You were put to guard a shabby mountain gate, yet all your disciples became Immortal Emperors.

In the Eastern Xuan Domain, at the Lingxiao Sect, on Mount Xiaoqiong.

"Master, your unfilial disciple must descend the mountain today to inherit the family business. Please take care!"

A boy's dejected voice came from outside the door.

Inside the thatched hut, a middle-aged man dressed in white looked miserable and didn't even have the heart to see him off.

His name is Lin Zhou, and he has been in this world for quite some time now.

He thought he was the chosen one, about to embark on a path of dominance, punching the Nanshan Nursing Home and kicking the Beihai Kindergarten, but...

Reality slapped him in the face.

He was born with a weak constitution; his meridians were blocked like the Third Ring Road during rush hour.

When the original owner transmigrated, she was already in her thirties, long past the golden age for defying fate!

This Xiaoqiongshan is even more impoverished.

The original master and his disciples fought against the Demonic Sect more than ten years ago, and they all lost their lives, leaving only the original master as the sole survivor.

The sect leader of Lingxiao Sect was soft-hearted and made an exception, allowing the original owner, who was only at the late stage of Body Tempering, to become the mountain lord.

Later, a new face finally appeared on the mountain: Xiao Fan, the disciple who was preparing to run away from the gate.

This kid was originally a famous genius in Wutan City at the foot of the mountain, but later, for some reason, his cultivation level regressed all the way down, which is why he was stuffed into the desolate Little Qiong Mountain.

As it turns out, after two years, his cultivation level is still hovering around the mid-stage of Body Tempering.

Now, even his only apprentice is abandoning this lonely old man and going home to become a rich kid.

"God! Are you sending me to undergo a tribulation? Are you kidding me?!"

"Other people who transmigrate become either overpowered protagonists or brilliant geniuses, but me? I can't even pull a blade of grass, stuck here on this crappy mountain as its lord, getting glared at every day!"

"Even if you don't grant me the destiny of becoming a king, just give me ten or eight fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged ladies, and I guarantee I'll be so happy I'll never want to leave!"

"I hate it! I don't want to live anymore! If you're so capable, just send down some lightning to strike me dead..."

Lin Zhou beat his chest and stamped his feet inside the house, his face full of resentment.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning flashed past the window, startling him so much that he scurried under the table.

After waiting for a long time without any response, he started cursing under his breath again.

Good grief, you wouldn't listen when I asked you to arrange a wife for you, but you're quite enthusiastic when I asked you to bring down lightning!

Isn't this bullying honest people?!

"Master, your disciple is leaving now. Please take care!"

Outside the door, the sound of kowtowing rang out, followed by the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

Even the two remaining handymen on the mountain, Li Youde and Zhang Youcai, were peeking around, wondering whether they should switch jobs to other mountains.

"well……"

Lin Zhou sighed and crawled out from under the table.

To be honest, he was still a little reluctant to part with his disciple, Xiao Fan.

Although this kid is pretty useless now, he has good character, strong willpower, and most importantly, he respects his cheap master very much.

Now that he's gone, the handyman is also preparing to run away, and there won't even be anyone to serve tea and water anymore.

[Detection indicates the host is about to sever the master-disciple relationship with their apprentice. The "Apprentice Recruitment and Training Return System" is activated, along with the "Heavenly Eye of Fortune"!]

Um? ?

Linzhou's ears twitched.

Taking on apprentices and training them with a return bonus? A glimpse into one's destiny and divine vision? Those sound incredibly awesome!

He was stunned at first, then overjoyed.

Dad! My cheat code has finally arrived!

Better late than never!

"System! Quick! How do I use this thing? Can it help me break through my cultivation level? I want to fight ten of them!" Lin Zhou roared impatiently in his mind.

[No, dear~ This system aims to help the host cultivate the strongest disciple, focusing primarily on nurturing.]

"Then what's the point of me? What's the use if it doesn't let me level up?" Lin Zhou's face darkened.

[Main Quest Issued: Retain the Chosen One, Xiao Fan, and impart his martial arts techniques to him.]

[Mission Rewards: A 10,000x critical strike return of the cultivation technique passed down to the host! A random skill card gift pack! One skill inheritance card! One Life Creation Pill! One chance to draw a deluxe prize wheel!]

[Punishment for mission failure: ...]

"What will happen if we fail? Will we be wiped out outright?" Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat; he was familiar with this tactic.

[Wrong! Mission failed. This system will force the host to cultivate the "Evil-Repelling Sword Technique" and perform corresponding modification surgery to ensure a one-step solution.]

whoosh...

Lin Zhou felt a chill run down his crotch, as if a family heirloom was under invisible threat.

He was jolted awake, his temper flared, and he stormed out the door without a second thought.

Are you kidding me!

That's a man's last shred of dignity! If you lose that, are you still a man?!

Although you can't level up directly, the 10,000x return, skill cards, lottery... isn't this much better than leveling up yourself?

I could become a card master someday!

"My disciple! My good disciple! You stop right there!"

