Currently, it was mid-afternoon in the Azure Profound Sect.

Steward Qin sat at the table in his dining room and tried to eat the lunch his private mortal chef made. Although the food was well made and nicely plated, Steward Qin was unable to bring himself to have more than a bite due to the overwhelming stress he was under right now.

Leaving aside all the pain he had been in after getting beaten by Lin Fan, just the pressure from having to give an explanation to young master Wang for his inability to deal with Lin Fan was enough to make him go crazy.

After all, if he lost his favour or, god forbid, angered him in any way then his old bones really wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.

So as you could imagine, this was already a nerve-wracking time for him.

However, before he could even deal with the current crisis, he caught wind of more bad news!

Malicious rumours!

He bashed the table with his hands due to anger.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

I'm confident it was that damned Lin Fan that boasted so arrogantly about beating me, as no one else is sane enough to offend me like this!

And these rumours are ridiculously outlandish!

I never grovelled in front of him and called him my grandfather, nor did I ever bark like a dog and beg for forgiveness!

As for the claims that he banged my granddaughter, I've been a single dog my whole life dammit!

Now no one is respecting me anymore, and these damn servants are refusing to be extorted out their wages!

The more he thought of it, the harder he clenched his fists.

After a few moments, he took a couple of deep breaths and calmed himself down.

He soon started to contemplate something, and after a while of doing so, his eyes gleamed with resolution.

Without finishing his meal, he promptly stood up and quickly navigated his way to his bedroom. Once arrived, he vigilantly looked around- even though it was his own bedroom- and after seeing no one, his expression eased slightly and he started to rummage through his closet.

Soon, he had two wooden boxes in his bony hands. As he put them down on the floor and opened them, when he saw the contents inside, he smiled viciously and thought to himself,

I was going to sweep this matter under the rug and find another chance to deal with you later, but it seems you don't know what's good for you!

Hehehe, with these treasures I've acquired and saved over the years, I'll gladly send you on your way to reincarnation!

Just right, the servant tournament is coming up soon!

He then closed the boxes back up and carefully put them away.

Oh Lin Fan, don't blame me for doing this. Instead, you should blame your own misfortune for offending the wrong person at the wrong time!

...

Whilst Steward Qin wrongfully pinned the whole incident on Lin Fan, the person in question was sitting cross-legged on a bed with a huge smile on his face.

Hahaha!

In just a few hours I've actually broken through to the fifth stage of the foundation establishment realm!

Finally, I've managed to embark on the path of cultivation once again, and this time I'll put my all into it!

His determination for cultivation was incredibly firm. It didn't come from a childish desire to become number one or to impress his parents like previously, but rather came from his experience as someone who went from a renowned genius with high cultivation to a homeless wanderer who desperately had to struggle in order to survive.

He now personally knew what fate was like for those who were weak and vulnerable, and was unresigned to stay that way.

The same voice that had given him hope again rang out in his head saying proudly,

"So how's my Myriad Gathering Breathing Technique?

Pretty good, right?!

Is it enough to quell your temper tantrum, and make you realise how lucky you are to have the guidance of this old man?"

Lin Fan's excited expression dimmed a bit after hearing the old Daoist, and he grumbled,

"Sure, I'll admit it... This breathing technique is good stuff!

Even when I compare it to the Lin Clan's breathing technique, it pales in comparison.

But!

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Don't you dare think for a second that this is enough for ruining my life!

It's not even close!

So even though I'm feeling a bit better, your name is still staying as Old B*stard Yi for the time being!"

The voice seemed a bit irked, and said, seemingly talking to himself,

"Haizzz, when have I ever been disrespected to such a degree by a mere junior?!

I, the great immortal Yi Yan, have really reached a new low."

He paused for a moment before saying to Lin Fan,

"As I've said before, I apologise for having done this to you.

Although I've been asleep for ages, I have witnessed what you've gone through due to me and I promise to repay you for the trouble!

Even though I know my words right now don't mean a lot, I want you to know that I am not your enemy.

My motto has always been to repay my debts a hundred-fold, whether they be favours or grudges!"

Hearing these words, Lin Fan went silent for a bit.

In fact, he knew that there was no point in dwelling on this and that it was quite childish.

But he had no choice.

The power he currently had was insufficient to confront the true perpetrators over his grievances, and he needed someone to vent his anger on, so he decided to target the old man.

Now that he had heard a second apology, Lin Fan felt a bit better and so decided to put aside his anger for when he strikes back at the Lin family.

He knew that it was dumb to waste this huge opportunity, so he smirked a bit and said,

"Hmph, since you are so sincere then I'll put my trust in you this once!

Show me whether you truly are as great as you proclaim yourself to be, Old Man Yi!"

Old Man Yi responded pridefully,

"I'll show you how mighty I am to the point where you'll be willingly calling me grandpa in a few days, you damn brat!"

After hearing that Lin Fan's smirk widened, and then he got up from bed and made his way out.

First things first, let's save Brother Bao.

