Chapter 1: The Sect With One Broken Gate

Mount Turtleback was the kind of place even bandits avoided. The trees were brittle, the animals too skinny to hunt, and the wind howled like a widow who'd lost everything.

And nestled at the foot of this miserable mountain was the so-called Eternal Radiance Divine Sect—though the word Divine on its gate had faded so badly it now read Eternal Raisin Sect. The gate itself was crooked, hanging on by one rusted hinge. One good kick and it'd probably fall.

Inside this humble ruin sat a young man in pristine white robes, sipping tea from a chipped bowl. His name was Li Qingyu, and his expression was the smug kind that made people want to punch him—despite the fact that he had no disciples, no money, and no clue how cultivation actually worked.

Not yet, anyway.

"System," he called lazily, holding up his teacup. "This tastes like boiled regret. Got any spiritual spring water upgrades?"

[Ding! Host must first complete Sect Upgrade Task: Recruit 3 Disciples. Current count: 0.]

Li Qingyu groaned and leaned back against the rotting pillar. "So you mean I've got a whole sect and I'm the only person in it?"

[Ding! Affirmative. You are currently Founder, Grand Elder, Master Chef, and Janitor.]

"Fantastic. Do I at least get a starter pack?"

[Ding! Starter Pack received: 1x Cleaning Broom (Spirit-Infused), 1x Sect Sign Repair Token, 10x Basic Cultivation Pills.]

From thin air, a broom materialized next to him. It sparkled with faint spiritual light.

Li Qingyu stared at it. "My golden finger… is a broom."

The broom leaned upright on its own and swept a patch of dust off the ground.

"Oh no. It's sentient."

---

Li Qingyu was not originally of this world. In his past life, he had been a software developer in modern Earth, crushed under deadlines, instant noodles, and office politics. Then one night, he passed out at his desk and woke up here—inside the body of a cultivator who had tragically exploded during a misfire of his own technique.

The old Li Qingyu had founded this sect with dreams of greatness. Unfortunately, he was talented in only two things: naming sects and dying prematurely.

Now, the new Li Qingyu inherited this mess—and with it, a system that promised to make him the greatest sect leader in history.

If he could get three disciples, that is.

---

Later that afternoon, Li Qingyu sat outside the sect gate with a hand-painted sign that read:

"Now Recruiting: Cultivation Training, Housing, Meals, and Occasional Enlightenment." "Requirements: Must Breathe. No Killing Intent Within First Interview Preferred."

Most people passing the dirt road ignored him. A few even laughed.

"Hey, old man," a snot-nosed village brat jeered. "You training pigs in there?"

Li Qingyu blinked. "I wasn't, but… hmm. Could work."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "You're weird."

"So is destiny. What's your name, kid?"

"Hu Daniu," the boy said proudly, puffing out his chest. "I'm gonna join the Iron Wall Sect when I'm older!"

Li Qingyu gave a slow nod. "You like punching things?"

"Yeah!"

"Eating meat?"

"Yeah!!"

"Want free food and a sword?"

The boy paused. "...Yes?"

Li Qingyu beamed. "Congratulations, Hu Daniu. You've just passed the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect's entrance exam."

"Huh?! I didn't do anything!"

"And yet you impressed me with your potential," Li Qingyu said, placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. "Such a simple mind. Such clarity of purpose. You're perfect."

The boy looked confused. Then he saw the gleam of a real sword—albeit a very rusty one—on Li Qingyu's hip.

"Do I get one of those?"

Li Qingyu patted him on the head. "In time. First, let me show you the courtyard. It's… rustic."

---

[Ding! 1st Disciple Acquired: Hu Daniu (Potential Rating: C+). Rewards unlocked.] [Rewards: 10 Sect Points, 1x Low-Grade Sword Manual, 1x Sect Nameplate Token.]

Li Qingyu smiled. "System, is it weird that I feel proud of abducting a child?"

[Ding! Host's morality status is: Technically Legal (With Guardian Consent).]

Li Qingyu blinked. "Wait, what guardian?"

From the road, an elderly man approached, waving a walking stick.

"Hey! You there! Hu Daniu, come back here this instant!"

Li Qingyu blinked. "Who's that?"

"That's my grandpa!" Daniu shouted.

The old man stormed over and grabbed Daniu by the collar. "What are you doing in a place like this?! Did this strange man kidnap you?"

"I joined his sect!" Daniu replied proudly.

The old man looked around. His eyes swept over the leaning gate, the crumbling walls, the broom sweeping itself in the corner, and the moss-covered sign that now read "Eternal Raisin Sect."

"This… is a sect?" he asked slowly.

Li Qingyu puffed up his chest and pointed dramatically. "Yes! This—this majestic structure—is the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect!"

The old man squinted. "I thought this was a pig farm. Even pigs would demand better housing!"

"Hey, we're between renovations!" Li Qingyu protested.

The old man snorted. "Daniu, let's go. This man clearly inhaled too much spiritual mold."

[Ding! Warning: If Guardian revokes permission, disciple recruitment will be canceled. All previous rewards will be withdrawn.]

Li Qingyu froze. Then, in a flash, he dove to the ground and grabbed the old man's leg like a drowning man clinging to driftwood.

"Senior, wait! Please don't take him away! Our sect may be poor, but our passion is immeasurable! I'll feed him, bathe him—okay, maybe not bathe him—but I'll raise him into a fine cultivator!"

The old man tried to shake him off. "What in the heavens are you doing?!"

Li Qingyu began crying exaggeratedly. "If I had money, I'd give it to him! If he wants massages, I'll learn acupressure! If he wants bedtime stories, I'll write a scroll each night! Just—please—I've already spent the reward points!"

Hu Daniu chimed in, "Grandpa, he gave me meat! Real meat! And a sword! And he said I have a simple mind!"

"...That last part sounds like an insult," the old man muttered.

"Please!" Li Qingyu wailed. "Look at this honest face! Do I look like someone who'd lie to a child?!"

"Yes."

"Ignore that! Look at how tightly I'm hugging your leg! This is sincerity!"

The old man groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, alright! You can keep him! Just stop clinging to me, I'm not a treasure!"

Li Qingyu let go and sprang to his feet. "You won't regret this, Senior! I shall raise him into a pillar of the cultivation world—or at least someone who doesn't die from eating mushrooms!"

And just like that, the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect officially gained its first disciple.

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Author's Note:

Our sect is so poor, our spiritual beasts ran away for better employment. Vote with Power Stones, and help us buy seasoning for Daniu's chicken porridge!