"It really is a sign of an immortal!"
"Could an immortal have come to our sect?"
Someone made this guess, then grew both thrilled and uneasy.
After all, the Feathering Sect had once been prosperous, but it had been many years since an immortal had appeared.
If a True Immortal really had descended to the mortal world, would this be a blessing or a calamity?
Though the other party seemed to mean no harm for now, people's hearts were hard to fathom—and an immortal's thoughts even more so...
The elders all spoke at once.
At last, everyone turned their eyes toward the venerable sect master. He was the one who held them all together.
Master Green Feather had kept silent until now, but at last he spoke.
"Whether or not this is a True Immortal, no one is to panic. Keep this matter secret. Do not let it spread."
"The sect will carry on as usual, but we must remain vigilant. I'll bring out our hidden reserves..."
The Feathering Sect had inherited its legacy from ancient times. It was said to be of the Three Purities' lineage. Though no one had become an immortal for many years, the founding masters of the past had still left behind some hidden reserves.
What had happened today was no small matter. As the saying went, Heaven's will was inscrutable. If an immortal had truly descended to the mortal world, then though he had shown no ill intent, they still needed to prepare for the worst.
"Yes!"
The elders answered, then departed one after another.
Once everyone had gone, Master Green Feather remained beside the grove. He gazed at the pear blossoms in full bloom, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
Four years ago, there had been that strange encounter at the Founder's Shrine.
It had been just as inconceivable.
But after that founding master bestowed a spirit pill upon him, he had never contacted him or appeared again in all these years.
Looking at the blooming pear blossoms before him, he wondered if this, too, was that master's doing.
Master Green Feather had this suspicion in his heart.
But he said nothing to his fellow senior brothers.
Since the founding master did not wish to appear before others, he, as a junior, certainly wouldn't dare make the decision on his own to reveal the master's existence to his fellow disciples.
"Perhaps the founding master took pity on those two children and lent them a hand. That could well be what happened."
Master Green Feather murmured to himself.
Though it was only a guess, for some reason he felt it must be very close to the truth.
But with such power, could that mysterious founding master truly be the True Immortal of legend?
Master Green Feather couldn't help but revere him even more.
He only regretted that he couldn't see the old master once again.
Master Green Feather kept this secret in his heart and didn't reveal a single word of it to anyone.
Meanwhile, this grove, once entirely ordinary, immediately drew the highest level of attention from the sect's most powerful figures.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Yet the Feathering Sect carried on just as before, with nothing unusual happening to draw attention.
Only then did the elders and peak masters gradually put their minds at ease.
Then someone suggested that it was a shame to leave the pear grove unused.
Perhaps an immortal's methods were wondrous beyond measure. The pear trees had once been perfectly ordinary, but now that they were in bloom, their fragrance was both refreshing and calming. It could also greatly aid cultivators in their practice.
Of course, this only applied to cultivators below the Golden Core Realm.
If disciples at the Qi Refining Realm or Foundation Establishment level cultivated in the pear grove, the blossoms' fragrance would make their progress more than twice as effective. It might not bring them a thousand miles forward in a day, but it would at least double their results for half the effort.
Not only would they cultivate faster, but the grove could also greatly help them break through bottlenecks.
According to the elders' estimates, it couldn't entirely replace the effects of a Foundation Establishment Pill, but establishing their foundations there would improve their chances by at least twenty to thirty percent.
This was nothing short of an immortal's miracle!
These were clearly ordinary pear trees, yet they were more effective—and far more potent—than the spirit herbs they had painstakingly cultivated, or risked their lives to gather in remote, uninhabited swamps of the Primordial Era!
The elders all felt they couldn't let such a gift go to waste.
After all, the pear trees would only bloom for a limited time. If they left the grove unused, they would miss their chance and never get another.
"This..."
Master Green Feather hesitated.
As he saw it, this was the work of that unnamed founding master.
Yet the master had left not a single word behind. Was it really appropriate to make this decision on his own?
Though he was the head of a sect, he held that mysterious senior founding master in the utmost reverence.
Since this matter might be connected to him, he couldn't help but think it through carefully.
But in the end, he couldn't withstand his fellow senior brothers' persuasion.
The founding master was magnanimous. Since he had taken pity on the two children and made the pear trees bloom, surely he wouldn't mind this small act of presumption.
Very well. They truly couldn't let such a gift go to waste. Cultivating there would greatly accelerate the sect's young disciples' progress.
It would spare them much danger and hardship.
So Master Green Feather finally made his decision.
However, since this involved that senior founding master, he didn't dare be careless in the slightest.
He ordered that several Golden Core Realm stewards be assigned to stand guard during each cultivation session. The disciples would take turns going there to meditate and cultivate, but they were absolutely, absolutely forbidden to touch the miraculous pear trees in any way.
This was an immortal's grace.
They were to cherish the trees with the utmost care and never show them the slightest disrespect.
And so, the sect master's order was passed down.
"What? I... I can go cultivate beneath those pear trees, too?"
At the Founder's Shrine, Lin Xiaoyao was utterly dumbfounded when he received this notice.
His expression was strange.
He hadn't expected that on the day he signed in and learned Word of Law with the system's help, he would happen to spot the pitiful siblings while gazing into the distance.
Moved by their longing for home, he had lent them a hand on a whim.
From far away, he had simply said to the pear tree, "Blossom!"
But that casual move, tossed out like a spare piece on the board, had brought such an unexpected result.
For the past half month, the Feathering Sect had seemed to carry on as usual on the surface. Ordinary disciples might not have sensed anything, but the sect's bigwigs had been run ragged.
They had been trembling with fear, walking on thin ice, both delighted and anxious...
Not just the ordinary elders—even the sect master made time every day to inspect the pear grove, no matter how busy he was.
Lin Xiaoyao knew what they were worried about. He couldn't help finding it both funny and exasperating. This time, he'd frightened the elders half to death from behind the scenes.
Of course, he had no intention of explaining.
He had to admit, secretly enjoying the show like this felt a lot like lurking in a group chat in his previous life, quietly watching everyone else talk.
No, it was even better!
It simply hadn't occurred to Lin Xiaoyao that this matter would have such far-reaching effects. As time passed, its influence didn't fade away.
In the end, those effects somehow fell on him, the one who had set everything in motion.
He never would have imagined that beforehand.
Lin Xiaoyao couldn't help finding it both funny and exasperating. Did I just bring this trouble down on myself?
Before you continue