"Lin Bai, do you know what you're doing?" Peng Ze trembled all over. "Since ancient times, countless Alchemists have been out there. Do you know why Dan Fangs have never been leaked? Dan Fangs are the crux of the Medicine King Valley. Today, you've gotten a Dan Fang from me, but one day, Medicine King Valley will spare no effort to retrieve that Dan Fang, and the consequences may be beyond what you can bear."

"So that's what you're worried about." Lin Bai laughed, looked at him, and sincerely offered a piece of advice, "Don't worry, those two will also speak soon. Once everyone has revealed their secrets, you three can form an offensive and defensive alliance. With each of you holding leverage over the others, everyone can be safe."

Zhao Yi's and Peng Ze's expressions changed dramatically, instantly overwhelmed by a wave of negative emotions Lin Bai had stirred up.

"Can't you understand plain language?" Peng Ze was furious, completely forgetting his initial attitude. "You've already offended Return to Dragon View and the Five major Evil Sects. Do you still want to offend our three sects? Lin Bai, do you really think you can fight against the entire world on your own?"

"So that's what you're worried about?" Lin Bai looked at Peng Ze in surprise. "But that's my business. I'll handle it myself. All you need to do is tell me the Dan Fang..."

"..." Peng Ze.

"Tell me the Dan Fang, and I'll have a lot of trouble. Don't tell me the Dan Fang, and you might not even make it through tonight. How can you not distinguish what's more important?" Lin Bai looked at Peng Ze as if looking at an idiot. "Even if you honestly tell me the Dan Fangs, you can go back and sell me out the next day! After I've tormented you like this today, don't you want to see me hunted across the world by Medicine King Valley?"

Zhao Yi and Sun Lie sat dumbfounded.

A vein throbbed on Peng Ze's forehead. He had a Poison Pill hidden in his palm, but looking at Lin Bai's faint, unreadable smile, he didn't dare to crush it...

In a daze, the image of those Players from Medicine King Valley, who delighted in sowing chaos, surfaced in his mind. Could this be the reason Lin Bai was able to subdue them?

"Okay, I can tell you the Dan Fang," Peng Ze took a deep breath. "But you need to tell me, what are you and the Beggar Gang going to do tomorrow?"

"One Dan Fang isn't enough," Lin Bai bargained. "At least five."

"Don't push your luck!" Peng Ze shouted angrily.

"What's the difference between betraying once and betraying five times?" Lin Bai laughed. He originally thought telling the truth would be difficult, but now, he'd fallen in love with this kind of straightforward communication.

[Resentment from Peng Ze; +1+1+]

Peng Ze took another deep breath, raising three fingers. "Three. An Alchemist of my Level only has three complete Dan Fangs."

As if I'd believe that!

Lin Bai scoffed inwardly. "Deal."

Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Pushing this guy too far and getting no Dan Fang at all would truly not be worth the loss.

Once a breakthrough is made, future dealings will be much easier.

"Please excuse yourselves for a moment," Peng Ze said to Zhao Yi and Sun Lie beside him, bowing.

"Please, Senior Brother Peng, block our hearing," Zhao Yi and Sun Lie exchanged a glance and sighed.

The two nodded and stepped away. Dealing with Lin Bai was stressful enough; they couldn't perform Alchemy and definitely didn't want to offend Medicine King Valley any further.

Peng Ze cupped his fists at the two again, then his hand shot out like lightning, blocking their hearing.

Lin Bai's eyelids twitched slightly. He was quite envious of the locals' ability to apply their Inner Strength so flexibly.

All of his Martial Arts were rewards from the System, and even the moves were fixed. What he lacked was this flexible application of Inner Strength. He had to find a chance to get his hands on these abilities!

"Speak!" Lin Bai gestured.

"Seven and a half taels of Drought Lotus Grass, one catty and three taels of Yellow Essence..." Having decided to reveal the Dan Fangs, Peng Ze no longer hesitated and relayed the Dan Fangs for the Constitution Building Elixir, Little Replenishing Elixir, and Qi and Blood Elixir to Lin Bai one by one.

