The morning sun bled gold across the misty peaks of the Falling Sword Sect. Birds chirped weakly, as if even they were too embarrassed to sing in a sect ranked dead last across the Nine Continents.
Shen Liang yawned and stretched, broom in hand. His eyes gleamed with quiet excitement.
"Qi Condensation, Stage Two," he muttered, glancing at the faint System panel. "At this rate, I'll reach immortality before the latrine collapses."
He began sweeping with rhythm — one hand behind his back, the other moving the broom in slow, precise arcs. His movements were steady, his breathing smooth; he was unconsciously channeling qi with each motion.
[Action Detected: Meditative Sweeping][XP Gained: +3]
The sect's outer disciples usually ignored him. After all, Shen Liang was just a laborer — someone who cleaned their messes, cooked their meals, and fixed their leaking roofs.
But today, a shadow fell over his broom.
"Hey, old man," a lazy voice drawled. "You're still sweeping? Shouldn't you be fetching water for the kitchens?"
Shen Liang looked up to see Liu Qiming, a young outer disciple known for his arrogance. Despite being only Qi Condensation Stage 3, he strutted like a sect elder.
"Ah, Young Master Liu," Shen Liang said cheerfully. "I was just sweeping the ground you're standing on. If you'd kindly move a step aside, I'd hate to clean you along with the dirt."
The other outer disciples nearby snickered. Liu Qiming's face darkened.
"Watch your mouth, laborer!" he snapped. "You think you can talk back to a disciple of the Falling Sword Sect?"
"I clean, cook, and repair everything here," Shen Liang replied calmly. "If we're talking contribution, I might be the real backbone of this sect."
That drew more laughter — but this time from the crowd, not Liu Qiming.
Liu's spiritual energy flared. "You dare humiliate me?" He grabbed his wooden practice sword, pointing it at Shen Liang. "Let's see how your tongue holds up after I beat you!"
Shen Liang blinked. "A duel? Against a broom?"
"Fine," he said with a grin. "But I must warn you — I've been sweeping floors for ten years. My broom technique has reached enlightenment."
The laughter grew louder. Even the elders at the far-off pavilion peeked curiously.
[Duel Initiated: Liu Qiming vs. Shen Liang][Difficulty: Low → Moderate]
The System's text flashed in Shen Liang's vision.
"System, do I get XP for winning this?" he asked silently.
[Affirmative. Reward depends on creativity and effort.]
"Perfect." Shen Liang's grin widened.
Liu Qiming lunged first. His sword hummed with unstable qi as he swung downward. Shen Liang sidestepped smoothly, letting the blade strike the ground.
Crack!
Dust burst upward. Shen Liang flicked his broom, sweeping the dirt straight into Liu Qiming's eyes.
"Argh! You—!"
[Action: Dirty Trick. +2 XP.]
Before Liu could recover, Shen Liang twirled the broom and struck his wrist, then his knee, then the back of his neck in one fluid motion.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Liu Qiming collapsed face-first onto the dusty earth, ending the duel with a humiliated grunt.
The watching disciples gaped.
"Did… did that laborer just beat Liu Qiming with a broom?"
Shen Liang calmly dusted the dirt from his sleeves. "Next time, Young Master," he advised coolly, "sweep your own ground before attempting to challenge others. One often trips over one's own arrogance."
The System chimed:
[Victory Achieved: Combat Reward +30 XP][Weapon Mastery (Broom) Lv.1 → Lv.2][Hidden Achievement: Defeat a Cultivator with Cleaning Equipment]
Shen Liang laughed under his breath. "Oh, heavens, this system's got humor too."
Later that day, while tending to the broken sword racks, Shen Liang heard murmurs echoing around the sect.
"The laborer beat Liu Qiming!""With a broom!""Is he secretly a hidden expert?"
Shen Liang chuckled to himself. "If only they knew I just leveled up from sweeping."
The System window flashed again:
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage 2 (92/200 XP)][Quest Update: Rebuild the Falling Sword Sect (1/10)]
He looked up at the cracked statue of the Sect Founder — a legendary sword cultivator said to have split mountains with one swing.
"Founder," he murmured, leaning on his broom. "Your sect may have fallen… but this laborer will lift it back up — one sweep, one fight, one joke at a time."
A faint gust stirred the courtyard, rustling his hair like an approving whisper from the heavens.