Morning mist drifted lazily across the broken stone paths of the Xuanling Sect, clinging to old pillars and cracked tiles like a memory that refused to fade. Xuán Wèi stood at the highest step of the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, eyes calm as he observed the sect waking up.
The sect was still small.
Still weak.
Still unknown.
And yet—
The world beyond this mountain had already begun to stir.
[Sect Status: Level 1]
Disciples: Established
Reputation: Insufficient
System Advancement: Locked
Xuán Wèi did not frown. He had expected this.
"A sect without roots is easy to uproot," he murmured. "And roots take time."
The system remained silent.
Training Without Noise
Below him, the disciples trained in disciplined silence.
Wei Tian cultivated beneath a withered tree, silver ripples faintly distorting the air around him. His Time–Void Dao was still crude, but stable.
Yien stood within the gravity field imposed by Zhen Wu, the ancient tortoise Immortal. Every breath was heavy, every movement deliberate—but she did not kneel.
The remaining disciples trained under their respective Immortal Teachers, corrections precise, words few.
No grand techniques.
No flashy displays.
Xuán Wèi wanted outsiders to see control, not spectacle.
Voices from the Outside World
By noon, the mountain path echoed with unfamiliar voices.
Several wandering cultivators rested near the sect's outer boundary, unaware they were already being observed.
"…Have you heard?" one whispered.
"They say a minor secret realm appeared near the Southern Plains."
Another scoffed. "Another death trap. Three sects lost disciples already."
"A realm opening now? The heavens must be restless…"
Xuán Wèi's gaze shifted slightly.
A secret realm.
The system remained quiet—but Xuán Wèi felt it. A faint pressure, like a distant tide pulling at fate itself.
The World Is Larger Than One Sect
Later that evening, a messenger talisman passed through the hands of a wandering merchant who briefly stopped at the mountain.
Xuán Wèi listened without interruption.
The Azure Cloud Sect had sealed its gates after heavy losses.
The Iron Banner Sect was recruiting aggressively.
A regional power, the Heavenly Furnace Pavilion, had begun mobilizing elders.
No one mentioned the Xuanling Sect.
That was fine.
"A crowded world," Xuán Wèi thought calmly. "Good. It means opportunity."
A System Hint—Nothing More
That night, as moonlight bathed the courtyard, the system finally spoke.
[System Notification – Hidden]
Heaven–Earth fluctuations detected.
Probability of Secret Realm manifestation: Rising.
Current access: Not recommended.
Xuán Wèi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Too early," he agreed.
He had disciples—but not enough reputation.
He had Immortal Teachers—but no foundation strong enough to bear the weight of a realm.
Entering now would be arrogance.
And arrogance killed sects faster than enemies.
A Sect That Watches First
Xuán Wèi turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, where faint lights marked other sect territories.
"Let them rush," he said softly.
"Let them bleed."
"The Xuanling Sect will move only when the time is right."
Behind him, the sect slept quietly—unaware that the world itself was beginning to shift.
And when the secret realms truly opened…
This mountain would no longer remain unnoticed.