The portal to the Floating Colors Grotto Heaven could only be opened by He Kao, making it inconvenient to enter or exit, so He Kao established a shift system, opening the portal regularly once a week on weekends.
Today was not a shift day. Erji, Chang'an Residence, and Lan Jiwan were inside the Grotto Heaven, while Ye Liangchen was on duty outside. There were also bases of the Hidden Moth Sect outside, including the Jiuliang Manufacturing Company, which needed someone to keep an eye on them.
He Kao had entered the Grotto Heaven on a whim today, not yet the scheduled time, so the disciples were somewhat surprised, and Lan Jiwan was more surprised with delight.
"Sect Leader Senior Brother, why have you suddenly come today... Since you're here, you could have brought some good food and drink, but you only brought a big cauldron." The speaker was Chang'an Residence, the dean with a genial personality known for casual speech.
He Kao laughed and said, "This is not just any big cauldron, but an alchemy cauldron. Don't ask about its origins, and don't leak this information.
After we finish the first phase of the project here, the next step is to construct an alchemy room. There are many spirit herbs here that have not been harvested for millennia, so we can try refining some spirit pills, primarily for internal sect use."
Lan Jiwan had already reached out and taken the cauldron: "Quite big and heavy... But Sect Leader Senior Brother, none of us know how to practice alchemy."
He Kao said, "I know a bit, and I can teach you if you want to learn. But remember, alchemy is only an auxiliary to cultivation. Do not become overly obsessed with it; personal cultivation is the foundation. The higher your cultivation, the more techniques you can master.
First, we will build an alchemy room and select several suitable alchemy formulas according to current needs. The materials are all naturally produced within the Grotto Heaven, so we can practice with those first.
You and Erji can start trying it out, while Dean Chang and Ye Liangchen can also lend a hand..."
The reason for bringing the alchemy cauldron into Floating Colors Grotto Heaven was for convenience. However, this also presented a vulnerability, as one could trace the cauldron's origins back to He Kao's identity. Therefore, He Kao ordered that no one inquire about it or disclose anything.
As for the current members of the Hidden Moth Sect, He Kao believed they were trustworthy, and since he had decided to incorporate them into the sect, this trust and sharing were the prices to pay.
Lan Jiwan called out again, "Sect Leader Senior Brother, you arrived just in time. We can raise the beam for the main hall tomorrow at noon and have a celebration ceremony, which we originally planned to hold on the weekend... Please bring Ye Liangchen inside too."
The architectural form of the Sect Ancestral Hall was modeled after the Magic Sect's Hall of Sect Rules. The entire complex covered about fifteen acres, split into front, middle, and rear courtyards arranged roughly in a nine-palace grid.
The first phase consisted of three projects.
First was constructing the courtyard at the northeast corner, primarily serving as a living area for disciples, a place for cultivation and residence.
Next was attaching a two-story pavilion to the stone niche at the back, enclosing the entire niche. This was the central hub of the Grotto Heaven, where rotating disciples stood guard, serving as a duty room.
Due to its special nature, the Hidden Moth Grotto Heaven currently did not require anyone specifically to stand guard, but cultivating at the Grotto Heaven's array core helped better understand the sect's techniques.
For now, only Erji and He Kao could do this, as they were both high-tier sorcerers of the Hidden Moth Sect. As for Lan Jiwan, although her cultivation had surpassed Tier Four, she previously trained in the Micro-Entry Skill, and her Insect Concealment Skill wasn't yet up to par.
The third project was constructing the main hall at the center of the courtyard complex, which housed the ancestral master's tablets and served as a place for sect meetings and major celebrations.
In just over a month, the first two projects of the initial phase were completed, with the third project reaching a critical juncture: installing the main beam.
Without large-scale construction machinery, their efficiency was remarkable. Not to mention the three high-tier sorcerers, He Kao, Erji, and Lan Jiwan, even the two Tier Three sorcerers, Chang'an Residence and Ye Liangchen, had mastered the object manipulation skill.
In Eastern Country's tradition, installing the main beam held significant symbolic meaning, usually accompanied by a celebratory ceremony, colloquially known as "Raising the Beam."
Since it was a celebration, Ye Liangchen would also be called in.
The next morning, He Kao asked Xiaopang for a half-day leave, saying he couldn't come to work in the afternoon due to other matters. Xiaopang cheerfully granted the leave, but reminded him not to forget to work overtime after his affairs were settled, ensuring he didn't delay the work progress.
The ceremony began promptly at noon.
A heavy main beam, wrapped in a red silk in the middle, was lifted by He Kao and Lan Jiwan at either end. The two ascended the long ladder onto the rooftop, placing the beam accurately into its intended place with dovetail joints.
In terms of cultivation, it would be more reliable for He Kao and Erji to carry such a heavy beam up the ladder, but seeing Lan Jiwan's eager intention, Erji willingly let Lan Jiwan assist the Sect Leader with the beam.
After placing the main beam, Lan Jiwan leaped down, while He Kao walked to the middle of the beam and pulled out a string of firecrackers to ignite it.
A long string of red dangled in mid-air, erupting with a loud and resounding crackle, met by applause and cheers. He Kao's figure was enveloped in the smoke and brimstone as he vigorously shook the red silk at the center of the beam.
A shower of bright, sparkling items fell like raindrops upon the crowd; these were pre-prepared coins, including old silver dollars and copper coins from the past, currently circulated steel coins, and a few small gold ingots.
Below, each person used various techniques to collect the scattered celebratory coins. While their cultivation generally didn't permit mistakes, the collision of mana interfered, causing quite a few to fall to the ground.
