I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

The darkness before dawn is the deepest, but at this moment, the summit of Kunlun is illuminated by three thousand pairs of burning eyes.

Three thousand prayer cushions were laid out in a fan shape, and every seat was occupied.

If these people were located down the mountain, they might have vastly different identities—some would control a huge business empire, some would only have a code name in the country's classified files, and some would just be ordinary young people you could see anywhere on the street.

But after crossing that threshold called "questioning one's heart," all the worldly labels attached to them—wealth, status, education, family background—are left behind beneath the clouds.

There is no Mr. Zhang, Dr. Li, or Mr. Zhao sitting here at this moment.

There are only three thousand "seekers of the Way".

The square was deathly silent.

The only sound was the low rumble of the cold wind blowing across the huge "Dao" character stone tablet at the edge of the square.

Everyone is waiting, waiting for the moment that will give them a new life.

[Behind the Scenes: System Space]

Gu Qing stood atop the clouds, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body.

That was real power that belonged to him.

After this period of spiritual energy cleansing and exchange, his cultivation level had already stabilized at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

"No visual effects are needed."

Gu Qing said calmly to the system, "My every move is a miracle to mortals. But for such a large sect, it's a bit too weak to have only me performing a solo act."

He glanced at the huge amount of remaining faith points.

[System, redeem "Sect Core Management Team Module (Advanced AI Spirit Puppet Version)".]

[Quantity: 15 people.]

[Character Setting: Cold, rigid, absolutely loyal, possesses master-level knowledge in various fields.]

[Exchange for Yellow Turban Warrior]

[Quantity: 300 people.]

[Characteristics: Loyal, strong, tireless, responsible for miscellaneous tasks within the sect.]

"Exchange," Gu Qing silently murmured to himself.

At this moment, deep within the Taiqing Palace, fifteen pairs of eyes that had been asleep for an unknown period of time (in reality, they had just been turned on) suddenly opened.

[Understood. The visual rendering module is now disabled.]

[Host's current spiritual power status: Abundant.]

[The only remaining accessibility feature: background music playback.]

[Track: "The Great Way is Silent" (Special low-frequency sound waves that can evoke resonance and trembling deep within the human soul).]

"Play".

Gu Qing took a step forward.

……

The first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone precisely on the golden roof of the Taiqing Hall.

In that instant, a faint sound, as if from ancient times or a resonance deep within the heart, slowly resounded between heaven and earth.

The sound wasn't loud, but it sent a shiver through the souls of the three thousand people in the square, as if some dormant gene had been awakened.

Followed by.

Clang—!

A clear and resonant sword cry, not from a loudspeaker, but a genuine metallic tremor, echoed across the heavens!

Everyone looked up in unison.

Then they witnessed a scene they would never forget.

The thick clouds at an altitude of 10,000 meters seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand!

That wasn't special effects; it was Gu Qing's powerful sword energy that forcefully pushed aside the atmosphere.

A streak of blue light, trailing a tail of flame hundreds of meters long, roared down from the sky!

The speed was astonishing, carrying kinetic energy that seemed capable of shattering mountains.

But at the moment when it was only ten meters away from the ground.

boom!

The spiritual energy beneath Gu Qing's feet suddenly erupted, forming a visible air wave that forcefully counteracted the terrifying downward inertia.

The originally violent airflow, under his precise control, transformed into a gentle breeze that caressed the faces of everyone present.

There were no wires or propulsion devices.

A three-foot-long, gleaming sword silently floated in mid-air.

On the sword, Gu Qing stood with his hands behind his back.

He hovered there defying the laws of physics, his robes fluttering in the ripples of spiritual energy, the morning light outlining a golden silhouette behind him.

Riding the wind on a sword, I vanquish demons across the land.

This is a real cultivator.

"Welcome, Dean!"

Chu Tian was the first to react. Feeling the terrifying pressure coming towards him, the blood in his body burned wildly, and he suddenly stood up, clasped his fists, and shouted.

"Welcome, Dean!"

Three thousand people seemed to awaken from a dream, and the sound of their voices erupted like a tsunami.

No one questioned whether it was scientifically sound, because the facts were undeniable. The overwhelming sense of oppression emanating from the level of life itself caused everyone's rationality to crumble instantly, leaving only the most primal awe.

Gu Qing remained calm. The flying sword beneath his feet trembled slightly and then transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into his sleeve.

