CHAPTER 2
The Sect Trembles
The dawn sun rose slowly over the Azure Cloud Sect, its golden light spilling across towering peaks and ancient pavilions. Disciples were already bustling about, training in courtyards or sweeping paths, unaware that within their midst, a new storm was brewing.
Ye Tian stood at the edge of the outer disciple quarters, his torn robe fluttering in the breeze. His eyes gleamed with a cold brilliance, his aura suppressed yet impossibly vast.
The disciples who had once mocked him kept their distance. Word of last night's events spread like wildfire. The three senior disciples who had attacked him were now bedridden, their injuries too severe to heal quickly. Some whispered he had obtained a forbidden treasure, others speculated he had made a pact with demons.
But Ye Tian ignored them all.
"System," he muttered in his mind, "open the Store."
[Ding! Quadrillion Store activated.]
Before his eyes appeared countless categories: Weapons, Pills, Techniques, Arrays, Mounts, Bloodlines, Realms. Each glittered with unimaginable treasures, their prices staggering—yet insignificant before his wealth.
Heavenly Void Sword – 10 Billion Spirit Stones
Immortal Dragon Bloodline – 100 Billion Spirit Stones
Eternal Qi Cultivation Manual – 500 Billion Spirit Stones
Time-Freezing Talisman – 1 Trillion Spirit Stones
Ye Tian's heart pounded. Any single one of these could overturn empires. And yet, he had one quadrillion spirit stones—enough to buy them all a thousand times over.
But he was not reckless.
"Strength means nothing without foundation," he whispered. "I must build steadily, conceal my power until the right moment."
After some thought, he made his first purchases.
[Purchase: Eternal Qi Cultivation Manual.]
[Purchase: Heavenly Void Sword.]
A glowing scroll and a pitch-black sword materialized before him, pulsing with divine energy. He grasped the sword, and the weight felt perfect, as if it was forged solely for his hand.
At the same time, knowledge from the cultivation manual poured into his mind. His meridians, once blocked, now surged with rivers of qi.
BOOM!
His cultivation skyrocketed from Body Refinement to Qi Gathering… to Foundation Establishment… and beyond. In mere moments, he broke through multiple realms, each accompanied by thunderous roars within his body.
If any elder saw this, their hearts would stop. To achieve in seconds what geniuses required decades—it was unthinkable.
Yet Ye Tian remained calm. This was only the beginning.
"System," he asked, "how much power am I truly capable of using right now?"
[Answer: Host possesses quadrillion-level stats, but due to the world's laws, unleashing full power will destabilize reality. Current accessible limit: 0.01%.]
Ye Tian's lips curled into a faint smile. Even a fraction is more than enough to crush anyone in this sect.
Suddenly, loud footsteps echoed. A group of inner disciples appeared, their embroidered robes signifying higher status. At their lead was Zhao Feng, the arrogant nephew of an elder.
"So it's true," Zhao Feng sneered, eyeing Ye Tian like prey. "Trash Ye Tian suddenly grows a backbone? You dare harm senior disciples? Do you know what crime that is?"
The surrounding disciples gathered, whispering anxiously.
"Zhao Feng himself came…"
"Ye Tian is doomed now…"
"No one dares offend the elder's family."
But Ye Tian's gaze remained indifferent. He rested his hand on the Heavenly Void Sword, his voice calm.
"They called me trash yesterday. What will you call me today?"
Zhao Feng's face darkened. "Arrogant! I'll cripple you myself!"
He charged, releasing the aura of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. The ground cracked under his force as he struck with a flaming palm.
Ye Tian didn't move. With a single flick of his wrist, his sword flashed.
SLASH!
The palm flame extinguished instantly. Zhao Feng's body froze, his sleeve neatly severed, blood trickling from a shallow cut across his arm.
Gasps erupted around them.
"He didn't even move—"
"Zhao Feng was… defeated in a single strike?"
Zhao Feng staggered back, eyes wide in terror. "Impossible! What kind of power is this?!"
Ye Tian stepped forward, his aura finally releasing for the first time. It surged like a tidal wave, crushing every disciple within the courtyard to their knees. Even Zhao Feng coughed blood under the pressure.
"Remember this," Ye Tian said coldly, his voice echoing like thunder. "From today onward, no one in this sect has the right to call me trash."
The crowd trembled, unable to lift their heads.
Far above, in the inner mountains, several elders opened their eyes simultaneously, their spiritual senses locking onto Ye Tian's location.
One muttered gravely, "What monstrous aura is this…? Has a demon infiltrated the sect?"
Another elder's gaze sharpened. "No… it is a disciple. His name… Ye Tian."
The Azure Cloud Sect was about to witness the rise of a storm that would shake not only their sect, but the entire cultivation world.
And Ye Tian, standing calmly in the courtyard, knew it was only the beginning.
"The Quadrillion System…" he whispered to himself, a smile curling on his lips. "With it, the heavens themselves will bow before me."