The morning sun filtered through the window as Kai sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed in deep meditation. A faint crackling sound filled the air, and anyone who entered the room would have seen an unusual sight - a crown of lightning dancing above Kai's head.

As he focused on his cultivation, Kai could feel the electric energy coursing through his body. With each breath, the lightning grew stronger, more controlled.

After an hour of meditation, Kai opened his eyes and stretched. The crown of lightning faded away, leaving behind a slight tingling sensation on his scalp.

Another day, another meditation session, and still no progress on opening the next meridian.

He glanced at the door, expecting Chen Wei to return any moment with information about trading opportunities in the sect. While he waited, Kai's mind turned to his plans for the future.

Once we have enough capital from trading, I should think about forming a guild. It's not typical in this world, but it could give us a real advantage.

Kai knew that in most xianxia stories, cultivators preferred to work alone. Cultivation was often portrayed as a solitary journey, with practitioners seeking enlightenment through isolation and personal trials.

But in other fantasy worlds, people group together in guilds all the time. Mage guilds, warrior guilds... why not a cultivator guild?

He began to list the potential benefits in his mind:

* Earning spirit stones without leaving the sect

* Reducing personal danger

* Pooling resources and knowledge

* Creating a support network

And as we grow stronger, we could become a real powerhouse within the sect. Right now, we're just Qi Refining cultivators - no threat to the current power structure. But once we reach higher realms like Nascent Soul... we'd have some serious weight to throw around.

Kai already had a small group forming around him - Liu Wei, Zhi-Zhi, and Chen Wei. But he knew it wasn't enough to form a proper guild yet.

I wonder if the system will even let me form a guild. It's worth checking.

System, is it possible to form a guild with my followers?

A translucent blue window appeared before him.

Guild Creation Available.

Would you like to proceed?

Kai's eyes lit up. "Yes!"

Congratulations!

You have initiated guild creation.

Please choose a name for your guild.

Kai paused, considering. His first instinct was to call it the Gamer Guild, but he quickly dismissed that idea.

That would be way too obvious, he chided himself. If there are other isekai protagonists in this world, I'd be painting a target on my back. Gotta be smarter than that.

He pondered for a few moments, running through various cool-sounding names in his head. Then his eyes fell on the strange trident-shaped mark on his hand.

The Trident Guild. That could work. It's mysterious enough to sound cool, but doesn't give away any of my secrets.

Guild Name Confirmed: The Trident Guild

Guild Leader: Kai Thorn

Guild Members: 0

Kai frowned at the last line. Zero members? But what about Liu Wei, Zhi-Zhi, and Chen Wei?

As if sensing his confusion, another message appeared:

To add members to your guild, you must formally invite them and they must accept. Current relationships do not automatically translate to guild membership.

"Ah," Kai murmured. "That makes sense. Can't have people joining without their knowledge."

I'll be the leader, obviously. Chen Wei and Liu Wei can compete for the second-in-command spot – a little friendly rivalry never hurt anyone. And Zhi-Zhi... well, every respectable guild needs a mascot, right?

He made a mental note to speak with his followers as soon as possible. The sooner he could get them officially on board, the better.

Would you like to view the Guild Management interface?

Y/N

"Yes," Kai replied, eager to learn more about this new feature.

A complex diagram appeared before him, filled with various tabs and options. Kai's eyes darted from one section to another, taking in as much information as he could.

There were sections for member management, resource allocation, mission assignments, and even an internal ranking system. One particular feature caught Kai's attention: a loyalty meter for each member.

Interesting, Kai thought. This could be useful for keeping track of potential problems.

As he delved deeper into the interface, Kai found options for setting guild rules, establishing a headquarters, and even creating specialized roles for members.

This is perfect. With this system, I can run the guild like a well-oiled machine. Everyone will have their place, their purpose.

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He spent the next hour exploring the guild interface, making mental notes of the most important features. By the time he finished, Kai felt confident that he had a solid grasp of how to manage his fledgling organization.

