Lin Xuanji woke up the next morning looking like a man who had fought an army of nightmares and barely survived.
His hair stuck in seven different directions.
His eyes had the spiritual clarity of a zombie.
He stepped out of his hut and immediately groaned at the brightness.
Ruolan, already awake and practicing his breathing technique, paused. "Good morning, Sect Master. Did you sleep well?"
"No," Lin Xuanji deadpanned. "I slept like a tragic backstory."
Ruolan blinked. "Is that… bad?"
"Yes, Ruolan. Very bad."
Feng Xiao emerged from her hut next, stretching her arms. "Morning, Sect Master!"
Lin Xuanji gave her a hollow thumbs-up. "Morning. Please don't shout. My soul is fragile."
She lowered her voice immediately. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened," he lied dramatically. "Everything happened."
Ruolan and Feng Xiao exchanged worried looks.
Lin Xuanji waved it off. "Forget it. Let's have breakfast."
Feng Xiao brightened. "Oh! I can help cook!"
Lin Xuanji held up a trembling hand. "No. No disciples cooking. Not after the last time Ruolan tried."
Ruolan hung his head. "It was just one small fire…"
"It was HALF A HUT, RUOLAN."
A soft sigh drifted over the courtyard as Ling Xueyin stepped out of her hut. "Sect Master, would you like me to prepare the morning meal?"
Lin Xuanji hesitated. "Grand Elder… can you cook?"
Ling Xueyin clasped her hands behind her back. "I have… experience."
Ruolan whispered to Feng Xiao, "That means she's a better cook than both of us combined."
Feng Xiao nodded gravely.
Lin Xuanji rubbed his chin. "Alright. Grand Elder will cook."
(Host is making an optimal decision.)
"Did I ask for commentary?"
The System did not respond, which somehow irritated him more.
Ling Xueyin walked toward the small open-air kitchen the mountain had created, and within minutes, a savory aroma drifted across the peak.
Lin Xuanji sat down with Ruolan and Feng Xiao, still bleary-eyed from the dream. He stared at the ground, thinking about the cracking darkness, the voice saying "not yet," and that half-formed face.
He shook his head roughly. Not now.
"Sect Master?" Ruolan asked quietly. "Is something on your mind?"
"No," Lin Xuanji said quickly. "No problems here. Absolutely none. Zero problems."
(Host is lying.)
"System, shut it!"
Feng Xiao giggled. "Sect Master… do you always talk to yourself this much?"
"Yes," Lin Xuanji replied instantly. "It's how I stay sane."
Ruolan tilted his head. "…But doesn't that make you less sane?"
Lin Xuanji opened his mouth, then closed it. "…Don't use logic on me, Ruolan."
Ling Xueyin returned with three bowls of steaming porridge. "Eat."
Lin Xuanji took a bite—
And froze.
Ruolan gasped. "Sect Master?!"
Feng Xiao panicked. "Is it bad?!"
Lin Xuanji stared at the porridge with wide eyes. "This… this is actually GOOD!"
Ruolan and Feng Xiao released identical sighs of relief.
Ling Xueyin raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect otherwise?"
"Yes," Lin Xuanji admitted. "I expected something cryptic and dangerous, like your personality."
Feng Xiao choked on her porridge.
Ruolan stared at the ground, trying not to laugh.
Ling Xueyin pretended she didn't hear him—but her fingers twitched in amusement.
They ate peacefully for a moment.
The mountain breeze was gentle.
The huts looked warm and lived-in.
For a second, Lin Xuanji thought:
Maybe… this whole sect thing won't be so hard.
Then the System chimed.
(Host.)
"Oh no. No. No, no, no. I recognize that tone."
(A new mission has appeared.)
"I JUST STARTED DIGESTING."
(Mission: Travel to Maple Town and purchase cultivation supplies. Reward: Sect Points, random lottery ticket.)
Lin Xuanji froze mid-chew.
Ruolan and Feng Xiao looked at him, confused.
Ling Xueyin calmly finished her porridge.
Lin Xuanji set down his bowl. "…We're leaving again."
Ruolan blinked. "Eh?"
Feng Xiao frowned. "Already? We just unpacked!"
Lin Xuanji groaned deeply. "The System hates my comfort."
(Incorrect. Host's comfort is irrelevant to mission progression.)
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN."
Ling Xueyin stood gracefully. "We should go. Supplies are necessary."
Feng Xiao nodded.
Ruolan nodded.
Lin Xuanji sighed into his hands.
"Heaven help me… I'm the only normal one here."
Ruolan whispered, "Actually, Sect Master—"
"DON'T SAY ANYTHING, RUOLAN."
The Heavenly Peak Sect began packing again.
And the mountain hummed quietly.
Almost like it was laughing.