by EkkoTheDemon
"From this day forth, you are the Sect Leader of the Clear Firmament Sect. See to it that you care for your younger brothers and sisters."
The former leader of the Clear Firmament Sect, Lin Xunfeng, left these words behind before departing without a single look back. Facing away from his disciples, his face—which looked to be only in its early thirties—was etched with an unwavering resolve.
As he descended the mountain path, Lin Xunfeng’s green robes fluttered in the breeze, exuding the effortless grace of a wandering vagabond.
It was already twilight; the sky was awash in crimson clouds, and the distant mountain ridges looked as if they were draped in lines of fire under the melancholic beauty of the setting sun.
Standing before the sect’s main gate, Li Qingqiu was a picture of indignation. He had exhausted his words, yet his master simply would not listen, insisting on descending the mountain to search for the path of the immortals.
As the eldest disciple of the Clear Firmament Sect, Li Qingqiu was only sixteen. His six junior siblings were even younger, with the smallest having only just reached ten.
To be forced to raise these children—was this not the ruin of his own life?
He, too, wished to wander the world with a sword at his hip, living a life of carefree elegance. He had grown sick of the quiet, idle days on this mountain; he even found himself reminiscing about his past life, where he would spend hours playing shooters until exhausted, then collapse onto the sofa to scroll through short videos.
"Master! If I end up destroying the Clear Firmament Sect, don't you dare blame me!"
Li Qingqiu shouted at the top of his lungs, his slightly youthful voice echoing through the mountains. Lin Xunfeng, who had already reached the edge of the forest, merely raised a hand in acknowledgment without turning around.
A small hand reached out from behind, grabbing Li Qingqiu’s sleeve and giving it a gentle tug. He turned his head and saw his ten-year-old junior sister, Li Sijin, looking at him timidly. She asked, "Eldest Brother, will you abandon us too?"
The fire in Li Qingqiu’s heart vanished instantly. He swept his gaze across the group; except for that annoying third brother, Jiang Zhaoxia, the other five disciples were looking at him with either nervousness or deep worry.
He felt a heavy sense of responsibility settle upon his shoulders.
But this wasn't the kind of transmigrated life I wanted!
At that moment, lines of text suddenly flickered before Li Qingqiu’s eyes:
[You have become a sect leader for the first time. The Sacred Heritage has been activated. Beginning scan of the Clear Firmament Sect.]
[Scan successful. Commencing evaluation of the Clear Firmament Sect.]
[Evaluation complete. Grade: Unranked.]
[In light of your first time becoming a sect leader, you have gained one Fate Token selection and one Sacred Heritage inheritance.]
Looking at the prompts before him, Li Qingqiu froze, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. He rubbed them, but the text remained floating in his vision.
He looked toward the other disciples, but they didn't seem to notice anything unusual.
Was his 'Golden Finger' finally activating?
Li Qingqiu’s heart rate quickened. He wondered how to temporarily hide these prompts, and as soon as the thought occurred, the text vanished. When he wished to see them again, the prompts resurfaced instantly.
This confirmed that he wasn't suffering from hallucinations.
Having lived two lives, Li Qingqiu’s mental state was far more mature than that of an average sixteen-year-old. He immediately spoke up, "Those were just angry words meant for Master. Since he wants to leave, let him. From now on, we will depend on one another."
As soon as he said this, the younger disciples broke into smiles. They were actually more dependent on Li Qingqiu than Lin Xunfeng; because their master was away for years at a time, Li Qingqiu was the one who made most of the decisions for the Clear Firmament Sect. Except for the third disciple, Jiang Zhaoxia, everyone else would constantly cling to him.
After spending a good while comforting them, Li Qingqiu couldn't wait to return to his room to study the Sacred Heritage prompts.
"Yuchun, go prepare dinner. Dongyue, look after Man’er, Sifeng, and Sijin."
Li Qingqiu quickly delegated the tasks and turned to return to the inner courtyard.
