Liu Feng's consciousness reeled as he tried to process what had just transpired. 'Wait, wait, WAIT!' he thought frantically. 'Why do they think I'm an immortal?! I'm just a tree for Heaven's sake!'
Then it hit him like a lightning bolt. His voice—that thunderous, otherworldly roar that had shaken the very foundations of the courtyard. Combined with whatever mystical and divine energy had apparently accompanied it, these cultivators had naturally assumed he was some divine being.
'Oh...' Liu Feng realized with growing excitement. 'OH! This is perfect! If they already think I'm an immortal, why not just roll with it?'
A devious plan began forming in his plant-based mind. This was his golden opportunity to complete that impossible mission. Instead of trying to convince them he was just a friendly neighborhood tree, he could leverage their misconceptions to his advantage.
'Time to put on the performance of a lifetime,' he decided, spending another precious Growth Point to activate Universal Communication once more.
[DING!]
[The Host has spent (1/1) Growth Point to use the skill {Universal Communication}. Current Growth Points: (10/12).]
Watching his precious growth points leave, Liu Feng felt a tinge of regret as he had always felt it a shame to spend money. But In this case, the reward far outweighed the cost.
"MORTALS," Liu Feng's voice boomed across the courtyard with that same divine resonance, "YOU HAVE RECOGNIZED MY TRUE NATURE."
The four cultivators trembled even more violently at this confirmation of their fears.
Liu Feng paused dramatically, then continued with what he hoped sounded like ancient wisdom. "I AM THE HEAVENLY STARS IMMORTAL—THE VERY FOUNDER OF THIS SECT ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO. I HAVE RETURNED TO WITNESS THE STATE OF MY LEGACY... AND TO RESTORE IT TO GLORY BEYOND ITS FORMER HEIGHTS."
'Wow, I'm actually pretty good at this whole charlatan thing,' Liu Feng thought smugly to himself. 'Maybe I missed my true calling as a con artist in my previous life.'
The effect of his words was immediate and devastating. The old Master's mouth fell open, his eyes widening to impossible proportions. Tears began streaming down his weathered cheeks as the full weight of the revelation hit him.
The three disciples had similar expressions of shock, but little Mei'er was the first to break the stunned silence. In a tiny, trembling voice, she whispered to her senior brothers, "What... what are we supposed to do now?"
Chen Haoran, still frozen in terror, hissed back, "Master said don't move no matter what! We shouldn't—"
But Shen Rui, quickly interrupted. "No, wait! Think about this logically. Our master's orders were only to ensure our safety, right? But this is the sect founder himself! He has higher authority than even Master. The most respectful and safest thing we can do is follow our master's example and kowtow properly!"
Chen Haoran's face darkened as he grabbed Shen Rui's robes with a clenched fist. "How dare you suggest going against Master's direct orders! You should bite your tongue before—"
"No, no, you misunderstand!" Shen Rui waved his hands frantically. "I'm not suggesting we disobey! Master's command was to keep us safe, and showing proper respect to the sect's founding immortal is the best way to guarantee that safety! It's actually following his wishes perfectly!"
Chen Haoran paused, his frown deepening as he considered his junior brother's reasoning. After a long moment, he released Shen Rui's robes with a heavy exhale. "Fine. You make a valid point."
Without further hesitation, all three disciples dropped into the deepest kowtow positions they could manage, their voices ringing out in unison: "The three Sect Master's disciples greet the Founder!"
Liu Feng's attention flickered to the disciples for a brief moment, but he quickly dismissed them. The old man was clearly the one in charge here—once he submitted completely, the disciples would naturally follow suit. No point wasting Growth Points acknowledging the underlings when he could focus on the main target.
He turned his focus back to the old geezer, who was still gazing at Liu Feng's tree form with a mixture of reverence, admiration, and overwhelming emotion. The elderly man seemed too overcome to speak, tears streaming down his face like a waterfall.
