Just as Lingxian Sect was busy with the autumn harvest, Lin Xiao finally emerged quietly from the small chamber in the Formation Hall.
That night, dark clouds obscured the moon, and the wind howled through the darkness.
The main hall of the Formation Hall had long been extinguished, shrouded in silence.
In the black of night, a shadow flickered and swiftly left the hall, disappearing into the night.
Shuishui Village referred to the range of mountains behind them as the Northern Mountain. From a bird's-eye view, the entire mountain range was immense.
The Northern Mountain was not a straight ridge; it was divided into eight valleys and nine peaks, with three branching ridges extending outward. Two of the ridges ran parallel at the mountain's end, forming a deep gorge, while the other branched out in the middle as a solitary peak.
Surrounding these were numerous hills and dense forests.
Although the entire Northern Mountain belonged to Lingxian Sect, only a portion was actively used: the midsection of the mountainside, Qingyun Peak, the valley between Qingyun Peak and the next peak—used as a plaza—and a small valley just behind the mountainside. The rest of the mountain range remained undeveloped and in its natural state.
Without alerting anyone, Lin Xiao arrived at the far end of the Northern Mountain.
There, a high and low pair of ridges ran parallel, forming a deep gorge between them.
Suspended in mid-air between these two ridges, Lin Xiao gazed at the deep, dark valley, the chilling wind adding to the eerie silence. He glanced at the objects he had placed at the forefront of his personal vault.
He stretched his fingers, feeling a tinge of nervousness but more so, a strong sense of anticipation.
He wondered if the outcome would match his expectations.
Hesitation wasn't in Lin Xiao's nature, so without delay, he retrieved an item from his vault.
It was a cube resembling a Rubik's cube, just slightly larger than a grown man's fist.
At first glance, the cube appeared pitch black, but upon closer inspection, countless intricate lines emitted a faint glow, crisscrossing the surface, slicing the cube into numerous tiny sections.
If one looked even more closely, they'd realize that the cube was actually transparent, revealing its layered inner structure, segmented by the glowing lines.
These inner cubes seemed to be static, yet somehow subtly changing at the same time. Strangely, if someone focused too intently, the cube would appear as a solid black object once again, as if nothing but darkness existed within.
Lin Xiao admired the black cube in his hand with great satisfaction.
This was the result of months of meticulous work!
After all this time, the final step had arrived!
He couldn't wait any longer. With a gentle toss, the black cube floated mid-air.
Lin Xiao extended his right hand, palm open, fingers splayed wide toward the cube. Immediately, the four corners of the cube seemed to be pulled by invisible strings, unraveling and breaking apart in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the cube transformed into a complex, interlocking grid, glowing lines connecting and weaving through it as it rapidly expanded.
With a deft flick of his finger, Lin Xiao opened a small, pitch-black void within the intricate grid.
From his vault, he extracted a small glowing sphere, flicking it toward the center of the black void with his left hand.
Once the glowing sphere had been placed, Lin Xiao clenched his right hand, causing the black void to close with a swift snap. Then, with a sudden outward push of his thumb, index, and middle fingers, and a slight twist of his wrist, the once-unraveled grid expanded even further, now stretching across the sky, covering the two ridges like a vast net.
In the next moment, Lin Xiao clasped his three fingers together and gave a gentle flick of his wrist. The luminous lines crisscrossing the enormous grid froze in place, no longer shifting.
He took a deep breath.
This was the final step.
He summoned all the energy within him, channeling his essence into his right hand, focusing all his power into his fingertips. The once-free-moving hand now became as steady as if bound by an invisible force.
In the stillness of the night, neither Lin Xiao nor the enormous grid moved, as if the scene had been frozen in time.
Then, with a slow and deliberate motion, Lin Xiao began to lower his hand, pressing it downward.
The colossal grid followed suit, descending over the gorge between the twin ridges, covering the entire area below.
At the same time, a wave of invisible, cold energy surged from all directions, drawn into the grid as it descended.
As the net fell, the rocks, trees, and land beneath it seemed to be shrouded in a strange, inky blackness, even darker than the night itself—elusive and untouchable.
For a long while, it seemed as though the entire landscape was undergoing a silent upheaval.
At last, when Lin Xiao had nearly exhausted his energy, the net finally settled over the gorge, seamlessly merging with the terrain.
A cool breeze swept through, and everything returned to normal. In the distance, the occasional call of night birds echoed through the forest, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Anyone observing this place would think it nothing more than a perfectly ordinary mountain ridge.
But Lin Xiao knew that something significant had changed here.
Lowering himself to the ground, he landed at the juncture between the ridges and the main mountain range.
At some point, a massive stone stele had been erected here.
Inscribed on the stele were three large characters: Changming Mountain.
[Ding—Congratulations to the host for successfully constructing the sect building [Changming Mountain]. Reward has been deposited in your personal vault. Please check it at your convenience.]
The system's notification sounded in Lin Xiao's mind.
But now wasn't the time to check the system's rewards.
He was more eager to witness the results of his work.
The entrance to Changming Mountain was through the massive stone stele before him.
However, the method of entry was somewhat unusual.
In the stillness of the night, alone in the wilderness, Lin Xiao curled his index finger and knocked four times on the stone stele.
Three knocks for humans, four for spirits.
If Lin Dayou were here, he would surely give Lin Xiao a hard punch for such antics.
As soon as the fourth knock fell, a cold wind rose from the ground, swirling the fallen leaves around with a soft rustling sound.
In the quiet of the night, something seemed to be gathering.
Gradually, a thick mist began to form around Lin Xiao, isolating him from the outside world.
Moments later, white mist began to rise from the surface of the stone stele.
The mist swirled together, slowly solidifying into the form of a face.
Though the face had eyes, a nose, and a mouth, it did not resemble a human.
Its narrow eyes, sharp snout, and long ears atop its head unmistakably belonged to a white fox!
Yet Lin Xiao did not seem surprised at all, as if he had expected this appearance.
Indeed, he had.