Lin Chen stood before his five disciples.
Five.
That number still felt unreal.
The mountain was quiet, attentive—like it was sitting in on the class.
Lin Chen cleared his throat.
"Today," he said, "we begin formal cultivation."
The disciples straightened.
Little Green rolled to the front and flipped a sign:
NO EXPLOSIONS PLEASE
Lin Chen pointed. "That's actually part of the curriculum."
---
"Azure Cloud Sect cultivation is different," Lin Chen continued.
"We don't force Qi. We listen."
Zhao Feng blinked. "Listen… to what, Master?"
Lin Chen gestured downward.
"The land. The flow. The balance."
The ground pulsed softly, like a heartbeat.
The disciples swallowed.
---
> System Instruction:
Initiate Foundational Method:
Earth-Breath Circulation (Prototype)
Risk: Low
Side Effects: Grounded mindset, mild humility
Lin Chen demonstrated.
He breathed in.
Slow. Deep.
The air followed the land's rhythm.
The disciples mimicked him.
---
Su Ming frowned. "…Master, I feel… calm."
Lin Chen nodded. "Good. That means you're not about to explode."
The mountain approved.
---
One disciple, a boy named Han Yu, frowned deeply.
"…Master. I feel nothing."
Lin Chen smiled. "Then you're doing it right."
Han Yu stared. "…Really?"
"Yes. Cultivation isn't fireworks. It's foundations."
Little Green flipped a sign:
FIREWORKS ARE A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT
---
As the lesson continued, something subtle happened.
Qi didn't surge.
It settled.
The mountain's spirit veins aligned.
The pavilion hummed in approval.
> Sect-Wide Effect Triggered:
Shared Foundation Resonance
Efficiency: +10%
Risk of Deviation: -30%
Lin Chen felt it immediately.
His own cultivation stabilized further—without effort.
"…Teaching is cheating," he muttered.
---
Then—
A tremor.
Small.
Localized.
Everyone froze.
Lin Chen turned slowly toward Little Green.
The radish held up a sign:
NOT ME
PROBABLY
---
The tremor passed.
The land calmed.
The system chimed.
> Minor Warning:
External Attention Detected
Source: Nearby Minor Sect
Intent: Investigation
Lin Chen exhaled.
"Alright," he said. "Lesson over."
The disciples blinked. "That's it?"
"Yes," Lin Chen replied. "We stop before things go wrong."
The mountain sighed in relief.
---
As they dispersed, Lin Chen gazed toward the horizon.
Azure Cloud Sect was no longer invisible.
Others were noticing.
And while Lin Chen preferred peace—
He knew one truth well:
A foundation strong enough to support growth
would eventually attract those who wanted to stand on it.
Or take it.
He turned back to his sect, calm and resolute.
"Come," he murmured.
"Let's see who knocks."