How to build a Sect?

Grains City.

Big Wheat Village.

Inside the Chief's residence.

"Are you certain about this, Zani?"

"Yes, Chief. Please name the price."

"Hehehe, the price..."

A bulky man with a long, thick beard stood from his seat, pacing the room with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. "This training ground you speak of buying... although it was built a century ago, it remains completely intact, standing proud to this very day."

Stopping behind Zani with his heavy, imposing presence, he continued. "Do you know why it was built in the first place, boy?"

"Junior does not know," Zani replied, maintaining a polite smile.

"Hmm. Since your knowledge is shallow, let this Chief enlighten you. A century ago, a great calamity swept across the entire continent. It was known as the 'War of Chaos.' I do not know the exact origins of this war, nor the supreme powers involved. But know this: the heavens wept, and it was a truly dark era for the mortal world."

"I see," Zani replied calmly, finding it hard to picture such a catastrophic time. The current empire was unshakably stable, and Grains City was in an era of boundless prosperity.

"It was during that chaotic era that these training grounds were established." Chief Sythe looked deeply at Zani, his eyes flashing with the shrewd light of an old merchant trying to exaggerate the value of his wares. "Moreover, these grounds were not built by mortal hands. No, no, no."

Sythe lowered his voice, making it sound profound and deep. "They were forged by the power of an Immortal. It is said a mighty Immortal descended from the heavens, waved his hand, and boom! In a single breath, the entire training ground was formed!"

Having finished his grand tale, Sythe returned to his master chair and sat down, stroking his beard as he carefully observed Zani's expression.

As the village Chief, he usually maintained an aloof and dignified bearing, but today was different. He desperately needed to offload this useless, cursed training ground that had been gathering dust for a decade. Furthermore, ever since Zani's parents had passed to the yellow springs last winter, this youth had inherited a fertile field, essentially becoming someone with a little wealth in the vicinity of Big Wheat Village.

"Chief," Zani spoke up.

Snapped from his scheming thoughts, Sythe jumped slightly, realizing Zani had already stood up from his chair.

"It seems this junior is far too poor to afford an Immortal's legacy. I sincerely apologize for taking up your valuable time." Zani cupped his fists in a flawless salute and turned decisively toward the exit.

"Wait, little friend!"

I knew it. Rolling his eyes inwardly, Zani paused and looked back with an innocent expression. "Chief?"

Coughing dryly to save face, Sythe's cheeks reddened slightly. "I haven't even stated the price yet. Do not be so hasty as to assume you cannot afford it."

"Oh? Then Chief, please state the price."

"Three thousand copper coins."

Without a single word, Zani turned back toward the door, his steps firm and unhesitating.

"Wait, wait! You do not need to pay the full sum in cash! This Chief can even extend you a generous loan!"

"Three thousand is daytime robbery," Zani replied calmly, his hand already resting on the door handle.

"Two thousand nine hundred!"

"Two thousand eight hundred!"

Seeing the youth still refusing to turn around, Sythe's heart bled. Taking a deep breath, he gritted his teeth. "Two thousand five hundred! That is the absolute lowest I can go!"

Zani, who had already pushed the door open, pulled it shut with a soft click and turned around. His expression was placid. "One thousand five hundred. Not a copper more."

SMASH!

Sythe slammed his heavy palm onto the table. "Ungrateful junior! This is an Immortal's legacy! Two thousand, and I am practically gifting it to you!"

"The 'Immortal's legacy' hasn't seen a broom in ten years," Zani countered smoothly, his tone unshaken. "One thousand six hundred."

"One thousand nine hundred! That is my final word!" Sythe roared, his eyes wide.

"One thousand seven hundred," Zani replied, his eyes narrowing sharply. "If you refuse, I will simply walk away and purchase the empty plot near the southern border."

What followed was a brutal battle of wits between an old fox and a young wolf, neither willing to give an inch. Finally, after a heavy, suffocating silence, Sythe sighed heavily and waved his hand in defeat.

"Fine. One thousand eight hundred copper coins."

Returning to the table, the tense atmosphere vanished like smoke. The two began chatting and laughing warmly, looking exactly like sworn brothers.

