บท 15: Chapter 15: The Spiritual Field

Night had fallen.

In the small courtyard of the Lin family, a tiny oil lamp flickered in the dim light. Lin Dayou sat on a small stool, carefully wiping down the farming tools he had used earlier that day with an oiled cloth, preventing them from rusting. Lin Yun, in the same dim light, was busy weaving a bamboo basket. Meanwhile, Lin Xiao was using his Dust Removal Technique to clean a pile of clothes, socks, and shoes.

After finishing his cleaning, Lin Xiao looked at his father and brother, both engrossed in their work. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and suddenly asked, "Dad, Brother, how about joining me in cultivation?"

Lin Dayou glanced up at him, then quickly returned to his task, snorting, "Hmph, I have no interest in playing your cultivation games. If your brother wants to join you, then go ahead, but leave me out of it."

Lin Yun looked at his father, then at Lin Xiao, hesitating before finally saying, "I... I'll go up the mountain and see after finishing my work each day."

Lin Dayou immediately spoke up, "Alright, Yun, from now on, you'll join your brother on the mountain each morning for cultivation. In the afternoons, you can go to your grandfather's to learn woodworking."

Lin Yun protested, "But, Dad, that would leave you alone in the fields—"

Lin Dayou cut him off firmly, "That's enough! It's settled! The fields aren't something you need to worry about. Once you two get stronger from cultivation, you can help me later."

Feeling a bit guilty, Lin Yun lowered his head. But deep down, he couldn't resist the allure of cultivation. Watching his younger brother casually use spells with just a wave of his hand filled him with envy and longing. He resolved that once his cultivation improved, he would lighten his father's burden.

At this moment, Lin Xiao turned to Lin Dayou, saying, "Dad, you should join us in cultivation too! Cultivation can extend your life, maybe even make you immortal! You don't want to let us increase our lifespans while you just grow old, do you? That would be so heartbreaking for us!"

Lin Dayou scoffed and looked at him with disdain, "Get lost! I don't want to live forever and turn into some old monster. Besides, if I live forever, wouldn't your mother down below be waiting for me forever?"

Lin Xiao quickly countered, "Dad, who said Mom is still waiting down there for you? You're dreaming! Mom was so kind; I'm sure the King of Hell has already arranged for her to be reincarnated!"

Veins bulged on Lin Dayou's forehead as he glared at his son, "You little brat! It seems like you're asking for a beating!"

Thus, the next morning, Lin Xiao hobbled out of the house with a limp, alongside Lin Yun.

Jiang Youfu, seeing Lin Xiao's condition, wasn't surprised. He had grown used to seeing Lin Xiao getting scolded and beaten by Uncle Lin since they were kids.

The three of them made their way to the halfway point up the mountain. Lin Yun noticed that what used to be just a small grass hut and a peach tree now had a small patch of land beside it.

"What's this plot of land for?" Lin Yun asked. He squatted down and pinched the dark soil between his fingers. It was high-quality soil.

Jiang Youfu, who had only just noticed the plot of land, let out a loud "Wow!" and started circling around it. "Lin Xiao, you're amazing! You managed to get this land ready in just an afternoon!"

Lin Xiao, lying on a straw mat under the peach tree, called out to the two of them, "Don't forget to water it later! I've planted some spiritual herbs there!"

Since they didn't have any buckets on the mountain, Lin Yun and Jiang Youfu used their bamboo containers to fetch water from a nearby spring to water the field. Fortunately, the plot of land wasn't large, so they finished watering it quickly.

Lin Xiao then approached Lin Yun, saying, "Brother, let's go through the formalities."

Lin Yun was puzzled by what he meant until Lin Xiao continued, "Lin Yun, do you wish to join my Lingxian Sect, become a part of it, and cultivate diligently?"

Hearing his younger brother's formal question, Lin Yun couldn't help but smile genuinely. "I do."

Ding—Congratulations, Host, for successfully recruiting a disciple. The disciple's details can be viewed in the disciple panel.

Lin Xiao immediately checked the panel.

Name: Lin Yun

Gender: Male

Bone Age: 15 years

Aptitude: Outstanding

Cultivation: Mortal

Sect Status: Outer Disciple (Can be changed)

Sect Position: None (Can be changed)

After discussing with his elder brother, Lin Xiao changed Lin Yun's sect status and position to personal disciple and sect elder, respectively.

Thus, the Lingxian Sect now had three members: one sect master and two elders. Perfect.

At that moment, Lin Xiao heard a notification from the system in his mind.

Ding—The three-day novice period is over. To encourage the host to accelerate the development of the sect, the system will increase the number of sect construction tasks issued. Please check them and complete the tasks promptly.

Immediately after, several more notifications rang out in his mind.

Sect Construction—Recruit Disciples (2): An excellent sect requires more than just basic infrastructure. The most important aspect of a sect is its disciples. Please recruit ten disciples for the sect as soon as possible. Current progress: 3/10.

Sect Construction—Sect Hall: An excellent sect must have a sect hall to provide a sense of belonging and a place for meetings. Please upgrade the sect grounds to include a sect hall.

Sect Construction—Sect Facilities (1): A well-structured sect needs various designated areas for different functions. The most basic of these is a cultivation room. Please construct a cultivation room for the disciples.

Three tasks in a row! Lin Xiao suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. One task required recruiting more disciples, and the other two required constructing buildings.

He couldn't help but feel a bit stressed. Recruiting people was one thing, but building houses? That would cost money, and he didn't have a single copper coin to his name.

Lin Xiao brought Jiang Youfu and Lin Yun back into the grass hut. Using paper mulberry bark and some ink, he duplicated a simplified version of the Taoyuan Wan Kong Jue for Lin Yun. It turned out that the synthesis tool was quite convenient, offering a duplication function that only required the original manual, paper, and ink, without any additional materials.

Patiently, Lin Xiao taught Lin Yun the Introduction to Cultivating Qi section before heading outside to sit under the Ten Miles Peach Blossom Tree, where he began to contemplate his next steps.

He was considering the possibility of building these new structures himself. Now that his cultivation had reached the third level of the Qi Refinement stage, he felt much stronger physically. Cutting down trees should be no problem, and making earthen bricks should be doable too.

The problem was, he didn't know how to build houses. It would also be time-consuming. If he had to do all the work himself every time the system issued a task, he wouldn't be a sect master anymore—he'd be the Lingxian Sect's full-time laborer.