At first light, as the moon faded behind silver clouds and golden rays touched the stone walls of the Grand Hall, Li Xuan summoned three elders to the Inner Sanctuary.
Lan Feiyan, Zhao Lei, and Mo Chen stood in solemn silence as he unfurled a wide parchment map across the table. It was marked with scattered red circles—remote villages and overlooked hamlets on the borders of the Five Regions.
"These territories lie untouched," Li Xuan began, his voice calm but firm. "Hidden corners the major sects ignore. That is where our foundation begins."
Mo Chen leaned in, studying the notations. "Are we recruiting openly?"
Li Xuan shook his head. "Absolutely not. No emblems, no sect robes, no announcements. We move without names or shadows. Let no lord or sect know our intent."
Zhao Lei smirked. "Then who do we seek in such quiet places?"
Li Xuan's gaze sharpened. "Not noble blood. Not wealth. We're after uncut jade—children and youths with true potential, buried under hardship, poverty, or abuse. The forgotten and the abandoned. Those whom the great sects would never bother to see."
Lan Feiyan's expression shifted—subtle admiration in her eyes. "You want to raise those the world left behind."
"Exactly," Li Xuan said. "Pose as traveling healers, teachers, or scholars. Carry spirit-testing stones. Use subtle means to assess their roots. Leave no trace of our identity."
He withdrew three jade slips from his sleeve, each faintly glowing, and handed them to the elders. "These contain the Hidden Root Appraisal Formation. Some talents are deeply buried—hidden by suppression, starvation, or fear. This will help you uncover them."
The three elders nodded.
Li Xuan pointed across the map. "Feiyan, go east to the rice valleys near Jianshui Town. Zhao Lei, head north to the coal mines of Black Stone Ridge. Mo Chen, west to the storm-lashed fishing villages of Cold Pine Bay."
Mo Chen raised an eyebrow. "And you?"
"I'll take the southern route," Li Xuan said. "Beyond the Banyan Wilds lies a forest village. There are whispers of children vanishing into slavers' hands. If any remain… we'll find them."
He let his hand fall to the table. "Two weeks. No contact. No signals. We return on the fifteenth night with only those worthy."
Zhao Lei gave a low chuckle. "What of nobles who've been discarded?"
Li Xuan's voice grew cold. "If they were thrown away by their bloodlines, if they carry scars of being unwanted—they qualify. We're not raising princes. Only survivors."
Fifteen Nights Later – Moonlit Courtyard
One by one, beneath the quiet hush of night, the elders returned.
Lan Feiyan arrived first, her long sleeves heavy with scrolls. She brought thirty-two recruits—orphans, runaways, and forgotten daughters of widowed households. One girl carried a Silver Mist Root, long dormant from malnutrition. Another child's soul had fractured and regrown—revealing a rare Echo Root unseen in centuries.
Next came Zhao Lei, leading a quiet, hardened group of thirty-four. Many bore miner's soot on their skin and chains still fresh on their ankles. But hidden among them were rare elemental affinities—composite roots, hidden fire veins, and one boy who unknowingly possessed a suppressed Star-Earth Dual Root.
Mo Chen, methodical and silent, brought thirty-five. Among his group was a frail boy with the Heavenly Wood Root—last son of a noble line wiped out in a border dispute. Another child had no known background, only a body covered in rune-scars, yet carried an unawakened Heaven's Pulse root.
And finally, Li Xuan arrived— with a covered carriage bearing twenty-eight children. Most had been rescued from forest caravans bound for black markets. Fifteen bore rare spirit roots, and two possessed Crimson Moon Spirit Veins—thought extinct for over two thousand years.
The courtyard, bathed in moonlight, fell into stillness as the elders exchanged glances.
"These children…" Lan Feiyan said softly. "They are extraordinary."
"No," Li Xuan replied. "They were discarded, unseen. Their worth has only now begun to shine."
He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the group of tired, ragged children.
"You do not know me," he said, voice low but unwavering. "But you will."
"You were not born to be used or cast aside. You are the moon's chosen now—and you have a home."
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then, one by one, the children knelt.
And beneath the silent stars, the Nine Heavens Moon Sect took root once more.
The moon hung high as the children were quietly led from the courtyard to the outer quarters prepared for them. Hallways lined with lanterns flickered softly, casting warm golden light over their dirt-streaked faces and tired eyes. For most of them, it was the first time they'd seen such calm after years of fear.
