Those are my dandelions!

I appraised the man lying half-dead on the ground, wounds criss crossing his body like a gruesome roadmap.

Wei Zhang

Gender: Male

Age: 41

Cultivation: Nascent Soul Realm/Late Stage

Status: Alive (Heavily Injured)

Cause: Dire Thunder Serpent

I then turned to the system. 'Give me more information on him.'

'Do you have a habit of collecting helpless cultivators?' the system snarked.

I smirked. 'Why, feeling jealous?'

'If I had feelings, I'd certainly not waste them on your little charity cases.'

'Just show me the data, will you?'

Wei Zhang/Neutral

|Balanced|

Morality: Holds a balance of moral and self-interest.

Intentions: Acts based on circumstances, with a mix of self-interest and concern for others.

"Not bad," I mused aloud.

The system chimed in with a remark that made me laugh out loud. 'At least he's not another do-gooder like Xu Jie. One of those is enough.'

Speaking of Xu Jie, he was off to the side, practicing his ice techniques on a rock, clearly trying to stay busy. His commitment to the sect was unwavering, and I knew he'd always be loyal. It was endearing, really.

"What are you planning to do with him, Sect Leader?" Yutian Wei asked, poking Wei Zhang's unconscious form with a stick.

I pondered for a second. "Well, we need a grand elder who can train Xu Jie to master fire techniques."

"But I'm already proficient in Water and Ice cultivation," Xu Jie interjected, confused.

"It'll come in handy if you ever go against a cultivator using the same element," I explained with a grin.

Xu Jie immediately bowed. "Thank you for the opportunity and advice, Sect Leader."

The system snorted. 'What did you do that was so great?'

Ignoring the system, I pulled out a vial of my specially brewed healing potion, "Phoenix Tears Elixir." It glowed with a soft, ethereal light as I poured it down Wei Zhang's throat.

Wei Zhang's wounds began to heal rapidly, his breathing becoming steadier. "Well, let's go already," I said, effortlessly picking him up and slinging him over my shoulder.

"Sect Leader, we'll get there in the next 30 minutes," Yutian Wei informed me.

"Make that 5 minutes," I corrected with a smirk.

Just then, a Peak Nascent Soul realm beast, a Thunderclaw Bear, lumbered out of the trees, its eyes glinting with malevolence.

"S-Sect Leader!" Xu Jie stuttered, his voice filled with fear.

I calmly summoned my custom-made gun, "Dragon's Breath," and aimed. The gun, with intricate dragon engravings, fired a single shot. The bullet hit the bear's head, killing it instantly. I blew the tip of the gun and slid it back into my inventory.

'Not a bad shot,' the system remarked, while Yutian Wei gave me a thumbs up.

"What was that? How did it kill a Peak Nascent Soul realm beast?" Xu Jie asked, eyes wide with awe.

"It's a secret weapon from our Oceanic Sect," Yutian Wei said proudly.

"Will I be able to use one?" Xu Jie asked, looking at me with pleading eyes.

"If you break through to the Core Formation realm, you will receive one," I promised.

Xu Jie nodded eagerly. "Okay, now we can finally leave," Yutian Wei said with a sigh of relief.

We set out and soon arrived at the place where I first found Yutian Wei. The sight before us was unexpected. Around ten people, all wearing green and gray robes, were busy picking dandelions in the field I had created as an illusion to cover up the cemetery where Yutian's parents and their friends were buried.

What really surprised me was how they were even capable of doing this. It looked like the illusion was quite real in some ways, creating an actual field of dandelions. I asked the system about it, and it confirmed that the dandelions, which were not native to this universe, had healing properties. While they weren't as effective as my magic potion, they were better than any health pills on this continent. It seemed these people had discovered their effectiveness and were risking their lives to collect them.

The system, sounding rather smug, said, 'Well, looks like your illusion had some unintended side effects. Congrats on accidentally creating a healing herb hotspot.'

'Unintended side effects, my ass,' I muttered. "Still, who gave them permission to harvest here?"

The dandelion pickers finally noticed us and started pointing. One of them, particularly rude-looking, marched over and started questioning us.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing here?" he demanded.

I calmly replied, "You're on private property. If you wouldn't mind, please stop harvesting our possessions."

They burst out laughing, mocking me. "You must be crazy. This place belongs to the Verdant Lotus Clan."

