Outside the mountain gate of Primordial Beginning Sect, absolute chaos erupted—feathers flying and shouts ringing out, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
Amidst the pandemonium, the system's notification chimed in Jiang Ling's mind:
[Ding! Detected host gifting items to personal disciple Hua Yuntian: 1 x Basic Qi Circulation Art (Middle-Tier Yellow Rank), 10 x Low-Grade Qi Concentrating Pills.]
[Ten-Thousandfold Reimbursement Triggered!]
[Reimbursement Successful! Congratulations, host! You have obtained: Immortal-Grade Technique The Supreme Heartless Sword Canon, 100 x Top-Grade Qi Concentrating Pills!]
"Immortal-Grade technique! And top-grade Qi Concentrating Pills!"
Jiang Ling instantly forgot about the chaos unfolding before his eyes, drowning once again in overwhelming ecstasy.
He stared at the jade slip exuding an icy, solitary sword intent and the ten emerald-green medicine bottles in his system inventory, the corners of his mouth stretching so wide they almost reached his ears.
"I'm rich! Rich again!"
He turned his gaze to Hua Yuntian, who was being chased around like a rat by Jincancan, his eyes suddenly brimming with "affectionate kindness."
"Good disciple! Truly a treasure to your master! A bit dim-witted, sure—but this reimbursement rate… Chef's kiss! Absolutely divine!"
He fished out a top-grade Qi Concentrating Pill at once and shouted toward Hua Yuntian, who was howling in pain as he was pecked: "Disciple Yuntian! Stop running! Master's got a top-grade Qi Concentrating Pill for you—take it and heal your wounds…"
Jiang Ling's mind whirled with delight: If I gift the reimbursed top-grade pills to Hua Yuntian again, wouldn't that trigger another ten-thousandfold reimbursement? Immortal pills? Divine pills? Hehehe…
But the thought had barely crossed his mind when a cold, emotionless mechanical voice exploded in his head like thunder:
[Warning! Detected host attempting to exploit system loopholes!]
[Re-gifting system-reimbursed items (including but not limited to techniques, pills, magical treasures, etc.) to disciples will NOT trigger secondary reimbursement!]
[Repeated gifting of the same type of item to the same disciple will NOT trigger duplicate reimbursement effects.]
[Please host stay grounded, strive to develop the sect, recruit more disciples, and abandon all lucky chances!]
"!!!"
The smile froze on Jiang Ling's face, as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over his head, chilling him to the bone.
There goes that plan.
He'd even dreamed of passing down The Supreme Heartless Sword Canon to that kid to milk the system for another windfall.
With his little scheme ruthlessly crushed by the system, the benevolent smile on Jiang Ling's face faltered a fraction.
Oh well. With an Immortal-Grade technique in hand and a hundred top-grade Qi Concentrating Pills, he had more than enough to keep him happy for a while.
Jiang Ling's mood brightened again in an instant. He waved a hand grandly and called out to the crowd still watching from the foot of the mountain:
"The Grand Opening Ceremony is a resounding success! As for the rest of you… uh, disperse! Disperse! Your immortal fate has run its course—do not force it!"
With that, he snatched the still-flapping Jincancan out of the air, turned on his heel, and sauntered leisurely into the mountain gate, as if the farce moments earlier had never happened.
Left behind were a crowd of dumbfounded onlookers and Hua Yuntian, standing rooted to the spot, his face covered in claw marks, seething with unbridled rage.
"Damned feathered beast!"
Hua Yuntian ground his teeth so hard they creaked, his lungs ready to burst with fury.
He, the reincarnation of a mighty Tribulation Transcending Ancestor, had been chased around and pecked on the buttocks in full view of everyone by a chicken!
This unspeakable humiliation stung far deeper than his past-life betrayal by his Taoist partner.
He fixed his burning gaze on the direction where Jiang Ling and Jincancan had disappeared, his eyes blazing with rage.
"Just you wait! I'll remember this humiliation till the day I die! Once my cultivation is restored, I'll repay this debt a hundredfold! And that wretched pair… not a single one of you will escape!"
Hua Yuntian's head snapped up, his gaze seeming to pierce through thousands of miles of void, toward the Immortal Realm hidden behind endless layers of clouds in the nine heavens.
