Chapter 1: The Cosmic Fool's Beginnings
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The World of Tianluan
The Tianluan Continent was a land of infinite possibilities and crushing realities. A world where mighty cultivators could split mountains with a flick of their fingers, where mythical beasts roamed freely, and where sects vied for power like wolves over a fresh kill. At its core, cultivation was the driving force—a path of enlightenment, strength, and immortality.
Yet, as glorious as it sounded, the harsh truth was that not everyone could become a cultivator. For every prodigy who ascended to the heavens, a thousand hopefuls fell short, relegated to lives of mediocrity or servitude.
Among the sects that populated this vast land, some stood as towering giants: the Seven Star Alliance, the Azure Blade Pavilion, the Eternal Radiance Sect. These were the places where geniuses gathered, where the heavens smiled upon their disciples.
And then there was the Fallen Cloud Sect.
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Nestled in a remote mountain range perpetually shrouded in mist, the Fallen Cloud Sect was the kind of place people joined only when they had no other options. Once a force to be reckoned with, it had fallen into disgrace centuries ago after a string of disastrous decisions by its elders. Now, it was a sanctuary for rejects, misfits, and those who couldn't cut it elsewhere.
The sect's grounds reflected its decline: crooked pavilions, overgrown courtyards, and a spiritual energy field so weak that even weeds struggled to grow. Its disciples were no better—most were either hopelessly talentless or too lazy to care.
And this was where Xu Tian found himself, a skinny youth with no prospects and even less ambition.
Xu Tian didn't come to the Fallen Cloud Sect because he dreamed of glory. No, his reasons were far simpler: he had nowhere else to go. Orphaned at a young age, he had scraped by in the slums of a nearby city, surviving on his wits and a generous helping of luck. When word reached him that the Fallen Cloud Sect was recruiting, he decided to take a chance.
To his mild surprise, they accepted him.
"I guess they'll take anyone," he muttered to himself as he stood before the sect's crumbling entrance, the words Fallen Cloud Sect carved into the stone archway in faded script.
The sect elders didn't bother with any grand ceremony for newcomers. Xu Tian was handed a set of plain robes, a manual titled Basic Cultivation Techniques, and pointed toward the dormitory.
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Life in the Sect
Xu Tian's first week in the sect was an exercise in disappointment. The manual he received might as well have been written in gibberish, and his attempts to meditate were met with spectacular failure. While other disciples managed to summon faint traces of spiritual energy, Xu Tian got nothing but a headache.
"This sucks," he grumbled, sitting cross-legged in his shared dormitory. Around him, a dozen other disciples were engrossed in their own struggles, though none looked particularly successful.
"Why does everyone make this look so easy?!" he muttered, tossing the manual aside.
When he wasn't failing at cultivation, Xu Tian explored the sect grounds. One particularly uneventful afternoon, he wandered into an old courtyard that seemed even more neglected than the rest of the sect. In its center stood a stone about the size of a man, its surface covered in cracks and moss.
"What's this?" he wondered aloud, brushing some of the moss away.
A faint inscription revealed itself: Spirit Convergence Stone.
The name rang a bell. Somewhere in his scattered readings, Xu Tian recalled that such stones were meant to aid cultivation by amplifying spiritual energy.
"Yeah, right," he scoffed, slapping the stone with his hand. "Like anything here actually works—"
Before he could finish the thought, the stone flared to life. A brilliant light erupted from its surface, illuminating the entire courtyard. Xu Tian stumbled back, shielding his eyes.
"What the hell?!"
Around him, other disciples who had been loitering nearby stopped in their tracks, staring at the scene in stunned silence.
"What did you do?" one of them whispered.
Xu Tian, still squinting against the light, managed to croak, "I don't know! I just touched it!"
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The System
As the light from the stone reached its peak, a voice echoed in Xu Tian's mind. It was cold, mechanical, and entirely devoid of emotion:
[System Activated. Binding Host: Xu Tian. Welcome, Cosmic Fool Candidate.]
"What the—?!" Xu Tian clutched his head, panic rising in his chest.
[Initializing System. Scanning Host's Potential: Below Average. Personality Assessment: Cynical. Conclusion: Perfect Match.]
Xu Tian's eye twitched. "Hey! Who the hell are you calling below average?!"
The voice ignored him, continuing in its monotonous tone:
[Congratulations, Host. You have been selected to embark on the path of the Cosmic Fool. Your journey will be one of unparalleled absurdity, requiring wit, perseverance, and a willingness to endure humiliation.]
"What does that even mean?!" Xu Tian shouted, drawing confused looks from the disciples around him.
[First Task Assigned: Prank an Elder by replacing their spiritual tea with fermented donkey urine. Deadline: Three Days. Failure to complete the task will result in immediate expulsion from the sect.]
Xu Tian froze. "You've got to be kidding me."
[System does not kid.]
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Chapter End
And so, Xu Tian's journey as the Cosmic Fool began, not with a grand revelation or a heroic vow, but with a deeply humiliating task and a profound sense of dread.
To Be Continued...