At dawn, Heavenly Dao High pulsed with excitement. Floating banners read:
"Welcome to the Grand Sect Draft! Recruit Wisely, Regret Eternally! "
A giant stone platform hovered above the main plaza, rotating slowly in mid-air like a divine auction block. Rows of recruiters sat on hovering thrones made of clouds, beasts, treasure, or really loud branding choices. Each represented one of the Five Great Sects and the Twelve Lesser Ones.
At the edge of the courtyard, Zhao Tian cradled a bowl of spicy dumplings, still in pajamas and slippers. He was not impressed.
"I thought this was going to be a normal day."
Yin Xue'er stood beside him, arms folded, hair braided like a general awaiting war.
"This is the most cutthroat moment of first-year life," she said. "Sects draft talents like weapons. Prestige, resources, and harem points are all on the line."
Zhao sipped his dumpling broth. "You had me until harem points."
[System Alert: Sect Draft Event Triggered. Estimated Outcome: Glorious Chaos.]
[Upper Tier Providence System: Passive Activated – Recruiters will irrationally overestimate your potential.]
[Harem System: Top pick status will increase desirability by 63%. Bonus seduction aura active.]
[Corporate Cultivation System: Potential sponsorship offers inbound.]
[DNA System: Warning – avoid absorbing dragon DNA this early.]
Zhao rubbed his temple. "I didn't even register for this."
Yin Xue'er raised a brow. "You're on every ranking board. You broke the Spirit Spreadsheet, exposed a spy, tamed a thunder beast, and passed the Harem Trial with record speed."
"Oh, right. I forgot I was amazing."
The air shimmered as a booming voice rang across campus.
[NOW BEGINNING: THE GRAND SECT DRAFT – ROUND ONE.]
A blinding light shot upward as the Immortal Orchid Pavilion recruiter floated forward—a delicate man in silken robes, surrounded by birds and soft harp music. He gazed at Zhao Tian with deep reverence.
"We of the Immortal Orchid Pavilion would like to offer Zhao Tian full sect entry, a personal palace, and lifetime dumpling stipend."
Zhao blinked. "They know about the dumplings?"
Yin Xue'er nodded. "You were livestreamed."
The next recruiter—a woman clad in obsidian robes, dark flame coiling around her—stepped forward.
"I represent the Abyssal Flame Temple. Zhao Tian, join us and receive full body-tempering by Hellfire, a death-immune puppet body, and control over our elite assassin force."
"I do like not dying," Zhao muttered.
Then came the Nine Serpent Sect, whose elder arrived riding a giant snake.
"We'll give you our ancestral venom arts, a scaled palace, and three spirit wives up front."
Zhao's dumpling nearly dropped.
[Harem System: 3x New Candidate Slots. Offer Legitimate. Danger Level: Moderate.]
"Up front?" he whispered. "Like a romantic down payment?"
Before he could answer, the crowd erupted as The Upper Heaven Sword Alliance entered dramatically—sword petals dancing midair.
The recruiter didn't even speak. He simply sent a sword beam to carve "WE WANT ZHAO TIAN" into a mountain five miles away.
Zhao turned to Yin Xue'er. "I'm flattered, but also slightly terrified."
Then, an unexpected silence.
A ripple of nervous tension.
From a golden light above descended a phoenix carriage, pulled by heavenly cranes. On it sat a white-robed figure radiating celestial pressure and sheer smugness.
Yin Xue'er stiffened. "That's…"
[Now Entering: Grand Princess Bai Hua of the Celestial Management Sect.]
Zhao squinted. The woman had flawless skin, ten floating spirit contracts, and a squad of beauty cultivators fanning her with jade leaves. She looked him over like a rare artifact.
"Zhao Tian," she said, voice like honey-wrapped thunder. "The Dao told me you'd be mine."
Zhao raised an eyebrow. "The Dao also told me I'd be left alone forever. The Dao lies."
"I'm not offering," she said. "I'm claiming."
[Harem System: Warning – Grand Princess Bai Hua has forcibly triggered a "Celestial Marriage Pact."]
[Effect: You are now betrothed in three parallel realities.]
[Option to reject... unavailable.]
"I hate this school," Zhao muttered.
Yin Xue'er's eyes narrowed. "Do you want help murdering her?"
Zhao sighed. "Not yet. Let's hear all the offers first."
One of the Lesser Sects tried to speak up, but their mic talisman exploded from sheer power imbalance.
Zhao raised a hand.
"I'd like to thank all of you for offering to kidnap, adopt, wed, or brand me as your disciple."
Everyone leaned in.
"However," he said, licking dumpling oil from his fingers, "I have conditions."
Whispers spread like wildfire.
[Upper Tier Passive: All outrageous statements will be taken 89% seriously.]
Zhao cleared his throat. "One, I demand creative freedom in outfit design. I refuse to wear anything with unnecessary shoulder pads."
Murmurs.
"Two, I require my own dumpling workshop. Fully stocked."
Nods.
"And three—most important—I pick you, not the other way around."
He pointed.
Everyone turned to see a visibly confused janitor polishing spirit floors with a glowing broom.
"Yes," Zhao said dramatically. "Sect of the Unsung Mop. A true cultivator's path."
Silence.
Then the janitor bowed so deeply he cracked the tile.
[Achievement Unlocked: Rejected Every Major Sect Publicly. Harem Points +50. Fame +100.]
[New Sect Created: The Heavenly Mop Sect. Founder: Zhao Tian. Motto: "Sweep the Dao."]
The system went wild.
[Corporate Cultivation System: Domain Registration Confirmed. MopSect.org active.]
[Harem System: New Base of Operations Established. Dormitory Upgrade Incoming.]
[Upper Tier Providence: Misfortune converted to Fame.]
The recruiters were stunned, then angry, then—confusedly impressed.
"Did he just… found his own sect during the draft?" someone whispered.
Grand Princess Bai Hua's lips twitched. "I'll allow it. You'll come crawling back eventually."
"I'll come flying," Zhao corrected. "On a broom."
The crowd exploded into applause, laughter, bets, and confusion.
[Later That Evening – Dorm Room 404, Now Headquarters of the Heavenly Mop Sect]
Zhao sat on the balcony, dumplings steaming beside him, new sect token forged from a mop handle and some glittering fate thread.
Yin Xue'er arrived with tea and news.
"You have 43 recruitment requests."
"Delete."
"Three are princes. Two are disguised assassins. One might be a disguised dumpling."
He considered. "Keep the dumpling."
[System Alert: Sect Reputation +500. Weekly Events Unlocked. Harem Capacity Expanded to 15.]
[New Passive: Founder's Aura – Your words are taken as quasi-scripture by freshmen.]
Yin Xue'er smirked. "So. Sect founder, harem prodigy, and spreadsheet destroyer. What's next?"
Zhao leaned back.
"I open my dumpling shop. Train a few weirdos. And maybe… dethrone the heavens."
[Mission Unlocked: Host a Sect Orientation Event with Style.]
[Bonus Objective: Recruit at least one wildly inappropriate disciple.]
He grinned.
"Oh, I'll make it stylish."