Within My Sect, All Realms Unite-Chapter 3: Maple Leaf City

"Ah—choo!"

Lin Xiaotian lay outside the tavern wrapped in nothing but a thin blanket, the cold moonlight washing over him.

"How dare those guards charge me an entry fee," he muttered irritably. "Those elders from other sects didn’t even pay a single spirit stone."

He snorted and pulled the blanket tighter. "Just wait. When this supreme sect master ascends, I’ll teach them a proper lesson."

He opened his storage ring, empty not a single spirit stone remained.

Which was precisely why he had been unceremoniously thrown out of the tavern.

The night grew colder, yet exhaustion won. Before long, he fell asleep under the open sky.

He woke at dawn to loud commotion. The streets were already alive — cultivators moving toward the square, young hopefuls gathering with nervous excitement.

As he shifted to sit up, something warm brushed against his leg, he froze a stray dog lay curled beside him.

And worse It had clearly claimed him as territory. Lin Xiaotian’s face darkened. "You damned beast"

He leapt to his feet to kick it, but the dog darted away instantly, disappearing into the crowd. He stood there stiffly, robe damp, expression murderous. "Fine."

Suppressing the urge to chase it down, he hurried to the nearest bathhouse. After thoroughly scrubbing away the smell and humiliation, he discarded his common robes and retrieved his sect master attire from his storage ring.

The robes were dignified and looked cool and imposing, once dressed, his back straightened naturally.

Whatever happened last night did not exist. with restored bearing, Lin Xiaotian stepped toward the city square, where the recruitment competition was about to begin.

When Lin Xiaotian arrived at the central square, he immediately understood why the city had been restless since dawn.

Thousands of Young cultivators packed the plaza, stretching from the outer streets to the elevated rings prepared for the competition. Some wore patched robes, others luxurious silk.Hope and ambition was running high in the air.

Most of them, however, were trash tier with low talents.

With a casual sweep of his spiritual sense, Lin evaluated a dozen at once. Shallow foundations. Turbid qi. Weak meridians. The kind who would spend their lives stuck at Qi Refining third or fourth layer.

A waste of time. Above the crowd stood several elevated viewing platforms. Seated there were the city lord and five distinguished elder’s representatives of the top powers of Qingzhou:

The Azure River Sword Pavilion.

The Crimson Flame Valley.

The Heavenly Cloud Palace.

The Iron Blood War Sect.

And the Moonveil Pavilion.

Each elder radiated restrained pressure, their expressions calm and detached as they observed the competition like predators selecting prey.

Meanwhile, the smaller sects wandered restlessly through the masses, whispering promises and testing talents, scrambling for whatever scraps the larger powers ignored.

Lin Xiaotian narrowed his eyes "Where are my protagonists..." he muttered.

He wasn’t here for ordinary talent, he wanted broken geniuses, Discarded heirs and Heaven-defying misfits.

As if the world had heard him, a sudden commotion erupted near one of the lower rings.

Lin turned, On the platform, a young man in black robes knelt at the center. His posture was straight despite the humiliation, but a dark blindfold covered his eyes. Blood stained the corner of his lips.

Standing before him was a handsome youth in white robes, sword at his waist, expression twisted with smug satisfaction.

"What do you think you are now, Yan Fang?" the man sneered loudly, ensuring the surrounding crowd heard every word. "You’re no longer the genius of the dynasty. Your parents are dead. Your cultivation crippled. Even the princess abandoned you."

He leaned closer, voice dripping with contempt. "And now you’ve even lost those precious eyes of yours. Can’t even see your own fall from grace."

The crowd murmured, some pitied others gloated. Most enjoyed it.

Lin Xiaotian’s eyes slowly began to shine. This was textbook Absolute textbook protagonist template.

"For sure," Lin whispered under his breath. "One hundred percent."

On the ring, Yan Fang suddenly coughed and spat a mouthful of blood toward the man in white.

The white-robed youth’s face darkened instantly. "You dare—?!" Qi surged violently around him. Eleventh layer of Qi Refining.

Yan Fang, by contrast, was barely at peak Body Refining. His aura was thin, unstable. If that kick landed, he would not survive.

