Chapter 542: Genius Builder

Chapter 542: Chapter 542: Genius Builder

In the next two days, both Li Mo and his disciple Li Ziyan were nowhere to be found, until the third day when Chen Xuan felt the other’s call.

He followed the aura to the Holy Hall, appearing directly behind the two.

"Just say what’s on your mind."

As per usual, the two were startled and quickly turned around to salute him, "Lord Xuan, the sect’s construction has shown promising progress, I’d like to ask for your assessment to see if continuing in this manner is feasible."

Promising progress in just two days? Chen Xuan thought, seems like the progress is quite smooth.

Although an initial agreement was reached with Wei, the previously sent bounty of Demon-Hunting Letters could not be recalled, inevitably attracting more bounty hunters to Pei State. Temporarily hiding the villagers of Baihe Village is undoubtedly a safe move.

Thus he readily agreed, "Then let’s go take a look at the Grotto Heaven."

Chen Xuan’s routine of entering a dream is no different from others; it requires falling asleep, which is a limitation of using a split body for dreaming—the dream can persist but cannot be modified in real-time. To reclaim control over the dream, he must create a new split body and dream anew based on existing memories, then transfer the Dream-Enterers over.

As for why, Chen Xuan analyzed and believed this might be a self-protection mechanism of the "Dream Maker."

Real-time changes to the dream with Dream-Enterers present is somewhat akin to hot-swapping a graphics card, likely causing the whole environment to collapse. Normally, if it collapses, it’s no big deal; once the owner wakes, the dream ceases to exist. But now, the dream runs passively through the split body, and if shattered, it won’t vanish. Should the dreamer not be expelled properly, they might find themselves trapped in fragments of illusions unable to awaken.

All in all, this limitation is a slight nuisance for Chen Xuan because each activation consumes more Spiritual Qi, though other effects are manageable.

Upon entering the Grotto Heaven, Chen Xuan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He actually saw a true "Immortal Sect."

The clusters of red-bricked and green-tiled buildings were suspended in the air, at least five to six hundred meters high, surrounded by clouds and fog, appearing ethereal beneath one’s gaze. At the base was a perilously shaped hill, featuring towering ancient woodland and numerous isolated peaks and cliffs, starkly contrasting the stable sect buildings.

Even more remarkable, several peaks were equipped with Celestial Lakes, their waters cascading along ridges and cliffs, forming three to four waterfalls below. To prevent flooding, the designer strategically "excavated" a sizable lake directly beneath the mountain, connecting it via multiple channels to the distant Sha River, thus eliminating the overflowing hazard.

Sunlight poured in from the east, transforming the lake into a glittering golden disc, and reflected the floating rocks and perilous peaks above, truly worthy of being called scenic.

Yet not a perfect scene, and not due to design flaws, but rather the surroundings were too modest—composed of grasslands and small woods, making them somewhat incompatible with the artificial lake, floating peaks, and temples amidst the clouds.

"What do you think?" Li Mo asked, unable to suppress his anticipation.

"Better than I expected, even a masterpiece," Chen Xuan praised without reservation, "Whose idea was it to build like this?"

Building skyward is not strange; he didn’t strictly adhere to real-world physical laws when conceiving the construction system. Otherwise, house building alone would have him pondering the sample templates for months. How do beams connect to pillars? How is wall weight calculated? What if the foundation collapses during modifications?

After all, a quality real-world house isn’t simple "walls and a roof." Having simplified construction, the difficulty naturally had to be simplified too.

In other worlds, this scene might seem especially eerie, but here in the Lotus Cloud Sect’s world, Spiritual Qi explains everything. If people can accept an Immortal Sect standing on Kunlun Peak, they can naturally accept the taboo of a floating hill.

"It was my idea," Li Mo said cheerfully, "Though my disciple was the one who made it grand and magnificent."

"Your disciple?" Chen Xuan looked at Li Ziyan in surprise, knowing Li Mo had pulled the latter into the Dream Grotto Heaven on the first day, yet didn’t expect a young woman around twenty to possess such outstanding aesthetic... or rather, taste.

He initially thought they’d construct the sect in a more square formation.

"Yes, her insight in this matter surpasses even mine," Li Mo hinted.

This indicates Li Ziyan isn’t of ordinary origin... Chen Xuan recognized the undercurrent in Li Mo’s words, but since neither chose to clarify it openly, he didn’t plan to probe further.

After all, besides local Baihe Village inhabitants, gathered Loose Cultivators here have more or less extraordinary experiences. Regardless of their identities or pasts, once they undergo review and receive the boon, they are deemed worthy sheltered taboo followers.

Li Ziyan wasn’t eager to bring it up either, interjecting, "Lord Xuan, we’ve constructed six major courtyards so far, with the East and West facilities providing five hundred rooms for residency, enough to accommodate all Baihe Village residents."

Chen Xuan asked, "How will they enter and exit the sect?"

"Vertical elevators are installed around the cliff, carrying up to ten people at once, but five units suffice temporarily," she replied fluently, "As for descending, they can use a Featherweight Talisman or Cloud-Stepping Technique, serving as a practice opportunity. If unfortunately someone crashes to death, I’ve marked a plot by Mirror Lake for a cemetery."

You’ve really thought it through quite comprehensively.

No, is accidental death so nonchalant for Loose Cultivators during spell cultivation? Chen Xuan coughed twice, "Rest assured, I’ve set up a protection array. Should someone be critically injured in the Grotto Heaven, they won’t actually die but be ejected from the Grotto Heaven, merely prevented from re-entering temporarily."

Li Ziyan paused momentarily, then a gleam flashed in her eyes, "Won’t die? Then doesn’t that mean... one can temper their cultivation with the most extreme methods?"

"Indeed," Chen Xuan saw her eager expression, reminding, "However, excessive recklessness concerning danger would be detrimental to future cultivation."

The young woman acknowledged with a fist salute, "Thank you, Lord Xuan, for the reminder. I understand."

"It’s good you understand." Chen Xuan clasped his hands behind his back, once again gazing at the floating architectural group, "You spent the last two days entirely focused on this, didn’t you?"

"Yes," Li Ziyan nodded, "But it wasn’t hard at all. The pond has fish—they’re delicious grilled—"

She abruptly covered her mouth mid-sentence.

"Uh..." Li Mo saw and admitted reluctantly, "It was my idea. We didn’t know if the fish in the Celestial Pool were edible, and if not..."

"No problem," Chen Xuan interrupted indifferently, "I mentioned, everything in the Grotto Heaven is formed of flesh and blood, so evidently it’s sustenance."

He hadn’t offered a complete mountain or a giant lake in the construction samples; the mountain here was pieced together using countless unique stone shapes, the round Mirror Lake likewise. This task was surely time-consuming and labor-intensive. Achieving its current form undoubtedly reflects the result of their uninterrupted effort.

Fortunately, the "Dream Maker" itself is sufficiently magical; no matter how busy Dream-Enterers are inside the dream, their bodies equate to sleeping, vastly compensating for enduring work fatigue.

"You might have noticed, it’s always daytime here, but that’s merely the protective array’s intentional effect—intended to facilitate building," Chen Xuan continued, "I initially thought this Sunlight Spell would last for weeks, but it’s unnecessary now. From tonight, the sun will rise and set normally. Do you know why?"

Li Mo and Li Ziyan exchanged glances, "Are you planning to move Baihe Village inhabitants here tonight?"

"There’s no rush to move them," Chen Xuan shook his head, approvingly glancing at the duo, "But I wish to present everyone’s effort results ahead of time."