Chapter 11: Li Xing Tian's Average Talent

In the early morning.

Chu Xingchen carefully compared the system blueprint, surveying the area, and then stuck a small twig into the ground as a marker.

Although he couldn't conjure things out of thin air, the blueprint had its advantages—it could be reused.

After all, he still needed to construct it himself. If it were a one-time-use item, it would be too much of a scam.

This meant that perhaps they could build a spirit-gathering formation at Shili Slope.

After all, Shili Slope wasn't a place where spiritual energy gathered, nor did it have a spiritual vein running through it. While there was some spiritual energy, it couldn't compare to places where spiritual veins converged.

In simpler terms, it wasn't a great place for cultivation.

Under the same conditions, the effects of cultivation were naturally better in areas with concentrated spiritual veins.

Thus, most reputable sects would choose a mountain with a spiritual vein to establish their bases.

When Li Yingling was cultivating before, Chu Xingchen would roughly construct a formation using spirit stones for her practice.

That was manageable for one person, but now that Li Xing Tian had joined, such extravagant behavior had to come to an end.

Just supporting Li Yingling's cultivation was nearly draining his resources; with Li Xing Tian now, it was clear that continuing this way would deplete his spirit stones.

A sustainable approach was necessary.

Building the spirit-gathering formation was indeed important; it would make taking in disciples more convenient in the future.

Although he didn't have enough materials at the moment to complete the formation, he could still start some preliminary work.

Chu Xingchen carefully chose another spot and stuck in another twig.

Boom!!

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind surged from afar, kicking up dirt and scattering it everywhere.

Chu Xingchen waved his hand in annoyance to disperse the wind, then hurried a few steps forward.

He focused on Li Yingling, who was swinging a wooden sword and diligently striking at a pit.

Li Yingling, already in the Foundation Building stage, had a protective aura of spiritual energy around her, so the dirt wouldn't dirty her clothes.

At that moment, she was serious, repeatedly using her powers to strike the ground with the wooden sword.

With another fierce sword energy slamming into the earth, a loud crash resonated, accompanied by intense vibrations.

Chu Xingchen quickly raised his hand to stop her: "Wait!"

Hearing her master's call, Li Yingling paused, looking at him in confusion. "What's wrong, Master?"

"It's not like this when you dig a pit, right?"

Li Yingling looked perplexed. "How else should I dig?"

Chu Xingchen, not in the mood for games, said, "If you dig like this, you'll have to backfill the dirt later. If you scatter it everywhere, what are you going to use to backfill? Your little head?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yingling quietly glanced at the dirt scattered around.

Still feeling a bit wronged, she said, "But if I don't dig like this, it'll take too long."

Chu Xingchen comforted her: "I'm not asking you to finish in one day. Just dig a little when you have time after practicing. When your junior brother finishes refining that broken stone, you can have him help."

"Don't rush; I'll make you something delicious later."

Li Yingling lifted her gaze to meet the gentle expression of Chu Xingchen and nodded lightly. "I understand."

After that, Li Yingling used her wooden sword to start digging again, neatly piling the excavated soil.

When it came to listening, Li Yingling was quite obedient.

After observing for a moment and finding no issues, Chu Xingchen left to continue marking other spots.

Setting the array points according to the blueprint was a quick task.

Before long, he had finished marking all the points.

Then, Chu Xingchen slipped back into the dilapidated temple.

At that moment, Li Xing Tian was seated with his knees crossed, the Millennium Bone Jade hovering above his head.

The Millennium Bone Jade continuously poured out energy, cleansing Li Xing Tian's bones.

After observing him for a moment and confirming that nothing was amiss, Chu Xingchen slowly returned to his own wooden plank.

As for the materials needed for the spirit-gathering formation, they weren't particularly valuable.

As long as there were spirit stones, they could still be purchased.

Although he was poor, Chu Xingchen had some ideas.

The key to his plan was, of course, his second disciple, who was refining the Bone Jade in front of him.

As a reborn person, Li Xing Tian surely knew a thing or two about making money—or maybe he hadn't stumbled upon any tombs of powerful cultivators yet?

Grave robbing might be unethical, but it was quick cash. Anything left behind by a powerful cultivator would likely be enough to build the formation.

Besides, in the cultivation world, these tombs were uniformly referred to as "secret realms."

Usually, a sect would send an elder along with a large group of disciples to excavate.

Thinking this way, Chu Xingchen felt that his moral standards were on par with those in the cultivation world.

After all, the Heavenly Dao Alliance aspired to be a righteous sect!

Chu Xingchen slowly lay back on his wooden plank again.

Now, he just needed to wait for Li Xing Tian to finish refining before asking if he had any good ideas.

At noon, Li Xing Tian still hadn't finished his refinement.

Li Yingling returned first, panting heavily, nearly exhausted of her spiritual energy.

She glanced at the two people in the dilapidated temple, especially at her master, who was leisurely lying on his plank.

Li Yingling asked in confusion, "Master! Why am I the only one digging? Aren't you going to help?"

Chu Xingchen sat up and looked at Li Yingling, who was puffing her cheeks, seemingly a bit upset.

Clearing his throat, he replied, "Do you think I'm slacking off?"

"Isn't that the case?" Li Yingling retorted, "You said yourself that you'd help me dig after marking the spots!"

Facing his disciple's accusation, Chu Xingchen swiftly changed the subject:

"What are you saying? Do you think I'm complaining about contributing to the sect? Do you understand the effort I'm putting in for your future?"

Hearing this, Li Yingling hesitated, realizing that she was now on the moral low ground.

However, she also knew how to handle her master's current state.

Li Yingling put on a pitiful expression, her eyes sparkling with tears, her lovely face showing a touch of grievance as she said, "If you're not going to dig, then I can't help it. After all, I can't refuse what you arranged for me."

"I wasn't really angry; I just didn't expect you to trick me, Master. I didn't think you saw me that way."

Goodness!

Chu Xingchen was slightly speechless watching his eldest disciple's dramatic performance.

But soon, he pointed to Li Xing Tian, who was meditating and absorbing the Bone Jade, saying, "I was just worried that your junior brother might make a mistake while refining the Bone Jade, so I came to check on him."

"After all, it's taking him so long to refine a Bone Jade, and his talent is far inferior to yours. It's hard not to worry."

"Unlike you, my capable and clever eldest disciple, who puts my mind at ease."

However, Li Yingling's reaction was not what he expected.

Her expression instantly turned cold, her tone losing its previous grievance, her voice chilling as she said, "Master, no need for more words. Since Junior Brother has joined our sect and has the lowest cultivation, it's only right that we take good care of him."

Chu Xingchen could tell that Li Xing Tian had woken up from behind him, and he said irritably, "While I can still tolerate this, you should hurry up and go hunt something for me!"

"Understood, Master!" Li Yingling quickly cupped her hands in acknowledgment and hurried out of the dilapidated temple.

"Apologies, Master... my cultivation and talent are lacking. I've troubled you too much," came Li Xing Tian's slightly apologetic voice from behind.

Chu Xingchen lightly coughed, not turning to look at his disciple. "You... you know it's enough; just put in a bit more effort."