Standing in the dark, Lin Xiao looked at the old man lying quietly on the bed with his eyes closed, and hesitated.
How could he speak to the old man without scaring him...
After all, it was pitch black in the dead of night. If he suddenly made a sound, he was afraid he might frighten the poor man to death.
After hesitating for a moment and failing to come up with a good idea, he simply raised his index finger and used the fire control technique he had recently learned to ignite a small cluster of flames at his fingertip.
Lin Xiao thought that this might make Village Chief Du less frightened.
So he approached the bed and called out softly:
"Village Chief Du, Village Chief Du, don't be afraid. It's me, Lin Xiao."
Village Chief Du, who had been resting with his eyes closed, was startled by the sudden voice. However, upon hearing the name 'Lin Xiao', he calmed down a bit.
But as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a small flame burning in the darkness, right next to Lin Xiao's face.
Village Chief Du clutched his wildly pounding heart.
"You, you, you, you, you—what is this?"
Lin Xiao felt a bit embarrassed:
"Village Chief, please don't be nervous! I am Lin Xiao! I'm alive! A living, breathing person. If you really don't believe me, touch me."
Saying so, Lin Xiao quickly reached out and grasped Village Chief Du's hand.
Suddenly having his hand held by Lin Xiao's warm palm, Village Chief Du finally managed to steady his heartbeat and asked:
"What's wrong, Brother Xiao? Sneaking into my house in the middle of the night like this..."
As he spoke, he glanced again at the small flame on Lin Xiao's fingertip, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Lin Xiao hurriedly said:
"To tell you the truth, Village Chief, I am now cultivating on the mountain. I am a proper cultivator, and the sect I built on the mountain is also a genuine immortal cultivation sect, just like the Shangyang Sect that was recruiting disciples in the town before."
Hearing this, Village Chief Du nodded in understanding.
Sure enough, back when the incident with Eldest Liu happened, he had guessed that Lin Xiao was truly cultivating immortality.
He just hadn't expected the child to become so powerful now...
Village Chief Du stole another glance at the little flame on his fingertip.
Lin Xiao didn't mind and quickly explained his purpose for coming:
"Village Chief, you might not believe this, but I have to tell you. I'm going on a long journey soon. A few days ago, when I went to Tomb Mountain with my family for Tomb-Sweeping Day, I sensed something strange there. I can't say exactly what it was, but with my current cultivation level, my intuition tells me it might be a dangerous aura!
So for the safety of everyone in the village, if something really happens here, you can lead the villagers to the halfway point of the North Mountain, to our Lingxian Sect. It should be able to guarantee everyone's safety there."
Upon hearing this, Village Chief Du frowned. But as an old village chief with decades of life experience, his reaction was very calm. He only asked Lin Xiao:
"Our Xiushui Village has lived here for generations. Apart from occasional droughts, there have been no other disasters. Brother Xiao, are you certain about what you're saying?"
Lin Xiao decisively shook his head and said:
"I am not certain. After all, intuition is hard to explain, so I only came to tell you alone, just in case."
It was unknown what Village Chief Du was thinking, but he smiled and nodded at Lin Xiao:
"Good child, it's hard on you to keep the village in your thoughts. Don't worry, if something really happens, I will do my best to guide the villagers up the mountain."
Lin Xiao had delivered his message. Regardless of what the village chief thought, he had done his best. Therefore, Lin Xiao didn't say any more nonsense, bid Village Chief Du farewell, and left the Du household.
But he still didn't go home. After thinking about it, he walked towards the home of Patriarch Hu, Hu Deli, who seemed more reliable and had strong appeal.
Although it was impossible for him to provide teleportation talismans for the entire village, making some advance preparations for them was still doable.
This was the village where he had grown up for over a decade, and he truly hoped everyone would be alright.
Thus, the night passed.
Time moved to the next day.
Today was the day Lin Xiao had set for departure.
Lin Xiao specifically carried over his family's large cooking pot, built a simple stove next to the thatched shed, and asked Yang Jinshu to help steam a large pot of fragrant spirit rice.
He also went to the mountain stream and used the first tier of a spell he had newly created, the Inescapable Net—Meticulous Threads, to catch over a dozen large fish.
The first tier of this spell, simply put, used spiritual energy as a medium to control intangible things like air or water, solidifying them into threads to form loops that locked onto the target.
The fish: Using spells just to catch fish! You have no martial virtues!
Everyone in the sect finished their cultivation early today and squatted next to the stove, waiting for the meal to start.
Taking advantage of this time, Lin Xiao modified the entry permissions of the sect's defensive barrier, changing it so that everyone in Xiushui Village could enter.
Anyway, now everyone in the sect had cultivation bases, and there was even a Qi Condensation third-layer existence. Coupled with the fact that everyone had learned spells to some extent, Lin Xiao wasn't worried that the villagers would cause trouble if they really came in.
Suddenly, a system notification sounded in Lin Xiao's mind:
Ding—Congratulations, Sect Prestige has reached 50. The Item Appraisal function has been successfully unlocked. Friendly reminder: The Item Appraisal function can only be used when the item is stored in the host's private treasury.
!
Appraisal function!
Lin Xiao was thrilled. The items in his private treasury could finally be appraised!
Moreover, this way, he wouldn't need to guess the functions of any items he obtained in the future.
Immediately, Lin Xiao greeted the crowd chatting and waiting for food near the thatched shed, and then ran off alone to sit under the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Tree.
Opening his private treasury, he was going to appraise all the items with unclear functions one by one!
First up were the Fog Spring Grass seeds he had obtained a long time ago!
Lin Xiao clicked on the Fog Spring Grass seeds in the private treasury, and a line of small text appeared next to it:
Fog Spring Grass Seeds: Can grow into Fog Spring Grass. Maturation cycle is three seasons.
Lin Xiao was stunned.
Why didn't it tell him what Fog Spring Grass was used for?
Then he realized—these were seeds, not the Fog Spring Grass itself.
For a moment, Lin Xiao had so many complaints in his heart that he didn't even know where to begin.
As such, all the seeds in the private treasury could be skipped.
Lin Xiao thought for a moment and tapped on the Tier 1 Spirit Vein Fragment.
Tier 1 Spirit Vein Fragment: Collect three fragments to synthesize a low-tier spirit vein.
Seeing this line of small text, Lin Xiao was pleasantly surprised. Three fragments could synthesize a low-tier spirit vein!
And he already had two pieces, which meant that with just one more piece, his sect would be able to have its own spirit vein.
Lin Xiao suppressed the excitement in his heart and tapped on his own set of sect uniform in the private treasury.
He was about to enter the secret realm soon. Naturally, it was best to wear equipment when going into a dungeon.
But so far, among the items he possessed, apart from the dagger he had bought earlier, this sect uniform looked the most like equipment.
Therefore, Lin Xiao really wanted to know if this sect uniform had any attributes.

ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!

end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."