Outside the door, Xiao Fan, who was carrying large and small bags and preparing to go down the mountain, paused and turned around in confusion.

Then I saw my master rushing out of the thatched hut, clutching the hem of his robe. His face was no longer the desolate and forlorn expression he had shown before.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"My good disciple, are you really going to abandon your master and go down the mountain alone?"

Lin Zhou ran up to him, making exaggerated facial expressions, trying to shed a few crocodile tears and put on a heartbroken look.

"If you leave, what will become of your master? Can you bear to let your master grow old alone in this desolate wilderness?"

Xiao Fan lowered his head, but his tone was firm: "Master, don't worry, after I go down the mountain I will have ten maids sent from home to serve you, so you won't be lonely."

Lin Zhou was stunned for a moment, and blurted out instinctively, "Is she pretty? Does she have a good figure?"

"Of course, she's beautiful as a flower, with fair skin..."

"Ahem!"

Lin Zhou felt a surge of warmth in his heart upon hearing this, but he immediately realized what was happening and quickly coughed twice to interrupt, forcibly adopting a profound and inscrutable demeanor as he spoke earnestly.

"I don't want any maids! I only want you! I only want you to stay on the mountain!"

Xiao Fan raised an eyebrow, subconsciously took a step back, and secretly covered a certain untouched area behind him with his hands, his expression becoming strange.

I don't want a maid, I want myself...

Master, what kind of indecent words are these?

"Master, I thank you for your guidance and teaching over the past two years. But my mind is made up, so please don't try to persuade me anymore." Xiao Fan shook his head, his mind made up.

Lin Zhou frowned: "Is it absolutely necessary to leave?"

"Um."

"Can't you stay for your teacher's sake?"

"..."

Looking at the middle-aged man with slightly graying temples in front of him, Xiao Fan was even more puzzled.

Why does Master seem like a completely different person today?

In the past, my master rarely went out and spoke very little. He would just throw me a few common body-tempering techniques and leave me to fend for myself, which was no different from letting me roam free.

When I heard I was leaving today, was the shock too great and caused me to have a mental breakdown?

"I joined the Lingxiao Sect hoping to find another way to revive my cultivation, but in the past two years, my cultivation has regressed instead of progressed..."

Xiao Fan's tone was filled with desolation, feeling the pitiful amount of true qi in his body at the mid-stage of Body Tempering, his heart was ashen.

"Back in Wutan City, I was a renowned prodigy, achieving Body Tempering Perfection in less than three years!"

"Cultivation can't be rushed," Lin Zhou earnestly advised. "Look at your master, I'm almost forty, and I'm only at the late stage of Body Tempering."

However, upon hearing this, Xiao Fan's expression turned even uglier.

He sighed deeply: "To be honest, before I joined the sect, my fiancée came to break off the engagement. I was so angry that I made a three-year agreement with her."

"Now, two out of the three years have passed, and I still haven't caught up with her cultivation level from back then."

"All I have learned is the 'Basic Breathing Techniques' that you taught me."

Lin Zhou was completely stunned.

What is that?

He made a three-year promise with his fiancée?

He's been so busy with salted fish these past two years that he hasn't really caught up on his apprentice's gossip. He never imagined there was such an exciting story behind it all!

But this plot... why does it sound so familiar?

Isn't this the classic trope from Tang Jia San Shao's novels?

"Master, I know my talent is wasted, and I am no match for that proud daughter of heaven. As for the three-year agreement, just treat it as a joke."

Xiao Fan shook his head bitterly, his eyes lifeless.

The harsh words spoken in youthful arrogance have now become slaps in the face.

Even if you go a year later, you'll only be humiliating yourself.

"Bullshit! What nonsense are you talking about!"

A loud shout rang out, and Xiao Fan looked up in surprise.

Lin Zhou stood with his hands behind his back in the rising sun, his whole body seemingly bathed in golden light.

"Who does she think she is, some kind of chosen one? Is my disciple from Linzhou inferior to anyone else? Who gave you the audacity to say such discouraging things!"

"There's still one year left on that three-year agreement, and you're giving up now? If you admit defeat, you'll truly become a huge joke!"

Lin Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but every word was piercing.

"You just wait and see!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young man's potential!"

"boom!"

The last five words exploded in Xiao Fan's mind like a thunderclap.

The boy's originally pale face instantly turned bright red, and he felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if the blood in his body was about to boil!

Yes!

One year left!

Am I really going to give up like this?

Is the humiliation of being publicly jilted really something to swallow alone?

"Never underestimate a young person's potential..."

Xiao Fan clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"Master, I will not leave. Even if I only have one year left, I will do my utmost to stay on Qingyun Peak and cultivate!"

[The mission to retain Murong Tian is complete. You will receive a 10,000-fold return of the "Chaos Breathing Technique," along with a Skill Card Pack x1, a Skill Inheritance Card (containing beginner-level experience and allowing you to select a skill to inherit) x1, and a chance to win a prize x1.]

Hearing the voice echoing in his mind, Lin Zhou couldn't help but smile.

He's here! He's here! He's coming with the cheat code!