WDMJST 05

Chapter – 05

When Did My Sect Get a Cringe-Overlord?!

The sun hung high overhead.

The bluestone plaza shimmered with heat.

More and more people were gathering.

The disciples of Guixi Sect — those weird, glitchy ones — were all rushing over.

They weren’t flying over roofs or crashing their swords into walls this time.
They were walking, but every step was filled with urgency.

They formed a loose circle, surrounding Lin Qingfeng and Su Ling’er in the middle.

Every gaze focused on her — the very first native NPC of their sect.

There was no malice in their eyes, but there was something that made her deeply uncomfortable.

It was the gleam of curiosity when discovering a new toy,
the heat of a hunter spotting a rare prey,
the ecstatic joy of rain after a long drought.

But why?

Why weren’t they paying attention to the two “demonic cultivators” who just died,
or the senior brother who killed them,
but instead… focusing all that intensity on her, the newest disciple?

No. She mustn’t panic.

She forced her lips into a polite, awkward smile,
trying to mimic the elegant manners of the noble ladies she’d read about in storybooks.

She bowed slightly and said,
“Greetings, senior brothers…”

Her graceful but slightly clumsy movements immediately caused a stir among the crowd.

“Junior Sister, hello!!”
“Junior Sister, do you have a special background?!”
“Junior Sister, don’t mind those two idiots!”
“Junior Sister, do you have a rare bloodline?!”
“Junior Sister, are you from a hidden clan?”
“Junior Sister, are you rich? Do you have spirit stones?!”
“@#￥%!%…”

The chatter overlapped into chaos.
She could make out a few words, but most were just whispers.

What were they even talking about?
Why were they all so excited just because a new disciple joined?

Su Ling’er lowered her gaze and quietly circulated the tiny bit of spiritual energy inside her.

That little power was the result of three years of bitter cultivation — pitifully weak.

Her old sect, the Pure Void Monastery, never liked wasting resources on someone of poor aptitude.

Three spirit stones per month, and a basic cultivation method —
for an outer disciple, that was already considered an enormous favor.

But that weak spiritual power now served a purpose.

It wrapped around her ears, and instantly, the noise around her dimmed.
Every whispered conversation became crystal clear.

“Hey, look — that’s her, right?”
“Our sect’s first living… ahem, native disciple?”
“No doubt! Senior Brother Lin personally brought her back!”
“Forget that! What I wanna know is… what happens if she dies?”
“Shhh! Are you crazy? Don’t even think about that!”
“It took Senior Brother ages to trick one in — you wanna scare her off?!”

Su Ling’er’s smile froze.

Her blood seemed to stop flowing.
Cold crept up her spine.

The world fell silent — only those few lighthearted sentences echoed in her mind.

“If she dies…”
“Tricked one in…”

What… what did that mean?

Two people just died moments ago — was that not enough?
Did they want to offer her up next?!

Her thoughts spun wildly in terror, piecing together fragments of dread.

So that’s it…

Their sect’s progress had hit some kind of bottleneck.

And that bottleneck required a special catalyst —
a sacrifice —
to break through!

And she, the newly arrived “disciple,”
was the one they’d been waiting for all along!

So that “what if she dies” comment…

They never intended to let her live!

I just joined!
I barely escaped death once already!
And now you want to kill me again?!

Then that so-called “Sect Master” I met before…
Everything he said — it might all be true!

These people really are a remnant of some ancient demonic sect —
using human sacrifices to unseal forbidden rituals!

But why wait for people to join voluntarily instead of capturing them?
Maybe there’s some deeper conspiracy behind it…

Horrifying scenes flashed through her mind —

She saw herself tied to a cold altar,
surrounded by fanatical demonic cultivators chanting strange incantations.
Their ritual tools glowed as they began draining her life, her spirit, her very essence…

Tears welled up in her heart, but she forced a trembling smile on her face.

She even lifted a hand, waving lightly at those “demons” around her.

Come then.

For the sake of righteousness…
For the sake of all living beings…
Su Ling’er would uncover their evil plot!

Just as she was steeling herself for a tragic martyrdom, another conversation reached her ears.

“Cut the nonsense! Senior Brother Lin personally tricked her here.”
“Yeah, and when have you ever seen him care about anything? The guy’s usually half-dead from laziness.”
“Guess he finally got desperate.”
“Can’t blame him — we spent so much money already. If we can’t even get into that ‘Demon Suppression Grand Ceremony,’ that’d be pathetic!”

Money?
Demon Suppression Grand Ceremony?

What were those?

The Pure Void Monastery had never mentioned such things.

Was it some kind of grand gathering for demonic sects?
Or was her old sect just too low-ranked to even hear of it?

Her thoughts spun sharply again.

She slowly raised her head, her gaze landing on Lin Qingfeng.

I see now…

I won’t be sacrificed to the whole sect…

Because from the very beginning —
I was meant to be his personal spoils of war.

I’m not going to be a shared furnace for everyone —
I’m going to be his private cauldron!

What do I do?!

Fallen into the hands of a demon! My purity! My future!

Sect Master, oh Sect Master —
the Foundation Establishment path you promised me, the bright future you spoke of —
was this the price all along?!

While Su Ling’er battled despair,
Lin Qingfeng was basking in the envious gazes of his guildmates,
the atmosphere in the plaza reaching a strange, electric peak—

when suddenly—

“Move! Out of the way!”

A booming voice erupted.
The crowd split apart under an unseen force.

An old Daoist burst through the ranks.

He had white hair, rosy cheeks, and a washed-out robe — the picture of immortal elegance.
But his behavior utterly betrayed that image —
stumbling, frantic, completely ignoring everyone in his path, including Lin Qingfeng.

He charged straight toward Su Ling’er.

In front of everyone’s stunned eyes, he stopped,
his cloudy old eyes shining with emotion.

Then, with all his strength, he shouted:

“MOM!!!”

“…”

Time stopped.
The air froze solid.

Lin Qingfeng’s proud smile stiffened instantly.

What the—?!

When did our sect get a cringe-daddy roleplayer like this?!

Are you a spy from another guild sent to ruin our event?!

【Real World】

News Archive

Amid growing public concern over potential health risks from “deep immersion” gaming, the Ashes of Heaven Group has unexpectedly announced the launch of a Digital Vital Monitoring Program.

The company claims it will partner with leading health institutions to collect anonymized physiological data — with players’ consent — during gameplay.

According to the official statement, this is meant to “optimize the immersive experience and provide proactive well-being recommendations.”

Analysts widely view this move as a masterstroke of public relations.