"Senior Brother, you know me. I've never had great ambitions. I just want to remain an ordinary disciple of the Guiding Heart Sect. Still, I've been practicing the Guiding Heart Technique and the One-Character Sword Style diligently. Occasionally taking a few junior brothers and sisters down the mountain for trials is no problem at all."
"You…" Senior Brother Riku Hakurei shook his head, already well aware of his junior's temperament, and did not press further. Instead, he pulled a small cloth pouch from his robe and placed it in front of Hokuto.
"A gift for you. A birthday present," Riku said with a smile, then added, "Though it's a bit late."
Hokuto paused, chopsticks in hand, and rubbed his sore nose before saying softly, "Senior Brother, even while you were traveling down the mountain, you still remembered? Honestly, I had already forgotten."
"How could I forget? This year marks your twentieth birthday—a milestone. I wanted to rush back to celebrate with you, but I simply couldn't free myself."
"Senior Brother…"
Seeing Hokuto's eyes turn slightly red, Riku picked up a slice of beef and placed it in Hokuto's bowl, sighing lightly: "Time flies. In the blink of an eye, you've already been on the mountain for five years. I can still clearly remember the first time I saw you. Hahaha."
"Yes… it's been five years already." Hokuto let out a heavy sigh, his heart equally filled with emotion.
Five years ago, he had suddenly transmigrated into this chaotic, sect-ridden fantasy world.
And Heaven, as though eager to give him no time for adjustment, immediately hurled at him one cliché situation after another.
First, he was an orphan. At the time, he was living in his uncle's household, forced to endure his aunt's constant sneers and vicious mockery.
"What? I can't even scold you a little, you worthless freeloader?"
"At least if I raised a dog, it could guard the house. You—what use are you?"
"Hmph. Can't even mop the floor properly. When you grow up, you'll definitely be a useless waste. You'll just keep sponging off us for food and lodging."
…
How could Hokuto tolerate this? He hadn't traveled across worlds just to live like this. He was supposed to be the protagonist! Why should he put up with such humiliation!?
So, at dinner that night, he slammed his rice bowl to pieces, pointed at his ugly, bloated aunt, and roared:
"Damn it, I must have sinned for eighteen lifetimes to end up with a pig-faced shrew like you! A human face with a dog's heart—living like a beast. From today onward, I'm done with your wretched house! Go choke on your own filth!"
Having vented his rage, Hokuto spun around and stormed out of the shabby straw hut, bidding farewell forever to a life of groveling under another's roof.
But after just one night, Hokuto wilted.
The reason? Hunger.
When he had run out, it was purely on impulse. He hadn't brought even a single flatbread, let alone any money.
So that night he shivered with cold and starved in misery. By sunrise, he stood lingering in front of a bun shop for nearly twenty minutes before the owner barked "Get lost!" three times in rising pitch and drove him away.
Still, Heaven never truly abandons a transmigrator.
At dusk, as Hokuto sat in the corner of a warm wall, a kind-looking old priest appeared before him, handing him a fragrant sesame flatbread. The priest spoke gently:
"Eat, child."
Hokuto had been starving far too long. He didn't dare refuse or even hesitate. He muttered thanks, grabbed the bread, and devoured it ravenously.
"Slowly, slowly. Don't choke. When you're finished, I have more." The priest offered a gourd of water as well. "Ah, such a pitiful child."
"Th…thank you, Master Priest." Hokuto gulped down the water in great swigs. At that moment, tears spilled from his eyes—whether because the bread was too fragrant or the water too cold, he could not say.
After finishing two whole flatbreads, he finally felt alive again. He bowed deeply, thanking the priest again and again.
"No need to thank me." The priest waved his hand lightly and then asked with a smile: "Do you know why, among all the starving children on this street, I chose to give bread only to you?"
Hokuto shook his head. "I don't know."
"Because I see in you an extraordinary bone structure—an inborn talent for martial cultivation. Within three years, you will surely become one of the most outstanding disciples of my Hi no Kagutsuchi Sect."
The instant the priest finished speaking, three glowing options appeared before Hokuto's eyes.
[Option One: Immediately say, "Master, please accept me as your disciple." Reward: Flameheart Physique (High Yellow Grade).][Option Two: "I have never met such a lofty master before. May I ask what kind of place the Hi no Kagutsuchi Sect is?" Reward: Blazing Flame Saber (Mid Yellow Grade).][Option Three: Politely decline the master's offer. Reward: Random Basic Attribute +1.]
'Aha! The system has arrived!'
Hokuto's heart leapt with delight. Transmigrator benefits really were incredible. Two blessings in one stroke—a benevolent old master and a system!
'So this is the legendary protagonist treatment? Too good to be true!'
He immediately fell into deep thought: Should he pick the first or the second option?
Option One… might make him look too eager, but that Flameheart Physique seemed perfectly suited for the Hi no Kagutsuchi Sect. Clearly, the system had prepared it just for him.
Option Two… would let him flatter the priest, appear cautious, and still earn a fine weapon. The Blazing Flame Saber sounded equally fitting for the sect.
As for Option Three? Only a fool would take it! To reject such a heaven-sent opportunity, and for just one measly attribute point? Worthless. Not even a consolation prize.
After much hesitation, Hokuto still chose Option One. After all, a physique seemed far more valuable—it might even allow him to train twice as effectively in the beginning stages.
"Master, please accept me as your disciple!"
Having made his choice, Hokuto dropped to his knees and cried out with utmost sincerity.
The priest smiled faintly, reached down to lift Hokuto up, and patted him on the shoulder.
"To become my disciple, it is possible. But first, you must pass a trial."
"Trial?" Hokuto blinked, then quickly nodded firmly. "I will do my best to succeed!"
"Good!" The priest nodded in satisfaction. With a sweep of his sleeve, he turned and said, "Then follow me."
"Yes!"
[Choice completed. New Quest: Apprenticeship Trial. Reward to be granted upon completion.][Quest Objective: Become the disciple of the Black-Robed Priest.]
'Huh? No immediate reward?'
Hokuto had thought simply saying the words would grant him the Flameheart Physique. Instead, it had only triggered a quest.
'Well… it's fine. At least it gives me something to look forward to.'
With that, Hokuto strode after the priest.
…
After two grueling days of travel, Hokuto finally arrived with the priest at the foot of a towering mountain.
"Hokuto, this place is called Mount Ryōshin. Your trial will take place here."
Still chewing on a leftover bread cake, Hokuto nodded eagerly. "Please rest assured, Master—I won't let you down!"
Over the journey, Hokuto had told the priest about running away from home and having no relatives. The priest, moved by sympathy, had looked after him every step of the way: warming his bread with Fire Palm when he was hungry, setting up a tent for him when he was tired.
Hokuto was overwhelmed with gratitude. In his heart, he vowed: Once I master true skills, I'll repay Master tenfold.
(End of Chapter)