Chapter 1: A Hell-like Beginning

“Senior Brother, good morning.”

“Senior Brother, hello!”

“Senior Brother, you look radiant today!”

Lu Fengmian walked from the side hall of Luo Xia Peak to the martial arts ground of the main peak, his steps light yet steady.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe, spotless and immaculate, and his hair was bound with a jade crown, setting off his handsome and graceful features.

Along the way, whether he met inner-sect or outer-sect disciples, he would give a slight nod in greeting, a gentle smile on his face.

Without the least excess or deficiency, he was exactly the upright and flawless First Disciple of the Sect Master in everyone’s heart—the Senior Brother of Lingyun Sect.

Smile, nod, smile again.

Deep within the sea of his consciousness, an emotionless mechanical voice sounded at precisely the most appropriate moment:

【Daily mission “Morning Greetings” completion rate: 18%. Host, please mind your bearing. A perfect senior brother must always pay attention to his public image.】

The corner of Lu Fengmian’s eye twitched involuntarily.

Three years had already passed, yet he still was not used to the extra voice in his head—especially one that kept driving him onward whenever he wanted to slack off or was about to lose control of his facial expression.

He rolled his eyes inwardly:

“Got it, got it. I’ve always kept it up, haven’t I? By the way, System, when I woke up this morning, I found a fine line at the corner of my eye. Does that count as a work injury? Can you give me something like an ‘Eternal Youth Pill’?”

【Host facial condition check: Good. The fine line caused by sleeping on your side last night had already faded naturally. It disappeared after about the time it takes one incense stick to burn. Please focus and do not be distracted.】

“Tch, you won’t even let me have a single wrinkle on my face. Your standards are stricter than an entertainment industry manager’s.” Lu Fengmian muttered inwardly, yet the smile on his face became even gentler.

*

Lu Fengmian, had originally been nothing more than an utterly unremarkable modern corporate employee. Three years ago, he had died suddenly from overwork. After closing his eyes, he woke to find that he had transmigrated into this world of immortal cultivation, where people were said to be able to fly, burrow into the earth, and live forever.

Before he even had time to get excited, he was bound by something that called itself the “Perfect Senior Brother System.”

At first, Lu Fengmian had thought this was Heaven rewarding diligence, handing him the script of a dragon-among-men protagonist—the kind who advanced a thousand miles in cultivation in a single day, who cut down gods if gods blocked his path, cut down Buddhas if Buddhas blocked his path, with confidants spread across the world.

But what was the result?

The system’s ultimate mission had been very clear:

【Cultivate the host into an irreplaceable, perfect senior brother in the eyes of everyone in Lingyun Sect.】

At the time, Lu Fengmian had been stunned. “Wait, where’s the overpowered male lead script? What kind of job description is this ‘perfect senior brother’?”

The System had answered coldly:

【This system is the “Perfect Senior Brother System,” dedicated to cultivating the most perfect senior brother in the immortal cultivation world. The host must reach the highest level in all aspects, including cultivation, character, prestige, and leadership. 】

“And the rewards? If I complete the tasks, I’ll definitely get some benefits, right?”

【For each completed task, the host will receive corresponding rewards such as cultivation improvement, comprehension of cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, magical artifacts, and more. Upon achieving the final accomplishment “Perfect Senior Brother,” the host will obtain invincible power in this life.】

Sounded good? At the time, Lu Fengmian had still held onto a trace of hope.

Until he saw the task details.

—Every day, he had to warmly greet no fewer than fifty disciples.

—He had to regularly guide his junior brothers and junior sisters in cultivation, and answer their questions.

—He had to mediate disputes among disciples and maintain harmony within the sect.

—He had to assist the various peak masters and deacons with certain affairs.

—He had to represent the sect at all kinds of major events in the immortal cultivation world, while maintaining a good image.

-He had to...

A dragon-among-men protagonist? Nonexistent.

This was clearly the ultimate hybrid job combining super nanny, gold-medal mediator, psychological counselor, and sect image ambassador all in one! And the kind that never got a break!

Even more absurdly, when he had first transmigrated, the very first mission the system gave him had been: “Join Lingyun Sect, the number one sect in the world.”

