A hundred thousand li of long wind rolled through the boundless sea of clouds.

Dishitian. Sword Immortal Sect. Piaomiao Mountain.

On top of the Lingjiu Stone, a young man sat cross-legged in meditation.

His features were clean and fine, almost too mild for the cultivation world. In this harsh place of blades and blood, he looked badly out of place.

Below the Lingjiu Stone, several Sword Immortal Sect disciples stood together, pointing at him as they whispered. Their mouths were full of scorn.

“Little Martial Uncle is cultivating again?”

“Little Martial Uncle? Him?” one disciple sneered hard. It was Dobie Vance. “That cripple is worthy of that title?”

“A cripple?”

“You forgot what happened ten years ago? Malachar Bloodvane coveted our Sword Immortal Sect’s spiritual mountain and blessed land. He struck when the nine Martial Uncles were all getting married on the same day and led a full-scale invasion. In the end, Grandmaster and the nine senior uncles joined hands and blew themselves up, forcing out the [Myriad Swords Mountain and River Grand Array]. That was the only reason the mountain gate survived. And this Dean Ashveil? He did nothing. Got struck by lightning instead. His spirit root was destroyed on the spot!”

“He puts on a show every day, sitting here training. Trash is still trash. If not for the senior sisters covering for him, how could he live this easy? The man’s a pure kept pretty boy.”

“Lower your voice! If Sect Master hears you, we’re dead.”

The few disciples drifted away.

The “Little Martial Uncle” on the stone did not move at all, like he had heard none of it.

Then, in his mind, a crisp and sweet female voice rang out.

“Ding-dong… daily check-in successful!”

Only then did Dean Ashveil relax. His whole body went limp, and he sprawled back on the stone.

He was not from this cultivation world.

Ten years ago, he had crossed over from the real world.

The moment he arrived, the war between immortals and devils was already in full swing. The Blood Demon Sect had poured out in force. The Sword Immortal Sect was fighting with its life on the line.

Nascent Soul experts overturned rivers and seas. Ancient monsters in the Deity Transformation realm tore open the sky.

The Sword Immortal Sect was one step from destruction. His master and the nine senior disciples joined forces, detonated their dantians, and forcefully activated the [Myriad Swords Mountain and River Grand Array]!

Space itself split apart.

The cultivation world and the real world crossed for one instant.

Dean Ashveil came through with a bolt of lightning…

And by blind luck, that lightning struck Malachar Bloodvane dead on.

The Blood Demon Patriarch was scorched black outside and cooked tender inside. He was badly wounded and fled in defeat.

The junior disciple here, who looked exactly like Dean Ashveil and was also called Ye Xuan, had no such luck. He was struck too, and died on the spot, body and soul gone.

So Dean Ashveil took his place and became the only second-generation disciple left alive.

Too bad…

He had no “spirit root” at all.

In the cultivation world, no spirit root meant no cultivation. For a man, that was about the same as missing the one thing that made him a man. How were you supposed to keep playing then?

Good thing was, he came with a system.

The system only left him one line:

“Check in for ten years. Cause and effect will come.”

After that, no matter how he called, it never answered again.

For ten straight years, Dean Ashveil endured wind and rain on Lingjiu Stone, checking in every single day.

“I made it! I finally held out ten whole years!”

At this moment, Dean Ashveil was so moved he could have wept blood.

He had been waiting with both eyes wide open for the system to give him that “cause and effect.”

Best case, some god-tier cheat that let him ascend in one thought.

Fine, an auto-cultivation hack would do too.

Hell, just dump ten thousand years of cultivation on me. I’d take that as well.

One cup of tea passed…

One stick of incense…

One full hour…

Nothing happened.

Dean Ashveil was dumbfounded.

“That’s it?”

Ten years. And he had checked in for nothing?

Dean Ashveil exploded.

“Dogshit system. No honor at all.”

A slender hand, smooth and pale as warm jade, came to rest on his head.

A rich, mature fragrance drifted over him, something between musk and the orchid scent of a lonely valley. It went straight into the chest and lodged there.

A woman’s voice, dignified and deep, like an empress who had stepped down from the heavens.

Her long black hair was loosely gathered into a phoenix bun. Her bearing swayed with lazy grace. At some point, she had appeared beside him without a sound.

“Ah? Big Sis?” Dean Ashveil jumped.

The next second, the whole mood twisted.

That beauty’s jade hand shot out and pinched his cheek.

“Little brother, you’re too cute. Hehe. The moment I see you, I can’t hold back. I just adore you. This face, this skin…”

Big Sis went at him with a storm of doting squeezes.

Dean Ashveil got kneaded till his hair bun went crooked. He struggled on instinct and shouted, “Big Sis, have some restraint! Someone might see!”

This immortal beauty who got handsy with him the moment they met was none other than the Sword Immortal Sect’s sect master, Selina Wycliffe, also known as Seraphina Norwell!

