As the blue screen dimmed, confirming the creation of Blank Sect, Chen Li Li flashed a smug smile at Liang Wu. "I guess I'm officially the Sect Master now," she said with a playful wink.
The Sect Management System quickly loaded up, displaying a simple interface.
Blank Sect
Management Menu
Sect Master: Chen Li Li
(Cultivation: 9th Stage Qi Forming
Vice Sect Master: None
Disciples: 0
Sect Level: 1
(10 Disciples required to level up. 0/10)
Store: - Locked
(Unlocked @ Sect Lvl 2)
"If you're the Sect Master, then I should be the Vice Sect Master."
"Vice Sect Master, huh?" Chen Li Li teased. "Not even a disciple, don't tell me you're too proud to start from the bottom?"
"I've never been a disciple—I was completely self-taught—and I don't plan on becoming one now," he boasted.
Chen Li Li shook her head. "Alright, enough boasting. We should celebrate the formation of our sect. I'm starving, and I heard Clear Horizon has the best Szechuan cuisine around."
As if on cue, the faint scent of sizzling chili oil and fragrant peppercorns wafted into the carriage. The two exchanged a quick look, and Che Fu turned around from the driver's seat with a smirk. "I'll park the carriage outside. It's a popular place, so be prepared for a crowd."
The hustle and bustle of the city greeted them as they stepped out of the carriage. Clear Horizon Restaurant stood out with its grand entrance and bustling staff, rushing in and out with platters full of colorful dishes. The spicy aroma of Szechuan cuisine filled the air, making Chen Li Li's stomach growl audibly. She blushed, and Liang Wu chuckled. In the next second, his stomach started to growl. Now it was her turn to chuckle.
"This had better be good," he remarked, leading the way inside.
The pair took a table near the window, where they could see the bustling streets outside. They placed their order, and almost immediately, servers brought out a spread of dishes—Mapo Tofu, Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan Hot Pot, and Dan Dan Noodles—each dish more vibrant and fragrant than the last. Liang Wu, though focused on the food, couldn't help but notice the stares Chen Li Li was attracting.
The food came quickly, and as they began to eat, Chen Li Li's striking beauty naturally caught the attention of a group of three young men seated nearby, their clothes embroidered with their sect insignia, signaling their privileged status. They stared openly, one of them finally standing up and swaggering toward their table.
The group of men swaggered over, led by a tall, broad-shouldered, hooked-nose youth in an extravagant silk robe. His smug smirk was infuriating even before he spoke.
"Well, well, well, who would've thought such a beauty would show up here?" His voice dripped with arrogance, his eyes roaming over Chen Li Li, lingering on her face, before lowering. He licked his lips in a vulgar way. "Why don't you come share a meal with us, little lady?"
Liang Wu raised an eyebrow but remained silent, focusing on his meal.
Chen Li Li, unimpressed, didn't even glance up as she responded, "I'd rather not, thank you."
The rejection made the man bristle, and his attention shifted to Liang Wu. "This is your man?" he sneered, his friends laughing behind him.
When he didn't get any reaction from them, he signaled one of his cronies behind him.
The one he signaled stepped towards Liang Wu, grabbing a dish of Dan Dan Noodles off the table. He poured its contents over Liang Wu's head.
The noodles slid down Liang Wu's head and spilled over his patchwork robe. He sat in silence for a moment, staring at the sauce running down his robes. A sad expression filled his face briefly. He stood up slowly, picking up a napkin to wipe the sauce.
The three men stood waiting for him to explode in anger, but he didn't seem to be acting as expected.
Chen Li Li watched Liang Wu curiously. From what she had observed over the last two days, she would have thought he would burst into a rage as soon as the noodles touched his hair. But he was currently acting eerily calm.
Liang Wu carefully removed his robes and placed them on his empty seat after folding them neatly. When his robes were removed, audible gulping could be heard from the women watching the spectacle. His bare chest was in full view now that his robes were removed.