I kept my cool, but when I looked over at Yutian Wei, I saw a tear rolling down his cheek as he gripped the sword I had given him for his 9th birthday. That was the last straw. I clenched my jaw in anger and slowly withdrew my sword from my side.

Xu Jie's eyes widened in fear as he saw my actions. "Sect Leader, be cautious. They not only seem to have high cultivation but they also belong to a high-ranking sect," he whispered.

I laughed evilly at his comment, not caring in the slightest. One of the men scoffed. "Sect Leader? You should listen to your disciple."

I moved unbelievably fast, suddenly standing in front of the scoffer, towering over him. He gulped and tried to step back, but it was too late. Blood started flowing from his mouth as my sword was already buried in his stomach. I quickly pulled it out and cut off his head with a swift, precise motion.

'Hell yeah, finally!' the system cheered.

The remaining nine disciples stared in shock, but only for a moment. They quickly composed themselves and launched an attack.

The first disciple lunged at me with a spear, but I sidestepped, grabbed the spear, and broke it in half with my bare hands. Before he could react, I drove my sword through his chest, ending his life instantly.

Two more disciples came at me from either side. I spun, my sword a blur of motion, slicing through their defenses. Their heads rolled to the ground before they could even comprehend what had happened.

A fourth disciple tried to cast a fire spell, but I disrupted his concentration with a quick flick of my wrist, sending a burst of qi his way. His own spell backfired, engulfing him in flames as he screamed in agony.

The fifth disciple hesitated, clearly frightened. I didn't give him a chance to recover. Closing the distance between us, I delivered a swift, lethal strike to his heart. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The four remaining disciples tightened their defensive formation, grim determination etched on their faces. Though skilled, their movements were no match for my speed and prowess. With a swift charge, I shattered their formation with a powerful sweep of my sword. One by one, they succumbed to my relentless assault, unable to withstand the onslaught.

The last disciple tried to flee, but I caught him with a well-aimed throw of my blade, pinning him to a tree. He gasped, blood trickling from his mouth, and then went still.

Both Yutian Wei and Xu Jie looked shocked but amazed at the display of my power. The fight was over in moments, and I stood amidst the bodies of the fallen disciples, my sword dripping with blood.

"Not bad for a warm-up, right?" I said, grinning at my disciples.

Xu Jie and Yutian Wei could only nod, their expressions a mix of awe and respect.

I wiped my sword clean and sheathed it, turning to my disciples. "Remember this: never underestimate your opponents, no matter how weak they may seem."

Yutian Wei nodded vigorously. "Yes, Sect Leader!"

Xu Jie, still wide-eyed, managed to stammer, "Understood, Sect Leader."

I looked down at the lifeless bodies and then back at my disciples. "Now, let's make sure this place remains undisturbed. Yutian, see to it that the illusion is reinforced. Xu Jie, help me with the bastard's bodies."

They both sprang into action, their previous shock replaced by determination. As we worked, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. My disciples were growing stronger, and together, we would protect our sect and its secrets, no matter the cost.

The system chimed in with an extremely excited tone, 'Well, that was fun. Maybe next time we can invite more guests to the party.'

I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a grin. "Let's hope not. But if they do come, we'll be more than ready."

—

Next Day

We were now in the backyard of the cemetery, where I had summoned gym equipment specially designed to improve both physical strength and cultivation simultaneously. These machines were no ordinary workout tools; they infused energy into the body with each repetition, pushing the limits of both physical endurance and spiritual cultivation.

"Sect Leader, I can't go on," Xu groaned, collapsing to the ground after only 20 sets of 10 reps on the pull-up machine.

I blew my whistle sharply. "Weak! Do you think you'll reach the immortal realm by giving up so easily?" I chided, my tone both mocking and encouraging.

Xu shook his head vigorously, determination flickering in his eyes.

"Look at your fellow disciple," I nodded towards Yutian Wei, effortlessly bench-pressing 350 lbs without relying on cultivation. "Do you think you stand a chance if one day you can't rely on your cultivation and have to depend solely on your pure strength?"

Xu scrambled to his feet, his resolve reignited. "Of course not, Sect Leader," he replied earnestly.

"Then do 100 more reps, come on!" I bellowed, urging him to push beyond his limits.

As Xu started his grueling set, a groan echoed from one of the guest rooms in the cemetery.

'I guess Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken,' the system chimed in with its usual dry humor.