Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

Liang Zhonghuai and Yu Guang were familiar with Yuan Zhiyun. As information gatherers for Wànwàn Tōng, one of their priorities upon arriving in Yuanling City was to conduct thorough investigations on all the influential local powers. The Yuan family was among those that their Yuanling branch particularly needed to foster good relations with. So, when Yuan Zhiyun introduced herself as the Yuan family's young master, they quickly decided to help her as long as her request wasn't too unreasonable.

 Yuan Zhiyun then explained the situation within the ice cave—how those inside would be trapped and unable to be transported out after fifteen days. She also mentioned the ice coffin she had discovered, which she believed might hold the key to escape, but she lacked the strength to open it alone. Therefore, she needed their assistance.

Upon hearing this, Liang Zhonghuai immediately took out their teleportation array and attempted to exchange positions with the array they had previously set up outside. However, after he infused it with spiritual energy, the array only flickered briefly before dimming again, and they remained in the same place. This was the first time the teleportation array issued by Wànwàn Tōng had failed!

Realizing the severity of the situation, the two immediately agreed to Yuan Zhiyun's request, and the three of them hurried toward the suspicious underground chamber.

However, when Yuan Zhiyun led the two Wànwàn Tōng operatives back to the underground chamber, they found that the ice coffin had already disappeared.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao and Liao Pantou had already left the chamber far behind. Lin Xiao took out the paper crane that Hu Guanyu had given him earlier. After infusing it with a bit of spiritual energy, the crane mechanically flapped its wings and slowly flew in a specific direction.

Having finished collecting the Congealed Cold Jade and unsealing Liao Pantou's soul, Lin Xiao decided to follow through on his promise to meet up with Hu Guanyu.

Liao Pantou, now merged with his other soul fragment, remained nestled within the Soul-Nourishing Pendant hanging from Lin Xiao's neck. When he saw that Lin Xiao intended to meet Hu Guanyu, he casually remarked, "You're really going to look for him?"

As Lin Xiao calmly followed the crane, he nodded and replied, "Yeah, Hu Guanyu seems like a decent guy, and he's from Tianxuan Sect. Since I'm out here to expand my network, I should seize opportunities when they arise."

Although the mission was to make connections with five Foundation Establishment cultivators or families with at least three Foundation Establishment cultivators, Hu Guanyu didn't meet either criterion. But Lin Xiao wasn't one to be constrained by the mission's specifics. To him, the mission was merely a guideline, and making additional connections with worthy cultivators could only be beneficial.

Besides, the thought crossed his mind—he had taken the Heart of the Green Wilderness Secret Realm. What would the Tianxuan Sect's Nascent Soul cultivators, responsible for opening the realm's gates, do when they discovered they could no longer access it a year from now? If he had a connection within the Tianxuan Sect, he might be able to gather some inside information when the time came…

Hearing Lin Xiao's reasoning, Liao Pantou didn't offer any objections. He simply replied, "As long as you have a plan."

Liao Pantou never doubted Lin Xiao's decisions, as he was curious to see what kind of leader this young sect master would become. Of course, that didn't include Lin Xiao's persistent requests for his Soul-Nourishing Giant Wood bed.

At that moment, as Lin Xiao pondered the Heart of the Secret Realm, he internally questioned the system, "Hey, system, why didn't you issue a mission for me to obtain the Heart of this Secret Realm?"

The system responded, slightly exasperated, [The Icefield Secret Realm currently has a recognized owner. This system can only issue missions for the acquisition of unclaimed Secret Realm Hearts.]

Lin Xiao was surprised by the answer. He hadn't expected that this century-old secret realm near Yuanling City would actually belong to someone. But from what he could tell, the realm didn't seem to be under the control of any sect or family. If it were, why would they allow so many outsiders to enter and harvest its resources? Wouldn't they simply move the entrance to their own territory?

With this thought in mind, Lin Xiao transmitted a message to Liao Pantou, "Senior, if you were the owner of a secret realm, would you open it to outsiders?"

Without hesitation, Liao Pantou replied, "If I owned a secret realm, I wouldn't let anyone else in. I'd place the entrance inside my own home. But truly owning a secret realm isn't that simple. Refining the Heart of a Secret Realm requires a special method, and without it, even someone at the Nascent Soul stage wouldn't be able to do it. I've only heard of such a method, but I've never seen anyone actually possess it…except for you, of course."

"Oh—so, how do you know that even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't do it?" Lin Xiao teasingly asked.

Liao Pantou, seeing through Lin Xiao's playful question, replied irritably, "What do you think? You're asking for a beating!"

Liao Pantou knew Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't refine the Heart of a Secret Realm because he had tried it himself. He had encountered unclaimed secret realm hearts before, but despite his efforts, he was never able to refine them.

Satisfied with Liao Pantou's answer, Lin Xiao speculated that the Icefield Secret Realm might belong to some powerful cultivator who had little interest in it because it was too low-level. Perhaps they allowed others to use it for their own mysterious reasons...

But these thoughts were irrelevant for now, so Lin Xiao set them aside and asked Liao Pantou, "Senior, you've been in this ice cave for decades. Do you know a way out?"

Liao Pantou sighed and responded, "Because of the seal, I was confined to a small area near the underground chamber and couldn't explore much. But I can tell you this: in this secret realm, once the fifteen days are up and the realm closes, the temperature in the ice cave will drop further. Then, on the twentieth day, a massive blizzard will strike."

"During that blizzard, any corpses in the cave will be stripped of flesh, leaving only bones."

"I see," Lin Xiao nodded.

It now made sense why the ice cave was filled with bones, yet there was no trace of flesh—likely the result of the blizzard Liao Pantou described.

"Could the blizzard consume flesh and blood?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Yes," Liao Pantou confirmed. "The blizzard is actually a swarm of snow worms. These creatures typically appear in extreme cold regions and are usually few in number. But here, they're so numerous that they form a blizzard-like swarm. It's quite eerie."

—

While Lin Xiao and Liao Pantou were discussing matters within the Icefield Secret Realm, far away in a gloomy, ominous location, a dark figure stirred.

In a shadowy cave, Yin Xuánzǐ, who had been deeply meditating, suddenly opened his eyes.