Morning light washed over Dustwind Valley, but the sect was anything but peaceful.
Hundreds of new disciples crowded the mountain path, forming a line that stretched halfway down the valley.
Some carried brooms.
Some carried swords.
Some carried notebooks and buckets.
One carried a laundry line.
Another carried a huge feather duster like a divine weapon.
They whispered:
"Is this Dustwind Sect?"
"They say the ancestor can scold you into enlightenment…"
"She cleaned a mythical beast to death, they said…"
"No—she ORGANIZED someone's attack and destroyed it!!"
"I heard she has the power of a reincarnated domestic goddess!"
Miyu, stepping out of her room with Solene, froze.
"…Why are there so many people?"
Solene bowed slightly.
"Master, they came to join the sect."
Miyu blinked.
"…No."
Solene smiled gently.
"Yes."
---
✨ 1. System Quest Activates — Sect Expansion Time
Lazy-chan swooped in, holding a teeny clipboard.
"Host! You HAVE to accept them!"
A glowing panel appeared:
> [Main Quest: Strengthen Dustwind Sect]
Recruit New Disciples (0/50)
Upgrade Facilities (0/3)
Establish Beginner Training Division (0/1)
Reward:
Sect Rank Up
Order Barrier Lv.2
New Order Attendant
Miyu stared at the panel.
"…But that means more noise."
Lazy-chan nodded.
"Yes."
"…More footsteps."
"Yes!"
"…More dirt."
"YES!!"
Miyu looked horrified.
Solene leaned down and whispered:
"Master… if Dustwind does not grow, the Sterility Immortal will attack again."
Miyu stiffened.
"…Fine.
But they must stay clean."
The entire sect behind her cheered.
---
✨ 2. The Recruitment Grounds
Dustwind disciples hurried to prepare a "recruitment space."
But because they were clueless…
The area ended up looking like:
A line of buckets
A stack of mops
Some polished stones
A stick with a paper sign: "JOIN HERE"
A table with snacks (left by Bao)
A circle drawn with chalk that said "TEST ZONE"
Miyu stared at it with disgust.
"…This is crooked."
Jin Haru paled.
"Ancestor, forgive us!"
Miyu sighed.
She waved a finger.
"Order Reversal Correction."
The items rearranged themselves into:
perfectly straight lines
evenly spaced distances
centered markers
symmetrical buckets
a clean stage
a polished stone podium
a glowing test circle
The new disciples SHRIEKED.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?!"
"She fixed the entire area with a single gesture!!"
"THE CLEANLINESS DAO IS REAL!!"
"TAKE MY LIFE AND MY MOP, ANCESTOR!!!"
Miyu covered her ears.
"…Too loud."
Solene stepped forward.
"All applicants!
Line up properly or be sent away."
Everyone snapped to perfect formation instantly.
---
✨ 3. The Cleanliness Aptitude Test (Accidental)
Miyu turned to Solene.
"…I don't know how to pick disciples."
Solene smiled.
"Master, you only need to check one thing."
"…What?"
"Whether they can follow your sense of order."
Miyu thought for a moment.
Then pointed to the polished stage.
"Okay.
All of you… wipe that surface."
The new disciples blinked.
"…Wipe it?"
Miyu nodded.
"Yes.
Evenly."
Lin Ruyin whispered to Jin Haru:
"She's testing them."
Jin Haru giggled nervously.
"The Ancestor's selection method… always beyond our understanding…"
The applicants rushed forward.
And what followed was the MOST CHAOTIC CLEANING SCENE EVER.
One disciple wiped too fast—
Miyu threw a frown that made him collapse.
Another wiped too slow—
Solene tapped his shoulder and he screamed.
A brave girl tried to show off with a flourish—
Miyu said, "Not symmetrical," and she fainted dramatically.
A boy tried to use qi to wipe—
Miyu swatted his forehead.
"No cheating."
The boy bowed.
"F-Forgive me, Ancestor!!"
Finally, one small girl with braided hair stepped forward timidly.
She wiped gently.
Evenly.
Without forcing it.
Naturally in rhythm.
The stage sparkled.
Miyu stared.
"…That one."
The little girl fell to her knees crying.
"I-I passed?!"
Miyu nodded.
"…You wiped with heart."
The disciples whispered:
"WITH HEART?!"
"WHAT KIND OF TEST IS THIS?!"
"I DON'T GET IT BUT I RESPECT IT!!"
---
✨ 4. Hidden Families Send Their Geniuses
Up in the sky, several powerful clans watched the recruitment.
The Lady of the Silver Phoenix Palace muttered:
"…She truly is judging through cleaning criteria."
The Crimson Bone Temple Elder trembled.
"Are we witnessing a divine selection process?"