"These are the land deeds of my field," Zani said, retrieving the official documents from his robes. "Chief, please appraise them."

"Hmm." Accepting the deeds, Sythe's eyes narrowed to expertly inspect the imperial seals. Only after confirming they were genuine did he set them down. "I am well aware of where your field is located, and how rich the soil is. According to the official imperial rate, they are worth one thousand five hundred coppers."

Stroking his beard, he offered a magnanimous smile. "However, if you are selling them to me privately, I am willing to give you one thousand six hundred coppers."

"Deal."

"Good. So, settling the accounts for the training ground, you now owe me two hundred copper coins. Or rather, two silver."

"Hmm. Chief, I also have the deeds to my ancestral home. Please appraise them as well." Zani handed over another stack of worn papers.

Sythe flipped through them, shaking his head with a pitying sigh. "Your courtyard is in severe disrepair, and the Feng Shui of the location is far from ideal. If you sell it to the imperial office, you will only receive five silver coins. But, if you wait and find a truly desperate buyer, perhaps you could squeeze out six silver."

Zani smiled faintly in his heart. Who in this village would buy my ruined courtyard?

"I thank the Chief for his profound guidance," Zani said, neatly taking the deeds back. "But I will simply sell it to the imperial office to save time."

Sythe's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second before he smoothly recovered. "Very well. Then, adjusting the balance, I now owe you three silver."

After collecting his silver, firmly securing the deed to the training ground within his robes, and politely declining the Chief's invitation to a banquet, Zani stepped out of the residence.

Huff.

His heart ached slightly. Selling off all his earthly possessions in this world was exhausting work. If the ancestors of this family knew he had just uprooted their entire foundation, they would surely crawl back from the yellow springs just to curse him.

Well, they are the ancestors of this body, not mine. Thinking of this, a relaxed, pragmatic smile surfaced on Zani's face. The foundation was finally laid. Now, onto-

GRRRR.

Feeling his stomach growling like a starved beast, his grand ambitions paused. "I need food. Let's go to the tavern first, and I can pack some dinner so I won't need to return."

Heading toward the only tavern in the village, he ate a quick, hearty meal and had his dinner packed securely.

Then, he set to work.

First, he returned to the old courtyard, with a hired an ox cart to transport his meager furniture and belongings. Next, he headed straight toward his newly acquired domain.

By the time evening arrived and the sun was starting its descent, Zani was standing before the old training ground with two hired laborers behind him.

From the outside, one could only see towering stone walls and a massive set of rusted iron gates.

Legends said that when this place was first established, it sat in utter isolation at the desolate edge of the village. But as time flowed like a river, the mortal world prospered, and the village expanded. Now, residential buildings pressed tightly against three sides of the high walls, leaving only the front gates facing the main street.

It had been decades since these heavy gates were unsealed. So, the moment word spread through the village that the orphan Zani had actually bought the cursed grounds, a commotion broke out. Villagers swarmed the main street like a tide. Some wanted to mock his youthful foolishness, some wanted to satisfy their lifelong curiosity about what lay hidden inside, and others simply came for the spectacle.

A massive, whispering crowd had gathered by the time Zani stepped forward and placed his hands on the cold metal, pushing the heavy iron gates open.

Creak...

As the dust of a decade settled, the true scene was finally revealed: an expansive, desolate courtyard completely overrun with wild, waist-high weeds, leading up to a grand, silent hall sitting like a dormant beast at the very end.

[Ding]

[Quest: Own an enclosed domain larger than 5,000 square feet]

[Status: Completed]

[Host, Name the Sect (Changeable) to claim your reward]

From my knowledge, there are no 'sects' in Grains City, Zani thought, staring blankly at the ruined, weed-infested courtyard before him.

I do not even know what a true sect looks like. Nor have I ever laid eyes on a soaring Immortal.

All his knowledge of the profound martial path came from village storytellers and exaggerated mortal myths. He only knew that the first stage of cultivation was called 'Skin Tempering,' and that Chief Sythe was supposedly an expert at this stage.

