The streets were completely packed with people who had come to watch the spectacle. Worried that something might go wrong, the bride's family hurriedly abandoned the traditional games meant to test the groom's sincerity. They quickly had the bride's younger brother carry her out to the festive spirit boat waiting at the door.
Lin Lei also invited the bride's family onto the boat, allowing them to join in the journey to the wedding.
The bride's family was overjoyed at the unexpected opportunity to ride the flying spirit boat.
So, the crowd of onlookers, who had jammed the narrow alleyway, watched as the festive boat, which had only just landed, slowly lifted off again as if carried by clouds. It ascended smoothly into the air and, just as before, glided steadily eastward, passing overhead.
Everyone watching was filled with envy.
"If only one day my family could marry into an immortal sect. That would truly be a grand spectacle!" they thought.
That day, the entire town of Songyang County buzzed with talk of this extraordinary and unique wedding procession.
Onboard the spirit boat, after helping to settle the bride and her family, Qin Jianghe grabbed Lin Xiao and dragged him to the back of the boat.
"Xiao'er, I finally managed to catch you! You've been sending so many requests to the Financial Hall each month, and they're all so expensive! At this rate, we're going to be running a deficit. You need to tell me what all these expenses are for, and when this is going to end so I can plan accordingly," Qin Jianghe said anxiously.
For the past few months, Lin Xiao had been sending a steady stream of procurement lists, and Qin Jianghe had been watching their funds drain away like water. He had once felt confident about the sect's growing financial reserves, but now that confidence was dwindling fast. Unfortunately, Lin Xiao was often nowhere to be found, and Qin Jianghe himself was busy, so he hadn't had the chance to bring it up until now.
Seeing the anxiety on Qin Jianghe's face, Lin Xiao, who had originally planned to surprise the entire sect, hesitated for a moment. Then, throwing an arm around Qin Jianghe's shoulders, he leaned in and whispered, "Actually, I have a new plan."
He paused before adding with a smile, "Actually, I have several plans in the works."
Hearing this, Qin Jianghe followed up curiously, "What plans?"
Lin Xiao scratched his cheek and pulled out a stack of books from his private collection, handing them to Qin Jianghe. "One of the plans is this... You remember how I asked you to collect all sorts of cultivation techniques and materials from the cultivation world? It was all for the research on these techniques."
Qin Jianghe flipped through the dozens of books, seeing titles like Netherworld Mystical Fire Technique, Konghou Melody Manual, Ten Thousand Blossoms Sleeve Art, Flying Moon Silver Frost Spear, Green Water Record, Bag You Technique, and Spiritual Evasion Technique... The variety was mind-boggling, a mix of all kinds of techniques.
Qin Jianghe looked at Lin Xiao, puzzled. "Doesn't our sect already have quite a few cultivation techniques?"
The library had at least dozens, if not hundreds, of techniques, most of which were provided by Lin Xiao himself. However, the majority of them weren't combat-focused. The only technique that could be considered a martial art was the Cloud Sword Technique.
However, not many in the sect practiced the Cloud Sword Technique. First, not everyone was interested in swordsmanship, and second, there weren't many opportunities to use such combat skills. So, rather than focusing on martial arts, most people preferred to develop their own interests and hobbies. Qin Jianghe, who often traveled outside, was one of the few who found time to practice it.
Lin Xiao nodded knowingly, "It's true that we have a decent selection of techniques, but they're not comprehensive enough to cover everyone's interests. And besides, when you're out in the world, having a variety of skills can be the difference between life and death."
Qin Jianghe quickly picked up on the underlying meaning and asked, somewhat surprised, "Are we planning to increase the number of disciples we send out for missions?"
Lin Xiao nodded. "Senior Liao reminded me recently that although we have the Path of Inquiry to ensure the purity of heart, cultivation isn't just about maintaining a righteous mindset. Practical experience and the growth of one's state of mind are equally essential."
"So, we can't always keep our disciples cooped up within the sect. That would hinder their growth in both spirit and experience."
Sighing, Lin Xiao continued, "Even though I'm worried that sending them out on missions might put them in danger, it's necessary for their development. If we keep them confined within the sect, who knows when they'll hit a bottleneck in their cultivation? And by the time they do, it may be too late to fix it."
Qin Jianghe opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
The truth was, he felt like he had already hit that bottleneck himself.
Until recently, he had been content with his steady progress, even if it wasn't as fast as Lin Xiao's. However, over the past six months, he had started to feel a certain strain.
It wasn't something he could easily put into words. He had no tool to measure his cultivation progress, but he felt as if an invisible force was holding him back, preventing him from advancing further.
At first, he thought it was simply because he wasn't working hard enough or lacked the talent.
But now, hearing Lin Xiao's words, he realized that what he was experiencing might actually be a bottleneck.
Looking down at the stack of techniques in his hands, Qin Jianghe handed them back to Lin Xiao, asking with some confusion, "Will these techniques really help with that?"
Lin Xiao took the stack of techniques with a mysterious smile. "These alone won't solve the problem... but I have many more where these came from."
"I'm planning to organize a set of cultivation courses for anyone in the sect who's willing to go out on missions. Once they've completed their chosen courses, we'll implement the mission plan."
Lin Xiao had gone to great lengths to prepare these techniques to ensure the safety of everyone during their missions. And of course, he hadn't come up with these techniques on his own; they were courtesy of the system's technique synthesis function.
It was precisely to acquire these techniques that Lin Xiao had asked Qin Jianghe to procure such a wide variety of strange materials.
However, it wasn't enough to just produce a vast array of techniques—they had to be genuinely useful, and ideally, each one should be top-tier.
Lin Xiao had spent considerable time selecting the best ones and organizing them into a coherent curriculum for study.
Fortunately, as a Nascent Soul cultivator now, Lin Xiao could handle the workload. Otherwise, the sheer amount of preparation would have been overwhelming.
But there was no other way. The number of techniques was just too vast, and Lin Xiao was the only one capable of organizing it all.
After all, every time he synthesized a new technique, he instantly mastered it...