First Disciple, Sect Upgrade

A bright moon hung high in the night sky, stars twinkling as they cast down a gentle glow that dyed heaven and earth in a faint silver sheen.

The strange group of three traveled beneath the moonlight through the silent forest. Insects chirped and birds called now and then, yet there was not a trace of human habitation.

Walking at the rear, Xiao Lingxi watched the increasingly desolate scenery around them, and her suspicions toward Su Bai deepened. One hand had already settled on her sword hilt.

At the slightest disturbance, she would draw her sword at once!

After a while, a small hill appeared ahead. Su Bai raised a hand and pointed. "The Heavenly Dao Sect is up ahead."

Hearing this, Xiao Lingxi hurriedly lifted her head and looked closely.

The hill truly did not seem large. There were practically no decent buildings atop it, only a single dilapidated thatched hut standing there all alone.

The surroundings were utterly silent. Let alone a human figure, not even the glow of a single candle could be seen!

"What kind of shabby sect is this?" Xiao Lingxi's suspicion had reached its limit as she muttered inwardly, And he still says he isn't a swindler!

Even Zhuge Feng, who had remained steady throughout, could not help wavering at this moment. No matter how he looked at it, this place did not resemble a proper sect in the slightest.

Yet a faint smile appeared at the corner of Su Bai's lips.

The moment one of his feet stepped into the sect's territory, his strength had already become invincible!

In the blink of an eye, his entire body vanished from where he stood like a ghost.

The next moment, Su Bai appeared directly before the thatched hut's door atop the hill at an unimaginable speed!

"Shrinking the Earth to an Inch!"

Xiao Lingxi and Zhuge Feng both widened their eyes. Their pupils contracted slightly from extreme shock, and stormy waves rose within their hearts, refusing to settle for a long time.

Shrinking the Earth to an Inch was not only an immortal art, but an exceptionally powerful one. At the very least, one had to reach the Foundation Establishment realm before they could learn it!

In other words, this swindler who looked incomparably young was actually a powerful immortal master!

"Are you still not coming to acknowledge me as your master?"

On the hilltop, Su Bai stood with his hands behind his back and called out to Zhuge Feng.

Zhuge Feng came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and tried his best to calm his wildly excited emotions before jogging toward the hill.

Before long, he reached the summit. He respectfully dropped to both knees before Su Bai, who stood at the door, then solemnly kowtowed three times and cried out, "This disciple, Zhuge Feng, greets Master!"

Zhuge Feng

Su Bai nodded slightly, satisfaction appearing on his face. "Rise. From this day onward, you are my, Su Bai's, eldest disciple and the Heavenly Dao Sect's senior brother."

At the same time, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

"Ding. Mission complete. The sect has been upgraded to one star. The one-star rewards have been issued. Please inspect them, Host."

[ Sect Information ]

Sect Name: Heavenly Dao Sect

Sect Level: One Star (Upgradeable)

Sect Members: 2 (Disciple information may be viewed at any time)

Sect Territory: A radius of one li (The Host is absolutely invincible within the territory)

Sect Buildings: One Sect Main Hall, one Immortal Arts Pavilion

Sect Real Estate: One mu of fertile farmland, one hundred spirit seeds.

Sect Assets: 0

Sect Points: 0

Conditions to upgrade to a two-star sect: Recruit three disciples (with sect loyalty above 60), and have more than 100 sect points.

Mission: Please upgrade to a two-star sect as soon as possible. Reward: One Battle Arts Pavilion, one Pill Pavilion.

Host Feedback: The Host's strength is ten times the combined strength of all sect disciples.

As the system prompt sounded, Su Bai's heart surged with excitement. It had finally upgraded!

"Upgrade!"

Su Bai silently uttered the command in his heart.

The next moment, the earth shook and the mountains trembled, and the entire hill began to change.

Rumble...

The originally dilapidated thatched hut vanished in an instant, replaced by a majestic, towering palace that radiated an awe-inspiring grandeur.

Above the palace stood a plaque bearing three dragon-flying, phoenix-dancing characters: "Heavenly Dao Sect"!

At the same time, a splendid palace appeared not far from the main hall, with the words "Immortal Arts Pavilion" engraved upon it.

The entire small hill expanded to more than twice its original size. It was no longer so barren either, now carrying several traces of spiritual charm.

These sudden scenes left Zhuge Feng and Xiao Lingxi dumbfounded. Their mouths hung open as they stared blankly at everything before them.

What had they just seen?

Creating things from nothing, altering the terrain!

If Shrinking the Earth to an Inch was still within the bounds of comprehension, then this godlike method was simply too unbelievable, utterly beyond the mortal world.

A Golden Core True Person?

Or an old Nascent Soul monster?

Or perhaps the legendary Spirit Transformation?

Master is so incredible—who knew how many times stronger he is than Steward Wang! Zhuge Feng thought, secretly rejoicing that he had chosen to trust his master.

"Zhuge Feng, that is the Immortal Arts Pavilion. Go choose an immortal art most suitable for your cultivation."

Su Bai instructed Zhuge Feng.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhuge Feng bowed once more, then entered the Immortal Arts Pavilion with an excited expression.

Could he finally come into contact with immortal arts?

He clenched his fists, overflowing with excitement!

Yet the instant he stepped into the Immortal Arts Pavilion, the sight before him shook him once again.

Throughout the Immortal Arts Pavilion, who knew how many immortal art scrolls floated in the air!

"Gasp..."

Even with Zhuge Feng's calm disposition, he could not help drawing in a cold breath, his heartbeat accelerating.

The sight was simply too shocking for him to calm himself.

"Please place your hand upon the stone platform ahead."

An ethereal female voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Wh... who is speaking?"

Zhuge Feng jolted and quickly looked around.

Yet aside from the scrolls floating throughout the air, there was not a single person to be found.

"I am the Guardian Spirit of the Immortal Arts Pavilion. There is no need to be afraid."

The ethereal female voice continued to echo beside his ear. "By the rules, every new disciple who joins our Heavenly Dao Sect may choose one immortal art."

"If you wish to choose for yourself, you may select any immortal art scroll. If you want me to choose for you, place your hand on the stone tablet ahead."

Hearing this, Zhuge Feng breathed a sigh of relief. So it was the Guardian Spirit.

"Then I ask Senior Guardian Spirit to choose for me."

Zhuge Feng respectfully clasped his hands and bowed toward the stone platform before him, then placed his hand upon it.

He did not understand immortal arts. To him, having any immortal art to cultivate was enough; as for what kind it was, that did not matter.

With so many immortal arts, he had no idea how to choose. Letting the Guardian Spirit choose for him was undoubtedly the better option.

"Your temperament is steady, neither arrogant nor impetuous. This is the Dao Scripture: Qi Refining Chapter. It is most suitable for your cultivation and can lay a better foundation."

In an instant, the stone tablet lit up with dazzling yellow radiance, and an immortal art scroll slowly emerged.

"Thank you, Senior Guardian Spirit, for your favor. This junior is endlessly grateful." Zhuge Feng was overjoyed. Holding the immortal art scroll in both hands, he bowed toward the Guardian Spirit before withdrawing.

Though he had long prepared himself mentally, when he truly picked up the yellow scroll in his hands, he still could not stop his heart from surging, utterly thrilled.

Was this the immortal art he had dreamed of day and night?