Moreover, within Grains City, there are only three official dojos and the Mayor's Manor. To the locals, those are the only sacred grounds capable of producing true martial artists.

If he dared to hang a signboard declaring this ruined courtyard a 'Dojo' or a 'Sect,' the local experts would surely smash his gates to preserve their own face and authority. Thus, doing so right now would simply be asking for a beating.

For a name, his choices were heavily restricted.

A temple? No. If he named it something like 'Iron Temple,' no one would dare join; in this region, temples were strictly for ascetic monks who had severed their worldly desires.

That left only a term from his past life. A Gym.

I will name it the Iron Core Gym, Zani decided inwardly, his eyes flashing with determination.

...

Nothing happened.

[Host must hang a physical signboard bearing the Sect's name to complete the naming process.]

Zani released a long sigh, continuing to stare absentmindedly through the rusted iron gates of the old training ground.

Behind him, a crowd of villagers had gathered. The peanut gallery was already whispering, their voices filled with heavy schadenfreude and pity.

"So, this is what the Immortal's legacy looks like from the inside?"

"Bah! Just a weed-infested dump. I wasted my time coming here."

"You only wasted your time. That foolish orphan wasted his entire ancestral inheritance to buy it."

"What was he thinking? Has grief completely rotted his brain?"

"Could there be some hidden treasure buried inside that main hall?"

Hearing the crowd muttering behind them, the two hired laborers exchanged awkward glances. They were feeling more shame than the young master who was currently standing frozen before the gates. They naturally assumed the boy was having a mental breakdown after realizing he had been thoroughly scammed by the Chief.

"Young Master Zani?" one of them asked gently, stepping forward to support the boy. "Perhaps we should return your belongings to the old house for now..."

Zani said nothing; he ignored everything as he walked to the beast cart and fetched a heavy iron sickle from his meager belongings, which had cost him forty copper coins in the market.

Turning back to the two laborers, Zani cupped his fists politely. "Uncles, please follow me. We must clear a path through these weeds to the main hall before nightfall."

Without waiting for their bewildered response, Zani stepped into the sea of waist-high grass, ruthlessly hacking a path forward.

Realizing the young man's firm resolve, the two older men quickly grabbed their tools and followed behind.

Cutting through the thick, stubborn weeds and hauling all of Zani's belongings into the empty, dust-choked main hall consumed the remainder of the daylight.

By nightfall, Zani was lying flat on a hard wooden bed in the village tavern, his body thoroughly exhausted.

"I was too hasty in bringing my belongings over. It would have been wiser to hire men to clear the domain first," he muttered, massaging his sore shoulders.

Thinking of the current, pathetic state of his 'sacred training ground,' Zani could only sigh at the heavens.

In his past life on Earth, he had been a simple man with no grand ambitions. Because of a deep psychological scar suffered in his youth, he had never married, spending his twilight years in a quiet village teaching young students. It was a fulfilling, peaceful life, but when his time at the yellow springs finally came, he was left with one profound regret.

No one was going to remember him.

He had no descendants. He had done nothing world-shaking. Within a single year of his passing, his name would fade like dust in the wind.

But this life was different. He had been blessed by the heavens with a System.

I will forge a legacy, Zani thought, his eyes burning with a newfound, unyielding resolve in the dim tavern room. I will become an existence that is revered even after centuries pass. Furthermore, this profound world possessed the ultimate allure: Immortality. To grasp it, he was willing to swallow any hardship.

Sorting his chaotic thoughts, he closed his eyes and sank into a deep, dreamless slumber.

The next morning.

Knock, knock.

Zani stood before a sturdy wooden house, sweating slightly under the morning sun.

"Brother Teer! Are you inside?"

Before long, the heavy wooden door swung open, revealing a burly, heavily scarred man exuding a fierce, imposing aura.

"Little Brother Zani! It is rare to see you, let alone at my door," the rugged man boomed. "Tell me, what brings you to seek out this older brother?"

Teer was the premier hunter of Big Wheat Village.

