After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

P.S.: It's so hot today. The highest temperature here is 35℃. There's no air conditioning at work, and I can't wear shorts.

It's so hot, I don't even want to update anymore, it's so annoying.

................................................

Three days have passed since the Qingfengmen Incident.

The storm did not subside; instead, it spread like a boulder thrown into a lake, ripples spreading outwards and engulfing the entire cultivation world of Dongzhou.

Almost simultaneously, sects of all sizes tightened their control over disciples with supernatural abilities.

The third- or fourth-rate sects reacted the most strongly.

First, the monthly allowance and elixir supply for disciples of different kinds were uniformly cancelled, under the pretext that "the sect's resources are tight and distribution should be based on labor."

Then, the exchange permissions of the cultivation technique pavilion were locked. Cultivation techniques that could be exchanged by accumulating enough contribution points are now all marked "cannot be exchanged by non-inner disciples".

Even worse, some sects simply sent all their disciples with special abilities to do menial tasks.

He was assigned all sorts of dirty and tiring work, from fetching water and chopping wood to cleaning outhouses. Local disciples avoided him like the plague.

The reason was also quite plausible: the Qingfeng Sect's past mistakes were a stark warning; these extraordinary individuals were disrespectful to their elders and insubordinate, and if they were not strictly disciplined, they would inevitably cause a major disaster sooner or later.

Not all sects are so wary of it.

Top sects in Dongzhou, such as Qingyun Sect and Xuanjian Sect, have plenty of confidence.

The treatment of the disciples with special abilities within the sect remained unchanged; the pills and cultivation techniques were still provided as required, only an additional sect rule was added.

Disciples of extraordinary individuals must report before leaving the mountain and are forbidden from engaging in private fights or causing trouble.

In their view, although the cultivation speed of extraordinary people is fast, they are ultimately rootless duckweed. As long as they use both kindness and force, they will surely be able to use them.

However, the major sects are ultimately a minority, and the vast majority of players who are outsiders scattered among various small and medium-sized sects suddenly found themselves in dire straits.

On the world channel, complaints flooded in like a tidal wave.

[World] Li Er: Damn it! Our Iron Sword Sect has stopped the monthly allowance for extraordinary people today, and we haven't given them a single pill.

The manager said that if we wanted to take it, we had to go to the back mountain to dig up ten years' worth of spirit herbs in exchange. There was a level one Black Wind Wolf guarding the back mountain. Wasn't this just sending us to our deaths?

[World] Zhang San: We're even more outrageous! Yesterday we could still practice swordsmanship, but today they won't let us touch it at all, saying they're afraid we'll learn martial arts and rebel.

Rebellion? Who cares about that lousy swordsmanship!

[World] Anonymous player: Don't even mention it. I was assigned to clean the latrines all day today, and the local disciples were making sarcastic remarks, saying that we outsiders are only fit to do this kind of work.

If I weren't outmatched by that manager, I would have flipped the table right there and then!

[World] Wang Laosi: The Fourth Calamity has completely lost face! Who in reality has ever been treated like this?

If I hadn't died and lost my cultivation, I would have blocked the sect gate every day and cursed them!

[World] Xuanqing: Everyone, please be patient.

Small sects have limited scope; if you can't stay there, you can apply to larger sects for assessment. Qingyun Sect and Xuanjian Sect are still recruiting disciples with special abilities.

[World] Zhao Hao: A bunch of useless trash. If you can't stand it, then get out. It's just a dog-eat-dog world. What are you yelling about?

The messages kept refreshing, all of them complaints from players from various sects and factions.

The twenty-odd people who were driven out of Qingfeng Sect are now crammed into a few houses in Xiaoshi Village at the foot of the mountain.

In three days, thanks to the player's superhuman recovery ability, plus the few healing pills that Su Qingyue had left, she was able to recover.

Lin Wanxing's internal injuries have healed by about 70-80%, and the others are already lively and energetic.

The person is alive, but the road is gone.

In the courtyard, more than twenty people were either sitting or standing, their faces full of confusion.

