In the heat of combat, yelling out orders was the only option. It was messy, frantic players couldn't hear over the chaos, and Star's sharp battlefield instincts were wasted. Voice chat? Not in this world.
"System," He Yiming muttered, pacing the Sect Hall. "Is it possible to…"
"Yes," the system responded immediately.
He Yiming didn't hesitate. He outlined the features in his mind clean, efficient, functional. The system followed through.
A series of crisp notifications echoed across the players' interfaces:
> Team System Unlocked — Inner Disciple Tier
Form a 4-person squad. View each other's cultivation status.
Inner disciples can form teams of up to 40. Voice transmission enabled across all environments and distances.
Leaders can mark enemies. Marks are visible only to teammates for clearer command.
Basic Identification unlocked: scan names and known data on monsters and items. Unknowns remain hidden.
Players blinked. Then the cheer exploded.
"Yo, this is proper team mechanics!"
"No more shouting like cavemen!"
"This is the most immersive shit I've ever played."
The square became a storm of excitement. Players were already forming groups, scrambling to grab teammates they trusted.
He Yiming, meanwhile, quietly added every creature, herb, and artifact he knew into the identification system. It wouldn't cover the unknown but it was a start.
Outside the Sect Hall, Star was already in motion.
"The Star DKP Group is forming up! Looking for Frost Arrow pros, Colored Arm tanks, and anyone brave enough to master Chrysanthemum Poisoning!"
Players swarmed to him. Star's tactical plans were finally going to work.
The square transformed.
"Deep Sea Jerky! Ten silver, strongest expedition rations!"
"Daggers made from Deep Sea King teeth sharp as lightning!"
"Armor from his bones, thick enough to block a warbeast's charge!"
The Deep Sea King's remains had been harvested to the bone. His meat turned to jerky, nuggets, stir-fry. His fangs became blades, bones became armor. Every part had value.
Some formed teams immediately.
"Three daggers, need a Frost Arrow!"
"Four Frost Arrows, need a melee tank!"
"Star group's almost full! Get in!"
Others stayed solo.
Indomitable Bear stood at the edge, wrapped in crude armor stitched from sea beast hide. Knives, torches, potions he looked more like an adventurer than a cultivator.
"I can't even dent a Sea Race elite," he mumbled. "But Wang Lufei has his Colored Arm. First Ice Man has Frostbolt. Me? I'll find my own path."
He strapped the last pouch to his belt, dagger gleaming at his side. Alone, but certain.
Elsewhere on the mountain…
Wang Lufei stood still, breathing slow.
"First gate," he whispered.
He reversed one meridian. Then another.
"Second. Third… Fifth."
Veins bulged. His skin flushed red. His qi twisted unnaturally as five gates reversed within his body.
Then he moved.
One punch.
A ten-meter boulder shattered like brittle glass.
The earth shook.
Even He Yiming, watching from a distance, had to blink.
"That's… close to my own power," he murmured. "From a Body Forging cultivator. This Eight Gates method… terrifying."
He rubbed his chin.
"If I borrow it, it's not stealing. Right? It's appreciation."
Wang Lufei collapsed. His vision blurred. Then the hall of resurrection welcomed him with soft light.
"I can hold five gates at Body Forging… maybe six at Spirit Vein… Seventh only at Foundation. And the eighth gate?" He grinned. "Ten breaths. Then death."
He sat there laughing to himself, eyes bright.
Morning came.
He Yiming stood on the mountaintop, the sun brushing the horizon. With a flick of his hand, he called Mingyue back to its sheath.
He was finally in sync with the flying sword.
"Not weaker than Heavenly Thunder," he whispered.
Today, they would depart for the north.
But first
Ding.
> [Check-in Successful Reward: New Equipment — Sect Chariot Unlocked]
With a hum, the ground trembled. Metal groaned.
A massive vehicle shimmered into existence in front of the Sect Hall.
And so, the expedition would begin not on foot, but with the roar of wheels.