Morning sunlight washed over Heavenly Peak, giving everything a warm glow—an illusion of peace completely at odds with Lin Xuanji's internal panic.
(Host. Third disciple approaching. ETA: One day.)
Inside his mind, Lin Xuanji screamed.
Outside, he maintained the expression of a man who desperately wished he could scream.
Feng Xiao approached while practicing small fireballs. "Sect Master, the new building looks nice. Are we really expecting someone?"
Ruolan nodded, clutching his broom. "Will they… be like me?"
Lin Xuanji hesitated.
He didn't know.
He didn't want to know.
But the System—which he absolutely wanted to punch—knew.
(Host. Third disciple profile available.)
Fine, Lin Xuanji thought. Tell me.
(Name: Tian Wen.)
(Age: 15.)
(Personality: Quiet. Withdrawn. Resilient.)
(Condition: Spiritual Root stolen at age 12.)
Lin Xuanji froze mid-step.
Ruolan and Feng Xiao saw him stop and immediately whispered to each other.
"He's doing the frozen-thinking pose again."
"Maybe he saw something scary."
"No, that's the confused pose."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, the eyebrows are tilted."
Lin Xuanji ignored them.
Tian Wen… spiritual root stolen…
(He survived due to intervention of an unknown upper-realm remnant soul.)
Lin Xuanji nearly tripped.
Feng Xiao rushed forward. "Sect Master! Don't fall!"
"I'm fine!" Lin Xuanji said, absolutely not fine. "Just… thinking. Again."
Wei Tian, who had appeared silently sometime during the conversation, folded his arms.
"Sect Master is clearly planning multiple steps ahead."
Lin Xuanji resisted the urge to cry.
Yes, yes, I'm plotting… how not to die.
Ling Xueyin stepped closer, voice soft.
"This next disciple… is unusual?"
Lin Xuanji nodded slowly. "Very."
Ruolan blinked nervously. "Unusual… how?"
Lin Xuanji thought quickly.
He couldn't tell them about the System.
He couldn't mention spiritual root theft—it would terrify them.
He couldn't talk about upper-realm souls—Feng Xiao would panic and Ruolan would hide under a table.
So he chose the safest lie.
"He's… delicate."
Feng Xiao frowned. "Delicate how?"
Lin Xuanji cleared his throat. "…Emotionally."
Ruolan gasped dramatically. "Should we… prepare tea?"
Lin Xuanji patted his shoulder. "That's… actually a good idea."
Wei Tian saluted. "I will double security."
The Sect Master's eye twitched.
He wanted to say, "There is no security."
But decided it was better to pretend.
Ling Xueyin looked toward the forest below the peak.
"He will arrive sooner than expected."
Lin Xuanji frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"The mountain is restless."
Lin Xuanji looked down.
Sure enough, the ground gave a tiny pulse, barely noticeable—just enough to indicate anticipation.
Ruolan, Feng Xiao, and Wei Tian all stopped talking.
Even the herb sitting in a pot squeaked.
Something was coming.
Something important.
Lin Xuanji exhaled and straightened his posture.
"Alright," he said. "Let's prepare."
Ruolan nodded quickly.
Feng Xiao cracked her knuckles.
Wei Tian tightened his grip on his spear.
Ling Xueyin simply watched, calm and unreadable.
As they walked back toward the courtyard to set things in order, the System whispered:
(Host. Small correction.)
Lin Xuanji stiffened. What now?
(The third disciple is not delicate.)
What?
(He is furious.)
Lin Xuanji nearly faceplanted.
FURIOUS? Why?!
(His spiritual root was stolen by his stepmother. He seeks vengeance.)
Lin Xuanji rubbed his forehead.
Great. My next disciple is an angry rootless cultivator possessed by an upper-realm remnant soul.
(Affirmative.)
"And he's coming here?!"
(Yes.)
"WHY?!"
(To join your sect.)
Lin Xuanji opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
"…I need tea."
Wei Tian nodded respectfully. "Sect Master requires rest. A wise decision."
Feng Xiao added, "We'll prepare snacks."
Ruolan whispered, "Should we get pillows too?"
Ling Xueyin looked at Lin Xuanji calmly.
"He will arrive soon," she said. "Be ready."
Down the mountain, in the shadow of a quiet village road, a young man with cold eyes and a fractured spirit took his first step toward Heavenly Peak.
His name…
Was Tian Wen.