On one of the peaks, a white-robed man stood motionless, his expression blank. The man's features were handsome enough to make any man jealous — sword brows, clear eyes, that faint "reliable senior brother" look that could probably scam any young lady.
But at the moment, that face was dark with frustration.
"Ah!"
"Damn System!"
"Return my Immortal King cultivation, you dog thing!"
A crisp tone echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Host, please don't give up on yourself. Believe in the light and the future of the Lingxiao Sect!]
"Light your mother!" Qin Wucheng gritted his teeth.
[Ding! Supreme Sect-Building System successfully bound. As long as the Host grows the Sect and makes it flourish, Immortal King cultivation will soon be... cultivated again!]
Qin Wucheng's face twitched.
Wait. What?
He transmigrated, signed in for Immortal King cultivation, blinked once and it got repossessed?!
Now he was being forced to run a sect?
"System, are you sure you're the strongest System in the heavens? What's the use of giving me a fancy villa on a mountain peak!"
"I want to be an Emperor, not a property manager!"
[Ding! Lingxiao Sect headquarters prototype complete. Please recruit disciples within three days. For each Genius Disciple recruited, you'll receive a random summon card. Summon cards can call forth experts from all worlds! Fixed reward: Sect base will be upgraded once!]
The voice stopped. Qin Wucheng could almost feel the System smirking in silence.
He looked at the enormous villa-like structure before him — ancient architecture sprawling across the mountain like a palace for immortals.
"...You dog System."
He had transmigrated yesterday. Signed in. Got his cultivation. Then bam — cultivation gone.
Now a Sect mission? Recruit disciples? Three days?
If this so-called "Supreme System" grew any more supreme, it'd probably start charging rent.
Still, at least it didn't threaten to take his kidneys if he failed.
[Ding! Genius detected at the foot of the mountain. Host, please proceed to recruit!]
"Recruit your uncle," Qin Wucheng muttered, but his body had already moved.
At the base of Immortal Grave Mountain
Zhao Han stood before two towering stone pillars, each carved with the characters "Lingxiao." His eyes widened.
"This… this Immortal Grave Mountain is a Forbidden Land. Don't tell me there's actually a Sect here?"
He hesitated.
"Should I… go up and take a look?"
Before he could decide, a calm voice echoed from above.
Qin Wucheng, white robes fluttering, descended the sky ladder with hands clasped behind his back. His aura was that of a peerless master; his face, unreasonably good-looking.
"Young man," Qin Wucheng said with the practiced serenity of a con artist, "your bone structure is exceptional, your physique extraordinary. I sense the potential of a future Great Emperor. Would you be willing to join my Lingxiao Sect?"
Zhao Han blinked.
Great Emperor potential? Me?
His clan said he couldn't even open a Spiritual Vein — they'd called him trash and thrown him out.
And this man called him a future Great Emperor?
This senior brother… must be blind. But maybe… a good kind of blind.
"The Lingxiao Sect actually stands inside the Immortal Grave Mountain... it must be amazing," Zhao Han whispered.
Qin Wucheng kept a serene face, but his inner thoughts screamed, Hurry up and agree!
He just needed one disciple — one genius — then he'd get a summon card! Maybe he'd pull a Great Emperor and rule the continent!
Zhao Han scratched his head. "Um… may I ask, what powerful cultivators does your Sect have?"
Qin Wucheng's smile didn't falter.
"My Lingxiao Sect's experts are countless. If you join, I guarantee you'll receive one-on-one instruction from peerless masters!"
Utter nonsense. But his delivery was perfect — every inch the handsome, composed senior brother.
"R-really?" Zhao Han asked, uncertain.
Even the great sects wouldn't promise that kind of treatment, let alone someone like him.
"Naturally so," Qin Wucheng said smoothly. "If not for your extraordinary potential, you wouldn't even qualify to enter."
Zhao Han hesitated, then bowed deeply.
"Alright then. I'll join!"
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Genius Disciple recruited! Activating the Supreme Sect-Building System! Reward: Basic Summon Card, Cultivation Card, and fixed reward — Disciple Pavilion perfected!]
Qin Wucheng's eyes lit up. He almost laughed out loud.
