The forest clearing had grown tense.
Wind rustled through the tall trees as armored soldiers burst into the open space, their weapons drawn and eyes fixed on the silver-haired boy standing beside Yan Fu.
"There he is!" one of them shouted.
"Prince Li Fei! Your escape ends here!"
Li Fei's pink eyes darkened. His fists clenched tightly despite the exhaustion visible on his face. His clothes were torn, and several wounds marked his arms and shoulders.
Yet his gaze remained proud.
Before the soldiers could advance further, Li Fei turned his attention back to the strange man standing calmly beside him.
Yan Fu had not moved even once.
Not when the soldiers appeared.
Not when weapons were raised.
That calmness… was unnatural.
Li Fei narrowed his eyes.
"You're hiding something."
Yan Fu glanced at him with quiet amusement.
"Oh?"
Li Fei continued, his voice sharp.
"You don't feel like an ordinary cultivator. Your presence is strange… like a deep ocean pretending to be a pond."
Yan Fu chuckled softly.
"That's quite the observation."
Li Fei stepped back slightly, still wary.
"Who exactly are you?"
Yan Fu simply smiled.
"A man offering you protection."
Before Li Fei could respond, the soldiers finally reached them.
The leader stepped forward, pointing his sword directly at Li Fei.
"Hand over the prince and you might keep your life."
Yan Fu sighed.
"You people are quite loud."
The soldiers frowned.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
Yan Fu didn't answer.
Instead, he gently placed his hand on Li Fei's shoulder.
"Stay still for a moment."
Li Fei was confused.
"What are you—"
Before he could finish speaking, a warm energy flowed from Yan Fu's hand into his body.
It spread like gentle sunlight through his meridians.
Li Fei's eyes widened.
The deep pain in his chest began fading.
Cuts on his arms slowly closed.
Even the exhaustion weighing on his body disappeared.
"This…"
He stared down at his hands in disbelief.
"My injuries…"
Yan Fu calmly withdrew his hand.
"Healing techniques aren't very difficult."
Li Fei looked at him again.
But this time, there was clear shock in his eyes.
Just then—
The soldiers lost their patience.
"Enough!"
The leader raised his sword.
"Kill that man and capture the prince!"
Several soldiers rushed forward.
Yet Yan Fu didn't even look at them.
He simply sighed quietly.
Then—
He released a fraction of his aura.
It wasn't visible.
It wasn't loud.
But to the soldiers charging toward him—
It felt like the heavens themselves had collapsed onto their shoulders.
BOOM.
The air became unbearably heavy.
Their legs froze mid-step.
One soldier dropped his sword instantly.
"What… what is this…?!"
Another collapsed to his knees, trembling violently.
Sweat poured down their faces as a terrifying pressure crushed their spirits.
It was like standing before an ancient god.
None of them could even breathe properly.
Yet something strange happened.
Li Fei felt nothing.
The deadly aura only targeted the soldiers.
Yan Fu still hadn't moved.
But his hazel-green eyes had turned cold.
"If you value your lives…"
His voice was calm.
"…leave."
The soldiers were already shaking uncontrollably.
The leader tried to speak but his voice broke.
"M-monster…"
None of them dared to stay any longer.
Within seconds they fled the forest in complete panic.
Soon the clearing became silent again.
Li Fei stared at Yan Fu.
His heart was pounding.
He had seen powerful cultivators before.
But this…
This was beyond anything he could imagine.
Yan Fu hadn't attacked.
Hadn't used any technique.
He simply existed.
And that alone had defeated them.
Yan Fu turned toward him again.
"So…"
His tone returned to normal.
"…have you made your decision?"
Li Fei looked down for a moment.
His life had changed in just a few minutes.
The soldiers chasing him.
The mysterious cultivator who healed him effortlessly.
The overwhelming power he had just witnessed.
Then Li Fei suddenly knelt.
"I, Li Fei…"
His voice was steady.
"…wish to become your disciple."
Yan Fu smiled faintly.
"Good."
He gently raised the boy to his feet.
"From today onward, you are the first disciple of Ji Xia Sect."
At that exact moment—
A familiar blue screen appeared before Yan Fu.
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
[Main Quest Completed]
Recruit the First Disciple
Reward Issued
Several notifications appeared one after another.
[Reward 1: Sect Protection Formation – Heavenly Barrier Formation]
[Reward 2: Divine Skill – Celestial Meridian Awakening]
[Reward 3: Sect Resource Pack – Low Tier]
Yan Fu raised an eyebrow slightly.
"That was fast."
The system continued.
[New Quest Available]
Restore Ji Xia Sect – Phase 2
Objective: Develop the Sect Foundation
Yan Fu dismissed the screen with a thought.
There would be time to deal with that later.
For now—
He looked at Li Fei.
"Are you ready to see your new home?"
Li Fei blinked.
"Your sect is nearby?"
Yan Fu chuckled.
"Not exactly."
He lifted the white staff in his hand.
Ancient runes along its surface suddenly began glowing with soft light.
The ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.
A complex formation circle slowly appeared under them.
Li Fei stared in shock.
"A teleportation formation…?"
Yan Fu nodded.
"An ancient one."
The light intensified.
Wind swirled around them as spiritual energy gathered rapidly.
"Don't move," Yan Fu said calmly.
Li Fei obeyed immediately.
The next moment—
The teleportation formation activated.
Light engulfed their surroundings.
The forest disappeared.
Mountains shifted.
Space itself bent like rippling water.
Then—
The light faded.
They stood once again at the gates of a ruined mountain sect.
Broken pillars.
Collapsed buildings.
An ancient plaque hanging crooked above the entrance.
Three characters were carved into the old wood.
Ji Xia Sect.
Li Fei stared silently.
"This… is the sect?"
Yan Fu planted his staff into the ground and looked at the ruined halls.
For a moment the mountain wind blew quietly through the empty courtyard.
Then Yan Fu spoke.
"Yes."
His eyes shone with quiet confidence.
"For now… it looks like this."
He glanced toward Li Fei.
"But one day…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"…this will become the greatest sect in the entire Dongxu World."
And Li Fei would be the first witness to its rise.