Reincarnated with a lucky draw system

Chapter 490: FALLEN SECT

Boom!

Aaron crashed to the ground with tremendous force, his body carving a deep crater into the dry, cracked earth.

Dust billowed upward in thick clouds, obscuring the air around him for a moment.

He rose to his feet slowly, brushing off the clinging dirt with a casual flick of his hand.

His present location remained a complete mystery, the landscape unfamiliar and shrouded in an eerie silence.

Aaron scanned his surroundings meticulously, extending his senses outward in search of anything that might catch his interest.

The air felt heavy, charged with an unknown energy that prickled against his skin.

But the farther he pushed his awareness, the greater the opposition he encountered.

An invisible resistance built up, like wading through thickening molasses.

The essence permeating the environment was starkly different from the mana he had grown so accustomed to. It hummed with a foreign rhythm, vibrant yet elusive.

And contrary to what Aaron had expected, he found himself unable to harness it. No matter how he focused, the essence slipped through his grasp like smoke.

[You’re lucky you have the chaos physique, or you’ll be more weakened than this.]

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked aloud, his voice echoing faintly in the empty expanse.

[Should I start with congratulations? You are no longer within your origin Nexus. This is an entirely different Nexus with ki at its foundational essence.]

"What do you mean?" Aaron repeated, frustration creeping into his tone.

He began walking aimlessly forward, his boots crunching against loose soil, hoping to stumble upon something, anything, that might spark his interest.

[Within your mana essence, other essences can exist, but in the end, they’ll draw themselves from the mana nexus core.]

[X energy, for example, fundamentally relied on mana, despite being made from another essence.]

[Everyone within the mana Nexus might use different essences, but fundamentally, the essence you will use is mana.]

The system continued its explanation patiently, its words appearing in Aaron’s mind like glowing text.

It was a simple concept that Aaron grasped quickly. Just like derived and fundamental units in measurement.

It reminded him of a computer interpreting code in various forms. But at its root, that code stemmed from a particular programming language.

Aaron’s presence in this unknown Nexus was akin to forcing a computer specialized in one language to read code written in an entirely different one.

The similarities might tease understanding, but the core incompatibility made it impossible.

"Tough," Aaron muttered under his breath. "What now?"

Without an essence to manipulate, he felt like a sitting duck, not completely helpless, but limited in ways that grated against his pride.

[Simple. Do what others do: find a way to allow your body to use ki as an essence interchangeably with mana. Usually, you gain the ability after attaining Primordial rank. But your smart ass chose to move to another Nexus while at the sovereign realm.]

"I asked for help, not nagging," Aaron shot back irritably. "Hmm? Is that a sect? It looks rundown."

He muttered the words as he stumbled upon a dilapidated, run-down building half-hidden in the distance.

Vines crept over its weathered stone walls, and the roof sagged under years of neglect.

The structure was encircled by overgrown bushes and tangled weeds, their leaves rustling faintly in a gentle breeze.

There were scant signs of life or activity within, only silence and decay.

[There’s a solution. Master your physique, make use of your mystic eyes, and you will be able to solve the problem quite easily.]

"Yeah, yeah," Aaron replied dismissively to the system. "I would have done so without your help either way."

He stood before the creaky wooden door, its surface splintered and faded from exposure to the elements.

Aaron knocked on it purely out of courtesy, his knuckles rapping sharply against the aged wood.

Gbam!

The door collapsed inward with a thud, falling flat to the ground in a puff of dust.

The sudden failure created an awkward silence, leaving Aaron standing there with mild surprise.

"Alright?" Aaron muttered to himself, glancing around.

With no reply after several long seconds, he stepped over the threshold cautiously.

Within the sect compound, the air smelled stale and musty, overgrown grass tickling his ankles.

He found a man sprawled out, sleeping loudly amid the clutter.

Bottles lay scattered all around him, some empty and tipped over, others still holding remnants of dark liquid that stained the ground.

The man was bare-chested, his ample belly rising and falling with each thunderous snore.

He wore only loose pants, stained and rumpled from neglect.

The stomach of the man was large enough to comfortably fit four people inside, jiggling slightly with his breaths.

"Hello," Aaron called out firmly. "I’m Aaron Highborn."

He needed someone, anyone, to provide necessary information about this strange new environment. His patience was already wearing thin.

"Snore. Snore. Snore."

The man continued his deep slumber, utterly oblivious to the world around him.

His mouth hung open, a thin line of drool escaping.

Aaron clenched his fist tightly, barely restraining the urge to knock the man senseless.

Frustration bubbled beneath his calm exterior.

Weaving threads of shadow into a makeshift hand, he extended it forward.

He tapped the man gently on the shoulder, the touch cool and ethereal.

But the man still didn’t stir, snoring freely as if in a coma.

Slowly losing his composure, Aaron increased the tapping intensity.

The shadow hand pressed harder, more insistently.

Yet the man remained unmoved, his snores echoing louder in defiance.

"That’s it," Aaron said in growing annoyance, his voice edged with cold finality.

He controlled the shadow tendril precisely, shaping it into a flat palm.

It slapped the man across the cheeks with a sharp crack.

The sound reverberated across the entire compound, echoing off the crumbling walls like a thunderclap.

"Ouch!" the man yelled, jolting upright in a panic.

His eyes flew open wide, bleary and confused.

He scrambled to reach for his sword lying on the ground nearby, fingers groping clumsily in defense.

After stretching and failing repeatedly to grasp it, his belly getting in the way, he gave up with a frustrated huff.

Standing straight again, he faced Aaron squarely, rubbing his reddened cheek.

"Hmm? Who the hell are you?" he demanded gruffly. "I told you guys, didn’t I?"

"I can’t give you the sect treasure," he continued ranting. "I will pay the debt when I can, but the sect treasure is a no!"

The man yelled at Aaron, spittle flying from his mouth in enthusiastic bursts.

Droplets attached themselves to Aaron’s cloak, glistening unpleasantly.

Aaron clenched his fist even tighter, veins bulging on his hand.

He was perilously close to killing the man outright, his tolerance frayed to breaking.

"I’m not here to claim any debt," Aaron interjected coldly. "I’m here for—"

"Hah! To become a disciple! Of course," the man interrupted, his eyes lighting up with misguided enthusiasm. "You must have been smitten by my might and wish to have me as your master."

"Hmph," he snorted. "I don’t just accept anyone to be my disciple. You must have what it takes. I’m talking about actual talent."

"And from what I can observe," he added, squinting at Aaron, "you don’t seem to have what it takes."

The man started blabbering on and on, his words tumbling out in a relentless stream after cutting Aaron short yet again.

"That’s it," Aaron said coldly, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I’m done playing nice."

He had surpassed his tolerance range entirely. Annoyance boiled over into quiet fury.

Aaron lunged forward, holding the neck of the man tightly. His fingers squeezed just enough to convey the threat, shadows coiling around his arm for emphasis.

Out of nowhere, he opened a rift to the sanctuary, a swirling portal of dark energy that hummed with otherworldly power.

"Where are you taking me?" the man asked, his voice trembling now. Fear gripped his heart, eyes widening in terror.

"A place I can assure you won’t end up dying after I’m done with you," Aaron replied grimly.

He dragged the struggling man into the sanctuary without another word, the portal closing behind them with a soft snap.