Fairy, don't go! I have a mod.

"Mu Tianmiao has made outstanding contributions this time, and his salary will be increased tenfold."

The elders and His Highness exchanged glances, and none of them objected.

Ten times the salary sounds exaggerated, but compared to the profits this kid hands over, it's just a drop in the ocean.

Lin Yanluo even secretly gave Mu Tianmiao a thumbs up and silently mouthed a sentence.

"The small fry have struck it rich!"

Li Xizhao continued.

"In addition, the number of outer sect disciples to be recruited at the upcoming sect recruitment conference will be doubled."

"Double the contribution points for the Refining Pavilion's industrial operations in sect missions to encourage outer disciples to participate."

"The production line cannot stop. Orders are scheduled until next month. If we don't have enough people, we'll hire more. If we don't have enough contribution points, we'll add more. In short, production capacity must keep up."

The meeting ended in a relaxed atmosphere.

Li Xizhao then made a grand promise, saying that once the sect's revenue reached a new level, everyone's salary would increase accordingly.

The elders rose with smiles on their faces to take their leave, casting kind glances at Mu Tianmiao as they passed by.

In their eyes, this kid used to be the sect leader's precious disciple and the sect's number one playboy.

Now, in their eyes, it's a walking spirit stone mine.

The Immortal Shadow Sect has never been the kind of sect that suffers from arduous cultivation.

Sect Leader Li Xizhao herself is a hedonist. Her cultivation path emphasizes spontaneity and freedom. She fights when she wants to fight and enjoys herself when she wants to enjoy herself, and she will never let her disciples suffer without hardship.

More spirit stones mean more salary; more salary means more enjoyment; and after enjoying oneself, one can cultivate without any worries. This is the style of the Immortal Shadow Sect.

The elders walked out of the main hall in twos and threes. Lin Yanluo was still chattering with Tang Ruoyin about the explosive sales of the vibration-damaged item. Their voices drifted over intermittently.

"...You didn't see it, the line of independent cultivators in that market stretched for miles. Some people almost got into a fight over the last one. I've already figured out what kind of upgraded version I'll make for the next batch..."

The main hall gradually emptied out.

Qin Shuxin stood still.

She still had that slightly furrowed brow expression, and her ten-meter-long white hair cascaded from her shoulders to the ground, meandering across the bluestone bricks of the main hall.

Her gaze followed Mu Tianmiao the whole time. Only after everyone had left did she slowly walk up to him, her long white hair trailing behind her.

She stretched out her hand, her fair palm open, her empty, lifeless eyes looking at him, her voice still that of a girl devoid of emotion.

"Where are my storybooks?"

Li tide had already gotten up to leave, but stopped when she heard Qin Shuxin's words. She turned around to look at Mu Tianmiao, then at Qin Shuxin's outstretched palm, and raised her eyebrows slightly.

"What kind of storybook?"

Mu Tianmiao then remembered that there was such a thing...

But then he was so caught up in the production of the vibration-damaged model and Tang Ruoyin's reward that he completely forgot about it...

He had no choice but to briefly explain the whole story to his master... Tang Ruoyin showed Qin Shuxin some vulgar romance novels, but he intercepted her halfway and promised to find her two normal ones instead.

After listening, Li Xizhao rolled her eyes, her tone tinged with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"Tang Ruoyin showed Qin Shuxin that kind of thing? You two, really..."

She paused, probably feeling it wasn't appropriate to complain in front of Qin Shuxin, and then waved her hand.

"You made a promise, so you'll have to handle it yourself. Come to my bedroom at noon."

After saying that, she turned and left. The hem of her flowing, wide-sleeved fairy dress flashed at the palace entrance and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Mu Tianmiao didn't have time to think about whether he would have a chance to get close to his master at noon. The most important thing right now was how to deal with the white-haired elder in front of him.

He had truly forgotten about the storybook.

But it's not a big problem. He has a lot of classic texts from his previous life in his mind. He can just find one and use his magic to carve it into a jade slip...

