Setting Out for South Xinjiang
Wood Driving Wind Shuttle, a top-tier 3rd-level flying item. Made with 3rd-level spiritual wood with countless low-level materials as its frame, it's entirely green with numerous wind attribute formations carved all over its surface. When flying with the wind, it moved like a wisp of green smoke gliding through the sky, extremely quiet on the inside and completely silent on the outside.
The members of Chu Qin Sect were ushered into a guest room inside the shuttle. All the disciples sat cross-legged in a large circle, all looking towards Qi Xiu, waiting for him to speak.
Qi Xiu let out a faint sigh.
As they had been escorted into this huge flying item, Chu Youyan had stood far away from them, pretending not to know them. This hurt Qi Xiu deeply, causing his usually furrowed brows to knit even tighter.
With only one storage pouch and no servants accompanying them, they had to carry a lot of things themselves all the way to South Xinjiang.
This made them look pretty much like muddy-footed villagers heading to a market instead of the noble and serene cultivators they were supposed to be.
The many disdainful and mocking looks they had endured from other cultivators boarding to South Xinjiang were so evident that even Qin Weiyu, a typically clueless child his age, had felt the humiliation and shame. His face had turned red as he'd clutched his small bundle tightly, walking behind his fellow sect members with his head down.
The flying shuttle wasn't leaving immediately, as it was still waiting for more people. All aboard were cultivators migrating to South Xinjiang.
Taking advantage of this time, they came out one after another of their rooms and started mingling with each other, trying to build connections and establish some networks of relationships in their new region.
Some even organized small exchange gatherings. The entire shuttle buzzed with activity; it was like a miniature cultivator city bustling with life.
Feeling deeply belittled, not one person from the Chu Qin sect wanted to step outside. They all sat together in a circle, tacitly agreeing not to mention the idea of going out to see.
Qi Xiu, having just become the sect leader, didn't realize the potential of the rich networking opportunities outside and chose to stay cooped up in the room as well.
Facing everyone's gaze, Qi Xiu knew he needed to say something to boost their spirits. "The sect's decline to this point is not the fault of anyone here," he solemnly said after a long thought. "You shouldn't feel ashamed. From now on, as long as we unite and work hard together, we won't be looked down upon anymore. One day, we'll make them look up to us!"
The disciples responded in unison, but perhaps because his last words were a bit too much for them to believe, their voices were rather soft and weak.
Qi Xiu's gaze swept the faces of the disciples, one by one.
Zhang Shishi, 22 years old, had a single Fate Source and a single Soul Root, but much like Qi Xiu, he was considered a waste, stuck at the fifth stage of Qi Condensation. This time, he brought along with him on his back his reference object, a remarkably heavy med-tier 1st-grade item, the "Green Spirit Stone Cushion."
Both his Fate Source, a karma monument from an unknown world, and this item possessed an affinity for the earth attribute and the karma attribute.
As a once-promising inner disciple within the Chu Qin Sect, this item had been granted to him by the sect. Only by cultivating while seated on it had he managed to surpass the third stage of Qi Condensation, the first major hurdle in cultivation, making his fortune slightly better than Qi Xiu's.
Zhang Shishi and Qi Xiu had shared a common experience of being mistreated by their fellow sect members, so they got along well after spending some time together.
And as the current strongest and oldest disciple in the sect, Zhang Shishi was seen as a future cornerstone of the sect's strength.
Zhan Yuan, 21 years old, with three Soul Roots, was the oldest outer disciple. He was similarly introverted and honest. Alongside Qi Xiu, he had carried a large wooden box filled with cultivation materials. Though facing the most cold and sarcastic comments, Zhan Yuan had remained unfazed, calmly doing what needed to be done, showing more composure than even Qi Xiu, the sect leader.
Before, Qi Xiu had him deliver a message to the Qin family in Chu Qin Town, and he did it smoothly and diligently. He was a young man who was willing to work hard without complaining. Very good talent for general affairs.
