Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

The remaining undercover agents who hadn't moved yet stared with wide eyes, their jaws hanging open.

'They're crazy! This whole group has gone mad!'

'Have they been beaten stupid? How can you praise a fire poker as the embodiment of the Great Dao? And you're treasuring a broken Wooden Sword like some precious artifact! If your elders saw the looks on your faces, they'd probably cleanse the sect on the spot!'

But they had to bow to the circumstances. Seeing that the few who remained silent had become the center of attention, they could only brace themselves and reluctantly mumble a few words.

"Sen... Senior Brother is so farsighted."

"Ye... yes, this sword... there's something to it. This disciple... will study it more upon returning."

Lin Qingfeng looked at the harmonious yet bizarre scene before him, feeling quite satisfied.

'Although a few of them seem a bit dim-witted, treating a weapon like a decoration to be worshipped, their loyalty seems quite high.'

'The obedience test was a one-step success. It even saves me the trouble of team-building.'

'Junior Sister is doing a great job as their guide.'

He looked over at Su Ling'er and saw her standing with her back straight, a smug look on her face.

At this moment, Su Ling'er was even more convinced.

'This heaven-sent opportunity of a Wooden Sword... many of them couldn't grasp it, and even made fools of themselves. But isn't this Senior Brother's way of warning me? A demonstration of how the Great Dao reflects the different states of mind in people?'

Lin Qingfeng felt the time was right. He had handed out the goodies and made his grand promises. It was time to let them go back and digest it all, rest up, and prepare to get back to work tomorrow.

He cleared his throat and said, "The Dao has been passed down. How you comprehend it will depend on your own fortunes."

He paused, then turned to Su Ling'er. "Junior Sister, it's getting late. Take the junior brothers to get settled."

"A cultivator's residence is also a training ground. You have experienced this, so do not be lax."

With that, he planned to turn and leave, handing this group of pumped-up tools over to his capable little manager.

However, Su Ling'er's response made him pause mid-step.

Su Ling'er stepped forward and bowed deeply to Lin Qingfeng, her pretty face filled with a gratitude that others couldn't comprehend.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother!"

"Ling'er will not fail this mission!"

'I, Ling'er, will definitely make them see the error of their ways and return to the true path!!!'

Lin Qingfeng made a suave departure, leaving behind an enigmatic back and a group of "new disciples" clutching their Wooden Swords.

Su Ling'er took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over the dozen or so people remaining. She saw them as a deluded, fallen group. Her heart filled with frustration at the weakness of these demonic cultivators, whose evil roots ran deep, but her face remained impassive.

"Follow me. I'll take you to get settled," Su Ling'er said curtly, then turned and walked away.

The group hurried to follow.

The party passed through the corridors of the Knowledge Hall and rounded a few rockeries. Suddenly, the scenery before them changed dramatically.

In the distant mountains, palaces shimmered with flowing light and vibrant colors.

Some cave residences were circled by immortal cranes, with Spiritual Springs cascading down cliff faces. Some courtyards were forged entirely of purple jade, emitting an enchanting violet haze in the sunset. There were even buildings whose rooftops flickered with strange yet magnificent multicolored lights, indicating active Arrays.

"HISS—!"

A series of sharp hisses echoed through the crowd.

The undercover agents' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Is... is that a Spirit Gathering Array? No, are those foundation stones paved with Spirit Stones?"

"Look at that tower! It's radiating a treasured light. It must be the prototype of a magic treasure at least at the Earth Tier! The Guixi Sect actually lets its disciples live inside magic treasures?"

"This demonic sect is truly extravagant! Are we going to live in a place like this too?"

The hearts of some agents, which had grown cold, began to warm up again.

'If we can cultivate in a place like this, having a few Spirit Stones deducted or being given a Wooden Sword doesn't seem so unacceptable! This is practically an Immortal Realm!'

Besides, even some elders from their original sects probably didn't live so luxuriously. Just how many heinous crimes did the Guixi Sect have to commit to amass this kind of wealth?

"As expected of Senior Brother, as expected of the Guixi Sect!" one agent muttered, his eyes shining. "This is the kind of splendor a true powerhouse should have!"

Lu Ping, walking at the back, looked at the strangely styled player-built structures with a hint of envy.

Su Ling'er, leading the way, heard the discussions behind her and sneered inwardly.

'Envy? Longing?'

'This is all just false prosperity designed to corrupt your will, to make you indulge in pleasure until you become puppets of the sect, one step at a time! Can't you even see that?'

She deliberately slowed her pace, letting them linger before the "immortal palaces" for a while longer, until they felt they were just a step away from entering.

Then, she suddenly turned a corner.

"We're here."

Su Ling'er stopped and pointed to a patch of barren land ahead.

The smiles on everyone's faces froze.

On that barren patch of dirt, besides Su Ling'er's small bamboo house and the other two's structures, a dozen or so... buildings had appeared at some point.

They were a dozen or so thatched huts, built from withered yellow straw and crooked wood. The roofs were drafty, and light shone through the walls. The wooden doors of some huts looked ready to fall off, and inside was nothing but musty straw!

In the wind, some of the wooden doors made a "CREAK... CREAK..." sound, looking like they were about to fall apart.

The most ridiculous part was that these thatched huts were built not far from those "immortal palaces."

