The newly built sect hall—if one were generous enough to call it that—stood proudly beneath the dawn mist, with tiles that whistled in the wind and walls that leaned just slightly like a drunkard after three jars of wine.
Jiang Fan stood at the gates, a bamboo pole propped on his shoulder like a banner. On it, a scrap of cloth flapped with the grand proclamation:
> "Heavenly Mist Sect – Recruitment Today! Free Rice (Maybe)!"
---
"System," Jiang Fan grumbled, "are you sure this is the best way to recruit?"
>
Attractiveness of sect: Low
Incentive: Free meal (weak)
Suggested Improvement: Claim to have a divine prophecy, or fake one.
"I am not lying to innocent people!"
>
"…We'll stick with the free rice."
---
By noon, three candidates had appeared.
1. A farmer's son who looked strong enough to till fields but fainted at the word "qi circulation."
2. A girl with a stick, insisting she was the reincarnation of a sword immortal (she was not).
3. A traveling merchant who only came for the rice and left with the bowl.
Jiang Fan's eye twitched. "Is this a sect or a soup kitchen?"
---
Lu Tian, standing to the side with his usual calm, finally spoke. "Sect Master, perhaps… quality over quantity? The mountains attract strays, yes, but also eyes that shouldn't see us yet."
Jiang Fan blinked. "Eyes? You mean like—oh."
Because just then, they arrived.
A group of five men, dressed in mismatched armor, swaggered down the path. Bandits. The kind who thought swords made them powerful and hygiene optional.
"Oi! This your land now?" the leader sneered, waving a chipped blade. "We collect tolls."
Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow. "Tolls? My sect isn't even open for business yet!"
"Then consider this… an opening fee."
---
The System chimed.
>
Enemy Strength: Low-Mid
Reward: Prestige +10, chance to loot basic weaponry
Failure: Sect looted, disciples scatter like chickens (literally)
Jiang Fan turned to his three "recruits." One had already hidden behind the hall. The "sword immortal" was swinging her stick in wide, dangerous arcs. The merchant was gone.
"…Alright then," Jiang Fan sighed. "Plan B."
---
Old Shen's voice crackled in his mind. "Time to bleed a little, brat. Show these fleas that even a newborn wolf has teeth."
Jiang Fan drew his rusted saber, pointed it at the bandits, and shouted, "Heavenly Mist Sect—Trial by Fire!"
>
Attack +10%, Defense +10%, Luck –90% (oops)
---
The fight was… chaotic.
Jiang Fan tripped over a bucket, accidentally disarming one bandit with sheer clumsiness. The "sword immortal" smacked another in the knee, screaming something about cosmic destiny.
But the real surprise was Lu Tian.
He moved like a shadow, his worn blade cutting with frightening precision—too precise. His footwork, too clean. He struck to disable, never kill, but every motion whispered of training far above a common vagrant.
One bandit fled, shrieking. The others soon followed.
---
When the dust settled, the courtyard was littered with broken spears and one unconscious bandit tied to a post.
>
Prestige: 5 → 15
Loot: 2 Rusty Blades, 1 Bag of Questionable Rice, 14 Copper Coins
New Feature Unlocked: Outer Sect Register
Jiang Fan wiped his brow. "Well… welcome to the Heavenly Mist Sect. You survived initiation."
The farmer's son cheered weakly. The "sword immortal" demanded a uniform. The tied-up bandit snored.
---
That night, Jiang Fan caught sight of Lu Tian again, this time at the edge of the forest, blade in hand, wiping away the faint traces of blood it had drawn—not during the fight, but elsewhere.
"Patrolling?" Jiang Fan asked casually.
Lu Tian turned, his smile warm but his eyes too steady. "Just… keeping the sect safe."
"Brat," Old Shen murmured, "that boy's either your greatest asset… or the dagger aimed at your back."
Jiang Fan sipped his tea. "Then I better keep him where I can see him."
---
End of Chapter 5
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