Rush Moon: Aimed at more than one person, Rush Moon can exile one person, forcibly separating them.

Lin Bai pondered the description of Rush Moon, itching with curiosity. He couldn't wait to find someone to experiment on. Where could I exile my opponent to? he wondered.

But it probably wouldn't send them directly to the moon. If it did, the description would have clearly specified it.

However, after much thought, he realized that none of the people around him were suitable.

The Evil Five Door had just joined the Justice League. It wouldn't be appropriate to target them, as it might force them to turn rebellious again.

The disciples of the Beggar Gang were all Players. He still needed them for work, so using them as test subjects didn't seem right either.

Before he knew it, there were no enemies around him anymore.

He drew his sword and looked around, a sense of emptiness washing over him.

Lin Bai reflected for a moment. Isn't this the life I've been pursuing ever since I transmigrated to this world? Indeed, I chose the right path. This is what the System task requires. Could I have achieved what I have now if I'd only sought stability without being adventurous? It's all about this swift and unstoppable pace. Regardless of whether people around me share the same intent, by the time those capable of restraining me react, I'll already be a mighty force in my own right!

Lin Bai had learned about the previous public enemies in the martial arts world from Qing Yu. He summarized that these individuals failed primarily because they were too individualistic and didn't focus on cultivating their own teams. Consequently, when they were hunted down by both the righteous and evil sects, they lacked any assistance. Regardless of their individual abilities, they could only meet a bitter end.

So, fundamentally, he was different from those public enemies in the martial arts world.

Pah! Public enemy of the martial arts realm? Hell, I'm clearly the savior…

Having corrected this misconception about himself, Lin Bai felt invigorated, his self-confidence further boosted.

As Lin Bai was reflecting on how lonely life felt, like snow, Lonely Old Man approached him and cautiously said, "Lin, the Storekeeper, the people from Hundred Flower Valley are here. They are about thirty miles outside the city and were wondering if they could come directly into the city?"

[Anxiety from Lonely Old Man: +1+1+1]

Anxiety? Lin Bai mused. A strange emotion! Under normal circumstances, most Players in front of me experience joy or resentment, with hardly any fear or worry. After all, they all approach this with a gaming mentality and have little to be genuinely afraid of, let alone a special emotion like anxiety.

Lin Bai glanced at Lonely Old Man and quickly understood.

This guy must have noticed something wrong with "Crispy Rice"! He actually managed not to spread the news. He has potential; I have to find a way to get him on my side... Though, there's no rush. After all, I don't currently have anyone suitable to pair him with.

"They shall not enter the city," Lin Bai said. "Send someone to alert the members of the Justice League. Our new allies have arrived. Prepare to set off and meet with Hundred Flower Valley, then proceed to the Morning Yuan Sword Sect."

"Leaving just like that?" Lonely Old Man was taken aback.

"War favors the swift," Lin Bai smiled. "Now that we know their intentions, why give them a chance to act? We should quickly pull them in, make them join our pirate ship… COUGH, I mean, make them join our alliance and fight for love and justice together!"

"But we aren't ready yet..." Lonely Old Man frowned.

"Ready for what? The Alchemy Team, the Artifact Refining Team, and the people from Justice Weekly will stay behind to consolidate our efforts. Continue to put our Pill Medicines and weapons on sale. The Beggar Gang isn't short of coins; it's reputation we need. Sell all our Pill Medicines and weapons at reasonable prices, quickly demonstrating the benefits of the alliance to the people. We can also set up a task board to accept requests from the public, like helping them find lost pets or offering bodyguard services." Lin Bai laughed. "Don't fear spending, don't fear trouble. Establish our reputation first. The Chosen of the Justice League must become role models for other Chosen. This way, when the crucial time comes, the populace will support us, and Taiyi Country won't dare to act rashly against us…"

Lonely Old Man grumbled internally, If it weren't for your underhanded tricks against their City Lord, Taiyi Country wouldn't have planned anything against us in the first place… Besides, it's not your coins you're spending, is it! And what the hell is this about finding lost pets? The officials used the most advanced technology to bring us into this world for a splendid adventure, and you're trying to force us back into a traditional online game model!

However, he didn't counter Lin Bai.

A few days later, 200,000 Players entered this world. Deer Mountain Group took the lead, while other large groups were following suit, preparing to enter the game.

Previously, outside Qian City, the battle against Return to Dragon View had resulted in the devastating defeat of 3,000 Beggar Gang disciples at the first encounter. The advertisement effect was disastrous, and they didn't receive subsequent funding.

The fight against the Evil Five Door was obscured by an iron curtain. By the time they broke through, Lin Bai had already finished the crucial battles. Again, they didn't receive the subsequent advertising funds.

With two consecutive large-scale projects by the Beggar Gang failing, major advertisers had become cautious.

Now, only small and medium-sized firms with limited resources were advertising with the Beggar Gang, and people in the advertising department had even begun to complain.