Their village bordered the perilous Slaughter City, separated only by a vast, sprawling mountain range. These mountains teemed with wild beasts and medicinal herbs, making hunting a lucrative, albeit highly dangerous, profession. However, since the most ferocious beasts on the outer edges were mostly wild boars, a skilled man like Teer lived quite comfortably.

Cupping his fists respectfully, Zani put on a flawless display of urgency. "Brother Teer, I require your martial prowess. I found a massive snake nested in the training ground I just purchased. I fear for my life clearing the brush alone."

"Oh? A serpent?" Teer laughed heartily, his chest puffing out. "Worry not, Little Brother! This Teer will help you slaughter it and clear it out."

They quickly negotiated a fair price of thirty-five copper coins for the hunter's protection. Gritting his teeth at the mounting expenses, Zani also sought out the two old laborers once more. With Teer standing guard with his blade drawn to deal with the local wildlife, the three of them made quick work of the overgrown courtyard.

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the sprawling courtyard was completely stripped of weeds from the inside out.

Standing at the grand iron gates, Zani clasped his hands and bowed slightly, giving the men maximum face as he paid them and bid them farewell. Only once they were entirely out of sight did he lock the heavy gates and trudge back toward the tavern.

"The martial path is truly paved with copper," Zani lamented, sitting cross-legged on his tavern bed as he calculated his ledger.

"Twenty copper coins to hire the two laborers today... Thirty-five copper coins for Brother Teer... Twenty copper coins used yesterday for the beast cart to move my belongings... And my food and lodging at this tavern comes to fifteen copper coins..."

He poured the remaining coins from his pouch onto the bed, counting them meticulously.

"Combined with the forty coppers spent on my iron sickle, I am left with exactly one silver and seventy copper coins."

Having balanced his bleeding accounts, he let out a tired breath and fell back onto the sheets.

The following day, Zani did not hire any help.

Working completely alone, he spent the entire day sweeping the massive main hall, clearing away a decade's worth of spiderwebs, and violently scrubbing the stone floors until they revealed their original, cold luster. Finally, he arranged his meager furniture.

The hall was incredibly spacious, explicitly designed by the ancients for weapon mastery. The floor was paved with solid stone, featuring five distinct, circular soil rings meant for sparring matches.

Attached to the left wing of the hall were three adjoining rooms: a large kitchen area and two living quarters.

Zani claimed the master quarters for himself. That night, he finally slept in his own domain, no longer forced to bleed his precious coppers at the tavern.

Ten days passed in a flash.

"Finally... everything is done."

Leaning heavily on a wooden hoe, Zani wiped the grime and sweat from his brows.

For the past ten days, he had cultivated like a madman - not with profound martial arts, but with brutal manual labor. He had painstakingly loosened the soil in the massive courtyard, digging out stubborn weed roots and hauling away jagged stones, rendering the earth perfectly flat and suitable for physical conditioning.

"I will rest for the remainder of today. Tomorrow, I will visit the carpenter and officially commission the signboard."

Though he could have hung a cheap piece of scrap wood ten days ago to quickly claim his System reward, he had firmly held back. In his heart, hanging the board was a sacred ceremony.

It was the true opening of his sect.

The next morning, the sky was bright and clear.

Zani stood before the grand gates, dressed in neat, immaculate robes. His posture was straight as a spear, his hands clasped firmly behind his back, exuding the faint, unfathomable aura of a young master.

Above him, two hired carpenters balanced precariously on ladders, carefully securing a heavy, beautifully carved wooden signboard above the iron gates.

Iron Core Gym.

The moment the heavy board settled firmly into place, a crisp, mechanical sound echoed in his mind.

[Ding~]

[Sect Name Registered: Iron Core Gym]

[Sect Master: Zani]

[Disciples: 0]

[Naming Completed.]

[Reward: Dumbbell Set (Max Weight: 500kg) x 5]

[Reward Dispensed: Complete Dumbbell Sets have been placed inside the Sect Hall]

Reading the translucent system prompt floating in his vision, Zani nodded in quiet satisfaction.

These pure iron weights, just thinking about them made him smirk inwardly.

