Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Su Xiao's gaze swept across the entire room, his tone softening slightly: "Of course, the sect will not bury talent. Whether new or old disciples, as long as they possess genuine talent and are willing to contribute to the sect, the sect will certainly reward them generously!"

"Recently, the Pill Refining Hall, Weaponry Hall, and Array Formation Hall all require a large number of personnel. Those with relevant talent can directly enter the hall for training after passing the assessment, with generous contribution point rewards! Whether you are a dragon or a worm, the path is in your own hands!"

His words, employing both gentle persuasion and firm pressure, established rules while offering hope, immediately calming the somewhat restless atmosphere. Many of the newly enrolled disciples showed thoughtful expressions in their eyes.

Similar ideological work was carried out almost daily. Han Lin, Su Xiao, and the deacons of each hall used various methods such as preaching, heart-to-heart talks, and task guidance to continuously strengthen the "sense of sect identity" and strive to temper this "rabble" of diverse origins into a cohesive "Qingyun Sect member".

However, the growing pains of integration cannot be eliminated by a few words of instruction. Deeper clashes occur in daily practice and the exchange of skills.

Behind the main peak lies the Spirit Herb Garden. This was originally the direct medicinal field of Li Xiaocao's Pill Hall, where various spiritual herbs commonly used by the sect were cultivated.

Now, the scale of the herb garden has expanded considerably. The newly designated area is specifically for trial planting of Yin-attribute spiritual herbs introduced from Yin Wind Valley (Shadow Moon Valley), as well as unique varieties brought by the newly joined Spirit Plant Master.

In a corner of the herb garden, Li Xiaocao was leading several core disciples of the Pill Hall to observe several newly transplanted "Heart-Eating Orchids" with eerie, dark blue leaves.

This is a newly added spiritual plant variety contributed by the old man, Fu Mu'en. It is said to have miraculous effects in refining certain poison pills, but it is extremely difficult to cultivate.

"Uncle Li, the habits of this 'Heart-Eating Orchid' are too strange! It likes shade and dislikes sunlight, which is fine. Too much water will cause the roots to rot, and too little water will cause the leaves to wither. It is also demanding on the spiritual energy of the soil. It's almost like serving our ancestors!" A young disciple complained with a worried look. He was in charge of taking care of this experimental area and had failed several times.

Li Xiaocao crouched down, her fingertips swirling with vibrant wood-elemental energy, gently brushing across the leaves of the "Heart-Eating Orchid," carefully sensing its subtle life fluctuations, her delicate brows furrowing slightly:

"This is indeed tricky. It requires pure Yin energy, and it cannot contain any evil influences, so the requirements for the earth's veins are extremely high. Perhaps... we could try mixing a small amount of 'Moon Shadow Sand' into the soil and setting up a small 'Yin Gathering and Evil Dispelling Array'?"

"Gathering Yin and Dispelling Evil Formation? That's an unorthodox formation. The senior disciples in the Formation Hall might not bother with these few herbs..." another disciple muttered.

Just then, a timid voice rang out: "Uncle Li... my grandfather said that perhaps the 'companionship' method could be used..."

Everyone turned around and saw Mu En's granddaughter, the little girl named Mu Xiaoya, hiding behind her grandfather, peeking out half her head and whispering.

"Companion life?" Li Xiaocao's eyes lit up, and she beckoned gently, "Little girl, come here and tell me slowly, what does commensal life mean?"

Mu En patted his granddaughter's head and encouraged her, "Girl, don't be afraid, tell the immortal master what you think."

Mu Xiaoya mustered her courage, stepped forward, and pointed to a clump of thriving white grass that emitted a faint fragrance, saying:

"Grandpa taught me that some spiritual herbs, like people, like to cluster together. This 'Heart-Eating Orchid' is solitary, but it seems... it doesn't dislike the 'Heart-Cleansing Grass' next to it. The Heart-Cleansing Grass emits a very faint fragrance that can soothe the mind. Maybe... it can make the 'Heart-Eating Orchid' feel more comfortable, and thus it won't be so picky about where it is?"

"The Heart-Cleansing Grass soothes, the Heart-Eating Orchid grows..." Li Xiaocao murmured to herself, a thoughtful glint in her eyes. This seemingly childish idea subtly embodied the principle of mutual generation and restraint among plants—a perspective she had never considered before! She immediately told the disciple in charge, "Quick! Write it down! Transplant a few clumps of Heart-Cleansing Grass next to the Heart-Eating Orchid, adjust the spacing, and observe the effect!"

