Thousand Lotus Sect – Outer Courtyard.
Han Li pushed his bamboo broom slowly, dragging dust into a pile as morning mist rose between towering pavilions.
Disciples flew past him, swords beneath their feet, robes fluttering like immortal birds. They laughed, shouted about breakthroughs, and ignored the man in gray.
"Hey, old broom guy! You missed a spot," said a snobbish boy. He flicked his spirit sleeve arrogantly.
Han Li simply bowed. "I apologize, young master."
He had swept this courtyard for five years. No one asked where he came from. No one cared. A few whispered he was once a failed disciple. Others joked he was too stupid to cultivate.
Only Han Li knew the truth.
He didn't cultivate anymore — because he had already transcended.
He remembered the day he stood atop the Divine Flame Mountain and struck down a celestial demon using only a flick of his finger. But now, he found peace in silence.
The broom in his hands? Not ordinary.
It was the Heaven-Slaughtering Artifact, disguised by a sealing formation. Long ago, its sweep could erase cities. Now, it cleaned pigeon droppings.
Han Li knelt by a cracked stone, eyes thoughtful. He touched it lightly — and the crack vanished.
"Strange," a passing elder mumbled. "This stone was broken yesterday."
Han Li smiled faintly and kept sweeping.
But trouble was coming.
Trouble always came.
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