Jiang Fan sat cross-legged under a crooked pine tree, still reeling from the events of the past hour.
One moment, he was slurping instant noodles; the next, he was in a foggy mountain valley with a glowing blue screen nagging him like a debt collector.
>
"Name? I don't even have a house!" Jiang Fan rubbed his temple. "Fine, how about… Sect of Supreme Noodles?"
>
"…Excuse me?"
He tried again.
"Heavenly Great Dragon Slaying Sword-Dao Profound Immortal Emperor Sect of Destiny!"
>
Jiang Fan's eye twitched. "Are you bullying me?"
> *Hint: Naming your sect after food, cringe, or celestial lawsuits is not recommended.]
With a sigh, he muttered, "Whatever. Call it the Cloudy Moon Sect."
> [Accepted!
"Trash!?" Jiang Fan choked on air. "I just got here, and you're already disrespecting me!"
A translucent window opened in front of him.
---
Sect Status
Name: Cloudy Moon Sect
Rank: Trash (Lower)
Sect Master: Jiang Fan (Spiritless Mortal)
Disciples: 0
Buildings: None (Congratulations, you own dirt!)
Sect Power: 1/10,000
Prestige: Negative (Who are you again?)
---
Jiang Fan rubbed his face. "Spiritless mortal… I don't even get a free cultivation manual? No starter pack? Where's my transmigrator benefits!?"
A voice echoed faintly in his mind, dry and amused: "Benefits? Hah! In my day, we cultivated with our bare hands and a spoonful of rice! You want benefits? Stop whining and start working, brat."
Jiang Fan jolted up. "Who said that!?"
He looked around. Only mist, rocks, and a suspiciously angry chicken. The voice chuckled again.
"Call me Old Shen. Wise elder, tea enthusiast, occasional miracle worker. I'll guide you… for now."
"'For now'? And where are you exactly?"
"Everywhere. Nowhere. Inside, perhaps." The voice yawned. "Don't think too hard, or your three remaining brain cells might explode."
Jiang Fan clutched his head. Great. I have a sarcastic ghost landlord in my skull.
---
As evening fell, the System chimed again.
>
Reward: 1 Basic Cultivation Manual, 1 Bag of Spiritual Rice, 1 Sect Token.
Failure: Sect downgraded to "Laughingstock (Bottomless)" Rank.
"Recruit a disciple? From where!? There's only rocks, mist, and—wait…"
He spotted movement at the treeline: a ragged young man limping, clutching a broken sword. Behind him, distant roars echoed.
Jiang Fan's eyes widened. "A wandering cultivator! If I recruit him, maybe I'll—"
"Or you'll inherit his debt, enemies, and possibly a demonic curse." Old Shen's voice drawled. "Your funeral, Sect Master."
"Shut up, Old Shen! This is my first chance at greatness!"
Jiang Fan leapt forward, waving frantically. "Hey! You there! Want to join my sect? It comes with… um… dirt privileges!"
The man fainted.
---
By midnight, Jiang Fan had dragged the unconscious stranger to his "sect headquarters" (a flat rock). The System buzzed.
>
A small bag of rice and a yellowed scroll appeared before him. Jiang Fan grabbed them like a starving rat. "Finally, something useful!"
Old Shen chuckled. "Ah, the first seed is sown. Let's see if it grows… or explodes."
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End of Chapter 2
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