Leng Yue walked into the Inner Sect Meeting Hall with her usual poise, her white hair cascading gracefully down her back and her frosty blue eyes scanning the room with an air of calm indifference.
The Supreme Elder, Bai Zhen, and the Matriarch, Li Xue, were already present, their expressions unreadable. A few elders, curious to see Leng Yue's reaction, stood off to the side, whispering among themselves.
As Leng Yue approached, the whispers grew louder.
"She'll definitely refuse," one elder muttered. "She knows what a burden Li Wei is."
"Perhaps, but remember, Li Wei took her in from a ruined clan," another elder countered. "She might feel indebted."
The room buzzed with speculation until someone brought up the point that immediately caused a wave of dread among the elders.
"Leng Yue is known for her righteousness and upright character," an elder whispered, her voice tinged with worry. "If she feels she owes him, she might actually accept."
Leng Yue, aware of the murmurs, paid them no mind. Her focus was entirely on the Matriarch and the Supreme Elder, who seemed equally uninterested in the whispers. Li Xue, without mincing words, addressed Leng Yue directly.
"Leng Yue," she began, her voice calm yet filled with the weight of her position. "I have called you here because we have decided to send Li Wei away with a protector for his own safety. I am asking you to be that protector—not as your master, but as a worried mother."
Leng Yue bowed deeply to the Matriarch. "Matriarch, I will do it," she said, her voice steady and clear. "I owe everything to the sect. You took me in and taught me cultivation when I had nothing. And if it were not for meeting Young Master Li Wei, I would be long dead. My life belongs to the sect."
She then kowtowed, her forehead touching the cold, polished floor, her words resonating through the hall.
"I am grateful for all that the sect has done for me. I will protect Li Wei with my life."
Her statement caused a wave of admiration to sweep through the room. Even those who had doubted her were struck by her sincerity and dedication. Yet, among the admiration, there was a lingering sense of resentment and frustration.
"Her kindness is wasted on the likes of Li Wei," one elder muttered under her breath. "Truly the heavens are unfair. How else could they allow him to continue hurting the foundation of our sect for so long?"
Another elder nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Such a righteous disciple deserves better than to be burdened with someone like him."
Despite these mutterings, Leng Yue remained steadfast, her resolve unshaken. She had made her decision, and nothing would deter her from her duty.
Li Xue's eyes softened as she looked at her disciple. "Thank you, Leng Yue. Your loyalty and dedication are commendable. Come, we will make the necessary arrangements for your departure."
Meanwhile…
Unaware of the meeting taking place in the main hall, Li Wei was still seriously searching his room for any cultivation material to help him get started. He knew from the old Li Wei's memories that he didn't know any cultivation techniques.
The old Li Wei had reached his current cultivation rank naturally, thanks to his immense talent and growing up in the Matriarch's residence, which was rich in spiritual energy. His meals and concoctions naturally increased his cultivation. Despite the sect not having any techniques suited for men long-term, the Matriarch had sought to hire the best teachers from the Celestial Realm. But the old Li Wei had shown no interest.
As Li Wei rummaged through drawer after drawer, he cursed the old Li Wei's laziness and lack of ambition. "Seriously, not a single piece of useful cultivation knowledge in this entire room?" he muttered, shaking his head in frustration.
At that moment, his servant, Xiao Lan, came running back into the room. She had already made several trips at Li Wei's request to burn and get rid of much of the useless junk that the old Li Wei had accumulated.
"Is there anything else you need, Young Master?" she asked, bowing her head slightly.
Li Wei sighed and looked back at the drawer he had been searching. The only thing left was a strange jade amulet. He picked it up, examining it closely. Before he could try to remember if it was valuable, Xiao Lan spoke up.
"Is Young Master looking at that jade amulet again? Xiao Lan still thinks five high-grade spirit stones was too high. That old man in Crescent Moon City must have scammed Young Master—truly shameless."
Li Wei nearly collapsed in shock. 'Five high-grade spirit stones? For this?' he inwardly exclaimed, holding up the plain-looking piece of jade.
He knew from the old Li Wei's memories just how valuable high-grade spirit stones were. 'No wonder so many people wanted him dead.'
Li Wei looked at the amulet again, not seeing anything particularly special about it. Suddenly, it began glowing with a blinding golden hue.
Before he could react, it turned into a dot of light and flew directly into his forehead, disappearing without a trace.
Xiao Lan gasped, rushing to his side. "Young Master! Are you alright?"
Li Wei, still reeling from the strange occurrence, checked himself over. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit... surprised."
As he spoke, a prompt appeared in his field of view, as if he were in a video game.
Welcome to the Young Master System
Li Wei blinked, trying to process what he was seeing. 'Great, just what I needed. A system. Because life wasn't complicated enough already,' he thought, surprised but familiar with the system trope.
Xiao Lan looked at him with concern. "Young Master?"
Li Wei shook his head, forcing a smile. "I'm fine, Xiao Lan. Really. You can go now."
She bowed again and quickly left the room, leaving Li Wei alone with his thoughts and the new system interface floating before him.
"Well, let's see what this thing is about. Who knows, it could be one of those overpowered systems."
Li Wei stared at the semi-transparent screen hovering in front of him, his curiosity piqued by the sudden appearance of the Young Master System. The welcome message quickly disappeared, replaced by a detailed status screen.
Status Screen
Name: Li Wei
Cultivation Rank: Core Formation
Spiritual Roots: Dual Element Root (Ice and Fire)
Meridian Status: Harmonious Meridians
Elemental Affinity:
Ice: Strong Fire: Moderate
Soul Depth: Deep Soul
Combat Aptitude: Combat Adept
Experience Points (EXP): 0
System Coins: 0
Skill Points: 0
Reputation Points: 0
Attributes:
Health: 100/100 Spiritual Energy: 100/100 Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Endurance: 10
Skills:
Ice Techniques: Basic Ice Manipulation Fire Techniques: Basic Fire Control Combat Techniques: Basic Swordsmanship
Li Wei couldn't help but feel a bit smug as he looked over his stats. "Not bad, considering how lazy old Li Wei was. This isn't a bad starting point at all," he thought. "I mean, dual element roots? Harmonious meridians? And a deep soul? How did this guy manage to coast through life without lifting a finger?"
As he continued to examine the screen, he couldn't help but wonder if there might be a welcome gift coming his way.
"Systems usually have those, right?" he mused. "A nice little boost to get things started."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the prompt changed again. This time, a new screen appeared, detailing his first quest.
Main Quest: Prove Your Worth as a Young Master
Objective: Assert dominance and have an opponent kowtow to you. Bonus rewards available if you can make them cry or call you Grandfather.
Rewards:
500 EXP 100 System Coins 1 Skill Point
Li Wei narrowed his eyes at the screen. "Just what kind of system is this?"