Lingfu Mountain, Qingyun Peak.
"Master, your disciple is unfilial. Today, I must descend the mountain to inherit my family's legacy. I beg you to take care of yourself!"
A young man's low, despondent voice sounded from outside the door.
Inside, a middle-aged man in white robes wore a bitter expression, too disheartened to even step outside and take one last look at his disciple.
His name was Shen Anzai, and he had been in this world for some time now.
He had thought that what awaited him would be a domineering, legendary path of power. But instead...
He was born with a worthless body, blocked meridians, and by the time he transmigrated, the original host was already in his thirties—far too old for any chance at defying the heavens and changing his fate!
The original Peak Master of Qingyun Peak and all his disciples had perished in a great battle against the demonic sect over a decade ago, leaving only the original host as the sole survivor.
The sect leader of Lingfu Mountain, out of pity, made an exception and passed the position of Peak Master to the original host, despite him only having the cultivation level of Body Forging Stage's later phase.
Later, the only one who joined Qingyun Peak was the disciple outside, Murong Tian, who now claimed he was leaving to inherit his family's legacy.
The reason Murong Tian had joined Qingyun Peak in the first place was simply that he, like Shen Anzai, was a genuine good-for-nothing—a talentless waste.
Even after two years, he had only reached the middle phase of the Body Forging Stage.
And now, even this disciple was abandoning him, a lonely old man, to return home and inherit his family's legacy.
"Heavens, did you send me here just to suffer?"
"Other transmigrators become kings and rulers, splitting mountains and cracking the earth—and here I am, struggling to even pull weeds or hit birds with stones, stuck as the Peak Master of this tiny mountain, looked down upon by everyone!"
"Even if I can't become a king or a tyrant, couldn't you at least have arranged eight or ten fair-skinned, beautiful wives for me so I could live a comfortable life?"
"How I regret this! I don't want to live anymore—just strike me down with lightning!"
Shen Anzai beat his chest in frustration, filled with resentment.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning flashed across the clear sky outside the window, startling him so much he scrambled under the table. When he saw nothing else happening, he started cursing again—though this time, only in his mind.
Dammit! When I asked for wives, you ignored me, but when I asked for lightning, you delivered instantly!
Isn't this just bullying an honest man?!
"Master, your disciple is leaving. May you... take care of yourself!"
Just as Shen Anzai was wallowing in self-pity, the sound of thump thump thump echoed from outside—the sound of someone kowtowing. Then, footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
"Sigh..."
Shen Anzai sighed, feeling a sense of loss at his disciple's departure.
Although Murong Tian wasn't particularly talented, he had always respected his master deeply. Now that he was gone, there wouldn't even be anyone to serve tea or water.
[Detected that the host is about to sever ties with his disciple. Activating the Good Disciple Training System.]
Huh??
What in the world is the "Good Disciple Training System"?
Shen Anzai was stunned, then overjoyed.
As expected, Heaven had eyes! His golden finger as a transmigrator had finally arrived!
"How does this system work?" he asked eagerly in his mind. "Can it help me break through my cultivation level?"
[Sorry, but no. This system is designed to help the host train disciples. You can complete tasks and gain your disciple's admiration to receive item rewards.]
"Can the item rewards help me break through?"
[How cute of you, host. But still no.]
Shen Anzai's face darkened. If it couldn't help him break through, what was the point?
[Task issued: Persuade Murong Tian to stay. Reward for completion: Skill Card Pack x1, Skill Inheritance Card (includes beginner-level experience, can be used to inherit selected skills) x1, Draw机会 x1. Task failure will result in...]
"What happens if I fail? Will I be erased?" Shen Anzai tensed up.
[Wrong. Task failure will force the host to practice the Sunflower Manual.]
Whoosh...
A cold breeze seemed to blow through the room, and Shen Anzai felt a chill down below. Shuddering, he immediately bolted out the door.
His little radish was a man's symbol—losing it would mean losing his manhood!
Even if he couldn't break through his cultivation, those skill cards had to be useful somehow. He could always collect more powerful skill cards in the future and become a Card Master!
"Disciple, my good disciple—wait!"
Outside, Murong Tian, carrying large and small bags on his back, paused and turned around.
He saw his master rushing out, holding up the hem of his robe, his expression entirely different from his usual despondency.