Qin Shuxin's brows furrowed more and more, her empty and lifeless eyes staring straight at Mu Tianmiao.

Although there was no anger in his eyes, that silent gaze was more unsettling than any outburst of rage.

Her outstretched palm was still raised in mid-air.

It's as if they're saying: You're not leaving until you hand over the storybook today.

"It'll only take ten minutes!"

Mu Tianmiao quickly raised a finger, her tone as sincere as could be.

He pulled out a blank book that had been tucked into his storage ring at some point, not caring what it was originally meant for.

Holding the book in one hand and channeling his spiritual power in the other, he began rapidly carving words onto the pages.

His magic gathered at his fingertips, and as the memories swirled in his mind, neat lines of text appeared on the paper…

Amidst the desert winds and sandstorms, and the misty rain of Jiangnan, Guo Jing, carrying an iron bow, sets foot on the land of Jiaxing, while Huang Rong, dressed in women's clothing, stands at the bow of the boat, smiling sweetly.

He always remembered the plot of The Legend of the Condor Heroes clearly, and at this moment, in order to deal with Qin Shuxin, he carved words faster than he usually copied martial arts techniques.

Ten minutes later, a book exuding a fresh magical aura was handed to Qin Shuxin.

The cover prominently displays five large characters: The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Qin Shuxin looked down at the cover and then flipped through the first two pages.

Her gaze lingered on the words "the mighty Qiantang River" for a moment, and her tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.

She looked up, still expressionless, but her tone seemed to hold a tiny bit more expectation.

"I'll come find you after I finish reading it."

After she finished speaking, she turned and left, carrying the book. Her ten-meter-long white hair trailed behind her like a flowing silver-white stream.

Mu Tianmiao let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

We finally got through this hurdle.

He quickly started thinking about what to carve for her next book.

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils? The Return of the Condor Heroes? Or how about a change of pace and a Dream of Red Mansions for her?

Never mind, I'll stop thinking about it for now.

There's something more important right now... His master told him to go to his sleeping quarters at noon!

Chapter Twenty-Five: What is the Immortal Shadow Sect?

When Mu Tianmiao arrived at the back garden of the palace, Li Xizhao was already lying in a rocking chair.

The afternoon sun filtered through the branches of the ancient pine tree, casting dappled light on her.

A flowing, wide-sleeved fairy dress spread out on both sides of the rocking chair, and as the chair gently swayed, the hem of the dress rippled like flowing water.

She closed her eyes, one hand resting on the armrest, the other hanging at her side, her fingertips lightly tapping the air in rhythm with the rocking chair, looking exceptionally relaxed.

Mu Tianmiao's gaze involuntarily fell on her master's long, slender legs that were exposed from under his skirt, and her Adam's apple bobbed.

But he knew the rules. He couldn't be presumptuous when he first arrived. He had to finish talking about the important matters first. Only if his master was in a good mood and didn't send him away could he try to touch it.

This is a valuable lesson learned from years of being beaten and scolded.

Li Xizhao opened one eye, glanced at him, and smiled slightly, clearly in a good mood.

"What book did you promise Qin Shuxin? She seems very interested in it; she even cornered you after the meeting ended."

"I've known her for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever seen her ask someone for something on her own initiative."

Mu Tianmiao walked to the small table next to the rocking chair, picked up the teapot and poured a cup of spiritual tea for her master, and then explained the whole story.

After listening, Li Xizhao's expression was a mix of laughter and tears. He took the teacup, took a sip, and shook his head.

She placed the teacup on the small table, gazed into the distance, and spoke with a somewhat distant tone.

"When I discovered Qin Shuxin back then, her condition was much more exaggerated than it is now."

"Back then, she was so awkward that she couldn't even make the most basic greetings. If someone asked her three questions, she could only manage to utter two words. Because of this personality, she kept running into obstacles everywhere."

