Chapter 49: The Branch Sect

Over the next few days, you begin searching the surrounding area for a suitable place to establish a new branch of the sect. At last, on this day, Lin Yang finds a location twenty li north of the small town—a basin encircled on three sides by mountains. The central valley stretches nearly ten kilometers across, and from each of the three mountains streams flow down, converging to form a lake at the heart of the basin.

Here, a handful of mortals dwell—a modest village of only a few hundred souls. Lin Yang gazes at the peaceful people below, living in harmony. Though he feels a pang of reluctance, he resolves to compensate them and have them relocate elsewhere.

The area is far removed from any town in Yue Country, so only this small village exists, giving it the feeling of a hidden paradise.

Lin Yang reveals himself, and the villagers are astonished, dropping to their knees and crying out “Immortal!” in awe.

Lin Yang descends and addresses the elders, “Who among you is the village chief?” he asks kindly.

“I am, Immortal,” replies an old man, his hair snowy white and his garments faded from countless washings. Though frail in frame, his face is ruddy and his eyes shine with the wisdom of years.

“The truth is, your village’s location is ideal for building an Immortal’s residence. So I wish to compensate you and ask you to move,” Lin Yang says, somewhat awkwardly.

“Ah, but if we leave, how will we survive?” someone protests.

“Yes, our crops have only just been sown!” another chimes in. The villagers are frightened and voice their concerns in a flurry.

“Silence!” the village chief thunders, and at once the crowd falls quiet. Clearly, his authority runs deep.

“Whatever the Immortal says is how it shall be. Besides, he’s offering compensation,” the chief declares, deftly settling the matter and ensuring Lin Yang’s promise cannot be rescinded without incurring the villagers’ ire. His single sentence resolves what might have been a difficult negotiation for both sides.

“But, Chief, I’m already in my thirties and have never left the village. How am I to know what the world outside is like?” a man with a hoe asks.

“No need to worry. I can arrange for you all to settle in a nearby town, or even purchase a city for you. If you wish to farm, I can buy land for you,” Lin Yang decides, determined to provide them with a better home. Land in the mortal world is of little value to cultivators—a few spirit stones will suffice.

“Very well, but Immortal, I hope you’ll grant us one request,” the village chief says, weighing the pros and cons and ultimately agreeing. After all, even officials and nobles fear the Immortal’s power.

“Speak your request,” Lin Yang replies, patting his chest in assurance.

“Please, Immortal, see if any of our children are fit to become your disciple,” the chief asks, knowing the saying that when one ascends to immortality, even the chickens and dogs benefit. He hopes Lin Yang will accept a pupil—not only would a child become an Immortal, but the master-disciple bond would safeguard the villagers’ interests.

“I advise you not to get your hopes up. To become a cultivator, one must possess spiritual roots, and even among a thousand, perhaps none will have them. Besides, I don’t take disciples yet—I’m only in my twenties,” Lin Yang explains, surprised by the request but candid about the realities.

“Then we ask you to test our children. If none are found, it is our fate,” the chief responds.

“Very well. I’ll send someone to your village to test for spiritual roots, and I’ll arrange everything for your relocation. Prepare yourselves; I’ll be off now,” Lin Yang says, then flies back to the town. He instructs Mo Yang to relay the news to the sect, requesting that they send people for the handover. He posts a notice at the city gate recruiting laborers, promising a spirit stone for ten days’ work and signing it with his own name.

Thus, a place big enough for a thousand to cultivate together, with vast medicinal fields and alchemy rooms equipped with earth fire furnaces, springs up seemingly from nowhere. With extraordinary abilities, Lin Yang builds a wall enclosing twenty mu of land at astonishing speed. Within the walls, few dwellings have been constructed yet, and so far, no one resides there.

At the center of the lake, Lin Yang plants a second-tier spiritual laurel tree as the main focus of the spiritual energy array. On each mountain, he plants a spiritual herb, instantly drawing the surrounding spiritual energy inward—though this causes the town’s ambient energy to drop. To compensate, Lin Yang installs a gathering array to the south of the town.

This prompts many families to relocate towards the southern edge, and those already living there enjoy newfound benefits. The town itself shifts two li southward thanks to its neighbor’s influence.

During this period, carpenters are in such demand they can scarcely keep up, and even high wages cannot entice enough workers. Some people simply build their own homes, making do until carpenters become available.

The new branch is very near Yellow Maple Valley, only two hundred li distant—less than half an hour’s journey for a cultivator.

Sect Leader Zhong has sent disciples to assist with construction, and most necessities have now been completed.

Already, over five hundred disciples have gathered here, two hundred of whom have chosen to reside permanently—these are the alchemy disciples. If not for them, only alchemists would be stationed here; given the environment and spiritual energy, many qi refining disciples will surely be drawn as well.

The ancestor has dispatched a Golden Core cultivator, Li Yuanhua—future master of Han Runaway. The ancestor had considered sending Senior Sister Hongfu, given their close relationship, but she is not currently in Yellow Maple Valley and her whereabouts are unknown.

Today is the day Li Yuanhua arrives, and Lin Yang must go out to greet him. The difference in strength, even among peers, cannot be overlooked.

Lin Yang and the elders of the Alchemy Pavilion wait outside. These elders, all at Foundation Establishment level, are advanced in years and their alchemical skills are not especially high, so Lin Yang’s appointment as Pavilion Master faces little resistance. His arrangements are respected without question.

The Alchemy Pavilion, revitalized by its relocation, is no longer decrepit and aged; once like a withering elder, now it is as vigorous as a youth newly entering society—full of energy and promise.

Around the branch, new spiritual herbs have been planted, mostly saplings, but within decades or centuries they will yield abundant medicinal plants.