6: Chapter 6: Change the mountain gate into a defensive map.

The water line in the Soul Reconstruction Pool remained on the stone wall, failing to recover even by noon.

Sect Master Di Kun stood by the pool, tightly wrapping the wound on his left arm with clean strips of cloth. The cloth was quickly soaked red with blood; he tightened the final loop, gritted his teeth, and finally let go. The empty box that had held fifty Spirit Stones lay at his feet, its lid not fully closed, three Spirit Stones inside clinking softly with his movements.

The sound was faint, yet it grated on the ears.

"Meeting."

Sect Master Di Kun kicked the wooden box toward the stone steps and turned to walk toward the Founders Hall.

The Taichu Sect's first truly meaningful Sect meeting was held right in the center of the Founders Hall. The portrait of the Ancestral Master hung on a mottled wall, and the incense burner held no incense, only cold ash. The Sect Protection Elder had been invited from the medicine hut in the back mountain, a string of rusty copper keys hanging from his waist clinking with every step, carrying the scent of old medicinal salve.

When the old man saw the five new Disciples, he first looked at the Taichu Mark on their brows, then at the bloody cloth on Sect Master Di Kun's left arm, his mouth tightening into a thin line.

"The Sect Master took them down the mountain?"

"I did."

"They saw blood?"

"They did."

"Any deaths?"

Sect Master Di Kun placed the Speedrun Youth's wooden plaque on the table; the plaque had a chipped corner and was stained with a faint blood color. "Died once."

The sound of copper keys stopped.

The Sect Protection Elder's hand, reaching for the plaque, froze in mid-air, veins bulging on his knuckles. He looked at the Speedrun Youth, who was currently squatting on the ground, using charcoal to draw the Split-Tooth Wolf's route on a stone slab. His neck was intact, though his face was still pale.

"Died once?" The old man's voice dropped. "Sect Master, such words cannot be spoken lightly."

The Speedrun Youth looked up. "Elder, I can provide a death experience report."

The Sect Protection Elder's hand trembled, the keys clashing together with a sharp, light clink.

Sect Master Di Kun did not let them continue dwelling on the resurrection. He reached out and tapped the tabletop, the silver Sect mark flashing for a moment with the movement.

"Split-Tooth Wolves have entered the herb fields at the foot of the mountain; the Yao Beasts of the Black Mist Demon Ridge are closer than expected. The Red Snake Sect could also come knocking at any time. The Reconstruction Pool can resurrect Disciples, but it costs fifty Spirit Stones per time. The Taichu Sect only has three left."

The Founders Hall fell silent.

This time, even the Chuunibyou Youth didn't add any drama to his right arm.

Sect Master Di Kun's gaze swept over everyone. "If we want to survive until the third day, we can't rely on throwing away lives to test the rules. Turn your 'sets of things' into a plan I can use."

The Speedrun Youth immediately pushed the stone slab into the center of the hall. He had used charcoal to draw the pouncing route of the Split-Tooth Wolf, with dense short lines marked next to it.

"Low-level Yao Beasts have fixed movement habits. The Split-Tooth Wolf's front and back legs sink before a pounce; it usually pauses after a double pounce, but it can use its shoulders and back to forcibly correct its turn, so we can't judge based on the first sample alone. The conclusion is that terrain is more important than individual mechanics."

The Dark Souls Youth sat on a prayer mat, his chest wrapped in cloth, his face still sallow. He placed his broken wooden sword aside and pointed at the route map.

"Its attack wind-up is shorter than a Demon Rat's, and its hitbox is larger. Don't fight it head-on; sticking to its side and rear can bait a turn. The problem is our current speed isn't enough; one mistake and we're gone."

The Sect Protection Elder's brow furrowed when he heard 'hitbox,' and he looked at Sect Master Di Kun.

Sect Master Di Kun didn't explain, only raising his hand to signal them to continue.

The Tower Defense Youth redrew the mud map from this morning onto a piece of rag and spread it directly on the table. His fingertips were stained with charcoal ash as he first drew the valley entrance, then the outer wall, and finally the stone steps of the main peak.

