The Righteous Annihilation Sect was a cauldron of gossip. From jade peaks to misty valleys, whispers carried faster than flying swords. And today, all talk circled around one name.
Alex.
The sixteen-year-old transmigrator, cursed by the heavens to attract disaster like a magnet, had somehow survived the Dark Forest mission. Not only that—he had tamed the Red Umbra Flower, a rare herb whose awakened spirit nearly drove beasts insane, triggered a storm of hallucinations, and got him personally zapped by heavenly lightning. Somehow, in the middle of that mess, Alex had broken through from Peak Qi Condensation all the way to Foundation Establishment Late Stage, unearthing a Spatial Ring packed with cultivation resources. And to top it off, he had even sworn an oath to raise the flower until Core Formation.
By the time he trudged back toward Righteous Peak, the sect was buzzing like a hive. Alex himself looked like he'd crawled out of a lightning-struck turnip patch. His hair was charred at the ends, his robe smelled faintly of roasted wolf, and he carried a soggy bamboo basket stuffed with spirit turnips. The Red Umbra Flower glowed ominously inside, pulsing with faint crimson light like a heart waiting to explode.
Senior Sister Shui Bing walked at his side, her silver robes shimmering as frost qi rippled off her like a winter breeze. Behind them trailed Su Yan, the ever-composed senior disciple whose black robes seemed to drink the light. Between the three of them, they were a sight that made every gossiping disciple pause mid-bite of their spirit snacks.
When Alex finally entered the sect's mission hall, the usual din of clattering jade tokens and arguing disciples froze. Every head turned. The Red Umbra Flower pulsed once, and whispers broke out instantly.
"Is that—?"
"He actually brought it back alive?"
"Didn't they say lightning struck him?"
"Of course it did. It's him."
Mei, the scarred troublemaker from Thunder Salvation Valley, was the first to break the silence. She lobbed a shiny spirit apple at his head. "Chaos Boy's back!" she crowed, grinning wide enough to show every scar. "Tamed a flower, got zapped, and broke through? Unreal!"
Alex barely caught the apple before stumbling into a rune plate that spat glittering sparks. The hall erupted in laughter.
"It's not a wife!" he protested, lifting the flower basket. "I heroically tamed a thousand raging bulls, wrestled the heavens, dodged lightning, and claimed this flower like a king!"
The crowd howled. Mei nearly doubled over. Liang, lanky and perpetually miserable, muttered through his plum, "I'd have been fertilizer in that forest." Fang from Flood Redemption Valley, dripping wet as always, splashed a handful of water at Alex's shoulder. "Heard you made bulls and wolves hallucinate! You're a walking disaster!"
Bao, the chubby snack-hoarder, waddled up with wide eyes. "So… is the flower your dao partner now? Tell us everything!"
Alex puffed out his chest, clearly too proud of himself to be humble. "Tripping into treasures is a gift from the heavens. Don't hate, appreciate!"
"Gift, my ass," Mei laughed. "You probably sneezed and stumbled into that Spatial Ring."
The disciples roared, throwing snacks his way like a street performance. Alex caught what he could, dropped half, and activated more glittery runes in the process. The hall smelled faintly of fried dumplings, glowing tea, and sheer chaos.
Through it all, Su Yan stood silent at the edge, her hands tucked neatly into her sleeves. Her cold eyes swept the crowd, but her lips betrayed the faintest twitch. "He… exaggerates," she said quietly.
That flat remark detonated the hall louder than thunder. Fang slapped the table. "Even Su Yan admits it!"
"Legend!" Mei shouted. "Stoic Su Yan survived Chaos Boy and came back alive. She deserves a medal!"
Alex bowed dramatically toward her, shameless grin wide. "Su Yan, my savior, thank you for not abandoning me to the hallucinating bulls of destiny!"
She didn't reply, but the disciples' laughter echoed so loudly it shook the jade pillars.
Then Shui Bing cleared her throat.
Silence dropped instantly.
The youngest Valley Master of Flood Redemption Valley didn't need to raise her voice. Her Nascent Soul aura spilled out, chilling the air and making the mission jade boards hum with frost qi. Her silver robes shimmered like falling snow, her eyes cold but sharp.
"Enough noise," she said evenly. "Alex's chaos may have birthed a calamity, but it also birthed opportunity. The Red Umbra Flower's vow is no curse—it is a blessing. If he stabilizes his cultivation, it will aid his Dao."
Her words carried weight. Even the rowdiest disciples bowed their heads.
Then Shui Bing flicked her wrist, and a gleaming qi pill arced through the air straight into Alex's hands. "Stabilize. Or I'll drown you in a qi lake."
The hall gasped. A pill from Shui Bing?
Mei whispered loudly, "She's soft on him!"
Alex puffed his chest again. "Senior Sister's my biggest fan!"
The crack of Shui Bing's water whip silenced him immediately. He flinched, bowing hastily. But the faint twinkle in her frosty eyes didn't go unnoticed.
Before the hall could settle, another storm arrived.
"Brother!"
Golden-robed Jin Hao stormed in, his face smeared with elixir soot, his jade fan snapping open with a dramatic snap. "You went on an adventure without me?!" He flung a glowing elixir bottle at Alex's head, who barely dodged as it shattered into harmless sparks. "I could have showered those bulls with golden brilliance! You robbed me of glory!"
