The morning sun had barely crested the jagged peaks of the Thunder God Mountain when Lei Jun emerged from his shabby hut.
Despite the bone-deep exhaustion of the previous day, his spirit felt strangely light.
A quick glance at his internal panel confirmed his reality:
[Sect: Thunder God Sect]
[Rank: Rank 0 Sect]
[Sect Leader: Lei Jun ]
[Number of Disciples: Outer Sect Disciple * 0]
[Reputation: A Tiny, Humble Sect]
[Resources: Low-Grade Spirit Stone (53), first Grade low level Spirit Corn (35 catties)...]
[Sect Buildings: sect main hall (lv1), Spirit Field (lv0), chicken coop (lv1), Mountain Gate (lv0), Ancestral Master Hall (lv0), Spirit Vein ( lvl 0) ( destroyed), Sect training ground (lvl 0), Alchemy Hall (lvl 0), Cultivation cave ( lvl 0), Miscellaneous Hall ( lvl 0), Scripture pavillion ( lvl 0), Herb garden ( lvl 0)]
"Fifty-three stones left," he murmured, his breath misting in the cold air. "Not enough to buy a decent sword, but enough to change a fate."
Entering the Main Hall, he found the six elders already awake, their auras humming in the quiet room as they meditated on the new silk futons.
As one, they opened their eyes. The pressure was immense, but Lei Jun did not flinch. He had questions.
"System," he thought, 'Why is there no Alchemist among my elders?'
The response was cold and mechanical: [The elders in the gift package are randomly assigned.]
'Then how do I get one?'
[Upgrade more buildings.]
Lei Jun suppressed a sigh. It wasn't the answer he wanted, but it was a path forward.
Then he looked at the six men—his new, grumbling, yet loyal foundation.
"Elders," Lei Jun began, his voice echoing in the refurbished hall. "The sect is in a precarious state. I require each of you to perform your duties to the utmost. We are no longer a ruin; we are a rising power."
Though the old men grumbled about "shabby huts" and "lack of cave dwellings," none refused. Lei Jun promised them proper quarters soon, but for now, they would stay in the hall.
Before the day's work began, Lei Jun made a request that would have been unthinkable for a mere Qi Refining junior to ask of True Yuan experts.
"I require a copy of your cultivation techniques and secret skills. The Scripture Pavilion must have a foundation."
To his surprise, the system's absolute authority held firm. One by one, booklets were produced.
Lei Jun's eyes skipped over the [True Nine Water Scripture (6th Grade)]—as tempting as a 6th-grade technique was, its nature conflicted with his Fire Spirit Root.
Instead, he turned to the one-eyed weapon refiner, Zhen Fei.
"Elder Zhen, I wish to switch my path to your [Fire and Metal Control Art (4th Grade)]."
Zhen Fei grunted, handing over a weathered manual along with a notebook filled with personal insights. "A wise choice, Sect Leader. Fire and metal are the pillars of creation and destruction. Follow my notes, and you won't blow your meridians apart."
With the internal affairs settled, Lei Jun turned to the most pressing issue: the Mountain Gate. He handed a list of requirements to the fat, long-eared Treasurer, Piao Mojun.
"Elder Piao, take the materials we harvest today and exchange them in town for these items. We need resources for Level 2 upgrades. Elder Wu Zhen, the Sect Protection Array is your sole focus. Make it upgradable; I want a sect protection formation that is upgrable in future if possible ."
"I will do my utmost, Sect Leader," the bald array master replied with a serious bow.
Finally, Lei Jun turned to the most martial of the group. "Elder Situ, come with me. The mountain needs a purging."
Lei Jun knows this mountain better than any of the people present and decided to help any way possible and secondly he knows the beasts resting and hunting place, as he had encountered them many times with his late master .
The two moved toward the Black Iron Ravine. While Lei Jun pushed his Qianfeng Charms to their limit, Situ Zen glided like a shadow, his hand never straying far from the black saber on his back.
Suddenly, the forest went silent. A Shadow-Stalking Panther (1st-Grade Peak) blurred out of the brush, a streak of black death aimed at Lei Jun's throat.
"Insolent beast," Situ Zen barked.
SHING!
A single vertical arc of black steel bisected the panther perfectly mid-air. Two halves of the beast thudded into the dirt, spraying dark, steaming blood across the grass.
"At least a few hundred or more spirit stones for the core," Situ Zen grunted, flicking blood off his blade. "A waste of my breath."
Lei Jun felt death this close for the first time. If not for elders protection he would be dead. At this time he knows the difference between cultivation levels.
But to not loose his authority he displayed a tougher look.
"It's a start," Lei Jun replied, his eyes cold. "Keep killing. We don't return until the Treasurer has enough to choke on."
But Situ Zen refused him to continue for this and Lei Jun also knowing the situation, gave him some guidelines and made a map of the surrounding areas.
While Situ Zen continued the slaughter, Lei Jun soon returned to the entrance of the sect. Using the Iron Wood he had purchased earlier and the last of his spirit stones, he triggered the upgrade.
[Mountain Gate (lvl 0)]
[lvl 1 Effect: Forms a weak warning barrier; an alert will be triggered when non-Sect members intrude, blocking Mortals from entering; releases a slight spiritual glow.]
[Upgrade Conditions: form a gate with iron wood low grade spirit stones * 50 (achieved)]
The wooden posts groaned and shifted, the grain of the wood hardening into something resembling dark iron. A faint, shimmering veil of light appeared across the path.
[Mountain Gate (Lv1) - ACTIVE]
[Effect: Triggers an alert for intruders; blocks mortals; releases a spiritual glow.]
He checked the requirements for Level 2 and nearly choked.
[Upgrade Conditions: 2nd-Grade Spirit Wood, 4 Guards of Qi Sea Realm, 1,000 Spirit Stones.]
"Four guards?" Lei Jun looked around his empty mountain. Aside from himself, the elders, and four chickens in the coop, there wasn't even a stray dog to stand watch. "Where am I supposed to find four Qi Sea experts to stand at a door?"
Sighing, he retreated to his hut. He spent the rest of the evening submerged in Zhen Fei's notes. By the time the moon was high, he felt his Qi circulating ten points faster than before.
The Fire and Metal Control Art was a tier above his previous technique, and the insights of a master made the transition seamless.
He opened his eyes and checked the final tally for the day.
[Sect: Thunder God Sect]
[Rank: Rank 0 Sect]
[Sect Leader: Lei Jun ]
[Number of Disciples: Outer Sect Disciple * 0]
[Reputation: A Tiny, Humble Sect]
[Resources: Low-Grade Spirit Stone (03), first Grade low level Spirit Corn (35 catties)...]
[Sect Buildings: sect main hall (lv1), Spirit Field (lv0), chicken coop (lv1), Mountain Gate (lv1), Ancestral Master Hall (lv0), Spirit Vein ( lvl 0) ( destroyed), Sect training ground (lvl 0), Alchemy Hall (lvl 0), Cultivation cave ( lvl 0), Formation Hall ( lvl 0), Scripture pavillion ( lvl 0), Herb garden ( lvl 0)]
He was broke again. But as he looked at the glowing status of his sect, Lei Jun knew the "Tiny, Humble Sect" was starting to grow teeth.
After going through all this he didn't found any change and decided to eat some corn and spirit eggs from the chicken coop and after dinner, left for sect main hall, waiting for the arrival of the sect elders.