"We're changing the mountain gate to three layers."

He circled the first area at the valley entrance. "The first layer is the Slow Zone. Dig pit traps, spread gravel, set up chevaux-de-frise, and use oil and poisonous herbs to create blockades. When Yao Beasts rush in, they slow down first."

He drew a second circle at the outer wall. "The second layer is the Focus Fire Zone. Repair the broken ballistae, place stones at high points, and position people on the sides, not the front. Lure the mobs in and hit them from left and right."

Finally, the tip of the wooden sword pointed in front of the Founders Hall. "The third layer is the Final Kill Zone. If we really can't hold them, we retreat to the stone steps of the main peak. The stairs are narrow, so not many Yao Beasts can come up at once. The Sect Master holds the center line, and we finish them off."

The wrinkles on the Sect Protection Elder's face deepened even further.

"Slow Zone? Focus Fire Zone? Lure points?" The old man's finger tapped the edge of the table, the copper keys trembling along with it. "A Sect guarding its mountain has its own Formations, talisman walls, and Disciple arrays. Digging pits at the mountain gate and piling gravel in front of the Founders Hall—what kind of decorum is this?"

The Life-Skill Player placed a bundle of herbs, a bag of iron nails, and several pieces of rotten wood on the table. The items thudded onto the surface, shaking a layer of cold ash out of the incense burner.

"Elder, there are seven remnants of Formation Flags left, two broken ballistae, a small bag of iron nails, half a vat of oil, and enough poisonous herbs for three pits. Several wooden beams in the warehouse can be dismantled, tiles can be taken from old roofs, and gravel is everywhere on the mountain paths." He paused, then added, "Decorum cannot stop a wolf."

The Sect Protection Elder stared at the half-bag of iron nails, his beard twitching twice, but he didn't respond.

The Chuunibyou Youth stood up, the cloth on his right arm replaced with the ends intentionally left long. He slapped the Basic Qi Refining Technique against his chest.

"Leave the Disciple training to me. The Qi Refining Technique is too boring, they can't remember it, but the Seal Release Art can work. First stage: sense the Qi Sea; second stage: draw the Breath of Taichu; third stage: let the sleeping dragon within raise its head."

The Sect Protection Elder closed his eyes.

The Dark Souls Youth raised his hand. "As long as we can understand it. It's easier to remember than the original chants."

The Speedrun Youth nodded. "Training slogans can improve execution rates; this can be kept."

Sect Master Di Kun watched the group treat the Founders Hall like a war room, but the shadows in his eyes did not dissipate.

Dismantling old houses, digging up the mountain gate, discarding the dignity of traditional Formations, and betting all the remaining Materials. If it worked, the Taichu Sect had a chance to live; if it failed, there wouldn't even be room for repairs.

The Sect Protection Elder looked at Sect Master Di Kun. "Sect Master, the ancestral rules..."

Sect Master Di Kun raised his hand, his fingertip landing on the valley entrance of the rag map.

"The ancestral rules didn't protect the Taichu Sect."

The old man's hand tightened around the copper keys.

Sect Master Di Kun's voice wasn't loud. "Modify it according to their plan. Before the sun sets today, I want the mountain gate to be able to kill Yao Beasts."

The portrait of the Ancestral Master on the wall was covered in dust, and a cold wind blew in through the broken window, making the corners of the painting sway gently. Sect Master Di Kun looked up at the Ancestral Master, who was now just an outline, and his mouth tightened.

If the Ancestral Master had a spirit, he would probably be fuming with rage first, then check if the mountain gate could actually kill anything.

Just then, a line of System text floated before Sect Master Di Kun's eyes.

Side Quest Generated: Complete the construction of basic Sect defense works.

Upon completion, the Sect Contribution Panel will be unlocked.

"Contribution Panel!" The Speedrun Youth was the first to look up, looking as if he'd been hit by a Spirit Stone.

The Dark Souls Youth's eyes also lit up. "Where there's a panel, there are rewards; where there are rewards, there's motivation."

The Life-Skill Player scooped the Materials on the table into his arms. "How is contribution calculated? Does gathering count? Does dismantling houses count? Does repairing ballistae count?"