And his identity at the time—was an orphaned mortal with dead parents, trapped in the wilderness, penniless, and unable even to guide qi into his body.

Lu Fengmian had stared at the glittering golden mission prompt in the sea of his consciousness and remained silent for the time it took to drink an entire cup of tea.

Then he could not help but curse.

“System, are you messing with me? When other people transmigrate, they’re either noble young masters or big shots from a sect. Young masters, or at least commoners with talent for immortal cultivation. Me? It was already miserable enough that I transmigrated into an orphan, and now I still had to become the senior brother of the number one sect in the world? What kind of Hell-like opening is this? Even hell difficulty isn’t this hard!”

He collapsed beneath a crooked tree and gazed at the towering mountain range in the distance, wreathed in clouds and mist.

That was where Lingyun Sect was located, the number one sect in the cultivation world. It was said that within the sect, Golden Core cultivators were more common than dogs, Nascent Soul cultivators could be seen everywhere, and there were even several Great Ascension elders.

As for him? Aside from the tattered coarse cloth clothes on his body, all he had in his mind was that unreliable system.

【Detected that the host’s emotions are fluctuating violently. In view of the high difficulty of the current mission, this system will now issue a beginner’s gift pack to help the host begin smoothly.】

“Beginner’s gift pack?” Lu Fengmian’s eyes lit up. “Finally, a bit of humanity—wait, what’s that?”

【Package name: Heaven-Sent Opportunity】

“That sounded impressive. How was he supposed to use it?”

The package had already been opened for the host.

The moment the system’s voice ended, before Lu Fengmian could even react, he heard an ear-splitting “Boom!” from above his head!

The sound made his eardrums ache, and the entire sky suddenly darkened.

A dazzling white light tore through the clouds, carrying a force sufficient to destroy the heavens and extinguish the earth, and shot straight toward where he was!

“What—?!”

Lu Fengmian was terrified out of his wits. His soul nearly left his body as he scrambled in a panic to dodge to the side.

The white light fell, nearly brushing against his clothes, and with another “Boom!”, smashed into the place where he had just been sitting, blasting out a pit three zhang wide and bottomless in depth.

The shockwave hurled him away, and he rolled several times across the ground before finally stopping.

Dust flew everywhere, and lightning crackled at the bottom of the pit.

Lu Fengmian sprawled on the ground, his heart pounding wildly. Only after quite a while did he recover his breath.

Then he got angry.

“System! What kind of ‘opportunity’ is this?! Were you trying to kill me so I could reincarnate in my next life and live a better one?! Is there something wrong with your factory settings, you piece of junk system? I want to file a complaint! I want a replacement System ! ”

【Warning: This system is uniquely bound and cannot be unbound, nor can it be replaced. The gift pack effect has already taken effect. Please wait patiently, host.】

“Wait for what? For the next bolt of lightning to strike me into a charred corpse?” Lu Fengmian was practically on the verge of tears.

He lay beneath the tree, staring at the blue sky, and began seriously reflecting on just what kind of sins he had committed.

In his previous life, he had died suddenly from overwork. At the very start of this life, he had been struck by lightning again, and still had to complete the Hell-like mission of being a “perfect senior brother.”

“It’s over, everything’s over,” he murmured.

“Forget joining Lingyun Sect. Right now, I can’t even walk out of this mountain. System, let’s talk. Couldn’t you lower the requirements a little? No need for the number one Sect — it’d be fine to go be a senior brother at some third-rate, unknown sect instead…”

【Target sect has been locked: Lingyun Sect. The mission cannot be changed.】

Lu Fengmian closed his eyes and completely gave up struggling.

Just as he was preparing to resign himself to fate, the sound of wind being split suddenly came from the sky.

The sound came from far away at incredible speed and, in an instant, reached directly above his head.

Lu Fengmian subconsciously opened his eyes.

He saw a deep black radiance rise from the horizon and land steadily not far in front of him.

The radiance dispersed, revealing a man dressed in a black daoist robe patterned with cloud motifs. He looked to be around middle age, yet his aura was unfathomably profound.

His hands were clasped behind his back. There was no oppressive pressure around him, yet it felt as though he existed in perfect harmony with heaven and earth. Simply by standing there, he gave others the feeling of gazing up at a towering peak.