When Lin Yun led Lin Ying to the cultivation room, he was greeted by the sight of everyone engrossed in their cultivation manuals, each seated on a grass mat and studying intently.
The cultivation room had turned into a reading corner.
Lin Xiao looked up and saw Lin Yun and Lin Ying at the door. He walked over and took Lin Ying outside, saying, "Little Yingzi, come with me. Let's go through the formalities."
Then he turned to Lin Yun, "Big brother, you can join them and check out the new cultivation techniques in our sect."
Lin Yun nodded and walked into the room.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao led Lin Ying to a grassy area outside and asked her, "Lin Ying, are you willing to join my Lingxian Sect, become a part of our sect, and devote yourself to cultivation?"
Lin Ying's eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Xiao and nodded, "I am willing!"
[Ding—Congratulations, the number of disciples has reached ten. You have successfully completed the task [Recruit Disciples (2)]. The reward has been issued to your private storage. Please check.]
Lin Xiao brought Lin Ying back to the cultivation room and let her join Lin Yun and the others. Then he squatted outside and opened his private storage to check the rewards.
In addition to gaining 50 more spirit stones, there was also a new item: Green Wild Secret Realm Entrance Link.
Previously, he had received the Key to the Green Wild Secret Realm as a reward. Judging by the names, these two items were clearly meant to be used together.
Lin Xiao first took out the Green Wild Secret Realm Entrance Link.
It was a moss-covered boulder, about as wide as two people could wrap their arms around. The words "Green Wild" were faintly visible beneath the moss.
Looking around, Lin Xiao placed the boulder on an open space not far from the cultivation room.
As soon as the stone touched the ground, the moss spread out in all directions, covering an area of about two meters before stopping. It looked as if the stone had always been there, blending perfectly with its surroundings.
Next, Lin Xiao took out the Key to the Green Wild Secret Realm. It was a piece of jade, smooth and green, with the words "Green Wild" carved on it.
He examined the stone and found an irregular indentation below the "Green Wild" characters, just the right size to fit the jade.
Lin Xiao stroked his smooth chin.
He was familiar with secret realms; they were usually where people found valuable resources and enriched their lives.
He guessed that the key and the entrance link worked together by placing the jade into the indentation on the stone, which would then open the entrance to the secret realm.
However, he hesitated, worried that placing the key might instantly transport him into the realm. To be cautious, he decided to quickly place the jade and then retreat a hundred meters to avoid any sudden transport.
It turned out that he was overthinking it.
When Lin Xiao placed the jade into the stone's indentation, the next moment, a voice sounded in his mind.
[Ding—Since this is the first time the host has activated the Green Wild Secret Realm, please be informed: This secret realm is a low-level realm that only allows Qi Refining cultivators to enter. The realm is accessible every year between the start of Awakening of Insects (Jingzhe) and the beginning of Summer (Lixia). The entrance, unlocked with the secret realm key, allows up to 500 people to enter each time.
Friendly reminder: Two major sects use Nascent Soul power to forcibly open the entrance every year, allowing their disciples to enter. The forcibly opened entrance allows only 100 people per time.]
The first thing that caught Lin Xiao's attention wasn't the realm itself but the phrase "Nascent Soul power to forcibly open the entrance."
Nascent Soul stage!
Even though it was mentioned only in the introduction, Lin Xiao couldn't help feeling excited.
So far, the most powerful person he'd seen was the middle-aged man who controlled the flying boat during the final day of the Shangyang Sect's recruitment.
However, he wasn't sure of that man's exact cultivation level, but he was certain it wasn't Nascent Soul.
Nascent Soul stage!
This must be a presence so powerful that it would make anyone feel awe and reverence!
After calming his excitement, Lin Xiao began to consider the secret realm.
The rules restricted entry to Qi Refining cultivators, meaning only those in the Qi Refining stage could enter. After that, they would be ineligible.
The realm was open from Awakening of Insects to the beginning of Summer.
Currently, it was past the Spring Equinox and approaching the Qingming Festival, so he only had about a month left to enter.
Given his current cultivation speed, unless he stopped all cultivation entirely, both manually and through the idle cultivation system, by next year, he would definitely be beyond the Qi Refining stage.
He was confident in that.
Therefore, if he missed this year's opportunity, he would never be able to enter this realm again.
Could he let such a regretful thing happen to himself?
Absolutely not!
So, Lin Xiao decided to enter as soon as possible.
However, he didn't plan to go alone.
Just now, the system had notified him again.
[Ding—Congratulations, disciple Sun Yigao has advanced to the third level of Qi Refining.]
Remembering how serious Sun Yigao looked while studying the Benyuan Heart Sutra, Lin Xiao couldn't help but smile silently.
It had only been a short time, and Sun Yigao had already advanced.
This proved that he was well-suited to cultivate this technique.
With Sun Yigao's "Phoenix Feather" talent, he was sure to make more progress in the coming days if he kept pushing himself.
While Lin Xiao wasn't certain about others, he felt that Sun Yigao's situation was similar to his own.
If Sun Yigao missed this year's entry, his cultivation level by next year would likely prevent him from entering the realm.
Entering the secret realm wasn't just about the realm's challenges and opportunities. The fact that two sects with Nascent Soul-level experts regularly opened the entrance was reason enough to go.
This was a critical opportunity to connect with the wider cultivation world.
Currently, they were secluded on the mountain, focused solely on their cultivation. They were still unclear about the world's cultivation rules and systems. Staying isolated for too long would be like building a car behind closed doors.
With this in mind, Lin Xiao decided to focus on helping Sun Yigao rapidly improve his cultivation over the next few days.
Of course, he wasn't overly confident in his current level, but he believed that by assisting Sun Yigao, they could mutually benefit each other's progress.
After all, they were the sect's only "Dragon Among Men" and "Phoenix Feather."
He thought it over and decided to set the preparation time for ten days.
Ten days would be the limit, leaving them only twenty days to explore the secret realm.
However, Lin Xiao didn't plan to tell Sun Yigao about the secret realm just yet, fearing it would put too much pressure on him and hinder his cultivation.