Chapter 591: Venturing Out

But it was clear that maintaining emotional neutrality was incredibly difficult. Humans are born with emotions, and expecting someone to retain their personal joys and sorrows while remaining impartial and detached from the world around them is almost impossible.

Because of this, members of the Xumi Clan gradually suppress most of their personal feelings as part of their cultivation.

The middle-aged man thought about Wuguang, now sixteen years old and soon to undergo the clan’s adulthood assessment. He sighed silently.

If Wuguang failed the assessment in two years, he would have his memories erased and be expelled from the Xumi Clan.

Recalling Wuguang's eagerness to join the next batch of those sent to observe the outside world, the middle-aged man decided he could use this as motivation to spur Wuguang on.

The previous two groups of observers would be returning soon. Hopefully, everything would proceed smoothly when they arrived...

Shifting his thoughts back to the documents on the table, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh. He couldn’t entirely blame Wuguang for being so captivated by the world outside, using language that was far too emotive and inconsistent with the Xumi Clan's values.

In the long and uneventful history of the mortal realm, it had been a long time since something so fresh and exciting had happened. The Xumi Clan, perhaps more than anyone else, could feel this.

They had witnessed the monotony of the mortal realm for far too long.

No one knew that the sudden emergence of Lingxian Sect in recent years would be marked as a significant and colorful chapter in the annals of mortal realm history.

Another year passed, and there was still no news from the cultivation world.

Clearly, the activities in the mortal realm had not stirred any ripples in the cultivation world. Every month, Lingxian Sect’s representatives who traveled to the cultivation world for trade would discreetly gather intelligence. Even the ten sects from the Northern and Southern Spiritual Realms who had sent people to the mortal realm showed no signs of taking action.

Xiushui City had settled into a steady rhythm. With the cultivations and skills of its members advancing rapidly, Lingxian Sect's internal operations had become increasingly smooth.

One day, Sun Yigao approached Lin Xiao and said, “I want to expand Lingxian Academy beyond Xiushui City, even beyond Pusi Country. I’d also like to take this chance to travel and experience the world.”

Lin Xiao had just finished his cultivation session and was not surprised by this request. He never thought Sun Yigao was the type to be content with staying within the sect and following a structured cultivation routine.

So he simply asked, “Where’s your first stop? Do you have a plan in mind?”

Sun Yigao was touched by Lin Xiao's response—he didn’t ask why but instead focused on the practical details of what would come next. Smiling faintly, he replied, “I’ll start with Huanyou Country since it’s close. Once the academy there is stable, I plan to move on to the next city or country. As for my disciples, I plan to take them with me. Reading ten thousand books is not as meaningful as traveling ten thousand miles. They’ve built a solid foundation over these years in the sect. I want to take them out to see the world and experience its many facets.”

Seeing that Sun Yigao had thought it through, Lin Xiao agreed readily. “As long as you’ve made up your mind. When are you planning to leave? I’ll have Jianghe prepare funds for your journey. Also, send us a mailing address once you’ve settled so Jianghe can send your monthly allowances.”

Sun Yigao chuckled, “No need for the funds. I want to try building the academy from scratch with my disciples.”

Building from scratch wasn’t entirely accurate. They would still be using Xiushui City’s Lingxian Academy textbooks, and they had their cultivation skills, along with an array of tools and techniques. No matter how challenging, it would still be far easier than what ordinary mortals could manage.

What Sun Yigao wanted was for his disciples to experience the process of working toward a shared goal. While in the sect, they had always had elders and senior instructors guiding them step by step. But once they were out in the world, there would be no one to teach them.

Sun Yigao also admitted to himself that he had little experience with the small, mundane details involved in managing tasks. Within the sect, Lin Xiao, Qin Jianghe, and Liu Yunian had handled everything seamlessly, leaving others without a care.

He hoped that through this journey, both he and his disciples could learn together.

Lin Xiao understood his intention and shrugged. “Alright, then I won’t send you off with mortal gold or silver. But the sect’s monthly cultivation allowance will still be provided.”

“Of course. I can’t earn spirit stones for my disciples out there,” Sun Yigao replied with a laugh.

“I’ll set up a contribution system for the academy as well. That way, your disciples can earn sect contributions even while outside,” Lin Xiao added, ensuring that disciples traveling outside wouldn’t miss out on sect benefits.

With that, the plan for Sun Yigao and his disciples to venture out and establish Lingxian Academies was set.

Lin Xiao wasn’t worried about their safety. Sun Yigao was now a Nascent Soul cultivator, making it almost impossible for anyone in the mortal realm to overpower him. Over the past few years, he had thoroughly mastered the hundreds of techniques in the sect’s library, second only to Lin Xiao and Liao Pantu.

Moreover, his cultivation technique, Benyuan Xin Jing, was a Heaven-tier technique. To put it bluntly, Sun Yigao could move about the mortal realm with impunity.

As for the disciples accompanying him, they had been with the sect for two to three years and had mostly reached Foundation Establishment or higher. They were equipped with various tools, talismans, and even the convenient Locking Ring communication device. With a Nascent Soul-level master like Sun Yigao leading them, the likelihood of encountering real danger was extremely low.

While Lin Xiao couldn’t guarantee absolute safety, he believed in calculated risks. Life inherently involved risks—one could choke while drinking water, but that didn’t mean they should stop drinking. For these disciples, exploration was a vital part of their cultivation journey. Since it was time to venture out, there was no point in holding back.

Besides, it wasn’t as if the cultivators of the mortal realm had the time to cause trouble. Most of them were now too busy.

When the sects and royal families first heard Qinghe Sect’s suggestion to hire rogue cultivators, they had been reluctant. Now, they were fighting over them.

Why? Because these were valuable laborers.

In the past two years, disciples from various sects had seen rapid progress in their cultivation skills thanks to high-intensity production work.

With improved skills came loftier ambitions. They no longer wanted to spend time on mundane, low-level tasks.

Having rogue cultivators handle the low-skill tasks allowed them to focus on higher pursuits more effectively.

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

Even the rogue cultivators themselves hadn’t expected this turn of events. They now had opportunities to work as unofficial members of these sects, and some were even offered positions as guest cultivators by sects competing to recruit the more talented ones.

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