Exposed on the First Day?

Eastern Spirit Continent, Linhai County, Misty Gorge Mountain.

It was late autumn, the frost wind swept fallen leaves, leaving a desolate scene.

"Qing'er, things have come to this, I won't hide it from you any longer."

On the sickbed, the old man, entangled by cold energy, spoke in a faint voice, looking at the delicate young man before him. His voice was like a mosquito's hum, "What I told you in the past... was mostly false. It was basically... all made up, cough!" Before he finished speaking, he was seized by a fit of gasping.

Chen Qing endured the bone-chilling cold, grasped the old man's withered hand, and whispered, "Master, don't worry. I guessed it long ago. If it were truly as you said, that our Misty Gorge Mountain lineage originated from the Central Spirit Continent that sank 15,000 years ago, we wouldn't have fallen to this state. Besides, your stories were full of holes..."

"Ungrateful disciple!" the old man glared and rebuked, "Even if it's fake, you... you don't have to say it so bluntly!"

After speaking, he deflated, his eye sockets sunken, and sighed, "Forget it. I can't control you anymore. From now on, you are the sect leader of the Hidden Star Gate. This mountain gate is my life's work, and it's also the wish of your grandmaster and uncles... Don't let the sect fall apart the moment I close my eyes."

Chen Qing's throat bobbed, and he finally said, "Don't worry."

"The sect leader's token is under the meditation cushion in the quiet room. At the very back of the quiet room is a secret chamber containing the belongings of your grandmaster, uncles, and senior brothers. Remember to put mine in there too. Leave some of the spirit marrow from the treasure room to pay the blood tax. Don't be like your second senior brother; bow your head when you need to..."

The old man's instructions continued, and his spirit actually seemed to rally. He paused at the end, looking at Chen Qing, his eyes clouded with age. He suddenly lowered his voice, "Never mind. If things become impossible, then... then abandon the mountain gate. Don't delay your cultivation, and certainly don't risk your life."

His words abruptly stopped.

Chen Qing looked at the old man on the bed, sighed after a long moment, and silently got up.

Seventeen years ago, he had transmigrated into this world, replacing the drowned former occupant. However, he had gotten caught in a strong current and nearly drowned. It was the man before him who had pulled him from the water.

The old man's common name was Zhou Yuanjing, styled Hermit Listening to Waves. He was the sect leader of the Hidden Star Gate, whose sect was located on Misty Gorge Mountain in the southern part of the Southern Flame Dynasty, by the sea, far from the hustle and bustle.

When he saved Chen Qing, he saw that the youth had decent aptitude and took pity on him, thus accepting him as a disciple. However, the Hidden Star Gate was a small sect, with no more than ten people in total. Zhou Yuanjing himself was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the second stage. His cultivation techniques were ordinary, and he was not skilled in combat. Due to the sect's poverty, Chen Qing had to cultivate while also studying.

This time, Zhou Yuanjing went out to gather herbs, but when he returned, he was afflicted with a bone-deep cold. He held on for three days before his cultivation scattered, and he died.

"Leaving so quickly. You promised to give me a Dao name next month."

Chen Qing stood before the bed, recalling the past, and remained silent for a while before regaining his spirits.

"Can't be too attached to things, or those three little ones outside will panic even more."

He glanced once more at the old man whose flesh had turned purplish-blue, then turned and opened the door. Wisps of cold air surged out with him.

Outside the door, three pairs of eyes looked over.

Two young boys and a girl in a red jacket.

These three were the disciples left behind by Chen Qing's late senior brothers. These three junior nephews, along with Chen Qing, who had just ascended to the position of sect leader, were the entire membership of the Hidden Star Gate on Misty Gorge Mountain.

In Chen Qing's opinion, this lineup and scale were less like a sect and more like a cultivation enthusiast club.

"Uncle! How is Sect Leader Martial Grandfather? Is he any better?"

As soon as the three children saw Chen Qing emerge, they rushed forward to ask anxiously.

Chen Qing shook his head and said to the three, "Your Martial Grandfather has passed away."

As soon as he spoke, the youngest girl burst into tears with a "wah," and the two boys' eyes turned red, their fists clenched until their knuckles were white.

Chen Qing squatted down, gently wiped away the girl's tears, and softened his voice, "He instructed me to take good care of you all, raise you to adulthood, and teach you skills."

