After leaving Serene Moonlight City, Lei Tianlong walked towards the spiritual vein. It wasn't very far - the city was still visible on the horizon, a small, pale cluster of dots, but still present.
The spiritual vein was on the slope of an immense mountain, which rose until it pierced the clouds.
Although he wasn't at the top, when he looked back, Tianlong could see the vast valleys covered in dense forests and other imposing mountains.
It was a breathtaking sight, but he didn't waste time admiring it. His focus was on finding the exact location of the spiritual vein.
He knelt down and pressed his fingers against the ground, releasing a subtle wave of Qi. He felt a faint, soft response from deep within the earth.
He took out the Sect creation token from his inventory and placed it on the ground, injecting a thread of Qi into it.
[Second level inferior spiritual vein detected. Do you wish to create your Sect here?]
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
The token glowed briefly.
[Insert the name of your Sect].
Tianlong remained silent for a few moments.
The name of the Sect was important. In fact, it was one of the most significant choices.
Before, when everything was just a game, he would put in any name that sounded cool. But now, it was different.
The name of a Sect represents its essence before the heavens. It cannot be tarnished or changed.
Its weight is eternal on the path of cultivation and, for many disciples, it is something sacred.
He thought of something related to his lightning spirit root.
It could work... but it would also limit the Sect, tapering its development and closing doors to many paths.
During the four years he played that game, he never got beyond Mortal Heaven.
Even so, he had advanced enough to understand what it meant to restrict a sect's course too much.
It needed formation masters, alchemists, cultivators of water, fire, earth - even more abstract lineages and constitutions, such as that of life.
They were all essential.
Some Sects survived by focusing on specialties, but without a powerful lineage behind them - like the draconian sects - they rarely thrived.
"Hmm..." He pondered for a long time until an idea came to him.
Sect of the Ascending Dragon? No. He had no draconic heritage.
He continued thinking. Thousands of options crossed his mind until an image caught his eye.
He looked up at the sky. A cloud with a familiar shape rose majestically towards the sun, like pillars supporting the world.
"Pillars of creation... " he murmured, recalling one of the most beautiful images he had ever seen.
'Should I use that name? No. I don't want to just copy it.'
"Heavenly Veil Sect..." he muttered, scratching his chin.
It wasn't exactly a meaningful name for him, but he'd never been good with names, so it was the best he could think of. And, after all, names gain meaning over time. Even if this one didn't carry any weight yet, one day it would.
[You want to create the Heavenly Veil Sect?]
"Yes," he confirmed.
[The Sect's creation will begin in 120 seconds. Move away from the creation zone].
Soon, a red area appeared under his feet. Stepping back from it, the area turned green.
[Starting sect creation].
The ground shook slightly. Trees were swept away as a golden energy covered everything around.
The earth was leveled to perfection, and from the ground, large constructions began to emerge.
First, a great wall appeared, embracing a region of around ten square kilometers.
Next came cultivation halls, administrative buildings, dormitories for outer disciples, residences for inner disciples and pavilions for elders and core disciples.
Everything a Sect needed was there.
At the center of it all, wedged into the side of the mountain, appeared the sect leader's residence.
It was a pavilion made of rustic wood and simple materials, but there was a certain luxury in its simplicity.
For Tianlong, it was impressive. To one of the large sects in the central regions, however, it would probably just look like some commoner's house.
[You have become the leader of the Heavenly Veil Sect]
[You have completed the quest: The Beginning of the Journey.
Rewards:
- Access to the Gacha Wheel
- Position: Sect Leader
- 5x Premium Gacha Ticket
- 10x Common Gacha Ticket
- 2x Common Character Gacha Ticket
- 5000x Inferior Spirit Crystals
- 50x Gacha Shop Points
- 100x Sect Leader Shop Points
Rewards have been moved to the inventory].
"Ah..." he exhaled, stopping in front of the central gate.
It was even more impressive than in the game. The density of Qi was slowly increasing as the Sect's formations distributed the energy of the spiritual vein.
The walls were powerful - with arrays strong enough to contain a Fundation Realm cultivator for days, and a Gold Core cultivator for a few hours.
Tianlong raised his eyes to the sign above the gate, which read the name of the sect. He then grasped the large double doors and slowly opened them.
