Chapter Three: The Novice Gift Pack

Jiang Yan found an excuse to send his junior brother Mu Yun away. Before leaving, Mu Yun curiously asked about the black sword token, wondering what kind of spiritual artifact it was. Jiang Yan explained that it was the sect’s treasured item used to activate the mountain-protecting grand array. Mu Yun was about to inquire when the sect acquired such a formation, but an impatient Jiang Yan hurried him back to the ancestral hall.

“Ding, you have a novice gift pack. Would you like to claim it?” The voice of the Sect Leader System sounded once again.

“Confirm claim,” Jiang Yan affirmed the command to receive the novice gift pack.

A strange ripple spread in the air before him, and a ring fell from the void with a crisp clang, landing on the empty ground at Jiang Yan’s feet.

The ring was ancient in design and pure black in color. Picking it up, Jiang Yan saw a transparent information panel appear before him.

Item Name: Huashan Sect Leader’s Ring

Item Rank: Grade One, Lower Tier, Upgradeable

Item Type: Spatial Artifact, with ten cubic meters of space inside

A lower-tier grade one spatial artifact! Jiang Yan’s heart surged with excitement; after all, spatial artifacts were notoriously difficult to obtain.

To forge a spatial artifact, not only did a craftsman have to create the artifact’s vessel, but a talisman master also needed to cut open space. Only when both worked in tandem could a spatial artifact be created—an arduous process, to say the least. Any sect fortunate enough to possess a spatial ring was of at least grade three, such as the Tianshan Sect that killed Jiang Yan’s master Ding Yuan. Even their stores relied only on Qiankun Bags and Treasure Pouches, never a spatial ring.

Huashan currently had only a few Treasure Pouches, and their space was quite limited. The novice gift pack had given him a spatial ring, and Jiang Yan could hardly contain his excitement.

Rubbing the Sect Leader’s Ring, Jiang Yan extended his spiritual sense into the ring’s space. The novice pack had provided quite a few items, all now stored within the ring. He was impatient to see what the Sect Leader System had bestowed upon him.

The space inside the ring wasn't large—one meter in length and width, but ten meters in height. Despite its modest size, it contained a trove of valuable items. On one side of the space, ancient books floated neatly in a row. Above them hovered a crystalline bead. At the bottom lay several scrolls, a few milky white porcelain bottles of pills, several toy-like figurines, and a few square spirit stones.

Jiang Yan had expected that the gift pack would include cultivation manuals, but to find five at once was a pleasant surprise. With a thought, his spiritual sense reached toward the five manuals.

His spiritual sense wrapped around a dark blue-covered manual: Greenwood Formula, Grade One, Upper Tier cultivation technique...

Jiang Yan was momentarily stunned. Was it really a Grade One, Upper Tier technique?

He was currently training in the Greenwood Formula, but everyone knew it was only a Grade One, Lower Tier technique. This explained why Jiang Yan, after years of cultivation, still lingered at the first layer of Qi Refining.

Flipping through the Greenwood Formula, Jiang Yan quickly scanned its contents and finally understood—it contained two more layers than his current version. His Greenwood Formula only covered the first layer of Qi Refining. To advance further and break through the barrier, he would have to cultivate the Grade One, Middle Tier Greenwood Formula. Due to lacking the complete manual, Jiang Yan’s realm had stalled at the first layer, though he hadn’t realized it until now.

Now, with both the Middle and Upper Tier Greenwood Formula, breaking through was merely a matter of time.

His spiritual sense moved to another basic manual: Spirit Communication Formula, Grade Five.

Jiang Yan was again astonished—Grade Five! This manual was actually a Grade Five technique!

Grade Five formulas were found only in sects with powerful Golden Core cultivators. Even Jin Yan Sect, a Grade Three sect dominating Linqing Prefecture, had never possessed such a manual. Jiang Yan was left dumbstruck by the appearance of the Spirit Communication Formula.

