Lin Qi's new title, The Lord of the Vanquished Beast, coupled with his acquisition of the pathetic, submission-prone Thunder Dragon (whom Lin Qi simply named "Sparky"), only intensified the aura of effortless mastery surrounding him. The fact that the most feared beast in the region now acted like an oversized, guilt-ridden dog proved to everyone that Lin Qi's power was beyond comprehension.
Sect Master Wu, desperately seeking to maintain an air of normalcy amidst the cosmic chaos Lin Qi brought, assigned him the most traditional and humble task possible: sweeping the main courtyard—a task usually reserved for the most junior or untalented Outer Disciples.
"This is a demonstration of your ultimate humility, Disciple Lin Qi," Wu proclaimed, using the loudest voice possible for the benefit of the watching Saintess Lianhua. "To return to the most basic of chores is to prove that you are never bound by titles! Sweep well! Meditate on the dust!"
Lin Qi happily accepted the broom. He hated complex tasks but enjoyed simple, repetitive motion. He just wanted the courtyard to be clean so he could maybe sit down and enjoy a moment of peace.
The Problem of the Spiritual Dust
The main courtyard was constantly dusted with Spiritual Sediment—the byproduct of cultivators channeling Qi. This sediment was not ordinary dirt; it was dense, containing trace amounts of purified energy. A skilled sweeper could subtly absorb this sediment into their body to reinforce their foundation, a low-level, common cultivation technique.
Lin Qi knew none of this. He just knew the courtyard was dirty.
He began to sweep. His technique was awful. He held the broom awkwardly, used erratic strokes, and created more swirls of dust than he collected.
The sealed Grand-Emperor Void-Smasher Core, however, was still unconsciously influencing his surroundings through the Absolutely Indestructible and Blind Luck (AII&BL) force field.
As Lin Qi swept, the chaotic movement of the broom, combined with the microscopic pressure from his sealed Qi, created an instantaneous, perfect Resonance Field with the spiritual energy in the ground.
The swirling Spiritual Sediment didn't merely get swept up; it was instantly refined to its ultimate essence—a cloud of pure, high-grade Refined Earth Qi—which was then directed by the resonance field.
The Accidental Assimilation
Instead of moving the dirt into a dustpan, the resonance field forced the cloud of Refined Earth Qi to assimilate instantly into Lin Qi's body through the pores on his skin.
Lin Qi felt a strange warmth spread through his entire body. He mistook the feeling for the physical exertion of sweeping.
"Wow, this is hard work," he thought, giving the broom one final, vigorous, and completely chaotic sweep.
The assimilation was not a subtle, common technique; it was the ultimate application of the Great Dao of Terrestrial Absorption, a forbidden secret that allowed a cultivator to instantly purify and absorb all ambient Earth Qi, bypassing years of rigorous cultivation.
Unaware, Lin Qi had instantly reinforced his sealed Core with enough foundational Earth Qi to stabilize the equivalent of ten mountain ranges.
The Misinterpretation of the Millennium
Saintess Lianhua and Sect Master Wu watched the entire spectacle from the upper balcony.
They didn't see a clumsy boy sweeping. They saw the terrifying demonstration of a concealed, world-bending technique.
They saw Lin Qi's erratic, terrible sweeping motion as the "Chaotic Earth Sweep Mudra"—a form designed to trick the heavens by appearing clumsy while secretly invoking the greatest purification. They saw the dust disappear not into a pan, but into Lin Qi's body, which then pulsed with a faint, imperceptible golden light.
Lianhua gasped, clutching her chest. "The Great Dao of Terrestrial Absorption! I thought it was only a myth! He is not just sweeping; he is assimilating the very foundation of the sect into his being! This is the ultimate technique of Humility as Weaponry!"
Sect Master Wu nodded sagely, though his eyes were wide with fear. "He is teaching us that the simplest tasks hold the greatest secrets. He used a crude broom to achieve what thousand-year cultivation requires!"
Wu quickly jotted down his new maxim, his hands trembling with profound reverence:
> "If a chore appears beneath you, remember that the true master uses a broken tool to steal the secrets of the earth itself, all while pretending to clean up."
>
Wu instantly ordered that the main courtyard would never be swept by anyone else, and declared Lin Qi the "Grandmaster of the Chaotic Earth Sweep."
Lin Qi, delighted that the courtyard was finally clean, retired to his chamber to try and get comfortable on the new, extremely hard cage that now housed his whimpering Thunder Dragon, Sparky. He never did get that soft pillow.