Chapter 88

“Lin, do you know?”

“A person’s dream never ends!”

“That’s right!”

Su Lin downed a large gulp of Zui Xian Niang and loudly agreed with Xiao Yan:

“Dream!”

“What’s your dream again?”

“Pirate King!”

Luffy turned his head while grazing on grass and answered, then went back to eating, muttering “meat meat meat meat.”

“A partner of justice!” Emiya Shirou raised his hand drunkenly, not even caring if he was being addressed.

“Become a Dou Di, and marry Xun Er as soon as possible… hehehe, Xun Er, my Xun Er.”

“Become an immortal—I just want to become an immortal first.” Han Li staggered over toward the group, “I feel that after I return this time…”

“I’ll be ready to cross the Nascent Soul tribulation. Hmm, Friend Su!” Han Li suddenly steadied himself and bowed, then stumbled forward two steps, “Thanks—your wine… is truly excellent.”

“I am the Heavenly Emperor, I must suppress… I just want to go home…” Ye Fan, half-asleep, remembered his parents.

"I want to go home too." Kleen blinked awake for an instant, "My dream is to go home..."

“I just want a peaceful life, then find a wife—hehe, a beautiful, gorgeous woman…” Lu Mingfei drooled at the corner of his mouth, not sure who he was imagining.

Zhong Li took a small sip and asked Su Lin: “Su Lin, what’s your dream?”

He felt that compared to their first meeting, this young man had grown even more detached and carefree toward things.

He wondered if it had anything to do with that scripture, or whether it would be better to advise him to switch cultivation paths before reaching Nascent Soul.

“Me?” Su Lin squinted, pointing at himself, “My dream is… uh…”

“Uh…”

“What was it again?”

“Su Lin! No more wine!” Ye Fan dripped the last few drops of Zui Xian Niang from the jade bottle, “Any more?”

“Why tell me there’s no wine…?” Su Lin thought for a moment, then remembered today was his treat, and drowsily exchanged for another bottle of Zui Xian Niang.

“Where were we?”

"Your dream." Kleen’s face had become identical to Su Lin’s, but his voice was Xiao Yan’s.

“Dream…” Su Lin thought, “Probably my parents staying healthy forever, me having money, and living a very long life.”

“It seems like it’s already been achieved.” Su Lin murmured to himself.

Moonlight spilled from above; at this moment, Shuijing Peak held a crisp, cold beauty—everything was harmonious and peaceful, save for a few drunken fools.

“Don’t you want to find a beautiful wife?” Xiao Yan pulled Su Lin close with a knowing grin, “You’re not thinking of opening a harem in the modern world, are you, hic.”

Su Lin pushed Xiao Yan away, took the Zui Xian Niang from Ye Fan, and poured himself another cup.

“I had one before…”

“But the more I cultivate… the less I think about it… when I really think about it, everyone has flaws, and so do I…”

“What would make me like someone now? Looks? A fascinating soul?”

“It’s meaningless. Better to seek immortality, to forget.”

“I forgot what I was saying. Glug glug.” Su Lin collapsed onto the stone table after finishing his cup, feeling unwell, then pulled out a pillow.

Sssshh!

The pillow burst into blue-green flames.

“Get up and party!” Xiao Yan grabbed the collar at the back of Su Lin’s neck.

“Your immortal path is long—you should find some ideals,” Yao Lao said from the side.

How can this young man sleep so soundly? He’s still so young, and already this lifeless.

“Why not follow my example? Take a disciple—it’d help pass the time.” Yao Lao offered, “Look, your world has no supernatural power now—why not establish a sect and become its founding patriarch?”

Upon hearing this, Su Lin—who was nearly passed out—spent several seconds processing Yao Lao’s words, then his eyes lit up.

“Hehe.”

“That’s kind of interesting.”

“I’m going to establish a sect!!!”

Su Lin broke free from Xiao Yan’s grip and shouted to the heavens: “The name will be…”

“What name?”

