Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

The warm water washed away the filth and fatigue, as if cleansing away all the weakness and gloom of the past. Lin Yan changed into a comfortable robe made of some unknown material that he found in the closet in the small courtyard. He felt refreshed and relaxed, and even his mind became unusually clear and sharp.

He strolled into the study, sat down at a rosewood desk, and began to seriously consider his next steps.

With a slight thought, he sensed the difference in the flow of time between this space and the outside world. From refining the compass and receiving the inheritance to successfully drawing qi into his body, more than ten hours had passed within this space. However, judging from the subtle connection with the outside world, only about ten minutes had probably passed in the courtyard world.

"The time ratio seems to have changed..." Lin Yan sensed it carefully and then understood. As he officially stepped into the first level of Qi Refining, the time flow ratio of space increased from the initial 1:30 to an astonishing 1:60! More importantly, as the owner of the Qiankun Stabilizing World Plate, he himself did not participate in the loss of lifespan caused by this time difference, nor did the puppets driven by top-grade spirit stones.

"A day in the mountains is like two months in the world... The methods of cultivators are truly unfathomable." Lin Yan sighed deeply once again, realizing that this was not just his ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke, but rather his ancestral graves spewing forth auspicious clouds of seven colors!

He suppressed his emotions and decided to make full use of this precious time difference. For the next twenty-four hours (space time), he immersed himself in the vast sea of ​​books in his study. He roughly browsed and categorized the jade slips and books left by his ancestor: the top-level cultivation techniques for refining the soul and body were placed on one side; the inheritances of alchemy, weapon crafting, talisman making, and array setting were grouped together; and the books that recorded common knowledge of the cultivation world, strange tales and travelogues, spiritual herb manuals, medical classics, and even miscellaneous knowledge such as brewing and cooking were placed in another pile.

After completing the initial sorting, he summoned Xiao Qi and carefully inquired about the specific functions of these books and the order of cultivation. Gradually, a clear plan formed in his mind.

Stepping out of the courtyard, he moved his mind, his divine sense covering the entire space. In an instant, all the sleeping puppets—a full five thousand—simultaneously lit up with a gentle light in their eyes, turning towards him in unison, silently expressing their submission and awaiting his command. At the same time, he clearly sensed that, with the improvement of his cultivation, the area of ​​this cave world had expanded to a full ten thousand acres!

"Master," Xiao Qi explained in a childish voice, "you are the ruler of the Qiankun Realm. Here, your divine sense is everything. As long as your divine sense is strong enough, you can do anything. For example... well, it's not a big deal to take that Earth outside and use it as a satellite of the Qiankun Realm. After all, our Qiankun Realm is essentially a complete Great Thousand World."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan's lips twitched slightly, and he said with a wry smile, "Bring Earth in? Little Seven, tell me first, what level of cultivation is needed to completely unseal the Qiankun Realm to the point where it can contain stars?"

Xiao Qi tilted her head and did some calculations: "Complete unsealing? That's a long way off, Master. That might be another story. As for the current 10,000 acres, compared to the original area of ​​the Qiankun Realm, it's not even a drop in the ocean. However, increasing the time ratio to 365 times isn't difficult. It should be achievable before the Foundation Establishment stage."

Although the road ahead was long, Lin Yan quickly rallied. Standing before the courtyard gate, like a commander surveying his domain, he began issuing orders:

"Xiao Qi, order all the puppets to use earth-based magic to thoroughly plow and till this entire 10,000 mu of land!"

Centered on the spiritual spring, five major areas are planned according to the five directions: east, south, west, north, and center: fishponds, orchards, farmland, pastures, and medicinal herb gardens!

"Three tributaries were drawn from the spiritual spring, and irrigation canals were dug. One formed a fishpond, one encircled the herb garden, and the third was used to irrigate my own vegetable garden!"

"Prioritize the development of the Spirit Herb Garden and carefully plant the spirit herb seeds left behind by our ancestor."