From the moment dawn broke until the sun reached its absolute peak, Zani had exhausted his breath spreading word through the dusty streets of Big Wheat Village. He made sure everyone knew his domain was officially opening for business.

As a result, a massive sea of commoners had gathered outside the perimeter, pointing, whispering, and crane-necking to see what the orphan was up to.

Now that the heavy wooden signboard was firmly secured above the entry gates, Zani turned to face the dense crowd, standing with his hands clasped firmly behind his back.

Originally, he had only planned to use this gathering to announce his future business intentions. However, the System's sudden reward was far too practical and aligned flawlessly with his immediate needs.

Over the past ten days, Zani had done more than just grueling manual labor. He had spent his evenings drinking cheap liquor with Chief Sythe to extract precious knowledge about the martial path. He had even traveled all the way to Grains City to investigate how professional dojos operated, carefully cataloging their exorbitant tuition fees and publicly known training methods.

He now possessed a solid foundation to launch his enterprise.

Furthermore, his back was flat against the wall. After paying for the initial ox cart and hired laborers, handing the village carpenters twenty coppers for his custom-carved signboard, and feeding his massive appetite with five coppers' worth of daily meat meals for ten days, his savings had bled significantly.

He was down to exactly one silver coin.

"Fellow villagers," Zani called out, a warm, accommodating smile gracing his face as he cupped his fists in a polite greeting to the masses. "I hope the heavens find you well today! Today marks the official establishment of the Iron Core Gym. I humbly ask my fellow brothers and elders to support this junior's new business."

The crowd immediately erupted into a chaotic storm of murmurs. Some boldly tried to peek through the splintered crack in the gates, while others stared at the youth in sheer disbelief.

"Young friend Zani."

The whispering intensified as the crowd respectfully parted. A robust, broad-shouldered man with a thick, charcoal beard strode directly into the clearing.

"Chief Sythe!" Zani immediately stepped forward, maintaining his polite mask.

"Hmm." Sythe stroked his beard, his eyes twinkling with a distinct mix of curiosity and amusement. "Do tell, Zani. What type of business have you opened here? With a name like that... could it be a martial dojo?"

Sythe asked playfully. Zani had asked countless deep questions about martial arts during their last drinking session. But a mortal daring to open a dojo? In this world, that was a dangerous joke. It would surely result in Grains City's established experts marching down to smash the courtyard just to preserve their own authority and face.

"I dare not, Chief," Zani replied smoothly, keeping his posture humble.

"Then what exactly is this establishment?"

"Chief, as a respected martial artist, you know the harsh truths of cultivation better than anyone here," Zani spoke clearly, his voice carrying an artificial weight that echoed to the very back of the crowd. "When a youth joins a premier city dojo, they must first build their physical foundation. A mortal can only begin the profound Skin Tempering stage when their flesh and bones are strong enough to lift a three hundred catties (150 kg) load."

"True." Sythe nodded slowly, validating the youth's claim with the gravity of a village leader.

A collective gasp rippled through the gathered peasants, marveling at the sheer weight of three hundred catties.

"Chief, you also know that many families pay exorbitant annual fees to these distant city dojos, only for their children to fail to reach that necessary foundation," Zani pressed, his eyes narrowing sharply to capture the crowd's emotion. "They are forced to leave before even beginning true Skin Tempering, wasting their parents' hard-earned wealth and blood-sweat."

"That... does happen frequently," Sythe's expression turned solemn. As an old fox, he immediately understood where this shrewd youth was leading the conversation.

"Hehe. Chief, this place I have opened 'the Iron Core Gym' exists solely to forge that foundational vessel," Zani announced loudly. "Inside, I have gathered specialized weights of all sizes. The heaviest among them is five hundred kilograms!"

Chief Sythe went completely pale. The surrounding villagers froze.

Five hundred kilograms! Did this kid even comprehend what that number represented?

Even Sythe, standing at the absolute peak of the Skin Tempering stage within Big Wheat Village, could only lift three hundred kilograms. Looking at Zani and remembering the free drinks the boy had provided, the Chief assumed the youth was just exaggerating to attract customers. He decided to humor him in front of the ignorant villagers and help him correct the statement later.

