Lin Qingfeng was in a pretty good mood today. The sect channel had finally posted the first proper sect quest since the sect was founded.
[Quest: The Guide]
[Description: A new soul yearns to join the Guixi Sect. First Senior Brother Lin Qingfeng is requested to receive them and familiarize them with the sect.]
[Soul's Aptitude: Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Root (Gold, Wood, Water, Earth). Prospects on the path of Cultivation are grim. Dull aptitude, rock-bottom potential.]
[Reward: Sect Contribution +100, Cultivation +500, Sect Reputation +10.]
'After all this time since the server launched, an NPC has finally taken the bait!'
'Their aptitude might be trash, but at least they're the first one!'
The game *Ashen Heaven* offered players two completely different paths at the start.
The first path was [Native Rebirth].
Players who chose this path would start from scratch as ordinary people in the vast Cultivation World. They had to travel far and wide on their own, seek out their destinies, and gain acceptance into an NPC's sect, all while competing with thousands of other players for limited resources and quests.
Alternatively, they could become a Loose Cultivator, with no sect for protection or resource supply, but enjoying complete freedom.
This path also left many pay-to-win whales with money to burn but no way to spend it effectively. For players who sought immersion and freedom, however, it was the best choice.
The other path was [Found a Sect].
This path was practically a royal road paved for player guilds and whales.
As long as players invested enough real-world silver in the initial stage, they could directly create their own sect.
The sect's founder could initiate the Sect Leader handover process once the sect reached level three. After the novice protection period ended, the system NPC would automatically transfer the title, making the player the true master of their sect, unlocking more gameplay features, and granting them supreme authority.
Of course, the disadvantages were just as obvious.
Once the novice protection was gone, if the sect faced a crisis of annihilation, the only way to avoid utter destruction was to spend a massive amount of Spirit Stones to hire the "former Sect Leader"—the now-retired Supreme Elder—to intervene.
However, if one didn't take on the role of Sect Leader, not only would they be unable to participate in the Demon Suppression Ceremony, but the players' range of activity would also be restricted, preventing them from exploring the wider world.
More importantly, once a player became Sect Leader, all resources produced within the sect would be distributed by the guild leader, keeping all the benefits in-house.
The sect would also be equipped with a series of functional NPCs for everything from skill transference, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining to quest distribution.
This night-and-day difference in gameplay experience led to a flood of player guilds swarming in after the server launched, all establishing their own little fiefdoms in the Cultivation World.
As a result, a bunch of bizarre sects popped up in the game.
You had the "Underpants Sect," the "Palu Sect," the "Beggar Sect"...
There was even one with a particularly odd style called the "Magic Cultivator Kickboxing Sect"...
Forget about native NPCs—even a stray dog would probably take a detour if it saw these ridiculous sect names.
Because players' activity was limited to their sect's region at low sect levels, they couldn't travel far to actively seek out NPCs. This caused many guilds' progress to stall on the very first main quest step after construction.
But their Guixi Sect was different!
Just listen to it! The Guixi Sect!
'So classic, so orthodox, with such an authentic native xianxia vibe! It even had a hidden double meaning: "drop in, box up, and go west to die."'
'The more Lin Qingfeng thought about it, the more satisfied he felt!'
To attract a real native NPC to their gates, their guild had poured in a ton of resources. They had even used cold, hard cash to brute-force the construction of late-game buildings like the Demon-Locking Tower and the Asking Dao Ladder.
But months went by without a single soul appearing at their gates.
Meanwhile, the neighboring "Forgotten Child the Qiao Family Sect" hadn't hooked any NPCs either, but they'd gone viral on the game forums just by wearing matching masks and singing at their front gate. They'd even started holding masked concerts in real life to milk their fans for cash.
'Their tickets were more expensive than A-list celebrities!'
'So infuriating!'
'How could their sect, which couldn't possibly be any more proper, have failed to make even a single splash after all this time?!'
What was worse, the official preview for the major expansion, the "Demon Suppression Ceremony," stated that the minimum entry requirement for player sects was reaching level three!
'But without native NPC disciples, they couldn't complete the main quest and couldn't level up! It was a vicious cycle! If they couldn't recruit anyone soon, they wouldn't even qualify for the preliminary rounds!'