On the other side, around twenty men and women were waiting, all kneeling in a respectful posture.
"We greet the Sect Master!" they said in unison, joining hands.
Tianlong looked at them for a brief moment.
They were the standard NPCs provided at the start of the game. Low cultivation, no notable talents.
They served as the Sect's functional base, taking care of the administration, the quest hall and the cultivation areas. They would normally be replaced by external disciples before long.
"Go back to your jobs. The Sect will open for recruitment in a few days," he ordered calmly and began to walk around the vast central courtyard.
It wasn't much, at least compared to the developed sects.
The ground was still dirt, the main street leading directly to the Sect leader's palace.
On the way, Tianlong saw a small prison with weak spirit formations, unable to contain any cultivator beyond the ninth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.
The cultivation areas were also humble. There were around twenty individual rooms, made of black stone, connected to the spiritual vein by simple formations. T
he efficiency was low, but enough to concentrate the Qi to a level two or three times that of the external environment.
As he approached the Sect leader's palace - his palace now - he felt the Qi become even denser. Being directly over the spiritual vein certainly contributed.
He passed several empty offices, which would one day be occupied by elders. He saw the Hall of Justice, the Martial Training Pavilion, the forges, the Alchemy Hall and other buildings.
As he passed the Sect's library, he noticed that it too was empty - no books on the shelves. There was only one employee sitting at his post, who greeted him respectfully.
He continued on through the Mission Hall, the small indoor market and the spiritual gardens. All were empty.
"Ah... I have a long job ahead of me," he sighed, arriving at the palace.
The dirt floor had given way to a simple but elegant stone sidewalk. Surrounding the palace were the elders' pavilions.
It was a large, oriental-style building with more than five floors. Surrounded by a low stone wall, its only entrance was an oak gate over twenty meters high.
Tianlong stepped forward and entered the central hall.
It was spacious, with a capacity for hundreds of people.
At the back, there was a stone throne, and along the path to it, rows of padded seats - probably intended for elders and important visitors.
There were internal spiritual gardens, dining rooms, private cultivation rooms, a meditation cave and even a prison capable of holding Foundation Realm cultivators.
In addition, the palace had more than twenty rooms arranged along a large corridor that led to the Sect leader's quarters... and his harem.
Well... Of course, he had no intention of using that last part. At least, not any time soon.
Tianlong sighed, shaking his head as he remembered the many beauties he had gathered during his journey in the game.
He missed them... but now it was no longer a game. He needed to be more careful with each partner he chose.
Pushing these thoughts aside, he entered his room.
It was spacious, with large closets, storage compartments for armor, weapons and spiritual items, as well as a bed big enough to hold five people. A thin silk veil enveloped it.
There were still no formations or spiritual materials to improve the quality of sleep or boosted dual cultivation, but that would be left for later.
After making sure everything was in order, he returned to the central hall and sat down on the throne. The Sect's information appeared before him.
[Name: Heavenly Veil Sect
Sect Leader: Lei Tianlong
Size: Insignificant Sect
Spiritual vein: level 2 inferior spiritual vein.
Controlled area: 300 km²
Wealth: 5,000 Lower Spirit Crystals
Monthly maintenance: 200 inferior Spirit Crystals
Monthly income: None
Great Elders: Deactivated
Elders: 0/4
Core Disciples: 0/10
Inner Disciples: 0/50
Outer Disciples: 0/300
Tributaries: None
Subsidiary Sects: None
Regions under control: Serene Moonlight Valley (control contested by four other Sects.)
Requirements for Sect promotion:
- 4 Elders at the 9th stage of the Foundation Realm
- 1 Core Disciple
- 5 Inner Disciples
- 200 Outer Disciples
- 1,000 Intermediate Spirit Crystals
- Leader in the Golden Core Realm]
Soon after, another notification appeared.
[You have received a new mission: The Beginning]
[Mission: The Beginning
Description: This is the beginning of the Heavenly Veil Sect's glorious journey. Before any achievement, you must gather at least two elders.
Time limit: None
Difficulty: Easy
Rewards: - 1x premium Gacha ticket. - 25x Sect Leader Store Points]
Looking at the information and the newly received mission, Tianlong closed his eyes for a moment.
It was time to get to work.