The next morning, Lin Xiao Tian began exploring his sect properly with a calmer mind than yesterday.
If he wanted to survive one hundred years and avoid annihilation, he needed to know exactly what he possessed.
He started with the library, pushing open the doors as the scent of aged wood and ink filled the air. Shelves stretched endlessly, layered with jade slips and thick manuals radiating faint spiritual light.
He picked one at random and glanced at it before his expression froze instantly. Top-tier Heaven Grade cultivation manual, Dragon-Elephant Sutra.
His hand stiffened before grabbing another without thinking this time. Top-tier Heaven Grade martial technique, Heaven Suppressing Finger.
He swallowed slowly as his gaze swept across the endless rows around him without blinking. Every single manual was at least top-tier Earth Level, with a frightening number reaching Heaven Tier.
Sword arts, body refinement methods, soul cultivation scriptures, and even forbidden techniques rested quietly on those shelves.
Any one of them would cause bloodshed outside, yet here they were sitting like abandoned junk.
He quietly placed the manual back with more care than before. Even he felt a bit undeserving touching them with his current strength.
Next, he moved toward the armory and pushed the doors open as a low hum echoed faintly. Rows upon rows of weapons filled the hall, each one shimmering with restrained killing intent.
Swords, spears, halberds, and bows were arranged neatly, yet the air itself felt sharp enough to cut skin. He reached out and grabbed a sword without thinking too much.
The blade trembled slightly as if acknowledging his identity as sect master. Its aura alone made his seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivation feel like it was about to collapse.
He stiffened and immediately placed it back like nothing happened. Getting bullied by a sword was not something he planned to admit to anyone.
After that, he walked into the alchemy hall, where rows of furnaces stood carved from rare metals and embedded with spirit stones. Formation lines pulsed along their surfaces like veins carrying energy.
Even at a glance, he could tell these were top-tier alchemy furnaces meant for serious refinement. Even a complete amateur could probably produce high-grade pills using these things.
He exhaled slowly and left before his self-esteem took further damage.
Finally, he arrived at the beast garden, expecting something equally ridiculous inside after everything else he had seen. Instead, the place looked strangely empty compared to the other halls.
There were no roaring beasts or ancient guardians, only a vast enclosed valley stretching quietly before him. At the center, several eggs rested without movement as if nothing was special about them.
He frowned slightly and walked closer with a doubtful expression. "Don't tell me this is where you decided to save resources," he muttered under his breath.
Still, he activated the system interface and checked their stats without hesitation. The moment the information appeared, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Each egg possessed potential reaching at least the Mahayana Realm, with clear signs of further evolution possible. He stared at the calm shells like they were mocking his entire existence.
Mahayana.
He subconsciously ran through the cultivation realms in his mind one by one without skipping anything. Body Refining- Qi Refining- Qi Transformation- Foundation Establishment- Core Formation-Golden Core- Nascent Soul- Divine Transformation- Palace Formation- Dao Comprehension- Dao Condensation- Tribulation Transcendence, and finally Mahayana.
Each realm represented a terrifying gap that countless cultivators failed to cross in their lifetime. In most regions, even a Nascent Soul cultivator could dominate entire kingdoms without effort.
And Mahayana that was an existence that could overlook continents like they were nothing. Meanwhile, he was still stuck at the seventh layer of Qi Refining like a proper ant.
He looked at the eggs, then at his own hands, and stayed silent for a moment. After that, he nodded seriously like he had reached some profound conclusion.
"Good," he said calmly while maintaining his dignity. "At least my future pets won't look down on me forever."
He stared at them for another moment before his expression turned serious again. "I need to cultivate first, or these things might actually surpass me."
Right on cue, the system's voice rang inside his mind without any warning. "Cough, cough… Master."
His eyelid twitched once. "Each of those beasts, upon birth, will possess strength at least at the Core Formation Realm."
Lin Xiao Tian's cheeks slowly turned red from embarrassment.
"Damn system," he muttered stiffly while looking away. "You really don't need to say everything out loud like that."
The system stayed silent this time.
He turned around with forced dignity and walked out of the beast garden like nothing had happened. Core Formation at birth, while he was still stuck at Qi Refining like a joke.
If those things hatched now, he might have to call them senior.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
He coughed lightly and straightened his robe before restoring his composure again. As sect master, he needed to maintain proper bearing even if reality kept slapping him.
He slowly made his way toward the main hall, which now stood tall and imposing after the transformation. The structure finally looked like something worthy of being called a sect.
Inside, a neatly stacked pile of documents rested on the central table without disturbance. On top of it lay a single sheet of paper waiting quietly.
He picked it up and scanned it briefly, his expression turning slightly focused as he read. It contained information about a sect recruitment competition.
Ten li away from the sect mountain stood a city where low-level sects gathered every year. Dignitaries from stronger sects also appeared to observe and pick promising talents.
Young cultivators from nearby regions would gather there, hoping to step into the cultivation world. Just as he finished reading, the system spoke again without delay.
"Mission issued: Participate in the sect recruitment event."
A brief pause followed before the next line appeared.
"Objective: Recruit at least thirty disciples."
Lin Xiao Tian blinked once as he processed the number slowly. "Thirty?"
He looked around at the massive sect grounds filled with top-tier resources and empty halls. Without disciples, this place was nothing more than a decorated ruin.
If he wanted to survive one hundred years, he needed people no matter what.
He placed the paper back carefully and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Fine, let's see who's blind enough to join a sect no one has ever heard of."
Then his thoughts shifted as his expression slowly changed.
If he recruited disciples with strong backgrounds, trouble would follow sooner or later without exception. Those kinds of people always carried baggage behind them.
He needed loyalty, and loyalty rarely came from people who already had everything. His eyes slowly brightened as a new thought formed clearly people who had been stepped on their entire lives.
Then his mind moved further without stopping.
A genius with destroyed meridians, abandoned and forgotten by his clan.
A young master whose engagement had been broken after his cultivation regressed.
A fallen heir framed and cast out, forced to wander without support.
A so-called waste ridiculed by everyone while hiding terrifying potential underneath.
The more he thought about it, the faster his breathing became. These were the people who would rise against heaven itself if given the chance and if they rose under his banner, everything they became would belong to his sect.
His sect would provide resources, techniques, weapons, and protection without holding back anything and in return, he would get absolute loyalty without question.
When someone is pulled from the mud and handed the sky, they never forget who gave it to them.
A slow grin spread across his face as his thoughts settled completely.
If he gathered enough of these discarded "protagonists," he would not just build a sect. He would raise a nest of future monsters.