Chapter One: [A Moment of Clarity]

Ten-Mile Slope.

In front of a rundown mountain shrine.

"Master... is this really the gate to the so-called greatest immortal sect under heaven?"

A girl with long, jet-black hair tied by a red cord stood there, her clear eyes scanning the shabby temple. Doubt lingered in her hesitant expression.

The young man in a tattered robe turned to face his hard-earned disciple, a faint smirk appearing on his remarkably handsome face.

Lucas Starcrest exuded the air of a sage and said, "A mountain's greatness lies not in its height but in the presence of immortals."

"You're still young—try not to be fooled by mere appearances."

Sophia Clearwater, clad in her flowing pink immortal gown, suddenly widened her eyes in understanding.

"I get it, Master! Is there a hidden world inside?"

"I’ve read stories about cultivators like this. A shabby entrance opens into splendor and treasures beyond imagining!"

Excited, Sophia darted forward, practically bouncing on her feet. Without hesitation, she shoved the warped, creaky door wide open, eager to witness the secret marvels within.

What greeted her, however, wasn’t splendor.

She froze, staring at what lay beyond—a desecrated shrine with only half a statue standing awkwardly, cobwebs draped thick across the beams like forgotten burial cloths. The old altar had been moved in front of a rickety wooden plank, now serving as some sort of makeshift desk. One corner of it sagged, propped up by a rock jammed underneath. Next to it was a rough stone stove, with a small iron pot perched on top.

Sophia Clearwater took it all in with a frown. To her, the place looked no better than a run-down shrine nobody cared about anymore—like a beggar's hideout.

Lucas Starcrest strode into the dilapidated temple without a shred of discomfort, his face calm as if this was what he expected. "Stop reading those novels written by ordinary folks," he said, his tone brisk. "They’ll mess up your brain."

He didn’t skip a beat, gesturing at the shrine’s wooden sideboards. "Wait, I'll tear one of these planks off the statue for you to use as a bed. This temple’s roomy enough—sleep anywhere you want."

Sophia’s vision blurred for a moment as a wave of disbelief hit her. "Master… cultivation isn’t supposed to be like this, right?" she asked hesitantly.

"Exactly like this!" Lucas declared with unwavering confidence.

"But… aren’t other sects supposed to have grand halls floating high above towering peaks, all dazzling and majestic?"

"Have you seen them yourself, or did some fellow cultivator tell you that?"

"Well… the stories say so," Sophia muttered, her voice barely above a whisper."You already said it's just a story. Cultivation nowadays isn't about storytelling—it's about results. If you can ascend, that's all that matters," Lucas Starcrest cut in sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "What would ordinary folk know about cultivation? Have they ever comprehended 'the great Dao is simple'?"

Sophia Clearwater hesitated and murmured, "But... isn't this a bit too simple?"

"Enough nonsense. Are you going to cultivate or not?"

"... I will."

Lucas sat back on a wooden plank, clearing his throat with a dry cough. A faint smirk crept across his face as he added, "Then why are you still standing there? Kneel and acknowledge me as your master already."

Sophia shuffled her feet reluctantly, her movements heavy with hesitation. There really wasn't a way back now. Returning home would only mean being forced to marry that halfwit from Lord Kingston's household. The mere thought of spooning food into his mouth or his nonsensical babbling every time he saw a woman made her shudder.

No, she told herself firmly. A broken-down temple was far better than that.

Dropping to her knees, Sophia knelt before Lucas and bowed her head with a loud thud. "Master, I, Sophia Clearwater, offer you my obeisance!"

[Beginner task completed: Recruit one disciple.]

[Reward issued: Flawless Golden Pill!]

[Scanning Sophia Clearwater—spiritual root detected: single attribute, Water.]

[Teaching materials dispatched.]

[Supreme Lunar Mystical Water Scripture unlocked.][Item has been delivered to your inventory.]

Lucas Starcrest felt his heart ease instantly.

Three years. It took him three whole years to finally get a disciple who met the system’s strict qualifications!

