---
Wei Yun awoke on a pile of moss, sticks, and what he hoped was not raccoon poop. His body ached, but the system's voice echoed like a smug bell inside his head.
> [You are now ready to found your own sect: Abandoned Sect!]
[Sect Level: 0 — So pathetic it's technically a solo hobby.]
[Requirements to Upgrade:
1 disciple (must willingly join)
Sect name (cannot be "Random Sect #42")
Headquarters (not a literal trash pile)]
Wei Yun blinked at his surroundings. Birds chirped in the distance. A tree creaked ominously. Something growled.
"Perfect. We're building an empire here."
He dragged himself upright and surveyed his 'territory'—a half-collapsed pavilion in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fog, dead trees, and a suspiciously aggressive mushroom patch.
"…Heaven help me, this is the ugliest plot of land in the world."
> [Correction: It's yours now.]
---
Wei Yun limped into the decrepit building. The roof leaked, the walls were missing half their wood, and a bat stared at him like he owed rent.
He looked around and muttered, "This is perfect."
> [Please name your sect.]
He raised one hand dramatically, channeling all the grandeur of an emperor.
"I hereby name it... the Sect of Glorious Suffering!"
> [Name rejected.]
[Suggested alternatives: "Sect of Sad Rejects," "Defiance Trash Co-op," or "Cult of Eternal Misery."]
"…You're lucky I'm too poor to uninstall you."
> [Finalized Name: Abandoned Sect. Motto: Failure is our foundation.]
[Congratulations, you are now a Sect Leader. Cultivate well, Great Trash Emperor.]
"…I miss getting rejected by other people."
---
Just as he was thinking about how to get his first disciple, fate answered—loudly.
A scream echoed in the distance. Then a blur crashed through the fog and into his clearing.
A teenage girl with torn robes and a bruised face tumbled into the courtyard. She had a spiritual sword, cracked and barely holding together. Her eyes darted around.
"W-who are you?! Are you one of them?!"
Wei Yun blinked. "One of what?"
Before she could explain, three robed figures leapt out of the mist, eyes glowing with killing intent.
"She has the Heaven-Mark Fragment! Kill her!"
Wei Yun threw up his hands. "Wait! This is a non-violent sect! We promote depression, not bloodshed!"
Too late.
The attackers charged.
---
One of the masked cultivators slashed toward Wei Yun.
> [Combat initiated!]
[Mock Level: Mild Disdain Detected.]
["Fist of the Fallen Trash" activated!]
His body moved on its own.
Wei Yun sidestepped—badly—and tripped over a rock. His foot flailed, accidentally kicking the attacker directly in the... "legacy."
The man screamed like a banshee and dropped like a broken kite.
Wei Yun blinked. "...Did I just—?"
The second attacker came in hot. Wei Yun ducked, panicked, swung a stick, and got lucky again. This time the system gave him a bonus:
> [Combo Bonus: Humiliating Victory!]
[Mocking Energy Absorbed: +3]
[Breakthrough Achieved! You have reached… Trash Tier Stage 2!]
Wei Yun stood over the unconscious attackers, panting.
The girl stared at him, eyes wide.
"You… you saved me?"
"I did?"
"You must be a hidden expert!"
Wei Yun paused. Then stood tall.
"…Yes. Yes I am. And you've just entered the domain of the Abandoned Sect. Welcome, lost disciple. May your journey be miserable."
---
The girl dropped to one knee. "Please accept me, Master!"
> [Congratulations! You've received your first disciple: Yu Shuang – Potential Grade: ??? (Heaven-Scarred Fate Holder)]
[Abandoned Sect has leveled up to Level 1!]
[New Feature Unlocked: Sect Notice Board — System Missions now visible to all members.]
[New Quest: "Train Your Disciple Without Accidentally Killing Her"]
Wei Yun stared at the girl.
Yu Shuang stared back, full of admiration.
The fog parted just slightly, and for the first time, the dilapidated ruins looked a little less tragic.
Maybe—just maybe—this was the start of something.
A sect for the broken. A haven for the hopeless. A home for the discarded.
A family of misfits that would one day spit in the face of fate.
> [System Message: Brace yourself, Lord Trash. Greatness begins with disaster.]
---