Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Shen Mo stood with his back to the main hall, his shadow stretching long in the setting sun. He was breathing heavily; only he knew how dangerous that moment had just been!

That wasn't his own power, but a gamble with everything at stake, relying on the system and the legacy of his ancestors. It was a fight to the death!

His inner shirt was already soaked with cold sweat, and his legs were going weak. He was only able to stay upright by sheer willpower.

He slowly turned around, the forced calm on his face still lingering, even carrying a hint of just the right amount of weariness. He looked at Shi Tie, then at Su Xiao and A Yuan, who were rushing out from the back hall.

Su Xiao's pretty face was deathly pale, and her chest heaved violently; she was clearly still in shock.

A-Yuan's face was deathly pale. She clung tightly to Su Xiao's clothes, her big eyes still brimming with tears. But when she looked at Shen Mo, her gaze was filled with a sense of reliance after surviving a disaster and an indescribable awe.

"It's alright now." Shen Mo's voice was a little hoarse, but it carried a reassuring power.

He waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, and his gaze swept over the stone lion, which had several cracks on its surface and had returned to its lifeless state, with a trace of barely perceptible regret flashing in his eyes.

"Sect Leader! Just now... just now, was that really the Ancestral Master... manifesting his power?" Shi Tie finally reacted, rushing to Shen Mo in a few steps, so excited he was incoherent, his dark face flushed with excitement.

"That's incredible! Just one glance! Just one glance! And that Black Cloud Demon coughed up blood and was sent packing!"

Su Xiao also stepped forward, her beautiful eyes sparkling with excitement, her voice trembling slightly but filled with joy:

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, it's so good to hear you're alright! That stone lion... it really possesses such divine power! Could it truly be a protective barrier left behind by our ancestral master?"

Shen Mo did not answer directly, but walked to the stone lion and gently stroked the newly added cracks with his hand, as if he were touching a fragile treasure.

He sighed, his tone carrying a deep sense of reminiscence and a touch of melancholy:

"The legacy of our ancestor is unfathomable. This lion has received the sect's incense offerings for a thousand years, and its spirituality is profound. Only when it senses the sect's existential crisis and the power of the most evil can it unleash a wisp of the evil-slaying sword energy. Today... it has probably exhausted the spirituality it has accumulated over the years."

His words were half true and half false. It was true that the stone lion's spirituality was indeed greatly damaged (system notification: carrier overload); what was false was that he had packaged the "system causal editing" as an "automatic defense mechanism preset by the patriarch."

This not only explains the source of the stone lion's power, but also foreshadows the stone lion's future loss of power or need for repair, and highlights the "price" paid, thus preventing the younger students from developing an excessive dependency mentality.

As expected, upon hearing this, Shi Tie and Su Xiao's excitement subsided slightly, and their gazes toward the stone lion were filled with gratitude and respect.

"I see..." Su Xiao suddenly realized, then solemnly said, "Our ancestor was far-sighted, leaving us, his descendants, with such a protective talisman. If it weren't for this lion today, our Qingyun Sect would be in grave danger!"

Shi Tie knelt down before the stone lion with a thud, kowtowing three times and shouting, "Thank you so much, Ancestral Master, for saving my life! I, Shi Tie, will definitely clean your body every day from now on!"

Seeing Shi Tie's honest and simple appearance, Shen Mo felt a warmth in his heart and reached out to help him up: "It's good that you meant it. If our ancestor is watching from heaven, he would prefer to see his descendants strive for self-improvement rather than relying on external things."

His gaze swept over the three men, and his tone became serious as he warned, "Although we were lucky enough to scare off a powerful enemy today, our crisis is not truly over. Black Wind Stronghold will never let this go, and today's events will surely spread far and wide."

"From now on, my Qingyun Sect will truly come into the sights of various forces, and the outcome is uncertain."

His words were like a bucket of cold water, cooling the joy that had just risen among the crowd. Shi Tie and Su Xiao both showed solemn expressions.

"What should we do then?" Su Xiao asked worriedly.

"Become stronger!" Shen Mo said succinctly, his gaze sharp. "Use this precious respite to improve your strength as quickly as possible! Junior Brother Tie, you must not slack off on your 'Basic Body Refining Technique.' With the help of your Spiritual Eye, strive to reach the first level of Body Refining as soon as possible!"

"Junior Sister Xiao, your bottleneck has been broken. Go into seclusion to break through to the second level of Qi Refining! A-Yuan, focus on sensing spiritual energy and building a solid foundation."

"Yes! Sect Leader (Senior Brother)!" the three replied in unison, their eyes regaining their resolve. With a clear goal, their unease was greatly alleviated.

"Furthermore," Shen Mo added, "we must not speak much about today's events. If anyone asks, simply say that the Patriarch manifested his divine power, scaring away the enemy. As for the details, we know nothing."

"Understood!" The three nodded in agreement. They all knew that the sect leader (senior brother) seemed to have many secrets, but these secrets were precisely the hope for the sect's survival. What they needed to do was to have absolute trust and unwavering loyalty.

That night, atop Qingyun Mountain, the moonlight shone like water.

Shen Mo sat alone beside the Spirit Eye, feeling the pure spiritual energy gushing from it, but his heart was far from calm. He summoned the system interface.

[Host: Shen Mo]

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Level 1 (Stable)]

[Sect: Qingyun Sect]

[Sect Level: Initial Signs of Success (Evaluation: Successfully withstood a crisis of annihilation, increased sect cohesion, and slightly improved regional reputation)]

[Available Resources: 100 low-grade spirit stones, 1 jade slip of "Basic Formation Explanation (Beginner's Guide)", 1 jade slip of "Low-Tier Pill Illustrated Manual (Common)", 1 pack of "Glimmering Grass" spirit seeds, 1 low-tier magic weapon "Azure Steel Sword", 0 karma points]

[Sect Assets: Miniature Spiritual Vein Node (Activated), Damaged Guardian Stone Lion (Spiritually Damaged), Simple Maze Array (Needs Reinforcement)]

The causal point has been reset to zero again. However, the sect's level has increased, and it has also gained "regional reputation." This is both an opportunity and a risk.

"System, an outbreak occurred in Shishi today. How should we assess its subsequent impact?"

Based on the available information, it is predicted that the event "Black Wind Stronghold Chief's Defeat" will spread rapidly within a small area.

Evaluation results:

1. Black Wind Stronghold's hatred level has increased significantly. In the short term, it may adopt probing, harassment, or joint pressure strategies. Direct attack carries a moderate risk.

2. Surrounding forces (such as Baibaoge, Dandingge, and small cultivation families) have increased their attention and their attitude has changed from 'ignoring' to 'observing' or 'limited contact'.

3. A few independent cultivators or small factions may try to join or trade with them.

4. There is an extremely low probability that it will attract the attention of higher-level forces.

The host is advised to: seize the time to improve their own and their sect's strength, strengthen defenses, and handle external relations with caution.

Just as I thought. Shen Mo rubbed his temples. The peaceful days were gone forever.

Shen Mo picked up the two jade slips and immersed his divine sense into them. The "Detailed Explanation of Basic Formations" was vast in content, covering everything from spirit gathering, defense, illusion to attack formations, but all of them were extremely basic.

The "Illustrated Manual of Low-Tier Elixirs" records the refining methods and required medicinal materials for several of the most common first-tier elixirs.

"The most urgent task is to strengthen the defenses of the mountain gate, at least to make the maze array look decent. In addition, if we can refine the most basic 'Qi-restoring pills' or 'healing powders,' it will also greatly improve our survivability," Shen Mo thought to himself.