While He Yi was idly contemplating the intentions behind Lingxian Sect's establishment of this mortal academy, Lin Xiao walked into the guest room.
The two exchanged polite greetings, and Lin Xiao, not one for formalities, directly asked:
"May I ask why you have come all the way to my Lingxian Sect?"
In fact, Lin Xiao wanted to ask straight away: Why are you looking for me?
But, alas, as the sect leader, he had to maintain a formal demeanor to represent their sect properly.
Observing this sect leader, who was reportedly only sixteen years old according to the villagers of Xiushui Village, He Yi showed no particular emotion on his face.
However, he was already deep in thought.
Although the person appeared very young, his cultivation was inscrutable. Unless he possessed a treasure that concealed his cultivation, it meant his own cultivation was much higher than He Yi's, making it impossible for He Yi to gauge his aura strength.
He wondered if this person's age really matched his appearance, or if his experiences in Xiushui Village had been deliberately fabricated, and whether he was genuinely just sixteen.
If it were the latter, leading a sect at such a young age would indeed make him a prodigy.
Moreover, He Yi had heard rumors in the Imperial City that this Lingxian Sect had single-handedly killed a Nascent Soul stage rogue cultivator.
However, there were also rumors suggesting that Lingxian Sect's success in killing the Nascent Soul rogue cultivator was due to the assistance of the Nascent Soul ancestor Li Zhanying from the imperial family.
These rumors seemed to come from current disciples of the Shangyang Sect, which was previously occupied by the Nascent Soul rogue cultivator, or former disciples who had left the Shangyang Sect.
The truth of these rumors was unknown.
But when He Yi had interacted with Li Zhanying in the Imperial City, he found that the resources available to the royal cultivators of the mortal realm were indeed very limited. Many common cultivation techniques and spells used by the cultivators from the immortal realm were unfamiliar to them.
It was as if they had mere cultivation but lacked various methods and techniques.
The killed Nascent Soul rogue cultivator was said to have been to the immortal realm and possessed numerous techniques.
Otherwise, it would not have been so easy to take over a sect that had been operating in the mortal realm for many years.
Li Zhanying's cautious demeanor made He Yi skeptical of whether he would easily help a newly emerged sect.
Thus, in his view, the Lingxian Sect, though not at its peak, was likely to possess at least seventy to eighty percent of its potential.
Perhaps it should not be compared to an ordinary mortal realm sect.
Even though Lin Xiao might be exceptionally gifted, He Yi did not harbor any feelings of jealousy.
He only understood that highly talented individuals face real hardships in the immortal realm, where their paths are limited to rapid decline or rapid ascent.
And among them, decline was the fate of most.
As someone with a significant background himself, the hardships were known only to him.
So, facing Lin Xiao, he felt a hint of mutual sympathy.
As long as this Sect Leader Lin was reasonable and did not engage in extreme actions, He Yi thought he could turn a blind eye.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but he did not let them delay him and calmly said:
"Since Sect Leader Lin prefers straightforwardness, I will be direct as well. I have come to the mortal realm with many doubts regarding your esteemed sect and Sect Leader Lin. I hope you can clarify them for me."
"My first doubt is, though I have heard that the Lingxian Sect is a righteous sect that seeks the welfare of the common people, why is it that your sect is secretly absorbing yin energy from all directions?" He Yi's gaze was fixed on Lin Xiao as he asked, while pointing towards a specific direction.
This direction was where Changming Mountain was located.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected that the construction of Changming Mountain would be noticed.
The fact that someone had specifically come to inquire about it was unexpected.
He had been careless. Though the cultivators of the mortal realm had generally low cultivation levels and were not very sensitive to yin energy, it was inevitable that someone from the immortal realm who was sensitive to it would notice.
A misstep, indeed.
It seemed he needed to be more cautious next time.
For any significant actions that might affect the external world, he would need to conduct thorough investigations in advance and ensure there were no issues within the impact range before proceeding.
Another lesson learned.
Lin Xiao mentally noted this lesson but maintained a calm demeanor:
"This is an unintended effect of the research on formations within our sect. We lacked experience and foresight, which resulted in the inadvertent absorption of surrounding yin energy."
He paused for a moment, then looked at He Yi with sincere and innocent eyes, asking with a hint of anxious curiosity:
"May I ask if there is any problem with this action of ours? If we have violated any established rules or customs, please be lenient. Our Lingxian Sect is newly established and not well-versed in these rules. If we have not caused significant adverse effects, we hope the envoy will show understanding. However, if there are significant adverse consequences, our Lingxian Sect is willing to fully assume responsibility and resolve them."
The implication was: Our sect is new and inexperienced, and if there are no major issues, please be lenient. If there are significant problems, we will not shirk responsibility.
However, despite these words, it was clear that Lin Xiao's construction of Changming Mountain was carefully planned, with all aspects considered. He knew the amount of yin energy absorbed was within the tolerable range for this area, and serious adverse effects were unlikely.
If He Yi was deliberately seeking trivial issues to cause trouble, Lin Xiao was prepared with countermeasures.
Yet, He Yi did not give Lin Xiao the chance to implement his prepared countermeasures. It was clear that He Yi viewed this issue merely as a conversation starter.
Seeing Lin Xiao's inquiry, He Yi simply smiled:
"The matter of secretly absorbing large amounts of yin energy can be significant or trivial, depending on whether the intention behind it is malicious and whether it causes harm to the world. The world is often a mix of yin and yang. Yang represents the positive, while yin represents the negative. Actions involving yin energy generally carry malicious intent. If this action were in the immortal realm, it would likely provoke a condemnation from righteous cultivators."
He paused again, then continued:
"Although this place is not the immortal realm, everyone is under the same heaven and earth. There is still some supervisory responsibility over the mortal realm. Whether good or bad, once the immortal realm detects it, it is likely to... sigh."
He did not specify how the immortal realm would detect it, but Lin Xiao understood immediately.
Currently, He Yi was the only one aware of this issue, and Lin Xiao had previously confirmed that ordinary cultivators would not easily detect the flow of yin energy.
So, how would it be detected? The person would directly report it to the immortal realm.