Now I just need to convince the others to join. Liu Wei should be easy enough. Chen Wei too, given our new business arrangement. Zhi-Zhi might be trickier, but I'm sure I can find a way to appeal to that little troublemaker.

As Kai closed the guild interface, he heard footsteps approaching his door. He quickly composed himself, adopting a casual pose as he waited for the knock.

That must be Chen Wei. Time to see what he's learned about the market.

“Enter.”

The door opened, and Chen Wei stepped in, looking slightly out of breath but excited.

"Senior Brother," Chen Wei said with a bow. "I've returned with the information you requested."

Kai nodded, gesturing for Chen Wei to sit. "Excellent. Tell me what you've learned about the trading opportunities in the sect."

Chen Wei sat down across from Kai, pulling out a small notebook. "I visited the sect's trading area and spoke with several merchants and fellow disciples. I tried to be discreet, as you instructed."

"Good," Kai said. "What did you find out?"

Chen Wei flipped open his notebook. "The most in-demand cultivation resources right now are spirit herbs, particularly those used for breakthrough pills. There's also a high demand for low-grade spirit stones and basic talismans."

"Any specific herbs that stand out?"

"Yes," Chen Wei nodded enthusiastically. "Cloud Grass and Starfire Root are especially sought after. They're key ingredients in pills that help cultivators break through to the Foundation Establishment realm."

That makes sense. Lots of disciples are probably stuck at the bottleneck between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment. Hmm, should I go the typical protagonist route and become an alchemist? With the system, it shouldn't be too hard to learn...

"What about the suppliers?" Kai asked. "Who are the main players in the market?"

Chen Wei consulted his notes again. "There are three major suppliers of spirit herbs within the sect. The largest is run by Elder Bao of the Alchemist Division. The other two are smaller operations run by Core Disciples."

"And the spirit stones and talismans?"

"Spirit stones are mainly supplied by the sect itself," Chen Wei explained. "But there's always a demand for more, especially among outer sect disciples. As for talismans, there are several small-scale producers, but no dominant supplier."

Interesting. There might be an opportunity there. Especially since I’m interested in formations and talismans.

"Good work, Chen Wei," Kai said, genuinely impressed by the young man's thoroughness. "This is exactly the kind of information we needed."

"Thank you, Senior Brother. I'm glad I could help. What's our next move?"

Kai leaned back, considering their options. "We need to start small, as we discussed. I don’t know enough about talismans so I think our best bet is to focus on spirit herbs for now. We can buy them from outside suppliers and sell them within the sect at a markup."

And once we earn enough spirit stones, I can buy some alchemy skill scrolls. Then we won't need external suppliers anymore.

"But won't we be competing with Elder Bao and the other suppliers?" Chen Wei asked, looking worried.

Kai grinned. "That's the beauty of it. We're not going to compete directly. We're going to find a niche."

Chen Wei looked confused. "A niche?"

"A specific market segment that isn't being served well by the current suppliers," Kai explained. "For example, we could focus on providing small quantities of herbs to outer sect disciples who can't afford to buy in bulk from the bigger suppliers."

Understanding dawned on Chen Wei's face. "Oh! Like how my family's inn caters to travelers who can't afford the fancy inns in the city center?"

"Exactly," Kai nodded. "We'll start small, build a reputation for reliability and fair prices, and then expand from there."

"That's brilliant, Senior Brother! When do we start?"

Kai held up a hand. "Not so fast. We need to do more research first. I want you to go back to the trading area tomorrow and gather more specific information. Find out exact prices for Cloud Grass and Starfire Root from different suppliers. Also, talk to some outer sect disciples and see how much they typically spend on cultivation resources each month."

Once we have that information, we can start sourcing from external suppliers. And when we've built up enough capital, I'll invest in those alchemy skills. It's a long-term strategy, but it should pay off big time.

Chen Wei nodded eagerly, jotting down notes. "I'll do that first thing in the morning, Senior Brother."

"Good," Kai said. Then he paused, considering his next words carefully. "Chen Wei, there's something else I wanted to discuss with you."

The young servant looked up, curious. "Yes, Senior Brother?"

Kai took a deep breath. Time to recruit my first guild member…