The Skyjade Sect Inner Court wasn't just a place of authority—it was a terrifying combination of spiritual bureaucracy, ancient arrogance, and a distinct smell of medicinal tea mixed with incense that could knock out a mid-level alchemist.
Arin stood outside the court hall, fixing his robe for the tenth time. His sash was crooked, his sleeves slightly burnt from last night's "internal energy experiment," and his expression was the spiritual embodiment of I didn't sign up for this.
Beside him, Yue Lan looked flawless.
And annoyed.
"Stop fidgeting," she said.
"I'm not nervous," Arin lied.
"You're sweating like a demonic pig."
"That's just my aura. It's called mortal dread."
From behind them, Jun Bai sauntered in with the confidence of someone who had just lost his pride, regained it, and immediately tripped over it again. "Oh, this should be fun. I brought snacks."
"You brought snacks to a sect elder meeting?" Yue Lan frowned.
"Dried fruit buns," Jun Bai said, offering her one. "Want one?"
"...Yes."
Inside the hall, ten high seats circled a carved jade floor, forming a perfect cultivation formation. Each was occupied by a senior elder of the Skyjade Sect—most over 300 years old, all with facial expressions somewhere between judgmental and ancient disappointment.
At the head, Elder Lianhua, known as "The Blossom Iron Fist," sat cross-legged, sipping tea from a cup carved from thunder pearl.
"You are late," she said coolly.
Arin stepped forward. "Technically, we're fashionably early for the next disaster."
A long silence.
Yue Lan facepalmed.
Jun Bai bit into a fruit bun and mumbled, "We're all going to die."
Elder Mushi, the one who notoriously ran the sect's gambling den, chuckled. "I like this one. Put me down for another bet on his survival."
Elder Lianhua raised an eyebrow. "You are here because of the anomaly detected during the recent dungeon exploration. Explain, Arin."
Arin bowed as best as a sarcastic mortal could. "I encountered a corrupted system admin posing as a divine entity. He tried to erase me. I survived because the goddess who cursed me came down and flyswatted him into nonexistence."
The room was silent.
Elder Renshu blinked. "Did he say… flyswat?"
"Yes," Yue Lan muttered. "Yes, he did."
"Also," Arin added cheerfully, "my system was upgraded. I can now detect corrupted systems. So I'm basically a cosmic antivirus. But cooler."
Elder Lianhua frowned. "You… are the host of the Trash System, correct?"
"Proud owner. Though it's 2.1 now."
A few elders whispered among themselves.
Then Elder Mushi leaned forward. "And what do you plan to do with this ability?"
Arin smiled. "Annoy the multiverse until it gets fixed."
Jun Bai dropped his bun. "He's actually serious."
Elder Lianhua looked at Yue Lan. "And you vouch for him?"
Yue Lan sighed. "Unfortunately."
The elders whispered again, until Elder Lianhua raised a hand.
"Very well. You will be assigned a mission to verify your claim."
Arin blinked. "Wait. You believe me?"
"No," she said. "But we believe chaos follows you. And that, too, is useful."
Jun Bai burst out laughing.
[New Quest Assigned: Sect Trial – Investigate the Redmist Gorge]
[Objective: Identify System Corruption in the Abandoned Sect Outpost]
[Reward: Sect Contribution Points + One Artifact from Elder Mushi's "Special" Inventory]
[Note: Inventory items may include cursed toothbrushes and talking flutes]
Yura appeared suddenly at the hall entrance, holding a scroll. "Guess what! I'm going too!"
Arin blinked. "Why?"
"Because I bribed my sect with three spirit wines and a bet on you dying halfway through. Let's go!"
Elder Lianhua pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I sense calamity," she whispered.
Arin smiled. "You sense correctly."
As they left the chamber, Jun Bai whispered, "Redmist Gorge is cursed. No one's come back sane."
"Perfect," Arin replied. "We weren't sane to begin with."