The air in the room was still vibrating from the force of the strike. Li Yunxiao stood there for a long time. His arm felt slightly numb, but it was a good kind of numb. It was the feeling of power. He slowly pulled his hand back into the sleeve of his white robe. He walked over to the wooden stool and sat down.
'I actually did that!' he thought.
The Tiger-Roar Shattering Palm was far more powerful than the basic punch he had seen the disciples doing. The system didn't just copy the move. It fixed it. It made it perfect. He looked at the mess in the room. The papers were scattered everywhere. One of the brushes had rolled under the bed.
'System,' he called out in his mind. 'How do I get more Attribute Points?'
The golden screen shimmered into existence again.
[Attribute Points can be earned through various methods, Host. The most efficient way is by defeating or killing opponents. The stronger the opponent, the more points you receive. You can also gain points by achieving major breakthroughs or completing significant tasks.]
Li Yunxiao went quiet.
"Killing?" he whispered to the empty room.
It was a heavy thought. Back on Earth, he was just a guy who edited stories. He wasn't a fighter. He wasn't a killer. But he wasn't stupid either. He knew how this world worked. He had read enough of these novels to know that the nice guys usually ended up in a shallow grave.
'So, I'm basically the villain,' he thought. 'If I want to be the strongest, I'm going to have to get my hands dirty. Fuck.'
He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. It was a lot to take in. But the idea of copying an immortal didn't leave his mind. If he could copy a basic disciple's punch and turn it into that, what could he do with a god's technique?
The potential was terrifying. It was also addictive.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his stomach. It was followed by a loud, hollow growl. He hadn't eaten since he arrived in this body. The hunger was intense. It felt like his stomach was trying to eat itself.
He stood up, intending to find a kitchen. As he reached for the door handle, he stopped. He didn't know who this body belonged to. He didn't know his name or his rank. He didn't know if he was a servant or a prince.
'I need to figure out who I am before I walk out there and get killed for a social mistake,' he realized.
He looked around the room again. It was a nice room. The furniture was high-quality. The robes he was wearing were silk. He wasn't a peasant. But he felt bored. He didn't know where the dining hall was. He didn't even know which way was North.
He decided to test something. His Spirit stat was 15, which felt high for a beginner. Since he had woken up, he had a weird feeling. It was like he could feel a presence nearby. It was faint, like a shadow in the corner of his eye.
"I know you're there," he said out loud.
He tried to sound as commanding as possible. He channeled a bit of that new confidence he felt.
"Get out from over there and come here. Now."
For a few seconds, nothing happened. He almost felt embarrassed. Then, the shadows near the far window seemed to ripple. A girl stepped out from behind a decorative screen.
Li Yunxiao froze.
'What the fuck... seriously? That worked?'
The girl was striking. She wore a black, ninja-like uniform that was skin-tight. It left very little to the imagination. She was fit, with a figure that made his head spin for a second. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail. She had a small mask hanging around her neck.
'She's definitely cute,' he thought. 'And she's clearly trying to seduce me with that outfit. Is she a guard? Or an assassin?'
"How did you know I was here, Young Master?" she asked.
Her voice was soft but curious. She didn't look scared. She looked impressed.
Li Yunxiao fought the urge to laugh. He had no idea how he knew. He just guessed. But he couldn't tell her that.
"I knew you were there all along," he said, keeping his face like stone. "I was just playing along to see how long you would stay hidden."
The girl bowed low. "I apologize. I did not mean to offend."
"It's fine," he said. "But I have a question for you. I want to see how you think of me. Tell me. Who am I to you? And who am I in this place?"
The girl looked up, confused. "Did you hit your head during training? Or is this another one of your jokes, Young Master?"
"Just answer the question," he snapped, trying to hide his nervousness. "It's a test."
She nodded quickly. "You are Li Yunxiao. You are the Sect Leader of the Silver Leaf Sect. You are seventeen years old. You have two older sisters, Li Yan and Li Mei, who are currently away on a mission."
She paused, her expression turning a bit complicated.
"And... most people call you the worst Sect Leader the clan has ever seen. They say you are a waste of talent and that you will lead us to ruin."
Li Yunxiao felt his heart drop. 'Sect Leader? Me? No way. No, no, no!'
He was the boss of this whole place? And he was also the biggest loser? It was the worst of both worlds. He had all the responsibility and none of the respect. He was the lowest-ranked person in a sect he was supposed to lead.
"I see," he said, his voice flat. "I'm hungry. Go and prepare food for me. Bring it here."
"Yes, Young Master," she said.
She vanished as quickly as she had appeared.
Li Yunxiao walked out of his room and onto the balcony. The estate was small but well-kept. He could see a few disciples in the courtyard below. They were training hard, their faces full of focus.
'They're probably all stronger than me,' he realized.
The weight of it hit him. He was a Sect Leader in name only. He was 17, weak, and surrounded by people who thought he was a joke. He went back into his room and locked the door. He couldn't wait for the food. He needed to get stronger right now.
"System," he thought. "How do I improve my cultivation? I can't stay at Stage 1."
[Host possesses the 10x Growth Modifier. You can cultivate ten times faster than any normal human or immortal. As you grow, this speed will increase.]
"Show me," he said.
[Sit in a cross-legged position. Close your eyes. Focus on the energy in the air. We call it Qi. Feel it moving like a cool breeze around you.]
Li Yunxiao sat down on the floor. He closed his eyes. At first, he felt nothing but the hard wood beneath him. Then, he started to breathe deeply.
Slowly, the world changed. He didn't see with his eyes, but with his mind. He felt tiny particles of light floating in the air. They were like warm sparks. He reached out with his spirit and pulled them in.
His body began to glow. A faint, golden light radiated from his skin. The Qi entered through his pores and raced through his veins. It felt like liquid fire, but it didn't burn. It was soothing. It washed away the fatigue and the hunger.
He felt a pop in his chest. Then another.
The energy swirled around him like a small whirlwind. The air in the room grew warm. He felt his muscles getting denser. His bones felt like they were being reinforced with steel.
[Breakthrough!]
[Mortal Shedding - 1st Stage (Initial) —> 1st Stage (Early Peak)]
He opened his eyes. The glow faded, but he felt incredible. He felt lighter. He felt like he could run for miles without getting tired. He had just jumped two stages in a matter of minutes.
He looked at his hands. They were steady.
'Worst Sect Leader?' he thought with a smirk.