Sect Leader's Rise to the top!

[Mist-Walker Core] [Grade-3] [ Qi 2029]

Kai held the core in his hands. Unlike the other two items, this one felt mysterious and hard to examine. The core was a dull greyish color with no prominent features. Kai looked at it for a few seconds but felt no Qi emanating from it which was strange.

"Create Manual", Kai thought, intrigued by what it could become.

=[New Entry]=

>[Unnamed Martial Arts Manual] [D-Rank] based on [Grade-3] Mist-Walker Core]

[We are the unseen, the hidden...the unknown. Creatures of neither the light nor the dark. Walking aimlessly, eternally shrouded by the unknowable]

[Passive]: Fleet Footed: Base movement speed is increased by 50%. When in a 'hidden' state, this is increased to 100%. (This skill can stack with other movement skills)

[Cost]: 0 Qi

[Active]: Shrouded One: Summon a mist of illusions to confuse enemies and grant a 'hidden' state. (The effect of the illusion is dependent on the mental fortitude of those affected).

[Cost]: 5 Qi per second

[Duration]: 30 seconds

"Well, this one is interesting. It seems to be a movement-type martial art. I wonder what type of illusions it can create", Kai thought to himself. At first glance, it didn't seem as useful as the others, but Kai wouldn't underestimate any manual, especially not one that the system deemed to be D-Rank.

"I'll name this one [Shroud Dragon's Step]". Kai was now getting ready to start combining all the manuals randomly to see what interesting results he could get. He didn't know how long it would take, but he was willing to spend the remaining time until the Twin Lions Sect's Pocket Dimension opened.

Like this, the hours quickly turned into days, and the days turned into weeks.

Outside, Ryu walked past the basement door and sighed when he noticed it was still closed.

"Has Master still not come out?", Asked Mina while walking down the stairs. Her hair was still damp from her shower.

Ryu nodded his head while turning to face her. He looked at Mina and was surprised to see that her Qi seemed a lot denser than before. "Sister, have you broken through?!", Ryu said in complete shock.

Mina smiled at him while nodding her head. "Yes, I broke through to the 4th Stage of Qi-Condensation last night".

Ryu sighed while clapping his hands. "Wow!...I've been struggling to break through to the 3rd Stage of Qi-Condensation for the last few days now. I honestly still can't figure it out...How did..."

Just when he was about to ask for some advice, Old Lao walked in through the front door. Behind him were the twins, Jian-Yi and Jian-Na carrying groceries. When Ryu saw Old Lao, he was shocked yet again. "Old Lao...don't tell me you've also broken through?!", Ryu said while jumping to his feet.

Old Lao looked at Ryu in confusion while nodding his head. "Yes, I broke through to the 3rd stage of Qi Condensation yesterday..."

Ryu fell to his knees in an overly dramatic way then crouched into the fetal position. "Sister, am I just talentless waste?. A piece of garbage who should be thrown in the trash?", he said with a listless voice. The twins quietly giggled at his antics while following Old Lao to pack away the groceries.

Mina walked up to Ryu and kicked him in the stomach lightly. "Do you think Master would take trash as his disciple?. And even if you are, you just need to work twice or three times as hard to not give our master a bad name..."

"Sister, that's so mean!. I'm your younger brother, after all, you're supposed to comfort me!...ugh", Ryu winced as Mina kicked him again.

Mina stepped over the still complaining Ryu and stood in front of the basement door. It had been over three weeks since Kai had entered the basement without a word. They would occasionally hear loud noises and crashing sounds, but the door remained sealed no matter what sounds they heard".

Just as Mina was about to turn around and leave, the door slowly cracked open. When it did, an overwhelming fragrance of medicine wafted out of the basement and covered the entire floor. The door then opened fully as Kai walked out.

He stood by the doorway and stretched his body while looking around. Kai had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was messy, but his eyes were brimming with an obvious sense of excitement.

Ryu quickly got up and stood at attention next to Mina. Old Lao also joined them as the trio bowed to Kai and announced in unison. "Welcome back Master!".

Kai looked over his disciples and smiled. He had been able to monitor their progress through their sub-cores and was happy with their steady progress despite the limits he had imposed on them.

"I'll be leaving in three days to enter the Twin-Lions Sect's Pocket dimension, but before then, I need to make some preparations."

Kai pulled out three scrolls from his spatial bag and presented one to each of them. He gave Ryu a green scroll, Old Lao a blue scroll, and Mina a purple scroll.

They each received the scrolls curiously, not fully understanding what was going on. They did not know why Kai had been hidden for so long only to suddenly return and give them these fancy-looking scrolls.

"These are my latest creations based on my recent breakthrough in the way of the Dao. These internal manuals are at least one hundred times stronger than the ones you are currently practicing.", Kai said casually.

His disciples looked at him with awe and excitement in their eyes. They felt that their current manuals were already powerful, yet Kai was now giving them something even stronger!.

Kai noticed their excitement and continued to speak.