The Tower Defense Youth had already stood up. "Work first, record as we go."

Sect Master Di Kun watched the System text fade and tapped the table twice.

"It all counts. Whatever anyone does, the Life-Skill Player will keep the books. We'll settle it all once the Contribution Panel opens."

The Chuunibyou Youth waved his hand. "Taichu Construction Crew, move out!"

The Sect Protection Elder's expression was beyond words. He followed the group out of the Founders Hall and saw the Dark Souls Youth carrying his broken wooden sword to the valley entrance to test rolling distances, the Speedrun Youth running back and forth along the mountain path, the Tower Defense Youth leading others to drive the first chevaux-de-frise into the mud, the Life-Skill Player emerging from an old house carrying a door panel, and the Chuunibyou Youth standing on the stone steps shouting, "Sink your Qi into the Dantian, the Seal awakens!" The copper keys at the old man's waist clattered in an increasingly chaotic rhythm.

The mountain gate was soon dismantled beyond recognition.

Wooden beams from the old side rooms were taken down, sharpened into stakes, and driven into both sides of the valley entrance. Broken tiles from the roofs were packed into bamboo baskets by the Life-Skill Player and carried to high points on the outer wall for later use. When the broken ballistae were dragged out of the warehouse, their arms were moldy and the strings half-snapped; the Tower Defense Youth re-wrapped them with oil-soaked hemp rope and had the Dark Souls Youth use his body to test the firing angles.

"Half a step to the left." The Tower Defense Youth squatted behind the ballista, squinting to aim at the valley entrance. "If you stand there, you'll block the line of sight."

The Dark Souls Youth held a wooden shield. "Am I a target now?"

"You're a model."

"Can models get their medical expenses reimbursed?"

"Fifty Spirit Stones if you die; if you're injured, tough it out."

The Dark Souls Youth was silent for a moment. "Then I'll take half a step to the left."

The Life-Skill Player poured oil into a ceramic jar and mixed in crushed poisonous herbs. A pungent smell rose from the mouth of the jar, making the Chuunibyou Youth back away two steps.

"This thing is sinister; it's perfect for sealing the feet of evil beasts."

The Life-Skill Player shoved a wooden stick at him. "Stir it."

The Chuunibyou Youth took the stick, his expression freezing.

The Sect Protection Elder stood to the side, watching these Disciples work while arguing about 'aggro range,' 'spawn rates,' and 'route optimization.' His hand reached for the copper keys at his waist several times and pulled away several times, before he finally picked up a shovel and walked to the pit trap closest to the valley entrance.

"The pit is too shallow."

The Tower Defense Youth looked up.

The old man thrust the shovel into the mud, stepped on it, and flipped over a large chunk of earth. "Yao Wolves have long front claws; a shallow pit won't trip them. The walls of the pit should be slanted, with nails driven into the bottom, and poison smeared on the nails. Stand back, all of you, lest you stab yourselves to death first."

The Life-Skill Player immediately handed over some iron nails. "The Elder knows his stuff."

The Sect Protection Elder snorted. "When I was guarding the mountain, you lot didn't even know which mud pit you were in."

Sect Master Di Kun stood on the ruins of the outer wall, watching the busy mess below. The wound on his left arm was numb from being tied so tightly, and the mountain breeze carried a hint of blood. He didn't interfere with every detail, only making final calls on key positions and assigning people to the areas with the most vacancies.

The Tower Defense Youth was in charge of the valley entrance and the outer wall.

The Life-Skill Player was in charge of Materials and bookkeeping.

The Speedrun Youth was in charge of running the routes, measuring how many breaths it took to retreat from the mountain gate to the Founders Hall.

The Dark Souls Youth and Sect Master Di Kun went to the valley entrance to test the mob-luring routes.

The Chuunibyou Youth was responsible for teaching the Qi Refining Technique to the others, while also stirring the poisonous herbs and shouting slogans.

By afternoon, the mountain gate had been transformed.

