The Sect Reborn

Dawn broke over the mountains, bathing the newly named Void Immortal Sect in a pale golden glow.

Yet, beneath the light, nothing had changed.

Cracked walls. A ruined training ground. An empty treasury.

The sect had a new master, a new name—but at its core, it was still on the verge of collapse.

In the sect master's hall, Xu Tianran sat on the highest seat, fingers tapping lazily against the armrest. His calm, unreadable gaze swept across the people standing before him.

Huang Zhenhai. Wei Qingfeng. Song Bai. Lin Shaoyang.

The remnants of the old Cloud Sect—now awaiting his command.

Despite their submission, unease flickered in their eyes.

Xu Tianran smirked. "The sect is in ruins. We need to rebuild."

The elders nodded immediately.

"However," he continued, his tone laced with amusement, "there is one problem—we have no spirit stones."

Silence.

A sect could not function without resources. Medicine, weapons, spirit stones—they had none.

Lin Shaoyang, still tense from his earlier defeat, stepped forward, his fists clenched. "Sect Master, if we spread our name and recruit new disciples, we can—"

A flick of the wrist.

Xu Tianran cut him off effortlessly.

"That takes time." His voice was bored, as if discussing something trivial. "I prefer a faster method."

His gaze shifted toward Yue Lingxi, standing at his side—silent, poised, and lethal.

"Go and hunt down bandits. Wipe them out, take everything they own, and bring it back here."

Yue Lingxi's expression remained calm, but in her eyes—a flicker of excitement.

"Understood."

Lin Shaoyang stiffened. "Sect Master, is that… wise?"

Xu Tianran's amused gaze turned to him. "Do you feel sympathy for bandits?"

"…No," Lin Shaoyang admitted, but—

"They prey on the weak." Xu Tianran's voice was soft, yet it carried a weight that crushed all argument. "We're simply ensuring their wealth is put to better use."

Lin Shaoyang had no response.

Across the room, Huang Zhenhai, Wei Qingfeng, and Song Bai exchanged uneasy glances.

Xu Tianran's rule was unlike anything they had ever seen—absolute, ruthless, efficient.

This was not just a renamed sect.

This was a new era.

And it belonged to Xu Tianran.