The three Bai Clan men hesitated only for a breath. The ground's sudden tremor had startled them, but seeing no visible threat, their confidence returned.
"You're dead," the leader growled, raising his blade again.
Lin Xuanji took a single step forward, his heart hammering wildly.
He wasn't fearless.
He wasn't strong.
He wasn't even sure he could win.
But Ruolan was trembling behind him.
And that made the decision for him.
He lifted his hand. "System… any emergency combat skills? Sword techniques? Hidden power? A secret button labeled 'win'?"
(No.)
"Wow. Wonderful. Useless. Thank you."
Ruolan whispered, "Sect Master… please run. I—I can distract them."
Lin Xuanji flicked Ruolan's forehead without looking back. "You're the disciple. I'm the Sect Master. Stay behind me and look scared. You're doing great so far."
Ruolan blinked. "O-Oh…"
The attackers lunged.
Lin Xuanji moved.
Not elegantly.
Not skillfully.
But instinctively.
He dodged the first strike by tripping over a rock, rolled out of the second because he lost balance, and narrowly avoided the third by sheer panic-driven reaction.
The Bai clansman snarled. "Stop running!"
Lin Xuanji gasped, "I'm not running, I'm surviving!"
(Host's agility stat has temporarily increased.)
"Oh, NOW you help?"
(Only slightly.)
Lin Xuanji ducked under a slash and kicked the attacker's shin with all the force of a frustrated salaryman. The man howled, stumbling back.
Ruolan let out a tiny, shocked cheer. "Sect Master!"
"It's not skill!" Lin Xuanji wheezed. "It's desperation!"
The second clansman charged at him. Lin Xuanji reached out blindly—and his hand brushed the Sect Master's Token hanging at his waist.
The moment he touched it, the ground pulsed.
Just once.
But strong enough.
A wave of spiritual pressure radiated outward, knocking the attacker off his feet. The man rolled across the dirt like an overly dramatic stuntman and crashed into a tree.
Lin Xuanji blinked. "…System?"
(Host activated a defensive function of the Sect Master's Token. Accidental but effective.)
"…I'll take accidental!"
The leader cursed. "That's not possible! You're just a random mountain rat! How do you have—"
Lin Xuanji raised the token at him like a holy artifact. "I have property rights. Leave. Now."
The man growled and rushed him again.
Lin Xuanji panicked and threw the token.
The mountain answered.
The ground beneath the leader cracked open—not a massive chasm, just a tiny, humiliating ankle-deep pit. But the timing was perfect. The man stumbled forward and face-planted into the dirt with a muffled scream.
Ruolan gasped. "S-Sect Master defeated him with terrain!"
Lin Xuanji stared. "I… did…? I DID! SYSTEM! I DID—"
(Host's victory was 97% environmental assistance.)
"Shut up! I'll take 3%!"
The remaining clansman finally cracked. "T-This peak is cursed!"
He grabbed his two unconscious companions and dragged them away, stumbling down the mountain like his life depended on it.
Ruolan exhaled shakily. "Sect Master… you saved me."
Lin Xuanji straightened, dusting off his clothes, trying to look composed.
He failed.
"Of course I did," he said, chest puffed slightly. "As your Sect Master, I must—"
His legs gave out and he fell onto his backside.
Ruolan rushed forward. "Sect Master!"
"I'm… fine," Lin Xuanji wheezed. "Just… taking a heroic rest."
Ruolan laughed tearfully and helped him up.
The System chimed softly.
(Mission progress updated: Disciples protected — +10 Sect Points.)
Lin Xuanji blinked. "I… got points for that?"
(Host acted like a proper Sect Master. Reward granted.)
"…System," he whispered, "are you… complimenting me?"
(No.)
Ruolan smiled brightly.
The mountain hummed faintly, as if amused.
Lin Xuanji groaned, pushing himself fully upright.
"Alright. If this is what being a Sect Master is like…"
He cracked his knuckles.
"…then I better get good at it."