“Infinite Fire Domain.” Xiao Yan said.

“Heavenly Court!” Ye Fan walked over with his wine cup, pouring himself another.

"Above the Gray Mist... uh, wrong aesthetic, never mind." Kleen took a bite of cake—his mouth had become a bird’s beak, then instantly returned to normal, but now resembled Lu Mingfei’s face.

“Lu Mingfei, pour me some too!”

“What about the Holy Church?” Su Lin muttered to himself, “Nah, who knows when their God of Light might perish.”

“That’s pure Western fantasy!” Xiao Yan cursed, “Sect! A sect!”

“Oh, sorry…”

Su Lin was too drunk to tell the difference anymore.

But the surging qi within him urged him to take another sip.

“Tianwu Sect?”

Lu Mingfei turned his head, “Why does that sound so familiar?”

“Qingyun Gate, Huangfeng Valley, Yunlan Sect, Cultivator Association?”

"Don’t you have anything original?" Kleen said bluntly.

“Naming is such a pain!” Su Lin slammed his head into the ground, leaving a dent.

“How about Tianyi Sect?”

“Too villainous a name…”

“Your naming skills are terrible.”

“It sounds like the final big villain in a novel.”

“Lin, if you really can’t think of anything, just use Infinite Fire Domain.”

Even drunk, the others all felt Su Lin’s naming was pathetically weak.

“Tianshen Sect?”

“Forget it…”

Su Lin looked toward Yao Lao and asked, “The name’s set—what’s next?”

Yao Lao fell silent for two seconds, then returned into Xiao Yan’s storage ring.

Sorry, it’s my fault.

I shouldn’t have talked to them.

“Huh, you’re dumb,” Lu Mingfei exhaled a cloud of alcohol fumes, looking at Su Lin, “Recruit disciples, recruit disciples!”

Zhong Li spoke slowly: “You should establish senior elders to oversee instruction in alchemy, spells, martial arts, combat, and other disciplines. You’ll even need someone dedicated to managing the sect’s resources and income—like a merchant guild, each with their role.”

“A sect must operate with order—from disciple selection and promotion, to scripture transmission and cultivation assessments…”

Watching Zhong Li speak so confidently, Su Lin and the others—whose minds were numb—felt they didn’t understand a word, yet somehow it sounded impressive.

Clap clap clap clap

Su Lin led the applause.

“Good, you’re the CEO—no, the Grand Elder!”

Su Lin ran over and grabbed Zhong Li’s hands.

“Zhong Li, I entrust you with all the affairs of Tianyi Sect, big or small.”

“… ” Zhong Li fell silent. Fine, he’d sort it out once Su Lin sobered up.

“Isn’t it Tianshen Sect?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“You didn’t call me? Do you disrespect the Flame Emperor?!” Xiao Yan slammed his fist on the table, shattering it into two pieces.

“I want to be an elder too! Assign me a mountain! I’ll teach alchemy!”

Han Li, half-drunk, replied: “Friend Su has great enthusiasm! Han Li… though my cultivation is shallow, I can still teach some basics… mechanisms, talismans—I know a bit.”

“Where’s the wine? Found it.”

“You didn’t invite me to start a business? Can’t Ye the Man be an elder?” Ye Fan pulled out a golden page: “I’m investing!”

“Good!” Su Lin roared, then looked toward Emiya Shirou, who was drinking with Han Li, and had an idea.

“You! Redhead over there!”

“You’re in charge of the sect’s weapon arsenal!”

Emiya Shirou looked confusedly at the group clustered nearby, then his expression twisted in pain: “I don’t want to…”

Before he could finish, Su Lin flashed behind him and clamped a hand over his mouth: “What are you saying? My Armory Elder.”

He dragged Emiya Shirou toward the group, using spiritual power as ink to sketch in the air, while the others eagerly discussed their future venture.

The next day

Su Lin awoke from his stupor, stared at the scene before him, and fell silent.