The silence stretched on for several agonizing minutes. Liu Feng waited patiently, but the old master just kept crying.
'Come on, old man,' Liu Feng thought with growing impatience. 'Say something! I'm trying to build dramatic tension here, but you're just... leaking all over the place.'
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of awkward sobbing, the Sect Patriarch slowly rose to his feet. He wiped his eyes with trembling hands, a self-deprecating smile crossing his weathered features.
"Great Heavenly Stars Immortal," he began, his voice thick with emotion, "this humble sect has deteriorated to such a hopeless state that we've been forced to sell our own treasures just to survive. But now... now that you have returned..." He dropped to his knees again, pressing his forehead to the ground. "I, Lu Zhou, pledge my complete and total allegiance to you! I hereby resign as sect master and place myself entirely under your divine guidance!"
The raw sincerity in the old man's voice caught Liu Feng off guard. This wasn't just some political maneuvering for his own benefit—the elderly cultivator was genuinely moved to his core.
Seeing their master's heartfelt declaration, Chen Haoran immediately nudged his junior disciples. Without hesitation, all three voices rang out in perfect unison: "We also pledge our complete allegiance to the Heavenly Stars Immortal!"
Immediately, a series of system notifications began chiming in Liu Feng's consciousness, but he pushed them aside for now. He had one more dramatic moment to milk.
[DING!]
[The Host has spent (1/1) Growth Point to use the skill {Universal Communication}. Current Growth Points: (9/12).]
Spending his final Growth Point on communication, Liu Feng's voice boomed out with benevolent authority: "LU ZHOU, THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO RESIGN. AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW MY GUIDANCE, YOU SHALL REMAIN AS SECT MASTER."
The old man's head snapped up in surprise and gratitude.
Feeling unexpectedly touched by the genuine emotion he'd witnessed, Liu Feng added more gently, "YOU HAVE DONE WELL AS SECT PATRIARCH UNDER SUCH DIFFICULT AND DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES. I AM SATISFIED."
"I... I am not worthy of such praise from the great founder," Lu Zhou whispered, bowing even deeper.
Liu Feng decided to end with something suitably grandiose: "SERVE ME WITH COMPLETE DEVOTION AND UNWAVERING LOYALTY. TOGETHER, WE SHALL ASCEND BEYOND THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES!"
The effect was monumental. The morale in the courtyard seemed to explode upward as all four cultivators shouted in unison: "Yes Sect Founder!"
They remained in their respectful positions, clearly waiting for further instructions. But Liu Feng had no intention of spending any more Growth Points on conversation right now. He had bigger priorities—like figuring out what the hell all those system notifications were trying to tell him.
'Let them stand there and marinate in their newfound devotion for a while,' he thought with satisfaction. 'Time to see what rewards this little performance has earned me.'
The system notifications were overwhelming as chime after chime went off in his Tree head:
[DING!]
[The Host has completed the Prerequisite Task: Tame the Sect Patriarch and his three disciples!]
[Reward: System Function "Gift Shop" has been unlocked!]
[DING!]
[The Host has completed his first official task!]
[Reward: System Newbie Starter Pack obtained! Say Open Starter Pack To View The following prizes!]
[DING!]
[The Host has earned 10 Growth Points for task completion!]
[DING!]
[The Host has gained 4/4 subordinates! Subordinate loyalty levels can be viewed on the Host's Properties Panel!]
[DING!]
[System Quest Function has been unlocked!]
[Note: The Quest Function allows the Host to earn various rewards and Growth Points by completing System-assigned tasks.]
[DING!]
[System Function "With Great Power Comes Great Sacrifice" has been unlocked!]
[Note: The Host can now exchange items obtained from subordinates for Growth Points!]
[DING!]
[New Quest Assigned: Successfully make The Heavenly Stars Immortal Pavilion the strongest and most powerful sect known throughout the entire Cultivation World!]
[WARNING: No additional quests will be assigned until this one is completed.]