Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

As far as he could see, the once-menacing faction of cultivators that had threatened to slaughter their city and destroy their nation was now nothing more than a graveyard.

The ground was covered in corpses.

Some had their heads crushed, some had their chests run through with sharp weapons, and others were so torn apart that not a single complete limb could be found.

In the distance, the formations of the one-hundred-thousand-strong imperial army were long since buried under piles of bodies, with blood forming rivers.

And in the very center of this sea of blood and mountains of corpses...

A young girl in red robes sat quietly, cross-legged.

The very air around her was distorting as countless streams of dark-red blood malice and grayish-black resentment flooded madly into her petite frame.

The resentment was so thick that it condensed into a hideous vortex above her head.

The girl showed signs of resistance, but in her desire to grow stronger, she refused none of it.

The meridians of her Pseudo Spirit Root buzzed under the onslaught of such violent energy.

Thanks to [Rhythmic Executioner] and the [Supreme Heart-Clearing Soul-Stabilizing Skill], her aura, though full of impurities, didn't put too great a strain on her body or mind. As her [Sword Refining Skill] circulated, the energy continuously merged with her physique, tempering her body and nourishing her Spiritual Qi.

But too many people had died. The sheer volume of energy still put immense pressure on Su Ling'er, and she was struggling to hold on.

The corner of Lin Qingfeng's eye twitched uncontrollably.

'Wait a minute...'

'I was just gone long enough to watch a short video clip?'

'And you wiped out this whole group of Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators, plus an army of one hundred thousand soldiers?!'

'Does that even make sense?'

'So you're telling me that arrogant old Nascent Soul geezer didn't even last a few dozen rounds against you?'

'I thought I'd have to watch at least three or four episodes to see you grind him down to critical health, then he'd unleash his second form, and you'd have an epic struggle. But instead, you just gift-wrapped his entire family and sent them off?'

'As expected of me. What a great eye for talent! I knew from a single glance that my junior sister was a rare genius for the sect!'

Tsk.

Lin Qingfeng watched Su Ling'er, who seemed drunk on power, and shook his head.

'Then again, isn't this kid a little too bloodthirsty?'

'It's not enough that she killed them all, she has to have a feast on the spot?'

'This whole field of blood malice, resentment, and human resources... even a proper demonic sect would have to call her a pro. I wonder which senior brother taught her this!'

'Sigh. What a disgrace to our sect.'

[Instance Settlement Countdown: 00:30]

[Instance Settlement Countdown: 00:29]

In the bottom-right corner of his vision, bright red numbers were ticking down.

Lin Qingfeng raised an eyebrow.

The enemies were all dead, so the Turn-Based Force Field had already been dispelled.

But this whole field of "resources" was still here.

'Su Ling'er is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Even if she's a bottomless pit, how much can she absorb in thirty seconds? She'll barely scratch the surface.'

'All this leftover Nascent Soul Essence Blood, Golden Core resentment, and the baleful energy from hundreds of Cultivators and a hundred thousand warriors... once the instance settles, won't it all just despawn?'

'What a waste!'

'This is practically a crime!'

'This is the very essence of a hundred-thousand-strong army and the Dayan Dynasty's top cultivator corps. This is prime, raw human material!'

'And such *evil* human material, at that!'

'I should dispense justice on heaven's behalf and make sure their deaths were not in vain!'

'Good thing I wasn't too late.'

Lin Qingfeng took a step, his figure instantly appearing in mid-air.

"Gather!"

Lin Qingfeng spread his fingers and pressed his palm down toward the ground.

BOOM—!

The blood-malice qi that had been surging into Su Ling'er's body instantly began to boil.

The earth trembled.

Countless pillars of blood-red light shot up from the sea of blood and mountains of corpses, weaving into a giant net of light in mid-air.

Su Ling'er opened her eyes. The red glow from the encroaching blood-malice qi had not yet faded as she saw the massive hand blotting out the sky above her.

'First Senior Brother?'

Before she could react, the suffocating pressure from the vast, surrounding resentment suddenly eased.

The immense energy, of which she could only absorb a drop in the ocean no matter how she tried, was now surging madly toward her First Senior Brother's palm.

In a single breath.

