Because of Lin Bai, the Beggar Gang and all other players had started to drift apart. Judging by the current situation, this gap was only likely to grow wider. While feeling bitter, the other players who entered the game had to seriously consider the right way to play and how to face an increasingly powerful Beggar Gang in the future. With Lin Bai, the NPC who sowed chaos wherever he went, making systematic progress would inevitably lead to being trampled by the Beggar Gang. After all, everyone knew that war and plunder were the fastest ways to accumulate wealth, and under Lin Bai's leadership, the Beggar Gang was sprinting down that path.

...

The Shika Financial Group decided to launch a flanking attack on the Beggar Gang. Other notable players from towns adjacent to Qian City opted to wait until they learned more Skills and could liaise with more players and Sects to confront the Beggar Gang head-on. Some players decided to diligently develop their own power, planning to snatch Lin Bai from the Beggar Gang in the future. Others worried that the Beggar Gang disciples were too reckless, which would ultimately affect the NPCs' attitude towards them...

All in all, each player had their own thoughts. But at this stage, things were not entirely up to the players. Apart from large conglomerates like Shika, who could mobilize financial and material resources and, like Lin Bai, control an entire Novice Village as their base, most players were still lone wolves with low levels and weak personal strength. Even if they were lucky enough to be picked early by cultivation Sects, they still had no say, let alone influence NPC decisions.

The crucial point was that the NPCs of other second-level cities did not have someone like Lin Bai stirring things up and pushing them to grow. Most Sects, whether Righteous Factions or Evil Sects, were still following the original rules. They were preoccupied with disputes over the ownership of the Heavenly Chosen and hardly had time to care about the outside world. The sudden arrival of players had plunged the entire world into a state of uncertainty. The original balance had been disrupted. Everyone was struggling to cope with this change, searching for a future amidst the chaos, making longer-term plans, and seeking a new equilibrium. The conservative behavior of NPCs made it impossible for players from other towns to emulate Lin Bai.

Of course, there was one more thing. More than a hundred thousand players had been distributed to over seventy Novice Villages, which were not even in the same country. The heavens are high, and the emperor is far away. Many players who wanted to contact Lin Bai simply couldn't. What Lin Bai and his Beggar Gang disciples had done only served as a reference and benchmark for them. It was very likely to be counter-productive. After all, the Beggar Gang players had physically demonstrated to numerous NPCs what it meant to be uncontrollable...

...

The first to experience the uncontrollable nature of the players were the five great Evil Sects, including the Blood Shadow Sect; Return to Dragon View was the second; the third was Hundred Flower Valley.

...

Jiang Yuru stared at the Beggar Gang disciple who had come to deliver a message, a look of disgruntlement on her face.

Since when did these ordinary people dare to threaten a true Golden Core cultivator?

But when she thought of Lin Bai's ruthlessness, she could only suppress the anger in her heart.

She couldn't understand how Lin Bai, who used to call her 'Uncle Master' respectfully, acting modest, polite, gentle, and refined in her presence, could behave so arrogantly today. Weren't Lin Bai's things supposed to be hard to obtain? What about this? The Spoken Law Follows? A super Cultivation Technique leaked so casually—who knows if it's even real? Is he really using this to threaten her?

"Miss Jiang, we've delivered Storekeeper Lin's words," the Lonely Old Man said with a smile. "Just say no, and we'll leave right away. We definitely won't make things difficult for you, Miss Jiang. After all, Miss Qing Qin and our Storekeeper Lin are close acquaintances. We can't make things difficult for Hundred Flower Valley."

You call coming here to threaten me 'not making things difficult'?

Jiang Yuru raised her eyebrows slightly. "May I have some time to consider?"

"There's no time!" The Lonely Old Man shook his head. "We're off to take over Return to Dragon View. If we're late, I'm afraid Storekeeper Lin will be upset."

"Are you so certain that Lin Bai can conquer Return to Dragon View?" Jiang Yuru couldn't help but ask. "Daoist Dao Xu is a Nascent Soul master..."

"Miss Jiang, we believe in our Storekeeper Lin," the Lonely Old Man laughed. "As you know, we are new here and very unfamiliar with the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Realms. However, there aren't many in the Cultivation World who have single-handedly repelled hundreds of Golden Core cultivators as Storekeeper Lin has! Moreover, aren't you even a little curious about the outcome of the contest between Storekeeper Lin and Return to Dragon View?"

"I'm not the least bit curious," Jiang Yuru said, her face grim.

"Miss Jiang," the Lonely Old Man shook his head and chuckled. "The world is ever-changing. Some things can't be avoided just because you wish to. As an elder of the Beggar Gang, I truly don't want to see the day Miss Qing Qin and Storekeeper Lin become enemies! They're a match made in heaven. I forgot to mention, I've already agreed for Golden Tongue Man of Hundred Flower Valley to join our Advertisement Alliance. In the future, during any Beggar Gang activities, the Heavenly Chosen from Hundred Flower Valley can engage in friendly interactions with us."

"You..." Jiang Yuru's eyes widened, her chest heaving with extreme anger.

