The mountain was finally quiet.
For the first time since I had woken up in this ruined sect, the silence didn't feel empty.
It felt victorious.
Snow drifted gently across the courtyard, settling over the cracks in the stone and the footprints left by battle.
Near the gate, the trunk of the tree Lin Xiaoyu had used as Mo Tianyu's landing cushion was still split down the middle.
I looked at it.
Then at Xiaoyu.
Then back at the tree.
"…Remind me never to make you angry."
She folded her arms and lifted her chin proudly.
"Too late."
I laughed.
Fair enough.
She had just single-handedly humiliated the young master of the Stone River Sect in her very first fight.
That alone was enough to make the chapter comments explode if this were a novel.
Wait.
It was a novel now.
My life had officially become one.
The system chimed.
MISSION COMPLETE
First Sect Duel Victory
Rewards Delivered:
300 Spirit Stones Sect Reputation +100 Hidden Bonus Triggered
I blinked.
"Hidden bonus?"
The golden screen shimmered.
Then a new notification appeared.
SPECIAL CONDITION MET
Defeat an enemy disciple within the sect grounds
Bonus Reward: Spirit Vein Seed Fragment x1
A crystal-like fragment appeared in front of me.
It floated gently in the air.
The thing was no larger than a fingernail.
Pale blue.
Transparent.
And yet—
The moment it appeared, the surrounding air became noticeably denser.
Xiaoyu immediately noticed it.
Her golden eyes widened.
"What's that?"
I slowly reached out and took the fragment.
The instant it touched my skin, a wave of spiritual energy pulsed outward.
The snow around us lifted from the ground in a perfect circle.
The system answered before I could.
[Spirit Vein Seed Fragment.]
[Rare sect-grade resource.]
[Can revive dead mountain veins.]
I froze.
Then slowly looked down at the ground beneath my feet.
The dead spirit vein.
The ruined sect's greatest weakness.
This could change everything.
A grin spread across my face.
"Oh."
Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
I looked at her.
"We're about to get rich."
She blinked.
"Can the rich buy more food?"
"…Yes."
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Then do it."
Excellent motivation.
The system quickly displayed instructions.
ACTIVATION REQUIREMENTS
Place the fragment at the sect's spiritual core
Location: beneath the main hall
Right.
The main hall.
Or rather, the half-collapsed building that currently looked like a strong gust of wind might finish the job.
I motioned for Xiaoyu to follow.
Together, we entered the hall.
Snow was still falling through the broken roof.
The wooden floor creaked beneath our steps.
Everywhere I looked, I saw signs of decay.
Broken incense burners.
Cracked ancestral tablets.
Dust-covered pillars.
And yet—
There was something solemn about this place.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
As if this sect had once stood at a height unimaginable.
The inherited memories stirred faintly, but still not enough to reveal the truth.
The system highlighted a point near the centre of the hall.
A faint golden circle appeared on the floor.
[Spiritual core location detected.]
I knelt and brushed away the dust.
There.
A circular stone plate.
Covered in faded runes.
Most of them had gone dark.
Only one tiny line still flickered faintly.
Barely alive.
I placed the Spirit Vein Seed Fragment onto the stone.
For one heartbeat—
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
The entire mountain shook.
The stone plate erupted with blinding blue light.
Ancient runes ignited all across the floor.
Light raced outward through cracks in the walls.
The broken pillars trembled.
Outside, the snow exploded upward in a spiralling storm.
Xiaoyu stumbled back.
"What did you do?!"
"I think…"
The floor beneath us rumbled violently.
"…something amazing."
A deep sound echoed from beneath the mountain.
Like the slow heartbeat of a giant awakening.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The system screen exploded into notifications.
SPIRIT VEIN REVIVAL IN PROGRESS
0%... 12%... 26%... 44%
The blue light burst through the main hall roof and shot into the sky.
A pillar of spiritual energy pierced the clouds.
The heavens trembled.
Snow around the mountain instantly began melting.
Mist rose from the ground.
Streams of pure spiritual qi flowed through the air like silver rivers.
Xiaoyu's golden eyes widened.
"I can feel it…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"The energy…"
I could feel it too.
Even without cultivation talent, the difference was obvious.
The air itself had become heavier.
Alive.
Every breath felt refreshing.
The dead mountain had begun to awaken.
The ground trembled again.
Then—
Cracks spread through the courtyard outside.
Not destructive cracks.
Something was rising.
We rushed outside.
At the centre of the courtyard, the stone floor split open.
From below, a small spring of crystal-clear water burst forth.
Steam curled from its surface.
Spiritual mist flowed from it in waves.
The system chimed.
NEW SECT FACILITY UNLOCKED
Low-Grade Spirit Spring
Function: accelerates cultivation + heals minor injuries
Xiaoyu's jaw dropped.
"…Can I jump in?"
"Absolutely not."
She pouted.
Still, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
The Spirit Vein revival continued.
Blue lines of light spread across the mountain like roots.
The withered trees near the cliff edge suddenly bloomed with frost-white leaves.
The air became so rich with qi that even the snowflakes glittered.
The system displayed the final progress bar.
SPIRIT VEIN REVIVAL COMPLETE
Mountain Spirit Vein: 15% active
Sect Rank Updated: 8500 → 7000
I stared.
"…We jumped fifteen hundred ranks?"
The system responded.
[Spirit veins are foundational sect resources.]
That made sense.
In this world, sects were built on spiritual land.
Without a spirit vein, cultivation was painfully slow.
Now—
We had one.
Even if it was still low-grade.
Xiaoyu took a deep breath.
Then suddenly sat cross-legged beside the spring.
Golden light immediately began gathering around her.
The dragon blood in her body responded instantly.
The system chimed again.
DISCIPLE CULTIVATION BOOST
Lin Xiaoyu's breakthrough chance increased by 80%
I watched in stunned silence.
This place had become a cultivation treasure land overnight.
Good.
Very good.
But then—
The sky darkened.
Again.
I looked up sharply.
This time, it wasn't a storm.
It was a ripple.
Far above the clouds, faint golden symbols flickered.
Ancient.
Watchful.
The same phenomenon from the day I renamed the sect.
The system flashed red.
WARNING
Heavenly Observation intensified
Sect growth has attracted attention
A chill ran down my spine.
This wasn't just local sect trouble anymore.
Something in the heavens had noticed us.
Or rather—
Noticed the spirit vein's awakening.
And beneath that warning, a new line appeared.
SEALED LOCATION DETECTED
Storage Pavilion – lower mountain
Condition: partially unlocked by spirit vein activation
I froze.
The sealed building.
The one the system had hinted at before.
Something had changed.
The spirit vein had partially broken its seal.
I slowly smiled.
Treasure.
Techniques.
Secrets.
Exactly what we needed.
Xiaoyu opened one eye from her cultivation.
"What now?"
I turned toward the lower mountain path.
A grin spread across my face.
"Now…"
I pointed dramatically toward the mist-covered slope.
"…we go treasure hunting."
Her grin immediately matched mine.
Now this was becoming a proper cultivation story.