The First Doubt

While He Yi was idly pondering the Lingxian Sect’s intentions in establishing this mortal academy, Lin Xiao entered the reception room.

The two exchanged polite greetings. Lin Xiao did not bother with any unnecessary pleasantries and asked him directly, “May I ask what brings you all the way to the Lingxian Sect?”

What he really wanted to ask was: What are you here for?

But, sigh, he was now the master of a sect and represented its public image. He had to sound a little more formal when speaking to outsiders.

He Yi showed no particular reaction as he looked at this sect master who, according to the villagers of Xiushui Village, was only sixteen years old.

However, he had already begun making his own calculations.

Although the man appeared to be very young, He Yi could not see through his cultivation. Either he possessed a treasure capable of concealing his cultivation, or his cultivation was far higher than He Yi’s own, preventing him from sensing the strength of the aura around him.

He Yi also had no way of knowing whether Lin Xiao’s actual age differed from his appearance and whether everything that had happened in Xiushui Village had been deliberately staged—or whether he really was only sixteen.

If the latter was true, then being able to command an entire sect at such a young age meant that he was truly a heaven-blessed prodigy.

He Yi had also vaguely heard a rumor in the imperial capital: the Lingxian Sect had once killed a rogue cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage through its own strength.

There was another version of the story, however. It claimed that the Lingxian Sect had been able to kill the Nascent Soul rogue cultivator because the imperial family’s Nascent Soul ancestor, Li Zhanying, had happened to be there and lent them a hand.

Both rumors seemed to originate from the former active disciples of the Shangyang Sect—or from former Shangyang Sect disciples who had already left the sect. The Shangyang Sect had once been seized by that Nascent Soul rogue cultivator.

As for which version was true, no one knew.

But He Yi had come into contact with Ancestor Li, Li Zhanying, while in the imperial capital. He had discovered that the imperial cultivators of this mortal world had access to pitifully few resources. They were unfamiliar with many of the common practices and spells of the cultivation world, and often had little knowledge of even the most commonly used techniques.

They possessed cultivation, but little else to rely on. Their cultivation methods, spells, and other means of protecting themselves were all sorely lacking.

The Nascent Soul rogue cultivator who had been killed, on the other hand, was said to have traveled to the cultivation world and possessed a great many methods.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to seize control of a sect that had been operating in the mortal world for many years so easily.

Moreover, from Li Zhanying’s words and manner, He Yi could tell that he was an extremely cautious man. He therefore found it difficult to believe that Li Zhanying would so readily risk helping a newly emerged sect.

Thus, in He Yi’s view, even if the Lingxian Sect did not possess ten parts of strength, it certainly possessed seven or eight.

Perhaps it could not be treated like an ordinary sect of the mortal world.

Nevertheless, even if Lin Xiao’s talent was astonishingly high, He Yi felt no jealousy toward him.

Only He Yi knew that, for those with extraordinary talent, surviving in the cultivation world was truly a treacherous endeavor. They had only two paths before them: rapid death or rapid ascent.

And for the vast majority, death was their fate.

Even someone like He Yi, who had a powerful background and backing, had endured hardships that only he himself knew.

Therefore, when facing Lin Xiao, he felt a faint sense of kindred sympathy.

So long as Sect Master Lin was a decent person and did not engage in heretical deeds, He Yi felt that he could turn a blind eye to certain things.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but they did not delay him from speaking calmly.

“Sect Master Lin, you certainly are straightforward. In that case, I shall not beat around the bush either. I have come to the mortal world this time with many questions regarding your sect and you. I hope Sect Master Lin can enlighten me on a few matters.”

“My first question is this: Everywhere I have gone, I have heard that the Lingxian Sect is an upright sect that seeks to bring benefits to the common people. Yet why, then, is your sect secretly drawing in yin energy from all directions?”

As he spoke, He Yi stared straight at Lin Xiao. He even raised a hand and pointed toward a certain direction.

That direction was precisely where Changming Mountain lay.

Lin Xiao could not help feeling somewhat surprised.

He had not expected his previous construction of Changming Mountain to be discovered.

The other party had even come knocking on his door specifically because of it.

He had been careless. Although the cultivators of the mortal world were not particularly powerful and were not very sensitive to yin energy, someone from the cultivation world had suddenly arrived—and was clearly quite sensitive to it.

A miscalculation. A serious miscalculation.

It seemed that he would have to be more cautious in the future.

Whenever he undertook some major project that might affect the outside world, he would first need to conduct a careful investigation, making sure there were no problems with the environment within the affected area before beginning work.

Another lesson learned.

Lin Xiao silently recorded this lesson in his heart, while keeping his expression calm and composed.

“This was an unintended consequence of our sect’s research into formations. We lacked experience and overlooked certain matters, failing to anticipate the result. That was why we ended up drawing in the yin energy from the surrounding area.”

He paused. Then, with an earnest and guileless expression, he looked at He Yi. A hint of innocent confusion, along with a trace of anxious unease, appeared in his eyes as he asked, “May I ask whether our sect has done something wrong? If we have violated some established convention, I hope you can be magnanimous and forgive us. The Lingxian Sect was only recently founded, and we are not very familiar with these rules. If there is anything inappropriate about our actions, and they have not caused any serious adverse effects, I hope that an experienced envoy such as yourself will be willing to overlook it. However, if our actions have indeed caused serious consequences, the Lingxian Sect is also willing to take full responsibility and resolve the matter.”

The implication was clear: Our sect is inexperienced and knows nothing about the rules. If this is not a serious matter, then as seasoned practitioners, please do not nitpick. But if it is a serious matter, we will not shirk our responsibility.

Of course, although Lin Xiao put things this way, it was obvious that his construction of Changming Mountain had been carefully planned. He had taken every aspect into consideration and knew that the amount of yin energy being absorbed was within the limits this region could bear. It was impossible for any serious adverse consequences to arise.

If the other party deliberately tried to make an issue out of some trivial detail, Lin Xiao had already prepared several ways to respond.

However, He Yi did not give him the opportunity to use any of those prepared responses. Clearly, he had merely used this matter as an opening for conversation.

After hearing Lin Xiao’s question, He Yi only smiled.

“Secretly drawing in a large amount of yin energy can be considered either a major or a minor matter in the cultivation world. It all depends on whether the intention behind it is evil and whether it has actually caused harm to the world. However, the world is generally governed by the interaction and opposition of yin and yang. Yang represents righteousness, while yin represents negativity. Most acts carried out through the use of yin energy cannot escape the suspicion of evil intent. If your sect had done this in the cultivation world, I am afraid you would inevitably have faced condemnation from the righteous path.”

He paused again before continuing.

“Although this place is not the cultivation world, we all exist beneath the same heavens. The cultivation world still bears some responsibility for overseeing the mortal world. Regardless of whether your sect’s actions were benevolent or malicious, once the cultivation world becomes aware of them, I am afraid you will still inevitably…”

He let out a sigh.

Once the cultivation world became aware of it—how would it become aware of it? He Yi did not say so explicitly, but Lin Xiao understood the moment he heard those words.

At present, He Yi was the only person who had discovered this matter. Lin Xiao had already confirmed that ordinary cultivators would not find it easy to detect the flow of yin energy.

So what other way was there for the cultivation world to find out?

The man would simply report it to them.