Li Wei stood in the courtyard, staring at the strange group of disciples in front of him. There were five of them—each looking at him expectantly, as if he had some grand plan for their future.
He scratched his head nervously. "So... training, right? I've never really been good at, uh, anything... but sure, let's do this."
The disciples exchanged confused glances. One of them, a young woman with a sharp gaze, stepped forward. "Master, we are ready to follow your guidance. How shall we begin?"
Li Wei blinked. "What, you want me to lead a training session? I thought I was just here to look cool and tell you guys to work harder."
The young woman's eyes widened. "But... Master, you are the Sectmaster. Your strength and leadership are key to our progress. Please, teach us!"
"Uh..." Li Wei cleared his throat. "Well, how about... we all do some stretches first? Flexibility is important, right?" He gestured awkwardly as if that was the most sensible thing he could think of.
The disciples stared at him, unsure whether he was joking or serious. The woman who had spoken earlier quickly nodded. "Yes, Master. Stretches first. A good warm-up is essential for martial arts training."
Li Wei sighed in relief, happy to have avoided any immediate danger of them realizing he had no idea what he was doing. "Alright, everyone follow me!" he ordered with confidence, lifting his arms dramatically. "Stretching time!"
The disciples, though hesitant, followed along. Li Wei bent down to touch his toes, wincing slightly at the tightness in his back. I really should've done yoga in my past life… he thought, trying to maintain the facade of authority.
"How's this looking?" he asked, glancing back at the disciples.
The young woman from earlier was performing perfect stretches, bending effortlessly. Another disciple—a lanky boy—was struggling, his legs trembling as he reached for his toes, clearly struggling with his flexibility.
"Uh... you're doing great, buddy!" Li Wei cheered, though he had no idea what he was doing. "Keep going, the flexibility will make you stronger!"
After a few more awkward stretches, Li Wei wiped his forehead, trying to keep up the confident act. Okay, maybe I should get serious. I can't let them think I'm completely useless...
"Alright, next... we need to practice... um... attacking!" Li Wei announced, hoping the disciples didn't notice his lack of experience. "Yeah, that's right. Attacks!"
"Master, do you mean martial arts techniques?" the sharp-eyed woman asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh... yeah! Exactly!" Li Wei smiled, though his mind was racing for an idea. "Let's practice... uh... the basic punch. You know, the one where you... punch. Really hard. Like this!" He threw a wild punch in the air, nearly tripping over his own feet.
The disciples stared in stunned silence.
"Master..." the lanky boy said hesitantly. "Is that really the correct technique?"
Li Wei froze. "What? Of course it is! I mean, it's all about... passion! You can feel the punch with your soul, you know? It's not just about form, it's about intensity."
The disciples exchanged dubious looks, but none of them dared to question their new Sectmaster.
"Right, let's do it!" Li Wei said, feeling the pressure mounting. "Everyone, punch the air like you mean it! Put your soul into it!"
And so, the disciples began punching. Some punches were strong, others were weak, and one or two were completely off-target, nearly hitting one of the other disciples. Li Wei, for his part, kept punching the air with as much gusto as he could muster, hoping no one would notice that he had no idea what he was doing.
"Good! That's the spirit!" he shouted, trying to hide his nervousness. "Now, let's all focus on our next... uh, task. Which is... I don't know, something else!"
The sharp-eyed woman stepped forward again, bowing respectfully. "Master, would you like us to spar? We have all been waiting for you to show us your strength."
"Spar?" Li Wei's eyes widened. "Spar? As in... fight? No, no! I'm not ready to fight anyone! I'm just getting warmed up!" He laughed nervously.
"But Master," the woman insisted. "You are the Sectmaster. We have been waiting for your guidance, and we want to grow stronger under your leadership."
Li Wei gulped. "Okay, okay, fine! I'll show you how it's done!"
Taking a deep breath, he squared up and looked at the disciple closest to him. "Alright, you're my opponent. Come at me, bro!"
The disciple blinked in confusion but shrugged and took a fighting stance.
Li Wei took a deep breath and... tripped on his own feet, falling flat on his face with a loud thud.
"Ugh..." He groaned, his face buried in the dirt. The disciples were staring at him, wide-eyed.
"Master... are you okay?" the sharp-eyed woman asked, her voice filled with concern.
Li Wei pushed himself up, wiping dirt from his face with a sheepish grin. "Uh, of course! Just... testing the ground, you know? It's pretty sturdy, gotta make sure it's safe for combat!"
The disciples stared at him in disbelief, but they stayed silent.
"Alright," Li Wei sighed, brushing himself off. "This isn't working. Let's call it a day for training. You guys do your thing, I'm going to... meditate."
As the disciples left to continue their training, Li Wei slumped against the wall of the courtyard, his head spinning. This is harder than I thought. Maybe I should've paid more attention to martial arts videos in my past life. But hey, they didn't know I had no idea what I was doing. Maybe I'll just wing it from here on out...
"Task Update: Cultivate your body and the strength of your disciples to progress in the Sectmaster rankings!" the system chimed in, as if mocking him.
Li Wei groaned. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder. I get it, I need to work harder. But could you give me a little more guidance here?"
He looked out at the disciples, who were practicing their punches and stretches, and realized something. Maybe I can't be a perfect Sectmaster right away... but I'll make it work. I have to. After all, this is the only life I have now.
And so, with his awkwardness, his lack of knowledge, and his determination to keep pushing forward, Li Wei's journey as Sectmaster continued.