In the mountains, seasons pass unnoticed, and the coldness of winter fades without a trace.
Well, that's a bit of an exaggerated statement.
In truth, Lin Fan was still aware of the passage of time.
Everyone in the sect, from top to bottom, was busy, including Lin Fan, except for Fan Jianqiang, who seemed to be the odd one out. He spent three days fishing and two days drying his nets, and no one knew what he was up to.
Amidst all this hustle and bustle, a month quietly slipped by.
In just a month, Moonseizing Sect underwent a dramatic transformation.
The twenty-four Spirit Mountains, once scarred by war, now looked brand new! After all, they were cultivators.
With the help and empowerment of various spells, the scars of war were erased. Spirit plants were transplanted, and the five contiguous Herb Fields outside the sect were lush with Spirit Herbs.
The Alchemy Pavilion, Armory, Scripture Repository, and other buildings were also completed. While they weren't particularly majestic or awe-inspiring, they were still impressive in their own right.
However, the most significant change was in the 'Main Peak'! Originally, the Spirit Mountain where Moonseizing Sect was located was rather inconspicuous, even ranking near the bottom among the twenty-five Spirit Peaks.
But with the combined efforts of everyone, the peak was forcefully raised and thickened, becoming more than twice its original size! As one of the twenty-five Spirit Mountains, the Main Peak now had a stronger spiritual energy than the other twenty-four, and there was even a faint feeling of spiritual energy condensing into mist.
From a high vantage point, one could see that Moonseizing Sect now truly exuded the aura of an immortal sect.
Perhaps the only issue was the scarcity of people.
There were only fifteen people in total, fewer than the mountains themselves! But this was not something that could be rushed.
It was a matter to be approached gradually, so Lin Fan wasn't worried.
During this month, they were able to maintain peace.
With the new Sect Protection Array in place, ordinary cultivators could only stare in frustration, immediately losing the will to fight. So, there was no need to continue the pattern of fighting every three days.
Amidst all this busyness, the cultivation of the sect members never faltered.
Lin Fan made further progress, advancing to the Eighth Stage of Profound Origin Realm, bringing him closer to the Cavern Realm.
However, he didn't reveal this progress, and to others, he still appeared to be at the Fourth Stage of Profound Origin Realm.
With ample resources, Xiao Ling'er's progress gradually accelerated. In just one month, she advanced two stages, reaching the Third Stage of Profound Origin Realm.
On the surface, she seemed to have caught up with Lin Fan.
This was a deliberate act by Lin Fan...
If not for the sake of appearances, he would have even considered continuing to pretend to be at the Third Stage of Profound Origin Realm.
Even though the Elders hadn't advanced their cultivation realms, they had reached the Second Stage of Essence Condensation Realm, and some even the Third Stage.
After all...
With so many high-quality pills, even a pig would benefit.
This indirectly reflected how dire the situation in Moonseizing Sect had been, as the seven disciples' talents weren't actually that bad.
At least, they weren't so terrible that it was unbearable to look at.
Unfortunately, Moonseizing Sect lacked the resources to cultivate them further. They could only hope to be average cultivators.
However...
If they continued to develop, there was still hope for them to become mid-tier cultivators.
The only exception was Fan Jianqiang.
This guy...
Remained at the First Stage of Essence Condensation Realm.
In reality, he was already at the mid to late stage of the Cavern Realm. He wasn't far from reaching the Second Stage.
Lin Fan didn't see any problem with this.
As long as he survived...
But others had some opinions about Fan Jianqiang.
······
One night, after the renovations were complete, Lin Fan summoned the five elders for a meeting.
"The situation in Moonseizing Sect is turning around, and it's time we establish some rules and regulations," Lin Fan said.
"Especially the reward and punishment system, task system, and supervision system, and so on," one of the elders added.
"I have some ideas, but you should also incorporate your own thoughts and make some adjustments. Then, we can announce it," Lin Fan suggested.
"Yes, Sect Master," the elders replied, their expressions solemn as they took their tasks seriously.
Before this, the sect had few members and a small territory, so there weren't many rules. But now, things were different.
Take the reward and punishment system, for example, which didn't exist before. But now that the sect had grown, how could they not have one?
There was also the task system. In simple terms, disciples would complete tasks assigned by the sect and receive corresponding rewards, a common practice.
The purpose was twofold: to train the disciples and to stabilize the 'in-game currency system'.
A sect needed these mechanisms to develop healthily, or else it would only be giving, while the disciples would only be taking. That's no fun!
Lin Fan had never been a sect master before, but his experience as a guild leader in various online games was extensive. So, he was familiar with these systems.
However, he hadn't tried anything fancy with them.
Fairness, reasonableness, and practicality were the top priorities.
After reading the proposed rules, the five elders all agreed they were excellent and couldn't think of anything that needed changing.
"Then, let's decide on this," Lin Fan said with a smile.
"We'll wait until next year to recruit a batch of disciples, and then we can officially implement these rules," Lin Fan added, nodding.
Of course, they couldn't implement them now.
Without outer sect disciples, it was pointless.
For the remaining half a year, they might as well treat it as a time to give welfare to the seven auspicious beasts. Despite the harsh conditions, they hadn't thought of running away, and they had endured a lot.
"But speaking of which, it's been almost four months since I crossed over. The first crisis is still eight months away, so we need to prepare half a year in advance. That leaves us with only two months to relax," Lin Fan said.
"I wonder if we'll have that chance~"
"..."
...
Although this place was quite remote, news still traveled.
Even if separated by infinite distances, as long as someone paid attention, they could find out.
Spirit Sword Sect.
In front of a sealed cave mansion, two powerful cultivators frowned as they looked at the latest news.
"Eight Swords Sect... has been annihilated?"
"If he were to find out about this, he'd probably be unable to rest easy."
"We were too late. If we had known about his opportunity, we would have definitely sent people to guard the place. But now..."
"Let's keep this a secret for now. We'll inform him after he fully awakens the Sword Spirit Holy Body."
"That's the only way."
"Also, let's call back Elder Liu. Now that Eight Swords Sect is gone, there's no need for him to stay there."
"This grudge must be settled by him personally, to resolve the cause and effect. Otherwise, he might not be able to move on."
The two cultivators fell silent as they looked at the terrifying restrictions surrounding the cave mansion.
"Actually, although Eight Swords Sect has been destroyed, if he can successfully avenge his grudge, it'll be a good thing for our Spirit Sword Sect."
"..."
...
Cloud Heaven Valley.
Outside the Valley Lord's secret room, a young disciple had a joyful expression.
"Master, there's great news!"
"Have you come out of seclusion?"
"A tomb of a Seventh Stage Peak cultivator has appeared. If we can obtain this opportunity, Master, you might be able to break through!"
A loud rumbling sound filled the air.
The door to the secret room burst open.