Chaos hit the Azure Cloud Sect within forty-eight hours.
Su Chen sat in the back of the lecture hall, pretending to listen to Elder Feng drone on about the "Stillness of the Heart." In reality, Su Chen was watching the Sect-Gram live feed scrolling across his retinas.
SwordCrazy77: Does anyone else think the Spirit-Gathering Pills taste like wet dog? CloudWalker:@SwordCrazy77 SHUT UP! If the Elders see this, we're dead. SwordCrazy77: They can't see it! It's in my head! Also, I'm 80% sure Elder Feng wears a hairpiece.
Su Chen nearly choked on his spit. He looked up at Elder Feng. The old man's hairline was indeed remarkably straight and suspiciously lustrous for a 200-year-old.
The "Internet" was currently a closed loop powered by Su Chen's System, using the sect's natural Qi ley lines as a server farm. Because the connection happened via spiritual sense, it was completely invisible to anyone who hadn't "logged in."
Then, it happened. The first viral moment.
[User 'HiddenCranberry' has uploaded an Image]
It was a shaky, spiritual-sense "snapshot" of the Sect Leader, the venerable Immortal Grandmaster, accidentally tripping over his own robes while trying to look majestic on the meditation platform.
The comment section exploded.
Anonymous_Disciple: NO WAY. MountainMover: Is that... is that the Heavenly Footwork of the Sect Leader? LOL. JadeBeauty_Official: I shouldn't be laughing. I'm going to lose my cultivation base. Saved to favorites.
[System Notification: Server Load Increasing. Upgrade Required.] [Requirement: 500 Spirit Stones to install 'Firewall: Anti-Elder Detection']
Su Chen realized he had a problem. He was providing a free service, but his "hardware" was burning through his own energy. He needed a business model.
He stood up, interrupting Elder Feng's lecture.
"Elder," Su Chen said, his voice ringing out. "I have had a vision. A vision of... communal enlightenment. A way for us to share our insights without speaking."
Elder Feng blinked, adjusting his (definitely fake) hair. "A vision, Disciple Su? Explain."
"I call it... The Premium Subscription Model."