Location: Lotus Sun Sect Main Pavilion
Time: Morning After the Haunted Laundry Incident
Mood: Dangerously close to becoming a protagonist
---
Word spread fast.
By sunrise, everyone knew I'd survived the Cold Ravine, "banished the laundry ghost," and possibly made out with a haunted bedsheet. I didn't, for the record. But rumors in this sect evolve faster than spirit beasts on crack.
So of course… the sect summoned me.
---
Inside the Grand Pavilion:
Nine elders stood in a half-circle. Glowing robes. Floating hair. Dangerous auras.
I knelt in the center like a bug being interviewed before execution.
Elder Lianhua sat cross-legged at the front, sipping spirit tea and looking mildly amused.
To her right stood a new face.
Elder Bai Hanyue — graceful, deadly, ice-cold. Sect's frost arts master.
To her left, another new figure.
Elder Ruo Fei — wide sleeves, musical flute hanging at her waist, a flirtatious smirk.
---
"Disciple Arin," Elder Lianhua said. "Explain the events."
"I didn't flirt with the ghost," I blurted.
Everyone blinked.
"…We didn't ask that," said Elder Bai flatly.
"Then we're already off to a terrible start."
---
I recounted the ruin. The mini-boss. The demonic illusions. The cursed pants.
Somewhere during my report, Elder Ruo Fei started chuckling behind her fan.
"Such chaos follows you," she said. "Tell me, Disciple Arin… do you intend to stumble into legacy plots?"
"Absolutely not. It just… happens."
---
> [System Notification:]
New Characters Logged:
Name: Elder Bai Hanyue
Ice Cultivation Master
Specializes in emotional suppression techniques
Thinks you're suspicious
Name: Elder Ruo Fei
Sound Element Grandmaster
Plays flute during executions
Finds you "amusing"
---
Then Yue Lan entered.
She bowed formally. "Arin fought with resolve. He risked himself in the Cold Ravine, twice."
Elder Bai blinked. "Twice?"
"I may have gotten lost once," I mumbled.
Lin Yumei followed after, crossing her arms. "He's dumb, but he's persistent."
That… might be the nicest thing she's ever said.
---
After a long pause, Elder Lianhua declared:
"You are hereby promoted to Inner Disciple – Provisional."
The room gasped. I gasped. My system glitched.
> [System Alert:]
YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO RANK UP YET.
Real reward meant for "Heavenly War God System."
Redirecting side mission flags…
You gain: "Spiritual Closet Token"
(Opens a wardrobe. No power increase.)
---
I was officially leveled up. By mistake. Again.
And the best part?
I got a new robe.
And a room with a door.
---
Later that day…
Yura dropped into my new room through the window.
"You! You touched a ghost girl?!"
"I didn't touch her! She cursed me lightly and gave me laundry tips!"
"You're hopeless."
"But charming!"
"…No."
---
Yue Lan stopped by too.
"Congratulations. You're rising… though the path still bends oddly for you."
I raised an eyebrow. "That almost sounded like a compliment."
She turned to leave. "Don't ruin it by talking."
---
Night fell.
I lay in my new bed. Real blanket. No rats.
That's when a breeze stirred my curtain.
A faint shimmer.
And the whisper of ghost-laughter.
Lin Xue was watching.
---
> [System Thread Update:]
Your spiritual affinity with spirits has grown.
Ghosts may be drawn to you.
(System is unsure if this is good or bad.)
Secret Quest Branch: "The Forgotten Disciple Sect" – Unlocked (to be triggered in Chapter 25+)
---
Meanwhile, far away…
A masked figure received a scroll.
"Target: Arin. Unstable. Unlikely threat."
They threw it into fire.
"No threat becomes a threat… unless shaped."