The inner sect of Skyward Leaf was supposed to be a place of elite talent, ruthless ambition, and high-level cultivation.
It was also, Jin Ye discovered, absolutely infested with nonsense.
Within five minutes of arriving, he had already been challenged, complimented, insulted, and invited to three different secret factions—one of which exclusively worshipped a turtle statue that "occasionally blinked."
"Inner sect rule number one," Mu Shun whispered, nervously clutching Jin Ye's sleeve as they walked through the marble-paved garden path. "Everyone here wants something. If they're smiling, it's because they're planning your death."
"Good," Jin Ye said, sipping tea. "I missed the drama."
---
They passed disciples cultivating under waterfalls, balancing on bamboo poles, or screaming while punching boulders.
Jin Ye pointed. "Is that guy crying while doing push-ups?"
"Uh, yes. That's Wang Chao. He's cultivating the Path of Righteous Suffering."
"…That sounds made up."
"No! He believes pain purifies the soul."
"Right. And I believe tea cures existential dread. Who's crazier?"
Mu Shun had no response.
---
As part of his "welcome," Jin Ye was summoned to the Inner Sect Council Pavilion, a pretentious name for what was essentially a glorified gazebo guarded by two shirtless Foundation Establishment disciples with matching smug faces.
"Name?" one asked.
"Jin Ye."
The guard squinted. "You're the outer sect freak?"
"Inner sect freak now," Jin Ye corrected. "Keep up."
---
Inside, a circle of smugness awaited.
Five inner sect prodigies sat like they were auditioning to be final bosses, each dressed in pristine robes, spiritual auras shimmering around them. At the center was Senior Disciple Yun Han, the unofficial "prince" of the inner sect — handsome, cold, and tragically stupid.
"Jin Ye," Yun Han said with a smooth voice trained in passive-aggression. "We've heard much about you."
"Cool," Jin Ye said, sitting down uninvited. "I've heard nothing about you."
Yun Han's eyebrow twitched.
One of the other disciples — a sneering guy with thin lips and a forehead that doubled as a Qi reflector — leaned forward. "You're quite casual for someone new."
"I'm casual because I'm better than all of you," Jin Ye replied, pouring tea from their own pot.
A sharp silence followed.
Mu Shun turned pale. One of the guards outside gasped.
Jin Ye sipped.
---
Yun Han smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I see. Very confident. Tell me—what's your cultivation now?"
"Sixth Stage, Qi Condensation."
"You must be joking," another disciple muttered. "It's only been four days."
"Five," Jin Ye corrected. "I took a break yesterday to invent a noodle-based dual cultivation method. Didn't pan out."
Mu Shun started choking.
Yun Han leaned back. "Well, we welcome your... enthusiasm. However, be warned: the inner sect has standards. Discipline. Hierarchy."
Jin Ye stood. "I'll keep that in mind."
He left, but not before casually swiping their best teacup on the way out.
---
Back at His New Residence…
Inner sect disciples got fancy courtyards with spiritual plants, meditation platforms, and, most importantly, private kitchens.
Jin Ye tossed his robes on the floor, flopped on a jade bed, and immediately fell asleep.
His aura flared.
Passive Qi Absorption activated.
Wind blew.
Clouds above began to spiral.
Birds migrated away in terror.
Mu Shun stood outside the room, watching the sky warp. "He's... he's cultivating in his sleep again..."
---
Meanwhile, in the council pavilion, Yun Han crushed his teacup. "He humiliated us."
"He took your cup too," someone added helpfully.
Yun Han snapped. "That's it. We'll crush him in the Mid-Year Inner Sect Duel."
"But that's in five days…"
"Plenty of time to prepare."
The other disciples nodded. They were already imagining Jin Ye coughing up blood after a dramatic monologue about underestimating his enemies.
They were wrong.
---
The Next Day
Sect announcements were carved into stone tablets in the main courtyard.
The latest one read:
"MID-YEAR INNER SECT DUEL – 5 DAYS. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE CHOSEN RANDOMLY."
Note: Jin Ye is required to participate.
Mu Shun paled. "They're targeting you!"
"Obviously," Jin Ye said, tossing spiritual herbs into a wok.
"You should prepare! Train! Cultivate harder!"
"I am preparing."
Mu Shun stared at the wok. "By stir-frying lotus roots?"
"Yes. I'm enhancing my taste buds to attune to the Dao of Flavor. It sharpens my intuition."
"That's not how any of this works!"
"Not for you, maybe."
---
Meanwhile, Elder Qiu watched from a distance, eyes narrow.
"He's mocking the sect."
"He's an embarrassment," muttered another elder.
"No," Qiu said, smile spreading. "He's the perfect tool. Let him rise. Let him get cocky. Then, during the duel... we crush him. Publicly. Brutally."
The elders chuckled.
The Heavens wept.
---
Five Days Later – The Arena
Thousands of disciples gathered in a giant, bowl-shaped valley ringed with stone seats. The Sect Leader sat atop a floating platform, surrounded by elders and high-ranked disciples.
Below, the names were displayed on glowing jade panels.
First Match: Jin Ye vs. Yun Han
Mu Shun dropped his snack.
"Oh no."
---
Yun Han entered the arena first, robes fluttering dramatically, wind somehow always catching his sleeves just right.
He summoned a silver spear with swirling flame patterns. The crowd roared.
"He's so cool!" someone yelled.
"He's one of the Three Rising Stars!"
Then Jin Ye entered.
Wearing sandals.
Holding a folding chair.
"...Is he serious?"
"Where's his weapon?"
"Is that chair... spiritual?"
Yun Han pointed his spear. "Any last words, peasant?"
Jin Ye unfolded the chair and sat down. "Yeah. Hurry up."
---
Yun Han snarled and launched forward. His spear glowed, fire spiraling along the shaft.
"Flame Piercing Sky Dance!"
A brilliant arc of fire surged forward, splitting the ground—
And missed.
Because Jin Ye had leaned left. Slightly.
The entire attack carved through air and exploded into the cliff wall behind him.
Dust. Screams. Flames.
Jin Ye stood up slowly, brushing dust off his sleeve.
"My turn."
---
He moved.
There was no flash. No roar. No spiritual symbols.
Just a blur of lazy, effortless motion.
He jabbed forward with one finger.
THWACK.
The sound echoed like a thunderclap.
Yun Han was launched backward, tumbling across the arena like a broken kite.
Silence.
Then:
JIN YE WINS.
---
The Sect Leader stared.
Elder Qiu stared harder.
Elder Ping stood up and screamed, "IMPOSSIBLE!"
From the Heavens, a divine administrator reviewed Jin Ye's soul record again.
[Status: Cultivation Path – Glitched. Unable to classify.]
[Fate Thread: Still Unreadable. Alert: Minor reality distortion occurring.]
The administrator sighed. "Not this guy again."
---
Back on the arena floor, Jin Ye picked up his folding chair.
"Anyone else?"
No one spoke.
Jin Ye shrugged, yawned, and walked offstage to go find tea.
---