Imitation did not arrive as flattery.
It arrived as misunderstanding.
Within a month, Lin Chen began receiving reports.
"Sect Master," Zhao Feng said carefully, "three nearby sects have… announced reforms."
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Reforms?"
"Yes. They claim to follow the 'Azure Method.'"
Lin Chen winced. "…That was not meant to be a brand."
---
> System Notice:
Doctrine Replication Detected
Accuracy: 42%
Risk: Ideological Drift
Lin Chen rubbed his temples.
"Of course."
---
The first sect claimed stewardship—
then continued draining their land aggressively.
The second abolished elders—
then replaced them with a single 'Supreme Coordinator.'
The third preached balance—
while charging entrance fees.
Lin Chen stared at the reports.
"…They copied the words, not the weight."
The mountain rumbled in disapproval.
---
Then the backlash began.
Villagers complained.
Land deteriorated.
Those sects blamed "incomplete teachings."
And then—
They blamed Azure Cloud Sect.
---
A public notice circulated:
> The so-called Azure Doctrine is unstable.
Its origin sect refuses responsibility.
We demand clarification.
Lin Chen exhaled slowly.
"So now we're being blamed for bad copies."
Little Green held up a sign:
THIS IS WHY INSTRUCTIONS MATTER
---
The system chimed.
> Choice Point:
1. Publicly Disavow Imitators (Political Safety)
2. Correct the Doctrine (High Exposure)
3. Absorb or Guide Them (High Risk)
Lin Chen didn't hesitate.
"Two," he said.
The mountain pulsed firmly.
---
Lin Chen issued a single open statement.
No sect names.
No accusations.
Just clarity.
> Stewardship is not permission.
It is responsibility.
If your land worsens, you have failed.
Do not speak our name unless you carry our burden.
The words spread.
Quietly.
Heavily.
---
Some sects went silent.
One sent a private apology.
Another doubled down—and collapsed within weeks.
Azure Cloud Sect did not intervene.
The land did.
---
> System Update:
Doctrine Clarified
Authority Recognition: Increased
Risk: Long-Term Attention (Inevitable)
Lin Chen stared at the horizon that evening.
"We didn't want followers," he murmured.
The mountain answered:
Leadership invites mirrors.
---
That night, Lin Chen dreamed.
Not of power.
But of roads.
Some steady.
Some broken.
And Azure Cloud Sect standing at a crossroads—
Not as the loudest voice—
But as the one others kept looking toward
when the ground beneath them began to fail.
Lin Chen woke calm.
And ready.
Because the model had been noticed.
And once noticed—
It could no longer remain just an example.
It would have to become a standard.