He carefully flipped through it, but felt somewhat disappointed. The Spirit Communication Formula was merely a technique for communicating with spirit beasts. Though it reached Grade Five, it only allowed communication with Grade Five spirit beasts. Yet such beasts were rarer than Grade Five manuals themselves—even powerful Golden Core cultivators might never encounter one. Jiang Yan now possessed the Spirit Communication Formula but had no suitable beast to use it with.

His spiritual sense shifted to the remaining three books: Grade One Talisman Compendium, Grade One Herb Cultivation Formula, Grade One Pill Compendium—each invaluable. The Talisman Compendium could nurture lower-tier talisman masters, the Herb Cultivation Formula could train herb cultivators, and the Pill Compendium could foster alchemists. As the sect developed, the demand for talismans, spirit grains, herbs, and pills would soar. For steady growth, Huashan would have to cultivate its own talisman masters, herb cultivators, and alchemists.

Having examined the books, Jiang Yan turned his gaze to the scrolls: Mountain Gate Construction Blueprint, Sect Hall Blueprint, Spirit Beast Garden Blueprint, Cultivation Grounds Blueprint.

With these blueprints and the wooden puppets, Jiang Yan could build the sect hall, mountain gate, and cultivation grounds. With these basic structures, Huashan would finally take on the form of a proper sect. Based on his gaming experience, such buildings would significantly aid the sect’s development.

“Bone Transformation Pill,” Jiang Yan exclaimed, staring at the milky white porcelain bottle in hand. It actually contained Bone Transformation Pills.

Bone Transformation Pills were Grade One, Upper Tier pills that could alter a cultivator’s physique and enhance their talent—truly miraculous. Yet the pill’s refinement wasn’t especially difficult, and its body-transforming effect worked only for those below the third layer of Qi Refining. Thus, it was classified as Grade One, Upper Tier. Of course, “not difficult” was relative; in a place like Linqing Prefecture, refining Bone Transformation Pills was all but impossible.

This tiny bottle contained ten pills. Jiang Yan exhaled in relief; now he and his four junior brothers and sisters could each take one to improve their physique and accelerate their cultivation, greatly boosting the sect’s development.

“Blood Coagulation Powder, Qi Enhancement Powder, Vitality Powder...” The remaining porcelain bottles were a bit disappointing, containing only common medicinal powders. Blood Coagulation Powder could stop bleeding, Qi Enhancement Powder could replenish spiritual energy, and Vitality Powder merely promoted circulation and healed internal injuries. For ordinary folk, these powders could bring the dead back to life, but for Huashan’s current needs, their usefulness was limited.

Jiang Yan’s gaze then fell upon a toy-like figurine. It was extracted from the ring by communicating with the Sect Leader’s Ring. Based on his gaming experience, these wooden puppets were Grade One, Lower Tier spiritual artifacts. Like his wooden crane, they consumed spiritual energy or spirit stones and could be directed to mine, excavate, or gather spirit stones. They would prove invaluable during the sect’s development.

Combined with the blueprints just acquired, these wooden puppets could swiftly construct Huashan’s mountain gate, hall, and cultivation grounds. Jiang Yan felt a sudden urge to build all the sect’s structures immediately.

Collecting his thoughts, Jiang Yan looked to the boundary marker before him, atop which was inserted the black sword token. Perhaps due to the token, the marker’s surface glowed with a dark, glossy sheen, swirling over the stone.

Jiang Yan stared intently at the boundary marker, and a transparent information panel appeared before him.

Sect Name: Huashan

Sect Headquarters: Huashan

Sect Rank: Vassal Sect, Parent Sect Jin Yan Sect

Number of Disciples: Five

Sect Buildings: None

Sect Spirit Beasts: None

Sect Techniques: Greenwood Formula

Sect Treasure: Sword Token, Grade One, Upper Tier, Upgradeable

Mountain Protection Array: None

All of Huashan’s basic information was displayed on the transparent panel. Jiang Yan smiled bitterly; at present, Huashan truly was impoverished, possessing nothing at all. Still, he believed that with the help of the Sect Leader System, he could, in the shortest possible time, elevate Huashan to unranked, Grade One, Grade Two, or even Grade Three sect...

“Ding.” The Sect Leader System’s voice sounded once more in Jiang Yan’s ear.