Bai Yan

Sitting in his room, Aotian was making plans, while Rihai had gone to hers to practice body refinement.

His gaze, at that moment, was focused on his status.

[Host: Long Aotian

Cultivation: 3rd Level Foundation Establishment

Body Cultivation: 7th Level Qi Refinement

Physique: Mortal

Qualifications: Low-Grade Five Element Spiritual Root (Low Qualification)]

[Wúji Dào Zōng (Meaning: Infinite Dao Sect)

Rank: 7 - Golden Core]

'It's been 25 days since we left Black Rock Mountain. Since then, my only progress has been moving from the 6th to the 7th level in body cultivation. Even with the synthesized technique, body cultivation is still much slower than regular cultivation. In 70 days, I've only just reached the 7th level. Hai'er has an even harder time because of her sparse roots and is only at the 5th level. And the further we go, the slower it becomes, doubling the time with each level.'

Aotian reflected, letting out a light sigh.

'If things continue like this, even though body cultivation techniques don't require materials, at higher realms progress will be extremely slow, and we'll end up needing resources to speed it up anyway.' Aotian sighed again. 'Well, that's just a minor problem. Compared to others, we're moving at lightning speed. Besides, maybe stockpiling resources will make body cultivation faster than regular cultivation.'

'Speaking of which, I can start planning to prepare medicinal baths for me and Rihai, to accelerate our progress. Although they're expensive and require some rare herbs I don't yet have, as we conquer sects, we'll gather enough, and then I can use the outer elders of the alchemy pavilion to mass-produce the herbs.' He considered and approved the plan with a nod to himself, already getting excited as an involuntary smile grew on his lips.

Next, he looked at the sect's pending missions.

[Conditions to become a Nascent Soul Sect:

5 - Five core disciples with exceptional qualifications

6 - One hundred inner disciples with high qualifications

7 - One thousand outer disciples with good qualifications

8 - Train five core disciples to the Golden Core stage

9 - Train twenty inner disciples to the Foundation Establishment stage

11 - Train the auxiliary abilities of five core disciples to Core-Tier

12 - Train the auxiliary abilities of twenty inner disciples to Founder-Tier]

'Mission 5 still only has Xiao Ling, who so far is the only core disciple of the sect. With her perfect root, she meets the requirement of exceptional qualifications.'

He carefully analyzed it and scanned through the other tasks.

'Mission 6 will have to wait for the next recruitment. After all, this round I'm only promoting 50 disciples to inner level. Missions 7 and 9 are already completed and can be removed.'

[Conditions to become a Nascent Soul Sect:

5 - Five core disciples with exceptional qualifications

6 - One hundred inner disciples with high qualifications

8 - Train five core disciples to the Golden Core stage

10 - Train one hundred outer disciples to the peak of Qi Refinement

11 - Train the auxiliary abilities of five core disciples to Core-Tier

12 - Train the auxiliary abilities of twenty inner disciples to Founder-Tier]

'Missions 5, 6, and 12 shouldn't take long, but the others will take a few years... especially those related to auxiliary abilities. These will be the most time-consuming. Even with the synthesized inheritances being clearer and greatly reducing talent requirements, they are more complex and complete. That's why they demand a lot of study, meditation, and practice. Looks like I'll be stuck as a Golden Core sect for a few more years, according to the system.'

Aotian meditated with a serious expression.

'Although having more elders is a good thing, it's not all bad to stay at this level with only these avatars for a while. At least I can better prepare the sect for future expansions, explore their abilities more, and I won't get impulsive and rush too much just because I have too much power in my hands…'

'…'

'… okay, me saying that is a blatant lie. I'd much rather have more avatars than go slow, but we have to work with what we've got.'

His determined expression gave way to one of mild helplessness.

Seeing his own failed attempt at self-deception, Aotian shifted focus.

'Well, the recruitment has already been done in four cities, including this one, which is still ongoing. It's been 37 days since we left the Bamboo Sword Sect. The rest of the trip should take another four to four and a half months. After that, I'll send the disciples, accompanied by a few elders, to the neighboring cultivation regions. That's when the conquest begins.'

He decided, with a firm look.

…

Bai Yan scoured the market with a gloomy expression, searching every corner for the wicked couple who had robbed him. But no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find any trace of them.

Desperate, he ended up sitting against some random wall, his eyes red and sorrowful.

'All the money for Jingjing's medicine was in there... what am I going to do now? If she goes without her medicine any longer... I... NO! I won't let that happen. Get up, Bai Yan. You promised Father. How can you break your promise because of a setback?'

Overcome with anger, he punched the ground and stood up, gritting his teeth.

It was in that moment of desperation and rage that, a bit ahead, he spotted a little girl with two cute buns walking carefree, taking small hops. Her clothes were identical to those of the couple who had deceived him.

Bai Yan's eyes widened with hope, and without hesitation, he ran toward the girl, who was skipping along happily without a care in the world.

