Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

It seemed that the secret realms where people could freely enter and exit without any oversight were most likely those without owners, or rather, those where the secret realm keys had not yet been claimed!

Yes, Lin Xiao had made up his mind. Upon entering any secret realm, he wouldn't waste time; instead, he would focus solely on finding the secret realm key!

Resources could be found often, but secret realm keys were rare.

Now that he had found the Icefield Secret Realm Key, the problem of rescuing those trapped became much simpler.

The only thing Lin Xiao needed to consider was how to discreetly create an exit for everyone without exposing himself, while also ensuring that everyone knew about the exit.

Since he still planned to visit other secret realms that were opening soon in hopes of finding more secret realm keys, Lin Xiao decided not to linger in the Icefield Secret Realm for too long. He hurriedly made his way back, aiming to release those trapped in the gray areas as quickly as possible, and then move on to the next secret realm.

When he returned to the vicinity of the entrance he had used earlier, following the Soul-Chasing Sparrow into the ice cave, he noticed that the owner of the nearby tent had also returned.

Fortunately, the person appeared to be meditating and wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Since Lin Xiao was using his concealment technique, he wasn't discovered.

Not wanting to be noticed, Lin Xiao carefully approached the entrance and then quietly slipped inside.

Having done this once before, he was much more adept this time. As soon as he entered the ice cave, he used his Cloud Stepping Technique to stabilize his position, avoiding the fall he experienced the first time.

From his vantage point high above, Lin Xiao could vaguely see small black dots moving below, indicating the trapped cultivators searching for a way out.

Pretending to be a fellow cultivator searching for an exit, Lin Xiao leisurely strolled across the sky using his Cloud Stepping Technique while secretly observing the general distribution of people below.

On his way back, he had considered several methods to ensure that everyone could be rescued without exposing himself. However, most of his ideas were too complicated and ultimately discarded.

After much thought, he decided to go with the simplest and most direct approach.

He would knock everyone out, create the exit, and then toss them all out.

This way, he wouldn't need to pretend or engage in elaborate schemes.

So, the first thing he needed to do was knock out all the cultivators.

It wasn't that he didn't want to create an exit and then hide until everyone left. The problem was that using the secret realm key to open an exit, while not extremely loud, would still draw the attention of the tense cultivators, all of whom were on high alert for any sign of a potential exit.

Moreover, after everyone left, he would need to retrieve the key. To prevent any unforeseen complications, knocking everyone out was the most convenient option.

As Lin Xiao pondered his plan, he landed in the center of the ice cave.

He quickly moved to an unnoticed corner and took out a sedative he had previously purchased from the system's shop.

According to the system's precise recommendations, this particular sedative, called "Foundation Down," was specifically designed to knock out cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level and below. It was smoke-based, capable of incapacitating a group at once, and required only one breath to take effect. Whether someone inhaled more or less didn't make much difference.

The best part was that the smoke was colorless and odorless, making it the perfect choice!

Fortunately, this kind of sedative was only available from the system's shop. Otherwise, Lin Xiao thought it would be too dangerous.

However, the sedative didn't produce much smoke. According to the dosage, one dose could only knock out around ten people.

And it wasn't cheap. Just one small dose cost him 200 spirit stones! Considering there were likely dozens of people in the ice cave, one dose wasn't enough. Gritting his teeth, Lin Xiao bought five doses, spending a total of 1,000 spirit stones!

Holding his 50,000 spirit stones in his storage, now 1,000 fewer, Lin Xiao felt a pang of heartache.

He decided that he would definitely charge the cultivators a fee for the rescue.

Still, it was much cheaper than using the teleportation array to send them out four at a time.

He started a fire and placed the "Foundation Down" sedative, wrapped in spiritual energy, into the fire. This way, it would only start burning when everyone had gathered.

After setting everything up, Lin Xiao quickly hid himself in a corner. Then, in a strange, high-pitched voice, he called out, amplifying his voice with spiritual energy to ensure everyone in the ice cave could hear.

"Ah—It looks like there's something here! Everyone, come quickly!"

Instantly, everyone in the ice cave heard the shout.

Although some were suspicious, most were filled with hope. After being trapped for so many days, they were desperate, and this potential breakthrough was a cause for excitement.

Without much thought, they rushed toward the source of the voice as quickly as they could.

Lin Xiao mingled with the crowd, pretending to be another cultivator who had come running in response to the shout.

Soon, all the cultivators in the ice cave had gathered.

Among them, Lin Xiao spotted three familiar faces: Hu Guanyu, Jiang Cheng, and Yuan Zhiyun.

The gathered cultivators found nothing there—no sign of the person who had called out, just a fire burning in the center. Puzzled and tense, they began searching the area.

After all, this might be their only hope of escaping.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao discreetly scanned the area with his spiritual sense, confirming that no more people were approaching. He quickly took an antidote and then removed the spiritual energy surrounding the "Foundation Down" in the fire.

The medicinal herbs immediately began to burn.

Since the fire had already been burning when they arrived, everyone assumed it had been lit by some fellow cultivator and paid it no attention.

Soon enough, the gathered cultivators began to collapse, one after another.

Lin Xiao was about to join them in pretending to faint when he noticed one figure still standing tall amidst the fallen.

"Everyone, be careful! There's poison here!" Yuan Zhiyun, seeing her fellow cultivators suddenly collapse, immediately realized there was poison in the air. She quickly covered her nose and mouth, trying to retreat.

Fortunately, her father had given her a top-grade protective talisman against poison, which had kept her safe.

However, she hadn't anticipated that her retreat would take her directly toward Lin Xiao's hiding spot.

Without thinking, Lin Xiao raised his hand and delivered a heavy blow to the back of her neck.

Yuan Zhiyun rolled her eyes and collapsed to the ground, joining the others who had been drugged unconscious.

Watching her fall, Lin Xiao withdrew the spiritual energy from his hand and let out a long breath of relief.