Going Out 02

But clearly, this was extremely difficult to achieve. Human beings were born with emotions, and it was nearly impossible to remain an impartial, emotionless observer of the world while still retaining one’s own joys and sorrows.

That was why the people of the Sumeru Clan gradually eliminated nearly all of their personal emotions as they cultivated their minds.

The middle-aged man thought of how Wuguang was already sixteen and would soon come of age and undergo the clan’s evaluation. He could not help sighing inwardly.

If Wuguang failed the evaluation two years from now, his memories would be erased, and he would be expelled from the Sumeru Clan.

Considering how much Wuguang wanted to participate in the next expedition into the mortal world, the man decided that he would use that as motivation to spur him on.

The first two batches of those sent into the world were about to return. Hopefully, everything would remain as normal when they did…

His thoughts returned to the documents spread across the desk. The middle-aged man could not help sighing again. It was no wonder that a young man like Wuguang had been so captivated and excited that he had used language completely at odds with the Sumeru Clan’s usual style when recording his observations.

There had not been anything this fresh in the long river of mortal history for a very long time. No one understood that better than the people of the Sumeru Clan.

They had watched the unchanging mortal world for far too long.

No one knew that the Lingxian Sect, which had suddenly appeared over the past few years, had left such a vivid and important mark on the historical records of the mortal world.

Another year passed, yet the cultivation world still showed no signs of movement.

Clearly, none of the developments in the mortal world had reached the cultivation world. Every month, the people from the Lingxian Sect who traveled there to conduct trade would carefully gather information, but the ten sects from the northern and southern spiritual regions that had sent people to the mortal world still showed no reaction.

All the work in Xiushui City had long since fallen into a stable routine. As everyone’s cultivation and skills rapidly improved, the various tasks within the Lingxian Sect became increasingly easy to handle.

One day, Sun Yigao found Lin Xiao and said, “I want to establish Lingxian Academies outside Xiushui City and even beyond the borders of Pushi Country. I’d also like to take the opportunity to travel around the world.”

Lin Xiao had just finished cultivating, but he was not surprised by this. He had never thought Sun Yigao was the sort of person who would be content to remain in the sect and cultivate according to a fixed routine.

So he asked only, “Where are you planning to go first? Have you worked out the details?”

Seeing that Lin Xiao had not asked why and was instead concerned only about his plans, Sun Yigao felt deeply comforted. He smiled slightly and told him, “I’ll start with Huanyou Country. It’s relatively close. Once the academy there has become established, I’ll continue on to the next city and the next country.”

He paused before continuing, “As for my disciples, I plan to take them with me. There’s a saying that reading ten thousand books is not as valuable as traveling ten thousand miles. They’ve already built a solid foundation over these past few years in the sect, so I want to take them out to experience the world and see the countless sides of human life.”

Since Sun Yigao had clearly thought everything through, Lin Xiao naturally approved. “Good. Since you’ve made up your mind, when do you plan to leave? I’ll have Jiang He prepare some money for your travels. You’ll also continue receiving your monthly allowance. Just give the sect an address, and Jiang He can mail it to you every month.”

Sun Yigao laughed. “There’s no need to give me any money. I want to try building an academy from scratch with my disciples.”

Of course, it would not truly be from nothing. They would still use the Lingxian Academy textbooks from Xiushui City. They also possessed cultivation abilities, along with all kinds of useful magical artifacts and techniques. No matter how one looked at it, they would have things much easier than ordinary people.

What Sun Yigao really wanted was for him and his disciples to experience all the details involved in working together toward a common goal.

Back when they were in the sect, teachers and seniors had guided them through every task. Once they left, no one would be there to teach them.

Sun Yigao knew that he had little understanding of the countless minor details involved in handling affairs. Those matters were usually dealt with by Lin Xiao, Qin Jianghe, and Liu Yunan whenever he was in the sect, so no one else ever had to worry about them.

That was why he wanted to learn alongside his disciples and study the process together with them.

Lin Xiao understood what he meant, so he spread his hands. “Fine. Then we won’t give you any mortal gold or silver. But the sect’s monthly cultivation allowance will still be provided.”

“Of course. I won’t have any way to earn spirit stones for my disciples once we’re outside,” Sun Yigao replied with a laugh.

“Afterward, I’ll create a contribution-point system for the academies as well. Disciples studying there will be able to earn contribution points too,” Lin Xiao added after thinking it over, ensuring that those who went out would not be unable to earn sect contributions.

And so, the matter of Sun Yigao leading his disciples on a long journey to establish Lingxian Academies was settled.

Lin Xiao was not worried about their safety at all. Sun Yigao had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and it was virtually impossible for him to encounter anyone in the outside world who could overwhelm him through cultivation alone. Over the past few years, he had also been the first person apart from Lin Xiao and Liao Pantu to fully master the more than one thousand cultivation manuals within the sect.

Moreover, he cultivated the Heaven-ranked technique known as the Original Essence Heart Sutra. Without the slightest exaggeration, he could practically walk sideways throughout the mortal world.

As for the disciples Sun Yigao was taking with him, they had already been in the sect for two or three years. By now, most of them had reached at least the Foundation Establishment stage. They were equipped with all kinds of magical artifacts and talismans from the sect, as well as the extremely convenient Lock Rings for communication. With Sun Yigao, their Nascent Soul master, accompanying them, the chances of encountering danger were minuscule.

Lin Xiao could not slap his chest and guarantee that nothing dangerous would ever happen, but the same principle still applied: one could not stop eating for fear of choking. People could even choke while drinking water—should they stop drinking altogether?

Cultivation was now the most important part of life for everyone in the sect. Traveling the world was also a form of cultivation. Since it was time for them to go out, they could not allow fear to hold them back.

Besides, whether one wanted to admit it or not, the cultivators of the mortal world probably had no time to go out looking for trouble or rob travelers on the road. They all had work to do.

When the sects and imperial clans of the various countries first heard the Qinghe Sect Master’s suggestion that they hire rogue cultivators, they had been extremely reluctant. Now, they were scrambling to recruit them.

Why? Because these people were valuable labor.

Over the past two years, the disciples and members of those sects and imperial clans had been working intensively in production and manufacturing. Their mastery of cultivation-related skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

Once their abilities had risen significantly, they naturally began pursuing higher standards and greater goals. They no longer wanted to waste time on trivial, low-level tasks.

With rogue cultivators of lower cultivation and skill levels taking care of the sects’ various chores that required little technical expertise, the more talented cultivators could advance to greater heights with greater confidence and stability.

As a result, rogue cultivators had become highly sought-after.

Even the rogue cultivators themselves had never expected that they would one day have the chance to become unofficial members of those sects and imperial clans. Quite a few sects had even offered outstanding rogue cultivators positions as guest elders in order to win them over.