The name 'Clear Firmament Sect' sounded grand, but in reality, it consisted of only eight people—now seven. The sect grounds held only three courtyards: one for Lin Xunfeng’s training, one for the disciples' residence, and one used for storage.
As the eldest disciple, Li Qingqiu had a room of his own, much to the envy of his younger siblings.
Sitting on his bed, Li Qingqiu wondered how to view the Sacred Heritage. Immediately, a translucent panel appeared before him, displaying lines of text:
[Sect: Clear Firmament Sect (Renameable)]
[Sect Leader: Li Qingqiu]
[Number of Disciples (Click for details): 7]
[Evaluation Grade: Unranked (Click for development details)]
[Guardian Array: None]
[Guardian Beast: None]
[Fate Token Draws Available: 1]
[Inheritance Rewards Available: 1]
Li Qingqiu looked at the panel with a sense of déjà vu. Back in his previous life, he had loved playing mobile cultivation games, which gave him a profound interest in this Sacred Heritage.
He first thought about clicking on the disciple count. The panel shifted, showing seven avatars with names beside each, including his own.
They were ordered by seniority: Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin.
All seven of them were orphans brought up from the mountain by Lin Xunfeng. Their backgrounds varied, and Lin Xunfeng never spoke to them about their origins. However, Li Qingqiu had been conscious since birth in this world; he knew exactly what his background was.
Even with Lin Xunfeng gone, he had no intention of seeking out his biological parents. In his heart, those familial ties had long since been severed.
Li Qingqiu focused his attention on Zhang Yuchun’s avatar. Immediately, the boy's information popped up:
[Name: Zhang Yuchun]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 15]
[Loyalty (Leader/Sect): 89 / 23 (Max 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Mediocre]
[Comprehension: Above Average]
[Fate Tokens: Governance Prodigy, Stoic Endurance]
Li Qingqiu arched an eyebrow. His second brother’s loyalty to him was 89, but his loyalty to the Clear Firmament Sect was only 23?
Did this mean Zhang Yuchun was likely to leave the sect once he grew up?
He then focused on the Fate Tokens. Explanations for 'Governance Prodigy' and 'Stoic Endurance' appeared.
The descriptions were easy to understand: 'Governance Prodigy' meant he had a natural talent for administrative affairs, while 'Stoic Endurance' meant he could remain patient and composed in the face of adversity.
Li Qingqiu suddenly felt that the Sacred Heritage was incredibly powerful. Through these attribute panels, he could see every disciple's talent, aptitude, and loyalty. With the Sacred Heritage, managing hearts and nurturing disciples would be effortless.
He turned his gaze toward the third brother, Jiang Zhaoxia.
When they were younger, Jiang Zhaoxia had been quite clingy, but over the last two years, he had become incredibly rebellious, often opposing Li Qingqiu and causing him no small amount of frustration.
However, Jiang Zhaoxia’s loyalty took Li Qingqiu by surprise.
The boy’s loyalty to him was actually 96—higher than Zhang Yuchun’s—while his loyalty to the Clear Firmament Sect was only 1, meaning he could defect at any moment.
'Is there something wrong with this kid?'
'If he likes me this much, why does he always pick fights with me?'
Looking further down, Li Qingqiu was stunned with joy.
[Cultivation Aptitude: Excellent]
[Comprehension: Extraordinary]
[Fate Tokens: Born Sword Fanatic, Hidden Dragon of the Mortal Veil]
[Born Sword Fanatic: A natural-born sword cultivator. Possesses extremely high comprehension of the Dao of the Sword and unparalleled mastery over blades.]
[Hidden Dragon of the Mortal Veil: Destined for a tumultuous life. If he can overcome the tribulations of his fate, he shall transform into a flying dragon, possessing unstoppable providence.]
Good heavens!
He's this powerful?