"Miss Jiang, times have changed. If you wait to place your bet until the results are out, it will be too late. You've seen that Storekeeper Lin is a man who acts without regard for consequences. Truthfully, we're just messengers. The real decision-maker is still Storekeeper Lin..."

To complete the task assigned by Lin Bai, the Lonely Old Man resorted to threats and enticement, even discrediting the true founder of the Beggar Gang.

...

Yes! The real decision-maker is Lin Bai!

Thinking of Lin Bai's consistent tough stance, Jiang Yuru's pupils contracted abruptly, a wave of inexplicable panic rising in her heart. She took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Alright, I agree to lend you the Hundred Flowers Shuttle. But the Hundred Flowers Shuttle can only transport three hundred people at a time. Your Beggar Gang has many members; you'll have to find other means."

Success!

The Lonely Old Man let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and cupped his fist to Jiang Yuru, laughing. "Three hundred people it is. Please prepare as soon as possible, Miss Jiang. I must now go speak with the Morning Yuan Sword Sect and see if they can also lend a hand. After all, all Righteous Factions under heaven are one family. We will need to stand together against the Five Great Evil Sects in the future!"

"..." Jiang Yuru was speechless.

In an instant, boundless resentment towards Lin Bai flared within her, and she regretted not returning to her Sect earlier like Tong Cha and the others. It would have been so much better to leave the matter to Jiang Qingqin and let her take the blame! She regretted ever harboring the slightest sliver of hope regarding Lin Bai! Now that Jiang Qingqin was in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Golden Core Realm, it was too late for her to leave!

...

After leaving Hundred Flower Valley's encampment, the Lonely Old Man, using different reasons for each, successfully convinced Medicine King Valley and the other three Sects to provide transportation tools for the Beggar Gang disciples. The success was largely due to the players who had joined those other three Sects. The Lonely Old Man laid his cards on the table, personally promising that after Lin Bai conquered Return to Dragon View and dealt with the Five Great Evil Sects, they would then turn to attack Medicine King Valley and the other Sects, unifying the Sects in the Qian City region. All players could then join the Beggar Gang unconditionally, and together, they would all expand outward...

...

Having witnessed Lin Bai's formidable power, the players in Qian City already regretted their initial choices. Moreover, for these curiosity-driven players, who wouldn't want to witness the spectacle of Lin Bai taking on Return to Dragon View? Now, with the Lonely Old Man's enticing promise, they worried even less about the consequences. The NPCs might not know, but the players were fully aware of Lin Bai's methods. Frankly, Lin Bai was acting more and more like a plot-critical NPC who wouldn't die until his mission was completed! From any perspective, at this stage, following Lin Bai was the way to have more fun in the game. The NPCs from other Sects seemed too pedantic and slow compared to Lin Bai!

Therefore, after some convincing from the Lonely Old Man, the original undercovers became useless, as all players who had joined other Sects effectively became undercovers. Zhao Yi and others who couldn't make decisions, when pressured by the Heavenly Chosen and needing to contact their Sects for strategies, had no choice but to rely on players to pass messages. And now, all the Heavenly Chosen had become undercovers. When relaying messages, they naturally misinterpreted the Sects' true intentions, and with a few well-chosen words, they thoroughly confused the NPCs stationed in Qian City.

At noon that day, one thousand Beggar Gang disciples, along with five hundred disciples scraped together from the other four Sects, boarded the flying Magic Treasures provided by the four major Sects. In a mighty procession, they set off for Return to Dragon View.

...

「The City Lord's Mansion.」

As Guo Yuan watched the large contingent of Beggar Gang disciples fly away from Qian City, he stroked his beard and said to the scholar beside him, "Old Zhao, now I finally understand what they mean by 'A Sea Dragon Entering the Sea'!"

"Indeed, Lin Bai is a rare... Heaven's Favorite!" the scholar exclaimed.

"Heaven's Favorite?" Guo Yuan glanced at him with a smile. "A 'shit-stirrer' seems more apt, don't you think?"

"..." The scholar grinned awkwardly and said no more.

"Whatever he is," Guo Yuan laughed, "as long as he truly manages to draw those Heavenly Chosen away as he claims, he will have rendered a great service to the state. Have a report of Lin Bai's recent activities copied and sent to Commandery Princess Yunyang in Jiamucheng. I suspect our Commandery Princess Yunyang's interest in Lin Bai may extend beyond mere utilization. This old man might as well give him a nudge from behind..."

"Yes, City Lord." The scholar, looking at the City Lord with surprise, nodded, bowed, and withdrew.

...

While the players were swindling and conniving in Qian City to get to Return to Dragon View, Lin Bai and a few players on the Levitation Talisman were leisurely making their way there. Along the route, he eavesdropped on the players' private chats, watched his fan count rapidly increase in the background, chatted idly with Little Fox, and kept grinding his Truth-Telling Tasks count; he couldn't afford to neglect his tasks, no matter what.

However, players couldn't stand boredom. Traveling with a big boss like Lin Bai, they felt they would be missing out if they didn't dig up some explosive news from him.

Dragon Breath chuckled, trying to curry favor. "Storekeeper Lin, you still remember me, don't you?"