[Obtained Constitution Building Elixir Dan Fang; Reward: Poison Detection Technique (already issued)]

[Obtained Little Replenishing Elixir Dan Fang; Reward: Golden Needle Stabilizing Pulse Technique (already issued)]

[Obtained Qi and Blood Elixir Dan Fang; Reward: Toxicology (already issued)]

[Developed a Poison Pill Dan Fang using Poison Detection Technique and Toxicology; Reward: God Wood King Tripod (Can attract and refine poisonous insects)]

Peng Ze was honest after all; the three Dan Fangs he revealed contained no tricks and were acknowledged by the System the moment he finished speaking.

Lin Bai's medical skills rapidly improved.

Just moments ago, he had envied Peng Ze for so easily blocking someone's hearing. After learning the Golden Needle Stabilizing Pulse Technique, he could now block all five of a person's senses without issue. The only regret was that he still needed to use silver needles to seal acupoints...

But Lin Bai was already very satisfied. Who knew when all his Skills would be assembled? No need to rush.

Indeed, only by forging ahead fearlessly could one grow rapidly. Being overly cautious, playing it safe and developing slowly would only lead to being crushed by others!

After Peng Ze finished speaking, Lin Bai immediately asked, "Do you have a Poison Pill Dan Fang?"

"Lin Bai, don't push your luck!" Peng Ze glared at Lin Bai, panting heavily. He increasingly regretted coming to find Lin Bai today. This bastard was too much, truly determined to fleece him for all he was worth!

"Unblock their acupoints!" Lin Bai ordered with a smile.

"You still haven't told me what the Beggar Gang plans to do tomorrow?" Peng Ze asked.

"We'll discuss it all together," Lin Bai said. "You've told me Dan Fangs. If those two don't reveal something too, will you feel it's fair?"

Peng Ze glanced helplessly at Lin Bai, then with a wave of his hand, unblocked the two men's acupoints.

Sun Lie, being quite straightforward, spoke up before Lin Bai could say anything, "The Spirit Artifact Pavilion doesn't have any Dan Fangs, only methods and techniques..."

"Methods and techniques will do," Lin Bai smiled. "Xiao Bai, go call the Master Refiner. Tell him I've found him a temporary master. And you, Zhao Yi, how about you teach one of my Disciples a set of sword techniques?"

With System rewards, the Skills Lin Bai obtained from completing tasks were directly mastered to a high level. He couldn't be bothered to learn these basic things from them.

"It's not scarcity but uneven distribution that causes discontent." Based on the principle of making the 'victims' feel psychologically balanced, Lin Bai still fleeced them.

Having the Beggar Gang members learn these Skills was also a gain for him. He could also harvest a wave of positive sentiment. By any calculation, it wasn't a loss.

Zhao Yi went to teach Dumbelldore sword techniques. Sun Lie was taken to the Refiner's Workshop to teach the Master Refiner and others the techniques of Artifact Refining.

In the blink of an eye, only Lin Bai and Peng Ze remained under the pavilion.

The two stared at each other.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Lin Bai looked at Peng Ze and smiled faintly. "Is your father's surname Peng?"

"..." Peng Ze felt a tightness in his chest, and a mouthful of blood surged to his throat; he almost couldn't stop himself from spitting it out. Only one voice remained in his mind: Kill him! I must kill him! Even if it means being punished by Medicine King Valley, I have to push Lin Bai into a state of eternal damnation!

Otherwise, he would never be able to swallow this indignation!

...

「Before they knew it.」

The eastern sky began to show the first light of dawn.

After Zhao Yi and Sun Lie finished imparting their skills, they returned to the pavilion, grim-faced.

They looked at Lin Bai and the dispirited Peng Ze, sighing silently.

Zhao Yi asked, "We have completed the teachings as you instructed. Can you tell us now what the Beggar Gang plans to do?"

At this point, whether they knew Lin Bai's plans or not was no longer important.

After all, it would be daylight soon. But having been tormented by Lin Bai all night, if he didn't reveal the truth himself, they felt they couldn't get past this hurdle!

