Chapter 2: The System Is here!!!!

Wan’er froze.

Her gorgeous phoenix eyes went wide, and for half a second, she looked utterly dumbfounded. Then, the realization of what I had just demanded crashed into her mind.

A furious, incandescent crimson flushed from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.

"Lu... Lu Chen!" she stammered, her voice pitching up an octave. "You... you insolent, lecherous rogue! How dare you tease your Sect Master?!"

CRACK!

The temperature in the courtyard plummeted to absolute zero in a fraction of a heartbeat. Frost crawled across the stone floor, creeping over my bamboo chair and instantly shattering my delicate porcelain teacup into crystalline dust.

High above her head, the phantom outline of a massive, blazing azure frost-phoenix began to coalesce, radiating pure Nascent Soul killing intent.

She was actually channeling her signature ultimate technique.

"Whoa, Senior Sister! Friendly fire! Friendly fire!"

My survival instincts kicked into maximum overdrive. Without waiting for the frost-phoenix to unleash its apocalyptic fury, I circulated the qi in my Golden Core, executed my Nine Shadows Wind-Drift Step at two hundred percent capacity, and turned into a streak of green lightning.

"Stop right there, Lu Chen! I am going to freeze your mouth shut and feed you to the spirit carp!" Her enraged roar echoed behind me, shaking the very foundations of Lonely Cloud Peak.

"See you at the recruitment plaza, my lovely Senior Sister!" I yelled back, leaping clear off the cliff edge and stepping onto my flying sword.

The wind whipped past my face as I shot across the sea of clouds at top speed, silently thanking the heavens that my footwork was the one technique I had practiced religiously.

A man had to know how to run when his senior sister decided to commit fratricide. While I did not mind dying being crushed by her thighs, I doubt she would do that.

A few minutes later, the grand architecture of the Grand Cloud Plaza rose into view. It was an awe-inspiring sight.

Perched atop a colossal, flat mountain summit, the plaza spanned several miles, paved entirely with white cloud-jade that glistened like polished pearls under the midday sun.

Hovering banners representing the various peaks fluttered in the sky, crackling with elemental qi.

Down in the center of the plaza, an ocean of mortal youths, thousands of young men and women who had survived the sect’s grueling initial trials, stood in nervous, shivering ranks.

High above them on an elevated jade terrace sat the Peak Masters and Grand Elders of the Mystic Cloud Sect.

I landed gracefully at the edge of the terrace, descending like an autumn leaf. With a subtle flick of my sleeves, I adjusted my flowing white robes, smoothed down my wind-blown hair, and wiped the mischievous smirk from my face.

In the span of a single breath, I transformed from a shameless, running slacker into a transcendent, unbothered immortal master who seemed utterly detached from the mortal dust.

Image was everything in the cultivation world and I was very much fan of aura farming.

As I walked toward the row of ornate wooden thrones, heads began to turn.

"Ah, Peak Master Lu. You’ve finally graced us with your presence," a mild, polite voice called out.

It was Elder Liu of the Pill Peak, an elderly man with a silver beard who gave me a courteous nod. I nodded back with equal politeness. A few other elders completely ignored me, their gazes fixed intently on the mortal crowd below, evaluating potential disciples.

And then, of course, there was the sneer.

"Hmph. Look who finally decided to crawl out of his den," a cold, mocking voice rang out from the front row.

Peak Master Zhao of Heavenly Sword Peak sat with a gleaming, sheathed spirit blade across his knees. He looked at me with thinly veiled contempt, his peak Core Formation cultivation radiating an oppressive aura.

"I thought Lonely Cloud Peak had already closed its gates for good. Why bother showing up, Lu Chen? With your pitiful Early Core Formation realm, you’d only be misleading whatever poor mortal fool was unfortunate enough to follow you."

A few outer disciples standing behind Zhao stifled quiet chuckles.

I didn’t even blink. I merely looked at Zhao Cang with a calm, pitying expression, the kind of look a wealthy merchant gives a barking street dog.

"Cultivation is a journey of destiny, Brother Zhao," I said, my voice carrying that tranquil, infuriatingly saintly resonance. "The frog in the well believes the sky is only as wide as its mouth. Why should an immortal fret over the size of his courtyard when the Great Dao encompasses all things?"

Zhao Cang’s face turned sour. He opened his mouth to snap back, but before he could utter a word, a terrifying wave of chilling aura descended upon the grand terrace.

The clouds parted, and Su Wan’er landed gracefully upon the central golden throne. Her azure robes swept around her like flowing water, her expression regal and majestic, as cold as eternal glaciers.

The sheer presence of a Nascent Soul expert instantly silenced the entire plaza.

She glanced briefly in my direction. When her eyes met mine, a short flash of murderous annoyance sparked in her eyes, but she maintained her dignity as Sect Master.

I gave her an innocent, saintly smile and casually took my seat on the far left, the lone, slightly dusty throne marked for Lonely Cloud Peak.

Just as my backside hit the plush velvet cushion, a sharp, crisp, mechanical chime rang directly inside my skull.

[Ding! Celestial Alignment Detected. Host conditions fulfilled.]

[The "10x Disciple-Investment System" has officially awakened!]

I froze.

My heart skipped a violent beat against my ribs. A system?!

After thirty years of sweating, bleeding, and chewing on bitter dirt in this godforsaken cultivation world, my golden finger had finally arrived?!

[System Overview: The Host can inspect the hidden templates, destinies, and status of potential disciples.]

[Investment Mechanism: Any cultivation resource, weapon, pill, or treasure gifted genuinely to an official disciple will trigger a heavenly return multiplier!]

[Current Base Multiplier: Scales with Disciple Affection (Tier 1: 2x → Tier 2: 5x → Devotion / Critical Bonus)!]

[Warning: Gifts must be unconditional and non-retrievable. Shameless exploits like ’borrowing’ the item back will result in systemic penalties.]