The clouds had broken by the time they reached the edge of the valley.
A sheer cliff opened up before them, the land folding inward like a bowl carved into the side of the mountains. Mist clung to the lower ridges, rolling through stone terraces and jagged peaks. In the heart of it all, a clear spring shimmered with a faint light, surrounded by a natural ring of blackstone pillars.
It looked like the world had been shaped by hands — not of man, but of intention.
Even Wei Lin was silent.
Shang Di stood at the ridge's edge, the wind stirring his cloak, hair tousled by the cold.
Yun came up beside him, eyes wide.
"…It's beautiful," he said softly.
"It's hidden," Wei Lin murmured. "Hard to reach. Protected by the surrounding terrain."
"And it's naturally infused," Shang Di added. "The Qi flows along every wall of this basin. It cycles in a spiral."
[System Notification]
Vein Confluence Detected – Exceptional Grade
Environmental Affinity: Balanced Yin-Yang Flow
Terrain Rating: 98%
Anchor Node Active
Compatibility: Maximum
Optional: Claim as Sect Grounds
Warning: Beginner System Guidance – Expiring Soon
Shang Di closed his eyes for a moment.
This was it.
He could feel it.
He turned to face the others. "We've found it."
Wei Lin raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
Yun, still staring at the lake below, murmured, "What do we do now?"
Shang Di looked down at him.
The boy had changed in just days. He still wore ragged clothes and clung to uncertainty — but his eyes had steadied. His steps no longer stumbled. He followed without being told.
Shang Di placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You help us build."
Yun blinked. Then slowly began to smile.
...
Later, they descended into the basin.
The stone ring around the lake was cracked but intact. Old formation lines were buried beneath moss and time. Black roots coiled around the base of pillars, like vines embracing an old slumbering giant.
It would need work.
But it was theirs.
They moved in silence. Wei Lin paced along the outer rim, muttering calculations. Yun picked up stones and set them in small piles, forming walls only he understood. Shang Di walked the perimeter twice, feeling the pulse of the land.
It beat, like it was a living thing.
When the sun dipped below the far ridge, the basin glowed faintly — soft lines of energy tracing the natural curves of the terrain.
[System Update]
Claim Available
Vein Anchor Synchronized
Initiate Sect Formation?
Required: Core Name
Optional: Sect Motto, Founding Tenets (Edit Later)
Shang Di paused.
He looked around again.
And waited.
Not yet.
...
They camped beside the lake, a small fire flickering between them.
Yun sat close, arms wrapped around his knees.
"…You saved me back there," he said.
Shang Di glanced over. "You would've done the same."
"No," Yun said quietly. "I was scared. I didn't move."
"You didn't run either."
Yun looked up. "Why'd you even bother with me? You didn't know me."
Shang Di hesitated.
Then said, "Because I know what it feels like."
"To be lost?"
"To be nothing."
The fire cracked.
Wei Lin stirred, but didn't interrupt.
Shang Di continued, voice low.
"Back where I came from… I didn't matter to anyone. No one believed in me. Not my family. Not… anyone. I was just a face in the background."
He looked down at his hands.
"I got a second chance. That doesn't erase the past… but maybe it lets me build something different, something better."
Yun's voice was barely above a whisper. "So you saved me to change that?"
Shang Di met his gaze.
"I saved you because I could. And because… maybe you're supposed to be part of this."
Yun blinked, trying to hide the sudden water in his eyes.
"…Thanks."
Shang Di nodded once.
...
Wei Lin finally spoke. "So. Sect building."
Shang Di looked over. "You're staying, then?"
Wei Lin raised an eyebrow. "I didn't climb a mountain, dodge two beasts, and nearly lose an arm just to walk off now."
Shang Di allowed himself a small grin. "Then we start planning."
Wei Lin shifted to sit cross-legged. "We'll need shelter first. Then food stockpiles. After that, we can think about protection formations, watch posts, and spirit beast wards."
"I can anchor the initial formation," Shang Di said. "But we'll need hands."
"Disciples?"
"They come In when it's time time."
Yun perked up. "What about me?"
"You?" Wei Lin said with a smirk. "You're our first outer disciple."
Shang Di nodded. "And eventually… inner disciple. If you want to walk the path."
Yun lit up.
"Then I'll train harder than anyone," he said. "I'll be worthy."
Shang Di's smile didn't fade.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he wasn't just reacting to it.
He was building something.
...
That night, as the fire dimmed, and the others drifted toward sleep, Shang Di sat alone near the altar stone.
[System Notification]
Beginner Protection Period – Ending
Passive Assistance Ending:
– SP Gains will scale with risk and contribution
– Daily Quest System Reinstated
– Advanced Shop Rotations Enabled
Custom Growth Paths: Active
Discipleship System: Unlocked
Sect Treasury System: Locked (Requires Inner Sanctum)
From here onward…
The system will guide.
But you must grow.
Alone, or with others.
Shang Di exhaled through his nose.
"…Then now, it starts for real."
He looked toward the lake, dark and quiet now.
Then at the formation lines carved into stone.
And finally, at the sky above.
There was something waiting out there — more trials, more enemies, more mysteries.
But now he had something to return to.
A reason to grow, and a place to protect.
...
Tomorrow it would get a name, one that will be a deeply anchored part in the history of the sect.
...
To be continued…
...