章 76: Chapter 76: Extraordinary

"Earth-grade top-tier?" Lin Xiao thought to himself. The system rated Peach Blossom Void Technique as A-grade, and Liao Pantu said it was Earth-grade top-tier. So, does that mean A-grade corresponds to Earth-grade top-tier in this world?

He pondered for a moment and then asked Liao Pantu, "Senior Liao, could you show me the cultivation technique you created?"

Without hesitation, Liao Pantu pulled out his Soul Refining Technique and handed it to him. "Here you go. I'm not boasting, but even though my Soul Refining Technique isn't as high in rank as yours, it's still an excellent technique. The benefits of my technique are..."

Lin Xiao had no time for his bragging. He took the Soul Refining Technique, placed it into his private storage, and activated the appraisal function.

[Soul Refining Technique, B-grade technique, created by Nascent Soul cultivator Liao Pantu]

As expected, Earth-grade lower-tier corresponds to B-grade.

Lin Xiao returned the Soul Refining Technique to Liao Pantu. Seeing that Lin Xiao wasn't interested in examining it and quickly returned it, Liao Pantu didn't say much and quietly accepted it.

Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, Liao Pantu asked, "But why doesn't your technique align with any spiritual roots?"

Lin Xiao and Sun Yigao were puzzled, so Lin Xiao asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Liao Pantu coughed and explained, "Typically, cultivation techniques need to align with specific spiritual roots. For example, my Soul Refining Technique aligns with my wood attribute spiritual root, making it suitable for cultivation. If someone with a different spiritual root tries to practice it, they'll find it difficult. But your Peach Blossom Void Technique doesn't seem to align with any spiritual root..."

Hearing his confusion, Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Senior, our technique doesn't require a spiritual root."

Liao Pantu didn't fully understand, "Throughout history, cultivation has always emphasized purer spiritual roots to smooth the cultivation path. Spiritual roots are the medium through which one connects with the world's spiritual energy. Without spiritual roots, how..."

Lin Xiao opened the sect member panel and checked Liao Pantu's details.

[Name: Liao Pantu] [Gender: Male] [Bone Age: 522 years] [Aptitude: Extraordinary] [Cultivation Level: Nascent Soul Mid-Stage] [Sect Position: Outer Sect Disciple (Can be changed)] [Sect Role: None (Can be changed)]

The first thing that caught Lin Xiao's attention wasn't his aptitude but his age. 522 years old! This was the first time Lin Xiao had encountered someone who had lived for so long! Even though this was only a portion of his soul.

Lin Xiao glanced at Liao Pantu. In the past, he would never have imagined that this senior, who looked no older than sixty or seventy, was actually over five hundred years old. The world of cultivation truly is amazing.

However, seeing that Liao Pantu's aptitude was labeled as "Extraordinary," Lin Xiao thought for a moment and pointed to the Peach Blossom Void Technique, asking, "Senior, would you like to try this technique?"

Hearing this, Liao Pantu immediately stood up, holding the Peach Blossom Void Technique, and said, "Give me a training room! I want to try it right now!"

Lin Xiao rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed to admit that there was only one training room. Instead, he and Sun Yigao stood up and led him out of the sect hall towards the training room.

Though Liao Pantu had anticipated that this sect might be simple, he hadn't expected it to be this simple. So many people were crammed into a single training room! But thinking of the technique in his hands, Liao Pantu kept quiet.

At his level of cultivation, training rooms, sect halls, and sect sizes were all external matters. Only essential things like cultivation techniques truly mattered.

With Lin Xiao's guidance, Liao Pantu entered the training room. Seeing a group of Qi Refining-stage kids inside, he remained calm. After all, their sect master was just a kid at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Having experienced this sect, Liao Pantu believed nothing could shock him anymore.

When the others saw Lin Xiao and Sun Yigao return, they were overjoyed and quickly gathered around, expressing concern and excitement. After a while, under Lin Xiao's repeated reassurances and some psychological preparation, they were introduced to their sect's new senior.

Or rather, a part of him.

Thanks to Lin Xiao's preemptive explanation, when the others saw a wooden figure resembling the shape of the character "six" enter the room, they managed to keep their reactions in check despite their inner shock.

Thus, they had a pleasant welcoming ceremony for their new sect member.

For a moment, the entire Lingxian Sect was filled with joy and harmony.

After settling Liao Pantu in the training room, Lin Xiao and Sun Yigao said their farewells and left the mountain to return home. Having been away for a few days, they both felt a bit anxious, especially with that lingering sense of evil energy in the air.

Both feeling uneasy, they quickened their pace towards their respective homes.

Lin Xiao didn't head straight home; instead, he went to the fields. The sun was shining brightly, and his father was undoubtedly busy tending the crops.

When he reached the field, he indeed found Lin Dayou bent over, weeding. In the adjacent field, his uncle Lin Dashan and cousin Lin Lei were also hard at work.

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and pulled out several water mist lotuses from his private storage. These fruits, which he had picked in the secret realm, were purple-red and resembled syzygium, containing faint spiritual energy. For ordinary people, they would only strengthen the body without any adverse effects. The fruits were large, about the size of an adult's fist, seedless, and juicy.

Lin Xiao used a small freezing spell on the water mist lotuses and then walked over to the three of them.

"Dad! I'm back!"

Lin Dayou, sweating profusely as he worked in the field, looked up at the sound of his son's voice. He saw his youngest son running towards him and reaching him in no time.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lin Dayou squinted at him and said, "You're back? Why aren't you heading home? What are you doing here?"

Lin Xiao helped his father up, used a dust removal spell on his hands, and then handed him a water mist lotus with a grin. "I missed you, Dad! Here, try this—it's something I picked in the secret realm. It's really tasty!"

Feeling the coolness from the fruit in his hand, Lin Dayou inspected it. Seeing the fruit's reddish appearance and pleasing look, he took a big bite.

"Ah—this is delicious!"

Lin Dayou savored the fruit, its juice flooding his mouth with a burst of flavor, the crisp yet fluffy texture complemented by a slight chill. Standing in the hot field, the fatigue of work seemed to vanish in an instant. Within moments, he devoured the entire water mist lotus.