"Old Lao, for you I present the [Flood Dragon's Law]!. This internal manual specializes in Water-Qi. Gentle and calm like an endless ocean, once mastered, you will be able to command the raging tides and roaring seas!". Kai said dramatically. Old Lao carefully opened the scroll in his hands while listening. The scroll was a beautiful azure blue and had an icy cold feeling to the touch. It was covered in images of an ancient-looking sea creature, making it look magnificent and powerful.

Kai then turned to Ryu who was holding the green scroll. "For Ryu, I present the [Tempest Dragon's Law]. Quick and agile, yet powerful and unrelenting. Once you master it, you will be as fast as the wind, and as deadly as a tornado". Ryu looked at the jade-green scroll that had an almost weightless feeling. It felt so delicate that he thought he would break it if he gripped it too hard.

Kai then turned to Mina who was standing in the middle. "Last but not least, Mina. To you, I present the [Storm Dragon's Law]. This manual combines incredible speed with devastating raw power. Although difficult to master, once you do, nothing will be able to stand in your way". Mina held the glowing purple scroll carefully. She stroked the realistic image of a storm etches around the outer lining and watched in awe as it gave off a slight buzzing sound.

They all looked at the mysterious scrolls in their hands then back to Kai with different looks. Old Lao seemed overwhelmed with emotion, while Mina seemed eager and excited. Ryu on the other hand looked determined and inspired.

Kai smiled at them and then instructed them on how to learn the scrolls.

"Open the scrolls and observe the glyphs". Kai said. "You don't need to understand the meaning. Simply remember the patterns and then feel the power from within them".

The three disciples closed their eyes and followed Kai's instructions carefully, and soon they each started to fall into trance-like states. Kai watched them curiously and observed their sub-cores which began to react to the manuals. After a few minutes, Kai received a series of system prompts.

[Subcore-Mina] Wants to comprehend [Storm Dragon's Law, Part 1]. Will you allow it? Yes/No]

[Subcore-Ryu] Wants to comprehend [Tempest Dragon's Law, Part 1]. Will you allow it? Yes/No]

[Subcore-Lao Ren] Wants to comprehend [Flood Dragon's Law, Part 1]. Will you allow it? Yes/No]

[Warning!, this will replace the existing internal manual]

Kai smiled when he saw the notifications. He accepted them all and watched as the scrolls dissipated into light and were quickly absorbed into each of his disciple's bodies. After a few minutes, they each came out of their trances.

"Master, this is...Amazing!. Can I give it a try?", Mina asked in sheer excitement.

"Go ahead", Kai said happily.

Mina closed her eyes and focused her mind on her surroundings. After a few minutes, the air around her started to make a buzzing sound. Her hair rose slightly as sparks flashed around her, Making Ryu and Old Lao take a few steps back in awe.

She thrust out her arm and the surrounding sparks gravitate around her arm as the Thunder-Qi took shape around her entire arm for a few seconds, but as quickly as it appeared, it all vanished. Despite the abrupt ending, the spectacle was still impressive to everyone around.

"I think I almost had it...", Mina said while looking at Kai with a radiant smile.

Kai looked at her with wonder while nodding his head. The fact that she had been able to figure it out so quickly was a testament to her natural talent. Kai had long figured out that the system's manuals gave knowledge, but it was still up to the individual to master that knowledge.

This was apparent when Old Lao and Ryu tried to emulate Mina. Old Lao was only able to conjure a few droplets of Water-Qi over his hands while Ryu was only able to generate a quiet breeze of Wind-Qi around his arm for a few seconds.

This made Mina's display all the more impressive to everyone, including Kai who understood how difficult [Storm Dragon's Law] was. After all, it was the combination of [Flood Dragon's Law] and [Tempest Dragon's Law]. This meant one needed to first absorb both Water-Qi and Wind-Qi, then convert them into Thunder-Qi before being able to use it.

Kai shook his head while subconsciously patting himself on the back for nerfing their manuals. To keep it manageable, Kai had simply broken their manuals into two parts. Part one would allow them to cultivate to the peak of Qi-Condensation as well as use 50% of the manual's abilities. Kai had also created Part 2 which was the complete manual that would allow them to reach the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage as well as use 100% of the manual's abilities.

This way, Kai could manage his disciple's growths to make sure they never staggered but also never surpassed him either. Kai thought about the complete version of [Storm Dragon's Law] and an image popped into his mind.

>[Storm Dragon's Law] [D-Rank]

[The battle between the Wind-Deity and the Goddess of the Seas rages on. As they clash, storms of unimaginable magnitude scar the planes as thunderous roars take over the landscape]

Limit: Peak of Foundation Establishment

[Qi Gather Rate]: 1/ hour

[Active]: Gain the ability to absorb both Wind-Qi and Water-Qi.

[Passive 1]: Any Water-Qi and Wind-Qi absorbed will be passively converted into Thunder-Qi. The Qi gather rate can only be increased with items that contain both Water and Wind attributes. The base is(+5 Qi per hour)

[Passive 2]: Damage received from All Qi-based attacks is reduced by 25%. Damage received from Water-Qi-based attacks is reduced by 25%.. Damage received from Wind-Qi-based attacks is reduced by 25%.