Alex groaned. "Brother, you would've thrown your fan and called it a day."
Jin Hao sniffed indignantly. "Unacceptable. Next mission, I'm coming with you. Or I swear I'll brew a pill that makes you fart rainbows for a month!"
The hall erupted into chaos again.
"Rainbow farts?!" Fang sprayed tea.
"Do it, Senior Brother Jin Hao!" Mei wheezed.
"I'd pay spirit stones to see that," Liang muttered.
Alex clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he nearly dropped the flower basket. "Fine! Rainbow pill next time, brother. But we're blowing up the next forest together!"
But disaster never waited for Alex to invite it.
The Red Umbra Flower pulsed inside its basket. A faint fragrance escaped, sweet at first, then sour—like burnt sugar gone horribly wrong.
A low rumble echoed. Not from the sky, but from dozens of stomachs.
"Uh-oh," Bao whispered.
Then it hit.
The sound was deafening. A chorus of explosive farts shook the jade pillars, disciples doubling over as a greenish miasma spread through the hall like poisonous smoke.
"Chaos Boy!" Mei gagged, diving behind a pillar.
"My plums!" Liang wheezed, dropping them.
"It's a fart storm!" Fang howled, splashing water desperately to clear the air.
Bao, tears streaming down his cheeks, laughed hysterically. "The flower's… getting revenge!"
Alex's face went crimson. He waved his hands frantically, coughing in the stink. "It's not me! Blame the flower!"
The sect hall dissolved into chaos. Disciples fled gagging, clutching their stomachs, cursing and laughing at the same time. Someone shouted, "This is the Great Fart Catastrophe of Righteous Peak!" and the name stuck instantly.
Shui Bing's frost qi surged. A single wave of her hand swept the stench out of the hall, chilling the air clean. Her face remained cold, but her eyes… twitched. Once. Twice. As though barely suppressing laughter.
"Control that flower," she said icily, tossing Alex a sealing talisman. "Or I'll make you scrub the hall with your tongue."
Alex bowed low, shameless grin plastered on his face. "Yes, Senior Sister! I'll tame the fart monster!"
The disciples outside roared with laughter, slapping each other's backs. Mei tossed him a candy. "Chaos Boy's dao partner is a fart flower!"
That night, the entire sect gathered on Righteous Peak for a bonfire. Spirit yams roasted on skewers, glowing faintly with qi. Disciples swapped stories of Alex's Dark Forest debacle.
"Tell us about the bulls again!" Bao begged.
Alex struck a pose with his yam. "Picture it! A thousand bulls, all hallucinating, charging at me like thunder! I stood firm, lightning at my back, flower in my hand—"
"Liar!" Mei shouted, pelting him with yam skins. "You tripped and got zapped, admit it!"
"Tripping's my cultivation path!" Alex said shamelessly. The disciples laughed so hard the bonfire flickered with qi waves.
The warmth of the night—firelight, roasted food, friendly banter—washed over Alex like a rare moment of peace. For once, the chaos felt like family.
But peace never lasted.
By dawn, a prank war had spread through the sect, disciples calling it the "Chaos Boy Challenge."
Mei rigged runes to spray glitter on unsuspecting victims. Liang was the first to get caught, sparkling like a spirit beast and screaming bloody murder. Fang retaliated by drenching Alex with qi water. Alex "accidentally" triggered an illusion rune, unleashing a stampede of dancing boars that chased disciples up trees.
Su Yan, watching the madness, muttered, "Childish." But her lips twitched ever so slightly.
Jin Hao joined in with flair, tossing an experimental elixir into the crowd. It exploded in rainbow sparkles, showering everyone. "Behold! Brother Hao's glory!" he shouted.
The sect rang with laughter for days.
Even Sect Leader Duan Renyi summoned Alex. His white robes billowed, his manic grin wide. "A Red Umbra Flower, a breakthrough, and a fart storm? Truly righteous!" His eyes darted nervously at Shui Bing, who stood like an ice statue at Alex's side. "Focus on stabilizing your Foundation Establishment," the Sect Leader said. "That flower's vow may shape your Dao."
Shui Bing handed Alex a sword manual, her voice sharp but her eyes warm. "Train. Or I'll bury you in ice."
Alex bowed, shameless as ever. "Don't worry, Senior Sister. I'll make you proud—and maybe win your heart!"
Her whip cracked against the ground. His grin only widened.
By the end of the month, Alex's cultivation had stabilized. His body toughened under Shui Bing's brutal training, his muscles lean and strong. The Red Umbra Flower was sealed inside a qi pouch, no longer spreading fart storms across the sect. And though disaster followed him like a shadow, the sect had grown to embrace it.
At the final bonfire of the month, disciples laughed, roasted spirit yams, and swapped pranks. Mei teased him mercilessly. Jin Hao threatened to invent a new fart pill. Fang splashed water for no reason. Su Yan watched quietly, her lips twitching again.
Alex sat among them, yam in hand, shameless grin plastered across his face. For the first time since transmigrating into this world, he felt like he belonged.
He was still Chaos Boy. Still cursed by the heavens. Still one pratfall away from another disaster.
But with the sect's warmth at his back, and a fart flower pulsing in his pouch, he felt ready for whatever came next.