Lan Feiyan led the girls to a spacious washing area carved into the cliffside, its stone walls engraved with moon lotus patterns. A soft mist curled from the heating pools within. "You'll bathe here," she said gently, her usual sternness replaced with patient calm. "Clean yourselves. Your past may remain with you, but tonight, you begin anew."
Zhao Lei and Mo Chen directed the boys to a similar chamber nearby—less ornate, but just as clean and warm. Wooden tubs of steaming water stood waiting, along with simple herbal cleansing powders that smelled faintly of jasmine and ginseng.
The children hesitated at first, clutching worn cloaks and stolen cloth. But when the warmth touched their skin, the grime ran off with their fear. Quiet laughter rose—hesitant, surprised, as though they'd forgotten what it sounded like.
After their baths, the children were led to the storage halls, where dozens of neatly folded robes lay waiting—robes unlike any they had seen before.
Woven from moon-thread silk and reinforced with spiritweave patterns, the fabric shimmered faintly under torchlight. Each robe bore the ancient emblem of the Nine Heavens Moon Sect: a silver crescent cradling nine stars, stitched above the heart. Though centuries old, they had been perfectly preserved in sealed chests—some from the forgotten inheritance cave, others salvaged from the hidden vault beneath the Li Clan.
When the children reached out to touch the robes, their hands trembled. The cloth was soft but strong, imbued with a faint spiritual resonance. Donning them was like stepping into a story they'd never been told—a legacy they hadn't known was waiting for them.
As they slipped into the garments, their reflections in polished bronze mirrors caught even their own gazes by surprise. No longer ragged or forgotten, Not nobles, not heroes… but something new.
Lan Feiyan adjusted the collar of a young girl's robe. "This sect once fell into ruin," she said quietly. "But you are the ones who will raise its name again. Wear it with pride."
The girl nodded, eyes wide with awe.
Zhao Lei knelt beside a boy who couldn't be older than seven, helping him tie his robe sash. "There's no rush. You're safe now," he said softly. "First, you'll learn to breathe and to sleep without fear
Mo Chen oversaw the distribution of the dorm assignments. "Group them by age, not cultivation level," he instructed. "Let them form bonds first. Let them find their feet."
Where once the ruined outer disciples courtyard stood half-buried beneath dust and vine, now rose elegant buildings of jade wood and white stone—structures purchased quietly from the system store and styled in the image of the ancient Nine Heavens Moon Sect.
The boys' courtyards curved pavilion with mural walls etched in silver ink—dragons soaring across cloudscapes, their eyes shimmering faintly with qi.
The girls' courtyards mirrored it on the opposite side, walls adorned with phoenixes rising from lotus fire, wings outstretched in graceful arcs.
Moon lanterns floated gently above the courtyards at night.
The rooms had been aired out, calming incense burning, furnished with fresh bedding, moonwood wardrobes, and soft floor mats from the system shop. All ancient and beautiful.
Lan Feiyan prepared gentle tea infusions and herbal meals laced with mild energy supplements. "Let their bodies mend before their spirits bloom," she said. "Some are malnourished. Some bear internal damage. This is not the time for pushing them toward qi."
That night, spiritual warmth lingered—not from cultivation, but from comfort, structure, and peace. For the first time, many of these children fell asleep without hunger gnawing at their bellies or fear chasing their dreams.
Later That Night – Outer Pavilion
Li Xuan stood alone under the moonlight, gazing at the lights glowing gently within the dormitories. He could sense the various spirit roots awakening, some pulsing weakly, others flickering like coals catching wind.
Yue stepped beside him silently, offering a cup of tea. "You've planted more than a hundred seeds."
"Yes," he said quietly. "Now we water them with trust… and shape them with discipline."
She glanced toward the dorms. "They still carry fear."
"They'll shed it in time." Li Xuan took a sip of tea. "And when they do, they'll remember who helped them stand."
A quiet breeze stirred the banners above. The crescent moon above shimmered, bathing the mountain stronghold in silver light.
The Nine Heavens Moon Sect was no longer a memory. It was breathing again—through new hearts, silent seeds, and roots now taking hold.
And in the central courtyard, the ancient stone tablet of the Nine Heavens Moon Sect glowed faintly once more. Not from formation light or spiritual infusion—but from the silent breath of a sect reborn.