Lin Bai glanced at him. "I do. You were the one I tricked into looking like a complete fool."

He paused, then added a finishing blow, "Just as foolish as your master, Qing Feng. If that stupid Taoist had honestly stayed in Jiamucheng for a year or two, he could have amassed a fortune! He brought about his own ruin!"

"..."

Dragon Breath's face froze, silently contributing a wave of resentment points to Lin Bai.

The live stream screen was flooded with comments like "666," "Blind fool," "Missed out big time," "Couldn't recognize a diamond in the rough," "Storekeeper Lin is right," and "You had a true master to follow but chose Qing Feng instead," all mocking Dragon Breath. With just one question, Dragon Breath's infamy was fast approaching Dumbelldore's. Some people were already calling them "Dragon Dummy and Dumb Dumble."

Of course, many also urged him to reveal how Lin Bai had tricked him. Lin Bai was the biggest celebrity NPC in the Immortal World, and the audience was fascinated by everything he did. The Heavenly Remnant Collection, once brought to light by Dumbelldore, had long since spread throughout the real world, yet no one had managed to compose lyrics for it that satisfied everyone.

Dragon Breath, of course, wouldn't reveal his own embarrassing story, so he persisted with his question, "Storekeeper Lin, you were testing me back then, right?"

Poor child! If this were any other time, I'd definitely console you, make your heart flutter, and ensure your undying loyalty from then on. But now is not the time for such questions!

Lin Bai gave him a pitying look. "No, I was just using you."

Dragon Breath faltered, his heart sinking as an ominous premonition surfaced.

Is Lin Bai discriminating against me? Because of my intelligence? Could betraying my sect have been the wrong path?

He chuckled awkwardly. "Storekeeper Lin, you're so capable, and I'm just a nobody. What could I possibly have that you could use?"

"You just happened to be the only one I found at the time. Unlucky for you, I guess," Lin Bai said, glancing at him.

"..." Dragon Breath froze, speechless and on the verge of tears.

"Old Dragon, don't dwell on it. The more you ask, the more heart-wrenching it'll be," Mountain Tiger consoled him. "You were in the first batch of beta testers. Storekeeper Lin was probably testing the Undying Body mechanic on you, right?"

"Then why didn't he test it himself?" Dragon Breath asked, still unwilling to give up.

"A twisted sense of humor, perhaps!" Great Loe the Golden Immortal chimed in. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Storekeeper Lin enjoys tormenting people. It's probably part of his character design."

"..." Dragon Breath, still on the verge of tears, lamented, "I suspect Lin Bai just looks down on me. I'm bound to be singled out by him in the Beggar Gang. I'm starting to regret betraying Return to Dragon View."

"Regret what? Even if you hadn't betrayed them, Return to Dragon View would be no match for Storekeeper Lin!" Iron-Headed Immortal shot Dragon Breath a sidelong glance. "Actually, I think being targeted by Storekeeper Lin is a good thing. Think about how miserably Dumbelldore was tormented by him initially. And now? He's the sole direct disciple of the Righteous Door. How many players envy him!"

"That makes sense!" Dragon Breath's eyes instantly lit up, his resentment towards Lin Bai transforming into positive emotions.

...

Damn it! How did they manage to twist it like that?

Listening to their private chat, Lin Bai was astounded. He was utterly floored by the players' convoluted logic. Indeed, one couldn't use normal reasoning to predict their words and actions.

"Deep love often manifests as harsh criticism!" Great Loe the Golden Immortal offered comfortingly. "Storekeeper Lin's actions cannot be understood with common sense."

"..." Lin Bai was speechless, thinking sarcastically, I'm just trying to complete my tasks, for crying out loud! I'm not a mental patient like you lot!

"Then let me try again!" Dragon Breath, revitalized, cleared his throat and bravely asked Lin Bai, "Storekeeper Lin, I first joined Return to Dragon View, then betrayed them to join the Beggar Gang. I've also said disrespectful things about you before. Will you deliberately target me?"

"No," Lin Bai replied, glancing at him.

"When you tormented Dumbelldore, was it because you saw his potential?" Dragon Breath pressed.

"No. It was because he was the only one around at the time, and I was more familiar with him," Lin Bai said after a moment's thought, giving a completely honest answer.

It was precisely this tsundere-like commitment to blunt honesty that bolstered Dragon Breath's confidence. It's true! Storekeeper Lin really does see us differently; he just won't admit it verbally!

"You keep asking such pointless questions," Great Loe the Golden Immortal said, rolling his eyes at Dragon Breath, then turned to Lin Bai with an obsequious smile. "Storekeeper Lin, when you made Daoist Qingyu fall madly in love with Lady Hua Xi with a single sentence, was that the Spoken Law Follows?"

"No. There's no such thing as the Spoken Law Follows. I was lying to you all," Lin Bai stated truthfully.

He had already figured it out. No matter what he said, this group of players would inevitably concoct the most 'reasonable' explanation for themselves and then believe it wholeheartedly. So, when it came to completing Truth-Telling Tasks with them, he didn't need to worry about exposing anything!