He Yu, 15 years old, possessed a dual-Fate Source, and dual-Soul Root constitution of water and earth attributes. This child was a pleasant surprise for Qi Xiu. He had the talent to join the inner sect of Chu Qin.
However, when he had been little and had just entered the sect, he couldn't bear the bullying and ended up getting into a scuffle with a Qin family kid. So Elder Qin, being petty, had sent him packing to the outer sect as retaliation.
However, he did not give up. Not only did he cultivate to the third stage of Qi Condensation in the outer sect, overcoming the first major hurdle in cultivation, but he also managed to save up the meager income he earned through years of hard work in the outer sect and buy a low-tier 1st grade magical item, the Spirit Water Jade Pendant, which aligned well with his dual-Fate Source of water and earth attributes.
He was independent, strong-willed, and cultivated hard. He was currently the most promising cultivator in the Chu Qin Sect to reach the Foundation Establishment level.
He's also quite good-looking. Though he hadn't fully grown up yet, his red lips, white teeth, sword-like eyebrows, and starry eyes already made him stand out. Give him a few more years, and he'd be just as handsome as Qin Si Yuan, without Qin Si Yuan's feminine vibe.
At this moment, He Yu was already holding a jade pendant in his hands, his reference object, cultivating with his eyes closed.
Seeing how he valued his time so much, Qi Xiu nodded, satisfied, before looking to another disciple.
Gu Ji, 14 years old, with three Soul Roots, was the only different one out of the group of introverted disciples. He was very lively, his upper body swaying from side to side and his eyes darting around; he really couldn't sit still.
Qin Weiyu, 12 years old, had three Soul Roots; he was currently the youngest disciple in the Chu Qin Sect and the only member of the Qin family. He sat there, looking a bit dazed.
In front of him was a small flower pot with a plant growing inside, about half a person's height. It was a low-tier, 1st-grade spiritual herb called Black-Stemmed Eupatorium, which often got mistaken for a small tree because of its stem.
Qin Weiyu, though an outer disciple, had received somewhat better treatment due to the sect's care for the Qin family's descendants.
This spiritual herb's characteristics of water and wood attributes align well with the water and wood attributes of his three Soul Roots, making it a good reference object for his Fate Source.
Qi Xiu had arranged for an older disciple to help Qin Weiyu carry the spiritual herb in this journey to South Xinjiang to continue using it.
These past few days, Qi Xiu had observed that Qin Weiyu really was a bit slow-witted. Simple instructions he'd given often slipped his mind; he couldn't learn them, and he only moved when pushed; otherwise, he just daydreams there.
Ask him something, and it'd take him a while to spit out a sentence; it's really quite unpleasant.
But in the current Chu Qin Sect, Qin Weiyu's position was quite delicate. After all, the future mortal residents of the territory would still mainly be the Qin family members who would follow them and migrate there.
If he stays this dull when he grows up, I definitely won't pass on the sect leader position to him. It's not about his character; I have to be responsible for the sect's future, Qi Xiu thought to himself.
Then there were these four outer disciples with four Soul Roots each. Their progress in cultivation was just too slow, and hardly any of them showed promise. Their names were Huang He, Yu Jing, Shen Chang, and Pan Rong. They used to be marginal disciples of the Chu Qin sect, and they're all around seventeen or eighteen years old.
They were all honest people and had no real plans for the future, but they had remained loyal to Chu Qin Sect during tough times. Their character had been tested, and they were the foundation for the sect's future.
Since no female cultivators had been willing to come to South Xinjiang, Chu Qin Sect was just these ten guys. Apart from Qin Weiyu, everyone, including Qi Xiu, was pretty much alone with no ties to the mortal world. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have followed him here.
This way, for now at least, there wouldn't be any internal strife among the disciples like it was with the Qin family main and side branches. So long as the sect leader was fair and there weren't any selfish troublemakers, unity should be within reach.
The giant shuttle stayed put for two days, and once it was ready, it slowly started moving. When it ascended to a high altitude, its formations kicked in, and its speed instantly soared, turning into a streak of green smoke heading south.