"I speak absolute truth," Zani continued, entirely misinterpreting the Chief's pale shock as simple awe. "Today, the doors of my Iron Core Gym are open to anyone who wishes to test these weights. Free of charge."

With a sweeping, welcoming gesture, Zani turned and led the Chief and a few of the braver villagers through the heavy gates and into the grand hall. Sythe could only sigh at the boy's apparent foolishness.

Chaos instantly erupted at the entrance.

"Do you think he speaks the truth?"

"I doubt it! Where would a broke orphan get five hundred kilograms of perfect weights?"

"Regardless, this is a godsend! My father forbids me from joining a city dojo because of the silver tuition, but he cannot stop me from lifting weights here!"

"Heavens, do you think the Chief was talking about the boy from Sweet Corn village? His family went bankrupt sending him to the Swift Leg Dojo..."

Within half a sichen, the explosive news had swept through the entirety of Big Wheat Village. Since it was a small settlement containing merely five hundred households, the gossip traveled like a raging wildfire.

Inside the Grand Hall

Sythe stood frozen before the neatly arranged equipment, staring at the long rows of massive iron racks. Resting upon them were pairs of marvelous, perfectly balanced iron dumbbells of ascending sizes.

Sythe stepped up to the heavy racks. Wanting to test the quality, he gripped a massive two-hundred-kilogram dumbbell and curled it effortlessly with one arm while speaking to Zani.

"Junior Zani... tell me the truth. How did you acquire these?"

The Chief, who was initially worried about the boy embarrassing himself, quickly became fascinated by the marvelous items on display. But as the initial excitement cooled and logic set in, a deep horror gripped his heart.

The iron. Every single piece was forged from pure, refined iron. Using so much refined iron just to forge weights! How much would the raw materials cost? What about the exorbitant blacksmithing fees to cast these perfect, identical shapes? Sythe realized with a heavy heart that even if he sold half of his family's property, he might not be able to afford a single set of these weights.

An audible gulp escaped the Chief's throat. He looked at Zani, his aura fluctuating wildly.

"Did you take a high-interest loan from a shadowy syndicate in the city? Did someone blackmail you into using this land?" Sythe bombarded the boy with questions, his voice tight.

Zani remained perfectly calm, maintaining his aloof, mysterious mask. Inwardly, however, he was highly amused by the dramatic reactions of these natives over standard gym gear.

The truth was, Zani knew absolutely nothing about proper exercise mechanics. He had never stepped foot inside a real gym in his past life. All his knowledge came from scrolling through brief social media reels and listening to the idle chatter of his former modern students.

Yet, looking at the newly manifested iron, he confidently believed he was an expert.

How hard could it be? Zani thought, rolling his eyes inwardly. You just pick the dumbbell up and you put it down. Then you grab a heavier one if it's too light. Simple.

Seeing the youth's detached, knowing silence, Sythe felt a sudden pang of embarrassment for aggressively probing into a junior's profound secrets. He coughed dryly to save face and quieted down.

"They were gifts from an elder," Zani said softly, waking from his inner thoughts and offering an unfathomable, mysterious smile. "I cannot say more than this, Chief."

"I understand," Sythe replied, misinterpreting the smile as the backing of a hidden supreme master.

THUD!

Sythe set the massive iron dumbbell back onto the rack, the heavy impact vibrating violently through the reinforced stone floor.

"Tell me, Junior. What is the tuition fee?"

At the Chief's words, all activity in the hall abruptly ceased. Currently, over twenty villagers had trickled inside, mostly hot-blooded youths awkwardly struggling to lift even the lighter sixty-kilogram dumbbells. Hearing the question, every single ear pricked up.

Zani stepped forward, his expression turning serious and majestic. "Chief, I offer three distinct paths," he announced loudly.

The first path: A monthly payment of twenty copper coins.

The second path: An annual payment of two silver coins.

The third path: Pay only after you have gained the required strength.

Hearing this, the villagers exchanged complicated, wary looks.

