Cultivation mode and murim mode
Cultivation mode uses 133 curated Chinese names and can also compose new ones, such as Purple Empyrean Sect 紫霄宗 (Zixiao Zong). The ending names the group type: 宗, 门 and 派 for a sect, 阁 (ge) for a pavilion, 谷 (gu) for a valley and 宫 (gong) for a palace. Temples, clans, islands and halls are also here.
Murim mode uses 97 Korean factions. Filter by orthodox, unorthodox or demonic, or by guild, escort agency, family and alliance. Deal a whole sect fills a roles board for the group.
Pinyin or English
Translators disagree. Some keep the sound, as in Zixiao Zong. Others translate it, as in Purple Empyrean Sect. The switch shows both. Pick one style and use it for every sect in your book. Remember the word sect itself: in wuxia, menpai is often translated as sect even for schools with no tie to religion.
Real tradition or genre convention
Each Chinese name has a label. Real tradition follows real temples, clan surnames, mountains or myths, such as White Horse Temple 白马寺 or Dugu Clan 独孤氏. Genre convention marks a stock fiction name, such as Myriad Poisons Sect 万毒宗.
Many famous sect names borrow real sacred mountains and temples. Shaolin Temple, Wudang Sect and Mount Hua Sect are named after real places, and the murim list flags them as Overused. Emei is a real mountain, but the martial school of that name belongs to fiction. Read Check meaning: Dongfang Clan begins with a syllable that is slang in English.