"Master, what is it?"
"Disciple, are you really going to abandon your master and descend the mountain alone?" Shen Anzai took a deep breath, squinting and straining to squeeze out tears, pretending to be heartbroken.
"If you leave, what will your master do? How could you bear to leave me alone on this mountain to live out my days in solitude?"
Murong Tian lowered his head and said firmly, "Don't worry, Master. After I descend the mountain, I will have my family send ten maidservants here. I would never let you face loneliness alone."
Shen Anzai paused and instinctively asked, "Are the maidservants good-looking?"
"Naturally, they are beautiful as flowers, fair-skinned—"
As Murong Tian spoke, Shen Anzai felt a stir of excitement but quickly caught himself and coughed, cutting him off. He put on a deep, solemn expression.
"Ahem, your master doesn't want any maidservants. Your master only wants you to stay on the mountain."
Murong Tian raised an eyebrow, took a step back, and protectively covered his unbloomed flower, his expression turning strange.
He didn't want maidservants—he wanted him?
What kind of wild thought was that?!
"Master, I am grateful for your guidance these past two years. But my mind is made up. Please do not try to persuade me to stay."
Murong Tian still shook his head, his determination unwavering.
Shen Anzai frowned. "You must leave?"
"Yes."
"Won't you stay for your master's sake?"
"..."
Murong Tian glanced at the middle-aged man before him, whose temples were slightly frosted with white, and felt suspicious.
Why did his master seem like a completely different person today?
Usually, his master rarely went out and hardly spoke to him. He had simply tossed him some body-refining manuals to study on his own, paying him almost no attention.
Had the news of his departure been too much of a shock, making his master lose his mind?
"I joined Lingfu Mountain to cultivate. But in these two years, my cultivation level has..."
Murong Tian's gaze fell, sensing that he was still only in the middle phase of the Body Forging Stage.
"Cultivation takes time. Look at your master—almost forty and still only in the later phase of the Body Forging Stage."
Shen Anzai tried to persuade him patiently.
Yet his disciple only grew more despondent. "To be honest with you, Master, two years ago, my fiancée came to break off our engagement. In a moment of anger, I made a three-year vow with her."
"Now, two years have passed, and I haven't even reached the cultivation level she had back then."
Shen Anzai was stunned.
A three-year vow with his fiancée?
He had never bothered to learn much about his disciple during this time. He hadn't expected there to be such a story behind it!
But this three-year vow... why did it sound so familiar?
"Master, I know my talent is poor. There's no way I can defeat a heaven-chosen daughter like her. That three-year vow might as well be a joke."
Murong Tian spoke bitterly, his eyes filled with defeat.
In the heat of youth, he had made a bold vow for a three-year duel. Yet after two years, he was still only in the Body Forging Stage. Even if he went as promised a year from now, he would only be laughed at.
"What nonsense! My disciple is no worse than anyone else!"
A deep, resonant voice rang out. Murong Tian looked up in surprise.
Shen Anzai stood with his hands behind his back, the warm rising sun at his back, his eyes profound and distant.
"Who cares if she's some heaven-chosen daughter? My disciple, Shen Anzai's disciple, is not someone anyone can bully!"
"That three-year vow still has a year left. I can find a way to help you improve your cultivation. But if you give up now, you'll truly become nothing but a laughingstock!"
Shen Anzai's eyes burned with intensity as he spoke earnestly in a low voice.
"You must remember—thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully... the youth of today!"
The young man's dim eyes suddenly shone with brilliance upon hearing those words. His heart raced, and he felt his blood simmering with excitement.
Yes, there was still more than half a year left. How could he give up now?
Should he truly swallow the humiliation of having his engagement broken right in front of him?
"Do not bully the youth of today..."
Murong Tian clenched his fists, the defeat in his eyes completely replaced by renewed determination. He looked up and spoke.
"Master, I won't leave. Even if there's only a year left, I will do everything in my power to stay and cultivate at Qingyun Peak!"
[Task: Persuade Murong Tian to stay—completed. Rewards: Skill Card Pack x1, Skill Inheritance Card (includes beginner-level experience, can be used to inherit selected skills) x1, pickup Opportunity x1.]
Hearing the voice in his mind, Shen Anzai couldn't help but break into a smile.
He was here—he was here! His cheat had finally arrived!