"No sect is willing to take her in. It's truly unbelievable that someone with such a temper could cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage."

Mu Tianmiao poured another cup of tea for his master and listened quietly.

Li Xizhao continued.

"All I know is that she was once a disciple of the Myriad Realms Library. The Myriad Realms Library is a place that houses the most cultivation manuals and ancient scrolls in the entire Eight Desolations World. Anyone who can enter there is an exceptionally talented individual."

"As for how she ended up homeless and why she was removed from the library, she never said anything about it, and I don't know either."

She picked up her teacup and took another sip, her tone tinged with relief.

"Later I brought her back to the Immortal Shadow Sect and put her in charge of the Array Pavilion."

"Under her guidance, the strength of the sect's protective array increased several times in just a few years, and the smaller arrays in various places were also improved by her, from spirit gathering arrays to teleportation arrays, from defensive arrays to offensive arrays."

“She has re-optimized every single array pattern.”

"She is a true genius of formations, the kind that only comes along once in ten thousand years."

"One array master is worth an army; this deal is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it."

Mu Tianmiao smiled.

"Then Master really got a great deal."

Li Xizhao leaned back in the rocking chair, his fingers gently stroking the edge of the teacup, his gaze passing over the branches and leaves of the ancient pine tree, looking towards the layered peaks of the Immortal Shadow Sect in the distance.

"These elders of the Immortal Shadow Sect, apart from Lin Yanluo who joined halfway through, are all people who worked with me to build this sect back then."

Her voice carried a rare touch of emotion.

"Each of them is a prodigy in their respective field."

She paused for a moment, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and continued.

"But we've never gathered together to make our sect stronger or bigger, much less to compete for the title of the best in the world."

"I just want a place where I can do what I like."

Mu Tianmiao listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously slowing down the rhythm of the rocking chair's movement.

"Lin Yanluo is the most typical example."

Li Xizhao put down his teacup, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Before she came to the Immortal Shadow Sect, she was a disciple of Ten Thousand Mountains."

"You know Wanren Qianshan, right? It's the largest righteous weapon-forging sect in Zhongzhou. They have very strict rules. The weapons they forge must be swords, and even the patterns on the hilts cannot be out of line."

"The rules of the sect are written in three thick volumes, and every single one of them is a taboo."

"Then Lin Yanluo went there. Her talent in weapon crafting ranks among the top three in the history of Wanren Qianshan, but none of the things she crafted made them any easy."

"She forged a two-meter-long giant hammer. Instead of the orthodox attack array patterns engraved on the hammer, it was a sinister array that she invented herself, capable of crushing the souls of her enemies."

"When that hammer was swung, every living thing within a hundred feet radius suffered a splitting headache."

"The elders of the Ten Thousand Mountains turned green with anger, saying that this was not a righteous magic weapon, but a demonic weapon."

Mu Tianmiao couldn't help but chuckle.

Sure enough, that's Lin Yanluo's style; she's been lawless from the very beginning.

"She still hasn't changed. When asked to forge a sword, she forged one that moves on its own. Once unsheathed, it chases after its master. The sword spirit is also a chatterbox, arguing with the sword wielder all day long."

"They asked her to forge a defensive magical artifact, and she forged a set of armor. The most outrageous thing was that once during a sect competition, she forged a magical artifact for a junior brother, and the artifact blew all of his opponent's clothes off on the arena...!"

"She did it on purpose because her rival called her a shorty the day before."

"She was eventually removed from the list."

Li Xizhao shrugged, his tone as indifferent as if he were saying the weather was nice today.

"The elders of the Wanren Mountain said she was heretical and beyond redemption, and expelled her from the sect."

"It just so happened that I heard about a genius weapon refiner who had been expelled from the righteous path, so I went to find her."

As she spoke, a hint of nostalgia flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her lips curved slightly.

"The first time I met her, she was squatting by the roadside drawing weapon-forging blueprints on the ground with a twig, muttering incantations."