What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

Lin Yuan did not travel with Jiang Huaiyue and Gu Jiusi, but instead mingled with the crowd and left.

If the three of them were to travel together, it would be too conspicuous for him, an "outsider" walking alongside the Holy Maiden's personal maid.

Low-key life, high-profile work.

Before you have enough strength, any unnecessary exposure is just digging a hole for yourself.

He did not return to the original outer cave dwelling.

The residences of outer disciples are public property allocated uniformly by the sect.

To put it nicely, it's a cave dwelling; to put it bluntly, it's just a rented room with a spirit field.

The few acres of spirit fields outside the cave are the sect's assets. Lin Yuan is only responsible for planting and watering them, and the mature spirit materials must be handed over according to a certain proportion.

They did the work of tenant farmers but were paid the wages of long-term laborers.

Now that he has entered the Foundation Establishment stage, he will automatically be promoted to an inner disciple according to the rules, and naturally he will need to open up his own independent cave dwelling.

More importantly, the dozens of boxes of top-quality spiritual plant seedlings, dug up from the ancient medicinal field with soil and roots intact, in the storage bag urgently need to be planted.

Although those seedlings are not worth many spirit stones now, the spirituality of their roots will diminish with each day of delay.

These are his future treasure troves for producing spiritual materials, worth a hundred times more than any monthly allowance of spirit stones.

The inner hall of the Xuan Yin Sect.

At noon, the dark purple palace doors were wide open.

The plaque hanging above the door is quite old, and the edges of the three gilded characters "Neiwudian" (Hall of Internal Affairs) show signs of peeling paint.

The black serpent patterns carved on the two bronze doors were polished to a shine by the sleeves of the cultivators coming and going.

Lin Yuan stepped over the high threshold.

The main hall was bustling with people, mostly Qi Refining stage deacons busy at work.

Some were moving spirit stone boxes, some were checking the jade slip accounts, and some were whispering with the disciples who came to collect their monthly stipends at the counter.

The overall atmosphere is less like a sacred place of immortals and more like a century-old accounting firm.

Behind the large rosewood desk in the very center sat a middle-aged male cultivator in his early forties.

Slightly overweight, with a kind face.

His round face always wore a slight smile, and there was not a trace of the sharpness that a cultivator should have between his brows and eyes.

She wore a well-tailored dark purple brocade robe, with a few understated dark floral patterns embroidered on the hem.

Holding a white porcelain teacup, he was looking down and flipping through a thick jade slip account book.

He would occasionally sketch a few lines on it with a vermilion pen, looking focused yet relaxed.

This is Li Changfeng, the current leader of the Xuan Yin Sect.

The title of sect leader sounds very prestigious, as if one is the master of a sect and commands thousands of people.

In reality, he's just a larger version of a butler.

Those who truly control the fate of the sect are the five Nascent Soul elders and the Core Formation elders who wield real power.

The elders and prodigies with exceptional talent and extraordinary strength are all intensifying their seclusion and cultivation, racing against time to break through to higher realms.

Who has the time to sit behind this sandalwood desk every day, dealing with mundane matters like distributing disciples' monthly allowances, keeping accounts of spirit stones coming in and out, mining and allocating minerals, and mediating disputes in cave dwellings?

Those who can sit in this position are mostly people whose talents have reached their limit and who have no hope of forming a core in their lifetime, but who are smooth, shrewd, and good at scheming.

To put it bluntly, he's like the neighborhood committee director in the cultivation world.

Li Changfeng is a typical example of this type of person.

His cultivation had stagnated at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage for nearly twenty years, and he had long since given up the idea of ​​breaking through to Core Formation.

But his strength lies in his ability to handle situations.

From the personal needs of Nascent Soul Ancestors to the trivial disputes among outer disciples over spiritual fields, he handled everything flawlessly.

He's been in that position for fifteen years, his status as secure as a rock.

Lin Yuan walked to the desk and stood still.

"Disciple Lin Yuan has just returned from the Blood Forbidden Land trial. By sheer luck, I broke through the bottleneck and entered the Foundation Establishment stage. I have come to the Inner Affairs Hall to change my inner sect identity."

