A Sect Needs Land, Right?
Lin Feng trudged through a dense forest, his tattered sect leader robe flapping in the wind. He had been walking for what felt like hours, searching for a location worthy of his future legendary sect.
"So, System, tell me. Where am I supposed to build my sect?"
[Host, as a Shack Sect Leader, your options are as follows:]
Option 1: A damp cave filled with aggressive spirit rats.
Option 2: A ruined wooden shack on a cliff's edge (structurally unstable).
Option 3: A mosquito-infested swamp.
Lin Feng stopped dead in his tracks. "…Are you kidding me?"
[Nope. That's all you can afford right now. Your sect is at the bottom of the hierarchy, remember?]
(/[What a good system anyone who wants it can contact on my ******]the author /)
Lin Feng rubbed his temples. "System, be honest. Do you have a personal grudge against me?"
[No, but it's fun watching you suffer.]
Lin Feng took a deep breath. Calm down, Lin Feng. This system is helping you… kind of.
"Alright. Let's check out these amazing, high-quality locations."
---
Location #1: The Cave of Nightmares
Lin Feng arrived at the first location—a cave hidden in a rocky hillside.
It looked promising from the outside… until a swarm of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness.
Squeak! Squeak!
Lin Feng paled. "Wait. Those aren't normal rats, are they?"
[Correct! These are Mid-Stage Qi Condensation Spirit Rats. Individually weak, but they attack in hordes.]
As if responding to the system's words, the entire cave trembled as thousands of rats swarmed out.
Lin Feng turned on his heel. "Nope. Not doing this. Next location!"
---
Location #2: The Cliffside Disaster
The second location was a lone shack perched on the edge of a cliff. Lin Feng carefully stepped inside, feeling the wood creak under his weight.
"Huh. It's not that ba—"
CRACK!
A single gust of wind rocked the shack. One of the support beams snapped, and the entire structure tilted dangerously toward the edge.
Lin Feng's face drained of color. "SYSTEM!"
[Oops. I forgot to mention that this shack is one strong breeze away from collapsing.]
Lin Feng scrambled out just as the shack completely collapsed over the edge, tumbling down the cliff into the abyss below.
He turned to the system, trembling. "WHY WAS THIS EVEN AN OPTION?!"
[Hey, it technically had four walls and a roof.]
Lin Feng resisted the urge to punch the air. "NEXT LOCATION!"
---
Location #3: The Swamp of Suffering
By the time Lin Feng reached the swamp, the sun was already setting. A thick mist covered the murky waters, and the buzzing of giant mosquitoes filled the air.
Slap!
Lin Feng swatted his arm, already feeling itchy. "System, tell me the real reason this place is so cheap."
[Oh, no reason. Just that it's the home of a giant Venomous Toad that likes eating humans.]
Lin Feng froze. "A… what?"
CROAK.
The ground shook as something massive emerged from the swamp. A toad the size of a house stared at him, drool dripping from its mouth.
Lin Feng turned and sprinted for his life.
"YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME, SYSTEM!"
[Hey, this is all part of the sect leader experience!]
---
Rock Bottom (Literally)
An hour later, Lin Feng collapsed on a random patch of land outside the swamp, panting.
"This is hopeless. Where am I supposed to find a decent sect location?!"
The system hummed. [Well… there is one more place.]
Lin Feng sat up immediately. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
[Because it's haunted.]
Lin Feng blinked. "Excuse me?"
[It's an abandoned mountain temple, rumored to be cursed. Every sect that tried to settle there mysteriously vanished.]
Lin Feng was silent for a moment. Then, he sighed.
"…Fine. Let's go."
[You're seriously choosing the haunted place over the rats, collapsing shack, and swamp monster?]
Lin Feng stood up. "If I'm going to suffer, I might as well do it with some dignity."
[I respect that. Dumb, but respectable.]
---
Final Location: The Haunted Mountain Temple
Lin Feng arrived at the mountain just as night fell. An eerie mist clung to the stone steps leading up to the temple ruins.
"System… are you sure it's haunted?"
[Oh, definitely. But on the bright side, it's spacious, defensible, and has ancient formations. A perfect starting point!]
Lin Feng gulped and took a cautious step forward. "Alright… let's see what kind of 'ghosts' we're dealing with."
The moment he entered the ruins, the temperature dropped. A cold wind blew through the empty halls.
Then, a whisper echoed.
"Who… dares… enter… my domain…?"
Lin Feng felt all the hairs on his neck stand up. "Yep. Definitely haunted."
[Relax, Host. What's the worst that could happen?]
A shadowy figure appeared in front of him.
Lin Feng sighed. "I hate you, System."
[Hehe. Good luck!]
— End of Chapter 2 —