New Feature Alert! Sects Scramble for the Phoenix Child

High above the Zhu Kingdom, atop a secluded mountaintop peak shrouded from mortal eyes by clouds, the grandest sect of the kingdom—the Biyun Sect—held court in Lianyun Pavilion, the abode of its Supreme Elder. An intense debate raged among the sect's elders.

"Is that truly the case?"

From the highest seat in Lianyun Pavilion, the sect leader himself—a Decisive Realm true man and the undisputed top authority—Biyun Zhenren spoke up.

"Yes, it is. Our Heavenly Mechanism Division divined it multiple times themselves just recently. A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠being bearing the aura of a phoenix has truly appeared in the mortal world."

"Elder Jeong is right! Didn't you witness it yourself, Sect Leader? That day, the massive volcano erupted as if shaking heaven and earth, and for a moment, both land and sky were plunged into darkness by that bizarre sight! What else could this be but the will of heaven?"

"Indeed. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠phenomenon that day was beyond imitation by mere mortals—or even cultivators like us. Without heaven's will, how could it...?"

Biyun Zhenren trailed off, vividly recalling the events in his mind.

Suddenly, without warning, a colossal volcanic eruption had burst forth, spewing an unimaginable quantity of fire energy. And then, the black sun that had temporarily stolen light from the skies across the entire Zhu Kingdom... Even for Biyun Zhenren, who had weathered countless storms in his late Decisive Realm cultivation, it was a scene majestic enough to make his legs tremble.

...That immense fire energy was anything but ordinary.

At first, the explosion had seemed like the end of the world itself, searing itself indelibly into his memory. At the very least, something extraordinary had occurred—phoenix or not. As the paramount capital sect responsible for the kingdom's safety and prosperity, it was only natural to investigate the truth.

"That's not all! Some mortals in the secular world claim they saw a massive firebird ascending to the heavens amid the volcano's eruption, if only for a brief moment! If this isn't the birth of a phoenix, then what is?"

"Hmmm."

Biyun Zhenren feigned deep contemplation, closing his eyes and letting out a deliberate hum... but by now, even he was half-convinced.

A massive volcanic explosion symbolizing fire itself. Intense fire energy capable of momentarily disrupting the balance of heaven and earth's spiritual qi. The emergence of a giant firebird, followed by a black sun blotting out the sky... It was impossible not to believe.

"Sect Leader! We must decide quickly. Word is, the Qinghe Sword Sect has already dispatched disciples to the mortal world to find the phoenix's master! Even the smaller minor sects are mobilizing!"

"Exactly! At this rate, we'll chase the phoenix's tail only to have those sword-obsessed bastards snatch everything! We need to hurry!"

"@#$!##@$@$"

"Enough!"

As the heated discussion grew chaotic, Biyun Zhenren bellowed, silencing the pavilion in an instant. He then spoke carefully.

"Very well. Then we'll do the same—send our disciples down. We can't let those Qinghe Sword Sect fools outdo us."

"A wise decision! Whom shall we dispatch?"

"Since we're committing, send every disciple not tied to urgent duties—inner and outer sect alike."

"Such...!"

"If we're doing this, we do it right, don't you think?"

"Well said, Sect Leader."

"Relay this to them: Under no circumstances must it fall into enemy hands—especially not the Qinghe Sword Sect! Understood? We must bring the phoenix child into our sect!"

"As you command!"

Watching the elders rush out to carry out his orders, Biyun Zhenren mused to himself.

Phoenix child... A child born with the aura of a divine beast will surely surpass Core Formation and Decisive Realm—reaching heights even I couldn't achieve.

When that time comes... Biyun Sect will soar higher alongside the phoenix. To places we couldn't reach before. To realms overflowing with greater cultivation resources and spiritual energy.

Biyun Zhenren smiled faintly as he observed his sect's disciples springing into action.

Meanwhile, Lin was leisurely strolling through the forest as usual.

The road to the Zhu Kingdom was long and treacherous; despite spending considerable time already, she still had no clear sense of her progress. She hadn't gotten precise directions from the village chief, and there was no GPS satellite map here anyway. No reliable way to gauge the remaining distance or even confirm she was heading the right way.

Kyu...!

'Well... there seem to be more people around than before, so at least the direction feels right...!'

It was exactly as she thought. Encounters with people in the forest had definitely increased. Just a few days ago, she'd secretly helped a small merchant caravan under attack by pesky monkey yokshu.

Kyuut!

'Ugh... Should've just asked those folks for directions!'

She'd hidden to avoid revealing herself, sniping complaints from afar as cover... but in hindsight, shapeshifting into human form to help openly would've been fine.

Ugh... Why didn't I think of that?

Too late for regrets now. At least the uptick in people suggested she was on track—a small comfort.

Kyu...

'Hmm... Guess I'll call it a day here.'

The sky had already darkened considerably; it wasn't ideal for more walking. She'd covered plenty of ground today anyway.

Lin settled into a makeshift bed of gathered leaves and, as always, pulled up Doyeonbang to kill time.

Kyu-wang!

'Let's see... Wonder if there's anything fun today...?'

She scrolled through the popular posts, hunting for hot topics.

Kyu?

'...Huh?'

A sudden eye-catching notice made Lin's eyes widen in surprise.

Kyu...?!?

'An update...? Doyeonbang gets real-time updates too?'

Though her time on Doyeonbang had been short, she'd never seen a system-level change like this. Lin was genuinely shocked.

She'd assumed it was some ancient senior's abandoned project! For it to update suddenly meant the creators or admins were still out there somewhere!

Of course, old galleries mentioned newbies flooding in back then, hinting at some management... but she never imagined they'd resurface like this.

Whatever the case, it piqued her curiosity, so Lin tapped the post to read on.

Many improvements were listed, but the standout—the one drawing all the buzz—was undoubtedly the "Live@ Streaming Service."

Kyu?

'L-Live streaming service...?'

The term felt oddly familiar. Sounded just like those internet broadcasts from her past life!

A platform starting as galleries and communities branching into streaming wasn't surprising... but to see it here in a xianxia world? Wild.

Still, boredom made it intriguing, so Lin kept reading.

She wasn't the only one hyped about the update.

Kyu!

'Maybe I should try streaming too...?'

Watching the excited gallery users, Lin suddenly had the thought. If she played her unique traits right, even in a forum overflowing with show-offs, she might carve out a niche.