Lin Chen remembered dying.
The screech of brakes, the blinding headlights, the crushing impact—and then nothing.
When consciousness returned, it did not come with pain, but with cold wind brushing against his face and the faint scent of decaying wood. His eyes snapped open.
The sky above him was a pale, swirling blue, streaked with drifting clouds that looked far too vivid to be real. Jagged mountain peaks pierced the horizon, their silhouettes ancient and imposing. This was not a hospital ceiling.
"This… isn't Earth."
Lin Chen pushed himself up, only to freeze as a wave of foreign memories flooded his mind. Names, places, cultivation techniques, grudges, responsibilities—all crashing together like a broken dam.
He was no longer just Lin Chen.
This body belonged to Lin Chen, the thirty-sixth Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
Once, the Azure Cloud Sect had dominated this mountain range, its disciples numbering in the thousands. Now?
A single crumbling main hall. Three half-collapsed side buildings. A treasury so empty it echoed. And one—one—remaining disciple.
The original Sect Master had died from internal injuries after a failed breakthrough, leaving behind a sect already on the brink of annihilation. Coincidentally—or perhaps not—Lin Chen had died on Earth at the same moment.
"So I die as a nobody… just to revive as a nobody again?"
Before he could dwell on the irony, a cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
> [Sect Restoration System Activated]
Host confirmed: Lin Chen
Current Sect Status: On the verge of extinction
Lin Chen stiffened.
"…A system?"
A translucent blue panel materialized before his eyes, floating effortlessly in the air.
> Main Objective: Rebuild the Azure Cloud Sect
Failure Condition: Sect destroyed or disciple count reaches zero
Current Disciples: 1
Sect Reputation: Infamous (−80)
Sect Resources: None
Lin Chen's eye twitched.
"That's harsh."
As if responding to his thoughts, another notification appeared.
> Newbie Task Issued
Task: Stabilize the Sect
Requirements:
– Survive 7 days as Sect Master
– Prevent the last disciple from leaving
Reward:
– Basic Sect Master Cultivation Manual
– One Random Sect Facility Blueprint
Seven days.
Lin Chen exhaled slowly. At least the system wasn't asking him to conquer the heavens on day one.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Master…"
The voice was young, cautious, and tinged with exhaustion.
Lin Chen turned to see a boy of about fifteen or sixteen standing at the edge of the courtyard. His clothes were worn, patched in several places, and a wooden sword hung at his side. Despite his thin frame, his eyes were sharp and stubborn.
This must be the sect's sole surviving disciple.
"Master, the outer sect elders from the Black Iron Sect sent another message," the boy said, clenching his fists. "They say if we don't vacate the mountain within three days… they'll come take it by force."
Three days.
Lin Chen glanced at the collapsing halls behind him and then at the boy who refused to leave even a dying sect.
A strange feeling welled up in his chest—something between pressure and responsibility.
On Earth, Lin Chen had lived for himself alone.
Here?
Failure meant death. And worse—dragging this stubborn kid down with him.
He straightened his posture, his gaze steadying.
"What's your name?" Lin Chen asked.
The boy blinked, surprised. "Disciple… Disciple is Su Ming."
Lin Chen nodded.
"Su Ming," he said calmly, though his heart raced, "from today onward, Azure Cloud Sect will not fall."
The system interface flickered.
> [Hidden Condition Met]
Sect Master Resolve Confirmed
The wind howled through the broken halls.
Unnoticed by either of them, deep beneath the mountain, something ancient stirred—responding to the return of a true master.
And the fate of a dying sect quietly began to change.