Meanwhile, the Chief stroked his beard and nodded decisively. Without a single word of negotiation, he reached into his robes and pulled out a handful of gleaming coins. "Zani, here are forty copper coins. My two sons, will officially join your Gym starting tomorrow."

Zani accepted the coppers with a bright smile, cupping his fists respectfully. Then he personally escorted the Chief to the gates, giving the village expert maximum respect as he bid him farewell.

After the Chief departed, more villagers trickled in to test their strength against the iron. Many eagerly inquired about the price, only to shake their heads and leave in resignation.

The conditions were incredibly fair. Twenty coppers a month was affordable for a standard village family earning a modest income. But would they really spend their hard-earned wealth here?

Most peasants still firmly believed it was better to save those coppers and eventually send their children to a premier dojo in the city. City dojos provided highly nutritious medicinal meals, and even if a child failed to reach the Skin Tempering stage, they would at least learn flashy mortal fighting techniques to defend themselves.

As for the third option, paying only after gaining strength, no one even dared to ask. Anyone with half a brain in this ruthless martial world knew that 'delayed payment' always resulted in the most exorbitant, unavoidable blood-price in the end.

Thus, Zani spent the entire day meticulously managing the crowds, not even finding a single moment to eat.

By sunset, the grand hall emptied out. Only five disciples had officially joined his Gym, bringing him exactly one hundred copper coins in revenue. Unsurprisingly, all of them had chosen the monthly payment plan.

Ironically, only one of them was the son of a common hunter. The other four were descendants of local martial artists. Although Big Wheat Village was small, it housed more than one retired Skin Tempering expert, even if Chief Sythe was acknowledged as the strongest among them.

Those who truly understood the arduous martial path immediately recognized the immense, undeniable value of Zani's perfectly balanced pure iron weights.

Sitting cross-legged upon his hard wooden bed, Zani stared intently at the translucent blue interface floating silently in his field of vision.

[Sect System Level 1]

[EXP: 0/100]

[Sect Master: Zani]

[Disciples: 0/40]

[Quests:]

[New Quest: Recruit 20 Disciples]

[Reward: 10 EXP and 'Skin Tempering Introduction Manual']

[New Quest: Recruit a Talented Disciple]

[Reward: 20 EXP and New System Feature: 'Talent Evaluation Eye']

"Why is the disciple count showing zero?" Zani muttered. "Is it because I have not officially registered their names yet? And it seems the system restrict me to forty disciples for now."

He let out a long yawn examining this.

"So sleepy. Let's see if my luck is good enough to complete the second quest tomorrow."

The next morning.

Inside the Iron Core Gym, Zani stood at the entrance of the grand hall with hands clasped behind his back.

"State your name, age, and origins. So that I can register you," Zani instructed the gathered youths.

"Fifteen years old. Eldest son of Chief Sythe."

"Thirteen years old. Son of Chief Sythe."

...

"Elisi, fourteen years old. Daughter of Hunter Teer."

After everyone was registered, Zani finally looked up to examine the group. Four boys and two girls.

From which he had already received the monthly fee of twenty copper coins from the first five. The last one, Elisi, was a new arrival.

"Elisi," Zani asked mildly. "How will you settle your fees? Monthly or annually?"

"I... I heard there is a third path," she said softly.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, not only Zani but the other youths also showed genuine surprise. Then thinking about something he nodded. "We shall discuss this matter later."

Then He led the youths deep into the hall.

Although Zani was no fitness master in his past life, he knew enough about the body limits to understand safety .So, before letting them touch the iron weights, he strictly lectured them on form and posture, ensuring no one would snap their spine attempting to lift a heavy burden on their first day.

Then, he personally demonstrated, lifting the weights alongside them so they could mimic his breathing and movements.

This grueling physical conditioning lasted for a full sichen (two hours). Only after that, utterly exhausted youths departed to rest and eat, promising to return for the evening session. Leaving only Elisi behind in the grand hall with him.

Unlike Zani's past world, this realm was rich in spiritual energy and marvelous herbs. These herbs didn't just heal wounds; they purged fatigue and nourished the blood. This was exactly why Zani wasn't worried about the youths destroying their bodies because as long as they took herbal baths or drank medicinal teas, the micro-tears in their muscles would only serve to rebuild their flesh stronger than before.

