Chapter 1

The Great Flame Dynasty.

North Province.

Shangqing Sect.

The blazing sun hung high in the sky, its bright rays shining through the open window of the wooden house, gradually raising the temperature inside the finely crafted room.

Noon.

Jiping Sheng opened his eyes, and another day of poverty began.

The exquisite wooden house, the hard stone bed, the vintage clothing—there was not a trace of modernity to be found.

Jiping Sheng rubbed his sore back and slowly got up.

No matter how many years he slept on this hard bed, he never got used to it.

Jiping Sheng got up and turned to look at the bronze mirror on the table. The mirror reflected a slightly youthful, clear-featured face.

Seeing this handsome face, Jiping Sheng smiled.

Indeed, being handsome gives a sense of immersion.

He had been in this world for five years, from the initial excitement to the current state of destitution. There was nothing much to say; just living was enough.

The name of this world was the Mystic Divine Realm, where cultivators were the leaders and the strong were revered.

The empire and sects governed the land together, while holy sites and temples divided the world.

His identity was that of the sect leader of the Shangqing Sect in the North Province of the Great Flame Dynasty, a very small sect that was not even invited to meetings.

Although he was the sect leader, he did not establish the sect; it was his master who did.

Two years ago, after the old sect leader, his master, passed away, the Shangqing Sect naturally fell to him.

The Shangqing Sect was not a major sect and had no world-class geniuses.

The entire sect covered 1,200 acres, with only four disciples and a black dog, all of whom were picked up by the old sect leader.

Apart from living beings, the sect's funds were less than 100 spirit stones, and the only valuable thing was the storage ring on his finger.

These were all the assets left to him by the old sect leader.

Jiping Sheng got up, looked in the mirror, and began his daily routine.

Paying respects to his master.

Paying respects to his deceased master.

Jiping Sheng left his room and walked to the side hall.

On the wall of the main hall in the side room hung a scroll painting, depicting an elderly man with a long beard and wrinkles, who had already passed away.

"Master, in heaven, receive your disciple's respects."

Jiping Sheng stood solemnly before his master's portrait, bowed deeply, and performed the three bows.

After the bows, he lit three incense sticks and placed them on the altar in front of the portrait.

"Master, you've been gone for two years, and the Shangqing Sect is still barely alive. Should I just dissolve it? The world is so vast, I really want to see it."

"If you disagree, blink."

Jiping Sheng murmured to his master's portrait, his bright black eyes fixed on the image.

After a few seconds, the portrait did not blink, and Jiping Sheng was overjoyed. He bowed again: "Thank you, Master."

He had been in this world for three years and had hardly left the small sect, which was truly sad.

"Don't worry, Master, I'll take your portrait with me."

Jiping Sheng left the side hall very satisfied.

Before dissolving the sect, he still had to continue his daily work.

The second thing he did every day was to patrol the sect.

Patrolling the entire sect to keep everything under his control.

"The eldest disciple should be on the back mountain, right?"

Jiping Sheng thought, and he left his small house, heading towards the back mountain.

Though small, the Shangqing Sect was a place of abundant spiritual energy, a blessed land that the old sect leader had spent decades building.

There were 108 outer disciples' quarters, 72 inner disciples' quarters, 36 core disciples' quarters, and 12 elders' quarters, arranged in a ring from the outside to the inside, with his sect leader's house in the center.

Unfortunately, the expensive buildings the old sect leader had built housed only four disciples...

In addition to the buildings, there was a bronze hall used for meetings of the sect's elders and core disciples.

Unfortunately, the bronze hall had never been used in over thirty years...

Besides that, there were a training ground, a weapons field, a cultivation room with a spirit array, a pill room for alchemy, a large arena for sect competitions, and spirit fields for growing medicinal herbs.

One could say that the Shangqing Sect had everything—except people.

The training ground was empty, the cultivation room was empty, the pill room was empty, and the large arena was smooth and spotless.

The spirit fields...

Oh, the spirit fields were not empty; they were tended to.

Thinking about this, Jiping Sheng wanted to laugh.

When others transmigrated, they either had their whole family ascend or started with a green hat.

And him?

He inherited 1,200 acres of property at the start!

Was there anything more comfortable than that?

Even if his talent was poor, he could still live a happy life by selling the Shangqing Sect.

The Shangqing Sect was cold and lonely. On his way, Jiping Sheng saw neither people nor animals or insects.

The ground was flat, with no footprints, only weeds and withered flowers.

It was clear that no one had cleaned for a long time.

He laughed, but then he couldn't laugh anymore.

Could anyone buy this place?

Jiping Sheng strolled through half the sect, heading to the back mountain.

After a while, he passed through all the buildings and walked through a small, withered forest, and a vast mountain range appeared before him.

This was the back mountain of the Shangqing Sect, a small mountain range stretching for several kilometers, with the highest peak only a few hundred meters tall.

"Is Jing Muxi practicing swordsmanship in such a place?"

Jiping Sheng looked at the vast, desolate mountain range and wondered.

Could this place be more comfortable than a cultivation room or a training ground?

Jing Muxi was the eldest disciple of the Shangqing Sect, picked up by the old sect leader, his master, about four years ago.

This memory was very clear in his mind.

It was a bitterly cold winter, with a thousand miles of ice and ten thousand miles of snow.

The old sect leader brought back a fifteen-year-old, taciturn boy to the Shangqing Sect. The boy was wearing thin clothes, his skin red and stiff from the cold.

Even though he was frozen stiff, the boy's hand tightly gripped a blood-stained knife.

Four years later, Jing Muxi no longer used a knife but a sword.

Jiping Sheng shook his head, bringing his thoughts back.

Just as he was about to step into the back mountain, he casually looked up, squinted his eyes, and had a thoughtful expression.

High up, he saw a figure sitting cross-legged on a large rock at the peak of the highest mountain in the back mountain.

The figure was very thin, but in such a high place, close to the sun, under the blinding sunlight, it appeared very tall, like a giant as immovable as a mountain.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Jiping Sheng looked up at the figure and suddenly understood.

The height, the location, the high vantage point—this was pure showboating.

No wonder he practiced swordsmanship on the back mountain every day.

It was all for show!

Jiping Sheng sighed inwardly.

Unfortunately, there was no one in the sect to appreciate it. Otherwise, he would have succeeded in his act.

No matter how impressive the show, it was all for nothing if no one saw it.

Jiping Sheng收回目光，走上后山。

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Jiping Sheng收回目光，走上后山。

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Jiping Sheng收回目光，走上后山。