"I'm the Ancestor, and I'd like you to be one of my disciples!"
"...!?"
Jasper looked at the monk with a complicated expression. Slowly, in his vision, this monk was turning into a clown.
"Hey, don't look at me like I'm a clown!"
How does he know!? Maybe, he really is the great Ancestor!
"That's what convinces you!? Your gaze is not subtle at all, okay?"
"So…" Jasper scratched his chin, "... how do you expect me not to take that as a joke? Are you a liar then, mister?"
The monk sighed, "It's expected. After all, the Ancestor is already at the Immortal Emperor Realm, isn't he? I'm him. To be more precise, I'm his clone!"
"… a clone?"
Jasper's face crunched as he looked through his memories. He did recall that the Great Ancestor has many techniques, and one of them is speculated to be the technique of creating an imitation.
For cultivators, nothing is impossible for the Ancestor, an Immortal Emperor!
Thus, Jasper believed in the possibility.
"Alright, let's take it slow. I know your nature," the monk expressed patience to which Jasper nodded.
There's no harm in listening, right?
This might either be the set-up to the funniest joke ever, or this man right here really is the clone of the Great Ancestor. Either way, Jasper has nothing to lose.
"I'll tell you the secret of enlightenment, which is also the secret of the Ancestor." The monk got excited as he looked through something in his bag. "Are you ready to hear the secret?"
The secret of enlightenment and the Ancestor? That's the biggest mystery of the Enlightenment Era.
Jasper nodded in response.
'Here comes the punchline'
The monk hummed as he pulled a thick book from his bag, "Here!" he looked around with vigilance before continuing, "The Unrivaled Sovereign System Manual!"
Jasper's eyes landed on the thick book, which looked oddly simple enough. However, for some reason, he could feel something mystic about it.
It's a mysterious feeling that's hard to describe. It feels as if the content within the book is endless.
"Ohhh, I was right. You could feel it too, don't you?"
The monk became more excited once he noticed Jasper's reaction.
"I guess I'm feeling something weird about it. Does that matter?"
The monk gave a resolute nod as his smile became bigger. His voice then became more serious.
"This book is what started it all," the monk then added, "Well, to be precise, its original copy. As a clone, I can only bring a copy of it."
"..."
"This is the book that sparked the Enlightenment Era. It gives the ability to enlighten ordinary humans and unlock their potential as cultivators."
The monk's words were like a clap of thunder booming into Jasper's ears.
"The Ancestor was but a simple man when he first picked this book up. When he inherited the book's will, he became the first cultivator of Earth. Then, onwards, he took in followers, making them cultivators as well. This is also the secret of the Ancestor. He gets a share of his followers' cultivation. Thus, when the majority of the world became cultivators, the Ancestor stood at the undefeatable peak!"
The cogs began turning in Jasper's head. If this is true, then the history he learned since childhood became clearer.
The monk just silently stared at Jasper, waiting for him to digest this information.
"You're asking me to become the Ancestor's disciple and learn this technique as well?"
"Yes, hmmm, but not entirely correct. You see, with this cultivation system, there's a different meaning to the words 'disciple' and 'follower'. In a broad sense, a disciple's position is higher than that of a follower. As of now, there are fewer than a hundred disciples in the world.
But it doesn't mean that as a disciple, you'll get the Ancestor as your master who guides and teaches you. No. It just means that you'll inherit the same technique to take in followers. Think of it as the Ancestor being the emperor, and you'll be one of his kings. You'll be a ruler of your own, but you will still subject yourself to the Ancestor."
Jasper understood it well.
"So, it's like a Ponzi scheme," he pointed out.
"... a ponzi scheme?" the monk paused before letting out the loudest laugh, "HAHAHAHA, you're comparing this world-changing book to a pyramid scam?"
"Hey, I'm just trying to understand it."
"Hahaha, I know, I know," the monk continued to laugh. It took time before he fully calmed down.
"Hayss, you're a funny dude. So, what do you think? Will you accept it?"
Jasper stayed silent as he thought about it.
Normally, this is the chance he had been searching for. The opportunity to change his fate and become a cultivator.
However, something felt amiss. Pinpointing this feeling, Jasper doesn't feel good being under someone. It just doesn't feel right.
At the same time, this might be his only chance. Everyone starts from zero. He may be under someone else's orders, but this can also be just another stepping stone.
No one is unsure of the future.
Let's see if the emperor can contain this king. Jasper thought.
Seeing Jasper stay silent for a long time, even the monk scratched his head. This should be the moment this kid is looking for.
Maybe he needs a little bit more push.
"Truthfully, I lied. I didn't just get your information from the school registry. I especially followed you."
Jasper snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the monk.
"I've known you personally, Jasper. Initially, I was just at the first stage of the Body Tempering Realm, thinking that it was enough to handle a non-cultivator like you. However, in the past few months, I've seen you resist the hierarchy and face the cultivators head-on. That's why I had to ask the Ancestor, the original one, to make me into the fourth stage."
Noticing Jasper's gaze, the monk cleared his words.
"No, what I'm trying to say is that you're stronger than we thought. I just need strength in case you go rogue, wouldn't I? I'm not planning to harm you."
"..."
The clone then continued with a calm expression.
"Today, you should've been celebrating with your parents about your graduation from middle school. But instead, you almost died. Your head received a direct axe kick from a Third Stage Body Tempering Cultivator. The lives of ordinary humans are really fragile. Just a little bit of rough play, and you almost died."
So Liam gave me an axe kick to the head… Jasper kept that in mind.
'Also, did he call that a little bit of rough play?'
"I've seen you struggle for your life. If you've given up, I would've still saved you, but just offered you the position of a 'follower'. But no, you showed me your determination until the end. You earned the position of a 'disciple'!"
The monk then offered him the book.
"Decide now. Will you take this and become the Ancestor's disciple?"
Jasper's eyelids lowered as he stared at the book. He had already reached a decision early on, but now that the monk has phrased it that way, it's harder to take the book.
Jasper has a special mindset. It's oftentimes toxic, but it has always helped him all his life.
In simple terms, Jasper has a god complex. He believes he should be above everything and is extremely frustrated that he's not at the top. You could call it a mental illness at this point.
No. Jasper thought to himself. This is just another stepping stone- he reminded himself.
At the end, he'll come out on top.
"I-"
But before he could accept the book, the book vibrated vigorously.
"Huh, it's activating?" The monk became surprised and turned incomparably excited.
"You have already formed a will even as a non-cultivator?! You have it! Listen, don't get into a conflict within the book," the monk hurriedly explained, "The will of the Ancestor is within this book. Submit to it and it'll accept you as a disciple instead."
Meanwhile, Jasper was entranced with the book as it slowly opened in front of him.
Fortunately, he still could hear the monk's voice.
"Focus on the maxim I'm about to tell you!"
The monk's voice then recited the book's maxim, and it directly entered Jasper's head.
< Stand above all. Become a Sovereign. Lead the masses. Teach the peerless. >
That statement echoed within Jasper's head before his consciousness was sucked into the book.
With a blink, Jasper found himself in a different place. No, a different dimension.
This was a plane of void. There was only darkness and the solid flat ground. In front of him was the book that was the only source of light in this plane.
The book buzzed.
It was calling him.
Jasper walked up and reached out to it. The book made a descent and landed on Jasper's hand.
As soon as he grabbed the book, a figure appeared before him.
Jasper immediately understood who this figure it. The aura it emanate was same as the monk from earlier but much grander.
It was the Ancestor's Will.