Li Qingqiu had a sudden epiphany. No wonder Jiang Zhaoxia had been annoyed with him for the past two years. Two years ago, Lin Xunfeng had awarded Li Qingqiu a precious sword. The entire Clear Firmament Sect only possessed two swords. At the time, Jiang Zhaoxia had asked for it, but Li Qingqiu had refused.
His refusal was because he felt Jiang Zhaoxia couldn't handle it; the boy was only twelve then, and giving a sharp weapon to a child was a recipe for disaster.
A Born Sword Fanatic encountering a sword but being unable to obtain it—it was no wonder Jiang Zhaoxia was disgruntled. If it weren't for their close relationship, Jiang Zhaoxia would likely have tried every means possible to take the sword by force.
Li Qingqiu’s dissatisfaction with Jiang Zhaoxia vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of pity.
'Third Brother, I misunderstood you. Don't worry; I'll definitely give you a divine sword in the future and let you shine for the Clear Firmament Sect.'
Because of the Sacred Heritage, Li Qingqiu had already begun to think like a true sect leader, considering matters from a long-term perspective.
He continued his search. Li Dongyue, Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin all had high loyalty toward him, though Jiang Zhaoxia remained the highest. Their aptitude and comprehension were better than Zhang Yuchun’s, but they couldn't compare to Jiang Zhaoxia.
Regarding Fate Tokens, none were as brilliant as Jiang Zhaoxia’s; most simply highlighted their personalities.
One of Wu Man’er’s tokens was decent: 'Tiger's Build, Elephant's Might.' The boy had been strong since childhood, but unfortunately, he was mentally immature.
The only one who worried Li Qingqiu was the sixth brother, Li Sifeng.
Li Sifeng and the seventh sister, Li Sijin, were brought back together by Lin Xunfeng; they were biological siblings, with Sifeng being two years older. Their original surname wasn't Li, but Lin Xunfeng had them take Li Qingqiu’s surname.
Currently, Li Sifeng was twelve, lively and mischievous. Li Qingqiu was quite fond of him and liked to bring him along for whatever they were doing.
However, Li Sifeng’s Fate Tokens were 'Wolfish Ambition' and 'Ruthless Pragmatism.'
These tokens meant exactly what they said: he was prone to developing ambition, would never be satisfied, and would do whatever it took to achieve his goals.
'If this kid sets his sights on my position as Sect Leader in the future, won't we end up as enemies?'
Li Qingqiu looked at Sifeng’s loyalty and felt he might be overthinking it.
The boy had 92 loyalty toward him, though his loyalty to the sect was only 40. He would just have to pay closer attention in the future.
After reviewing the attribute panels of his siblings, Li Qingqiu felt the Clear Firmament Sect had great potential. The only pity was that he couldn't view his own aptitude and comprehension.
Jiang Zhaoxia could be nurtured into his top enforcer, while Zhang Yuchun could handle management. He had his civil and military leaders ready.
He had to admit, Lin Xunfeng had a good eye for disciples. During his travels, the master had encountered many orphans, yet he only brought back these seven, showing he was selective.
Usually, Lin Xunfeng would teach them some basic martial arts, but in Li Qingqiu’s eyes, those were just amateurish tricks.
Li Qingqiu continued to check the development details of the Sacred Heritage, though there wasn't much to see. It went without saying that the sect had no foundation.
He moved on to his Fate Token selection and Sacred Heritage inheritance.
[Fate Token Selection: You may choose one Fate Token from a sect disciple and copy it as your own.]
[Inheritance Reward: Randomly obtain an inheritance such as a cultivation technique, spell, divine ability, secret art, array, or miscellaneous craft.]
Li Qingqiu was overjoyed. Although he had the talent now, he had nothing to teach them. How could the sect grow? Fortunately, the system provided inheritances.
With one draw for each, he finally had a starting point.
Without hesitation, he clicked on Jiang Zhaoxia’s avatar again and focused on the boy’s Fate Tokens.
'Junior Brother, your talent is amazing. Now, it's mine too!'