The Jade Maiden Sect’s Only Male Disciple

Ian Song slowly opened his eyes, curious about his surroundings. He was in a pretty spacious wooden cabin, simply furnished, lying on a wooden bed covered with several layers of animal pelts—nice and warm.

He rolled over and sat up, immediately sensing something was off. He stretched out his arm for a look, only to realize it had gotten noticeably thinner. Then, without warning, a flood of memories surged into his mind.

This wasn't the first time, so he wasn't the least bit flustered.

It took him half an hour to fully merge with these memories. Now, his name was Second Fool—a pretty damn stupid name, if you asked him.

Second Fool was still three months away from turning sixteen, which explained why his body had shrunk.

He was currently living in the Jade Maiden Sect, an immortal-cultivation sect made up entirely of women. He was the only male—well, technically, the only boy—in the entire sect.

But once he turned sixteen, he’d be kicked out. The Jade Maiden Sect’s ancestral rule strictly forbade any adult male from remaining within the sect.

So, how did he end up in the Jade Maiden Sect?

Well, that story started thirteen years ago.

Thirteen years ago, Second Fool—his previous self—was living in a mountain village called Black Ox Village, together with three generations of his family. Then, one night, the Yellowpeak Mountain bandits came and slaughtered everyone in the village. Second Fool only survived because his parents hid him inside a clay stove.

Just as the Yellowpeak Mountain bandits set the whole village ablaze and prepared to leave, Fairy Lena Ling—the senior third-generation disciple of the Jade Maiden Sect—happened to pass by and wiped out every last bandit.

She heard Second Fool crying, pulled him from the inferno, and brought him back to the Jade Maiden Sect.

He’d been here ever since—thirteen years now. But just yesterday, a Jade Maiden Sect disciple told him he’d have to leave Jade Maiden Peak within three months. They advised him to get ready. To be fair, the sect wasn’t completely heartless; before he left, they’d give him a payout of a thousand taels of silver.

The Jade Maiden Sect’s structure was simple—currently, there were only three generations of disciples.

Not a huge number, either; all told, there were maybe two hundred people in the whole sect.

First-generation disciples all had Dao-names starting with 'Yun'; second-generation started with 'Snow'; third-generation with 'Ling.' The one who saved Second Fool thirteen years ago, Lena Ling, was the big senior sister of the third generation—said to have already broken through Qi Refining and reached Foundation Establishment.

Unfortunately, Fairy Lena Ling was also a notorious drunk. She was often seen totally wasted, and her master, Matron Lana Snow, had punished her for it countless times. But no matter how many times she got disciplined, Lena Ling just couldn’t kick her drinking habit.

In fact, it was Lena Ling’s love of alcohol that led her to stumble upon the Black Ox Village massacre in the first place.

That time, her master sent her out to deliver a message, but she got drunk at an inn and lost track of time. She ended up traveling through the night and happened to arrive at the scene right as the tragedy unfolded. If she hadn’t been delayed by drinking, Second Fool probably would’ve died in the fire.

Ding! System Mission One: Successfully remain in the Jade Maiden Sect and become a formal disciple within three months. Time limit: three months. Success: ten billion Fame Points. Failure: minus twenty billion Fame Points!

The sudden voice snapped Ian Song out of his thoughts.

He waited a bit, but the System didn’t issue a second mission, so he started analyzing the feasibility of this one.

Stay in the Jade Maiden Sect and become a formal disciple?

On paper, it sounded simple. But actually pulling it off? Not easy at all—in fact, it’d be incredibly tough. The rule against adult men staying in the Jade Maiden Sect was set down by the sect’s founding ancestor.

When it comes to ancestral rules, not even the sect master dares to break them. So getting the whole sect to go against tradition just for him? No way.

Right now, actual power in the Jade Maiden Sect was in the hands of the second-generation disciples. The first generation mostly lived in seclusion and wouldn’t show up unless something major happened.

The current sect master was Lana Snow—outsiders usually called her Matron Lana Snow. Rumor had it her cultivation was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, just one step away from forming a Golden Core.

Below the sect master were the elders—seven in all. Among them, Matron Yara Snow held the highest prestige because she was in charge of punishments.

If Ian Song wanted to stay in the Jade Maiden Sect, his biggest challenge wouldn’t be the sect master—it’d be Matron Yara Snow.

Otherwise, even if the sect master agreed, Yara Snow would definitely jump in and block it, citing the ancestral rules.

As for Matron Yara Snow’s temperament—it was legendarily bad. Third-generation disciples acted like mice in front of a cat whenever she appeared, and even plenty of second-generation disciples were scared of her.

Dawn was just breaking.

Ian Song stepped out of the cabin. The air was fresh, and the spiritual energy here was even denser than in any fantasy world he’d visited before.

His cabin was halfway up the mountain, while the Jade Maiden Sect disciples lived in palace complexes on the summit.

Right next to his cabin was the sect canteen, and every job there—manager, buyer, cook, helper—had been handled by Second Fool alone.

Luckily, the disciples didn’t eat much to maintain their figures. The second-generation had almost reached the Bigu stage and rarely ate at all; only the third-generation disciples came here for meals. So even with all these jobs, he wasn’t too busy.

Looking at the canteen, Ian Song thought, 'If I can win over the disciples’ stomachs, I’ll have a much better shot at staying in the Jade Maiden Sect.'

With that, he strode inside and started making breakfast.

Second Fool had been cooking for the sect since he was twelve, but after three years, his skills hadn’t improved much—the food he made was just average.

Every morning, fewer than fifty disciples came to the canteen for breakfast.

There were plenty of ingredients left in the kitchen. Normally, Second Fool’s breakfast was just four dishes: steamed buns, millet porridge, eggs, and a small side.

Ian Song didn’t plan to change things—he’d stick with those four dishes.

In no time, it was around eight in the morning—right when morning lessons ended. That’s when the third-generation disciples usually came to eat.

Sure enough, soon he heard footsteps and voices, and groups of simply dressed young women came in, chatting and laughing.

Ian Song had already finished the steamed buns, millet porridge, eggs, and side dish, laying them out for the disciples to help themselves.

"Second Fool, I heard you’re leaving soon, right?"

A girl with an oval face asked Ian Song as she picked up her food.

Her Dao-name was Leah Ling. She’d only joined the Jade Maiden Sect five years ago and had just reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"Yeah," Ian Song replied with a slight smile.

Hearing his answer, Leah Ling looked a little reluctant to see him go, but didn’t say anything else. After all, the ancestral rule forbidding adult men from staying in the Jade Maiden Sect was absolute—she was just a third-generation disciple and couldn’t change a thing.

Soon, Leah Ling sat down with a bowl of millet porridge and a plate of side dish. She’d always had a small appetite.

The next moment, she lifted her wooden bowl and took a sip of porridge.

Suddenly, her expression changed slightly, and a strange look flashed in her eyes—today’s millet porridge was noticeably richer and tastier than before.