The girl's crying subsided slightly.

Beside them, the tallest, sturdiest, and honest-looking boy choked out, "Martial Grandfather promised me that he would teach me sword riding when he got back this time. How could he suddenly..." He couldn't finish his sentence, turning his face away to wipe his eyes.

Chen Qing's eyelids twitched.

As far as he knew, his master had no ability to fly on a sword, nor did the sect have any sword-riding techniques. He figured the old man had just spoken offhandedly, making a promise he couldn't keep. Now, the old man didn't have to worry about it anymore, but this burden would likely fall on him! He would have to find an opportunity to clarify things later.

Thinking this, Chen Qing patted the boy's shoulder, intending to offer some words of comfort. However, he saw another thin boy suddenly look up and ask, "Uncle, what about our Hidden Star Gate?"

This question struck everyone like a heavy stone.

Three pairs of eyes stared intently at Chen Qing.

Chen Qing said firmly, "Your Martial Grandfather passed the position of sect leader to me before he died. Everything will remain as usual."

The three children's expressions varied upon hearing this.

The girl timidly tugged at Chen Qing's sleeve. Although she was still crying, the tension in her heart seemed to have eased. The honest boy nodded heavily, his eyes regaining their light. Only the thin boy lowered his head, his expression hidden.

Chen Qing sighed at the sight.

This thin boy was named Han Sha, an orphan from a fishing village. He had been saved from the clutches of sea bandits by the senior brother and taken as a disciple. He was intelligent from a young age, mature, quiet, and thoughtful. At this moment, he was clearly still worried about the future.

Chen Qing didn't explain further, intending to guide him slowly later. He glanced at the sky and said, "Your Yellow Court has not opened, and you don't have the cultivation of the first stage. You can't withstand the residual cold. I will handle the aftermath. You all go rest first."

The honest boy and the red-clad girl nodded.

The thin boy, Han Sha, suddenly spoke, his voice so low it was almost drowned out by the wind, "Uncle, I... I want to go down the mountain. I heard that Sea Abyss Temple is recruiting disciples..."

The other two children's expressions changed.

The girl's eyes widened in alarm.

The honest boy directly grabbed Han Sha's collar and angrily said, "Martial Grandfather just passed away, and you want to betray your master and ancestors?"

"I don't! I just..." Han Sha's face turned red, but he didn't back down.

Chen Qing stepped forward to separate them, looked deeply at Han Sha, and said, "Now is not the time for this. We'll discuss it after handling the sect leader's affairs."

Han Sha bit his lip and nodded, bowed to Chen Qing, and hurried back to his room.

The honest-looking young man remained silent, eventually tugging the red-clothed girl to bow towards Chen Qing before leaving. The girl kept looking back, her expression anxious.

"Leading a team really isn't easy."

Chen Qing sighed lightly and got busy.

As he had told the three disciples earlier, Zhou Yuanjing's body had been rapidly frozen by the unchecked cold energy after his death from the poison. Even with Chen Qing's cultivation at the peak of the first realm, he could still manage to collect the body despite the biting cold, though it was a strenuous task.

By the time the mourning hall was set up, the sun was setting. Just as he was about to rest, he suddenly looked towards the sect's entrance.

"Several formations need to be deactivated; they're all huge energy drains!"

The Hidden Star Gate had few disciples. The sect only had eight rooms in total, front and back. Due to its location deep in the mountains and the conflicts within the cultivation world, his master had set up formations for defense, reconnaissance, and alert. In the past, these were maintained by Zhou Yuanjing's regular infusions of Magical Power. Now, with Chen Qing's mere first realm cultivation, it was impossible to sustain them. Coupled with the sect's scarce resources, to ensure long-term survival, he had no choice but to deactivate them all for now.

By the time everything was settled, it was deep into the night.

Chen Qing returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the cushion, and began to regulate his breathing and dispel the cold energy.

The Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll he cultivated, which the old man claimed was passed down from the legendary Central Spirit Continent and was a fragmented secret technique of a major sect, was actually, as Chen Qing well knew, a legacy his own ancestor had stumbled upon.

This technique was divided into three parts: breathing exercises, visualization, and circulating energy through the body. Although it was a true method for tempering life and spirit, it was incomplete. Its upper limit was only the peak of the second realm, and it demanded exceptionally high aptitude and comprehension.

