Lu Kai stood on the windswept mountain peak, the vast, mist-shrouded cultivation world stretching out before him. The Authy System's voice, calm yet decisive, echoed in his mind. **"Host, your status has been adjusted according to this world's metrics. Please open your status window."**
Lu Kai complied, a holographic screen shimmering into existence before his eyes. The information displayed was both familiar and new:
**NAME:** Lu Kai
**CULTIVATION:** Mortal
His skills section had been updated:
**SKILL: Fist of Fury**
* *(Mountain Shaking Fist and Will of Fury merged together.)*
* **Host power increases by 20% while using this skill.**
A new, critical stat was revealed:
**SPIRITUAL ROOT:** Platinum
And under skills, a new ability was listed:
**SKILL: Platinum Crafting**
* **Level:** Origin
* **Host can create skills by himself when he unlocks his own Origin Element. Each element will give the host a chance to create three unique skills.**
Lu Kai absorbed this new information. His cultivation was currently at the lowest stage, Mortal. Yet, his "Fist of Fury" was a powerful fusion, and his Platinum Spiritual Root was now acknowledged. The potential to create his own skills by unlocking Origin Elements was a game-changer, directly tying into the "18 Elements of Origins" he possessed. He noticed a "System Shop" option, but it was currently locked.
With a determined nod, Lu Kai turned off the system window. His immediate goal was clear: join a sect. He descended the mountain, his divine senses straining to pick up any signs of life or civilization. Soon, he heard the distinct sounds of people – voices, the clatter of movement. Following the noise, he emerged from the wilderness to see a bustling city sprawled below: **Hanli City**.
The city was alive with activity. Cultivators from various factions had set up stalls, recruiting talented individuals. Many stalls were already crowded with hopeful youths who had passed some initial assessment. Lu Kai, though possessing immense divine power, was currently a 'Mortal' with an unrecognized spiritual root.
He approached stall after stall, only to be met with dismissive glances.
"Spiritual Root: Platinum? Never heard of it. Trash."
"Mortal cultivation? Move along, we need those with potential."
"Your spiritual root is too common. We have candidates with **high-grade spiritual roots** or **advanced cultivation stages** lining up."
Each rejection stung, a wave of frustration and anger washing over him. Who were these people to deem him trash? He was Arceus! He had created worlds! But in this moment, he was just a mortal with an unrecognized spiritual root.
The system chimed, a gentle reminder: **"Host, you have to join a sect."**
Lu Kai gritted his teeth. If no sect would accept him, then he would create his own. A thought, audacious and born from his unique abilities, took root.
He turned his back on the bustling city and the indifferent recruiters, ascending back to the mountain peak near the cliff where he had awakened. He took a deep breath, channeling the power of his Platinum affinity. **"Platinum Crafting,"** he commanded.
With precise control, he began to shape the very essence of the mountain. Veins of pure platinum, drawing from his spiritual root and the ambient energy, began to flow. He willed them to form walls, barriers, structures. He was not just shaping rock; he was *crafting* a sanctuary, an entire sect, from the ground up.
Within hours, a gleaming bastion of pure platinum rose on the mountain peak. It was stark, magnificent, and undeniably powerful. Lu Kai crafted a sect nameboard, imbuing it with his will. As he placed it at the entrance, he declared, **"This is the Platinum Sect. I am Sect Master."**
**To be continued...**