This time, Lin Xiao didn't manage to gather any information about the secret realm where Liao Pantu's soul was located in the world of cultivation.
However, before leaving, he asked Yuan Bi to keep an eye out for any rumors related to Golden Core secret realms, no matter how trivial. If anything came up, the information could be passed along to Lin Xiao through the disciples who visited their sect.
Liao Pantu had no objections to this.
After all, regaining his strength to the Foundation Establishment stage was something he couldn't have imagined just a year ago. Moreover, he now trusted Lin Xiao.
He believed that Lin Xiao would eventually help him reunite with his complete soul.
For now, however, the priority was the sect's development. Once the sect was strong enough, finding the rest of his soul would no longer be an issue.
In just a few breaths, the scenery beneath their feet changed.
Due to the previous experience with Mo Yuanjiao and his father, General Mo, Lin Xiao specifically chose the location near the base of North Mountain, right in front of Wenxin Road. This was to prevent Yuan Qing from being immediately pulled onto Wenxin Road before Lin Xiao could explain things to him.
Thus, Yuan Qing wasn't swept away by Wenxin Road to undergo the test of his core beliefs the moment he arrived.
As soon as Yuan Qing regained his senses, he noticed the difference in the surroundings.
The spiritual energy here was even less dense than in Yuanling City, and the air was filled with a strong earthly scent.
Not far away, he could hear the sounds of children reading aloud.
He opened his eyes and surveyed the area, realizing that this place was completely different from any of the cities he had seen before.
In fact, it reminded him a little of the Yuan family's spiritual fields.
However, unlike his family's fields, where cultivators tended the land, here, ordinary mortals were moving about. On the other side of a nearby stream, there was a small courtyard filled with children studying.
Near them was a mountain path lined with peach trees, their blossoms in full bloom.
The fragrance of the flowers, the sound of reading, and the soft buzzing of insects, combined with the warm sunlight bathing him, filled Yuan Qing with an inexplicable sense of contentment.
It was afternoon, the time when the villagers of Xiushui Village and the occasional tourist would take leisurely strolls after their meals.
However, in recent days, few tourists ventured all the way to the foot of North Mountain. Most just admired the view from afar.
Now, only the disciples of Lingxian Sect and the students from the academy below the mountain frequently passed by the entrance to Wenxin Road.
It was as if an invisible boundary had been set, and the people only dared to observe from a distance.
Despite the distance, Yuan Qing could tell there were a lot of people in the distance.
Those people were all looking in their direction. When they suddenly saw Lin Xiao and the others appear out of nowhere, a wave of astonished cheers erupted.
"The immortals have appeared! The immortals have appeared!"
"Wow! The immortals just appeared out of thin air!"
The onlookers, including many villagers from Xiushui Village, were excited, staring at Lin Xiao's group with wide eyes. But after a moment, as if realizing they might be intruding, they quickly averted their gazes, sneaking curious glances instead.
More villagers and tourists rushed over upon hearing the commotion, eager to witness the event.
"Hey! Isn't that young master Lin... I mean, Immortal Lin!" one villager proudly shouted.
"And that's young master Jiang... I mean, Immortal Jiang!"
"And the other one must be an immortal too, even though he's not from our village. Since he's with them, he must be part of the immortal sect!"
For the first time, Yuan Qing found himself being treated as something of a spectacle. He turned to look at Lin Xiao in confusion and then glanced around.
What's going on? Could it be that Daoist Lin is a big celebrity here?
Yuan Qing turned his gaze toward the crowd again.
These people... they seemed to be ordinary mortals.
Suddenly, it dawned on Yuan Qing.
These mortals were different from the ones he was used to.
In his experience, mortals in the world of cultivation lived in constant fear, walking on eggshells in the cities controlled by cultivators. They did everything they could to avoid attracting attention, hoping the cultivators wouldn't even notice them.
But here, these mortals weren't hiding. They were excited to see cultivators, eager to watch, and though they averted their gazes, they did so out of respect, not fear. They weren't scurrying away in terror.
If this had been in the world of cultivation, the mortals would have vanished the moment they saw a cultivator.
Lin Xiao, noticing the large group of people sneaking glances at them from a distance, figured that the village chief or Tuzi had probably done something to keep them from getting too close.
Since the crowd wasn't approaching, he didn't pay them much mind. He motioned for Yuan Qing and Jiang Youfu to follow him as they headed toward the academy.
The academy had a small reception room.
Given the crowd of onlookers outside, it wasn't convenient to go to the village just yet. Yuan Qing hadn't walked Wenxin Road either, so the academy seemed like the best place to have a private conversation.
Yuan Qing, still perplexed, followed Lin Xiao into the simple yet elegant academy courtyard.
As soon as they entered, the sound of the children reading became even clearer.
Hearing the rhythmic chanting, Yuan Qing felt his mind grow sharper, his thoughts clearer.
Glancing at Lin Xiao, he quietly followed, careful not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere that enveloped the place.
This place felt different to him. It was relaxing.
It was unlike his home in Yuanling City, the Tianxuan Sect, or any other place he had been before.
Yuan Qing realized that even though he had only been here for a short time, he already liked it.
The three of them entered the reception room. Lin Xiao waved his hand to set up a soundproofing array, then patted the seat next to him and said:
"Come, Daoist Yuan, have a seat."
Seeing this, Yuan Qing understood that it was now a good time to speak. He sat down and asked:
"Daoist Lin, is this your hometown?"
Judging by the surroundings, Yuan Qing assumed that this wasn't the sect Lin Xiao had mentioned, but rather his home village.
Lin Xiao smiled apologetically:
"Daoist Yuan, I apologize for not explaining our situation earlier. There's been a lot going on, so let me clarify things for you now, one step at a time."
"Ahem, first of all, we are currently in a village in the mortal world."
"A village?"
Yuan Qing was puzzled.
Having only lived in the world of cultivation for a little over a decade, he didn't have a clear concept of what a village was. In his mind, there were only cities and sects, with everything else being untamed wilderness filled with demonic beasts.
At most, he had heard rumors of hidden families living in seclusion outside of cities.
Noticing Yuan Qing's confusion, Lin Xiao, recalling his experiences in the world of cultivation, quickly realized the issue and explained:
"This is a characteristic of the mortal world. A village is a place where people live together and make a living through farming. In the mortal world, merchants and artisans usually live in cities, while farmers tend to live in villages."