"Yes, Uncle-Master!" The disciple also became interested.

Mu En stroked his beard and laughed, "Little Grass Immortal Master, please don't be offended. This little girl is just talking nonsense and shouldn't be taken seriously."

"No! Elder Mu, Xiaoya's idea is very insightful!" Li Xiaocao said earnestly. "All things have a spirit, especially spiritual plants. Their way of growth is infinitely mysterious. If Xiaoya is interested in alchemy and spiritual plants in the future, she can come to the Alchemy Hall often."

Mu Xiaoya's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded vigorously. Mu En was also greatly pleased. This "folk method" from grassroots experience, combined with Li Xiaocao's systematic knowledge of alchemy, was quietly giving birth to new possibilities.

Similar integration and innovation are also happening in the Zhen Pavilion.

Before Zhao Qingyan floated a miniature, complex array model with flowing light and shadow—a key node in the "short-distance directional teleportation array." She frowned; the spatial stability of this node consistently failed to meet requirements.

"Senior Sister Qingyan, is it still not working?" a disciple from the Array Hall asked worriedly.

Zhao Qingyan shook her head: "The impact of impurities in the 'Void Stone' powder is greater than expected. Even with purification using 'Flowing Cloud Pattern,' the structure remains fragile. Unless we can find a purer 'Void Stone Essence,' or... a more sophisticated purification method."

The latter is almost impossible, as the essence of the Void Stone is the core material for crafting large teleportation arrays and is extremely rare.

At this moment, Lin Feng, the down-on-his-luck young man who had just joined the Array Hall and claimed that his ancestors were array masters, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Uncle-Master Zhao, this disciple... this disciple may have a clumsy method."

Zhao Qingyan looked at him. This young man was usually taciturn, but he learned the basics of formations extremely quickly and had an unusual sensitivity to formation patterns. "Please speak freely."

Lin Feng said somewhat nervously, "The family heirloom scroll mentions an ancient method called 'Blood Refining and Nourishing.' It doesn't use blood essence, but rather the user's own pure 'metal and earth' dual-attribute spiritual power, simulating the power of the earth's vein furnace, supplemented by a specific 'Spirit-Nourishing Talisman,' to nourish and temper spiritual materials for a long time. It's said to remove impurities and increase the affinity between the spiritual materials and the person setting up the formation. However... this method is extremely time-consuming and consumes a huge amount of spiritual power, making it inefficient and long since obsolete..."

"Blood Refining and Nourishing? Simulating a Gemstone Furnace?" A glint of surprise flashed in Zhao Qingyan's beautiful eyes! She had never heard of this method before. Its low efficiency was a fatal flaw, but the idea was unique! Perhaps... it could be improved? The Flowing Cloud Secret Realm contained a Gemstone Fire Chamber. If she could combine the power of Gemstone Fire with the optimization of the talismans...

"Do you have the specific incantation and talisman diagrams?" Zhao Qingyan asked immediately.

Lin Feng quickly took out a tattered jade slip from his pocket and presented it: "It's just a fragment, please take a look, Uncle-Master."

Zhao Qingyan took the jade slip and immersed her consciousness into it. After a moment, a glint flashed in her eyes: "Excellent! Although incomplete, the principle is feasible! Lin Feng, you have made a great contribution this time! Come with me to the Earth Fire Chamber, and we will test and improve this method together!"

"Yes! Martial Uncle!" Lin Feng's face flushed with excitement.

The clash between old and new ideas, and the fusion of different skills, are like different streams flowing into a great river. Inevitably, there will be silt and sand, whirlpools and undercurrents, but they also bring unprecedented vitality and possibilities.

Li Xiaocao began to consciously organize new and old spirit planters and alchemists to exchange experiences; Zhao Qingyan also encouraged the disciples of the Array Hall to put forward all kinds of ingenious ideas, regardless of whether they were mature or not; even Shi Tie's Battle Hall absorbed some rogue cultivators who were good at sand warfare and jungle ambush, to exchange skills and improve combat tactics.

Of course, friction and conflict still exist. New disciples find older disciples rigid and xenophobic; older disciples find new disciples undisciplined and opportunistic. Small-scale disputes frequently occur over tasks and resource allocation.

However, under the continuous guidance of Han Lin, Su Xiao and others, and the constraints of the sect's ironclad rules, major disturbances were suppressed, and the entire sect moved forward with difficulty but determination in a kind of "dynamic adjustment".