"Daoist Qingyu, leading over a hundred Golden Core Taoists from Return to Dragon View, rushed to Qian City to kill me. We ambushed them in advance, intending to wipe them all out in one go." Lin Bai smiled faintly, delivering the answer nonchalantly.

The three were aghast.

They suddenly understood why Lin Bai dared to threaten them so brazenly.

If Lin Bai failed against Return to Dragon View, then naturally, that would be the end of it.

But if Return to Dragon View was truly successfully ambushed by Lin Bai...

Then, undoubtedly, everyone in both the Righteous faction and the Evil Sects would feel endangered.

Trying to establish good relations with Lin Bai would be completely impossible.

After all, while the affiliated sects of the Seven Orthodox Sects competed amongst themselves, they had never resorted to wiping out or annihilating another sect among their own.

Not to mention, behind Return to Dragon View was the Heavenly Dao Sect, acclaimed as the foremost of the Orthodox sects.

Having offended the Five Evil Sects and annihilated Return to Dragon View, Lin Bai and his Beggar Gang would undoubtedly become the world's public enemy. Why would he care about small fry like them?

The three exchanged glances, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

They had thought that Lin Bai, having offended the Five Evil Sects, would need to rely on them and would therefore show some restraint.

Now, it seemed this fellow was a complete lunatic!

GULP!

Peng Ze swallowed nervously before asking cautiously, "Shopkeeper Lin, may we leave now?"

"Of course."

Lin Bai nodded.

They had been squeezed pretty much dry of anything useful; there was no point in keeping them. Besides, calculating the time, Return to Dragon View's people should be arriving soon. Even if these guys went to report, it would be too late.

...

After leaving the Beggar Sect Branch, Peng Ze and the other two ran for two streets before they finally dared to catch their breath.

"Madman! He's a suicidal madman!" Peng Ze cursed loudly.

"Senior Brother Peng, what should we do?" Zhao Yi asked.

"Let's wait and see!" Peng Ze looked at the two and said, "If Lin Bai dies at the hands of Return to Dragon View today, I hope you two Senior Brothers will take what happened last night to your graves."

"Naturally," Zhao Yi and Sun Lie said in unison. At this moment, they felt exceedingly fortunate that they each had leverage over the others. Otherwise, after leaving the Beggar Gang, fissures would likely have formed among the three of them.

"Senior Brother Peng, have you considered what we should do if Lin Bai wins?" Sun Lie hesitated for a moment before voicing the question everyone wanted to avoid.

"Daoist Qingyu is known as the foremost individual beneath the Nascent Soul Realm, capable of breaking through his Core to form a Nascent Soul at any time. He also possesses his sect's ultimate treasures, the Suppressing Demon Sword and the Qiankun Mirror. His combat strength surpasses even that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators. He's also bringing a hundred Golden Core cultivators. If such a force is defeated by Lin Bai, then Lin Bai is not someone we can afford to provoke. However, he would absolutely become the public enemy of both the Righteous and Evil factions, a target for all. Without any instigation from us, both the Righteous and Evil paths will devise all possible means to kill him," Peng Ze stated.

"Like Real Man Fulong eight hundred years ago?" Zhao Yi asked.

"Even someone as powerful as Real Man Fulong ultimately couldn't escape the pursuit of both the Righteous and Evil paths, let alone a brash young man in his twenties." Peng Ze nodded. "The arrogant will inevitably meet their downfall. I reckon Shopkeeper Lin's days are numbered."

"Alright, then it's settled. What happened last night, we all take to our graves!" Sun Lie seized the chance to say.

The remaining two nodded in agreement simultaneously.

...

"Shopkeeper Lin, the people from Return to Dragon View are over eighty miles from Qian City. A couple of fast-footed Taoists just patrolled the outskirts of West Mountain City and found nothing unusual; they've already gone back to report. The rest should arrive in about a quarter of an hour." The moment "I'm Not an Alt Account," who was stationed at the Beggar Sect Branch, came online, he reported Return to Dragon View's movements to Lin Bai.

"The right time, place, and people—all are on my side!" Lin Bai nodded with a smile. He glanced at the dim morning light, then turned to the Little White Fox beside him. "Xiao Bai, are you ready?"

