Chapter 189: Chapter 189: He's Back
Liu Chun never imagined that the young boy standing before him was already a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!
And not just that—he was also the head of a sect!
Although this sect was located in a small village within the mortal realm, Liu Chun knew that establishing any sect, regardless of size, was no easy task. Yet, this sect already seemed to have a solid foundation in his eyes.
Moreover, he could sense that the spiritual energy here was quite abundant, comparable to the cultivation hub of the Wu family, which had reportedly drawn from a branch of a spiritual vein leased from a nearby sect in Yuanling City.
Suppressing his surprise, Liu Chun cupped his hands and respectfully greeted, "Liu Chun pays his respects to the Sect Master."
After saluting, Liu Chun looked up, only to see a small figure emerging from Lin Xiao's chest!
Startled, Liu Chun instinctively took a step back. His mind raced with thoughts of whether he had been deceived by some demon or ghost. Was he about to be devoured?
In an instant, several terrifying images of being consumed by demons flashed through his mind. Before he could even begin to regret his decision, Lin Xiao spoke up:
"Let me introduce you. This is our sect's elder, Senior Liao Pantu. Due to personal reasons, he currently appears in soul form."
Hearing this, Liu Chun's panicked heart finally began to settle.
The figure of Elder Liao completely floated out of Lin Xiao's chest, revealing a complete soul form that hovered in front of Liu Chun. As Liao Pantu looked at him, he gently shook his head and sighed, "Your courage is too small. It seems your experience is too limited. Boy, you'll need to toughen them up."
Meanwhile, a small creature that had been asleep suddenly woke up with a growling stomach. Xiao Luan, still groggy, thought it saw a faint white light flash in the distance. Then, it vaguely heard familiar voices.
Stretching its sleepy eyes, it waddled towards the source of the light and sound.
As Liu Chun listened to Lin Xiao's introductions, he noticed a fat, feathered creature at the seventh level of Spiritual Awakening approaching them. When it got closer, it began clucking energetically, speeding up as it approached them with what seemed like excitement.
Liu Chun immediately pulled out his talisman brush, ready to use a few attack talismans to deal with the creature. However, Lin Xiao casually stepped forward and spoke to the plump bird:
"Yes, yes, I'm back. Xiao Luan, did you sneak some of those beads again?"
Before leaving, Lin Xiao had warned Xiao Luan to stay away from the Silver Frost Python's demon core. Now, seeing that Xiao Luan had reached the seventh level of Spiritual Awakening and had grown even rounder, he knew it couldn't resist the temptation.
Hearing Lin Xiao's question, Xiao Luan, who had rushed over to greet him, lowered its head in embarrassment and clucked sheepishly, "I only ate a little bit."
Seeing Xiao Luan like this, Lin Xiao could only sigh. But Liao Pantu teased the bird, "You're so greedy. If one day you can't handle it and explode, we'll have a grand feast—a full chicken banquet!"
Xiao Luan immediately jumped three feet high, angrily clucking back in protest.
Meanwhile, Liu Chun, who had been ready to attack, realized that the sect master and elder seemed to know this fat bird. Hesitant, he put away his weapon.
At that moment, Lin Xiao turned to introduce Xiao Luan and Liu Chun to each other. Liu Chun then learned that the fat bird was actually a member of the sect and Lin Xiao's personal disciple.
Well... even though the sect master was only a twelve-year-old mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
When Lin Xiao had invited Liu Chun to join the Lingxian Sect, he hadn't offered him the position of a personal disciple but instead proposed that he take on the role of Acting Elder of the Talisman Hall.
Lin Xiao wasn't hesitant about offering such a position to someone he didn't know very well. After all, it was a temporary title.
Besides, as "Elder," Liu Chun would be the sole member of the Talisman Hall.
Liu Chun didn't mind the lack of subordinates. What mattered to him was having a stable place to settle down. His only hope was that this small sect could endure and not vanish like many others he had seen before.
After coaxing Xiao Luan to go back to sleep, Lin Xiao took Liu Chun to Guiyuan Mountain Residence within the sect. There, he quickly constructed a house identical to the others in the area, providing Liu Chun with a place to settle down.
Witnessing Lin Xiao create a house out of thin air, Liu Chun was both surprised and impressed. It was clear that this young sect master had some extraordinary abilities. This skill alone, if known in the cultivation world, would surely arouse the envy of many small sect leaders.
However, Liu Chun had no intention of revealing such things. Now that he was part of this sect, he naturally had to consider its well-being. He knew that if this ability were made public, it would attract countless low-level cultivators like moths to a flame.
After witnessing Lin Xiao's abilities, Liu Chun felt a bit more confident in the sect's future. He resolved to contribute more by creating talismans to lessen the burden on the sect.
All he hoped for was that Lingxian Sect could endure long enough—at least until he found his sister...
Noticing Liu Chun deep in thought, Lin Xiao said, "You can stay here from now on. Our sect doesn't have many strict rules. Generally, we spend our mornings cultivating in the training hall. I'll explain the details tomorrow, so take your time settling in and getting accustomed to things."
With that, Lin Xiao bid farewell to Liu Chun and left Guiyuan Mountain Residence.
Liao Pantu also returned to his long-missed quarters, taking the Soul Nourishing Pendant with him.
Once back in his room, Liao Pantu suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to bring back his Soul Nourishing Wood bed. Well, he thought, he could ask Lin Xiao to bring it back next time.
With that, Liao Pantu floated onto the bed and began meditating. Despite being a fragmented soul, he still needed to cultivate to avoid dissipating entirely.
After parting ways with Liu Chun and Liao Pantu, Lin Xiao didn't rush to start working on the Heart-Washing Path. Instead, he dashed back home at full speed.
He was finally back!