The originally flat path at the valley entrance had been dug into three rows of pits of varying depths, their surfaces covered with dry branches and thin soil. Chevaux-de-frise were staggered on both sides, their sharp stakes smeared with dark green poisonous juice. The gaps in the outer wall were blocked with door panels and rubble, and two broken ballistae were mounted at high points, surrounded by piles of tiles and fist-sized stones.

The area in front of the Founders Hall was no longer empty either; wooden stakes were erected on both sides of the stone steps, leaving a narrow path in the middle. If a Yao Beast rushed here, it could only squeeze its way up the stone steps.

Sect Master Di Kun stood before the mountain gate, which had been torn into a mess, his feet surrounded by wood chips, muddy water, broken tiles, and iron nails. He watched the sunset slowly sink behind the mountain ridge, the afterglow sweeping across the tips of the chevaux-de-frise, dyeing those crude wooden stakes a dark red.

It was still dilapidated.

But it finally looked like a place that could bite.

The Speedrun Youth ran back from the valley entrance, panting heavily, his wooden plaque covered in numbers. "From the first pit to the outer wall, seven breaths at most. If the Split-Tooth Wolf chases at full speed, the second row of pits can stall it for half a breath, enough for the ballistae to fire a round."

The Dark Souls Youth carried his newly carved wooden sword on his shoulder. "I can lure it to the third pit, provided it doesn't use any new moves."

The Tower Defense Youth looked at Sect Master Di Kun. "We still need lighting. When the black mist presses in at night, we won't see the pit positions clearly, and our own people will step in them."

The Life-Skill Player held up two ceramic jars. "There's a bit of oil left, we can make braziers. I've made marks under the tiles; our people follow the white stone line."

The Chuunibyou Youth walked down from the stone steps, the cloth on his right arm stained with herb juice. "First round of training complete; three people can sense their Qi Sea, and two only sense hunger."

The Sect Protection Elder's mouth twitched, though he didn't snap.

Just as Sect Master Di Kun was about to begin the inspection, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from outside the valley entrance.

Everyone stopped their movements.

The mountain wind carried the outside sounds in; besides the hooves, there was the clinking of metal rings. Sect Master Di Kun raised his hand, and everyone immediately retreated to the positions assigned this morning. The Dark Souls Youth hid behind the chevaux-de-frise, the Speedrun Youth stuck to the white stone line, the Tower Defense Youth squatted by the broken ballista, the Life-Skill Player picked up the ceramic jar, and the Chuunibyou Youth gripped his wooden sword, the cloth on his right arm trailing in the wind.

Three Cultivators stopped outside the mountain gate.

They wore reddish-brown short robes with snake patterns embroidered on the sleeves. The leader had a Red Snake Token hanging from his waist, which swayed gently with the horse's movements, two red stones embedded in the snake's eyes. He glanced at the pitted valley entrance, then at the broken ballistae on the outer wall, his mouth curling into a mocking arc.

"Has the Taichu Sect become so poor that it's changed professions to a bandit's den?"

The Sect Protection Elder gripped his shovel, his keys clanging loudly.

Sect Master Di Kun walked down from the ruins of the outer wall, stepping through the wood chips to stop in the center of the mountain gate. The sunset pressed behind him, the tear in his black-gold Sect Master's robe lifted by the wind, revealing the dark red of the bloody cloth wrapped around his left arm.

The leading Cultivator dismounted, his boot landing on the edge of the valley entrance, only half a step from the first pit trap. He looked down at the loose soil beneath his feet, his smile deepening.

"Don't be nervous." He raised the Red Snake Token and tapped it lightly against his palm. "We are here on the orders of the Red Snake Sect Deacon to help the Taichu Sect look after the mountain gate. This wretched place of yours can't withstand Yao Beasts, and it can't withstand people either."

Sect Master Di Kun's right hand, hanging at his side, twitched, his fingertip resting on the top of a newly driven wooden stake. The poisonous juice on the stake hadn't dried yet, and as the sunset hit it, a layer of cold, damp green shimmered. The wind inside and outside the mountain gate died down, and the shadows of the three Red Snake Sect Cultivators lengthened, falling exactly upon the thin soil of the first row of pit traps.