Chapter 2: First Disciple
The hall was quiet except for a low hum. The array was working. Li Fan sat on the floor, trying to follow the manual.
Make a spark.
Inside him, where his power was supposed to be, felt empty. A huge, cold emptiness. But he pushed his mind into it.
A small flicker of light appeared. It was weak.
[Host is Foundation Establishment, Late Stage. Quality: weird. It's empty but also too dense. Moving on.]
The words appeared in blue boxes. So he was Late Stage Foundation Establishment. That was the second big level in this world. It sounded okay. But "empty" made sense. He felt like a shell.
He fed the flicker a little energy from the array. It got a bit brighter. A small warmth spread in his stomach. Better than nothing.
A loud grumble filled the hall. Not the array.
His stomach.
[New mission: Don't starve.]
[Goal: Find food near the sect. Your body needs it.]
[Reward: Guide to spirit herbs.]
[Fail: You die hungry. Not cool.]
"Right, right," Li Fan said, standing up. The little flame inside him faded. Food came first.
He walked to the broken gate. The sun was high. Then he heard it.
A yell. A deep, young yell.
"Go away! Shoo!"
Then a heavy thud.
Li Fan looked down the path. A big shape was coming up. A boy. A huge boy. He had wide shoulders and a simple face, now red and upset. He was hitting the air behind him with a stick.
A little blue bird zipped around his head. Peck!
"Ow! Stupid bird!"
[That's an Azure Peak Finch. Qi Condensation level, layer 2. It likes shiny spirit energy. Host, your new power is leaking. You're shiny.]
The bird dove again. The big boy yelled, tripped, and fell on his back right at the start of the path to the sect. He looked up, saw Li Fan, and his eyes got wide with hope.
"Mister! Help!"
Li Fan sighed. He picked up a rock and threw it. He didn't aim at the bird. He aimed where it was flying.
THWACK.
The rock hit the dirt. The sound was sharp. The bird screamed and flew away into the trees.
The boy stared. He jumped up and bowed so fast he stumbled. "Thank you, sir! That was amazing! One throw! Are you an immortal?"
"Just a guy who can throw," Li Fan said. He looked the boy over. Rough clothes, strong hands. His spirit energy was weak but there [Qi Condensation, Layer 3]. All in his body. No skill, just raw strength.
"Name? And why is a cultivator losing to a bird?"
The boy's face fell. "I'm Zhang Tie. From the village down there. I'm not really a cultivator. I can't do anything. I'm just strong. They said I'm too dumb. My spirit root is only good for carrying things." He kicked the dirt. "They told me to leave."
Li Fan listened. A thrown away kid. Strong, weak cultivation, no home. He looked at his own sect: one fixed-up hall, a broken gate, an empty mountain.
An idea came.
"This is the Heavenly Dao Sect," Li Fan said, standing straighter. "I am Sect Master Li Fan. We are... looking for members."
Zhang Tie's head shot up. "A real sect?" He looked past Li Fan at the hall like it was a castle.
"A real sect," Li Fan said. "The work is hard. No fame. No food right now. Can you listen to orders?"
"Yes, Sect Master!" Zhang Tie yelled, standing stiff. "I can work! I can lift anything! I don't eat much!"
[Target: Zhang Tie. Age 16. Qi Condensation, Layer 3. Power: Pure body strength. Earth type. Lots of hidden talent. Good for work and fighting. Say yes.]
"First job, Disciple Zhang," Li Fan said, pointing west. "The system says there are wild spirit potatoes that way. Find them. Dig them. Bring them back. Your first task for the sect."
Zhang Tie's chest puffed out. A mission. From a Sect Master. He had a place. "I will find the biggest potatoes, Sect Master!" He turned and ran up the west path like a storm, dust flying behind him.
Li Fan watched him go. The empty feeling inside moved, just a little. It wasn't so quiet now.
[First Disciple: Zhang Tie. Sect people: 2.]
[New Mission: Build a place to sleep.]
[Goal: Make the Disciple Barracks. Use the wood and stones.]
[Reward: 'Mountain's Embrace' training manual (for disciples), 5 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]
[Note: Disciples can't sleep in the hall. Build.]
A simple picture of a long, small building appeared in Li Fan's mind. Four beds.
He looked at the pile of old wood from cleaning the hall. The stones from the broken wall. Not enough.
Zhang Tie came back. In less than fifteen minutes. His arms were full of dirty potato-looking vegetables. He also had a whole dead tree under one arm.
"Sect Master! Potatoes! And this tree looked useful!"
Li Fan stared. The Layer 3 strength was real. "Good. New job. We build a barracks. Bring all the good wood you find. Pile it here."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
Zhang Tie became a tornado of work. He carried wood and stones with happy grunts. Li Fan felt something new. A flicker of... a plan. Not just living. Building.
[Building started. Time until first enemies come: maybe 2 days. Suggest making basic defenses soon.]
Enemies. Right. This wasn't a quiet place. The Fierce Tiger Sect the system mentioned would come. He had a disciple who could lift trees and a hall that hummed. He needed a wall. He needed a plan.
He fed the little flame inside him a bit more energy. It warmed his hands.
Step by step, he thought. First, potatoes. Then, a barracks. Then... we'll see.