I'm sure that old coot locked him up in the detention centre after I fainted!

Now that I'm at the fifth stage of foundation establishment, and have ample amounts of martial arts attainment, I'm sure I can save him. After all, in this place all that matters is strength.

From what I've heard, the people in the sect don't really care about what happens here as long as the servants do the tasks properly!

This is why Steward Qin can act so tyrannically without repercussions, it's because he has a sect disciple backing him and ample strength!

As Lin Fan stepped outside, he didn't even bother to say goodbye to the old man at the front desk and just carried on walking. He was heading towards his destination, the detention centre, at a rushed pace.

However, after just a few moments, a group of three servants caught sight of him.

The moment they spotted him, they charged toward him with gleeful expressions on their faces- As if they had just seen their idol!

Seeing them approach him, Lin Fan instantly frowned.

Why are these people approaching me with such joyful expressions?

Are they that enthusiastic about mocking me over my embarrassing loss?

Yes, even up till now, Lin Fan had no idea that Steward Qin and the rest were beaten by Old Man Yi.

For the old man, beating up scrubs like them was an insignificant occurrence and he naturally forgot to mention it whilst getting caught up with arguing against Lin Fan.

So due to this, Lin Fan knew not that Bao Wei wasn't locked up and that he was actually everyone's new idol!

Soon enough, the servants got face to face with Lin Fan.

Lin Fan was just about to ask them why they came over until they all suddenly dropped to their knees and shouted simultaneously,

"We sincerely thank Elder Brother Lin for enacting justice on that old dog!"

One of the servants continued by saying,

"Due to your heroic victory and valiant tales being revealed, servants all around the compound have grown the courage to revolt against the heinous extortion lead by that old dog, Steward Qin!

No longer will we get half the pay for double the work, no longer will we take being treated unfairly!

And this is all thanks to you!"

Lin Fan's eyes widened from shock due to the unexpected turn of events.

In his confusion, Lin Fan spoke his thoughts out loud,

"Heroic victory?

Valiant tales?

Are you sure you've not got the wrong person?

As I've really not done anything particularly special!"

Hearing Lin Fan's response, all three of the kneeling servants bore expressions of even greater respect.

The one who responded earlier spoke again saying,

"To think you are so humble, even after doing all that!

How could your actions not be anything special?!

Most recently, you single-handedly defeated that old dog and his lackeys to protect your oppressed friend, then forced them to kowtow repeatedly for forgiveness.

You then made them crawl away whilst barking and exclaimed to everyone that you, Lin Fan, would no longer tolerate such blatant injustice and that servants should no longer accept this kind of treatment!

This was only the beginning, according to reliable sources, you found out that the demonic old man was abusing his beautiful granddaughter and pet fish and subsequently decided to save them!

Not only that but it's also said that when you were young you suffered all sorts of difficulties which led you to become the hero you are today!

Ah, and how could I forget that you al-"

"Stop!

I don't know where you heard this, but it's wrong!"

Lin Fan was stunned by the sheer amount of b*llshit he had just heard!

Not a single thing was true.

He had just lost a fight against Steward Qin, but somehow it turns out he's become a hero?!

Just then, Old Man Yi's laughter rang out,

"HAHAHA!

This just reminded me kiddo, I forgot to tell you that after you got knocked out I took control of your body and dealt with those annoying guys.

Seems like you have become a hero because of me!

Aren't I just amazing?"

"..."

...

At the same moment this happened, Zhang Wei got a notification from the System.

[Congratulations Host, you've successfully completed a task required of a background character- Spread rumours of the protagonist's deeds!]

{You receive seventy days worth of cultivation using [Choose cultivation technique]}

[Since the Host has followed the System's tip well, and completed his first significant task, an additional reward is issued.]

{You receive 2x Temperory Luck Booster (Stackable)}

Seeing such generous rewards, Zhang Wei, who was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen, couldn't help but have a satisfied grin on his face.

I knew it was right to rely on those chatty fellows to spread my over-exaggerated rumours!

A whole seventy days of cultivation, and an item that can boost something as mystical as luck!

To be honest, Zhang Wei had been doubting the System's usefulness for a while. During the past year without a protagonist in sight, he'd been tempted numerous times to just abandon the whole 'background character' role and get mushy with side characters who would be successful in the future.

In fact, if it wasn't for the System's threats of deactivating a couple of times after getting close to a 'side character', he would have long been good friends with multiple of them!

Now, for the first time, Zhang Wei had felt that his perseverance and tolerance to temptation had finally paid off!

With this influx of good news and a boost in motivation, Zhang Wei began cleaning with more effort whilst whistling the tune of 'Don't Worry, Be Happy".

Of course, seeing his sudden mood shift, all the other workers were giving him strange looks as if wondering why someone was so glad about cleaning the floor that was covered in the disgusting remnants of people's lunch.

After an hour or so, Zhang Wei had finished up his work for the day and headed home excitedly as he knew that today was going to be the day.

The day of his first ever breakthrough since arriving in this cultivation world!

...