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

Yin Xuánzǐ suddenly sensed something unusual. It was a vague, fleeting feeling that left him puzzled. Ever since he dealt with that old dog Liao Pantu decades ago, he had been at peace and hadn't experienced such discomfort in a long time.

Could it be that Liao Pantu had escaped?

Impossible!

He had personally split Liao Pantu's soul into parts and placed seals on each fragment. He had also watched as different people took these soul fragments into various secret realms. Those who entered the realms were merely Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, or Golden Core cultivators. Even if Liao Pantu were lucky enough to find some fool willing to break the seals, they wouldn't have the ability to do so. After all, the seals were placed by him, a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Yin Xuánzǐ shook his head. It had been decades; Liao Pantu's soul fragments had likely dissipated by now. There was nothing to worry about. Perhaps it was just the recent turmoil and his frustration at not being able to sense a breakthrough that had caused this hallucination. Additionally, his troublesome disciples had been causing no end of headaches for him lately, which had weighed on his mind.

After all, he was already over seven hundred years old, and the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator typically didn't exceed eight hundred years. Yet, despite decades of seclusion, he hadn't even touched the threshold of the next stage.

With a sigh, Yin Xuánzǐ closed his eyes again, resuming his meditation. Right now, nothing was more important than his breakthrough.

Meanwhile, his old nemesis, Liao Pantu, was nestled in Lin Xiao's embrace, discussing how to escape the ice cave.

"Why don't you try using your Qiankun Shift Array?" Liao Pantu suggested. "This is just a secret realm that only allows Foundation Establishment cultivators. The Qiankun Shift Array is an Earth-grade formation; it should be able to break through the spatial barriers of this low-level secret realm."

Hearing him mention the array, which consumed spirit stones voraciously, Lin Xiao felt a pang of reluctance. "But didn't many people die here? Surely someone among them had an Earth-grade teleportation array?"

Liao Pantu rolled his eyes from within the Soul-Nourishing Pendant. "Do you think Earth-grade formations are as common as cabbages? Generally speaking, Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators use low-grade formations and talismans. If someone comes from a wealthy background, they might have a few Yellow-grade items, which would already be enough to make others envious. As for Profound-grade items, even Golden Core cultivators would treasure them dearly. And your Qiankun Shift Array is a rare teleportation formation—how could Foundation Establishment cultivators possibly carry such an advanced array?"

Lin Xiao nodded. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

He planned to set the destination just outside the ice cave, hoping that the short distance wouldn't consume too many spirit stones.

Before long, Lin Xiao arrived at a location behind an ice mountain, guided by the paper crane, and found Hu Guanyu and Jiang Cheng resting in meditation.

Seeing him approach, Hu Guanyu, who had been worried that something had happened to Lin Xiao, relaxed. However, Jiang Cheng's expression was unreadable as he immediately asked about the missing buildings in the center of the ice cave and whether Lin Xiao knew a way out.

Naturally, Lin Xiao couldn't admit that he had taken the buildings, so he feigned innocence, shaking his head in confusion. "What buildings are you talking about, Daoist Jiang? If I knew how to get out, I'd already be gone by now."

Jiang Cheng didn't believe him, but Lin Xiao didn't care. After brushing off his questions, he turned to Hu Guanyu and asked, "Daoist Hu, when shall we continue searching for a way out?"

Hu Guanyu thought for a moment and replied, "Let's go now."

The three of them set off again, meticulously searching the massive ice cave. They were not alone—other cultivators throughout the cave were doing the same, some even flying over the cave's upper reaches to inspect it. Normally, they would be cautious, wary of attacks from other cultivators. But now, with everyone focused on finding an exit, they barely acknowledged those passing by. Some even exchanged polite nods, just in case one of them found a way out.

After eight hours of searching, they still found nothing. Hu Guanyu felt a pang of frustration. Was he really going to die here? In hindsight, he regretted not listening to Senior Brother Xi's advice. If he hadn't stubbornly insisted on going out to gain experience on his own, he wouldn't be in this predicament. But now, regret was pointless.

Gritting his teeth, he vowed to find a way out. He had promised his family that once his cultivation was strong enough, he would return to restore the glory of the Hu family. He couldn't let himself die in this minor secret realm!

Lin Xiao noticed a subtle change in Hu Guanyu's aura—his spiritual energy had become sharper. However, when he looked up, Hu Guanyu's expression remained the same, only more focused.

Despite their determination, after another two hours, they were still empty-handed. Like them, none of the other cultivators in the cave had found anything either.

Exhausted, Hu Guanyu and Jiang Cheng sat down to rest. Their fatigue wasn't physical but mental. After ten hours of intense focus and fruitless searching, the frustration had taken a toll on their spirits.

While they rested, Lin Xiao surveyed the surroundings, using his spiritual sense to confirm that no one was within several hundred meters. Then, discreetly, he cast a sleep spell on Hu Guanyu and Jiang Cheng. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, putting two weary Qi Refinement cultivators to sleep was a trivial task.

Once they were both under the spell, Lin Xiao set up the Qiankun Shift Array on the ground. The formation plate still held 287 spirit stones, but he wasn't sure if that would be enough to break through the spatial barrier. After some prodding from Liao Pantu, Lin Xiao reluctantly added another thousand spirit stones.

As Liao Pantu had put it, "You were going to spend over a thousand spirit stones when you return anyway, so you might as well add some now."

With that, Lin Xiao activated the array, standing within it alongside Liao Pantu. Moments later, the array glowed with a bright white light, and Lin Xiao, along with the formation plate, vanished from sight.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing near the snow mountain, just outside the ice cave where he had entered earlier.