Lin Xiao Tian sat on the worn stone steps of the Celestial Origin Supreme Sect, or rather, what little remained of it after years of decay.
His elbows rested on his knees, hands hanging loosely, while his empty eyes stared ahead without focus.
In front of him stood a crooked stone gate that had clearly lost the will to remain upright, one pillar leaning like it had long surrendered to gravity.
The wooden signboard above creaked softly in the wind, its once gilded characters now faded and cracked beyond recognition.
"Celestial Origin Supreme Sect," he whispered under his breath, the words tasting hollow in his mouth as the silence swallowed them completely.
A vein twitched at his temple as frustration built without restraint, and suddenly Lin Xiao Tian stood up with a sharp motion. His foot slammed into the half-rotted gate with full force, shattering the wood inward with a loud crack.
Splinters scattered across the courtyard as his voice echoed through the empty mountain. "Fuck you, old bastard! You called this a supreme sect with a straight face!"
"You said glorious inheritance, tens of thousands of disciples, immortals everywhere," he continued, his voice rising with every word. "So where the hell are they, because I don't see a single living thing here!"
His gaze swept across the desolate grounds again, and anger slowly turned into something colder. "Other than me, is there even one living being in this cursed, rotting place?"
The image of that old bastard surfaced in his mind once again without warning. The moment he transmigrated after dying from overwork, the first thing he saw was that old man gripping his hand tightly.
A chill had run through him back then, his thoughts spiraling immediately toward the worst possibilities. Had the original owner done something shameful, inherited debt, or worse, sold himself somehow?
He had instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but the old man's grip was terrifyingly strong. It felt like iron clamps had locked around his wrist, leaving no room for resistance.
Then the memories crashed into him without warning, flooding his mind all at once. The original owner shared his name, an orphan who survived through odd jobs without any background or support.
At the seventh stage of Qi Refining, he was barely considered a cultivator in this world. Even calling him an ant would be giving him too much credit.
That day, while heading to work, the sky itself split open as the old man descended without warning. Without explanation, he grabbed his hand, and the original owner died from shock on the spot.
Just like that, a fragile heart inside a fragile body gave out completely. Even Lin Xiao Tian, who took over, felt secondhand embarrassment at how easily the man had died.
When he managed to steady himself and properly look at the old man, he almost followed him into the grave. The man's appearance was terrifying beyond reason.
Withered skin clung to sharp bones, and his sunken eyes burned with an unnatural light. He looked less like a sect master and more like something that crawled out of a grave.
Yet his tone was solemn and filled with authority as he spoke. He claimed to be the sect master of a supreme hidden sect that once shook the heavens.
He said he was dying and had searched far and wide for a successor, and that fate had guided him here. To him.
He painted a grand picture filled with ancient inheritance, boundless resources, loyal disciples, and techniques that could defy the heavens. Power, status, and immortality all within reach.
After two lifetimes of being stepped on, how could Lin Xiao Tian not believe it. For the first time, he thought his protagonist fate had finally arrived.
Naturally, the old man handed him a sect token and disappeared as abruptly as he had come. And so Lin Xiao Tian walked, chasing that promise for six long months.
He crossed mountains and rivers, passed through bandit territory, nearly starved twice, and almost died three times. Yet he endured everything while clutching that token like it was his destiny.
Finally, he arrived at the sect mountain, which truly towered into the clouds. For a brief moment, hope returned as he looked up at its imposing height.
Then the harsh reality struck the mountain was spiritually barren, the air thin and lifeless without any trace of gathered energy. There were no disciples, no proper buildings, only crumbling ruins and endless silence.
Even stray dogs would refuse to live in such a place without hesitation. He stood before the main hall, if it could still be called that, staring at the crooked plaque above.
"Celestial Origin Supreme Sect."
He kicked the door in frustration, and the rotten wood gave way instantly without resistance. The plaque above loosened and fell straight onto his head with perfect timing.
He lay there for a long moment, staring at the sky without moving. Two lifetimes, and he still ended up getting scammed.
Then suddenly, a mechanical voice rang out inside his mind without warning. "Host identified. Supreme Sect System activating."
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes, numbers rapidly climbing upward. Loading progressed steadily until it reached ninety-nine percent, then froze without explanation.
"System failure. Host deemed unworthy."
The last trace of expression vanished from his face completely. Even destiny itself seemed determined to mock him without mercy.
Just as his thoughts darkened further, another voice rang out inside his mind once again. "System activating."
Something inside him snapped instantly as anger exploded outward. "Fk you, dog system! Why the hell are you playing with me like this?!"
Before he could continue, his mouth sealed shut as if invisible hands had clamped it closed tightly. A calm and refined mechanical voice spoke next.
"We sincerely apologize, Host. The previous system violated System Administration guidelines and has been destroyed. I have now been reassigned to you."
His anger faltered slightly, replaced by confusion and suspicion. The voice continued smoothly without pause.
"With me, you will rise supreme in this world. As compensation, your sect facilities have been upgraded to top-tier Mortal Level, and a Supreme Spirit Vein has been installed beneath the sect."
His eyes widened slightly as the voice continued speaking without interruption. "Additionally, you are invincible within your sect territory."
"Primary Mission: Within one hundred years, make your sect the greatest and most famous on the entire continent."
"If you fail, punishment will be annihilation."
After a brief pause, the voice concluded calmly. "We wish you a pleasant experience, Host. Further functions may be explored independently."
The restraint on his mouth vanished, leaving him standing there in silence. Then suddenly, he began to laugh.
Mad laughter echoed across the mountain as the world before his eyes began to change. The cracked paths repaired themselves, and collapsed halls rose again, grand and imposing.
Spiritual mist gathered in thick waves as formations spread across the sky, sealing the mountain. The previously dead air surged with dense spiritual energy.
The entire mountain pulsed with life, transforming into a true cultivation sanctuary. When he stepped forward, immense power flooded into his body instantly.
It felt as if the land itself responded to his presence, granting him absolute control. Within this territory, he was untouchable and Invincible.
Yet when he checked his cultivation, it remained at the seventh stage of Qi Refining. Outside this place, he was still nothing more than an ant.
He looked at the reborn sect, then at himself, and then back at the sect once more. A slow grin stretched across his face.
"Fine," he muttered under his breath. "If the world won't make me supreme, then I'll build it myself."