Back in the Qingfeng Sect, even if there were spoiled brats like Zhao Feng causing trouble, at least there was a place to stay and missions to take on. Once you accumulated enough contribution points, you could exchange them for pills and cultivation techniques, so at least there was something to strive for.

Now that he has been expelled from his sect, the surrounding smaller sects, upon hearing that he is an extraordinary person driven out of the Qingfeng Sect, will not even let him into their gates.

I wanted to go to a major sect like Qingyun Sect, but it was hundreds of miles away, and there were always monsters and bandits along the way.

With their cultivation levels at most only at the mid-stage of the Acquired Realm, they would perish halfway through the journey.

"We can't just live like savages in this village, can we?" Zhang Lei squatted on the ground, casually plucked a blade of grass, and put it in his mouth.

"The dry rations we brought are almost gone, and we don't have much money left. If we keep going like this, we'll starve to death."

"What else can we do?" A player next to him sighed.

"We can't go back and bow down to Zhao Kun, can we? That old man was so harsh when he kicked us out."

A moment of silence fell over everyone.

Lin Wanxing leaned against the door frame, tapping her arm lightly with her fingertips, her brows slightly furrowed.

She was the most skilled among them and was widely recognized as their leader, but given the current situation, she didn't have any good solutions.

Just then, Su Qingyue came out of the house, looked at the dejected crowd in the courtyard, and suddenly spoke:

"Big sister, why do we have to join someone else's sect?"

Lin Wanxing was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Su Qingyue said, walking to the middle of the courtyard, her eyes shining brightly.

"Let's build our own sect."

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent.

Everyone looked up at Su Qingyue, their faces filled with astonishment.

"Establish a sect?" Zhang Lei exclaimed, dropping the grass from his mouth. "Us? A bunch of casual players?"

"Yes," Su Qingyue nodded, her tone very serious.

"You'll understand if I put it another way: isn't this just like a guild in a game?"

"If others can establish sects, why can't we establish a guild entirely for players?"

The moment the word "guild" was mentioned, everyone's eyes lit up.

Yup!

They've been playing games for over a decade; which one of them hasn't joined a guild?

Establishing gangs, seizing territory, and recruiting followers—aren't these all their old tricks?

Why am I so intimidated by the word "sect" after arriving in this strange world?

"Damn, that makes sense!"

"That's right! We'll build our own guild, be our own leader, why should we have to cater to the natives?"

The initial excitement quickly faded as some people lost their enthusiasm.

"But building a guild isn't that easy..." A boy wearing glasses pushed up his glasses.

"Let's talk about money first. Building a sect requires a base, food supplies, elixirs, and cultivation techniques. We're currently penniless. What are we going to use to build it?"

As for strength, our strongest sister is only at the mid-stage of the Acquired Realm. Any elder at the peak of the Acquired Realm could easily wipe us out.

These words immediately cooled the atmosphere that had just begun to heat up.

Yes, we have no money, no cultivation techniques, no powerful backers, so how can we build a sect?

Lin Wanxing suddenly stood up straight, took a step forward, and glanced at everyone present.

"Don't worry about the money."

Her tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable confidence:

"In reality, my family runs a small business and we have some savings."

I'll cover all the initial startup capital; the elixirs, cultivation techniques, and base of operations can all be taken care of gradually.

There was a two-second silence in the courtyard, followed by a burst of cheers.

"Wow! This lady is a hidden millionaire!"

"Big Sister is awesome!"

"Forget calling her 'Big Sister,'" someone shouted with a laugh. "From now on, you should call her 'President!' The President is awesome!"

"Yes! The president is awesome!"

Lin Wanxing smiled and waved her hand to quiet the crowd:

"Don't get too excited. The guild has a lot to manage, and money alone isn't enough."

"So what do we do next?" Zhang Lei asked immediately.

"The first step is to find a place to stay."

Lin Wanxing already had a plan, and pointed to the north outside the village.

"Twenty miles away from here is Black Wind Mountain, and on the mountain is Black Wind Stronghold, which is occupied by fifty or sixty mountain bandits."

I've inquired around; the leader is only at the mid-stage of the Day-after-life realm, the rest are all misfits.

