Standing in the middle of the floating island, more than three thousand meters in the air, Lin Xiao felt the cold wind whipping through his robes, the gusts making them flutter wildly. For some reason, an inexplicable sense of desolation washed over him.
Sensing his dissatisfaction, perhaps even his fleeting thought of returning the island, the system chimed in:
[Please begin construction on the floating island as soon as possible. A sect with a floating island has countless advantages. The prosperity of the island will increase, and with it, the island's quality will improve!]
Lin Xiao sighed quietly.
"Fine, fine. Let's build it up. At least the space is vast now, and it's floating in the sky, which is undeniably cool."
He began walking on the rocky and earthy ground, surveying the barren island. Suddenly, he recalled something he had stored in his personal vault: the Yaoguang Pearl.
Quickly retrieving it from the vault, he remembered that this pearl could be linked with the Yaoguang Floating Island to create a small world.
A floating island and a small world... It seemed that for a long time, he wouldn't have to worry about running out of space.
[Would you like to connect the Yaoguang Pearl with the Yaoguang Floating Island?]
Without much hesitation, Lin Xiao thought, "Might as well do it now. It's just sitting there."
[Connecting, please wait.]
While waiting, Lin Xiao sat down cross-legged and continued browsing the Floating Island Control Console.
First, he opened the Floating Height Setting, which currently displayed a height of 3,500 meters. Since Lingxian Sect was located on a plateau around 500 meters high, this meant the island floated 3,000 meters above the sect, making the total height from the ground about 3,500 meters.
This height was comparable to the highest peak of Beishan. However, because the mountain had steep slopes and the peak was far from the sect, the floating island didn't appear to be right next to the summit.
Still, Lin Xiao felt that the island's visibility at this height wasn't ideal. He adjusted the height setting, increasing it to 5,000 meters.
Moments later, he felt the island rapidly ascend. When it stabilized, Lin Xiao didn't experience any discomfort, like a sudden jolt from stopping, but instead found it quite thrilling.
After adjusting the height, he walked to the edge of the floating island and peered down. Now, the island was surrounded by wisps of clouds, and from this height, the Lingxian Sect and Xiushui Village below looked like tiny, miniature models.
At this altitude, falling would undoubtedly mean certain death. Good thing Lin Xiao wasn't afraid of heights.
He pondered for a moment and stepped off the edge of the island, curious to see if there were any safety measures. After all, if someone in the sect who couldn't yet use cloud walking accidentally stepped off, it could be disastrous.
Expecting that a system-created floating island would have a safeguard to prevent anyone from falling, Lin Xiao was surprised to find that he could indeed step off the island.
Not wanting to give up, Lin Xiao fully walked off the edge—and found himself floating in midair.
"Really? There's no safety net?"
He quickly opened the Island Defense Settings in the control console and found an option for Entry and Exit Settings. The security measures were indeed activated, but the protection only applied to island residents.
Since Lin Xiao, despite being the island's owner, wasn't technically a resident, the defense mechanism didn't apply to him. The island's population was still marked as zero.
Lin Xiao promptly returned to the island, designated himself as a resident, and then tested the edge again. This time, he was blocked by an invisible barrier. Satisfied, he flew up into the air to check the protective radius around the island.
He discovered that the protection extended about 500 meters above the island, forming a dome-shaped barrier that matched the island's diameter. There didn't seem to be an option to change this range, meaning it was likely fixed.
"Perhaps the system meant what it said earlier," Lin Xiao thought, recalling how the island's prosperity would boost its various features. If the floating island thrived, maybe the protection range and other aspects would also improve.
For now, this was sufficient. Between the floating island and the small world, they had plenty of space to develop for a long time.
As Lin Xiao was mulling over these thoughts, the system prompt returned:
[The connection between Yaoguang Pearl and Yaoguang Floating Island is complete. The entrance to the Yaoguang Small World has been opened at the center of the island. You may manage it through the Floating Island Console.]
Turning his head, Lin Xiao noticed that the once-barren center of the island now had something new. A small, shallow pool about 50 centimeters in diameter had appeared, surrounded by colorful stones. In the center of the pool was a gentle fountain, about a meter high, with the Yaoguang Pearl floating at the top.
Lin Xiao approached and examined the so-called entrance to the small world.
"Hmm... Not exactly impressive in appearance," he mused.
But that didn't matter. Reaching out to touch the pearl, he was instantly transported into another space.
He found himself standing near the edge of the small world, surrounded by vibrant scenery. Unlike the bare floating island, this place was lush and beautiful. Flowers of various colors blanketed the ground like a tapestry, and in the middle was a crescent-shaped lake with a faint rainbow arching over it.
Lin Xiao knelt to pluck a flower that resembled a double-petaled peony, which had grown to knee height. The flower was fresh and fragrant, with a faint medicinal scent mixed in.
A gentle breeze swept through the sea of flowers, making them sway in waves. The scenery was undeniably beautiful, but other than the flowers, there wasn't much else.
"Looks like everything will have to start from scratch here too," Lin Xiao muttered to himself.
Though, perhaps these flowers had some value. However, with such a wide variety and so many different species, he didn't have the time to individually gather and identify each one now.
"Maybe I'll have Elder Liao take a look later," he thought.
For now, it was time to start planning how to bring the floating island and the small world to their full potential.