The morning sun had barely touched the peaks of the Heavenly Ancient Sect when peace was shattered.
"Elder! Elder, this is bad!"
A disciple stumbled into the courtyard of the Grand Elder's pavilion, tripping over his own robes. He hit the ground hard, gasping for air, his face pale as a sheet. "A mortal... a mortal has come to the mountain gate! He demands to be the Prime Disciple!"
Inside the quiet chamber, Grand Elder Gu Changfeng sat on a meditation mat. His eyes remained closed, but his brow twitched in annoyance.
"Kick him off the mountain," Gu Changfeng said, his voice low and dangerous. "Do I need to be informed about every madman who wanders up here? Where is the Discipline Hall?"
"B-but, Elder..." The disciple stammered, knocking his forehead against the stone floor. "He... he was recommended by Old Ancestor Gui."
Gu Changfeng's eyes snapped open.
"Old Gui?" He glanced sideways, a look of genuine distaste twisting his features. "That old drunkard?"
Old Gui was a headache the sect had been dealing with for centuries. A senior with a mysterious lineage, sure, but a disgraceful one who spent his time in mortal brothels and gambling dens. The higher-ups often pretended he didn't exist.
"Even if Old Gui recommended him, it means nothing," Gu Changfeng waved his sleeve, his morning mood ruined. "Being a drinking buddy doesn't qualify someone to lead the sect. Throw him out."
"B-b-but..." The disciple was trembling violently now. "He... he has the Heavenly Ancient Order! The one belonging to Old Ancestor Gui!"
"What?"
The air pressure in the room spiked.
Bang!
The wooden doors of the pavilion flew open. Gu Changfeng stepped into the courtyard, his robes flaring. He grabbed the disciple by the collar, lifting him off the ground with one hand.
"Are you certain?" Gu Changfeng growled. "The supreme token of Ren Huang? The dark iron one?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, Elder! It has the Emperor's runes glowing on it!"
The Grand Elder's expression shifted instantly—from annoyance to shock, and then to heavy gravity. He dropped the disciple.
"If that token is real..." Gu Changfeng muttered, his mind racing. "This changes everything."
He looked at the disciple. "Summon the other five Elders immediately. Tell them to cancel all engagements. And have that mortal wait in the Great Hall. Treat him with respect... for now."
***
Inside the Great Hall, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Six massive chairs were lined up on a raised platform. In them sat the Six Great Elders of the Heavenly Ancient Sect. Their auras were heavy, pressuring the air like invisible mountains. They were all at the Dao Slasher King Realm—the peak of power in this region.
Standing in the center of the room, looking small in comparison, was Li Wudi.
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking around the hall with mild interest. To the Elders, he looked like a mortal boy who was too stupid to know when to be afraid.
"Where is the Heavenly Ancient Order?" Gu Changfeng asked from the center seat. His voice echoed off the pillars.
Li Wudi slowly opened his palm.
A dark, heavy metal token lay there. It seemed to swallow the light around it. The ancient runes etched into its surface pulsed with a faint, rhythmic hum, vibrating in the bones of everyone present.
The Six Great Elders stood up simultaneously.
They stared at the token. They could feel the aura of Ren Huang—the Great Emperor who had suppressed the Nine Worlds—radiating from it.
"It is real," Elder Xiong whispered, his hands shaking. "The lost order... it has returned."
Gu Changfeng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He looked down at Li Wudi with sharp, hawk-like eyes.
"Where did you get this?" Gu Changfeng demanded. "And who are you?"
"My name is Li Wudi," the young man said calmly. His voice was steady, lacking the fear a mortal should feel. "As for the token... it was passed down to me by my ancestor. You might know him as Old Gui."
"Old Gui?" The Elders exchanged glances. "So, you are Old Gui's descendant."
"Is he dead?" Gu Changfeng asked, his expression complicated.
"Old Gui is dead," Wudi said flatly.