Chen Qing's aptitude was mediocre. He began cultivating at twelve and only reached the completion of the first realm, "Yellow Court Initial Opening," after seventeen years of arduous effort.

"The first realm of cultivation, the Yellow Court Initial Opening, cultivates the Yellow Court Palace, which is the Lower Dantian. It can open the essence, vital energy, and spirit storehouses. My completion of this realm allows my lifespan to reach the limit of a mortal body, which is 120 years. However, the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll becomes slower and slower to cultivate in later stages. I fear I won't have the chance to step into the second realm, 'Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment,' until I'm seventy or eighty. By then, my blood and qi will have declined, and the path to immortality will likely be out of reach."

In the past, whenever he thought of this, he would become agitated. Now, with the sect's heavy burden on his shoulders, he felt even more weary.

Distracted by his thoughts, he simply lay down fully clothed.

Perhaps it was the day's labor and the grief of losing his master, his emotions fluctuating wildly. Chen Qing closed his eyes and immediately fell into a deep sleep. In a hazy state, he found himself in a world of white mist.

For seventeen years, every night he slept, he would dream of this place.

Vast and boundless, only a stone platform could be seen.

The platform was about half a person's height, and on it lay a thread-bound book with no title on its cover.

Arriving before the platform, Chen Qing looked at the book and sighed.

He had flipped through this book countless times, its pages all blank.

Its only benefit was providing him with more time to think in his dreams. While his physical body slept, his mind was active here. This allowed him to recover his energy and review and comprehend matters in his dreams, giving him several extra hours of thinking time each day compared to others. Yet, even so, his progress remained slow.

"Logically, this book might be related to the biography series I designed before I transmigrated. But others who transmigrate either have a system accompanying them or encounter divine treasures. I, however, only have a blank heavenly book. I wonder if now that I'm the sect leader and my status has improved, I can... Hmm?"

As usual, he approached the stone platform and glanced at the book, but he suddenly froze.

Five characters had appeared on the cover—

Grand Void Dao Evolution Record.

"It really changed! Did taking on the position of sect leader activate this book?"

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, opened the book, and saw seventeen ink marks on the first page.

As his fingertip touched an ink mark, a piece of information flooded into his mind—

"These are Dao Marks, born from the enlightenment of the human heart. Use them as a basis to narrate to your disciples, and they can inscribe the turning points of fate, record the crucial moments of a fleeting life, and compile a biography. However, the writer must act within their capabilities and not write recklessly, lest they merely waste the Dao Marks. Once the heavenly book establishes the framework, you can enter dreams to savor the recorded life and receive its feedback to perfect your own life and spirit."

Turning further, the pages were still blank.

"The core of this book lies in 'making the false true'!"

Chen Qing closed his eyes and meditated for a long time before suddenly understanding.

"Dao Marks are generated from the enlightenment of the human heart, like custom points. By telling people fabricated stories, you can make them believe they are true, thereby compiling the lives of fictional characters. However, they cannot be too outrageous, or even if you expend Dao Marks, there will be no feedback. This fabricated life has a wondrous use: you can use the method of entering dreams to experience the life of a fictional person and receive feedback from it, thereby perfecting your own life foundation."

At this thought, Chen Qing opened his eyes, lost in contemplation.

"It's like a cultivation method that uses entering dreams as a means."

Just then, the white mist around him suddenly trembled.

"I'm about to wake up. The enlightenment took a long time," Chen Qing wasn't surprised by this. "Well, starting today, I'll be the sect leader, so I should wake up early and prepare."

As the white mist dispersed, he opened his eyes and woke up. Just then, hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

The honest-looking young man burst in, holding a letter, and said frantically, "Uncle-Master! Junior Disciple Han... Han Sha has left!"

"Left?" Chen Qing was taken aback.

"He left a letter," the young man handed over the paper, his voice trembling. "The letter says that Sect Leader Grand-Uncle has been lying to us! Our Hidden Star Gate is not a descendant of the Central Spirit Continent at all, but just an ordinary rogue cultivator sect! The sect-protecting Sea and Mountain Divine Skill is also just a fragment. Forget about seeking immortality and longevity; even maintaining health and living a long life is a luxury!"

New author, new book, very difficult. I hope passing readers can bookmark it and, if they like it, refresh it daily and give it some readership. Thank you all!