Let You Be the Sect Leader, But You Only Recruit Protagonists? - Chapter 3

"Let You Be the Sect Leader, But You Only Recruit Protagonists? - Chapter 3: Do One's Best and Leave the Rest to Fate"

Chapter 3: Do One's Best and Leave the Rest to Fate

If there were only a handful of disciples, with just five elder masters and me as the sect leader...

Anyone coming to seek apprenticeship would probably take one look and back out immediately.

What kind of sect is this? Who would dare to join?

With seven disciples, regardless of their talent or strength, at least the number of disciples exceeds that of the management, making it appear 'healthier.'

And for those who haven't yet entered the sect gates or begun their cultivation journey, these disciples are at least considered beginners on the path, having opened a few of the mysterious gates of cultivation.

They may be weak, but at least they don't seem so pitiful compared to ordinary people.

"Three days from now."

As the five elders had thought, Lin Fan also believed that three days from now would be the last chance for the Lan Yue Sect.

The grand opening of the sect gates to recruit disciples happened only once a year.

All the major sects followed this tradition, and the timing was long fixed.

So every year at this time, those seeking immortality and wishing to step into the mysterious path of cultivation would come to register. Which sect they chose was up to them.

Change the timing? Open the gates every day?

It could work, but... who would come?

Those who want to come will show up on that day. If they don't come, keeping the gates open is useless.

Moreover, if he really had been transported into a game or a fantasy world based on a game's universe, then at the latest, within a year, there would be an existential crisis for the sect.

If he couldn't recruit reliable disciples this time and develop the sect somewhat, then next year on this day, it would most likely be his death anniversary.

There was a small chance he wouldn't even make it to next year—he'd already be dead by then.

"It's necessary to prepare well."

"And also..."

"Sigh, it depends on luck."

"But games usually have beginner gift packs, right? I'm not asking for an SSR hero, but at least give me a guaranteed A-rank character? Otherwise, there's no way to survive!"

Lin Fan prayed like this.

But this guy didn't believe in gods or Buddhas.

Because gods and Buddhas had never helped him.

What he called praying was merely a way to find some psychological comfort.

"Waiting around doing nothing isn't my style. Though I've changed the sect rules, it's still not enough. I need to think of other ways!" He pondered.

Even if he were to leave things to fate, there had to be a prerequisite—doing everything humanly possible!

***

After much thought,

Lin Fan could only push further, trying to bring as many people as possible to the sect.

Never mind 'black cats or white cats,' get them up the mountain first!

Send away those who aren't suitable, and keep those who are, nurturing them well!

"Advertising."

Finally, Lin Fan decided to advertise.

Of course, there was no internet or television in this era, but that didn't mean there was no way.

At the very least, they could hang banners, right?!

If they couldn't afford banners, carving words on stones would do, wouldn't it?

At least the elder masters were all at the Cave-Heaven realm; surely, they could handle such tasks.

It would just require them to go down the mountain and get busy.

Then, he found the five elder masters and told them all about his plan.

After hearing him out, the five exchanged glances. Finally, the Grand Elder spoke: "Sect Leader, we're not opposing you, nor refusing to act, but there's something we must inform you of."

"Grand Elder, please speak."

"To be honest, our sect's resources are strained."

He gave a bitter smile: "Mainly because we don't have any industries, and the sect's territory has been reduced to just this one mountain. Years ago, this peak was merely one of the outer peaks of the Lan Yue Sect and didn't have much value."

"After meeting current expenditures, training ten new disciples is already our limit."

"So..."

"I see."

Lin Fan remained calm: "I had already guessed as much."

How many resources could a destitute sect like this have?

He had mentally prepared for this situation.

"However, esteemed elders, rest assured. My intention is simply to attract more people to come to the mountain. With a larger pool, the chances of finding talented individuals naturally increase."

"Besides, have the elders forgotten the new rule I established?"

Only then did the Grand Elder breathe a sigh of relief: "It's good that the Sect Leader understands. We'll head down the mountain now."

Before leaving, he handed Lin Fan a jade token: "If there's an emergency, Sect Leader can destroy this jade token. We'll sense it and return immediately."

"Alright, thank you all for your hard work."

Lin Fan accepted it with a nod and a smile.

Not long after, the five elder masters turned into streaks of light and disappeared, each heading in different directions.

In the Southwest Domain, there were over ten million spiritual mountains!

Most of them were scattered.

The place where the Lan Yue Sect was located, however, had over a hundred thousand spiritual mountains gathered together. Originally, the Lan Yue Sect occupied ten thousand spiritual mountains and was once the undisputed dominant force here.

But times had changed...

Now, there were over ten thousand sects, big and small, gathered in this area.

Smaller sects, like the Lan Yue Sect, only had one unremarkable mountain peak.

Larger sects occupied hundreds of spiritual mountains, and there were quite a few of them.

There was even a super sect that controlled over twenty thousand spiritual mountains—the Hao Yue Sect.

Speaking of which, this Hao Yue Sect was originally the rival of the Lan Yue Sect. For many years, it was suppressed by the Lan Yue Sect until the latter began to decline and struggled with a lack of successors. That's when the Hao Yue Sect seized the opportunity to rise sharply!

Over the years, they took over most of the Lan Yue Sect's territory, and the rest was divided among other sects...

By now, the Hao Yue Sect had grown more than twice as powerful as the Lan Yue Sect at its peak.

Standing on the mountaintop, feeling the cold wind against his face, Lin Fan couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Hao Yue, Lan Yue."

"Both names contain the word 'moon.' They have the bright moon shining in the sky, while we're trying to grasp the moon in our arms. No wonder they're our sworn enemies..."

"But now, I doubt they'd even spare us a glance, right?"

"Still, there's a possibility that the Lan Yue Sect's steady decline over the years is somehow related to the Hao Yue Sect."

"Perhaps their leader is a psychopath who doesn't seek instant destruction but instead enjoys watching others suffer and descend into despair?"

It wasn't impossible, but thinking about such things now was still too far-fetched.

What Lin Fan needed to do was to have the elder masters advertise... along the routes leading to various sects.

Whether it was hanging banners, writing on the ground, carving words into stones, or etching them onto tree trunks—it didn't matter.

The goal was simple: snatch as many potential recruits as possible.

Given the Lan Yue Sect's current pitiful state, Lin Fan didn't dare to be too bold. Therefore, the advertisement was relatively restrained.

***

Peach Blossom Valley, one of the necessary routes to the Peach Blossom Sect.

People from the northwest who wished to climb the mountain—ordinary folk and those with low cultivation levels—would pass through here.

At this moment, many were on their way.

But halfway through, they suddenly stopped in their tracks.

"What's this?"

"So many words!"

"Could it be a cultivation technique? A secret art!? Whoa!!!"

"Pfft, you can't even read, and you want to enter the mysterious path and become a cultivator? What a joke!"

"Not being able to read doesn't matter! Where there's a will, there's a way!"

"Cough, stop arguing. Can someone tell me what this says?"

The crowd bickered noisily. After all, they were all 'competitors,' so their tones weren't exactly friendly.

"It's something written by the Lan Yue Sect."

"The Lan Yue Sect? What kind of sect is that? Never heard of it."

"What does it say...?"

"What does it say?" The illiterate ones eagerly perked up their ears.

"Is it true?!" The person muttered, irritating the illiterate crowd to the point where they were almost ready to lash out in anger.