Establishing a sect was not something Xiao Xuanyin rushed.
He waited.
Three full days.
During those three days, he did nothing.
He simply watched.
He watched the commoners gather outside the palace gates, whispering cautiously.
"I heard you can cultivate now… but will we be arrested?"
Someone shook their head."No one's forcing you. If you don't want to cultivate, just live your life. If you do—register."
He watched the inner palace.
The concubines still ordered takeout, jumped rope, knitted sweaters, and argued over plays.
Cultivation was never forced.
The concubine who could guide breathing still spoke softly.
"Those who want to learn, stay.Those who don't—go have fun."
No pressure.No hierarchy.
He watched the court.
Some officials secretly tried to meditate.
Some failed—no spiritual response at all.
No one laughed at them.
Instead, others joked kindly.
"Looks like you're perfectly suited to being a civil servant."
On the third day—
Xiao Xuanyin finally issued the decree.
No grand procession.No heavenly proclamation.
Just a wooden plaque.
It was hung on the eastern side of the imperial city, outside an abandoned lecture hall.
Three simple characters were carved into it:
Mortal Sect.
The rules of the sect—
Only three.
Read aloud by the Emperor himself.
First: Voluntary."If you don't cultivate, you commit no sin."
Second: No contention."No stealing. No fighting. No internal strife."
Third: Do not leave the world."Cultivators remain commoners."
The court fell silent.
Someone muttered under their breath,"This… doesn't sound like a sect."
Xiao Xuanyin replied calmly,"Exactly."
That day, the first disciples entered the sect.
Only seven.
Five commoners.One inner-palace attendant.And one—Shen Yan.
When Shen Yan was brought before the hall, he wore plain cloth.
Nothing special.
But he stood straight.
He did not kneel.
Not out of disrespect—
But because he understood it wasn't required.
Xiao Xuanyin looked at him.
"Do you know what it means to enter my sect?"
Shen Yan answered without hesitation.
"It means my cultivation will never be only for myself."
Xiao Xuanyin nodded.
"Good."
"From this moment on, I appoint you—First Disciple of the Mortal Sect."
At that instant, Su Wan stood to the side.
Her phone vibrated softly.
[Mortal Sect: Core Node Confirmed][Sect Type: Mortal-Cultivation Model][Growth Potential: UNKNOWN (No Upper Limit Detected)]
Her breath caught.
No upper limit.
In the Immortal Realm—
Those four words were taboo.
The first thing the Mortal Sect did—
Was not cultivation.
It was a lecture.
Su Wan personally wrote the first textbook.
The title was simple:
"How to Know If Cultivation Is Right for You."
The content was even simpler.
The first page contained only one sentence:
"You owe no one ascension."
The commoners read it.
Some closed the book after one page.
"I'm not suited for this. But my child might be."
Others nodded.
"Then I'll let my child learn."
And so—
A scene never before seen appeared.
Cultivation was no longer a ladder.
It became a multiple-choice question.
In the inner palace—
That concubine was officially recorded into the sect registry.
Her title was not "Cultivator."
It was Guide.
Her daily task was simple.
Sit with people.Breathe with them.Help them slow down.
She became the busiest person in the palace.
The concubines hadn't competed for favor in a long time.
Now they competed over one thing—
"Who gets guided first today?"
The Immortal Realm could no longer sit still.
Inside the Hall of Arbitration—
Someone sneered.
"The Mortal Sect?Mortals trying to establish a Dao?It must be destroyed."
But another voice, quiet and heavy, interrupted.
"Have you noticed?"
"They aren't building an ascension pathway."
"They're growing on their own."
Below the clouds—
Shen Yan began his first official cultivation.
No spirit spring.No elixirs.
Just an ordinary forest.
He entered.
He didn't come out for a long time.
When he finally emerged—
Something walked beside him.
A small spirit beast.
Thin.Dog-like—but not quite.
Its tail dragged across the ground.
Its eyes, however—
Were impossibly bright.
Su Wan glanced at it.
Her phone chimed.
[Spirit Beast Bonding: Successful][Type: Wild Awakening Variant][Evaluation: Extremely High Potential]
She smiled.
"The Mortal Sect…"
"…has begun growing on its own."
High above—
Beyond the clouds—
A pair of eyes watched coldly.
"So that's it."
"They're not rebelling against Heaven."
"They're opening another road."
And for the first time—
The Immortal Realm realized something terrifying:
This path…might not lead upward at all.
It might lead forward.