The Strongest Sect of All Times

A rare encounter with the brightest genius in the past thousand years?

Disciples who were practicing in the area stared and whispered, “He isn’t Xiao Zuiji of the Xiao Family of Liyang City, is he?”

"At the age of ten, he was found to have a superior-grade spiritual root. At the age of twelve, he was a super genius at the 12th stage of Meridian Opening."

"But those glories are in the past. Five years ago, his spiritual root and cultivation base slowly degraded, causing him to end up as an ordinary person. Even his fiancée came to ask for divorce."

"The Xiao Family expelled him and there was no further news about him. I didn’t expect for him to be reduced to a beggar."

Every disciple shook his head.

At that time, Xiao Zuiji was an influential figure in Qingyang County — Li Qingyang was hardly comparable.

But now?

The former unparalleled genius was reduced to waste and begging on the streets, which really made people feel pity.

Xiao Zuiji, who was walking step by step out the door, heard the discussion and was frustrated. "I'm just trash now. How can I get back what I lost?"

Li Qingyang wanted to say more.

"Qingyang," Jun Changxiao stepped out, leaning at Lu Qianqian's previous position. "He doesn't even respect himself. No need to comfort him anymore; he would be useless even after joining the Ironbone Unyielding Sect."

Li Qingyang was silent.

Xiao Zuiji continued to walk away, his back hunched and depressed.

Ta.

As he reached the stone steps of the gate, he stopped and turned around. “Sect Head Jun, many thanks for the treatment. This grace, Xiao Zuiji will keep in his heart."

Jun Changxiao indifferently said, "If I had known you lacked self-respect, I wouldn’t have bothered to save your life. Instead, I might have handed you a sharp knife, which you could use to quickly kill yourself."

Li Qingyang: "…"

Lu Qianqian picked at the green silk of her sleeves. “Sect Head's speech is also very damaging."

Xiao Zuiji expressionlessly said, "Yeah, I shouldn't be alive."

Jun Changxiao pointed outside and indifferently said, "After you leave, there will be a cliff to your left. If you want to die, just jump down. Perhaps you might survive and meet a fortuitous encounter."

"…"

The corners of Li Qingyang’s mouth twitched.

When did the sect head become as poisonous as Senior Sister?

Xiao Zuiji said with a smile, "When I fell from genius to waste, I was destined to have no more fortuitous encounters and opportunities."

"Fortuitous encounters are for the prepared. A self-deprecating guy like you wouldn’t get such an opportunity even if it fell from the sky and hit you on the head" Jun Changxiao indifferently continued, "Before leaving, this Lord will tell you something. There are no people born powerful in this world, only those with a strong will. Whether genius or trash talent, without a strong heart, they really are just waste.”

Not born powerful, only those with a strong will?

Xiao Zuiji's body shook slightly, his blank eyes gradually becoming brighter.

Jun Changxiao crossed his arms. "If you can’t even understand this, then get out of here."

Xiao Zuiji stood still, not leaving at all.

At the Hundred Sects Recruitment, he’d seen Jun Changxiao offering advice to various cultivators and his previously depressed will had been moved.

After struggling for a while, he decided to go to the Ironbone Sect, hoping to follow Sect Head Jun and rebuild his martial dao.

For this reason, he went to Huyang City and stole House Ai’s medicinal pills.

What sort of medicinal pill, you might ask?

A pill that could temporarily raise his cultivation base. 

Xiao Zuiji knew that there were definitely conditions to join the Ironbone Sect. With his current low qualifications and lack of cultivation, he would definitely be rejected.

But stealing the medicinal pill ended in failure. He fled to this place in a panic, but was still caught up by the Ai Family, which was how he ended up getting beaten at the front gate.

Why had Jun Changxiao said such things?

All to remind Xiao Zuiji of his original intentions!

Jun Changxiao asked, "Can you tolerate being divorced and humiliated by your fiancée?"

Xiao Zuiji clenched his fists and bit his lip.

Jun Changxiao continued, "Don't you want to tell that short-sighted woman, tell the whole world, that life has its ups and downs? Don’t they know better than to bully the young and industrious? [1]"

"Not to bully the young and industrious…"

Xiao Zuiji's expression was still sluggish, but his heart seemed to have been stabbed with a sharp blade. All of a sudden, he became less frustrated. His clenched fists gradually loosened and scarlet blood dripped onto the stone, flowing from his palms.