He stepped through the air, as if there were invisible steps beneath his feet (condensed spiritual energy), and steadily walked to the futon in the center of the high platform, where he sat down cross-legged.

"sit."

It is not a sound produced by vibrating the air through the vocal cords, but rather a sound transmitted through the mind.

This word resonated deep within the minds of three thousand people, carrying an irresistible force.

Splash!

Three thousand people sat down in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized. Even the most unruly among them became more docile than quails.

Gu Qing's gaze swept across the entire room.

A faint light flickered in his pupils, a sign that his "Spiritual Eye Technique" was being activated. In his eyes, the three thousand people were no longer flesh and blood, but rather clusters of energy of varying strength.

"I know you have many questions in your hearts."

Gu Qing spoke, her voice calm yet carrying to every corner of the square.

"You're wondering why an iron sword can fly? Why can a person levitate? Does this violate the laws of gravity?"

"Are you wondering if all the physics, chemistry, and biology knowledge you've learned over the past few decades has been a lie?"

Many people in the audience nodded subconsciously, their eyes filled with a longing for the unknown and a sense of collapse of their old perceptions.

Gu Qing smiled gently and extended a slender hand.

"Ordinary knowledge is not a lie; it is a path to exploring the world."

"But here..."

He reached out and grabbed at the massive bronze incense burner, weighing a thousand pounds, in the center of the square.

【Crane Control Technique - Spiritual Energy Release】

hum!

Without any mechanical device, the heavy bronze cauldron let out a mournful cry and then slowly lifted off the ground!

Gu Qing gently turned her palm over.

The giant cauldron floated in the air like a weightless balloon, tumbling, spinning, and even pausing in mid-air with his gestures.

Is this telekinesis? No, this is a more powerful form of magic than telekinesis.

"Here, spiritual power controls matter."

Gu Qing clenched his fist suddenly.

Bang!

The giant cauldron in the air crashed heavily to the ground with a deafening roar, raising dust and causing the earth to tremble.

The real tremor told everyone that the cauldron was real, and its weight was real too.

"Newton couldn't control Kunlun."

Gu Qing's voice turned cold, carrying an air of supreme arrogance:

"Gravity cannot bind cultivators."

At this point, Gu Qing paused, his gaze becoming deep and distant.

He looked at the three thousand pairs of eyes below the stage and saw a hint of doubt in their eyes—such a large cultivation sect, such a magnificent palace complex, could it only have the dean?

"I know what you're looking at."

Gu Qing said calmly, "Kunlun Mountain has been closed for too long, so long that people have forgotten about it."

"In the Dharma-ending Age, spiritual energy is depleted. In order to preserve the last embers of the sect, most of my senior uncles and elders have chosen to seal themselves away in forbidden areas and fall into eternal slumber."

"Unless their sect suffers a catastrophic disaster, they will not wake up easily."

These words commanded the respect of the entire audience.

That's it!

Scientists went wild with their imaginations: Is it some kind of super hibernation technology? To combat entropy increase? Makes perfect sense, absolutely perfect!

"but."

Gu Qing changed the subject, her tone carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Now that the mountain gates are open, rules must be established. Educating all beings is not the work of one person alone."

"Now that school has started, I should meet your teachers."

Gu Qing turned to the side and gently waved his sleeve at the two tightly closed vermilion doors of the Taiqing Hall.

"open."

Rolling—rolling—

The heavy palace doors slowly opened, as if unlocking a long-forgotten era.

An ancient, desolate, yet powerfully suffocating aura emanated from the depths of the main hall.

Under the stunned gaze of three thousand people, fifteen figures slowly emerged from the darkness.

Walking on the far left was an elderly man dressed in a gray-blue Taoist robe, with white hair and beard, and exuding a strong medicinal fragrance. He was expressionless, his eyes were like dry wells, and he held a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand.

[Elder Dan Ge - Dan Chenzi (Alchemy AI Module)]

Walking on the far right was a burly man clad in heavy black armor and carrying a greatsword. With each step he took, the ground seemed to tremble slightly, and the palpable aura of menace made the skin of the special forces soldiers in the front row sting.

[Elder of the Martial Pavilion - Iron Mountain (Combat AI Module)]

In the middle, there was also a middle-aged man with facial paralysis in charge of punishments, a woman in white in charge of the scripture tower, and so on...

