Lu Qingfeng tried to sneak out of the temple while the group of disciples was still kneeling in awe.
"Okay... just slowly back away... don't step on the sacred incense again…"
Crunch.
One disciple gasped. "Did you hear that? He just destroyed the Evil Seal with his foot!"
Another one whispered in awe, "No hesitation… such decisiveness… He must be a peak Nascent Soul expert in disguise!"
Lu Qingfeng blinked.
"What the hell is a Nascent Soul? Sounds like a kind of tofu…"
Before he could bolt, an elderly cultivator in flowing robes landed before him, floating on a flying sword.
"Which mighty senior dares to act within our sect's sacred grounds?"
Lu Qingfeng raised his hands. "Wait, wait! I'm just passing through—"
The old man looked at the disciples kneeling behind him.
"They all bow to you… They call you 'Senior Hero'... You must be a hidden expert sent to test us!"
Lu Qingfeng: "…No. Seriously. I'm a thief."
The old man nodded solemnly. "Such humility! He admits to being a 'thief' of the heavens—stealing from fate itself!"
Lu Qingfeng: "…"
Are these people all stupid or cursed?!
Within the hour, he was escorted back to the sect's main hall.
A red ceremonial robe was draped over him. A jade token was pressed into his hand. A giant banner read:
"Welcome, Honored Core Disciple – Lu Qingfeng!"
He hadn't even finished chewing the second rice cake he snuck into his sleeve.
A young woman in blue robes knelt beside him. "Senior Lu… please guide us in our Dao."
"I… don't even know what Dao means…"
The Sect Master laughed. "Such modesty! A true sage!"
And just like that, Lu Qingfeng accidentally joined a sect, became a core disciple, and received three spirit stones and a private cultivation chamber.
He stared at the room.
"…I was just trying to steal food. Now I own property."