Even the three arrogant young men couldn't help staring at his fair-skinned, muscular body, and his chiseled abs, looking as if they were sculpted by the gods. They indeed were sculpted by a god, the Supreme God Emperor, to be exact.
"Come at me, all together, or it wouldn't be fair," he said with a calm voice, causing the three young men to shiver inexplicably.
Trying to act tough, they shook off the fear, and in a false act of bravado, the young man who had poured the noodles on Liang Wu's head attacked.
In a blur, the man struck out with his palm, aiming for Liang Wu's chest. But Liang Wu was already moving. Even without cultivation, his body reacted with mechanical precision honed from countless battles and training. He shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. His footwork—a nameless technique, a martial art he'd created when he was younger—kept him nimble.
Before the arrogant youth could recover, Liang Wu retaliated with a swift, fluid strike to the man's ribs. He didn't rely on brute strength; he couldn't, due to his injury. Instead, he applied a perfect application of technique. The young master staggered back, gasping in pain, disbelief painted across his face.
"You… how?" the young man sputtered, barely able to catch his breath.
"You're not the first arrogant fool I've fought, and probably not the last, unfortunately." Liang Wu sneered down at the kneeling man, disdain painting his previously calm face.
Enraged, the other two jumped in, charging at him simultaneously. Though he hadn't cultivated yet, Liang Wu's experience in martial arts more than compensated. He ducked beneath a clumsy swing from their leader and used the momentum to deliver a palm strike into the second attacker's abdomen, sending him reeling. By the feeling, he may have cracked a few ribs.
The leader recovered and lunged at Liang Wu with a Qi-infused punch, his 1st Stage Qi Forming cultivation granting him enhanced power. But Liang Wu was already anticipating the move, and he intercepted the attack mid-strike. His palm met the young man's fist with calculated force, dispersing the energy and redirecting it back toward the attacker. The man's fist hit himself in the left side of his chest.
He flew back, crashing into a nearby table, spilling bowls of food everywhere. The entire restaurant had gone silent, all eyes on the fight.
Panting, the young man glared at Liang Wu, fury and humiliation clear on his face. "You… you're just a mortal! How could you—"
"Mortal?" Liang Wu interrupted, stepping forward. "Maybe. But I don't need cultivation to deal with trash like you." He delivered a kick to the young man's face, knocking him unconscious.
At that moment, a familiar screen followed by a second flashed as they appeared in his vision.
Combat Summary
Defeated: Arrogant Young Masters x3
(1st Stage Qi Forming, Level 2)
Reward: 31 EXP + 11% Bonus x3
(+10% Defeat opponent one realm above. +1% Defeat opponent one level above.)
Level Up - Level 2^
All Stats + 1
Free Points +5
The restaurant patrons whispered amongst themselves, too intimidated to approach, while the staff scrambled to clean up the damage. The unconscious young man was dragged out by his followers.
Liang Wu calmly walked back to the table and picked his robes up carefully, placing them in a clean spot to the side, and went back to eating nonchalantly.
Chen Li Li sat in stunned silence, noodles slowly sliding out of her chopsticks. The sound of them splashing on her plate woke her from her stupor. "What… was… that?"
"Which part?" he asked while biting into some Mapo Tofu.
"All of it."
"Well, let's just say, I don't like people messing with my robes." He glanced over at his robes and sighed. "As for me beating three cultivators while being weaker, that was because they were weak and poorly trained, on top of my superior martial arts." Even with his melancholy mood, he managed to sound arrogant.
"What should we do now?" Chen Li Li was worried that those men would come back and cause more trouble. Not that she was scared—she herself was much stronger than them—she just didn't want those annoying gnats to come back to hover around her.
Liang Wu grinned. "We eat, of course. Then I start my cultivation in earnest. I need to get stronger before we run into someone more troublesome than these clowns."
Chen Li Li nodded in agreement. "Fine. But next time, let's avoid the arrogant young masters, okay?"
"No promises."