"From today onward, you are the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect. From now on, take care of your junior brothers and sisters."
After leaving those words behind, the former Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect, Lin Xunfeng, turned and left without hesitation. His face looked like that of a man in his early thirties, but it was filled with determination and resolve.
Walking down the mountain path, his blue robe fluttered gently in the wind, showing the poise of a wandering swordsman of the jianghu.
It was already dusk. The sky was painted crimson, the distant ridges glowing as if wrapped in fiery lines. The setting sun looked both beautiful and sorrowful.
Standing before the mountain gate, Li Qingqiu's face was full of anger. He had pleaded endlessly, yet his master refused to listen and insisted on going down the mountain to seek immortality.
As the senior disciple of Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu was only 16 years old. His six junior brothers and sisters were even younger—the youngest barely over 10.
Now he was expected to raise them all? Wasn't that just ruining him?
He too wanted to travel the world with his sword, living a carefree life. He had had enough of the quiet days on this mountain. He even missed his previous life—grinding away at shooting games at home, collapsing on the sofa, scrolling through short videos.
"Master, if I end up ruining Qingxiao Sect, don't blame me!"
Li Qingqiu shouted loudly, his slightly immature voice echoing between the mountains. Lin Xunfeng, already at the edge of the forest, only raised a hand without turning back.
A small hand reached out from behind and tugged gently on his sleeve. Li Qingqiu turned and saw his 10-year-old junior sister, Li Sijin, looking up timidly and asking, "Senior Brother, are you going to abandon us too?"
Li Qingqiu's anger instantly vanished. He looked over the group—aside from the annoying third junior brother, Jiang Zhaoxia, the other five all looked anxious and uneasy.
A heavy sense of responsibility filled his chest.
'But this isn't the kind of transmigrated life I wanted!'
Just then, a string of glowing text suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[You have become the sect master for the first time. Dao Lineage activated. Beginning detection of Qingxiao Sect.]
[Detection complete. Beginning evaluation of Qingxiao Sect.]
[Evaluation complete. Rank: Unranked.]
[As this is your first time becoming a sect master, you gain: 1 Fate Selection Opportunity and 1 Dao Lineage Inheritance Reward.]
Li Qingqiu froze. He thought he was seeing things. But after rubbing his eyes, the words were still there.
He glanced around—none of his junior brothers or sisters seemed to notice anything.
'Could this be... my cheat system activating?'
His heart started pounding. The moment he thought about how to hide the display, the glowing text vanished. When he wanted to see it again, it reappeared.
That confirmed it—he wasn't hallucinating.
Having lived two lives, Li Qingqiu's mind was far steadier than an average sixteen-year-old. He immediately said, "That was just me venting at Master. Since he's decided to go, let him. From now on, we'll rely on each other."
Once he said that, the younger disciples smiled again. They relied more on Li Qingqiu than on Lin Xunfeng anyway. After all, Lin Xunfeng was often away, and most of the time, Li Qingqiu made all the decisions in Qingxiao Sect. Apart from the third disciple Jiang Zhaoxia, the others were all attached to him.
After comforting them for a while, Li Qingqiu couldn't wait any longer to return to his room and examine that Dao Lineage prompt.
"Yuchun, go make dinner. Dongyue, keep an eye on Man'er, Sifeng, and Sijin."
After giving quick instructions, Li Qingqiu turned and went back to the courtyard.
Qingxiao Sect might sound grand, but in truth, there were only 8 people—now just 7 after Lin Xunfeng's departure. There were only three courtyards: one for Lin Xunfeng's cultivation, one where the disciples lived, and one used for storing miscellaneous items.
As the senior disciple, Li Qingqiu had his own small house, which made the younger ones secretly jealous.
Sitting on his bed, he wondered how to view the Dao Lineage. Then, a faintly glowing panel appeared before his eyes, filled with lines of text:
[ Sect: Qingxiao Sect (Rename available) ]
[ Sect Master: Li Qingqiu ]
[ Number of Disciples (Tap to view details): 7 ]
[ Evaluation Rank: Unranked (Tap to view development details) ]
[ Guardian Formation: None ]
[ Guardian Beast: None ]
[ Fate Draws Available: 1 ]
[ Inheritance Rewards Available: 1 ]
...
Looking at the panel, Li Qingqiu felt an instant déjà vu—it was like playing a cultivation mobile game. In his previous life, he had loved those kinds of games, which now made him even more curious about this Dao Lineage.
He first thought about checking the disciple list. The panel changed instantly, showing seven portraits—each with a name beside it, including his own.
The order followed their seniority: Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin.
All seven of them were orphans whom Lin Xunfeng had picked up from the mortal world. Each had a different background, but Lin Xunfeng had never talked about their pasts. However, having been conscious from birth in this life, Li Qingqiu already knew his own origin.
Even though Lin Xunfeng was gone, he had no desire to seek out his biological parents. That bond was long broken in his heart.
Focusing his attention on Zhang Yuchun's portrait, a new window popped up:
[Name: Zhang Yuchun]
[ Gender: Male]
[Age: 15]
[Loyalty (to Sect Master / to Sect): 89 / 23 (Max: 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Mediocre]
[Comprehension: Fair]
[Fate: Domestic Affairs Comet, Forbearance]
...
Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. His second junior brother's loyalty to him was 89, but his loyalty to Qingxiao Sect was only 23?
Didn't that mean Zhang Yuchun might leave Qingxiao Sect once he grew older?
He focused on Zhang Yuchun's Fate, and a detailed explanation of Domestic Affairs Comet and Forbearance appeared before him.
