"Hundred Beasts Spirit Speech"
The little demon chicken paid no heed to Lin Xiao's confusion and continued excitedly:
"Here! So much Spiritual Qi! I'm so happy! I want to live here!"
Oh, so that was it.
Lin Xiao smiled faintly and said to the chicken:
"That won't do. This is the Lingxian Sect's grounds. Outsiders-and demons too-aren't allowed to enter as they please."
The little demon chicken, which had been so excited just a moment ago, froze in bewilderment. Its spirits visibly drooped.
"Cluck... I really like it here..."
Seeing it like this, Lin Xiao felt rather sorry for it, so he stopped teasing it and said:
"Of course, if you become a member of our sect, there'll be no problem with you staying here."
The little demon chicken, which had been so dejected a moment ago, perked right up and lifted its head. Its two beady black eyes shone as it stared at him and said:
"Cluck! I want to be a member!"
Lin Xiao smiled and said:
"All right. First, tell me, what's your name?"
The little demon chicken hurriedly replied:
"I don't know! What's a name?"
Lin Xiao paused, then explained:
"A name is a symbol that represents you. It also makes it easier for others to address you. I can't just keep calling you little demon chicken, can I?"
The little demon chicken tilted its head, thought for a moment, and said to Lin Xiao:
"Then I should be called Luan."
"Luan? Who gave you that name?" Lin Xiao asked.
The little demon chicken shook its head.
"That's just what I'm called."
All right, then.
Lin Xiao didn't press the matter and began going through the formalities:
"Luan, are you willing to join my Lingxian Sect, become a member, and devote yourself to cultivation?"
The little demon chicken nodded repeatedly.
"I am, I am!"
[Ding-congratulations, host, on successfully taking in a demon disciple. A hidden reward has been sent to your private storage. Please check it.]
A hidden reward?
Lin Xiao was puzzled. He could get a hidden reward for inviting a little demon chicken to join?
He opened his private storage.
He saw two new items inside.
The Demon Beast Cultivation Facility Synthesis Recipe, and spirit grain seeds ×20.
It seemed the system was quite supportive of him raising chickens, too?
Lin Xiao stepped out of the thatched shed, lifted the restriction on entering and leaving it, and said to everyone outside:
"All right, this little demon chicken is a member of our sect from now on. You can all call it Fellow Daoist Luan. I have a Law Technique here called Hundred Beasts Spirit Speech, which lets you communicate with animals that have awakened their intelligence. If any of you want to talk with Fellow Daoist Luan, come ask me for a copy once you reach Qi Refining First Layer, and you can cultivate it."
Come to think of it, Lin Xiao felt that with more people and more Cultivation Methods and such, handing them out one by one like this wasn't a long-term solution.
It looked like he would have to build a small scripture library or something later.
After all, there would only be more people and Cultivation Methods in the future.
When everyone heard that they would be fellow daoists with a pheasant demon from now on, they found it extremely novel.
Then, hearing that there was a Law Technique they could learn, they all felt their souls of cultivation burning!
Even Lin Yun, who was preparing to go down the mountain to learn carpentry from Old Master Lin, hesitated over whether he should go later and spend more time cultivating.
But the honest Lin Yun still went down the mountain right on time.
The others first went into the thatched shed to have a look at the newly minted Fellow Daoist Luan, then began their own cultivation.
Except for Jiang Youfu.
His eyes shone as he stared at Lin Xiao and said:
"Brother Xiao! I'm at Qi Refining First Layer!"
Amused, Lin Xiao flicked him on the forehead and said:
"I know, I know. How could I forget you?" As he spoke, he took Hundred Beasts Spirit Speech and the Purification Technique from his robes and said,
"Here, you can cultivate both of these Law Techniques. But take note: for the Purification Technique, you can only cultivate the first-tier Dust Removal Technique right now. You'll have to wait until at least the third or fourth layer of Qi Refining to cultivate the second-tier Qi Purification Technique. Otherwise, you could easily damage your meridians. Don't cultivate recklessly and cripple yourself."
Hearing this, Jiang Youfu nodded hastily and said:
"Don't worry, Brother Xiao! I won't cultivate recklessly!"
Taking the two Law Technique books from Lin Xiao, Jiang Youfu was so excited that his cheeks trembled.
He could cultivate Law Techniques!
He could talk to demons!
His teeth could become white!
The others looked at the two Law Technique books in Jiang Youfu's hands, green with envy.
It was only Qi Refining First Layer!
Cultivate the hell out of it!
And so, that day, everyone's enthusiasm for cultivation in the Lingxian Sect's thatched shed ran unusually high.
Outside the shed, the sky grew darker bit by bit, until, before anyone realized it, it was covered in dark clouds.
The balmy spring breeze stirred the sprouting blades of grass, seeming to grow sharper little by little as the daylight faded.
Gradually, it carried a trace of chill.
The first rain of early spring was about to come.
Evening.
The sky had been overcast all afternoon, as if holding back, and not a single drop of rain had fallen.
The sky had only grown darker.
Before finishing the day's cultivation, Lin Xiao, who had been cultivating alongside everyone that afternoon, smoothly reached Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
He quietly remarked to himself that cultivating immortality was rather uneventful.
At this rate, although the time needed for idle cultivation doubled with each successive stage, judging by his current progress, Lin Xiao figured he might reach Foundation Establishment in less than three months.
Putting those thoughts aside, Lin Xiao noticed how dim it was around him.
He poked his head out to look at the sky.
Dark clouds filled it.
The weather had also grown a little cooler.
So he turned to everyone and said:
"Let's stop cultivating here for today. It's about to rain, so let's head home early."
Hearing this, everyone noticed that it was much darker around them than usual.
They all got up and gathered their things, ready to go down the mountain.
In this era, everyone was afraid of getting caught in the rain.
If they got soaked and came down with a fever, they might lose their lives.
Once they had packed up, the seven of them went down the mountain together, leaving Xiaoluan alone in the thatched shed.
Before leaving, Lin Xiao made a point of telling Xiaoluan:
"If you need to poop, go in that spirit field not far outside the shed. And do you see those sprouts in the field?"
Xiaoluan glanced at the green sprouts in the spirit field, its eyes lighting up as it said:
"Are they for me to eat?"
Lin Xiao gave its little head a light pat and said:
"In your dreams! You're not allowed to touch a single one of those sprouts! If I find any missing tomorrow, I'll expel you from the sect!"
"Oh..." Xiaoluan hung its chicken head dejectedly and idly scratched at the dirt with one claw.
Jiang Youfu seemed to remember something. He rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a small handful of fragrant roasted wheat, and held it out to Xiaoluan.
"Fellow Daoist Xiaoluan, you can have this!"
He had been so absorbed in cultivating today that, even when he got hungry, he had forgotten to eat the snack his grandmother had prepared for him. Fortunately, he was about to go down the mountain and home for dinner, so the remaining roasted wheat was just right for Fellow Daoist Xiaoluan.
Xiaoluan looked at Jiang Youfu's outstretched hand. Because of their great difference in height, it couldn't see what was in his hand at all, being less than half a meter tall even counting the feathers on its head.