Lin Qingfeng didn't say anything, but he was secretly so anxious he felt like he was growing fur.
And now, finally! His patience had paid off!
'Sure, this native disciple's aptitude was terrible, but this was one small step for our sect in attracting natives, and one giant leap for the Guixi Sect ahead of all those other dumbass sects!'
'We're about to take off! Woohoo!'
Before this, the entire sect consisted of nothing but the players and a single, deadpan system-issued NPC: Qian Buyu.
This guy wore multiple hats: he was the Sect Leader, the Skill-Bestowing Elder, the Quest Elder, and even the deacon at the Knowledge Hall in charge of new disciple registration...
To put it simply, wherever an NPC was needed to stand around like a piece of scenery, you'd find a deadpan guy named "Qian Buyu."
The guy also glitched out from time to time.
For example, while talking, his model might ignore physics and clip into a stone wall, or he might turn to face an empty space and start gesturing as if giving directions.
His quest rewards often appeared as garbled text, and the most ridiculous time, he teleported everyone back to the starting spawn point.
Everyone was used to it. They'd just laugh, take a screenshot, and post it on the forums. It had become one of the daily joys of the game.
But today was different!
The newcomer was an official, bolded [Highly Intelligent Interactive NPC]! This meant they were getting a junior sister who could think for herself and even give feedback after doing tasks!
With a single thought, Lin Qingfeng arrived at the sect's main gate.
He was already drafting a script in his head, plotting how to best showcase the grand style of his outstanding Cultivation sect and completely dazzle this newcomer who was just setting foot on the immortal path.
'I'll make her realize that joining the Guixi Sect is the best decision she'll ever make in her life!'
With this thought in mind, Lin Qingfeng's figure came to a stop before the main gate.
Then, his eyes fell upon his future junior sister.
A slender woman in red was at the gate, constantly taking one step in, and one step out;
in again, out again;
left foot in, right foot in, left foot out, right foot out...
The expression on her face shifted from shock to confusion, and then... was that a hint of fascination?
The smile on Lin Qingfeng's face slowly vanished.
His heart, which had been burning with excitement just a moment ago, instantly went cold.
'Wh-what is this?!'
'Is her character model stuck on the map border? Or did she trigger some kind of buggy-by-nature trait?'
'Where's the "Highly Intelligent" part they promised? This is it?'
'F*** THIS, I WANT A REFUND!'
He watched the girl, who was still hopping back and forth at the entrance, and finally sighed.
'Ah, whatever. Forget it.'
'Her aptitude is already terrible, and her brain doesn't seem to be working right. But no matter how messed up she is, she's our sect's first native NPC. I've got to get her to join, even if I have to beg and cry to do it!'
'I can do this! Let's go!'
Lin Qingfeng took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, fixed his expression, and walked over. He had already prepared for the worst, ready to face an eldritch-god-type NPC who might spout a bunch of cryptic whispers.
But just as he got closer, the girl at the gate suddenly stopped.
She stood just inside the gate, completely still, as if lost in thought.
'Hm?'
Lin Qingfeng perked up. 'She's not stuck anymore? Or was that just the normal character model loading process?'
Overjoyed, he quickly walked up to the girl. "Hello there, future junior sister! Welcome to the Guixi—"
The girl didn't react, as if she hadn't heard him.
This made the smile on Lin Qingfeng's face falter once again.
'You've got to be kidding me.'
'I'm a living, breathing person standing right in front of you, can't you see me? Is her audio module busted, or is she still loading?'
'It's over. This NPC doesn't just have buggy legs; her brain and ears are busted, too. This isn't a Highly Intelligent NPC, this is a Highly *Idiotic* one!'
He suppressed the urge to go post a furious rant about the game company on the forums, leaned in closer, and tentatively tapped the girl's shoulder.
"You're here? Junior sister? Can you hear me?"
"AHHHH!!!"
A scream instantly pierced Lin Qingfeng's eardrums.
The girl before him leaped back more than three steps as if electrocuted. She stared at him in terror, her hands instinctively covering her chest.
"Y-y-you... What are you doing?! Why did you suddenly appear next to me?!"
"What... what did you just do to me?!"
'He really is an Evil Cultivator!'
'How dare he try to take liberties with me in broad daylight!'