The Fate descriptions were easy to understand. Domestic Affairs Comet meant a natural talent for administration, while Forbearance meant the person could endure hardships and suppress emotions.
Li Qingqiu couldn't help but feel impressed. This Dao Lineage system was powerful. Through these attribute panels, he could see every disciple's potential, talent, and loyalty. With such a system, managing hearts and training disciples would become much easier.
He then turned his attention to his third junior brother, Jiang Zhaoxia.
When Jiang Zhaoxia was younger, he had followed Li Qingqiu everywhere. But over the past two years, he had become rebellious, often opposing him for no reason, which was quite irritating.
However, the loyalty values that appeared shocked Li Qingqiu.
Jiang Zhaoxia's loyalty toward him was 96, even higher than Zhang Yuchun's, while his loyalty to Qingxiao Sect was only 1—meaning he could betray the sect at any time.
'What's wrong with this kid?'
He liked him that much, yet still acted so defiant?
As Li Qingqiu scrolled further, his expression changed from confusion to surprise.
[ Cultivation Aptitude: Excellent ]
[ Comprehension: Exceptional ]
[ Fate: Born Sword Maniac, Hidden Dragon in the Mortal World ]
[ Born Sword Maniac: Born a sword cultivator, with extremely high comprehension and mastery over the sword. ]
[ Hidden Dragon in the Mortal World: Born under hardship. Once the destined tribulation is overcome, the dragon will soar. Fate unstoppable. ]
'Good heavens… that's incredible!'
Now he understood why Jiang Zhaoxia had been so unhappy with him these past two years. Two years ago, Lin Xunfeng had rewarded Li Qingqiu with a precious sword. There were only two swords in the entire Qingxiao Sect. At the time, Jiang Zhaoxia had asked for that sword, but Li Qingqiu refused.
He had rejected the request because he thought Jiang Zhaoxia was too young—only 12 years old then—and feared he couldn't control the weapon, possibly hurting himself or others.
A Born Sword Maniac destined for sword mastery, yet denied a sword—it was no wonder Jiang Zhaoxia resented him. If not for their close relationship, Jiang Zhaoxia might have tried to steal the sword by any means.
Li Qingqiu's earlier irritation vanished, replaced by a faint sense of pity.
'Third Junior Brother, Senior Brother misunderstood you. Don't worry. In time, I'll find you a fine sword. You'll shine for Qingxiao Sect one day.'
Thanks to the Dao Lineage system, Li Qingqiu now fully embraced the mindset of a sect master, thinking about everything from a long-term perspective.
He continued checking the other disciples. Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin all had decent loyalty toward him, though Jiang Zhaoxia's was still the highest. Their talents and comprehension were better than Zhang Yuchun's but still couldn't compare to Jiang Zhaoxia's.
Their Fates weren't as special either, mostly reflecting their personalities.
Wu Man'er's Fate stood out a little—Tiger Body, Elephant Strength. That explained his natural strength since childhood, though his mental maturity hadn't caught up yet.
The only one that worried Li Qingqiu was his sixth junior brother, Li Sifeng.
Li Sifeng and the youngest, Li Sijin, were biological siblings, both brought back by Lin Xunfeng. Li Sifeng was 2 years older. They didn't originally bear the surname Li—Lin Xunfeng had given it to them so they would match Li Qingqiu's name.
Li Sifeng was only 12 now, lively and mischievous. Li Qingqiu liked him a lot and often brought him along when playing or practicing.
But when he saw Li Sifeng's Fate, his expression darkened.
Fate: Wolfish Ambition, Ruthless Means.
Both were self-explanatory—ambitious, insatiable, and willing to do anything to achieve goals.
'If this kid sets his eyes on my position as Sect Master one day, will he turn against me?'
Looking again at the loyalty data, Li Qingqiu realized he might be overthinking.
Li Sifeng's loyalty toward him was 92, while his loyalty toward Qingxiao Sect was 40. Not perfect, but manageable. He'd just have to keep an eye on him.
After checking through all his disciples' panels, Li Qingqiu felt hopeful for Qingxiao Sect's future. The only regret was that he couldn't check his own aptitude or comprehension.
Jiang Zhaoxia could clearly become the main combat force, while Zhang Yuchun could manage affairs. Together, they'd make the perfect combination of martial and administrative strength.
He had to admit—Lin Xunfeng had an eye for talent. During his travels, he must have met countless orphans, yet he only brought back these seven. That showed how carefully he had chosen.
Usually, Lin Xunfeng would teach them basic martial arts, but to Li Qingqiu, those techniques were nothing but half-baked skills.
He continued browsing the Dao Lineage's "Development Details." There wasn't much worth seeing—Qingxiao Sect had no foundation to speak of.
Scrolling further, he reached the section about his two special opportunities: the Fate Selection and the Dao Lineage Inheritance.
[ Fate Selection: You may choose one Fate from among your disciples to copy as your own. ]
[ Inheritance Reward: You may randomly receive a technique, spell, divine art, secret skill, formation, or miscellaneous knowledge. ]
Li Qingqiu's eyes lit up. Even with capable people around him, he had nothing to teach them yet. But now, the Dao Lineage system offered a way forward.
With one Fate Selection and one Inheritance Reward available, this was his true beginning.
Without hesitation, he tapped on Jiang Zhaoxia's portrait again, his gaze locking onto his Fates.
"Junior Brother, your talent is extraordinary," he murmured with a grin. "From now on, it's mine too."