When Lin Xiao asked, Qin Jianghe didn't even bother entering the cultivation room and instead pulled Lin Xiao aside to vent his frustrations:
"Xiao, what's going on with that girl? Just a few days ago, everything was fine when we met, but today, when she saw me, she had a look of disdain, like she wasn't impressed with me at all. Even her parents were the same. They accepted the gifts we brought, but their attitude towards me and my parents was cold and distant. What's that about?"
Lin Xiao thought to himself, You're asking me? Who should I ask?
But seeing Qin Jianghe in such a state, it was clear he wasn't really looking for an answer, just someone to talk to. So, Lin Xiao responded:
"You're right. What's with that family? That's not how you treat your in-laws. They've gone through a matchmaker, accepted the gifts—it's basically a done deal. Why treat their future in-laws like that?"
Qin Jianghe nodded in agreement, "My mother was right. Getting married is not an easy thing..."
Seeing that Qin Jianghe was about to continue lamenting, Lin Xiao quickly cut him off, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the cultivation room:
"Come on, let's go cultivate! Stop thinking about women! Today, I'll help you with the cultivation method..."
And so, Qin Jianghe was pulled into the cultivation room, diving into the joys of cultivation.
As for Lin Xiao, he finally managed to advance to the fifth level of Qi Refinement that day.
Two more days passed.
There were now only two days left until the recruitment of disciples by the Shangyang Sect.
Finally, Lin Xiao's ten spirit silkworms had all spun their cocoons.
He specially asked Old Master Lin to make a few cages to house the spirit silkworms.
To avoid disturbing everyone's cultivation in the cultivation room, Lin Xiao had to retreat to the sect's main hall.
Now, he sat cross-legged on the floor of the main hall, ready to place the cocoons directly into the item synthesizer.
After all, he didn't know how to reel silk.
Lin Xiao also took out a pound of cotton he had bought from a villager who grew it. Just that pound of cotton had cost him twenty coins!
Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiao opened the item synthesizer and placed in five spirit stones, ten spirit silkworm cocoons, and a pound of cotton.
Then he began to envision the design for the sect uniforms.
He wanted them to be white! After all, white robes were the epitome of a cultivator's attire!
For the sect's emblem, he imagined the characters for "Lingxian" subtly embroidered on the cuffs and inside the collar.
...
[Materials input complete. Item synthesis in progress. Please wait.]
Before long, the synthesis process was complete.
Lin Xiao received ten sets of silk-smooth sect uniforms.
He unfolded one of them.
Although the uniform was primarily white, it had a faint shimmer of dark colors flowing across its surface.
The collar was dark green, and the edges of the collar and sleeves had a faint green bamboo leaf pattern that, upon closer inspection, subtly formed the characters for "Lingxian."
The waistband was white with hidden dark green patterns.
Overall, it looked elegant and refined.
Lin Xiao was very pleased and immediately tried one on.
He had thought it might be a bit too large, but to his surprise, the uniform adjusted itself to fit his body perfectly!
Lin Xiao was thoroughly satisfied.
At lunchtime, he handed out the sect uniforms to everyone.
To his surprise, after everyone eagerly tried them on, they all put them back into their storage pouches.
Lin Xiao asked, "You're not going to wear them?"
Jiang Youfu was the first to respond, "Heh, Xiao, this outfit is too nice. I'm saving it for important occasions."
Everyone else nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same sentiment.
Even Sun Yigao felt the same. The silky feel of the fabric was far superior to anything he had seen even the wealthiest students at the private school wear. Although his family was well-off, he had never worn such fine clothing.
Time flew by, and soon another two days passed.
Though it wasn't a market day, many curious onlookers, remembering the news from ten days ago about the Shangyang Sect recruiting disciples, decided to head to town to see the spectacle.
Naturally, Lin Xiao, with nothing better to do, also wanted to see what was going on and catch a glimpse of the real cultivation world in this realm.
Of course, he wasn't the only one with time on his hands.
The entire Lingxian Sect was pretty free.
This was an opportunity to see other cultivators, so Lin Xiao couldn't let his disciples miss it.
Thus, with a grand gesture, he declared that everyone, except for Little Luan, would go watch the event!
Little Luan had no objections. It had no interest in going to town where there were no mountains, no plants, no spiritual energy, and just a bunch of people.
It preferred the peace and tranquility of the sect, where it could cultivate in the dense spiritual energy.
It didn't understand why the others seemed so excited.
But who cared about them? With everyone gone, the whole cultivation room was all for itself!
So, with Little Luan happily seeing them off, the group set off down the mountain.
Since they were all young and energetic, and all had reached the Qi Refinement stage, even when Sun the Landlord offered to provide them with ox carts, they all refused.
"Let's race there! Last one to arrive has to bark like a dog three times! Xiao will be the judge!"
Just as they reached the village entrance, someone shouted, and the next thing Lin Xiao knew, the group had taken off like a herd of wild horses!
Lin Xiao maintained his pace, keeping up with everyone while seriously playing the role of judge.
"Hey, Jianghe, no shoving! That's against the rules."
"Wow, Youfu, not bad! You didn't finish last!"
"Tietou, are you slacking? Even Youfu, who's a bit chubby, is faster than you."
...
Half an hour later, a group of half-grown boys stood panting heavily outside the crowded gates of Cuifeng Town.
Jiang Youfu, still catching his breath, barked three times like a dog.
Though Jiang Youfu had initially kept pace with Tietou using his cultivation, it was clear that being at the first level of Qi Refinement didn't mean one could ignore physical limitations.
It wasn't long before Jiang Youfu inevitably slowed down.
Meanwhile, the physically fit Tietou quickly overtook both Jiang Youfu and the not-so-sturdy Liu Yunan.
Perhaps due to his cultivation, Liu Yunan's injury, which should have taken a hundred days to heal, had almost completely recovered.
He no longer felt any discomfort carrying water or doing other chores.
After catching their breath, the seven boys confidently strode into Cuifeng Town.
They arrived at the market square, where they saw that what was usually an empty space was now packed with people.
Many elders stood with children no older than twelve by their side, all eagerly watching the center of the square.
Lin Xiao and his group, here to watch the spectacle, naturally needed a good spot to see everything.
So, using their crowd-navigating skills, they began weaving their way forward.
Even the newcomer Sun Yigao, with Lin Xiao's encouragement, joined in on squeezing through the crowd.
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