Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"This...this is!" He hurriedly brought the jade to his eyes, examined it carefully, and even infused it with a trace of spiritual energy to probe it.

As soon as spiritual energy was injected, extremely fine, ice-crystal-like patterns flashed and disappeared inside the jade, and the chill intensified!

"The chill is contained, it feels like ice to the touch, and when spiritual energy is activated, mysterious patterns appear... That's right! It's cold jade! And judging from the purity of this chill, its age is definitely not low! Probably... more than a hundred years!"

Han Lin's voice was filled with disbelief and excitement, "Where...where did this come from?!"

Li Tiezhu and Sun Xiaolan were dumbfounded and stammered out the details of their discovery.

"An abandoned warehouse? A jade stone covered in dust?" Han Lin held the seemingly ordinary stone, his hands trembling slightly. "Fate! It truly is fate! The sect leader needed this, and here it appeared! Quick! Come with me to see the sect leader!"

The news spread like wildfire, causing a sensation throughout the entire sect!

As Shen Mo received the "stubborn stone" from Han Lin, the system's notification sounded clearly in his mind:

[Core medium detected: approximately 150-year-old cold jade (slightly damaged, does not affect core functions). Meets the causal conditions for the "Body Tempering Spirit Pool". Inject "Reputation Energy" to guide activation?]

Shen Moqiang suppressed the turmoil in his heart and looked at the excited Han Lin, Li Tiezhu, Sun Xiaolan, and Su Xiao, Shi Tie and others who had rushed over upon hearing the news. A profound and unfathomable smile appeared on his face, as if to say, "Just as I thought."

He gently stroked the cool jade, feeling the pure, cold energy it contained, and slowly said, "Long sealed away, obscured by dust. Without the right opportunity, the pearl will not appear."

"Li Tiezhu is hardworking and diligent, and he obtained this jade from among the dust and grime. Sun Xiaolan is thoughtful and meticulous, and her recommendation was meritorious. This is the destiny of the two of you, and it is also the patriarch's recognition of the revival of my Qingyun Sect!"

His gaze swept over the crowd, his voice carrying an undeniable certainty: "The opportunity has arrived; the Spirit Pool must open!"

"May the patriarch protect you!"

"The sect shall rise again!"

The disciples were extremely excited and cheered. Their eyes were filled with envy as they looked at Li Tiezhu and Sun Xiaolan. Li Tiezhu's honest face was full of excitement, and Sun Xiaolan's pretty face was also flushed.

Han Lin stroked his beard and sighed, "The sect leader has received the true teachings of the patriarch; his blessings are boundless. The sect should surely prosper greatly!"

He increasingly felt that joining the Qingyun Sect was the absolutely right decision.

Holding the Cold Jade, Shen Mo, surrounded by the crowd, arrived at the Cold Pool behind the mountain. The pool was deep and the air was chilling.

Following the system prompts, he infused a barely perceptible wisp of pale golden "reputation energy" into the cold jade, and then threw it into the heart of the pool!

Om-!

The jade, when placed in the water, did not sink to the bottom, but floated in the center of the pool, emitting a soft white light.

The originally overflowing, bone-chilling cold air seemed to be restrained by an invisible force, and began to slowly converge towards the cold jade. In this process, its nature underwent a subtle change. The violent "evil" aura was gradually dissipated, and instead emitted a gentle and pure spiritual energy fluctuation!

On the surface of the pool, a thin layer of spiritual liquid, emitting a misty white vapor, even condensed!

"The Spirit Pool! It's done!" Everyone felt a surge of joy and surprise as they sensed the chill that had become bearable and even nourishing to their bodies.

Shen Mo stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the misty white vapor, gazing at the newly formed spirit pool before him, and said softly:

"The Body Tempering Pool is now complete, accommodating three cultivators daily, with each session not exceeding one hour. Specific usage arrangements will be determined by Su Xiao. I hope you will diligently cultivate and not fail the Ancestral Master's high expectations and... this opportunity."

The disciples gazed at the misty pool with burning eyes, as if they could see a bright future where their cultivation would rapidly improve. Their sense of belonging to the sect and their reverence for Shen Mo reached a new height at this moment.

The initial success of the Body Tempering Pool was like throwing a second stone into a calm lake, creating even deeper and more lasting ripples within the Qingyun Sect.

The pool water, shrouded in a gentle chill, not only effectively improved the disciples' cultivation efficiency, but more importantly, it greatly enhanced everyone's belief in Shen Mo's claim of "receiving the true teachings of the patriarch" and their sense of identity with the concept that "Qingyun Sect is a blessed land."

A vibrant spirit called "hope" permeated the entire mountain gate.

Every morning, before dawn, disciples eagerly wait outside the Spirit Pool. Su Xiao arranges the order of cultivation based on contribution points, cultivation progress, and daily performance, and they enter to cultivate in turn.

Even the most biting cold air was now seen as a sweet and delicious medicine by the disciples.

Relying on his strong physique, Shi Tie soaked for the longest time each time. When he came out, his skin was red all over, but he grinned and shouted that he felt great. He felt that the bottleneck of the "Giant Spirit Shaking Mountain Technique" had been loosened.

Zhang Daniu and others made significant progress, with impurities in their bodies being expelled bit by bit, and their aura becoming increasingly refined.

Even the three newcomers, Wang Hu, Sun Xiaolan, and Li Tiezhu, experienced the joy of solid improvement in their cultivation during the limited time they had to immerse themselves in the practice.

The entire sect was thriving.

However, Shen Mo did not become complacent with this initial success. The foundation of a sect, besides its resources and blessed lands, lies even more in its inheritance!

Without a systematic and sustainable transmission of skills, even the best seedlings will find it difficult to grow into towering trees.

The current legacy of the Qingyun Sect is truly meager. Apart from the fragment of the "Qingyun True Explanation" obtained from Yun Chenzi, whose core content is not yet readily taught, and the "Newly Compiled Qingyun Qi Refining Technique" which he optimized but is still essentially a lower-middle-grade Yellow Rank manual, there are only some scattered basic spells and incomplete miscellaneous notes.

The library, despite its name, is more like a junkyard than a proper library.

On this day, Shen Mo once again stepped into the most secluded and dilapidated two-story wooden building located behind the main hall—the Qingyun Sect's Sutra Repository.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a musty, musty smell mixed with the scent of dust rushed out. Sunlight streamed in through the broken window frame, forming beams of light in which countless dust particles danced.

The bookshelf was crooked, with a few animal skin scrolls, bamboo slips, or thread-bound books with yellowed paper and curled edges scattered on it. Many of the characters were blurred, and some were even riddled with holes by insects.

In the corner, piles of unorganized scrolls lay scattered about, exuding an air of decay.

Shen Mo's fingers brushed over a leather scroll containing a basic "Wind Control Technique," his fingertips gathering dust. His heart sank slightly.

Is this the centuries-old heritage that Qingyun Sect boasts? No wonder it has declined to this state.

With these resources alone, let alone becoming a second-tier player in the region, they'd struggle to even gain a foothold in Heishuize. Everything must change!

He closed his eyes and focused his mind on the mysterious system interface within his body.

A pale blue light screen appeared, and the causal points continued to increase slowly. The pale gold progress bar representing "reputation energy" seemed to dim slightly after successfully guiding the body tempering spirit pool, but it was more solid than before, as if it was more closely connected with the sect's fortune.

He tried to focus his mind on the illusory image of the building that represented the "Library".