"Young lady! Wait for me!" he shouted, running after her.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoxue was exploring the city with excitement. Upon hearing someone call her name, she turned curiously and saw a boy approaching with urgency written all over his face.

She only tilted her head, confused, with no sense of danger whatsoever. She could walk through the city alone without worry or restrictions from the sect brothers, simply because she was stronger than the lord of that city. There was no reason to be afraid.

That's why she was alone, so carefree, both in the city and in front of a stranger who suddenly called out to her.

Besides, the girl's courage and fearlessness were already well-known in the sect — it was said she had eaten a lion's heart at birth.

"Huh? Who are you?" Xiaoxue asked, confused, tapping her chin cutely with one finger.

Bai Yan quickly stopped when he reached the little girl, feeling a bit disoriented.

He wanted to be angry at everyone wearing those robes — everyone connected to the couple who had stolen from him — but he couldn't, not when faced with a cute little girl, with innocent eyes, who reminded him of his little sister in age and purity.

"Err… could you tell me which power you belong to?" he asked, scratching his head, embarrassed. In his haste, he had approached the girl far too abruptly, and now he felt awkward.

"Eh? You don't know?" Xiaoxue didn't expect that question, and a question mark practically popped up on her forehead.

"Ah? I don't… is it really famous?" he asked, surprised. From the way she spoke, it didn't sound like an ordinary power.

"I'm from the Infinite Dao Sect, which is conducting a recruitment in the city. I thought everyone knew that…" The little girl looked at him strangely, as if trying to figure out if he lived under a rock.

"Infinite Dao Sect?" he repeated, then remembered.

He had indeed heard that the sect would be coming to the city. But since he had little interest in joining any sect due to his sister's frail health, he hadn't paid much attention.

Now that he knew which power the couple belonged to, his heart sank. He knew it was a Golden Core sect, and just the aura of the disciple who had robbed him was that of someone in the late stage of Qi Refinement, even though he looked so young.

He suddenly felt ruined. There was no way to retrieve the money from talented disciples of a Golden Core sect without terrible consequences for him and his sister.

Lin Xiaoxue, unaware of Bai Yan's emotional turmoil, was already talking nonstop.

"Yes! It's the best and most righteous sect in the world! To join, you need to have high-grade roots or better, and a good heart! You really never heard of it?" Xiaoxue blinked her big innocent eyes at him, full of doubt.

But her words made Bai Yan freeze.

"A good heart?" he murmured with a strange expression, remembering the woman calling him trash with venom in her voice.

"Yes! No one can deceive Elder Lie! Once, a man that everyone thought was good and humble tried to enter, but Elder Lie discovered he had committed many evils and followed the demonic Dao. The elder pulled the truth straight from his mouth and killed him. Afterward, with the clues provided, everyone found out he was a complete scoundrel! Then there was the time that…" Xiaoxue began explaining, throwing punches in the air with a serious look as she spoke, telling the whole story with enthusiasm.

Bai Yan stared at her, dazed, as she continued talking nonstop about various cases.

'If this is true… maybe this is my chance. The couple took 6,400 mid-grade spiritual stones left by Father, along with the 42,000 low-grade ones I painstakingly saved over the years. Jingjing's medicine is extremely expensive. There's no way I can gather all of that again in time. Jingjing can't hold out more than a year or two. Even if it's dangerous… I have to try.'

His eyes shone with determination.

"Young lady!" he interrupted her, "Your sect is very righteous, but maybe some bad people have infiltrated it! I-I… err… my uncle… two people dressed like you robbed him cruelly, and he might not survive if we don't recover what was taken. Please, I beg you, help me get it back!" He gritted his teeth, dropped to his knees, and slammed his head to the ground, eyes red, completely startling Lin Xiaoxue.

For his sister, he didn't care about anything. If he had to cripple himself, he would. Kneeling was nothing. For her, he had already done things far less honorable than bowing to the ground.

But Xiaoxue wasn't prepared for such a sudden scene.

"W-What are you doing!" she exclaimed in a panic, rushing to help him up.

For a kind-hearted girl like her, she couldn't bear to see someone desperate, humiliating themselves at her feet for help.

But Bai Yan was being sincere, and had no intention of rising… at least, that was his plan.

Suddenly, a tremendous force came from his arm and pulled him to his feet against his will, shocking him, as the small but powerful hand of Xiaoxue held him steady.

Looking at the serious face of the girl, who stared at him without blinking, he realized that this little girl was probably a super-genius of the Infinite Dao Sect, whom he had the luck to encounter. Maybe even the future leader of the sect, given such talent and age.

That greatly rekindled his hope, seeing the kindness and sincerity in her eyes.

"Tell me everything from the beginning, and don't try to lie to me. If what you said is true, I'll seek justice for your uncle. But if it's a lie, I won't forgive you for slandering my sect."

Xiaoxue spoke with a powerful aura.

Gulp.

Bai Yan swallowed hard as he felt her terrifying aura.

He realized… that little girl was no joke.