The morning sun bathed the Crimson Sect in a golden hue, casting long shadows over the training fields and newly planted farmland. Jin Zhen stood on a ridge, overlooking the valley his disciples had worked tirelessly to cultivate. His crimson robes fluttered gently in the breeze, his eyes distant.
He took a deep breath.
"[System, status update.]"
[Name: Jin Zhen
Title: Crimson Overlord
Cultivation: Nascent Soul (Peak)
Body Constitution: Abyssal Dragon Vessel (Tier 7)
Talent: Boundless Void Vein (Heaven Grade - Mutated)
SP: 8,250
Wealth: 1.3 Million Spirit Stones
Followers: 421 Disciples
Current Objective: Expand Influence - Southern Valley Region (Progress: 63%)]
A faint smirk curled on his lips. The growth was staggering, even for him.
Below, the farmland shimmered with spiritual light. Spirit rice, golden soul wheat, and blood lotus herbs swayed in neat rows, fed by an irrigation array of his own design.
It was originally a barren piece of land, discarded by rival sects and considered cursed by local cultivators.
Now?
Now it was wealth incarnate.
Jin Zhen turned to Ling Yue, who had just arrived carrying reports. "How did yesterday's harvest perform?"
She opened a jade scroll, eyes scanning swiftly. "Excellent, Sect Master. The Blood Lotus herbs matured three days ahead of schedule. Spirit Rice output has doubled thanks to the Soil Enrichment Array you carved."
He nodded, pleased. "Allocate half the yield for trade. The rest goes into stockpiles. We'll flood the regional markets and collapse the supply chain. Let the other sects scramble."
Yue blinked. "You… want to crash the market?"
"Exactly," he said. "They've grown fat and slow. Let's make them hungry."
As she bowed and retreated, Jin Zhen's gaze fell upon the new disciples—former vagrants and rogue cultivators he'd taken in over the past weeks. He had chosen them not for power, but potential. With the [Crimson Cultivation Codex] system technique, even a farmer could become a killer.
And killers he needed.
---
Far in the outer sect training grounds, Zao Peng grunted under the weight of a boulder nearly twice his size. His muscles strained, but he didn't falter. Around him, dozens of disciples sparred with wooden weapons charged with low-level formations.
A tall youth with jade eyes approached. "You're pushing yourself too hard, Zao. You'll break."
Zao smiled. "If I break, I break. Sect Master said those who forge themselves in hardship earn greatness."
The jade-eyed youth shook his head. "You sound like a fanatic."
Zao's grin widened. "Better a fanatic than a nobody."
Above, unseen, Jin Zhen watched. He liked this boy.
"[System, allocate 300 SP to Zao Peng. Enhance: Muscle Reinforcement (Stage 1), Bone Tempering (Stage 1).]"
[Confirmed. 300 SP consumed. Zao Peng's physical attributes enhanced.]
Down below, Zao flinched as his body was washed in heat. Bones cracked and reformed. His muscles swelled slightly.
He gasped.
"What the—?!"
A rush of energy flooded him. He dropped the boulder and fell to one knee, trembling—but smiling.
"Thank you… Sect Master," he whispered.
---
That evening, Jin Zhen returned to his private hall, where a sealed jade box awaited. He opened it carefully.
Inside lay a letter from the Scarlet Orchid Pavilion.
To the Crimson Overlord,
We extend our gratitude for your continued trade and collaboration. Your last shipment of Spirit Rice was of unmatched quality. We are willing to establish an exclusive contract—provided your sect agrees to a mutual defense pact…
Jin Zhen snorted.
"Now they want protection. How predictable."
He tossed the letter onto the table and sat on the throne-like seat carved from Redsteel Wood.
"[System, issue notice: Any sect requesting trade privileges must offer either territory, artifacts, or elite disciples as compensation.]"
[Notice issued.]
He leaned back.
Step by step, his dominion expanded. Not only through war, but trade, diplomacy, and sheer economic force. It was the ultimate checkmate. They expected swords and fire. He gave them gold and grain.
And in the end, they would kneel all the same.
---
Meanwhile, in the darkened woods beyond the sect's reach…
A group of cloaked figures knelt before a silver-haired cultivator. His eyes glowed crimson, his voice cold as winter.
"So this is the Crimson Sect's source of power? Agriculture? Trade? Hmph."
He crushed a piece of dried spirit rice in his hand.
"Then we shall burn the fields."
The men behind him murmured in assent.
"But not yet. Let them grow fat. Let the pigs forget the butcher's blade. Then—slaughter."
---
Back at the Crimson Sect, Jin Zhen sat in meditation. His core pulsed like a miniature sun. Every breath was saturated with Qi. He was nearing the peak of Nascent Soul.
"[System, consume 1,000 SP. Initiate: Heavenly Dragon Refinement – Phase One.]"
[Confirmed. 1,000 SP consumed. Initiating process…]
A sphere of light enveloped him. Runes danced on his skin. His bones became denser. Blood glowed with draconic essence. His aura spiked.
He opened his eyes, golden irises glowing in the dark.
"Closer… I can feel it."
Soon, he would break into Soul Transformation.
And then?
He would no longer be a rising star.
He would be the sky itself.