Who Made Me the Sect Leader

Tianyan Sect, Zhuji Peak.

In a small courtyard, atop a cold jade Go board, Xie Lingyu held a black stone, pondering for a moment before placing it gently.

Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow at the move and remarked, "Your cultivation progress is average, but your Go skills have improved remarkably. Seems like you’ve been indulging in leisure quite a bit."

Xie Lingyu lifted her gaze, observing Bai Xuanling’s relaxed demeanor, and responded without hesitation as she countered the move, "I’ve had more free time than before, but I don’t believe my training has suffered for it."

Bai Xuanling nodded approvingly. "Your temper has mellowed too—now you can take a joke."

Xie Lingyu pressed her advantage, ruthlessly encircling Bai Xuanling’s vulnerable stones.

"Master has been acting strangely lately."

"Me? Strange? How so? Could it be that I’ve grown even more beautiful? Truly, time spares no one—except for me."

"I don’t ask because I’m slow-witted. I trust you have your reasons. But recently, it seems you’ve been reckless."

Their conversation flowed as swiftly as their moves.

Xie Lingyu’s play was fierce and unrelenting—victory or utter defeat, with no middle ground.

Bai Xuanling lifted a white stone, studying the board’s killing intent, though whether she was contemplating the game or her answer remained unclear.

"If I lacked restraint, I wouldn’t have survived this long," Bai Xuanling said, placing her stone before meeting Xie Lingyu’s gaze. "Are you worried about me?"

Xie Lingyu countered immediately, her voice steady.

"Yes. I’m very worried, Master."

A faint smile touched Bai Xuanling’s lips. "Lingyu has grown up. Now she frets over her old master."

"Even if I hadn’t grown up, I’d still worry," Xie Lingyu insisted, her eyes locked onto Bai Xuanling. "I know what Chu Xingchen is doing—and what you’re involved in."

Bai Xuanling gave a slight nod, propping her chin on one hand as she regarded Xie Lingyu with a nostalgic softness.

"Someone has to do it. It’s not just me—your little sweetheart is running himself ragged over it too."

"Chu Xingchen is cunning. He won’t be as reckless as you, throwing caution to the wind."

"Oh? That boy may be slippery, but he has his own lines he won’t cross. I’d say he’s even more likely to act without restraint than I am. You’d do better to keep an eye on him."

As Bai Xuanling spoke, her stone fell.

Xie Lingyu’s relentless assault had left fatal weaknesses—once exploited, her defeat was inevitable.

The outcome was decided.

Yet Xie Lingyu continued placing stones, her voice resolute.

"I don’t want to lose anyone."

"No one’s life is only gains, and no one escapes loss," Bai Xuanling said, rising to her feet. She set two black stones on the board.

"A fine game. I concede."

With that, she turned to leave.

Xie Lingyu stared at the stones marking surrender and suddenly called out,

"Master, you always ask who I inherited my stubbornness from—why I’d rather break my head against a wall than yield for an easier path."

Bai Xuanling paused but didn’t turn, only glancing back slightly.

Xie Lingyu continued,

"I learned it from you. Haven’t you spent your life chasing an answer, refusing to bend even an inch?"

"I know I can’t change your mind once it’s made."

"Maybe saying this changes nothing."

"But I’m selfish. I don’t care how many others die—as long as you come back safely."

"And call me ‘Lingyu’ one more time."

Bai Xuanling listened, then turned away fully and walked on.

Only at the doorway did she toss back a reply.

"Understood."

Xie Lingyu sensed the ripple of Bai Xuanling’s departing aura, her gaze lingering on the board—on those two black stones admitting defeat.

Her master had always been unyielding, refusing to lose at anything.

(Searching by title might not work—try the author’s name instead! It might just have been renamed.)

From childhood games of rock-paper-scissors to trivial contests, even coaxing her to eat faster, Bai Xuanling had never gone easy on her.

She would patiently win, again and again.

There were times Xie Lingyu had cried from frustration, but her master would only comfort her, promising she’d win next time—

Then proceed to defeat her relentlessly.

This game was over. Xie Lingyu had lost.

Yet it was Bai Xuanling who conceded.

How long had she been lost in thought? A voice suddenly broke the silence from beyond the courtyard.

"Ah, there you are!"

Qinghe strode in, pausing at the sight of Xie Lingyu staring blankly at the Go board.

Curious, she stepped closer to examine it.

Even with limited skill, Qinghe quickly grasped the situation and grinned.

"Wow, these white stones are completely dead! Who were you playing, Lingyu? Who’d surrender to you like this? Was it Yanyun?"

Xie Lingyu didn’t answer, only lifting her eyes to ask,

"What do you need?"

"Oh! Cui Hao and that snake guy broke through successfully. They’re throwing a celebration tonight, and I wanted to drag you along," Qinghe chirped, plopping onto a seat.

"There’s gonna be a huge feast—you’re coming, right?"

Xie Lingyu studied Qinghe’s eager expression.

"I’ll go if I can."

"Great! I’m gonna eat Chu Xingchen out of house and home tonight. He owes me after all the times I’ve played doorman for him."

Qinghe glanced once more at the board before standing with a laugh.

She’d only come to notify Xie Lingyu—after all, they’d been at Wanhua Ridge so long; skipping was unthinkable.

So she took Xie Lingyu’s noncommittal answer as pure tsundere-ness.

(Tsundere really did suit Xie Lingyu. She wondered how Chu Xingchen had coined such a fitting term.)

With Qinghe gone, the courtyard fell quiet again.

Xie Lingyu looked at the board once more before gathering the stones.

Perhaps she had been slacking lately…

---

Tianyan Peak.

"Master Bai! You’re here. Master has been waiting inside."

Yanyun stood at the grand hall’s entrance, stepping forward to greet Bai Xuanling as she landed gracefully.

Lowering her voice, she added,

"He’s still upset. Maybe… tread lightly?"

Bai Xuanling ascended the steps, her tone breezy.

"Don’t worry. If your master dares to snap at me, I’ll hammer his head straight into Tianyan Peak’s foundation. Consider it revenge for you—I know you’ve wanted to punch him for ages."

Yanyun followed, sighing.

"Master Bai, what nonsense are you spouting? He’s just concerned about you."

Bai Xuanling entered the hall, her eyes landing on Lv Xuan seated at the head.

Neither had bothered to lower their voices or conceal their words.

As a Great Ascension cultivator, Lv Xuan heard every syllable.

Lv Xuan initially intended to keep a stern face, wanting Bai Xuanling to understand his stance clearly. However, getting punched a couple of times by Bai Xuanling for it would hardly be worth it, yet letting the matter slide too lightly might only encourage further recklessness.

But before he could even speak, Bai Xuanling clasped his hands slightly and softened his tone:

"This time, I’ve troubled the Sect Leader again."

Hearing this, Lv Xuan swallowed all the words he had meant to say and merely sighed.

"Fine... Who made me the Sect Leader, after all?"