"We directly wiped out Black Wind Stronghold. Firstly, the existing houses and walls of the stronghold could be used as our base."

Secondly, the gold, silver, and grain that the bandits had accumulated could serve as start-up capital. Thirdly, by eliminating a menace for the surrounding people, they could also gain a good reputation.

Isn't that how it's always written in martial arts novels? "Suppress bandits to establish authority, become king of the mountain."

"Absolutely amazing!"

"That's a great idea! We can get something for nothing!"

The more they listened, the more feasible it seemed, and everyone was eager to try it out.

"Also, don't think we can't do anything but fight."

The boy with glasses suddenly stood up and adjusted his glasses.

"President, I studied finance in reality. I can handle accounting, planning, opening shops and doing trade."

"We have no cultivation techniques or spirit stones, but we can make money! We can just throw money at it!"

"Yes! I study chemistry!" Another boy raised his hand.

"Soap, toilet paper, cement, simple glass—I can make all of these! They'd be rare finds in this world, and I wouldn't have to worry about selling them!"

"I studied civil engineering! I can build houses, repair walls, and construct fortifications—I can do it all!"

"I studied clinical medicine; I can lend a hand with treating injuries and preparing medicine!"

One voice after another emerged, and the previous confusion vanished.

These players from modern society may not be as skilled as the local cultivators in terms of cultivation, but in terms of professional skills and business models, they are far superior to anyone else in this world.

"That's right," Lin Wanxing said with a smile.

"Their sects guard their cultivation techniques and spirit stones like treasures, so we just throw money at them."

If one tael of gold isn't enough, try a hundred taels; if a hundred taels isn't enough, try a thousand taels.

I refuse to believe that there's any martial arts technique that can't be bought with real money.

"Besides, they are now afraid that we are unkillable, so they dare not really kill us."

Once our guild grows stronger and has more members, who will dare to look down on us?

His words stirred everyone's blood.

"I see," Lin Wanxing said, looking around.

"Brothers and sisters here, are you willing to join our Seven Star Sect?"

After you return to reality, message me privately and send me your bank card number. I'll transfer 10,000 yuan to each of you as a membership bonus and a reward for your hard work during this period.

"Seven Star Sect?" Su Qingyue's eyes lit up. "Is that the guild's name?"

"Yes," Lin Wanxing nodded, "With the seven stars gathering and everyone united, let's call it the Seven Stars Sect."

Once the name was decided, everyone cheered again.

Lin Wanxing didn't say anything more. She directly opened the world channel, typed a line of text, and sent it to the public screen.

[World] Lin Wanxing: Fellow Outcasts, I'm sure you all know about the Qingfeng Gate incident.

Today, I, Lin Wanxing, hereby establish my sect, named Seven Star Sect. It is purely created by players, regardless of background or origin. Anyone with extraordinary abilities is welcome to join.

[World] Lin Wanxing: I will cover all the sect's initial funding, including pills, cultivation techniques, and spirit stones. There will be more in the future.

If you're being mistreated in your own sect or have nowhere else to go, you can come to Xiaoshi Village in Qingshi County, Dongzhou to find me.

[World] Lin Wanxing: From today onwards, we players are in charge and no longer need to be subservient to any of the natives.

The moment the message was sent, the already bustling world chat channel exploded.

[World] Anonymous: Holy crap? Did I see that right? Players created their own sect?

[World] Zhang San: Holy crap! Is this the legendary player guild? How come I never thought it could be played like this?

[World] Li Er: What are you waiting for! Join us! I've had enough of this lousy sect! Where's the address? Qing Shi County, Dongzhou, right? I can get there in two days by carriage!

[World] Wang Laosi: Awesome! I finally have my own organization! I'm leaving tomorrow!

[World] Zhao Hao: Just trying to please the crowd, a bunch of rabble.

The entire world channel was in an uproar, with countless messages flooding the screen, all expressing shock, inquiries, and calls to sign up.

No one expected that after the Qingfeng Sect incident, the first to emerge would be a sect composed entirely of players.

This pebble thrown into the water is about to create an even bigger wave.