On one side were resplendent jade pavilions where the Spiritual Qi was so dense it seemed to form a mist.

On the other side was a dusty, drafty slum.

The contrast was so stark that a few agents felt like coughing up blood on the spot.

"Th-this... Miss Su, did you take a wrong turn?" one agent asked, pointing a trembling finger at the huts. "Are... are those for us to live in?"

Su Ling'er turned her head, her face stern. "What? You find it beneath you?"

Her voice grew cold. "Do you know why this place has been designated as your residence?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"How superficial!"

"Those magnificent cave residences are nothing but fleeting clouds! Those who live within them have their wills eroded by comfort day after day. Their Dao hearts have long since decayed! They may appear to be cultivating, but in reality, they are just waiting to die!"

Su Ling'er pointed at the drafty thatched huts, her tone passionate.

"But this place! It receives the dew from the heavens above and connects to the earth qi below! The drafty walls are to help you sense the flow of Spiritual Qi from all eight directions at all times. The leaky roof is to temper your affinity with the water element. The yellow earth beneath your feet is to ensure you never forget your roots and can perceive the gravity of the earth!"

"This is the 'Place of Returning to Truth'! It is a sacred ground for cultivation, specially created by the Guixi Sect to protect your pitifully weak Dao hearts!"

The more Su Ling'er spoke, the more she convinced herself. If she hadn't lived in a thatched hut herself, she might have actually started to believe her own words.

"Back then, I also started in a place like this! Even now, I continue to reside here!"

She pointed to her own small bamboo house.

Compared to the "immortal palaces," it was indeed simple, but it was still a hundred times better than the thatched huts.

"As the sect's guide and your senior, I can endure these humble conditions. Do you think you are more delicate than I? Or are you questioning the sect's good intentions?"

With those words, she placed a heavy accusation upon them.

The undercover agents from the righteous sects in particular felt like crying.

'Temper our water affinity, my ass! The roof is just leaking!'

'Sense the flow of Spiritual Qi, my ass! It's a cross-breeze!'

'You live in an exquisite little bamboo house, so what do you call this? We never got this kind of treatment in our righteous sects! How is this any different from exile!'

But with Su Ling'er and the backing of the demonic sect, no one dared to say "no." Some worried about upsetting their senior, others feared that doing too much would lead to mistakes, and some figured they'd complete their mission and leave soon enough. They didn't even dare to make any major renovations!

They could only walk silently toward the thatched huts, a headache already forming as they thought about the days to come.

This was a demonic sect.

They steal your money, give you a stick, throw you into a pigsty, and then tell you it's to temper your Dao heart.

It was too cruel.

The agents from the demonic path, however, were more accepting.

'At least, there's a free place to live.'

In a demonic sect, housing had to be fought for, stolen, and even paid for! Disciples would often come to blows over a good location or a nice house. Even with a dilapidated shack, you had to worry about someone else snatching it.

But here, there was no need to worry about that. Everyone... had a place to live, and everyone's place was equally pathetic. Or perhaps... they could just wait until they were strong enough to snatch Miss Su's bamboo house or even one of those immortal palaces?!

Meanwhile, the "brilliant" agents were already considering where in their thatched huts they should hang their "Divine Soldiers Wooden Sword" to burn incense and worship it. How could they best show their sincerity and let the sect see their dedication!

"I'm going to hang it right in the center and kowtow to it three times every morning and evening!"

Lu Ping walked into a thatched hut and casually slapped a wooden post.

He didn't really care. 'Go with the flow,' he thought.

He sat cross-legged on the dusty ground, laid the Wooden Sword across his knees, and closed his eyes to rest.

「Night fell.」

The nights in the Guixi Sect were not peaceful. Explosions and cheers could be heard from time to time in the distance. Perhaps it was players blowing up their cauldrons late at night, or maybe they were enchanting their equipment?

But in this area of thatched huts, it was quiet.

Su Ling'er stood by the window of her bamboo house, looking out at the thatched huts trembling in the wind, and sighed in her heart.

'Alas, why are you all so stubborn...'

Just as she was thinking this, a soft knock sounded at the door of her bamboo house.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

The sound was extremely faint, but it was remarkably clear in the quiet night.

Su Ling'er jumped in fright. 'Who would come looking for me in the middle of the night?'

'Could it be that the newcomers can't take it anymore and have come to assassinate me?'

She swept the area with her Divine Sense but couldn't detect a single person. 'Could a great power from the demonic sect have discovered my plan with Senior Brother and come to silence me?'

'Or did the Demon Venerable pulling the strings discover my extreme behavior today?'

'No, for the sake of all life under heaven, for Senior Brother's great and righteous cause, it doesn't matter if I die, but nothing can happen to Senior Brother!'

Her right hand instantly gripped her Wooden Sword as the Spiritual Power in her body surged. In a low voice, she asked, "Who's there?"

A gentle voice came from outside the door, but it made the hair on Su Ling'er's entire body stand on end.

"Junior Sister, are you asleep?"

'Senior Brother?!'

Su Ling'er panicked. 'Senior Brother is visiting late at night... Could it be... that he's not satisfied with my progress in driving away the newcomers?'

'Or does he have an even more arduous task to give me?'

With a trembling hand, she slowly pulled open the door.

Under the moonlight, Lin Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back. "Junior Sister," he began, "I came here specifically to tell you some good news!"