The 37th Clan Gathering

"Kid, I take back what I said earlier."

Bai Xuanling sighed and said, "You're a talent. I believe you can figure out solutions to many things on your own. There's no need to come to me for everything."

Chu Xingchen nodded lightly, then with an innocent expression, asked:

"What about the pills…?"

"...How big of a spirit field do you want?"

"Not too big. My sect has a back mountain…"

Bai Xuanling narrowed her eyes slightly at his words.

Chu Xingchen glanced at her expression and smoothly amended, "Just clearing a small patch there would be enough."

Bai Xuanling gave a slight nod.

Truth be told, she had secretly taken two more of this kid's pills after returning.

Unsurprisingly, each one was bizarre in its own way.

In terms of pill-refining technique, the kid hadn’t made any mistakes.

But that’s precisely what worried her—when there were no mistakes, yet something still went wrong.

Where was the flaw supposed to be?

When taking the second pill, Bai Xuanling had deliberately waited longer to observe its effects.

The result? Things turned out even worse than being stabbed a few times.

Honestly, Bai Xuanling thought that being able to refine something like this was a talent in itself.

What normal person could concoct such pills?

As for asking Chu Xingchen for guidance… she decided against it.

She was afraid of being led astray by his roundabout explanations. After all, her own pills still needed to be sold.

Later… she’d make him refine a few more batches and bring them back to feed a whole bottle to that idiot sect leader.

The back mountain of the sect.

Bai Xuanling calmly surveyed the plot of land before her.

Spiritual plants weren’t radishes—you couldn’t just dig a hole, bury them, and expect them to grow.

The most basic spiritual plants were an exception; those were indeed similar to planting radishes.

Just water them with spirit-rich water, and they’d be fine.

But for spiritual plants of slightly higher grade, meticulous care was required.

From the foundational soil composition to the concentration of spiritual energy, everything had to meet certain standards.

Different spiritual plants also had different elemental attributes. Planting them required setting up different formation arrays and ritual frameworks tailored to their properties.

In short, it was skilled work that demanded a solid understanding of spiritual botany.

This time, Bai Xuanling wasn’t the one setting up the ritual framework.

Instead, Chu Xingchen did the work while she lazily directed him.

Sure, it would’ve been faster if she did it herself, but if she kept solving everything for him, this kid would never learn to handle things on his own.

Better to let him do it himself. It might be slower, but at least he’d understand one thing:

She wasn’t here to work for him.

Chu Xingchen diligently followed Bai Xuanling’s instructions as he arranged the ritual framework:

"Elder Sister! You really know so much."

Bai Xuanling was long immune to such flattery—she had no shortage of people buttering her up.

She replied indifferently, "Just barely. Unlike Little Lingyu, I’ve traveled far and wide. Though young, I’ve picked up quite a bit of knowledge."

Chu Xingchen cheerfully placed the Spiritfire Jade Bai Xuanling had given him at the formation’s focal point. The surrounding spiritual energy gradually took on a faint warmth.

No matter what he managed to get for free, free stuff was always good.

This thing was pretty expensive too.

As expected of a Tribulation Transcension expert—truly generous.

Chu Xingchen quickly nodded in agreement. "Indeed, someone as young and knowledgeable as you, Elder Sister, is truly rare."

"Enough bootlicking. Hurry up and work," Bai Xuanling snorted. "If not for Little Lingyu’s sake, I wouldn’t even glance at your tiny sect."

Chu Xingchen hastily nodded.

………………

With Bai Xuanling’s full support, the medicinal field was finally operational.

Special thanks were owed to Elder Bai for generously providing many spiritual plant seeds.

Once these plants matured, selling them would fetch a hefty sum.

Not that they absolutely had to be refined into pills.

This was essentially a "top-tier patron’s donation," courtesy of Bai Xuanling.

For now, the care of the spirit field was entrusted to Ning Qianqian. In the early stages, before the seeds sprouted, no special attention was needed—just watering them with spirit-infused water would suffice.

Afterward, Chu Xingchen didn’t pester Bai Xuanling with endless questions.

Mainly to avoid overdoing it.

Thus, Bai Xuanling could finally relax and enjoy herself in peace.

At the same time, she took the opportunity to observe this small sect more closely.

The structure was loose, the hierarchy unclear.

Rather than a sect, it felt more like a family.

The entire backbone rested on Chu Xingchen alone.

If something were to happen to him one day, this little sect would likely collapse entirely.

The disciples would probably scatter to the winds.

By conventional sect standards, this was undoubtedly subpar.

A proper sect shouldn’t fall apart just because one person was missing.

This sect was still far from being a qualified one—it needed much greater reforms.

However…

Bai Xuanling didn’t dislike the current atmosphere.

Besides, a sect didn’t necessarily have to conform to traditional expectations.

To each their own. Once you set foot on the immortal path, you’d realize there were no absolutes, no single "right" way.

Different paths could all lead to the same destination.

Under the night sky.

Bai Xuanling lounged lazily on a rocking chair, her gaze drifting toward Chu Xingchen and the others as they held some kind of bonfire gathering.

They called it the "37th Grand Sect Banquet."

Sounded formal, but in reality, the attendees could be counted on two hands.

This sect had a habit of using grandiose terms for the most trivial things.

By now, she had a rough understanding of Chu Xingchen’s character.

He was undeniably talented, but more importantly, he had charisma.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to gather these disciples, nor would they willingly stay in such a small sect.

Li Yingling—her aptitude would be considered top-tier even in the Central Continent. The way spiritual energy stirred when she cultivated was unlike any ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Li Xingtian—according to reports, he was supposedly a demonic cultivator… yet he seemed surprisingly loyal to his comrades.

Though compared to Li Xingtian, that adorable Chen Baiqing seemed more like the real demonic cultivator.

But labels like "demonic" or "righteous" ultimately depended on the person.

Plenty of people practiced orthodox techniques while committing heinous acts.

After all, Bai Xuanling herself cultivated what the world deemed an orthodox path.

Yet she didn’t consider herself a good person either.

In this world, right and wrong were never so clear-cut.

As for the remaining two… total newbies. If anyone stood out, it was Cui Hao—his temperament reminded her of an old acquaintance.

Too bad that acquaintance had met a rather gruesome end.

"Elder Sister, care for a drink?"

Hearing the voice, Bai Xuanling glanced sideways to see Chu Xingchen holding a wine cup, smiling at her.

"I usually drink celestial wines. You really have the nerve to offer me mortal liquor?"

Bai Xuanling chuckled softly and beckoned with her hand. The cup flew from Chu Xingchen’s grasp into hers.

She took a small sip. Mortal wine was mortal wine—nowhere near celestial brews.

"Not bad. It has some flavor," Bai Xuanling sighed. "But since you’re shamelessly here to bother me again, this wine might not end up in my stomach."

"I just thought… Elder Sister didn’t seem to enjoy the crowd much."

"I’ve seen too many lively scenes. Nowadays, I prefer a bit of quiet."

"I have a feeling… the 'lively scenes' you’re referring to aren’t the same as what I mean."

"Oh? You’re quite sharp."

"Since Elder Sister is here, you’re our guest. And wherever you go, guests should follow the host’s lead."

Bai Xuanling shot him a sidelong glance. "Meaning?"

"Come now, the 37th Grand Sect Gathering wouldn’t leave anyone out—otherwise, Xie Lingyu might not let me off the hook later."

Bai Xuanling drained his cup in one go and rose slowly, saying:

"Don’t blame me if things get awkward."

"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely blame my eldest disciple instead."