From what he knew of the martial path, mortals rarely cultivated not because they lacked courage, but because true tempering required endless cycles of self-harm and expensive herbal recovery.

"Elisi," Zani said while wiping sweat from his brow. "May I ask why you chose the third path of deferred payment? As far as I know, Brother Teer is wealthy enough to easily afford your tuition."

upon hearing the question, Elisi avoided his gaze and spoke meekly. "My father does not know I am here."

"What?"

"Please, Senior Zani! Please do not tell my father that I am walking the martial path!"

"Why such secrecy?"

The meekness in Elisi's voice slowly vanished, replaced by a rising, fierce determination. "Because I refuse to marry that Young Master from Sweet Corn Village! I will control my own fate. So, Please Senior help me. If my father finds out, I will take full responsibility."

"Just let me register!"

Elisi spoke with such absolute resolve that Zani was caught between a sigh of worry and a laugh of amusement. This was a classic tale of teenage rebellion.

"Very well. Do as you wish."

Herbal Store.

After securing his lunch, Zani decided to invest in his own cultivation. So, He spent a solid silver coin to purchase a month's supply of medicinal herbs.

In truth, calling them 'spiritual herbs' was an exaggeration; they were merely high-grade medicinal tea leaves, which after brewing help relaxed strained tendons and washed away profound fatigue and Combined with eating meat three times a day for essential nutrients, it formed a rudimentary mortal foundation method.

Zani was twenty-one this year, possessing a clean face and the handsome, scholarly features of a transmigrator. Now that his physique was filling out from the iron weights, he was bound to become an existence that would make the jade beauties of the village swoon.

Two more days passed like flowing water.

One more youth joined the gym, bringing his total count to seven. Yet, the system remained indifferent.

[Disciples: 7/40]

None of them triggered the 'Talented' quest.

His daily routine had become incredibly fulfilling, walking up early, guiding the youths, tempering his own body, eating hearty meals of filled with meat, drinking his medicinal tea, and sleeping soundly.

Only a few days of following it and He was now able to lift 60 kg weights casually, a staggering leap in progress and Because of the herbs and meat, he never felt muscle soreness.

Among his disciples, the most terrifying work ethic belonged to Elisi. The girl was practically a gym rat, who lived in the main hall. She even brought her three daily meals and her medicinal herbs to avoid going home for break, truly cultivating like a mad demon. If Zani didn't force the gates shut at night, he suspect she would sleep directly on the iron dumbbells.

Yet, despite her heaven-shaking effort, she could still barely lift 45 kg.

This caused Zani to pause and ponder. Why is my progress so explosive? Could it be... I am a heaven-defying, one-in-a-million genius?

And Just like that, a full month drifted by.

The number of disciples had naturally swelled to fifteen and just as Zani expected, not a single one quit. The physical transformations were too visible to deny.

[Disciples: 15/40]

Although repeatedly lifting iron all day was as boring as watching paint dry, doing it in a group with peers of the opposite gender ignited a fierce, competitive fire among the youths.

and Zani, acting as the 'peerless genius' and couch of his own gym, could now lift a monstrous 100 kg.

During this month, a great storm hit the village: Hunter Teer finally discovered his daughter's secret and The resulting argument shook the heavens and became the primary gossip of Big Wheat Village. Zani thought he will not be seeing her again. However, after a two-day absence, Elisi returned to the gym, her eyes burning with even greater vigor.

She, as the senior sister among the disciples, had breached the 60 kg mark.

Though a few older boys who joined later could already lift 75 kg due to their natural physical maturity, Elisi had become a symbol. She now has a small, devoted following of junior brothers and sisters who viewed her iron will as their role model.

But the most significant development of the month was something else entirely. The reputation of the Iron Core Gym had finally breached the borders of Big Wheat Village, spreading into Grains City and its four surrounding territories.

The mortal world now knew the name of Zani's domain.



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[Author Note: Thank you for reading so far.
You can always go to my patreon to read till chapter 8 for free.]