"I'm taking off!" he muttered under his breath.
In his past life, he had been the last head of the Mourning Heart Clan on The Grand Yellow Star— a "Lavish Emperor" taken out during a street battle by the Fanged Rabbit Gang, who replaced baby powder with itching powder.
Truly, the wicked walk among us.
Dragged into this world by the System, revived, cultivated, and scammed again — Qin Wucheng's existence was pure tragedy.
If not for his silver tongue, Zhao Han would've run the moment he saw how empty this place was.
"Sect Master," Zhao Han asked cautiously, "our Lingxiao Sect… it's on that mountain peak?"
"Indeed." Qin Wucheng folded his hands behind his back again, adopting that noble air. "Come. Follow me."
He turned gracefully, white robes swaying, walking up the heavenly staircase like some immortal from a legend. Zhao Han hurried after him, eyes wide.
Inside the Sect, Zhao Han froze. Towering halls, ancient pavilions, heavenly mist — everything was magnificent.
"This is incredible… but…" he mumbled, frowning.
"It's… completely empty?"
Qin Wucheng's lips twitched.
Don't ruin the mood, kid.
In the Sect Main Hall.
"System! Use the Cultivation Card!"
[Ding! Cultivation Card successfully used. Congratulations, Host, for obtaining a thousand years of cultivation!]
Instantly, energy surged through his body. Qi roared like a river, pounding through his meridians and channels.
"Holy crap!" Qin Wucheng gasped. "So damn good—!"
Behind him, a small soul version of himself shimmered into existence, glowing with ancient runes before fusing into his body and vanishing.
"Nascent Soul Realm…"
He clenched his fists, feeling the power course through him. "Finally, I have strength again."
At least this was something. (if you here you a bitch)fuck u
According to the System, this world — the Celestial Dao Continent — was vast beyond imagination. The strong ruled, the weak were dust. Sects, dynasties, holy lands, and beings who could move mountains with a breath…
Realm ladder: Body Tempering, Qi Gathering, Core Formation, Golden Core, Spirit Sea, Grand Sea, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Half-Step Immortal King, Immortal King, Half-Step Great Saint, Great Saint, Immortal Emperor, Heavenly Emperor, Grand Heavens.
Qin Wucheng exhaled. "Nascent Soul… at least I can protect myself now."
But before he could enjoy the moment—
"Sect Master! Sect Master!" Zhao Han burst in, face pale.
"What is it?" Qin Wucheng snapped, quickly slipping back into his dignified tone. "Panicking like that disgraces the Lingxiao Sect!"
"S-Sect Master," Zhao Han stammered, "why can't I see anyone else here?! Not even a dog?!"
Qin Wucheng froze.
...Well.
That was a fair question.
What "peerless masters"?
What "countless experts"?
Right now, the mighty Lingxiao Sect was just him… and this gullible kid.
Qin Wucheng coughed twice, straightened his robe, and kept his face calm.
"That's because most of the powerhouses of my Lingxiao Sect are in slumber and haven't awakened yet."
His expression didn't change. No red face, no pounding heart. Just the reliable senior-brother mask that could swindle an entire city.
This kid…
He probably thinks he walked into a bandit's nest. Wait till I pop a card and bring out someone terrifying. Let's see if he doesn't kneel and call me ancestor.
"System, use a Summoning Card," Qin Wucheng said in his heart.
[Ding! Basic Summoning Card used successfully! Congratulations, Host, for summoning two Nascent Soul Realm Sect Guards. They are currently heading to your location!]
That chilly mechanical voice rang out. Qin Wucheng's eyes brightened. No Emperor? Fine. At least give me an Immortal King, right? Right?
"System, what tiers are your Summoning Cards?"
[Ding! Summoning Cards are divided into: Basic, Middle, High, Emperor, Immortal. Notes:
Basic can summon below the Immortal King Realm.
Middle can summon Immortal King Realm to Great Saint Realm.
High can summon Immortal Emperor Realm to Grand Heavens Realm!]
[As for Emperor and Immortal Cards, the System will notify the Host when your strength reaches the relevant standard.]