Lin Yuan spoke in a calm tone, even with a hint of restraint.

At the same time, he removed the concealment technique he used to disguise himself and released the unique true energy fluctuations of the early Foundation Establishment stage.

However, he deliberately controlled the extent of his release.

The fluctuations of true energy were somewhat weak, and the flow of magical power was noticeably sluggish, as if an external force was being used to forcefully break through a bottleneck, resulting in an unstable foundation.

This characteristic aura has a rather unpleasant name in the cultivation world: "Medicine Buildup".

This means that a foundation built solely through elixirs lacks staying power and has limited potential.

Li Changfeng's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

He raised his head, and his seemingly kind little eyes looked Lin Yuan up and down.

The gaze lingered on Lin Yuan for a short time, but it was enough for a seasoned veteran who had been sitting in this chair for fifteen years to make a judgment.

Early stage of Foundation Establishment. His aura is weak and unstable. Clearly, he broke through using external force.

He doesn't look very old, but his spiritual root aptitude... Li Changfeng shook his head inwardly.

He had seen far too many disciples like this.

One can barely cross the threshold by relying on a serendipitous encounter in a secret realm or a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, and then there is no possibility of making any further progress.

However, the fact that this person was able to come out of the Blood Forbidden Zone alive shows that he must either have some skills or be tough enough.

Regardless of the reason, it's not something a sect leader should delve into.

A practiced smile immediately spread across Li Changfeng's round face. He put the teacup down on the table, stood up, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Not bad, not bad. The Crimson Forbidden Land has suffered a great upheaval this time, with heavy casualties. The fact that you were able to come out alive and even take the opportunity to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage shows that you are a fortunate person. Come, come, give me your outer sect identity token, and I will take care of it for you right away."

Their attitude was so enthusiastic that there wasn't a single fault with them.

Lin Yuan thought to himself: This senior brother, the sect leader, really knows how to manage things. Whether you're a genius or a good-for-nothing, he treats everyone equally and greets you with a smile. Someone like that could thrive in any organization.

Lin Yuan took the black iron plaque representing an outer disciple from his waist and handed it over with both hands.

Li Changfeng took the iron plaque, picked up a jade pen with one hand, and with a flash of light at the tip of the pen, gently touched the iron plaque.

"Click."

The iron plaque split open in the middle, shattering into two pieces, which fell onto the desk, its spiritual light completely dissipating.

Li Changfeng then bent down and took out a jade plaque with a clear, green color from a purple wooden box under the desk.

The jade pendant feels warm and smooth to the touch, with a restrained radiance.

He picked up the jade pen and, with a flourish, carved the two characters "Lin Yuan" on the front of the jade plaque. Then, he gently released his magic power from his fingertips, imprinting Lin Yuan's aura into it.

"Junior Brother Lin Yuan, congratulations on your promotion to Inner Sect."

Li Changfeng handed over the jade token, his tone carrying a routine yet sincere seriousness.

"This is your inner sect identity jade token. With this token, you can enter and exit the inner sect area of ​​Xuan Yin Peak and enjoy the monthly allowance for inner sect disciples. From now on, unless the sect faces a major calamity or the elders issue a mandatory transfer order, you will no longer need to undertake any miscellaneous tasks or routine duties. You can focus on secluded cultivation and improve your cultivation."

Lin Yuan took the jade pendant, ran his fingertips along its smooth surface, and then put it into his pocket.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sect Leader."

He paused for a moment, as if hesitating, before speaking, "Sect Leader, inner disciples can open their own cave dwellings. I wonder if there are any vacant places on the main branch of Xuan Yin Peak where I originally belonged? I would like to settle down as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Li Changfeng perked up.

Assigning cave dwellings to inner disciples is also a very important part of his daily work.

Good locations are in high demand and limited supply, while bad locations are ignored.

There are many intricacies involved in who gets assigned to which place.

He waved his sleeve.

A surge of magical power flowed from his sleeve and poured into an array plate embedded in the center of the desk.

"Buzz—"

Above the documents, a three-dimensional sand table, more than ten feet in length and width, appeared in the void.