The system demanded only those with the potential to ascend to immortality. That was the baseline to count as a recruitable disciple.

What kind of absurdity was that? Even a second-grade spiritual root was required just to qualify as an immortal seed.

And people like that? Rare as phoenix feathers. Even if they existed, they’d already be prized treasures of the major sects.

How was a small Foundation Establishment cultivator like him supposed to find such a blind fool willing to follow him?

Three years. He’d spent three whole years, crawling and scheming his way across Xuanwu Country with his meager Foundation Establishment level.

Finally, he’d managed to swindle—no, whoops! Scratch that, recruit—his first disciple.

He glanced at the girl in front of him, Sophia Clearwater, through the system interface.

[First Disciple: Sophia Clearwater]

[Cultivation: None]

[Golden Trait: Cultivation Prodigy]

[Purple Trait: Fortunate Destiny]

[Blue Trait: Stunning Beauty]

Sure, the girl was also just using him as a shield. He got that. She only sought out a master to escape marrying the idiot son of some high-ranking minister. But look at those traits!

With a lineup like that, what was there to complain about?The reason for choosing to live in this shabby temple was simple: to lay low for a while.

This Ten Mile Slope was deserted for miles, and finding even this rundown temple hadn’t been easy. Otherwise, who the hell would want to live here?

It had taken three days of planning to get Sophia Clearwater out of there successfully. Finally, the novice task was done!

As the sound of task completion rang in his mind, a surge of spiritual energy poured into Lucas Starcrest. His cultivation soared, and a golden core slowly formed in his dantian.

Being a genius with a single spiritual root, Sophia was naturally sensitive to such changes in energy. However, since she hadn’t even started cultivating yet, all she could do was sense her master’s aura taking a sudden leap.

“Master... what just happened?”

Lucas, casual as ever, replied, “I was just so thrilled to have taken you as my disciple that I accidentally let some suppressed power slip out.”

“All right, you can stop kneeling. Get up now.”

Sophia nodded in realization, then got to her feet, her face puzzled. “Master, where are the other disciples? As the top sect in Xuanwu Nation, I assume you’ve taken on quite a few students already. Where are they?”

“It’s just you for now.”Sophia Clearwater froze. "Huh? Master, you mean…"

Lucas Starcrest remained calm, his tone steady. "I take only the best. No room for mediocrity in my sect."

"And this… can actually be called the number one sect in Xuanwu Kingdom?"

"With your master capable of soloing the entire Xuanwu Kingdom, why not?"

Oh no, should’ve trusted what Mom always said—handsome men are full of lies. If Sophia hadn’t seen Lucas go against the whole Shangshu family for her, she’d have pegged him either a fraud or a lunatic.

"Master… you’re not pulling my leg, right?"

Lucas casually reached into his system inventory and pulled out the "Supreme Lunar Core Aqua Spiritual Codex." A worn, yellowed book appeared in his hand, its cover crumpled and faded. The words "Supreme Lunar Core" were mashed together into an indistinct blur, barely readable. Thankfully, the last three characters were still crystal clear.

Without hesitation, he tossed the book to Sophia.

"Practice this. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll know if your master’s lying."

Hearing the dead-serious tone in his voice, it had to be some top-class cultivation manual!Sophia Clearwater’s eyes lit up as she glanced at the book’s cover. However, the title was barely legible—most of it was an indistinct blur. Only three words remained clear.

“Water Heart Sutra?!” she read in disbelief, her voice betraying her shock. Then she shot Lucas Starcrest a skeptical look, full of suspicion.

What kind of top-tier technique had a name as ridiculous as "Water Heart Sutra"? It sounded like a joke! The worn cover was already falling apart; who knew if the contents inside were any better? Could this be something her master picked up from a roadside stall? Worse, what if practicing it led to Qi deviation?

Every legendary scripture she'd ever heard of exuded an undeniable aura of prestige—radiating divine glory and dazzling light. But this pitiful book? Toss it on the street, and someone might use it as toilet paper!

With hesitant hands, she held the decrepit book and meekly asked, “Master, can we... maybe pick another one instead?”