A mortal cultivating immortality can nurture spirit beasts.

Chapter 141 The Predicament of the Myriad Sounds Sect

"My help?"

Lin He's heart skipped a beat, and he already had a guess, but he looked blank on the surface.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan quickly explained, "In this great battle, although all four elders of the Six Halls perished, my husband and I were also seriously injured. This matter cannot be kept secret for long and will soon spread, at which point our Miaoyin Sect will be in trouble."

Lin He then feigned sudden realization and nodded, saying, "I see. It seems the Miaoyin Sect has made quite a few rivals."

Upon hearing this, Sect Master Wang gave a bitter smile and said, "In business, how can there be no competitors? If our Miaoyin Sect takes a bite more, other merchants will take a bite less. As the saying goes, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. With such a big conflict of interest, those competitors would love for our Miaoyin Sect and the Six-Linked Palace to perish together."

Zhou Yuan immediately added, "If they know that my husband and I are both seriously injured, they will definitely test us in various ways. After confirming the information, they will probably take further action against our Miaoyin Sect."

Lin He shook his head and said, "This is Tianxing City, the territory of the Twin Saints of Tianxing. Even if your colleagues are very capable, they wouldn't dare to commit crimes in Tianxing City."

"Of course I wouldn't dare, but resorting to underhanded tricks behind someone's back is just as difficult to guard against."

Zhou Yuan suddenly thought of the previous robbery incident. If it happened a few more times, this business would be pointless.

Lin He then nodded and asked, "So, how can I help you?"

"My wife and I would like to invite Fellow Daoist Lin to serve as a guest elder of our Miaoyin Sect!"

Lin He did not answer directly upon hearing this, but remained silent. This attitude puzzled Sect Master Wang, who quickly explained, "My wife and I know that Fellow Daoist Lin comes from a prestigious sect and has no intention of joining our Miaoyin Sect. However, the position of Guest Elder does not require Fellow Daoist Lin to do anything. He only needs to lend a hand when our sect is in danger."

Lin He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you with this."

Sect Leader Wang and Zhou Yuan were very disappointed upon hearing this, but still asked, unwilling to give up, "Fellow Daoist Lin, why is that?"

Lin He inwardly scoffed, "Nonsense! I went through all that trouble and scheming just to become some lousy guest elder? And get a measly three hundred spirit stones a year?"

Lin He cleared his throat and explained, "Unfortunately, Tianyi Pavilion has its own rules that we disciples cannot participate in the disputes of other sects. If I join Miaoyin Sect, it would be the same as getting involved in Miaoyin Sect's disputes, which would violate the rules of Tianyi Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan frowned, seemingly pondering how to phrase her words of persuasion. Sect Leader Wang sighed deeply and said, "Is my Miaoyin Sect doomed this time? Is there really no way out?"

"Actually, there is a way, but I'm afraid the two of you are unwilling to agree."

Lin He suddenly spoke up and said something that both of them found extremely interesting, so they pressed him for details. Lin He didn't hide anything and said frankly, "In fact, many large forces have the practice of taking other sects as their outer sects. If you two are determined to become outer sects of my Tianyi Pavilion, you can receive the protection of Tianyi Pavilion and get through this calamity."

"Outer sect?" Sect Master Wang looked reluctant upon hearing this. The Miaoyin Sect has a long history, and he certainly didn't want it to join the Tianyi Pavilion. What if the Tianyi Pavilion used the Miaoyin Sect as cannon fodder? Wouldn't that be the end of them?

Zhou Yuan, however, wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Fellow Daoist Lin, what you're talking about are the benefits of becoming an outer disciple of Tianyi Pavilion, the protection of Tianyi Pavilion. So what do we, the Miaoyin Sect, have to do? There can't just be benefits without any tasks, can there?"

Lin He nodded and said, "That's natural. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Since Miaoyin Sect wants to seek the protection of Tianyi Pavilion, it must also pay the corresponding price. For example, Miaoyin Sect must use the greatest manpower and resources of the sect to complete the tasks assigned by Tianyi Pavilion. It cannot be delayed or perfunctory, otherwise it will lose the protection of Tianyi Pavilion."

"This—" Upon hearing this, Sect Master Wang was filled with resentment and couldn't help but ask, "If Tianyi Pavilion goes to war with other sects, will our Miaoyin Sect be sent to the front lines? You know, most of our Miaoyin Sect disciples practice seductive arts and aren't very strong in direct combat, so wouldn't that mean—"

Sect Leader Wang still hesitated, not directly uttering the words "suicide mission," but Lin He naturally understood and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Sect Leader Wang misunderstands. First, our Tianyi Pavilion operates with a low profile and does not rashly engage in battle. Sect Leader Wang has never heard of our name before, which is proof of that. Second, even if a conflict were to occur with someone, there would be no need to borrow your sect's power. As far as I know, your sect excels at intelligence gathering and trade, not at combat. Am I correct, Lin?"

"This—" Sect Master Wang looked embarrassed. Lin He was also mindful of his feelings and didn't directly say that the Miaoyin Sect's combat strength was trash and that he didn't expect the Miaoyin Sect to be of any help in this regard.

If someone else had said this, Sect Master Wang would definitely not have agreed, but Lin He's words were perfectly reasonable. After all, given Lin He's demonstrated combat strength, he could indeed take on the entire Miaoyin Sect single-handedly.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Zhou Yuan quickly interjected, "So, Tianyi Pavilion doesn't need us to fight, but rather to issue missions like gathering intelligence or finding materials, right? If that's the case, we could consider it, but—but can Fellow Daoist Lin make that decision?"

"Of course—no!" Lin He quickly shook his head and said, "I am just a minor protector in Tianyi Pavilion. There are several elders above me, and above the elders are the deputy pavilion master and the pavilion master. How could I possibly make the decision? I must report this matter to the sect and ask the elders to make a decision before I can inform you both of the answer."

Upon hearing that Tianyi Pavilion had several elders, as well as a deputy pavilion master and a pavilion master, Sect Master Wang and Zhou Yuan exchanged glances, both quite intrigued. According to Lin He, Tianyi Pavilion actually had several Nascent Soul cultivators, making it a formidable force. How come they had never heard of such a powerful force before?

Sect Master Wang was still puzzled, but the situation was beyond his control. Miaoyin Sect was in a difficult position, and he really didn't have much room for choice. He could only say, "If it's just these tasks of gathering intelligence and finding materials, Miaoyin Sect certainly has no objection and is willing to join Tianyi Pavilion and become an outer sect of Tianyi Pavilion. However, Tianyi Pavilion cannot interfere in the internal affairs of our Miaoyin Sect. I hope Fellow Daoist Lin will convey this to your sect's elders."

"That's natural. Tianyi Pavilion will issue tasks to you, but at the same time, you will also be paid accordingly. We won't let you work for nothing. However, our requirement is speed and efficiency. We will prioritize completing the tasks we issue with the full strength of the Miaoyin Sect."

Sect Leader Wang and Zhou Yuan had no objections to this. Seeing this, Lin He nodded and said, "Alright, it seems that you two have no objections to this matter. Then I will report this matter to the sect in a few days and wait for their reply. In the meantime, if anyone causes trouble for the Miaoyin Sect, you should send a transmission talisman to my cave."

The three chatted for a while longer. Then, Master Wang and his wife escorted Lin He to the door. After leaving the Miaoyin Sect stronghold, Lin He went to the spirit beast shop and bought a few level-two mountain-moving apes before returning to his cave. This time, he planned to spend some time making the eight early-stage Core Formation puppets.

A month later, while Lin He was still making the puppet, a sound transmission talisman suddenly flew to the entrance of the cave.