After two consecutive losses, Lin Bai adjusted his strategy to win the hearts of the people. This new approach, combined with overpaying for shops in Qian City, procuring various raw materials for alchemy and artifact refining, and covering the salaries of the 3,000 disciples, meant the Beggar Gang's finances were under considerable strain.

"The Legend of Qing Flower" in Justice Weekly had only slightly improved the Beggar Gang's financial situation. If Lin Bai continued this spending spree without significant external revenue, the Beggar Gang's accumulated savings might not last long.

Their organization was built around Lin Bai, incomparable to powerful real-world financial groups like Deer Mountain Group.

Yet, Lonely Old Man didn't dare to oppose Lin Bai's suggestions.

After all, without Lin Bai, they were nothing. Too little time had passed; he hadn't managed to truly unite the Beggar Gang or establish his own genuine power base.

Lin Bai was the Beggar Gang's strength, but over-reliance on him was also their weakness.

Especially now, knowing that Lin Bai possessed methods to deal with Players, although Lonely Old Man kept saying they needed to stabilize morale, deep down, he unavoidably felt resistant and even wary of Lin Bai.

"Tell the editors to publish the third issue of Justice Weekly, digging deeper into the Justice League," Lin Bai said, stroking the Little White Fox as he elaborated. "This issue should highlight the mighty image of myself as the Alliance Hierarch. My journey from Jiamucheng to this point has been witnessed by all of you. In just over two months, I went from having nothing to establishing such a large enterprise; my experience could also be hailed as a legend. Establishing my image will indeed increase the public's faith in the Justice League and be beneficial to the promotion of our principles. Be sure to mention my identity as the Sect Leader of Righteous Door and my combat record. The alliance is the alliance, but the development of Righteous Door must also be considered…"

The Super Sect Leader System required Lin Bai to achieve personal fame sufficient to deter miscreants. He felt he could no longer hide his accomplishments.

Publicizing my combat record might achieve the highest state of military tactics: winning without fighting. Only a strong record can deter the petty.

Humph!

Dao Xu gave an involuntary snort, showing contempt for Lin Bai's self-aggrandizing.

Lin Bai ignored Dao Xu, thought for a moment, and added, "Regarding my cultivation process and combat achievements, there's no need for exaggeration or fabrication. Just report the truth. After all, the slogan of our Justice Weekly is to report the facts. As the Alliance Hierarch, I cannot undermine this basic guideline."

Damn it! Lonely Old Man thought, glancing leisurely at Lin Bai. The things you've done are already shocking enough if reported truthfully!

Seeing Lonely Old Man silent for a long moment, Lin Bai asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away," Lonely Old Man answered hastily. After hearing Lin Bai's future plans for the Beggar Gang, he suddenly realized that until the Beggar Gang Players matured, he truly couldn't afford to have too many reservations about Lin Bai. Maintaining his current mindset could lead to serious problems.

In Lin Bai's mind, the emotional feedback from Lonely Old Man suddenly vanished.

If it weren't for the continuous stream of emotions from others, he might have thought the System was malfunctioning.

To be able to adjust his emotions to a state as calm as an ancient well in such a short time... this guy really is talented!

"Lin, the Storekeeper," Lonely Old Man said, his voice much calmer after readjusting his mindset, "the Beggar Gang is having some financial problems. If we continue to burn money promoting the Justice League, it might cause the Beggar Gang to collapse. In the upcoming battles, could you perhaps make your performance a little more exciting? This way, we can secure more advertisements to maintain the operations of both the Beggar Gang and the Justice League."

"No problem, we're family, aren't we!" Lin Bai agreed with a smile.

"Good, then I'll go make the preparations." Lonely Old Man bowed to Lin Bai, then turned and left to manage various affairs.

Not long after he departed, a green shadow flew in from outside like the wind; it was Jiang Qingqin. She stopped abruptly in front of Lin Bai, her bright, sparkling eyes full of joy. Her voice carried a hint of excitement and thrill, "Lin Bai, I'm here! I've reached the Golden Core Realm!"

"Not bad," Lin Bai nodded at her.

"What do you think of my new look?" Jiang Qingqin beamed, spreading her arms and spinning in front of Lin Bai. "I had it shaped according to your requirements, you know!"

"A bit larger, a bit slimmer. A good change," Lin Bai said with a smile, looking her up and down.

Back when I accepted her confession, it was because Jiang Qingqin would fight to the death for me. During this busy period, I haven't seen Jiang Qingqin for several days, and I found that I haven't actively thought of her even once. This made me realize I don't have as many feelings for Jiang Qingqin as I thought... As expected. CP or whatever really isn't for me! But to promote the Love Principle, I should still show some intimacy with Jiang Qingqin...

"Tsk!" The Little White Fox in Lin Bai's arms shot her a disdainful look. "Master fought a Nascent Soul cultivator alone. What's there to show off about a mere Golden Core? In the end, you still can't help much!"

