At the top of the mountain near a tree, there was a small gravestone. An old man bowed three times, then looked at the gravestone with complicated expression. With a heavy sigh, the man shook his head.
"Disciple Bai Laotou come to pay respects to master."
Laotou kneeled in front of an ancient gravestone, his head bowed low. The plaque read: "Here Lies Sect Master Bai Shixiong – Clear Sky's Last Flame."
Saying this, the old man took out several fruits, and placed them before the gravestone. He took out an incense tick, light it on fire, then placed it before the gravestone.
"Master… I told you not to die. I'm no good at this."
He took a seat on the ground, staring at his master's name that was engraved.
Seeing the name, Laotou could feel emotions in his heart stirring like fire. He clutched his hands, and bit his lips in anger.
"You've gone too soon, master. How could you leave me all alone?"
Laotou's master was a respectable figure, leading the sect with great leadership. He was kind, caring, and always available for the fellow brothers and sisters of the sect…
But all of this changed in one dramatic fight. In a martial showdown between sects, master was challenged in a fight. Of course, Laotou was confident of master's victory, and so did his fellow disciples think the same.
In the end, not only did master lose… he was gravely injured by his opponent in an underhanded attack!
Master was forced to retreat and lick his wounds. But the injury was too severe, and his conditions didn't improve, but continued to decline!
One thing lead to another… the disciples left the sect. Promising cultivators roamed the land, and even the once personal disciples of the master left due to temptation of secret techniques and Dao fruits from other sects.
In the end… only Laotou remained stubbornly behind. Taking care of master's wounds, cleaning the sect grounds, and even learning the sect's technique.
Whilst Laotou was not bright, he studied diligently under master's watchful eyes. Days turned into weeks. Months turned into years. On one fateful night, the old master finally caved in to his injuries. In his own bed, the old master closed his eyes, never to be opened again.
Laotou cried for three days and three nights, mourning for master's death. Until finally, as one last symbolic gesture, he carried master's body to the mountain peak, and buried it beside an oak tree. He made a gravestone, in memory of his master.
Laotou wiped away his tears. "I thought I'd rebuild. That someone would answer the call. But they came and left. Or died. Or worse… married into other sects."
His voice tightens. He poured a cup of wine and sets it on the grave, hands trembling slightly.
"They say Clear Sky is dead. They mock our name. Even our mountain beasts have moved to livelier peaks."
Thunder rolls distantly. He lets out a shaky breath.
"And now… a cursed evil spirit keeps whispering madness in my ear. Summoning fools. Bootlickers. One of them named himself 'EdgeLord.' How do I lead someone named EdgeLord?!"
He chuckles bitterly, then lowered his forehead to the cold stone.
"…I'm tired, Master. Maybe I should've left with them."
A beat. The wind stills. The rain halts. A strange hum flickers in his mind—then
Ding!
[ System announcement: ]
[ Beginner's quest complete! ]
[ Target reached: 100/100 elemental wolves defeated ]
At this moment, the evil spirit spoke up:
> Congratulations, Host!
> The youths have successfully completed the mission! You now have 10 new disciples for the sect! Isn't this great?
Laotou lifts his head slowly. Blank. Blinking. Then—
"…What!?"
The sky rumbles again—except this time it's not thunder. It's the deafening boom of a nearby explosion! A plume of purple smoke rose from the nearby mountain.
[ System Announcement: ]
[ Bonus objective complete: Elemental wolf den neutralised via indirect chemical assault. ]
Laotou was in shock. "CHEMICAL WHAT?"
The old man quickly scrambled to his feet. The wine dropped on the ground, and the incense crushed beneath his boot. His mourning robes flap wildly in the wind.
"WHAT TYPE OF CRAZY ARE THOSE IDIOTS UP TO?!"
Laotou flew towards the purple flame in the distance, his heart beating with worry.
As he approached, the nearby forest was scorched.
Trees are singed black. The air reeks like… something suspiciously fungal. A sickly purple mist hangs over the area like a toxic fog.
Sect Leader Bai Laotou arrives at a sprint, sword drawn, his funeral robe soaked and trailing behind him.
Laotou shouted: "Who dares detonate spiritual explosives on my mountain?! Do you have any idea how unstable—!"
He stops. Stares. Utter silence. Then:
BOOM!
A final delayed explosion pops out from the cave, causing a cloud of smoke, wolf fur, and half charred corpse to shoot skyward.
In front of the cave:
EdgeLord69 is kneeling on a boulder, cape fluttering, talking to a dead wolf.
BloodEmperor is wiping blood off his blade with unsettling serenity.
MuffinTop is live-streaming from a self-made "battle commentary perch" made of crates.
PatchNote is calibrating something that looks like a cross between an chemical bomb and a rice cooker.
And another player is handing out berries and petting a little squirrel in a gas mask.
MuffinTop was shouting with excitment:
"And that's it, chat! Dungeon cleared, loot pending! MVP goes to PatchNote's poison cloud strategy! Absolutely class! Who knew that the poison was actually explosive!"
PatchNote rubbed his nose with pride:
"Actually, I wanted to make a poison that could knock the spirit beasts unconscious. But inadvertently, I've created gunpowder! Hehe."
Laotou descended, staring down the two youths with a livid face.
"What are you doing?! This is a sacred mountain! Not some… some slaughterhouse! You can't just blow the backyard up and in flames!"
At this moment, a youth rushed to Laotou's side.
EdgeLord69 looked at the NPC with solemn eyes.
"Master! We have answered your trial with blood, sweat, and strategic AoE damage over time."
BloodEmperor nodded his head.
"Respawn rate was 1.5 wolves per minute. We calculated the spawn timer, spread the poison cloud, and… set it on fire at set intervals."
…
Laotou stared on at these youths… his face was twitching.
"…I sent you to kill wolves. Not ruin the mountains of our ancestral home."
EdgeLord stood stubbornly firm. "Master, it's a matter of sacrifice. Unless we use such tactics. How could we complete the mission? Isn't it you who told us to 'know yourself'?"
The players nodded their heads. "That's right, master. After gaining enlightenment from your words, we've made such a devious idea — Poison Cloud Strategy!"
At this moment, a player shouted.
"I think one of the wolves had babies. I adopted them!"
A girl quickly rushed to Bai Laotou, opened her basket. and show a tiny, soot-covered elemental wolf pup.
Laotou: …
This can't be happening. This is not real. I'm in a dream. A nightmare. A punishment for skipping morning meditation.
Bai Laotoou pinched his own arm. It hurt!
> Congratulations, Host! The Clear Sky Sect welcomes its founding disciples!"
Laotou felt his spirit leaving his body. He stared at the mountain peak.
"…Master Shixiong. If you can hear me… I'm sorry. I think I've started a demonic cult."