had received a sound transmission talisman from an external sect, and it was from a sect leader discussing matters between sects, Liu Yunan had informed all the elders of the Lingxian Sect to gather in the main hall for a discussion.
However, since this wasn't a major sect matter, not all elders and key figures were required to attend, so only those with some free time were present, such as Mo Yuanjiao and Yang Jinshu.
Mo Yuanjiao had recently helped Lin Xiao create the formations needed for the trading center and finished the external formation sales for the month, so he had some spare time. Upon hearing that something interesting had happened, he immediately rushed over to join the discussion.
Yang Jinshu was there because the disciples of Qingyun Peak were exceptionally well-behaved, making her Law Enforcement Hall one of the most peaceful places in the entire sect.
Most of the time, she wasn't even at the Law Enforcement Hall; she was busy helping out in other departments.
There were also some who, although very busy, were present because the matter directly concerned their responsibilities, such as Liu Yunan and Qin Jianghe.
As for others, like Elder Lin Quan of the Spirit Field, who was also Lin Xiao's grandfather, he had no interest in matters unrelated to farming. He simply requested that if there were any new seeds or farming tools, they should let him know.
Sun Yigao was busy teaching classes.
Since Liao Pantu had yet to emerge from his closed-door cultivation, and Sun Yigao was currently the highest-ranked cultivator in the sect after Lin Xiao, he had taken over Liao Pantu's morning and evening classes and often gave additional lessons to the disciples of Qingyun Peak.
Tuan Tuan stayed by his side to help.
As a result, there were only five people in the main hall at the moment.
"Brother Xiao, does this Sect Leader Han intend to… form an alliance with us?" Liu Yunan furrowed his brow, searching for the right words, and hesitated before saying "alliance."
Yang Jinshu interjected, "In the mortal world, merchant families often have similar arrangements. A small family, wishing to grow their business and develop more quickly, will pledge loyalty to a larger, more powerful family in the hope of gaining their support. We generally refer to this as 'dependency.'"
"I believe that is what Sect Leader Han is suggesting."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yuanjiao's eyes lit up, and he looked at Lin Xiao with excitement.
"Sect Leader, are we about to take in a younger brother sect?"
Lin Xiao waved the sound transmission talisman in his hand. "That's what we're here to discuss. What's your opinion?"
Sitting on his cushion, Mo Yuanjiao placed his hands on his knees and excitedly replied, "I fully support it! The cultivation world has always looked down on us mortals, right? In the future, we can absorb all the mortal sects, develop them together, and surpass the sects in the cultivation world. Let's make them jealous! Let's see if they dare to look down on us mortals anymore!"
Qin Jianghe and Liu Yunan exchanged a surprised glance.
They were both astonished that Mo Yuanjiao's thinking coincided with Lin Xiao's earlier ideas.
Qin Jianghe added, "Yuanjiao makes a good point. Our sect has indeed been planning to expand externally, and the Qinghe Sect has always had a decent relationship with us. Their attitude is respectful, and we haven't heard of any major issues with their conduct. Since they've now lowered their stance and made this proposal, I think we should engage in further discussions with them."
Liu Yunan and Yang Jinshu both agreed, and so it was decided that they would proceed with further discussions with the Qinghe Sect.
Since they were already gathered in the main hall, it didn't make sense to only discuss one matter. With the New Year approaching, they took the opportunity to address some other issues as well.