The clouds parted, not from divine will… but from the force of a flying teenager.
Wei Yun soared through the air, limbs flailing, blood trailing from his cracked lips. Behind him, atop the sacred platform of the Blue Mist Sect, a group of elders stared down at him like he was a fly that dared land on a dragon's snout.
"Trash like you dares to request entry into our sect?" one elder scoffed, brushing off his sleeve as if Wei Yun's existence had soiled his fashion. "Your meridians are broken. Your spirit root is impure. Your luck is worse than a cursed chicken. BEGONE!"
With a resounding CRACK, Wei Yun's body slammed into the stone steps below the mountain peak.
He tumbled.
And tumbled.
And then tumbled a bit more, with the grace of a wounded goose attempting parkour.
By the time he stopped, his hair looked like a bird's nest that had lost a war with a thunderstorm, and his left shoe was nowhere to be found.
He lay there, coughing up blood and pride, staring at the sky with the thousand-yard-stare of someone reevaluating life choices.
"...Well," he wheezed, "That went better than expected."
---
Let's rewind a bit.
Wei Yun was the son of a minor elder in the Red Leaf Clan, a mid-tier family known for growing spiritual herbs and producing incredibly average disciples. At the age of ten, he awakened his spirit root.
It was…
Crimson-Spotted Root of Shattered Misfortune.
According to ancient texts, it was so rare that no one bothered to write anything good about it.
It did have one unique effect, though: anyone cultivating near him had a 13.7% higher chance of sudden diarrhea during breakthroughs.
Needless to say, he was declared cursed. No sect would accept him. His own clan exiled him by "accidentally" pushing him down the cliff during a group picnic.
Now at 17, desperate and broke, Wei Yun had tried to get accepted into Blue Mist Sect, hoping for at least a janitor position.
Instead, he got free flying lessons.
---
As he lay flat on the stone steps, something strange happened.
A pulse of cold energy surged through his spine. The sky above darkened, but only for him. A tiny black book appeared above his chest, glowing with ominous purple light and malicious intent.
DING!
> [Heaven-Defying Tome has found a compatible host!]
[Analyzing… confirmed: Host is the most pathetic cultivator on this continent.]
[Initiating binding process.]
Wei Yun's eyes twitched. "...Excuse me?"
> [Binding complete!]
[Congratulations! You have awakened the Inverse Dao System—because you suck so hard that Heaven accidentally opened a cheat menu.]
"…I—What?!"
> [New Mission Available:
Title: 'Triple Humiliation Combo!'
Objective: Get rejected by two more sects in one day.
Reward: +1 Inverse Dao Point, +1 Cursed Technique: Laughing Fist of the Rejected Clown
Failure Penalty: System will play sad flute music every time you walk.]
"…I hate everything about this."
> [You're welcome.]
---
With zero dignity, half a robe, and a dislocated shoulder, Wei Yun limped his way to the Golden Flame Pavilion, another sect that rejected him before—but hey, the system needed two more humiliations, right?
He staggered into their gates like a wounded goblin begging for a job application.
"Hello… would you like to reject me today?"
The gatekeeper blinked. "...Who are you?"
"I'm Wei Yun. Please reject me harshly."
"What?"
"Extra points if you insult my fashion sense or compare me to donkey dung."
"…You're weird."
He raised his hand. "AND I'M POOR!"
The sect elder arrived, stared at him, and said, "You're a disgrace to the Dao. We reject you with maximum prejudice."
> [DING! Rejection #2 recorded! One more to go!]
Wei Yun bowed, blood leaking from his nose. "Many thanks, Senior!"
---
By the time he reached the Falling Snow Sect, he was limping, bleeding, and coughing up sarcasm. He didn't even make it to the inner gate—he passed out in a bush while whispering, "Reject meeee…"
That night, as lightning cracked the skies, the Heaven-Defying Tome spoke again.
> [DING! Rejection #3 detected.
Mission Complete!
You've unlocked your first Inverse Dao Technique—Fist of the Fallen Trash!]
[This technique grows stronger the more you're mocked during battle.]
"…So my power source is being insulted? I'm a punching bag cultivator?!"
> [Correct. You are trash. And you will become the Strongest Trash in the Realms.]
---