The Eternal Radiance Divine Sect was progressing.
Not fast. Not smoothly. But... it was something.
Li Qingyu stood on a small rock, hands behind his back, surveying the burnt cabbage field he had boldly declared as their future arena. Chickens clucked ominously nearby, guarding their precious nests of half-buried spiritual vegetables.
"This," he said solemnly, "shall become the training ground of legends."
Ziyan blinked. "It still smells like cabbage."
Hu Daniu swatted at a rooster attacking his leg. "Senior Brother, the chickens have claimed the east slope. Again."
Li Qingyu ignored both. He opened the Sect System with a dramatic flourish.
> [Sect Construction Menu]
Available Upgrade: Basic Arena
Cost: 10 Spirit Stones, 1 Spirit Flag, 1 Construction Overseer
System Note: "You cannot cultivate reputation in a cabbage patch. Upgrade now."
He clicked it.
"Shen Yu," he said crisply.
The fallen noble turned around mid-argument with a chicken. "What now?"
"You're officially the Logistics Overseer."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You're from a royal clan. Surely you know how to acquire builders, manage labor, negotiate prices, and yell at peasants."
"That's not—" Shen Yu paused. "...Actually, yes. That's exactly what I know."
Li Qingyu handed him a tiny pouch of spirit stones.
"All of the sect's savings," he said, trying to sound proud. "Six and a half stones. Plus a cracked jade medallion I found under my bed."
Shen Yu stared at it. "This is barely enough to build a glorified chicken coop."
"Then make it a glorious one."
Su Jian wandered by with a barrel of something bubbling. "Want me to reinforce the benches with fire-resistant powder?"
"No," everyone said in unison.
Su pouted and went back to his hut. A small explosion followed seconds later. The chickens flapped their wings in protest.
---
Meanwhile… Disciples Practiced Nearby
Li Qingyu had handed out beginner scrolls a few days ago — gifts from the System's initial rewards. And now, they were being "studied."
Ziyan was seated under a tree, flipping through [Ten Steps of the Moonlight Blade].
"So if I swing while leaping from the fourth step, I could slice upward and throw someone's weapon out of their hands?"
Hu Daniu was nearby, practicing [Iron Body Breathing], flexing and yelling with every inhale.
"ONE! …TWO! …I AM STONE! THREE!"
A chicken clucked beside him, copying his movements.
Even Su Jian, soot-covered and smoking slightly, had unrolled [Flame Infusion Alchemy – Beginner Scroll]. He was trying to channel fire qi through a spoon.
It was chaos.
Li Qingyu couldn't be prouder.
---
Later That Day… Logistics in Action
Shen Yu returned with three villagers, one half-drunk ex-retainer of his family, and a donkey named "Minister Hooves."
"How did you even—"
"Royal connections," Shen Yu said smugly, adjusting his now-dusty robes. "I bartered favors, old debts, and half a jade talisman I said belonged to the Emperor's fourth uncle."
"Did it?"
"Probably not. They didn't check."
By sunset, wooden planks were being hammered in, stones arranged for a simple platform, and banners were being dyed with cabbage juice for "spiritual aesthetics."
Ziyan approached Shen Yu. "What's that symbol on the banner?"
"A cabbage. But dignified."
---
Nearby…
In Ironcrest Village's tavern, two rogue cultivators sat sipping wine and listening to the gossip.
"Did you hear? The Eternal Something Sect is building an arena."
"With chickens guarding it?"
"They say one of the disciples wrestled a boar for bricks."
"No way."
"I'm going tomorrow. Just to watch the madness."
---
> System Update
Construction Started: [Basic Arena]
Overseer: Shen Yu
Progress: 9%
Side Effect: Increased Local Rumors
Current Reputation Tag: "That Crazy Cabbage Sect"
---
Li Qingyu stood atop his favorite observation boulder, wind blowing his long sleeves, eyes scanning the partially cleared arena-in-progress.
A cabbage rolled across the field dramatically.
Behind him, Su Jian accidentally lit a shovel on fire.
And yet…
For the first time, the sect didn't feel like a joke.
It felt like a beginning.
---