It all started with a vision.
A gate stood before him—vast, ancient, etched with glowing runes that pulsed like the heartbeat of the world itself. A strange melody drifted through the air, so pure and haunting it made his chest tighten. He tried to hold onto the sound, but even now, awake, he could barely recall it. Only faint echoes remained, like a dream dissolving at dawn.
But he remembered the feeling.
Awe.
Reverence.
A strange urge to kneel, to bow before something far greater than himself.
And one name.
"Heavenly Sect."
The vision had lasted a heartbeat or a lifetime—he couldn't tell. Before he could even comprehend it, a force yanked him back into reality. Exhaustion slammed into him like a wave, leaving him drenched in sweat.
Before he could gather his thoughts, something flickered before his eyes—floating words, burning red against the air.
.....
INITIALIZING CONNECTION TO HOST...
HOST TOO WEAK TO BIND
FORCEFULLY BINDING TO HOST...
...
Pain lanced through his skull. Daniel barely had time to gasp before it swallowed him whole. His body convulsed, his mind reeled, and in the final moment before darkness claimed him, he collapsed onto the straw mat beside his bed.
The room fell silent again, save for his ragged breathing. The glowing words shifted, unnoticed:
.....
CONNECTION SUCCESSFUL
INITIATING SCAN
SCAN COMPLETE
.....
Hours later, Daniel stirred. His head throbbed. His memories came back in fragments—the vision, the runes, the words.
"What's happening to me?" he muttered hoarsely.
He looked through the broken window of his little hut, it was night time already. He tried getting up
And then the voice came.
....
YOU ARE NOW A HOST TO THE TRANSCENDENT SYSTEM.
ONE OF THE THREE SPIRIT FIRES CREATED BY THE LORD CREATOR HIMSELF.
...
Daniel froze. He didn't understand half of it, but he knew one thing—this wasn't normal.
He'd grown up on tales of wandering cultivators and immortal masters, stories told by drunk merchants around bonfires. Ordinary men becoming legends after stumbling upon divine relics buried under ancient ruins. He used to laugh at those stories. Now one of them was speaking inside his head.
He didn't even think of resisting. If something powerful enough to speak directly into his mind wanted him dead, he'd already be ashes.
He took a deep breath and whispered, "Umm… Lord Transcendent, are you there?"
.....
HOST MAY REFER TO ME AS SYSTEM.
I RESIDE WITHIN YOUR SOUL PALACE.
SPOKEN WORDS ARE UNNECESSARY.
....
Daniel blinked. "Through my thoughts?"
There was no answer, but somehow, he knew the system was waiting.
'Alright… System, what exactly can you do? And why me?'
He wasn't stupid. In this world, nothing came without a price.
....
MY PURPOSE FOR BINDING TO HOST IS TO SEEK ASSISTANCE IN REVIVING
THE HEAVENLY SECT.
YOUR CURRENT AUTHORIZATION LEVEL IS TOO LOW
UPGRADE AUTHORITY LEVEL FOR MORE INFORMATION
....
Before he could respond, a new set of words appeared:
...
[NEW MISSION UNLOCKED]
RANK 4 IMMORTAL SECT
MISSION: REBUILD THE HEAVENLY SECT TO RANK 4 WITHIN 40 YEARS
PENALTY: FAILURE WILL RESULT IN THE TERMINATION OF HOST'S SOUL.
MISSION RANK: A (World-level)
MISSION REWARD: FROST DEW CRYSTAL, BIYUN GOLDEN BELL, BIYUN MIRROR, +30 LP, +50,000 SP
TIME FRAME: 20 YEARS
....
Daniel's face turned pale.
"Forty years? I'll be dead before I even start!"
He sat there in silence for a long time, staring at the flickering text in front of him.
---
Morning came.
Daniel woke up with swollen red eyes. Who wouldn't look miserable after learning their soul was hanging by a thread?
How could he possibly revive something that once stood above all realms? He didn't even know what a Rank 4 Sect truly meant. It was only after asking the system again that he got the explanation—
A Rank 4 Sect was the foundation of a world power. Even the lowest elders there would cause massive change in a country with a single breath.
For someone like him—a powerless mortal who could barely afford rice each day—it sounded like a cruel joke.
Still, the rewards burned themselves into his mind. Rank 6 treasures, the system said. The Frost Dew Crystal alone was powerful enough to cause a war between kingdoms. Daniel could barely believe such items even existed, much less that they were being promised to him.
He sighed deeply. "Are these treasures really that easy to earn?"
Even saying it aloud felt ridiculous.
And then, before he could think further, another line of glowing text appeared before his eyes:
....
[NEW MISSION UNLOCKED]
GATHER THE FIRST SPARK
MISSION: RECRUIT THREE MORTALS WITH STRONG WILL AND HIDDEN POTENTIAL TO FORM THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR FUTURE SECT.
PENALTY: -500 SP
MISSION RANK: F (NEWBIE)
MISSION REWARD: SECT FORMATION TOKEN (LOW-GRADE)
BONUS REWARD: +500 SP (FOR THE FIRST DISCIPLE WHO SUCCESSFULLY STEPS ON THE CULTIVATOR PATH)
TIME FRAME: 3 DAYS
...
Daniel stared. "Three mortals… in three days?"
His heart sank again. "You've got to be kidding me…"
But deep within him, a strange flicker stirred—something that hadn't burned for years.
Hope.
---
Outside, the wind howled across the quiet village. The night stretched endlessly, calm and cold.
But far beyond that tranquil sky, buried in the depths of a forgotten realm, something ancient opened its eyes.
Golden light flickered in the darkness—dull at first, then growing brighter with each slow breath. The air around it trembled, as if reality itself feared to disturb its slumber.
For a long moment, the being said nothing. It simply gazed downward, past endless layers of space and mist, until its sight fell upon a small blue world.
Its lips curved slightly.
"So… the fire has chosen again."
And then, silence.