"Mhm." The Little White Fox nodded vigorously, shed her human form, and transformed back into a fox. She snuggled into Lin Bai's embrace, only her small head peeking out. Her task was to recite tongue twisters, and her human form was actually less convenient for it.

"Alright, let's go." Lin Bai gave his equipment a final check, activated Morning Flight, then Curve Body Single Shadow, and shot like a meteor towards the mountain forest outside the city.

A Golden Core True Person's Wind Control, in terms of movement speed and explosive power, was much slower than his Morning Flight combo. Now that Lin Bai's Inner Strength was abundant, he could afford to use it extravagantly.

...

「The moment Lin Bai left Qian City.」

「The City Lord's Mansion.」

Guo Yuan withdrew his gaze from the window and sighed dejectedly. On the table behind him, scattered white papers were covered with all sorts of hasty scribbles.

There were words about Qian City, the Five Righteous Sects, the Five Evil Sects, the Descended Ones, Righteous Door, and, most frequently, Lin Bai...

He had been making deductions all night long.

But even by dawn, he hadn't managed to sort anything out.

The Descended Ones were already enough to give him a headache.

With Lin Bai throwing a wrench in the works, the situation had become even more chaotic.

Guo Yuan put himself in Lin Bai's position. No matter how he analyzed it, the end result was always a dead end, a path to self-destruction.

Guo Yuan simply couldn't understand Lin Bai's intentions in doing all this.

He clearly could have acted more prudently...

...

When Zhao Yi returned to the Morning Yuan Sword Sect's encampment, he saw a crowd of Players chaotically rushing out. After just one night, an additional character signifying 'Meal' had appeared on their clothes.

In their hands, they held various placards with short slogans like: "Good Taste, Good Fast Food!" "A Call Away, Delicious Food Delivered!" "Clean and Hygienic, Deliciously Made with Care!" ...

After being harassed by Lin Bai all night, Zhao Yi was already extremely agitated. Seeing the antics of his Disciples, his head went BUZZ, blood rushed upwards, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

"What are you all doing?" he roared, blocking their path.

"Senior Brother Zhao, Shopkeeper Lin is planning something big! As his allies, we should go and cheer him on," Lord said with a grin. "Remember, before we joined the sect, you promised us this would be the best opportunity to promote the Morning Yuan Sword Sect. Senior Brother Zhao, don't stop us, or we'll be late! We worked all night on these billboards; we can't let them go to waste..."

"You... you..." Zhao Yi's vision darkened. What in the world was happening? He had just agreed with Peng Ze and the others to keep things secret and let Lin Bai and Return to Dragon View fight to the death, yet these newly joined Descended Ones were now roasting him over a fire!

If they went to the site of the battle between the Beggar Gang and Return to Dragon View to promote the Morning Yuan Sword Sect, what excuse would they have to fight Lin Bai in the future?

Return to Dragon View would probably be the first to come after them!

"Senior Brother Zhao, your Martial Arts are excellent, and your Inner Strength is profound! We have a set of advertising slogans we need to trouble you to recite on site!" No.1 Sword Immortal handed a paper full of words to Zhao Yi, saying with an eager smile, "Senior Brother Zhao, please! If you help us through this event, all of us brothers will remember your kindness and never forget this favor..."

"..." Zhao Yi stared blankly at the paper in his hand.

It read: "The healthiest ingredients, the restaurant that understands you best! Quality life, enjoy deliciousness! The Morning Yuan Sword Sect joins hands with Good Taste Fast Food to cheer on Shopkeeper Lin..."

Zhao Yi swallowed hard, looking at the enthusiastic crowd of Descended Ones. The dizziness in his head intensified, and his heart filled with bitterness. What in the Nine Hells is all this?! Senior Brother, you overestimated me! What am I supposed to do? I really can't handle these Descended Ones!

Shaking his head, Zhao Yi asked, "Does Senior Brother Tong know about this?"

No.1 Sword Immortal nodded without hesitation. "Of course, he knows. He was the one who instructed us to do this..."