"Around the courtyard, five hundred acres of the best land were designated, irrigated with spiritual spring water, and used to grow and raise spiritual rice, spiritual vegetables, spiritual fruits, and poultry for my daily consumption."

"For the remaining 9,500 mu, I will introduce ordinary springs from underground to expand them into rivers, irrigate them with ordinary spring water, and use them for large-scale planting of ordinary crops and aquaculture. In the future, they may be traded or used for other purposes."

He knew that the effects of the spiritual spring were too extraordinary and should never be allowed to enter the mortal world. Fortunately, although the spiritual spring would not expand, its spiritual energy would continue to increase as the world's spiritual veins were unsealed. This 500-acre "special supply area" exclusively for him was enough to guarantee his future cultivation resources.

Just then, Lin Yan was surprised to find that the auras of the five thousand puppets in the arena had all risen, instantly leaping over a major realm and reaching the Foundation Establishment stage!

Xiao Qi promptly explained, "As your cultivation level increases, your puppets will automatically advance once, but only once. You'll need to unlock the second level of the Starshine Tower to obtain stronger puppets, which will always be a whole realm higher than you."

Just as Lin Yan was enjoying watching the puppet army, which had instantly transformed into a "Foundation Building Army," begin its vigorous construction, Xiao Qi suddenly flew over excitedly, grabbing a storage bag.

"Master! Master! Great news!" Xiao Qi's voice was even more childlike with excitement, "Our ancestor left you a real treasure! I just discovered it while checking the contents of my storage ring!"

As it spoke, it carefully took out a fist-sized seed from its storage bag. The seed's surface was covered with natural Dao patterns, and it emitted a hazy blue glow and Daoist charm.

"What is this?" Lin Yan could sense the extraordinary nature of this seed, but he couldn't recognize its origin.

"These are seeds from the Enlightenment Tea Tree!" Xiao Qi exclaimed excitedly, spinning around in the air. "One of the Ten Ancient Immortal Roots! A priceless treasure!"

"The Enlightenment Tea Tree? What are its wondrous uses?"

"Its uses are truly amazing!" Xiao Qi exclaimed knowledgeably. "It takes a thousand years for the tree to mature, a thousand years to sprout new leaves, and another thousand years before the first batch of tea leaves can be harvested. The main benefit of brewing and drinking its tea is that it helps people achieve enlightenment! Whether it's cultivating techniques, comprehending spells, or breaking through bottlenecks, a cup of Enlightenment Tea will make all the difference! Moreover, long-term consumption can permanently enhance one's comprehension!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan was initially overjoyed, but then his face fell: "Three thousand years to drink tea? That's way too long!"

Xiao Qi rolled her eyes: "My master, for cultivators who often go into seclusion for hundreds of years, three thousand years is just a blink of an eye. Besides, you have time acceleration! When your cultivation level is higher, the time ratio will be even faster, maybe it won't take that long. And—"

Xiao Qi pointed at the seed with its paw: "Don't just think about drinking tea. Even if it's just a seed, as long as you plant it by the spiritual spring, the Daoist aura it naturally emits during its growth can help you better understand the cultivation method and calm your mind. Think about it, you have so many things to cultivate, and you have eight spiritual roots, so cultivation is inherently more difficult than for ordinary people. You need to be in the best environment for enlightenment at all times!"

Lin Yan immediately understood the true value of this Enlightenment Tea Tree seed—it is a sustainable and powerful cultivation enhancement buff!

He took the seed, walked to the edge of the spiritual spring, chose a piece of land closest to the spring and richest in spiritual energy, and carefully buried this immortal seed that would determine his future path.

Looking at the newly turned soil, Lin Yan could almost see the future scene of towering branches and leaves, filled with the aura of Dao. With the companionship of this Enlightenment Tea Tree, his path of cultivation would surely be smoother. And his new life in this courtyard world had truly begun with the bustling construction within the space.