Burning deep in his eyes was an unquenchable hatred and an unshakable resolve of iron.
"What are you all gawking at? Get moving!"
Jiang Ling's lazy voice drifted out from inside the mountain gate, cutting through Hua Yuntian's rage.
He took a deep breath, forcing down his towering anger, and strode into the gate with a livid face.
The other nine outer disciples Jiang Ling had recruited exchanged uneasy glances, then followed him in, their hearts filled with trepidation.
But the sight that greeted them left every single one of them frozen in place.
There were none of the imagined immortal splendors—no jade palaces, no divine beasts, no celestial birds.
Nothing but collapsed walls, shattered rubble, charred beams and pillars, and a few lonely standing columns that hinted at the sect's former grandeur.
The place was a complete wreck, as if it had just survived a sect-annihilating war.
"This… this is Primordial Beginning Sect?!"
"An immortal sect? It looks like it got trampled flat by the beast tide!"
"Did we get scammed? Can anyone even live here?"
"Where's the reclusive grand sect that slew a Nascent Soul Demon King? There's not even a place to shelter from the wind and rain!"
The outer disciples erupted into an uproar, their faces twisted with disappointment and anger.
Hua Yuntian's expression darkened further from livid to pitch-black, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. If looks could kill, Jiang Ling would have died eight hundred times over by now.
Jiang Ling halted and turned around, not the slightest trace of embarrassment on his face—instead, he wore an air of unfathomable mystery.
"Ruins? Hmph. That was the past. Today, I'll show you all what true immortal magic looks like!"
Before his words faded, he connected with the system via his thoughts:
"System, deploy the Sect Main Hall, Disciple Quarters, and Jade Platform!"
Rumble—BOOM!
It was like a clap of thunder exploding out of nowhere!
To the absolute horror and disbelief of everyone present, the ground at the heart of the ruins on Primordial Beginning Peak began to tremble violently.
Dazzling golden light erupted from the earth, dispelling all darkness in an instant.
Within the golden radiance, countless metal-glinting foundation stones materialized out of thin air, stacking and assembling themselves with a life of their own at breakneck speed.
Walls rose up from the ground, glazed roof tiles cascaded down to cover the halls, and carved beams and painted rafters took shape rapidly amid the golden glow.
In the span of a few breaths, a magnificent, solemn main hall, shimmering with a faint spiritual aura, rose majestically in place of the ruins.
Emblazoned on the hall's plaque were three ancient, flowing characters: TAISHI HALL, with faint Daoist runes swirling around them.
"Hiss!"
"Good heavens! Creating something out of nothing?!"
"Immortal… immortal magic! This is the real deal!"
The disciples gaped, their jaws practically hitting the floor. Their earlier doubts and anger were instantly replaced by unparalleled shock and awe.
This was nothing short of a divine miracle!
But the transformations were far from over!
The moment the Sect Main Hall was completed, brilliant light erupted once more from the empty space outside Primordial Beginning Sect's mountain gate.
Countless massive stone steps, smooth as jade, materialized out of thin air, layer upon layer, winding upward into the clouds.
A hundred steps in total!
Each step was inscribed with profound runes, exuding a faint pressure and Daoist charm.
At the top of the stone steps, mist swirled like a sea of clouds, as if it connected directly to the palaces of the nine heavens.
The Jade Platform!
A hundred-step celestial staircase!
An invisible pressure descended over the mountain gate, leaving the lingering onlookers gasping for breath, their hearts filled with reverence.
"Gulp…"
Someone couldn't help but swallow hard.
Jiang Ling was immensely satisfied with the shocking effect. He stood with his hands behind his back, his voice ringing clearly both inside and outside the mountain gate:
"This is the Jade Platform, the Hundred-Step Celestial Staircase! From this day forth, anyone who wishes to join my Primordial Beginning Sect must climb these stairs.
Those who reach the sixtieth step shall be named Outer Disciples; those who reach the seventieth step shall be Ordinary Disciples; those who reach the eightieth step shall be Inner Disciples; and those who reach the ninetieth step…"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below, "Shall be qualified to enter my personal sect and become my Personal Disciples!"