I sat on the half-broken steps of the main hall, watching fifty so-called "Pioneer Disciples" run around with brooms, sticks, and their bare hands.
A glorious sect master… reduced to supervising janitors.
The boy who had declared himself the "fastest worker" earlier was still sweeping furiously, dust clouds rising everywhere. He coughed, eyes watering, but kept yelling: "I'll be the first to clear my section! Just watch!"
Across from him, a quiet girl carefully sorted rubble into neat piles, humming softly. Her corner of the courtyard actually looked respectable compared to the others.
Meanwhile, three others were having a loud argument near the collapsed pavilion.
That pile was mine!"
"No, you dumped dirt on my pile!"
"Stop stealing my contribution points!"
I groaned. "You're not even cultivating yet, and you're already fighting over resources. How… predictable."
[ System Tip — Early player personalities shaping. Potential disciple rankings may be influenced. ]
I leaned back, letting them squabble. "So the system judges them as well… Hah. I wonder who will make me regret this more: them, or myself."
Not far away, a lanky youth had discovered a clever trick. Instead of sweeping, he used a long plank as a lever to roll an entire slab of broken stone out of the courtyard. He wiped his forehead and muttered, "Work smart, not hard."
Another player noticed and shouted, "Hey! That's cheating!"
"Cheating?" I chuckled darkly. "No… that's initiative. If you can't even bend the rules of manual labor, how will you survive real cultivation?"
[ System Note — Innovation Detected. Contribution Points +1. ]
The youth froze, then broke into a grin. The others noticed too, their complaints turning into excited whispers.
"Wait… so tricks work?"
"Contribution points? Sect Master is rewarding him?"
"I need to think of something clever too!"
Within minutes, chaos spread. One group tied their brooms together into a giant sweeping tool. Another formed a line, tossing debris from one to another like a human chain. A particularly reckless player tried using fire to burn away leaves—until the flames licked dangerously close to the wooden beams.
"HEY!" I snapped, glaring. "Do you want to rebuild my sect just to burn it down again?"
The firebug laughed nervously. "S-sorry, Sect Master!"
[ System Warning — Reckless behavior detected. Contribution Points -1. ]
The poor fool wilted instantly. The others laughed, and I allowed myself a small smirk.
They worked, they argued, they improvised. And slowly, the ruins began to look… less ruined.
The broken tiles near the main path gleamed faintly where someone had scrubbed. The weeds choking the training field were being yanked up in clumps. Even the cracked stone statues looked less pitiful after someone washed the dust off with a bucket of water.
I rubbed my chin. "Hmph. Not bad. Loud, foolish, uncoordinated… but not bad."
[ System Comment — Pioneer Cleaning Quest: 62% Complete. ]
A boy wiped sweat from his forehead and looked up at me with hopeful eyes. "Sect Master… when do we get to cultivate? When do we learn real techniques?"
The entire courtyard hushed. Fifty pairs of eyes suddenly burned into me, full of hunger and expectation.
I smirked, leaning forward. "Cultivation, you say? You dare to dream of soaring into the heavens while you can't even keep my courtyard tidy? Prove your discipline here, and then we'll talk about spirit qi."
Groans echoed. Some complained under their breath. Others clenched their fists and nodded seriously.
[ System Tip — Sect Master Xie Mo has set Condition: Discipline Test. Cultivation Tutorials locked until cleaning quest is 100% complete. ]
I chuckled. Their frustration was delicious. Already, I could see personalities emerging: the diligent worker, the lazy complainer, the opportunistic schemer, the reckless fool.
And all of them… mine to shape.
I stretched out, letting the sunlight fall across the once-silent courtyard now buzzing with activity. For years, this place had been nothing but dust and memory. Now, laughter, bickering, and sweat filled the air.
Annoying? Absolutely. But also… strangely alive.
"Work harder," I said softly, just loud enough for them to hear. "Because only those who endure even the smallest trials… are worthy of true cultivation."
Their eyes lit with renewed determination. The cleaning continued, louder and more chaotic than ever.
[ System Note — Phase One Progression Accelerating. Player immersion deepening. ]
I smirked faintly. This was only the beginning.