Lin Xuanji woke up the next morning feeling… hopeful.
That was new.
He stretched, stepped outside his hut, and breathed in the crisp mountain air. The sky was bright, the wind gentle, and for once, nothing was on fire or glowing ominously.
A good sign.
Ruolan was already awake, sitting cross-legged outside his hut with the Soul-Birthing Lotus Art hovering above his palms. His expression was focused, calm—even serene.
Lin Xuanji smiled a little. The kid really was trying his best.
He walked over. "Morning."
Ruolan jumped up. "Sect Master! Good morning!"
"You don't have to shout," Lin Xuanji said, rubbing his ears.
"S-Sorry!"
Right. Ruolan was still a little too nervous. That would have to be fixed eventually, but one problem at a time.
Lin Xuanji sat down in front of him. "How's the technique? Manage to understand anything?"
Ruolan hesitated. "A little. The first page… it showed me how to sense spiritual energy again."
"That's good! Amazing, even."
Lin Xuanji slapped his knee proudly. "At this rate you'll be a top cultivator in… uh… some number of years."
Ruolan blinked. "…Thank you?"
Before Lin Xuanji could embarrass himself further, the System chimed in his head.
(Host.)
He braced himself. "What now?"
(A new mission is available.)
"Oh no," Lin Xuanji groaned softly. "I'm not ready for more trouble. Can't we have breakfast first?"
(Mission: Expand the sect.)
"Expand… how much?"
(Minimum requirement: Five disciples.)
Lin Xuanji stared blankly into the air. "…Five?"
(Correct.)
He turned to Ruolan, who was practicing small breathing exercises like a terrified rabbit.
"System," he said dryly, "you realize it took me one entire day to get one disciple?"
(Efficiency must improve.)
"I'll show you efficiency—"
Ruolan perked up nervously. "S-Sect Master? Should I… run?"
"No, no," Lin Xuanji said, waving him down. "I'm threatening the System, not you."
(Threat detected. Ignored.)
Lin Xuanji inhaled deeply and looked at the sky as if the heavens might give him strength. They didn't.
"Alright," he muttered. "Fine. Five disciples. How do I attract more people? What's the plan?"
(Build facilities.)
"What kind of facilities?"
(Training grounds. Meditation zones. Basic cultivation field.)
"…Why do I feel like you're making this up on the spot?"
(Host's lack of trust is noted.)
"Good! Note it harder!"
Ruolan giggled.
Lin Xuanji sighed. "Alright. Let's build something…"
(Blueprint: Training grounds — available.)
"Perfect. Use it."
The scroll materialized in his hand. He unrolled it quickly—then froze as the ground began shifting beneath them.
Stone slid aside like liquid. Dirt flattened itself. A small clearing expanded, reshaping itself with frightening precision. A moment later, a modest training ground appeared: a stone platform, target dummies, and even a faint protective formation around the edges.
Ruolan's jaw dropped. "S-Sect Master… is the System really this powerful?"
Lin Xuanji puffed out his chest. "Naturally. I—"
(Correction. The System only provides direction. The mountain executes construction.)
Lin Xuanji's eye twitched. "System. Come here. Let me speak to you privately."
(I cannot 'come'. I am everywhere in Host's mind.)
"Get out!"
Ruolan laughed, louder this time.
Lin Xuanji rubbed his forehead. "Alright, Ruolan. Today we start with basic physical training. Just to see where you stand."
Ruolan brightened. "I'll work hard, Sect Master!"
But just as Lin Xuanji opened his mouth to begin—
His pulse stopped for half a beat.
A faint tremor washed through the mountain—light, barely noticeable.
Ruolan didn't feel it.
But Lin Xuanji did.
It was like the mountain… stirred.
"System," he whispered. "What was that?"
A pause.
Unusually long for the System.
(…Nothing Host needs to worry about.)
"…That means it's definitely something," Lin Xuanji muttered.
(Irrelevant.)
He shot the sky a suspicious glare. "I don't like how you use that word."
The wind blew across the training ground, cool and strangely familiar.
Almost like something far beneath the peak… had begun waking up.