“Relax. I already cast an illusion spell. With my cultivation, no one can see.”

“…”

Brother and sister messed around for a bit. Seraphina Norwell did whatever she pleased. Dean Ashveil, for his part, refused to lose ground without a fight.

At last, Seraphina straightened up and put on a proper face.

“Who were you saying had no honor just now? Was someone mouthing off about you again? Say the word. I’ll punish them hard.”

Dean Ashveil put on a broad, easy smile. “It’s nothing. Dobie Vance, from Archibald Vance’s branch. I’m his martial uncle. Why would I stoop to his level? Hahaha…”

Seraphina Norwell’s brow twitched.

She flicked a finger.

Peak Nascent Soul old monster. [Divine Finger Snap]!

“AAAH!”

From far off, Dobie Vance’s scream tore through the air, sharp enough to split a man’s eardrums.

Dean Ashveil wore a look of deep pity. “Big Sis, calm down. He only said you were a tigress…”

“What?” The sect master flicked her finger again.

“AH! Sect Master, spare me!”

The cry was miserable.

“Oh, right, my mistake. He said your mountain peaks were sagging.”

“Mm?” The empress was furious now. Flick. Flick. Flick.

“AAAH!”

That scream was even worse.

“Oh, let him go already. All he did was call me trash.”

“Mm?” Seraphina Norwell’s phoenix eyes turned cold at once.

He cursed you? That angered her even more.

Flick. Flick. Flick-flick-flick!

The screams kept going…

Then stopped.

Dobie Vance convulsed all over, grievously wounded, and dropped flat like a dead dog.

The disciples around him went silent as graves. Not one dared breathe too loud.

Seraphina Norwell’s eyes reddened. She looked at Dean Ashveil with aching tenderness.

“Dean Ashveil, you’ve suffered. You may not be able to cultivate, but no one knows better than I do how much you sacrificed for the sect, how much you’ve done for it.”

Dean Ashveil looked at Dobie Vance lying there wrecked and nearly grinned himself crooked.

Damn.

I can’t cultivate, sure.

But I’ve got nine senior sisters—peerless, terrifyingly strong, each one absurd in her own way.

Big Sis Seraphina Norwell, the overbearing empress. Second Sis Rosalind Yeats, sharp as a demon fox. Third Sis Vivienne Ashford, keeper of the household. Fourth Sis Elara Deerwood, master of pill refining. Fifth Sis Agnes Deerwood, mistress of poison. Sixth Sis Lady Richardson, expert in artifact forging. Seventh Sis Felicity Elmwood, peerless assassin. Eighth Sis Brianna Lynwood, Lady of Qingqiu. Ninth Sis Celeste Fairhaven, the greatest beauty across the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands.

Most outrageous of all, every single one of them spoiled him rotten. Treated him like the treasure of the sect.

He, Dean Ashveil, was the number one soft-rice king of the cultivation world.

Who didn’t accept it?

Ten years ago, under Master’s careful arrangement, nine heavenly maidens from nine different immortal sects—women of unmatched grace and heaven-defying talent—were all to marry the nine senior brothers on the same day.

The wedding had barely begun when Malachar Bloodvane arrived in force and besieged the Sword Immortal Sect.

Master and the nine doomed senior brothers fought the devil sect in a bloody battle and all fell.

The nine senior sisters had just entered the family and became widows before the incense from the wedding was cold.

When Dean Ashveil crossed over in a haze, the heavenly lightning that came with him accidentally blasted Malachar Bloodvane. Back then, all nine senior sisters had firmly believed one thing—

Dean Ashveil was the great hero who saved the sect.

After that, Dean Ashveil and the nine senior sisters held the collapsing sect together with one heart. If not for them, the Sword Immortal Sect would have fallen apart long ago.

For ten years, the nine immortal maidens and Dean Ashveil had relied on one another, weathering day after day side by side. Their bond ran deep.

Then suddenly, Dean Ashveil’s whole body shook.

The system’s voice rang out again.

“Congratulations! Ten years of check-ins complete!”

“[God-Tier Choice System] awakened!”

“You have triggered a random choice mission!”

“Mission content:

A. [Beast, utter beast] Hug Seraphina Norwell tight.

B. [Worse than a beast] Do nothing.”

“Choose A and complete it to receive one spirit root. Choose B and this system will close permanently.”

“Explanation: The longer and tighter the hug, the higher the grade of the spirit root.”

Dean Ashveil froze.

“…”

Dogshit system!

Shameless. Absolutely shameless!

You actually want me to do something this filthy?

Seraphina Norwell is the senior sister who loves me most. In this life, she’s the closest family I have!

Did you really think I’d do something so beastly just for one lousy spirit root?

…Well.

Dean Ashveil only needed 0.001 seconds to decide.

System, you smell real sweet now.

Big Sis, forgive me.

Compared to being rootless and worse than a beast, I’d rather be a beast with a root!