Lu Qingfeng crept through the moonlit halls of the Heavenly Spirit Sect, wrapped in a black cloak and looking very much like the villain he was.
"I've tried being rude, lazy, disrespectful, and loud," he muttered. "None of it worked. Time for the old classic—robbery."
He approached the Golden Vault Pavilion, guarded by powerful formation seals and an iron gate engraved with mystical runes.
Security Level: High.Authorized Access: Sect Master, Financial Elder… and now, apparently, Lu Qingfeng.
"…Wait, what?"
His jade disciple token glowed, and the gate opened.
He blinked. "What kind of security system just lets a thief in?"
Inside was a room stacked with spirit stones, heaven-grade artifacts, and scrolls glowing with ancient energy. Lu Qingfeng grinned.
"I'm taking all the shiny stuff."
As he reached for a pouch of glimmering Qi Crystals, he paused."…Actually, this is too obvious. Let's take the ugly rusty sword—nobody will miss that."
The moment he touched the blade, the vault shook.
[You have awakened the Sect's Ancestral Sword of Balance.][Auto-binding to: Lu Qingfeng.]
Outside, alarms rang—only to suddenly stop.
Minutes later, dozens of elders burst in, led by the Sect Master.
"Who dares—!"
They saw Lu Qingfeng holding the ancient sword.
All fell silent.
One elder dropped to his knees. "He awakened the sword… without any formation support?!"
Another whispered, "That sword hasn't responded in 900 years…"
Lu Qingfeng tried to explain:"I was robbing you. Like, straight-up stealing."
The Sect Master clapped him on the shoulder. "Stealing? Nonsense! You were performing a surprise audit!"
Lu Qingfeng: "…Audit???"
The Sect Master turned to the crowd.
"From now on, Lu Qingfeng shall be our new Financial Elder—he sees value where no one else dares!"
The disciples cheered. Confetti literally flew from a storage ring.
Later that night, Lu Qingfeng stared at his new office filled with financial scrolls and asset reports.
"…I just wanted to pawn a sword for snacks. Now I control the sect's budget."
He stared blankly at a scroll titled: 'Seven-Year Strategic Expansion Plan.'
He fainted face-first into the desk.