Raeshan slowly walked toward Scarlet.
The cave was still filled with the lingering warmth of the Phoenix Empress’s divine flames.
He stopped beside her and crouched down.
Scarlet’s breathing was faint.
The deep wound across her back had stopped bleeding, but her pale complexion revealed just how much blood she had lost.
He examined her injuries for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"You really know how to make an entrance."
A translucent system screen appeared before him.
[Disciple Candidate: Scarlet Morvain]
[Status: Critically Injured]
[Probability of Death Without Treatment: 92%]
Raeshan frowned.
"Don’t tell me..."
"I have to save her myself?"
[Affirmative.]
[Protecting disciples is one of the Host’s primary responsibilities.]
"...Of course it is."
Raeshan searched through the original owner’s memories.
A moment later, his gaze fell on the storage ring on his finger.
According to the memories he had inherited, the ring contained a few Mid-Grade Healing Pills, the original Raeshan’s most valuable possessions.
He smiled wryly.
"So the moment I get a disciple, I have to empty my savings."
Shaking his head, he infused a strand of spiritual qi into the storage ring.
A jade bottle appeared in his hand.
He removed the stopper and poured out a single emerald-green pill.
A rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the cave.
Supporting Scarlet’s head with one hand, he gently opened her mouth and placed the pill inside.
The pill dissolved the moment it touched her tongue.
A soft green radiance enveloped her body.
The deep wound across her back began to close at a visible pace, while her pale complexion gradually regained a hint of color.
"As expected of a Mid Grade Healing Pill."
Raeshan finally let out a sigh of relief.
"At least she’ll survive."
Raeshan carefully lifted Scarlet into his arms before rising to his feet.
He couldn’t afford to stay here any longer.
Whoever had sent the Dead Knights to kill his soon to be disciple might send another group to make sure the job was finished.
Without another thought, he tightened his hold on Scarlet and rushed out of the cave.
His figure darted through the dense forest, heading straight for the abandoned hut hidden deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains.
As he ran, Scarlet slowly began to regain consciousness.
She could feel herself being carried in a warm, steady embrace.
Her eyelids fluttered open just enough to make out the face of the young man carrying her.
Raeshan remained focused on the path ahead, completely unaware that she was looking at him.
In Scarlet’s blurred vision, he seemed like someone who had descended from the heavens to save her.
A warmth she had not felt in years quietly spread through her heart.
Ever since her father’s death, her heart had been wrapped in loneliness and despair.
For the first time in a long while...
She felt safe.
The warmth of his embrace gradually lulled her back to sleep.
If the Phoenix Empress knew that all the credit for saving Scarlet had been stolen by a mere Third Stage Qi Refining cultivator, she would probably be so furious that she’d slap Raeshan into the afterlife.
By the time Raeshan returned to the abandoned sect, the sun was already setting beyond the mountains.
The mountain peak was silent.
A weathered stone tablet, cracked down the middle, stood beside the entrance.
Time had eroded the words carved into its surface, leaving no trace of the sect that had once ruled this place.
Raeshan stepped through the broken gate and entered the courtyard.
Weeds sprouted between the cracked stone tiles, while the ruins of collapsed halls were scattered across the mountainside.
Only a single wooden hut remained standing.
"So this is my sect..."
He looked around before letting out a helpless smile.
"It really is poor."
He carefully carried Scarlet into the hut and gently laid her on the straw bed.
Although the Mid-Grade Healing Pill had stabilized her injuries, she still needed time to recover.
He pulled a worn blanket over her before quietly stepping outside.
The cool evening breeze carried the scent of pine through the mountains.
Raeshan sat on a large rock and gazed at the ruined sect.
"If I’m going to build the strongest sect in the cultivation world..."
"...then this place needs a complete overhaul."
As if responding to his thoughts, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Beginner Mission Completed.]
[First Disciple Successfully Recruited.]
Raeshan blinked in surprise.
"Completed?"
"But she hasn’t even agreed to become my disciple."
[The target has subconsciously acknowledged the Host as someone worthy of trust.]
[Recruitment conditions fulfilled.]
Raeshan scratched his cheek.
"So that’s how it works."
Another series of notifications appeared before him.
[Rewards Issued.]
[Beginner Gift Pack ×1]
[Sect Construction Pack ×1]
[Would the Host like to open them?]
Raeshan’s eyes brightened.
"Open them."
A brilliant golden light burst forth before him.
[Opening Beginner Gift Pack...]
[To build the strongest sect and recruit the Sons and Daughters of Heaven as disciples, the Host must possess the strength to protect and guide them.]
[Congratulations!]
[Obtained: Peak Spirit Core Realm Cultivation.]
[Obtained: Grandmaster Cultivation Technique — Blazing Sun Divine Art.]
[Obtained: Grandmaster Sword Art — Nine Heavens Sun Sword.]
[Obtained: Perfect Foundation Cleansing Pill ×1.]
[Obtained: High-Grade Spirit Stones ×10,000.]
Raeshan stared at the rewards in stunned silence.
"Holy moly..."
"This system is unbelievably generous."
"Peak Spirit Core Realm cultivation..."
He quickly searched through the original owner’s memories.
In this world, cultivation was divided into several major realms:
Qi Refining → Foundation Building → Spirit Core → Spirit Sea → Soul Palace → Nascent Soul → Void Transformation.
Each realm represented an enormous leap in strength, and breaking through often took decades of hard cultivation.
Yet the system had directly granted him cultivation at the Peak Spirit Core Realm.
It had instantly saved him countless years of painstaking cultivation.
Raeshan couldn’t help but grin.
"Now that’s what I call a beginner’s gift.
***
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