Lin’s pupils shrank. Killing might not be allowed during recruitment but accidents happened. Before the strike could fall, Lin moved.

His sect master robes flared as he stepped forward and intercepted, pulling Yan Fang out of the ring just as the white-robed youth’s kick smashed into empty air.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as Lin landed smoothly, supporting the unconscious Yan Fang in his arms.

He exhaled lightly. "So, the robe really does boost me to Foundation Establishment level within range," he thought with satisfaction.

In his hands, Yan Fang had already fainted from blood loss. His breathing was weak. Without drawing attention, Lin pressed a Grade-2 top-tier healing pill between the young man’s lips and guided the medicinal qi into his body.

The white-robed youth began to shout in outrage, but before he could escalate things, the referee hurried onto the platform.

"Enough!" the referee barked sharply. "Control yourself. This is a recruitment event, not a battlefield."

The white-robed youth clenched his fists but swallowed his anger under the watchful eyes of the elders above.

The commotion faded quickly. After all, there were other geniuses to observe. Other spectacles to enjoy.

A fallen prodigy, humiliated and half-dead, was hardly worth sustained attention.

But Lin Xiaotian looked down at the blindfolded youth in his arms and smiled faintly. "Oh, you’re worth plenty," he thought.

Lin Xiaotian stood outside the city gates, face pale, staring at the bustling streets behind him. "Oh heavens," he muttered weakly. "Why, why such injustice?"

He had saved Yan Fang in full view of the crowd. A perfect entrance. Yet when he announced the name of his sect only Blank stares followed.

Most people hadn’t even heard of the Celestial Origin Supreme Sect. Some even asked if it was newly established.

His chest tightened. After an entire day of wandering through the outer districts and testing spiritual roots himself, he had managed to recruit only twenty-seven disciples.

And that was being generous most were Body Refining, a few had just stepped into early Qi Refining.

All of them came from small villages, traveling hundreds of miles with nothing but hope and a few copper coins, dreaming of entering a cultivation sanctuary.

He glanced at them nervous faces, worn clothes and eyes filled with expectation.

Not a single "protagonist template" among them. Just ordinary youths clinging to opportunity.

In the end, he had even accepted the younger twin brothers of one of the girls he recruited two skinny boys barely past Body Refining third layer.

He had needed the numbers. But even after gathering them all, the system remained silent. Lin frowned inwardly. "Why hasn’t the mission completed?"

After a moment, the system’s calm voice replied: "Task evaluation will occur upon returning to sect territory, Master."

His eyelid twitched as he looked up at the darkening sky. The sun was already dipping low.

There was no way they would reach the sect mountain before nightfall and there was absolutely no way he was sleeping outside again.

Not in front of his newly recruited disciples especially not with dogs involved. His dignity as sect master had limits.

Suppressing the pain in his heart, Lin reached into his storage ring. He withdrew a Grade-1 elixir. The lowest grade in his inventory.

Even so, when he discreetly sold it in the marketplace, it fetched enough spirit stones to make several low-level cultivators stare in envy.

His heart bled slightly as the transaction completed. "A necessary investment," he told himself firmly.

With funds secured, he led the twenty-nine disciples out of the city gates before full nightfall.

They traveled along the main road for some distance before veering toward a nearby village not far from his sect mountain.

The tavern there was simple but clean Wooden beams, Oil lamps. The scent of stew drifting through the air.

It was much better than his last night for sure a good comfy bad and no dogs.

Lin Xiaotian straightened his robes and walked in first, posture dignified. Behind him, his disciples followed quietly, whispering among themselves.

To them, he was already a sect master mysterious, composed, powerful enough to intervene in a public duel.

He could not afford to shatter that image. As the innkeeper hurried over with a respectful smile clearly sensing the faint aura of a "Foundation Establishment expert" Lin nodded calmly.

"Prepare rooms," he said lightly. "My disciples require proper rest, we will depart early."

His tone was steady. Only he knew that his storage ring now felt painfully lighter.

He looked at Yan fang his mouth twitching this guy has been unconscious or sleeping the whole time, but he can’t just throw this uncarved jade.

Tomorrow, he will reach the sect receive the rewards and would be peaceful and invincible again

For now, he simply prayed that no more humiliation awaited him before sunrise.