Mist drifted lazily above the spring, the forest returning to its calm rhythm.
Yet the clearing no longer felt the same.
None of them spoke. They had chosen a path—but the path itself had yet to be built.
Four elemental inheritors sat around a small fire.
And one quiet traveler sat among them.
Ru Yan crossed her arms, eyes sweeping the circle.
“If we are truly doing this… then we must establish a sect.”
“Every sect begins the same way,” she continued.
“A territory. A training ground. A spirit-testing stone for disciples.”
“Without those… we are just five wandering cultivators.”
Zhi Yuan tilted his head.
“So… basically a guild base?”
The circle stared at him.
Lin Fan blinked.
“…A what?”
Ru Yan explained:
“New disciples must be tested. A spirit-testing stone measures their roots.”
Zhi Yuan’s eyes lit up like a gamer’s.
“So… it’s like a character creation screen.”
No one understood him. Again.
But he started wondering. What if the stone could measure more than just spirit roots?
Ru Yan looked toward the distant peaks.
“First, we find land. A place where a sect can rise.”
Zhi Yuan smiled faintly.
“Then let’s build something the world has never seen before.”
Lin Fan suddenly spoke.
“Actually… I already know someone who might help.”
The others turned to him.
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“My uncle runs a herb trade caravan. He said if I gather spirit herbs and rare fruits for him, he’ll teach me cultivation methods and introduce me to sect elders.”
Ru Yan blinked.
Li Wei slowly turned his head.
Feng looked at Lin Fan.
Then the three exchanged the same thought in silence.
“He’s been scammed.”
“That is definitely a scam.”
“Poor brat… he’s been completely scammed.”
Lin Fan frowned.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Ru Yan coughed.
“Lin Fan… how much did he pay you for the herbs?”
Lin Fan hesitated.
“…Pay?”
Li Wei closed his eyes. Feng sighed. Ru Yan pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Let me guess,” she said slowly, “you gather the herbs… and he will ‘reward you later.’”
Lin Fan froze. The silence returned.
Li Wei patted his shoulder.
“Brother… you’ve been working for free.”
Feng nodded sympathetically.
“For a merchant.”
Ru Yan added,
“For a very wicked merchant.”
Lin Fan stared at the ground.
“…That old bastard.”
Zhi Yuan finally spoke, voice dry:
“Congratulations. You just discovered your first side quest scam.”
Everyone blinked at him. Then he pointed at the mountains.
“Forget the merchant. If we’re building something… let’s build our own sect here.”
Ru Yan gazed at the peaks again.
“Then this mountain will be our foundation.”
She folded her arms, watching the morning mist.
“A sect is not a game. It requires discipline. Resources. Purpose.”
Li Wei nodded slowly.
“And enemies.”
Feng laughed.
“Definitely enemies.”
Zhi Yuan sat quietly, holding the small red fruit from the night before. Its split skin revealed clusters of glistening seeds.
Lin Fan pointed.
“You’re still carrying that thing?”
Zhi Yuan shrugged.
“It’s symbolic.”
Feng raised an eyebrow.
“Symbolic of what?”
Zhi Yuan tossed the fruit lightly into the air and caught it.
“Possibility.”
Ru Yan studied him carefully.
“You truly believe imagination can become cultivation?”
Zhi Yuan smiled faintly.
Li Wei spoke thoughtfully.
“If your theories are correct…” He glanced at Feng.
“…then techniques that never existed in this world could actually be created.”
Feng cracked his knuckles.
“That actually sounds fun.”
Lin Fan leaned forward eagerly.
“Does that mean we’ll get cool attack names?”
Ru Yan sighed softly.
“Please do not shout your techniques in battle.”
Lin Fan pouted.
“But it sounds cool.”
Feng grinned.
“I vote we shout them anyway.”
Li Wei shook his head, smiling faintly.
Zhi Yuan looked around the circle. Four companions. Four beasts. Four paths of the Dao. Then he looked down at the fruit in his hand.
One fruit. Many seeds. He gently broke off a small piece and tossed it into the fire. The seeds crackled softly.
“Every sect in this world follows the same rules,” he said.
“Same cultivation manuals. Same Dao traditions.”
Ru Yan nodded.
“That is how the cultivation world maintains order.”
Zhi Yuan shook his head.
“But what if we didn’t?”
The others looked at him.
“What if we built something different?”
Feng leaned forward.
“Different how?”
Zhi Yuan smiled slightly.
“No fixed Dao. No single element. No rigid path.”
Li Wei’s eyes sharpened.
“A sect where multiple systems can exist.”
Ru Yan finished the thought.
“A sect of experimentation.”
Lin Fan raised his hand immediately.
“I volunteer to test cool attacks!”
Feng laughed loudly.
“Of course you do.”
Zhi Yuan stood slowly, gazing toward the mountain path.
“The Four Beasts appeared for a reason. But it ignored me.”
Ru Yan spoke quietly.
“Or perhaps… it is waiting.”
Zhi Yuan smiled.
“Maybe.”
He tossed the last of the fruit seeds into the fire. They crackled softly, then turned to ash.
“Let’s see what grows.”
They would leave as the beginning of something new.
And far above them, the constellations of the Four Beasts shimmered faintly in the daylight sky.
Watching. Waiting. For the path of the Wineapple to unfold.
?? Poll: Help Name the Sect!
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Celestial Wineapple Sect
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Five Elements Hall
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Verdant Dragon Sect
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Metal, Fire & Water Alliance
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Open Dao Sect
Your votes don’t guarantee the final name, but they help set the spirit of the sect!