A total of fifteen people.

None of them were living people; they were all high-level psionic puppets that the system had spent a fortune to acquire. However, they were equipped with top-tier interactive AI and even possessed simulated "soul fluctuations."

They walked up to the steps without even glancing at the crowd below. That condescending indifference wasn't feigned; it stemmed from a fundamental difference in their social standing.

Then, the fifteen "elders" turned around in unison and bowed deeply to Gu Qing, who was sitting cross-legged on the high platform.

"Greetings, Sect Leader."

The voices were hoarse, clear, and echoing, reverberating before the main hall.

Gu Qing nodded slightly: "Enter the ranks."

The fifteen people then lined up on both sides, like ten guardian deities, standing silently.

This scene completely shocked everyone.

The initial doubt that Gu Qing was alone—that "this might be some kind of high-tech performance"—vanished instantly.

What could be more real than this?

Those fifteen "people" each possessed an aura as deep and boundless as the ocean; any one of them could seemingly crush any mortal army. And Kunlun has many more such powerful figures dormant!

"This is the foundation..." Zhao Feng clenched his fist, his eyes filled with longing.

Seeing that the time was right, Gu Qing looked at everyone again.

"From the moment you set foot here, forget who you were in the past."

"Whether you are a powerful and influential figure down below the mountain, or a learned scholar, here you all have only one name—"

Gu Qing waved his sleeve.

Whoosh whoosh!

Three thousand streaks of light flew out again from the Taiqing Palace behind them.

Those were the [Standard Beginner Flying Sword] and [Taoist Robe] that Gu Qing retrieved from the system's inventory.

He imbued each sword with a faint trace of divine power, precisely controlling them to hover in front of each person.

"...Cultivators."

Looking at the long sword floating in front of them, radiating a chilling light, the breathing of the three thousand people became extremely rapid.

This is no longer a myth or legend.

This is a reality that is within reach.

"Qian Wansan," Gu Qing suddenly called out.

Among the crowd, the slightly overweight man trembled, immediately stood up and bowed, his expression solemn, devoid of any trace of his former arrogance: "Disciple is here."

"You will be in charge of the outer sect affairs for the time being," Gu Qing said calmly, pointing to the expressionless old man in blue. "You will report to Steward Xuanmu on the allocation of supplies and logistical support. Remember, Kunlun does not tolerate idlers; he will teach you the rules here."

"Yes!" Qian Wansan replied excitedly. To be able to work directly under a "celestial master" was an incredible stroke of luck!

"Chu Tian".

"arrive!"

The man with the strongest aura in the front row took a step forward, his body as upright as a pine tree.

"You are the senior brother."

Gu Qing flicked his finger, and a jade slip streaked across the sky, landing precisely in Chu Tian's hand.

"This is the general outline of the 'Taiqing Qi Refining Technique.' Every day at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), everyone should gather here to breathe in the purple qi of the rising sun. Those who slack off will be expelled from the mountain gate."

Gu Qing glanced at the burly elder carrying a giant sword, "If you have any questions about cultivation, you can go to the training ground to ask Elder Tieshan for guidance."

"Disciple obeys!"

Chu Tian gripped the jade slip tightly, glanced at Elder Tieshan, who stood like an iron tower, and felt the cold gaze directed at him. He felt his blood boiling.

After arranging all of this, Gu Qing slowly stood up.

As he stood up, the ten elders behind him also stood at attention, and the surrounding air seemed to thicken at that moment.

"Today is a rest day to familiarize myself with the environment."

"The formal transmission of the Dharma will take place tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Gu Qing did not walk down the steps.

A white cloud of mist rose from beneath his feet (water-attribute spiritual technique: Mist Concealment), and before everyone's eyes, his figure gradually faded away, eventually transforming into a streak of light and disappearing instantly into the depths of the Taiqing Palace.

The ten elders, like ghosts, dispersed and disappeared into different side halls, leaving behind only their unfathomable backs.

They can shrink the earth to an inch and come and go without a trace.

The square was silent for a full minute.

Only when the lingering echoes of "The Great Way is Silent" completely dissipated did someone finally let out a long sigh.

"This...this is the foundation of the immortal sects..."

Some people looked at the flying sword floating in front of them and reached out their hands with trembling hands to touch it.

Cold, sharp, real.

This is not a dream.

A new journey has begun.