Gu Changfeng nodded slowly. "Since you hold the Heavenly Ancient Order, the sect must fulfill one request. That is the law left by Ren Huang. However, the request cannot violate the foundational laws of the sect. State your wish. Do you want spirit stones? A supreme technique? Gold?"
Li Wudi smiled. It was a confident, slightly arrogant smile.
"I heard the position of Prime Disciple is vacant," Wudi said. "I want that."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then, an explosion of killing intent filled the hall.
"Presumptuous!" Gu Changfeng slammed his hand on the armrest, cracking the wood. "The Prime Disciple is the future face of the sect! The future Sect Leader! How can a mortal with unknown origins take such a seat? It is laughable!"
"The token allows for one request," Wudi countered smoothly. "Is the position of Prime Disciple against the foundational laws? No. It is merely a title."
"It requires qualification!" Another Elder barked. "You need talent! You need an Innate Physique at the very least! You are a mortal!"
"Then test me," Wudi said, spreading his arms. "If I fail, I will leave."
Gu Changfeng stared at him coldly. "Fine. If you want to humiliate yourself, so be it. Bring the Mirror of Truth!"
Two disciples hurriedly hauled a massive, ancient bronze mirror into the hall. The surface swirled with chaotic mist, hiding the truth of the world.
"Step forward," Gu Changfeng commanded. "The Mirror of Truth sees all disguises. It reveals your cultivation foundation and physique."
Li Wudi stepped up to the mirror. He didn't hesitate.
Buzz.
The mist parted. A clear reflection appeared.
It showed a young man. But the details were brutal.
Physique: Standard Mortal Physique. No divine glow. No special bloodline.
Foundation: Shallow and weak. Unfit for the Great Dao.
The disciple operating the mirror read the results aloud, his voice dripping with confusion.
"Mortal Physique. Mortal Foundation."
The Six Great Elders sat back down. The tension in the room vanished, replaced by scorn.
In the cultivation world, this was the definition of trash. You could grab a random peasant from a village and find better aptitude.
"You see?" Gu Changfeng sneered. "To be the Prime Disciple, one must at least have an Innate Physique. Ideally, a Saint Physique. You are not even qualified to be a servant disciple here."
"I know," Wudi said. He didn't look surprised at all.
"You know?" Gu Changfeng's veins bulged. "Then change your request! Take ten thousand spirit stones and leave! Do not insult the Heavenly Ancient Sect any further!"
"My request stands," Wudi said. His voice dropped an octave, carrying a strange weight that silenced the room. "I believe Ren Huang's descendants are people who keep their word. If the Heavenly Ancient Sect refuses the bearer of the Heavenly Ancient Order... what face will you have to stand in the Nine Worlds?"
The threat hung in the air.
The Elders were furious, but they were trapped. They couldn't accept a piece of trash, but they couldn't break the ancient laws of their founder.
"This matter is too grave," Elder Xiong muttered. "We cannot decide alone. We must consult the Sect Leader."
"The Sect Leader is in deep seclusion," Gu Changfeng argued. "We cannot disturb her for this!"
"There is no need to send a message," Wudi interrupted, looking up at the ceiling. "The Sect Leader is watching, isn't she?"
***
High above the main hall, in a hidden dimension sealed by layers of formations.
Sect Leader Su Yanran sat cross-legged on a floating jade platform. She was beautiful, her aura noble and cold, like an ice goddess. She was watching the events in the hall through a magical projection.
"A mortal holding the token..." she whispered, frowning. "Old Gui's descendant? How troublesome."
She prepared to send a mental order to reject the boy. The token was important, yes, but handing the sect to a cripple was suicide. She would offer him resources and send him away.
"Sect Leader Su," a voice suddenly spoke.
Su Yanran froze.
The voice didn't come from the projection. It came from right behind her.
Her blood ran cold. She was a Dao Slasher King, the strongest person in the entire sect. How had someone entered her private sanctuary without triggering the alarms?
"Who?!"
She summoned her divine sword in an instant, turning to strike.
"Put away the toothpick, Little Girl."
