"Are you willing to become my disciple?"
The words echoed softly across Green Dragon Peak.
Alex stood calmly, his hands behind his back, eyes focused on the girl before him.
She was just a slave disciple—a frail-looking young girl with her hair tied in a simple bun, cheeks flushed from exhaustion, and wide eyes brimming with disbelief.
She stared at him, frozen.
Alex Fang, the youngest elder in the history of the Demonic Dragon Sect.
A prodigy known throughout the sect as the favored son of the heavens.
She didn't understand the full extent of his strength, but even standing near him made her feel like a candle before a blazing sun.
She… was nothing.
Her spiritual roots were weak. Her cultivation was nonexistent. Worse still, she bore the slave brand, a mark of her lowly status.
Why her?
Why would someone like Elder Alex offer to take her as a personal disciple?
Her mind spun, blank and overwhelmed, unable to process the moment or form a response.
...
At this moment, Alex's face was slightly pale.
He was facing a crisis of life and death.
He had just transmigrated into this world… and already, he had been poisoned.
According to the memories in his mind, he had only a few hours left to live.
But just as despair threatened to consume him, a voice echoed in his mind—and with it came hope.
[Disciple Cashback System Activated.]
This was his cheat. A lifeline granted by fate itself.
The Disciple Cashback System was simple yet heaven-defying.
Anything he gave to a disciple, he would receive back a hundredfold—either in quantity or in quality.
After understanding the system's mechanics, Alex realized he had found a way out of death's grasp.
But there was one critical requirement.
He needed a disciple.
That was why he was standing here, in front of a slave disciple, extending an offer that left her stunned.
And the term "slave disciple"? That only added to his sense of urgency.
He hadn't just transmigrated into a cultivation sect—he had landed in a demonic sect, the Demonic Dragon Sect, where betrayal was common, and enemies treated you better than allies.
The other elders already knew his situation.
However, if they sensed how truly helpless he was… it would be a miracle if he lived long enough for the poison to finish him off.
He had to act fast.
At this moment, the slave disciple was still in shock.
In a world where strength was everything, it was almost impossible for someone without talent or a strong background to be chosen as a disciple by a powerful figure.
Her situation was even worse—she was just a slave.
People like her were forcefully taken in by the sect and bound by strict rules that left them with little freedom unless special circumstances arose.
Circumstances she didn't have.
So, as Alex's words echoed in her mind, she couldn't believe them.
Could it be that she had wished for freedom and power so badly that her mind was playing tricks on her?
Despite being in enemy territory, there were advantages to becoming the direct disciple of an elder.
But the slave disciple still couldn't grasp how this could be real.
She raised her small hand and pinched her cheek.
It hurt.
This was no illusion.
Alex's voice cut through her confusion.
"What, you don't want to be my disciple?"
He gazed at her with a slightly helpless expression.
Earlier, he had mentally scanned through the disciples in the Demonic Dragon Sect.
Most of the talented ones had already been taken in by other elders.
After thinking for a moment, he realized there was only one candidate who might work.
And that was the slave disciple in front of him.
Of course, it wasn't because of her delicate, graceful beauty or her slender, well-shaped figure.
No, Alex's decision was far more practical.
The girl was always around, cleaning near his residence on Green Dragon Peak.
Though Alex hadn't paid much attention to her, he had seen her often enough to form an impression.
There was another important reason too.
According to the Disciple Cashback System, the only way he could gain feedback was if the disciple recognized him as their master.
The slave disciple might be innocent enough to do so, unlike some of the other demonic disciples in the sect whose thoughts were far more complicated.
"Become Elder Alex's disciple?"
The slave disciple still looked at him in disbelief.
She could hardly believe her ears.
Becoming a disciple of a great master was something she had always dreamed of, but never imagined would actually happen.
Alex's gaze remained calm as he looked at her.
Suddenly, the slave disciple snapped out of her daze.
Her eyes widened in realization, and she immediately dropped to her knees in a deep kowtow.
"Your disciple is willing!"
She spoke loudly, almost too eagerly.
As she raised her head, her forehead was bright red, swollen from the impact with the ground.
The slave disciple didn't even seem to notice the pain from her swollen forehead.
Her body trembled slightly, not from fear but from pure excitement.
"Alright," Alex nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
"Since that's the case, from today onwards, you will be my first disciple!"
Typically, taking a disciple in this world was a formal affair, full of ritual and tradition. Masters were highly regarded, and such decisions weren't made lightly.
But Alex was in a hurry. On the brink of death, he had no time for the usual red tape.
"Don't kneel. You can get up."
Alex spoke indifferently, and the slave disciple quickly scrambled to her feet, her voice trembling as she thanked him.
"Thank you, Master!"
Alex studied his new disciple, noting her youth. If he were in his previous life, she'd likely be a high school student—just at the cusp of adulthood.
The slave disciple on the other hand, even with the initial shock wearing off, she seemed lost in the surreal nature of her situation.
How had she, a mere slave, become the first disciple of Elder Alex, the youngest and most talented elder in the Demonic Dragon Sect, known throughout the land for his brilliance?
She was still trying to wrap her mind around it all.
Alex broke the silence with a soft but firm voice, explaining his next steps.
"Since you've accepted me as your master, I will give you a pill today. Afterward, I will go into seclusion, and when I come out, I'll bestow other treasures upon you."
"Thank you, Master!" The slave disciple said again, her voice filled with awe and excitement.
Alex, without further ado, took out a pill bottle from his storage ring.
Before accepting her as his disciple, he had carefully considered his next move.
Thanks to the Disciple Cashback System, he had received a novice reward—the first time he gave something to his disciple, he would receive a 1,000-fold reward.
Ten times the usual feedback.
With this reward, Alex had a way out of his predicament.