The sun hung high in the sky, warm and golden as Taryn stepped out into the estate courtyard. His body still ached from the spar, but his spirit was lit with the fire of determination.
Servants and guards were murmuring, gathered around the notice board. Taryn approached casually, ears sharp.
"Did you hear? The Rike Sect sent emissaries to the capital again."
"I heard their new Outer Selection is starting next month."
"That's the domain of the Overlord… the one who can summon storms with a wave of his hand."
Taryn paused, eyes narrowing.
Rike Sect.
The name stirred something deep in his chest.
One of the great sects in the continent. A legacy born centuries ago from the will of a powerful cultivator—Rike the Founder, now the Sect Leader, said to be at the peak of power even among giants. Their influence stretched wide, their teachings refined and respected. It was said that joining the Rike Sect was a step into legend itself.
Taryn stood still, the breeze brushing through his hair as his heart whispered:
"I can't just stay in these walls forever. I've spent too long sheltered. It's time to walk the world… to grow, explore, and rise."
Suddenly—POOF!
The system popped up, holding a ridiculously oversized map, half rolled, half folded, entirely unhelpful.
"Aha! Finally, a decision I support! Bravo! You want to experience the outer world, you want to find your path—now you're thinking like a protagonist!"
Taryn raised a brow. "You're unusually supportive."
"Of course! You see, while I can bestow upon you some peerless foundational techniques—Basic Heaven-Piercer Punch, maybe a Universal Leg Sweep—what you want to become is entirely up to you."
He floated higher, now wearing a fake mustache and monocle. "Will you walk the path of the sword? Perhaps tame beasts like your eldest brother? Or maybe… the delicate, explosive world of alchemy?"
The system dropped the disguise and poked him in the forehead.
"But these choices—your affinity, your destiny—will only reveal themselves once you test yourself. Once you learn what suits your soul. And for that..."
A glowing banner popped behind him:
System Suggestion: Enroll in a Sect
"And what better place than the Rike Sect?"
Taryn stared at the horizon.
"The Rike Sect…"
His fingers clenched into a fist. "Then let's see what the world has to offer."