The voice was ancient, dry, and raspy. It carried a pressure that made her soul tremble—not out of hostility, but out of sheer scale. It was like standing at the foot of a mountain that reached the stars.
From the shadows of her own room, a figure emerged.
It was an old man. He looked withered and hunched, leaning on a rotten wooden staff. He looked so weak that a strong wind might blow him away.
But Su Yanran's instincts were screaming. Monster. Absolute monster.
"You..." Su Yanran stepped back, her sword trembling in her grip. "How did you enter the Ancestral Space?"
Old Li hobbled forward. He tapped his cane on the jade floor.
Thud.
The sound didn't just echo; it silenced the spiritual energy in the entire dimension. The pressure in the room skyrocketed.
"Su Ru's descendant," Li said, his cloudy eyes dissecting her instantly. "You have her eyes. But your cultivation... merely the King Realm? The sect has truly fallen."
Su Yanran was stunned. "You know Ancestor Su Ru?"
"I know many things," Li said calmly. "I am Ancestor Li. I have been sleeping in the back mountain since the era of the Golden Generation."
"Ancestor Li?" Su Yanran searched the sect's archives in her mind, but found no record.
"The boy in the hall," Li said, pointing his cane at the projection of Li Wudi. "He is my disciple."
"But he... he is a mortal," Su Yanran stammered, struggling to breathe under the pressure.
"He is what I say he is," Old Li said. "The Heavenly Ancient Sect needs a change. The Elders are rotting wood. They care only for face. They have forgotten the Dao taught by Ren Huang."
He took a step closer.
"I am awake now. And I am telling you: Accept him. Make him the Prime Disciple."
Su Yanran bit her lip. "Senior... even if you are an ancestor, the Prime Disciple determines the fate of the sect. A Mortal Physique cannot cultivate our Emperor's Scripture. He will never advance."
"Who said he will cultivate the Emperor's Scripture?" Li chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "I will teach him. You just need to give him the title."
He released a fraction of his aura.
BOOM.
The entire dimension shook. Su Yanran felt her knees buckle involuntarily. The gap between a King and a Saint was the difference between an ant and a dragon. To her, a Saint was a legend.
"Do you understand?" Li asked softly.
Su Yanran bowed her head, sweat dripping onto her jade platform. "I... I understand, Ancestor."
"Good. Issue the decree," Li said, turning back to the shadows. "And keep my existence a secret. I am not ready to deal with the flies of the world yet."
With that, he vanished, as if he had never been there.
***
Back in the Great Hall, the argument had reached its peak.
"Enough!" Gu Changfeng stood up, pointing at the door. "Boy, I have given you a chance. Leave the token and take ten thousand spirit stones. If you refuse, do not blame us for being rude!"
"Is that a threat?" Wudi raised an eyebrow.
Just as Gu Changfeng raised his hand to summon the guards, a heavy, majestic pressure descended from the sky.
A golden decree materialized in the air, glowing with the unmistakable aura of the Sect Leader.
"The Sect Leader's Decree!"
The Six Great Elders froze. Instantly, they fell to their knees. "We greet the Sect Leader!"
Su Yanran's voice echoed from the decree, sounding majestic and unquestionable.
"Li Wudi holds the Heavenly Ancient Order. He respects the ancestors and holds the token of authority. In accordance with the Ancestral Master's laws, his request is granted."
Gu Changfeng's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Sect Leader? But his aptitude is trash! You cannot allow this!"
"From this day forth," the voice continued, ignoring him, "Li Wudi is the Prime Disciple of the Heavenly Ancient Sect. Elder Gu, arrange his accommodation on Prime Disciple Peak. This is final."
The golden light faded.
The hall was dead silent.
The Elders looked at each other, stunned. The Sect Leader, who was usually wise and cautious, had just appointed a mortal cripple as the successor to the Great Emperor?
Li Wudi smiled, tucking the token back into his sleeve. He bowed slightly toward the decree, then looked at the pale-faced Gu Changfeng.
"So," Wudi said cheerfully. "When do I move in?"