With the Absolute Zenith Spiritual Vein pulsing beneath the sect, the very grass on our mountain started growing crystalline leaves. The air was so saturated with high-level Qi that birds flying over the sect were accidentally evolving into phoenixes mid-flight.
Naturally, this attracted the "Elite."
While my original 10,000—now the "Exalted Elders of the Iron Era"—sat in meditative bliss, a new crowd gathered at the base of the Genesis Sect. Among them was Prince Zale of the Star-Crowned Empire. He arrived on a chariot pulled by four star-dragons, wearing armor that probably cost more than a small moon.
He didn't walk up the mountain. He flew his chariot straight to the main gates, nearly clipping Burny the Dragon's tail.
"I am Prince Zale!" he announced, his voice dripping with refined arrogance. "I have come to claim my rightful place as the Lead Disciple. My talent is 'Heaven-Grade SSS,' my bloodline is Ancient, and I brought my own chef."
I stepped out of the hall, leaning on a broom. Beside me, Lian Hua was suppressed a laugh behind her silken sleeve.
"Heaven-Grade SSS, huh?" I looked him up and down. "Impressive. Can you peel a potato?"
The Imperial Kitchen Crisis
Zale blinked, his golden eyes filled with confusion. "I beg your pardon? I am here to learn the Laws of the Universe, not... root vegetable maintenance."
"In this sect," I said, pointing to a mountain of brown tubers the size of boulders (thanks to the Zenith Vein's growth spurts), "the Law starts with the potato. If you can't handle a spud, you can't handle a star. Xuan Lu, show the Prince to his 'training station.'"
Xuan Lu, who now radiated the terrifying aura of a Heavenly Emperor, grabbed the Prince by his expensive collar.
"Wait! Unhand me! I have 5,000 spirit stones in my pocket! I can buy this mountain!" Zale shrieked.
"Great," Xuan Lu grunted, dropping him in front of a pile of 50,000 glowing potatoes. "You can use the stones to sharpen your peeling knife. Get to work, 'Your Highness.'"
The Breaking of the "Genius"
For three days, the Star-God Realm watched in shock. The most talented youth of their generation was sitting in a dirt pit, sobbing into a bucket of potato skins.
Every time Zale tried to use his "Heaven-Grade" fire magic to cheat, the potatoes—imbued with the Zenith Vein's energy—would simply absorb the heat and become tastier. Every time he tried to fly away, the sect's gravity array (powered by my 10,000 Elders) would gently but firmly face-plant him back into the mud.
On the fourth day, I walked down to the pit. Zale looked like a mess. His golden armor was stained with starch, and his manicured hands were calloused.
"Done?" I asked.
"I hate potatoes," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I hate them so much. I see them when I close my eyes. They're mocking me."
"Good," I said, offering him a hand. "That's the first lesson of the Genesis Sect: Your title means nothing to the universe. A potato doesn't care if you're a Prince. It only cares if you have the patience to deal with it."
As he took my hand, something happened. Because he had spent three days channeling his Qi into the "stubborn" Zenith-potatoes, his bottleneck snapped. A pillar of light erupted from his chest, signaling his breakthrough into the Soul Transformation Realm.
Zale stared at his hands. "I... I've been stuck for three years. All it took was... starch?"
"Humility is the best catalyst," I laughed.
The Reward of the Absolute Zenith
[Ding! Mission Sub-Goal Met: Humbled a 'Heaven-Grade' Genius.]
[Reward: Zenith Vein Evolution — 'The Well of Souls'.]
Suddenly, a fountain of liquid starlight erupted in the center of the courtyard. The Absolute Zenith Vein had reached its peak form. Now, the sect didn't just produce Qi; it produced Wisdom. Any disciple who drank from the well would have their past traumas healed and their focus sharpened to a razor's edge.
I turned to Lian Hua, who was watching the new recruits finally start to fall into line.
"We've got 5,000 new ones today," she noted. "Including three princesses and a reformed demon lord. Are they all peeling potatoes?"
"Every single one," I said, pulling her close. "If we're going to build a sect that lasts forever, we need to make sure the foundation isn't built on gold or bloodlines..."
"But on potatoes?" she teased.
"Exactly," I grinned. "And maybe a little bit of magic."
The Genesis Sect was officially open for business. And somewhere in the multiverse, a System was already calculating just how much trouble I was going to cause next.