The first thing that greeted Yuan Qing's eyes was a beautiful, ancient peach blossom tree in full bloom. Nearby was a simple grass hut, but instead of feeling out of place, the two elements complemented each other, exuding a serene harmony.
Next to the hut stood a stone tablet with the words "Lingxian Sect" engraved in bold, square characters. Behind it, Yuan Qing noticed a building with a sign that read "General Affairs Hall."
Just as he was taking it all in, Lin Xiao spoke to him, "Let's head to the General Affairs Hall to get you registered and pick up your disciple supplies."
By now, it was late afternoon, and in about an hour, it would be dinner time. Liu Yunian, who had wrapped up his tasks for the day, was stretching lazily in his seat when Lin Xiao entered with Yuan Qing.
Liu Yunian recognized Yuan Qing immediately. He had often seen him standing at the base of the Heart-Testing Path during his trips down the mountain. Lin Xiao had already explained Yuan Qing's background to everyone, so Liu Yunian wasn't particularly surprised to see him.
Just as Lin Xiao was about to say something, Liao Pantou emerged from the small world, descending from the floating island to look for Lin Xiao. Without much time to spare, Lin Xiao hurriedly said to Liu Yunian, "I'll leave him in your hands," before being dragged away by Liao Pantou.
This left Yuan Qing and Liu Yunian standing in awkward silence, staring at each other. Liu Yunian cleared his throat and broke the ice, "Welcome to Lingxian Sect, Yuan Daoist. Here's your sect uniform and this month's basic cultivation resources."
With that, Liu Yunian handed Yuan Qing a storage pouch. It didn't contain much—just a sect uniform, a few spirit stones, and some basic pills. This was the standard set of resources for regular disciples, which Lin Xiao had previously discussed with the others.
Going forward, everyone would follow this baseline. If they wanted more, they would need to take on tasks within the sect. For those willing to work, they could visit the General Affairs Hall to pick up extra assignments. Lingxian Sect had no shortage of work that needed doing.
Although the initial allocation of resources wasn't abundant, Yuan Qing didn't mind. After all, in his previous sect, Tianxuan Sect, the treatment wasn't much better unless one had a special status.
Following Liu Yunian's lead, Yuan Qing carefully listened as the General Affairs Hall leader gave him a tour of the sect's facilities. Since the sect didn't yet have many members, Liu Yunian was able to handle these tasks himself. However, in the future, as more disciples joined, he planned to recruit assistants to manage new recruits.
As Yuan Qing explored Lingxian Sect, his curiosity grew. Many of the facilities impressed him—some even rivaled or surpassed what he had seen in Tianxuan Sect.
Meanwhile, Liao Pantou led Lin Xiao to the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Tree. Lin Xiao initially thought it had something to do with the small world construction, but Liao Pantou surprised him by saying, "Sect Master, are you sure you don't want the Ice Plains Spirit?"
Realizing the topic, Lin Xiao chuckled and replied, "I don't need it. Give it to Yi Gao."
Liao Pantou nodded in agreement. "I thought the same. It's best to bond with it and start nurturing it as soon as possible. Leaving it idle is a waste."
While working with the flowers and plants in the small world, Liao Pantou had been reminded of Yuan Ruogu, the elder of the Yuan family who had fallen to demonic cultivation. This made him think of the Ice Plains Spirit, a creature that could help prevent such a fate.
Although Liao Pantou was confident in his disciple Sun Yi Gao's mental strength and believed he wouldn't succumb to such dangers, having the Ice Plains Spirit would provide extra protection. With Lin Xiao's agreement, Liao Pantou retrieved the sealed Ice Plains Spirit from the sect's treasury and handed it to him.
Liao Pantou then rushed to find his beloved disciple, Sun Yi Gao, with Lin Xiao following out of curiosity to witness the bonding process.
They arrived at the private school where Sun Yi Gao was teaching, just as the students were being dismissed. Once everyone had bid farewell to Sun Fuzi, the pair entered the school.
Surprised to see them, Sun Yi Gao greeted them, "Master, Senior Brother, what brings you here?"
Liao Pantou wasted no time, pulling out the sealed box and handing it to his disciple with a gentle smile. "Yi Gao, this is an Ice Plains Spirit I captured in the secret realm. Quickly, bond with it."
Sun Yi Gao was puzzled by the sudden gift but had long grown accustomed to his master's unpredictable ways. He glanced at Lin Xiao, who gave him a reassuring nod, and respectfully accepted the box. "Thank you, Master."
Pleased with his disciple's decisiveness, Liao Pantou continued, "The Ice Plains Spirit is incredibly fast. Once you open the box, it will try to break through my seal. When that happens, you must immediately drop a drop of heart's blood on its forehead and use your divine sense to establish a connection. Once you do, it will recognize you as its master."
Standing nearby, Lin Xiao was surprised. He hadn't expected the bonding process for an Ice Plains Spirit to be so straightforward.
Sun Yi Gao nodded earnestly and carefully opened the sealed box. A streak of white light shot out, but it was confined by the surrounding seal. Seizing the moment, Sun Yi Gao quickly extracted a drop of blood from his heart and placed it on the creature's forehead. He then enveloped the Ice Plains Spirit with his divine sense.
Time passed, and as the summer sky outside began to dim, Sun Yi Gao, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, finally opened them. "It's done."
He could now clearly sense the bond with the Ice Plains Spirit. The creature, which had been brimming with energy moments earlier, relaxed completely. As Liao Pantou lifted the seal, the Ice Plains Spirit nestled against Sun Yi Gao's neck, its delicate, translucent limbs wrapping around him like vines.
At the same time, Tuan Tuan, who had been lazily dozing on the desk, let out an unhappy "meow" and leapt onto Sun Yi Gao's other shoulder, settling down.
Liao Pantou, watching the Ice Plains Spirit, was thrilled. "It seems to be very fond of you. Good! From now on, keep it with you, especially while cultivating. That way, it will grow faster."
He then handed Sun Yi Gao a storage pouch, adding, "I'm still not fully recovered, so I don't have too many good things. But there's enough here to feed it regularly. Just don't overfeed it. It needs time to digest."
Sun Yi Gao, knowing his master's good intentions, smiled and accepted the pouch gratefully. "Thank you, Master."
He resolved to work hard, not only in his cultivation but also in aiding his master in restoring his spirit.