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

Lin Xiao handed another fruit to his father, then took the remaining ones to his uncle and cousin in the neighboring field. Afterward, he urged his father, uncle, and cousin to rest, saying, "You all take a break, I'll handle this!"

The three watched as Lin Xiao rolled up his sleeves and walked into the field. Then, with a quick gesture, all the weeds in the field vanished in an instant.

The three of them sitting on the edge of the field fell into a stunned silence. Lin Dashan turned to his son and quietly said, "Maybe you should go and cultivate with Xiao after all?"

Lin Lei, who had stubbornly refused to cultivate and insisted on staying home to help with the farm work, hesitated. He looked at his father, his resolve wavering. "Well… I guess I could give it a try?"

Seeing his son finally relent, Lin Dashan was overjoyed and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, give it a try! Your mother and I can manage the farm. Once you've mastered those techniques, you'll be able to help us much more easily. We'll talk to Xiao about it later!"

Thus, Lin Xiao's trip down the mountain not only reassured him that his family was safe but also brought a new member to the sect—his cousin, Lin Lei.

With that, Lingxian Sect's current number of members increased to twelve.

After thoroughly clearing the weeds in both his own field and the old family plot, Lin Xiao took Lin Lei back to the sect. Though he wanted to spend more time with his father, Lin Dayou practically chased him back up the mountain, insisting that he focus on his cultivation.

Upon returning to the mountain with Lin Lei, Lin Xiao guided him through the introductory procedures and then handed him over to Sun Yigao. Since Lin Lei was illiterate, his cultivation journey would begin with learning how to read.

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, retreated to the sect's grand hall. But this wasn't him slacking off and avoiding cultivation—no, as the sect leader, he had to start thinking about the future of the sect now that its population was growing.

Sigh, being the sect leader really ties me down.

First, Lin Xiao opened his private storage to check the hidden reward he received when Liao Pantu joined the sect. Please, don't let it be another useless item like that "Ten Thousand Swords as One" formation...

His eyes fell on the newest addition to his storage: the Chongming Cauldron. Lin Xiao's eyes lit up! Could this be a cauldron for alchemy?

Without hesitation, he used the appraisal function.

[Chongming Cauldron, Heaven-grade lower-tier alchemy cauldron. High pill production rate with a chance of producing top-grade pills.]

Just as he suspected!

Lin Xiao suddenly felt that, although he hadn't completed the talisman room mission, he could at least get the alchemy room built.

[Sect Construction—Sect Facilities (3): An excellent sect needs a place to produce pills, providing a good environment for disciples to learn and practice alchemy. Please build an alchemy room to enable disciples to refine pills.]

Right on cue, the system mission arrived as usual.

However, before he rushed off to build the alchemy room, Lin Xiao considered another important issue: the sect dormitories!

As the number of members grew, even though most of them lived in the village at the foot of the mountain, the presence of Xiao Luan and Liao Pantu—who weren't from Xiushui Village—signaled that this situation might become more common in the future. Lin Xiao realized that he couldn't keep accepting only villagers as disciples. Dormitories for sect members were becoming a necessity!

[Sect Construction—Sect Facilities (4): An excellent sect must ensure basic living conditions for its members, providing them with a warm and comfortable living space. Please build a dormitory for disciples.]

The system mission arrived just as expected.

Lin Xiao walked out of the grand hall and took a stroll around the area, surveying the land. Finally, he focused on a small hill near the sect's main hall, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

The hill wasn't very large, but it was close to the main hall, with a significant portion already within the sect's defensive range. Lin Xiao suddenly remembered that most cultivators typically lived in caves. Should he build some cave dwellings for everyone?

After thinking it over, he dismissed the idea. Caves are too primitive. Houses are better.

So, Lin Xiao decided to build houses on this small hill. Of course, he wouldn't build them himself—he'd use the construction synthesizer.

Collecting the materials for building was no longer as labor-intensive as it had been twenty days ago. Now, with a few of his self-created earth-moving spells (which he humorously dubbed "The Hundred Clever Uses of Earth Escape Technique"), he could easily gather a large amount of soil. A few strikes of his spiritual energy blades, and he'd have a pile of neatly cut logs.

What had once required many hands and several days to collect, he could now accomplish alone in no time. It was clear that cultivating improved not only his skills but also his quality of life.

With the basic materials collected, Lin Xiao opened the construction synthesizer. His first task was to synthesize the alchemy room. He had already decided what additional items he would include in the synthesis.

He quickly placed the bricks and beams into the first two slots. Then, without hesitation, he opened two more slots. Into one, he placed the newly acquired Chongming Cauldron. Into the other, he poured the Red Lotus Lava he had previously collected using the Wanjie Iron Bucket.

After all, an alchemy room couldn't be without a fire source, and the Red Lotus Lava would undoubtedly make a superior fire source for pill refinement compared to ordinary flames.

With all the materials in place, Lin Xiao waited for the synthesizer to work. Before long, he heard the familiar ding.

[Alchemy room successfully synthesized. Please choose a location for placement.]

A quaint-looking house appeared before Lin Xiao, covering about 40 square meters. Lin Xiao had already picked out the location. He walked to an area near the training room, not too close yet not too far from the large stone marking the entrance to the Green Wilderness Secret Realm. After looking around, he moved further away from the training room, just in case someone caused an explosion while refining pills and disturbed the others.

Satisfied with the location, Lin Xiao placed the alchemy room.

[Ding—Alchemy room placed. Sect Construction Mission (Sect Facilities (3)) complete. Reward has been sent to your private storage. Please check.]

Lin Xiao didn't rush to check the reward. Instead, he rubbed his hands together, ready to synthesize the dormitory next.