"I will stop there. If you’re leaving, hurry up,” Jun Changxiao indifferently said.

Putong!

Xiao Zuiji suddenly turned around, kneeling on the ground with his cheeks covered with tears. "Sect Head Jun, I want to join the Ironbone Unyielding Sect. I want to be stronger, I want to get back everything I lost! "

At that moment, the pain he suffered, the heart he wanted to strengthen, was released in a cry.

Li Qingyang, Lu Qianqian, and all the disciples present were watching Xiao Zuiji. No one laughed at the man crying.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the side mission. You have received 5 sect contribution points.]."

[Ding! Sect contribution: 34/100.]

"Hu!" Jun Changxiao heaved a sigh of relief, secretly thinking, Finally restored confidence to this guy.

It turns out that when Xiao Zuiji turned to leave, the system released a side mission, which was to let the fallen genius Xiao Zuiji regain confidence in his martial dao.

"Qingyang." Jun Changxiao said, "Let's go through the formalities. Remember to make him clean up the blood in the outer courtyard."

"Yes!"

Li Qingyang hurried over.

With respect to what Sect Head said just now, the disciples who had been staring cast their gazes to the ground.

Jun Changxiao looked towards the disciples and solemnly lectured,  "Just keep in mind that to this Lord, there is no such thing as ‘genius’ or ‘trash’ talent in this world, nor are people born powerful, only those born with the will to be strong!"

"Yes!" the disciples shouted in unison.

When they thought of what their sect head had just said — not to look down on the youth because times change — the disciples felt their blood burn with excitement.

……

"Hu-hu."

In the great hall, Jun Changxiao poured himself a cup of tea, then reclined on the back of his seat. “Restoring a depressed guy’s confidence… I really admire my eloquence.” 

The system notified: [The majority of the sect disciples are not talented. Accepting another one with low qualifications will only slow down the sect’s development.]

Jun Changxiao let his chin rest on the back of his hands, asking with a smile, “Don’t you realize that it is very fulfilling to cultivate them into powerhouses?”

The system was silent.

Jun Changxiao raised Xiao Zuiji’s confidence in the pursuit of martial arts because of the side mission.

As for taking him into the sect, it was more a matter of sympathy. After all, a former genius was reduced to waste, humiliated and expelled from the family. It was too pathetic.

"Sect Head."

Li Qingyang came up to him and handed in the entry form saying, "Junior Brother Xiao's entry form has been filled out."

Jun Changxiao took a casual look before stamping it with the sect head’s seal. 

[Ding! Sect members: 100/100.]

"Is there no contribution reward?"

[Members have previously reached the upper limit. Due to death and eviction, there will not be a second reward.]

"Ok."

Jun Changxiao shook his head.

[Ding! The system has detected that the sect has reached maximum capacity, meeting the requirements for ‘sect tasks’ initiation.]

Hearing the beep, Jun Changxiao almost vomited blood.

No wonder the ‘sect tasks’ have been temporarily absent. It turns out that it was because the sect hadn’t reached full capacity!

Shua!

He hurriedly opened the Strongest Sect System’s user interface, where he saw the newly generated sect task information: [Sect task available, click for details.],

Jun Changxiao hurriedly clicked for more details and a small data panel popped up, presenting a list of tasks. 

The content was as follows:

[Help Wang Dazhen of Qingyang Village clean the courtyard {Recommendation Index: ★}

Help Qingyang Village's granddaughter water and fertilize the vegetables {Recommendation Index: ★}

Help villagers in Qingyang Village write letters {Recommendation Index: ★}

Help Qingyang Village find the missing Little Huang {Recommendation Index: ★★}

Help the villagers of Qingyang Village eradicate the wolves  {Recommendation Index: ★★★}

……]

A large number of tasks were listed, likely numbering more than forty or fifty. However, Jun Changxiao only glanced at the first few items before collapsing on his seat. 

“What shitty missions!”

[1] 三十年河東，三十年河西; lit. ‘thirty years the river flows east, thirty years later the river flows west’