The Moonless Shadow Pavilion Assassin bowed respectfully.
"…My next life, I wish to be a mop under her guidance."
Their young geniuses insisted on joining.
"Mother, please! I must enter Dustwind!"
"Her strictness calls to my soul!!"
"I have never been scolded by a divine figure—I need this experience!"
The elders begrudgingly allowed it.
---
✨ 5. Yin Huani Tries to Join (Chaos)
Yin Huani stepped forward confidently.
"I will join."
Solene immediately blocked her.
"No."
Yin Huani smirked.
"I wasn't asking you."
She walked toward Miyu.
Miyu blinked.
"…You again."
Yin Huani's tail swayed slowly.
"I want to be your disciple."
Solene nearly exploded.
"ABSOLUTELY—NO!"
Yin Huani poked Solene's forehead.
"Shh. Adults are speaking."
Solene's broom trembled with murderous intent.
Miyu turned around.
"No."
Yin Huani froze.
"…Why?"
"You're messy."
Solene smiled smugly.
Yin Huani grabbed her chest in horror.
"Messy?! MESSY?!!
ME?! I am elegance incarnate!"
Miyu shook her head.
"Your emotions are messy."
Yin Huani collapsed dramatically.
The disciples whispered in fear:
"She rejected the snake lady's entire existence…"
"She's too powerful…"
"Poor Yin Huani…"
Yin Huani lay on the ground whispering:
"…My heart… is messy…"
---
✨ 6. A Genius Kneels Before Miyu
As the chaos settled, a boy about 12 stepped forward.
He wore plain robes…
But his eyes glowed like starlight.
The disciples murmured.
"T-That spirit pressure…"
"He's a prodigy…"
"He has the Silver Heaven Root!"
One of the hidden family elders recognized him instantly.
"That child… he's from the Moon-Gazing Eternal Clan!!
Their brightest heir!"
The boy dropped to his knees before Miyu.
"Ancestor Miyu…
Please take me."
Miyu stepped back.
"…Um. Too close."
The boy bowed deeper.
"I will clean!
I will organize!
I will wipe the heavens if you command me!"
Miyu blinked.
"…No.
You're too dramatic."
The boy slammed his head into the ground.
"PLEASE!!"
Solene whispered,
"Master… accepting him will strengthen the sect."
Miyu sighed.
"…Fine."
The boy cried tears of glory.
---
✨ 7. Facility Upgrades Begin
Lazy-chan popped up with a happy squeak.
"Host! You earned 53 Order Points by recruiting new disciples!"
A system panel appeared:
> [Facility Upgrade Unlocked!]
1. Training Yard (Lv.0 → Lv.1)
2. Living Quarters (Lv.0 → Lv.1)
3. Sect Barrier (Lv.1 → Lv.2)
Miyu blinked.
"…Why is the ground glowing?"
Solene pointed.
"Master, you activated the upgrades."
The sect rumbled.
New training floors appeared.
White stone paths replaced old dirt ones.
Buildings straightened themselves.
Dorm rooms expanded.
Gardens cleaned themselves.
A small cleansing waterfall formed at the entrance.
New disciples screamed.
"AHHH EVERYTHING IS CLEANING ITSELF—!!"
Lin Ruyin cried with joy.
"We're becoming a real sect!!"
---
✨ 8. Miyu Designs Beginner Formations
The new disciples needed training.
Miyu placed her hand on the ground.
"…Circle.
Square.
Triangle."
Her simple doodles came alive.
Spiritual formation lines blossomed outward.
A rhythm formation to synchronize breathing
A focus grid to align qi flow
A clean meridian loop to purify impurities
The disciples gasped.
"This… this is a divine formation!!"
"I feel my meridians opening!!"
"My head is clearer!"
"My pain is gone!"
"My posture fixed itself!"
Yin Huani whispered:
"…This woman is dangerous."
Solene nodded.
"She is always dangerous."
---
✨ 9. A Shadow Message From the Sterility Immortal
As the disciple training began, a cold breeze swept through the valley.
The training yard turned silent.
A sterile mark, the same as the Envoy's sigil, appeared on a tree trunk.
Everyone stared in horror.
Lin Ruyin screamed.
"IT'S THE STERILITY SYMBOL AGAIN—!!"
Jin Haru fainted with a squeal.
Miyu approached slowly.
A message burned into the bark:
"You corrected my Envoy.
Interesting.
I will correct YOU soon."
Miyu's eyebrow twitched.
"…He wrote that crooked."
The disciples gasped.
"The ancestor is angrier about the handwriting—!!"
Solene placed a hand on Miyu's shoulder.
"Master… he's coming."
Yin Huani's smile darkened.
"And I will be ready."
The new disciples trembled.
Dustwind Sect…
was about to enter a true war