Within My Sect, All Realms Unite

As Han Leu left, Lin Xiaotian slowly stood up, his robe shifting lightly as he walked toward the edge and looked out over the sect in silence. The newly recruited disciples had already been settled by the menial disciples, their arrangements handled smoothly without any disturbance to the sect’s flow.

The overall strength of the sect had risen steadily, with most First-generation disciples now stabilizing around the mid tiers of Core Formation after the recent blessings. Yan Feng stood out the most, having already reached the eighth layer of Core Formation, his progress sharp and far ahead of the rest.

Lin Xiaotian’s gaze lingered for a moment before he turned inward, checking his storage space filled with various items he had recently gathered. As he looked through them, a faint ache rose in his chest as he realized how much he had spent in such a short time.

He had emptied almost all his points in the discount store as it refreshed each month, grabbing whatever could give him an edge without hesitation. Now, only ten thousand points remained, a number that felt almost empty compared to what he had before.

Among the items he had secured were an Enlightenment Stick, an Ancient Soul attack talisman, a Soul Capturing talisman, and a mass teleportation array already set with coordinates linked to the sect. At the very least, with these in hand in this backwater region, they finally had the ability to move sideways instead of being completely trapped.

He looked over the sect once more, his gaze steady as a faint thought rose in his mind, his expression turning slightly more serious. At last, the sect is beginning to take some kind of shape, but this is still far from enough.

In the grand scheme of things, we are still too weak, too small, and far too unstructured to stand where we truly should.

Just as he was about to return to cultivation, Lin Xiaotian suddenly sensed a presence standing near the sect gates, quietly observing the sect sign without any disturbance. His expression did not change, but his mind tightened instantly, because staring at that sign for too long was not something ordinary people could endure.

Without hesitation, he moved and the space shifted as he appeared at the gate in the next instant, stepping directly into the man’s line of sight and blocking his view of the sect sign without making it obvious. Only then did he properly look at the stranger standing before him.

The man stood calmly, his gaze steady as if nothing unusual had happened, and the moment Lin Xiaotian appeared, he gave a slight bow without hesitation. "Apologies, fellow Daoist, for arriving unannounced and disturbing your territory," he said in a composed and natural tone.

Lin Xiaotian clasped his hands and returned the greeting, his expression calm and unchanged as if this was a normal encounter. But for a brief instant, his eyes shrank to pinpoints before returning to normal, the reaction subtle yet impossible to miss for someone at the same level.

The man in front of him had the exact same reaction both of them noticed but neither of them showed it.

How did I not sense him at all... has the system broken down? Lin Xiaotian thought inwardly, his mind turning sharp as a faint sense of danger rose within him.

Before he could continue that thought, the system’s voice rang out clearly in his mind.

Target beyond mortal limit, unable to sense.

The moment he heard that, Lin Xiaotian’s guard rose instantly, his mind entering full alert while his outer expression remained completely calm and steady. This was no longer something he could treat casually, but it was also not something he could reveal.

"It is quite insincere of me to let a fellow Daoist remain at the gates of my sect without proper welcome," he said evenly, his tone polite and controlled. "Please forgive my earlier negligence and follow me inside."

The man smiled faintly and nodded, his tone equally calm as he responded without showing anything out of place. "It is only due to the generosity of fellow Daoist that my intrusion has not caused offense," he said, matching the act perfectly.

Neither of them lowered their guard.

Lin Xiaotian spoke calmly and gestured slightly, his tone steady without showing any hesitation as he addressed the man before him. "Follow me, fellow Daoist, let us talk while having some tea," he said as he turned and moved inward without waiting.

The man followed without refusal, but the moment they stepped forward, space shifted subtly as Lin Xiaotian transported both of them back into his chambers without any visible transition. The man’s expression did not change, but inwardly he was clearly surprised by how smoothly it was done without him sensing anything.

Lin Xiaotian walked ahead and sat down, his movements slow and unhurried as he began pouring tea with steady hands. The fragrance spread lightly through the room as he pushed a cup forward and said calmly, "I believe fellow Daoist will enjoy this tea."

Both of them sat across from each other and took a sip, the atmosphere quiet yet carrying an unspoken tension beneath the surface. The man placed the cup down slowly before speaking, his gaze fixed on Lin Xiaotian.

"I believe you are the sect master, fellow Daoist," he said.

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere shifted slightly, as if two unseen wills brushed against each other for a brief instant. Lin Xiaotian remained calm, his expression unchanged as he met the man’s gaze directly.

"You have indeed guessed correctly, fellow Daoist," he replied evenly.

For a brief moment, both of them released a trace of their aura, their pressure spreading silently across the room and pressing against everything without any warning. The air grew heavy as their wills collided, neither yielding even slightly, the clash intensifying steadily as the space itself seemed to tighten under the weight of their rising presence.