Shaolin was enjoying a rare moment of peace—lounging beneath a flaming peach tree in the Flame God's Realm, casually roasting some spirit beast meat on a divine stick.
Then the system dropped its next bombshell.
> [New Mission Assigned!]
Objective: Recruit 4 Qualified Disciples and Leave the Mortal World
Reward: Heaven Creation Hand, 1 Bottle of Essence of Life, 2 Heaven Cultivation Manuals
Failure Penalty: Death
Time Limit: 5 Months
Shaolin choked on his roasted meat.
"YOU F***ING SCAMMER!"
His scream echoed through the realm, shaking the trees and sending poor phoenix birds flying for cover.
Xiaomi peeked around a boulder, whispering to Jiho, "What happened to Master?"
Jiho blinked. "Maybe… diarrhea?"
Shaolin, who definitely heard that, appeared behind Jiho in a flash and whacked him on the head with a flaming fan.
"Who's got diarrhea?! You brat! Go cultivate before I roast you and feed you to yourself!"
> [System Message: Host's cultivation is currently capped by mortal plane restrictions.]
Shaolin gritted his teeth. "Then why the hell am I still in the mortal world?"
> [Because Host needs more worshippers and qualified disciples to evolve the system.]
"Then give me more disciples!"
> [Error: Good disciples are rare. The last one thought you had diarrhea.]
"…Touche."
Just when he was about to calm down, the system hesitated. There was a pause. Almost… fearful.
Shaolin squinted. "What are you hiding now?"
> [N-nothing! Just… you know, normal divine stuff.]
Shaolin's eyes narrowed. "System… speak. Or I'm going to throw you into my newly built flaming toilet dimension."
> […Fine!]
> [Hidden Truth Unlocked.]
The world around him dimmed. A projection appeared in front of him—glowing symbols, flames, and massive chains floating in darkness.
> [Within the system lies over 100,000 divine and heaven-level treasures, skills, and artifacts. All sealed.]
> [These treasures once belonged to the Previous Flame God.]
> [The divine light from the sealed items cannot be fully hidden… and it has begun attracting the attention of immortals.]
Shaolin's eyes widened. "Previous Flame God…?"
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head. He staggered back, clutching his temples.
Memories. Voices. Laughter. Screams. Fire.
A name.
A face.
And then—darkness.
> [Warning: Memory Seal Active. Full access denied.]
"Who… was I?" he whispered, as his divine heart thundered with ancient pain.
The system remained silent.
Only the faint sound of wind rustling through the trees, and Jiho shouting in the distance: "Xiaomi, Master really is acting weird again!"
Shaolin took a deep breath, wiping his nose like a martial arts movie villain preparing for war.
"Fine. I'll find four disciples. I'll leave this world. I'll uncover the truth."
He looked to the horizon.
"But once I regain everything… whoever betrayed me back then better prepare their soul for the furnace."