"Hiss…"
So if he got a High card, he could directly pull an Immortal Emperor Realm or even a Grand Heavens Realm monster? His scalp tingled just imagining it.
Zhao Han opened his mouth to ask something, when a gust of wind swept past.
Two gray figures flickered at the hall's threshold and, in the next blink, stood beside Zhao Han. He almost jumped out of his skin, thinking ghosts had arrived.
"Wang Ming, Wang Xuan, pay respects to the Sect Master."
The two cupped fists at the same time, voices steady, killing intent faintly suppressed. Nascent Soul Realm, both of them.
Zhao Han trembled, then suddenly flushed with excitement. He stammered toward Qin Wucheng, "S-Sect… Sect Master, are these two Seniors… Elders of Lingxiao Sect?"
He stared at Wang Ming and Wang Xuan with shining eyes. So the Sect Master didn't lie… the Lingxiao Sect really has powerhouses!
Qin Wucheng kept his tone even. "Indeed. Though our powerhouses slumber, they will awaken in this era. When that day comes, our Lingxiao Sect will shake the world and dominate the Myriad Realms."
He didn't explain further. If he said "they're guards," Zhao Han might not believe it. To be honest, without the System backing his nonsense, even he wouldn't believe it.
Zhao Han's expression burned with worship. Hidden great sect… I, Zhao Han, am about to rise!
Wang Ming suddenly looked toward the mountain gate. "Sect Master, someone has arrived at the foot of the mountain."
Qin Wucheng lifted a brow. "Let's take a look."
…
At the foot of Immortal Grave Mountain
A young woman leaned against a stone outcrop, face pale, one hand clenching a bloodstained sleeve. Her breath was steady but thin; strain lurked in her beautiful eyes.
"I wonder if Royal Father held off Baifeng." Her gaze was cold. "If I, Luo Xueyao, survive today, I will erase your Feather Transformation Dynasty."
Killing intent surged in those clear eyes, sharp enough to chill the air. Hard to imagine such a beautiful girl carrying that kind of blade-edge.
She staggered a few steps, about to press on.
"Young lady," a calm voice sounded, "you're heavily injured. Come into my Lingxiao Sect to heal."
"Who!" Luo Xueyao snapped without thinking, nerves stretched thin from the long flight.
"Haha, young lady, no need to panic."
She looked up. Several figures appeared on the mountain path. At the front, a white-robed man descended the stone steps like a breeze, tall and slender, sword brows and starry eyes, every line refined. No aura spilled from him, yet his temperament was too extraordinary to dismiss.
The man in white was Qin Wucheng. Behind him stood Zhao Han and the two gray-clad guards, Wang Ming and Wang Xuan.
Luo Xueyao's eyes narrowed. No spiritual fluctuations from the one in white? Then what is he doing in a Forbidden Land?
Her gaze slid past him, onto the two behind—and her heart thudded.
Those two… the sense of oppression was like facing the ancestral tablets of her clan hall. Deep. Unfathomable.
As for Zhao Han, she didn't spare him a second look.
Zhao Han: "I'm a future Great Emperor, okay? Understand?"
Two unfathomable existences following behind this calm, handsome youth… Is he a Senior who hides his cultivation?
Decision flashed in Luo Xueyao's eyes. She clenched her teeth, stepped forward and bowed. "This junior greets Senior. May I ask, is the Lingxiao Sect you mentioned… Senior's sect?"
The corner of Qin Wucheng's mouth lifted. Tsk. She asked first. Saves me from bragging too much.
[Ding! Talented Disciple detected near Host. Please admit the Disciple into the Sect to complete a System task. Reward: 1 random draw and 1 Basic Summoning Card!]
Another genius?
Do geniuses like wandering into desolate mountains now? Is this a trend?
Qin Wucheng clasped his hands behind his back, expression calm. "Indeed. This venerable one is the Sect Master of the Lingxiao Sect, Qin Wucheng."
"Lingxiao Sect?" Doubt passed through Luo Xueyao's eyes. The Immortal Grave Mountain lay within the Grand Xu Dynasty. She knew most major forces—never heard of this name.
Could it be a hidden sect?
Her gaze brightened. A decision settled.
"Senior, I wish to join the Lingxiao Sect."