"Master?" Jiang Qingqin's focus was clearly elsewhere. She blinked and asked in surprise, "Lin Bai, you took Little Fox as your disciple?"

"You..." The Little White Fox instantly wilted. The master-disciple status was an insurmountable gap. If she had known, she would never have agreed to become a disciple!

"Yes," Lin Bai nodded, looked at Jiang Qingqin, and asked, "Qingqin, why don't you become my disciple too?"

Jiang Qingqin was stunned.

The Little White Fox's eyes lit up, a look of schadenfreude on her foxy face.

"Become your disciple?" Jiang Qingqin blinked. "Why? Weren't we supposed to practice the Love Principle together?"

"Who said a master and disciple cannot practice the Love Principle?" Lin Bai glanced at her with a smile. "Don't you think it's more romantic? Qingqin, the Great Path of Love has many facets; being rigidly bound by form is actually a constraint..."

The new task from the "Likes to be a Teacher" System was to accept five disciples and improve their cultivation progress by fifty percent. Lin Bai had been procrastinating, intending to give this benefit to his true confidants.

Shameless! Dao Xu's eyes widened as he cursed Lin Bai in his heart. If form doesn't matter, why can you play the master-disciple game while I have to be stuck with an old man? Where is the Ge Feiyun you promised me!

The Little White Fox's heart throbbed rapidly, her eyes shining brighter. A master-disciple relationship is more romantic? Then wouldn't a master-disciple plus owner relationship be even a level higher?

Jiang Qingqin's face flushed instantly. She glanced at Dao Xu, then at Lin Bai, who wore a faint, teasing smile. Blushing, she nodded, "Mm, Master."

"Right, call me that from now on. You'll be my third disciple. As for my requirements for disciples, let Little White tell you." Lin Bai was a person who only pursued results and didn't care about Jiang Qingqin's delicate romantic sentiments.

"Mm," Jiang Qingqin nodded again.

"Third Junior Sister, you must call me Senior Sister from now on!" The Little Fox jumped out of Lin Bai's arms, transformed into human form, and proudly puffed out her chest. "Disciples of the Righteous Door prioritize moral conduct above all. The rules must not be broken."

"You…" Hearing this, Jiang Qingqin's eyes widened. She reached out to grab the Little Fox, annoyed. "Don't go too far!"

"Little White is right. Since you've become my disciple, moral conduct must be your top priority," Lin Bai coughed lightly, stopping Jiang Qingqin. "Although our relationship is special, you must adhere to this."

Dao Xu almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. You're already aiming for romance with your female disciple, and you're still talking about conduct? Can't you have some shame?

Jiang Qingqin frowned slightly. This wasn't what she had imagined. She looked at Lin Bai in confusion, "Is this really necessary?"

"Don't overthink it," Lin Bai smiled and explained. "I am also cultivating the Taoist law of mentorship. Being my disciple has its advantages. Rather than letting outsiders benefit, it's better to prioritize our own people! By being my lover and my disciple, we can pursue dual cultivation..."

The Tao of Mentorship? Dao Xu was stunned.

Outside the door, Xin Shang and the others, who had received the news and hurried over, were also stunned. They had previously dismissed the idea of Laws, but at this moment, they were uncertain again.

Lin Bai's attitude was too earnest. If the Laws were merely a means to an end for him, there would be no need to hold himself to such standards at all times!

Dual cultivation? Jiang Qingqin sneakily glanced at Lin Bai. Instantly, her face turned even redder. She fidgeted and nodded, "Mm, I understand, Master. I will diligently uphold moral conduct and will not disrespect Second Senior Sister again."

"That's more like it!" The Little Fox didn't catch Jiang Qingqin's subtext. She proudly raised her head as if she had won a great victory.

"Greetings, Alliance Hierarch." Xin Shang and the others filed into the room, saluting Lin Bai.

Jiang Qingqin looked at the several Evil Sect Leaders, an inexplicable nervousness flickering in her heart as she stood beside Lin Bai.

"Sect Leaders, are you all prepared?" Lin Bai scanned the crowd.

"Alliance Hierarch, cultivators don't need much preparation. At your command, we can depart anytime. We're already eager to go," Zhao Tulong laughed heartily. "The Justice League having only a few of us as members is too lonely."

"Good! We set out to welcome our new allies!" Lin Bai waved his hand, laughing cheerfully.

"Lin... COUGH, Master," Jiang Qingqin hurriedly said, "the Valley Master and the others are not sincerely surrendering. They are using the pretext of surrender to stall you. Don't fall for their tricks."

"I know. Hundred Flower Valley is full of my undercover agents; their movements cannot escape my notice." Lin Bai turned back to look at her, smiling faintly. "If it weren't for your sake, I would have attacked them long ago. Why would I have waited until now?"

[Joy from Jiang Qingqin: +1+1+1...]

Jiang Qingqin looked at Lin Bai, her face flushed, and said, "Master, you don't need to consider me. Deal with them as you see fit. I am now a member of the Righteous Door!"