The pressure thickened.
To the villagers, it was an invisible weight pressing against their chests, forcing breaths to come shallow and fast. To me, it was crude, an unrefined release of qi meant to intimidate, not to kill. The kind favored by low to mid level sect disciples who mistook power for authority.
The cultivator at the front smirked as silence spread.
"Well?" He said lazily. "No one wishes to speak for the village/"
Xiao stood beside me, rigid as drawn bowstring. I could feel his Qi trembling, threatening to surface. Not because he wanted to fight, but because instinct screamed at him to protect.
He was dangerous like that.
Untrained talent was the easiest kind to exploit.
I raised a hand slightly.
"Xiao," I said softly, "breathe."
He hesitated.
"Slow," I added. "Like we practiced."
His shoulders lowered by a fraction. The trembling subsided.
The cultivator noticed the exchange and laughed. "Giving instructions already? You look like you'll collapse if the wind blows."
"Perhaps," I replied calmy. "But this wind is unnecessary."
His simle faded.
"You're bold for a mortal."
"I'm tired." I corrected. 'And tired men don't enjoy being disturbed."
For a moment, the cultivators simply stared at me. Then the one behind the leader scoffed.
'Kill him," he muttered. "We don't need chatter."
Killing intent surged.
That was when the world... Paused.
Not time.
Not space.
Me.
Something within me shifted, like a long-sealed door opening quietly.
The Dao's word echod in my, clear as the day I heard them.
I will give you somthing else.
Then-
A presence unfolded.
Golden characters appeared before my eyes, visible to me alone. They were not imposed upon the world like ordinary systems, nor did they carry the artificial rigidity of heavenly constructs.
They felt... Natural.
As if they had always been there, merely waiting for me to notice.
[Mortal Dao System - Initialized]
Host: Xu Yan
Current Identity: Ling Yang
State: Mortal
Cultivation: None (LOCKED BY DAO)
I exhaled slowly.
So this was it.
Not a cultivation system.
Not a power-granting system.
A framework.
[The Dao does not grant power.]
[The Dao grants understanding.]
More lines followed, unhurried, deliberate.
[Mortal Dao System Core Principle:]
-Harmony over Force
-Accumulation over Breakthrough
-Influence over Domination
[You may not cultivate.]
[You may not forcibly absorb qi.]
[You may not defy the laws of mortality.]
A faint smile touched my lips.
Good.
I had no intention of doing any of that.
The system continued.
[Mortal Dao System]
Primary Authority:
-Dao of Living (Incomplete)
Passive Effects:
-Heightened perception of Dao-Aligned Phenomena
-Ability to Sense Spiritual Roots, Fate Inclination, and Dao Resonance.
-Natural Calming Presence (Scales with influence)
So that was why the village had begun to change.
Not because I was secretly cultivating.
But because I was aligned.
[Unlocked Function: Foundation Establisment]
You may establish a Dao-Aligned Mortal Institution.
Designation: Unassigned
Scope: Local
Growth Method: Teaching, Labor, Order, Harmony
My heart stirred.
A sect.
But not in name.
In function.
[Warning:]
Host possesses no combat authority.
Direct confrontation with cultivators is discouraged.
Resolution through Dao-compatible Means Recommended.
I looked up.
The cultivator's hand was already forming a seal.
He intended to cripple me.
I stepped forward instead.
"You misunderstand," I said calmly, my voice cutting cleany through the tension.
The cultivator paused, brow furrowing. "What/"
"This village," I continued, "Does not belong to you."
A pulse rippled outward.
Not qi.
Something subtler.
The villagers behind me straightened unconsciosly. Breathing steadied. Fear dulled, not gone, but meanageable.
The cultivator's expression shifted.
'What did you do?" He demanded.
"Nothing," I replied honestly. "I simply stood where I should."
[Passive Effect Triggered: Dao Calming Presence]
Affected Tragets: 37 Mortals
Result: Fear Reduced, Mental Stability Increased
The cultivators were not affected.
But they noticed.
The leader narrowed his eyes. "You're not ordinary."
"No," I agreed, "But neither am I your enemy."
He snorted. 'Then give us the boy."
Xiao inhaled sharply.
I felt his qi surge again, stronger this time.
Too strong.
If it erupted, he would be exposed.
And taken.
The system responded instantly.
[Detected: Latent High-Grade Spiritual Roots]
Subject: Xiao
Status: Suppressed (Self-Imposed)
Risk: Exposure Imminent
[Suggested Action:]
-Redirect Conflict
-Invole Mortal Authority
Boundary
Yes.
I stepped forward until I stood directly Xiao and then cultivators.
"You want talent," I said."you won't find it here."
The leader laughed. "You think we can't tell?"
"Then tell me this," I said quietly. "What kind of sect bullies mortals in broad daylight?"
The laughter died.
"Careful," he warned.
"Cloud River Sect," I continued, "claims righteousness, yet? You cultivate water aspected techniques. Flow. Patience. Adaptation."
His eyes flickered.
"I've read your sect doctrines." I lied smoothly. "You preach harmony between land and river."
I gestured around us.
"Look at this village. Dry land. Fragile people. What happens when a flood comes?"
The leader hesitated.
Just for a moment.
It was enough.
[Mortal Dao System - Influence Check]
Target: Sloud River Disciple (Leader)
Result: Doubt introduced
"You waste time," another cultivator snapped. "Take the boy and go."
I shook my head slowly.
"If you do," I said, "This land will reject you."
They laughed again.
But the sound was strained.
"You feel it, don't you?" I continued. 'Your qi is unsettled. The air here doesn't welcome you.
That was true.
Not because I willed it.
But because harmony resented intrusion.
The Dao favored balance.
The leader raised a hand.
"Enough," he said.
The others stared at him in disbelief.
"We leave."
"What?"
"For now," he added sharply.
His gaze locked onto me. "This isn't over, mortal,"
"I know," I replied.
They turned and left, dust trailing benhind them.
Only when they vanished did Xiao's knees buckle.
I caught him.
He laughed shakily. "That was... Terrifying."
"Yes," I said. "And avoidable. If we prepare."
He looked at me, eyes bright with something new.
"Teach me."
They system pulsed again.
[Mortal Institution Established]
Name: Unassigned
Founder: Xu Yan
Vice Authority: Xiao(Provisional)
Initial influence: Minimal
Potential Unmeasured
[Unlocked function: Mortal Governance]
-Assign roles
-Establish rules
-Accumulate influence through stability
I helped Xiao sit.
"This isn't a cultivation sect," i said. "You won't gain power."
He nodded. "I dont want power."
"Good," I replied. "Then you're qualified."
Thta night, as the village slept peacefully, I stood beneath the stars.
I had no cultivation.
No strength.
No techniques.
Yet.
For the first time, the heavens had stepped back.
And I undertood what the Dao had given me. Not power to stand above the world. But the means to shape it quietly. This was only the beginning. And somewhere far away, the cultivation world had begun to ripple.