Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

Upon hearing this, Qin Jianghe finally understood why his mother had suddenly brought up this matter. He couldn't help but smile and say:

"Don't worry, Mother. I don't have any thoughts about such trivial matters anymore. Whatever happens with that family has nothing to do with me."

"That's good, that's good. I thought you went so far to do business because you were holding onto some grudge and wanted to prove yourself to the Niu family," Qin's mother said with a smile.

Qin Jianghe then realized that his mother had thought his venture into business was motivated by a desire to show up the Niu family. He replied with some helplessness:

"It's not like that, Mother. I'm doing this to create opportunities for our sect. As our sect grows, we'll need to recruit more disciples, and raising those disciples will require money, right? So please don't overthink things, and rest assured."

"Alright, alright. As long as that's not the reason." Hearing this, Qin's mother finally felt completely at ease.

After the broken engagement, her son had announced his decision to go into business and had been away for months. He only sent letters and money back home occasionally, which had made both her and her husband wonder.

But now that she had heard her son say it himself, her worries finally dissipated.

The next morning, Qin Jianghe left his home and Shushui Village at dawn.

He wasn't leaving alone—Liu Yunan accompanied him.

However, Liu Yunan wasn't escorting Qin Jianghe; he was headed to Liaoju Prefecture.

They had agreed to travel together the previous day.

Liu Yunan's trip to Liaoju Prefecture was to deliver more positioning communication talismans to Prefect Tong.

This way, if Prefect Tong received any further news, he could inform them, giving them a better sense of any developments.

Moreover, Sun Yigao, upon learning of this, had also given Liu Yunan a few of the small Rejuvenation Pills he had recently learned to refine, to present to Prefect Tong as a gift.

After all, although Prefect Tong had helped them out of gratitude and respect, it wouldn't be right to take his assistance for granted.

Reciprocity was the key to a lasting relationship.

The pills were a common healing remedy for cultivators, with only moderate effectiveness.

However, for ordinary people, they were quite potent.

If faced with a serious illness, taking one might just save a life.

As a token of thanks, the gift was considered perfect by everyone.

As for whether giving Prefect Tong these pills might bring trouble upon him, everyone agreed that a man of his rank wouldn't let a few pills become widely known.

As long as Baldy was discreet in delivering the gift, there shouldn't be any issues.

With that, the two set off from Shushui Village together, quickly heading toward the main road.

Sun Yigao, now a teacher at the private school, spent his mornings teaching his students for an hour and a half before devoting an hour and a half to his cultivation.

During his cultivation time, an elderly scholar he had hired would supervise the students in self-study and answer any questions they had.

After lunch, during the private school's midday break, Sun Yigao would spend his time studying the four arts of cultivation.

That's right, not just alchemy.

Encouraged by Senior Liao, he had also tried his hand at the other three arts, quickly proving to be quite skilled.

Seeing this, Liao Pantou was so delighted that his eyes crinkled with laughter.

Liu Chun was astonished at how quickly Sun Yigao picked up talisman crafting, a skill he had practiced for decades.

It was unexpected to find such hidden talents in their small sect.

Mo Yuanjiao, who had previously thought himself the only multi-talented genius among the disciples, began to feel a little smug.

That is until he realized that Senior Brother Sun, who had recently returned after completing his exams, was even more remarkable.

Not only was Senior Brother Sun the one who had refined the healing pills that saved the Sect Master when he was poisoned—despite never having done it before—but he was also the only one, besides the Sect Master, who had passed the Path of Reflection without any difficulty!

Sun Yigao had once asked Lin Xiao about this, and Lin Xiao had explained the general mechanism of the Path of Reflection to everyone.

It turned out that the reason Sun Yigao could pass the Path of Reflection so easily was due to his exceptionally pure and firm mind.

Because his heart was so pure and his will so steadfast, the Path of Reflection couldn't find a single flaw in him, making it ineffective against him.

This didn't mean that those who struggled on the path were less righteous, but rather that their minds weren't as resolute.

While they were generally good and upright, they might hesitate or be uncertain when faced with ambiguous situations.

Many factors could influence this.

But Sun Yigao, at this stage of his life, was unwavering in any situation.

Thus, he didn't need the Path of Reflection to test his heart.

As a result, after Lin Xiao, Mo Yuanjiao had found a new person to admire.

He became more enthusiastic about volunteering to teach the students at the private school.

Although Sun Yigao's first love was reading, he was also deeply fascinated by the mystical arts of cultivation.

So, every day during the students' lunch break, he would take time to practice.

After the break, he would return to the private school to teach another hour-long class.

Then, after letting the students review for a bit, it would be time for Mo Yuanjiao's martial arts lessons.

At that point, Sun Yigao's teaching duties for the day would be complete, and he would head to the cultivation chamber on the mountain, where he would practice until late at night before finally returning home.

By now, Sun Yigao no longer needed to teach the others how to read or explain the cultivation methods.

Senior Liao had taken over the role of answering everyone's questions.

As a result, Sun Yigao had progressed to the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, not far from breaking through to the next stage.

With Lin Xiao in seclusion, there didn't seem to be much change within Lingxian Sect.

However, each person felt a subtle shift within themselves.

Previously, Lin Xiao had handled many of the sect's affairs, providing them with plans and instructions for dealing with various situations.

Now that he was absent, everyone felt a sense of responsibility, a need to be more proactive and consider the sect's well-being more carefully.

Everything in the sect seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

A few days later.

In a dense forest south of Liaoju Prefecture, a middle-aged man in a purple robe stood by the entrance to a cave that should have been hidden by a concealment array but was now blocked by rocks. His face was grim.