The thick, bloody miasma that had permeated the battlefield was siphoned away, leaving only an amount that Su Ling'er could easily absorb in the remaining time, and the air itself even grew a little fresher.

In Lin Qingfeng's hand, a crudely condensed blood pill spun slowly.

It was the life essence of a hundred thousand soldiers and several hundred cultivator resources, a product of forced compression.

Crude, but incredibly potent.

Lin Qingfeng's fingertip gently brushed across the surface of the blood pill, feeling the violence and indignation contained within.

'I can't use this thing yet.'

'Whether I use it to refine higher-grade pills or to awaken those few magic artifacts of mine that need it, I'll first have to carefully polish it and remove the impurities.'

'I'll deal with it once I get back to the sect.'

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

His gaze shifted from the blood pill to Su Ling'er below.

'My junior sister's aura is a bit unstable.'

'She looks impressive, but it's all superficial. She couldn't weather a real storm.'

'Forcibly raising her power by relying on external forces like blood malice and resentment is ultimately not as solid as the arduous cultivation of leveling up one step at a time through the system.'

'The Yunzhou Sword Testing Conference is just around the corner.'

'By then, Su Ling'er will no longer be just my handmaiden. She'll be the Holy Daughter representing the honor of the entire Guixi Sect.'

'As the sect's representative, she'll have to sit as an equal with the Sect Leaders of other sects and face the scrutiny of the entire Yunzhou Cultivation Realm.'

'She can use items to conceal her true Cultivation and make herself appear stronger than she is.'

'But I, Lin Qingfeng, have a reputation to maintain!'

'Her foundation must be solidified.'

'Only by being hammered and tempered a thousand times in the Artifact Refining Pavilion, pounding every bit of Spiritual Power and every inch of her meridians into perfect alignment, can she truly make this superficial realm her own.'

'As for me leading the team myself and sitting as an equal with those so-called Sect Leaders?'

'What a joke. Are they even worthy?'

'Me, sitting at the same table as them? How would that demonstrate that I'm a cut above them?'

'Absolutely not!'

'My own junior sister can slaughter Golden Core cultivators with a smile and wipe out Nascent Soul cultivators with a wave of her hand.'

'How many of those so-called Sect Leaders in Yunzhou can do that?'

'My status as First Senior Brother Lin Qingfeng is far beyond theirs. My junior sister is the one who is on their level!'

'My junior sister alone is enough to command the scene.'

'Of course, as someone on their level, she also has to make her entrance as the grand finale!'

'And when my junior sister's true Cultivation is revealed, maybe some greedy Evil Cultivators will come to our Guixi Sect looking to become... resources!'

'Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh!'

Lin Qingfeng's thoughts returned to the blood pill in his hand.

'I can extract some of this thing's origin blood qi to guide her when she's getting beaten—er, I mean, when she's cultivating the Sword Refining Skill in the Artifact Refining Pavilion.'

'Use blood as a catalyst and a hammer as the forge.'

'That should allow her to completely hammer those impurities into her very bones and solidify her foundation in the shortest possible time.'

At this thought, Lin Qingfeng put the blood pill away.

Now that the packing was done, it was time to end this farce.

[3...2...1...0]

[Beginning Settlement]

[Processing Subsequent Story Events...]

[In the autumn of the 432nd year of the Dayan Calendar, due to the Nabo Garden incident, rivers of blood flowed outside Jinnan City.]

[You and your handmaiden, Su Ling'er, annihilated the imperial court's hundred-thousand-strong punitive army and every member of the royal Sacrificial Hall. When the news spread, the entire nation fell silent.]

[The next day, the capital city mutinied. The old emperor attempted to issue an edict admitting his faults and open the city gates in surrender, begging for your forgiveness. However, fear had long since shattered the court's loyalty. As you strode through the air, you hadn't even reached the capital before its gates were thrown wide open.]

[The prime minister knelt in the middle of the imperial road, holding a brocade box that contained the old emperor's head. The court officials all cried out, "With our worthless bodies, we aid Mr. Lin in eliminating the fatuous ruler!"]

[Without even needing to draw your sword, you stepped into the Jinluan Hall, the very symbol of power.]

[Three days later, you ascended the throne in the imperial city and renamed the dynasty "Lin."]

[Ending Achieved: The Supreme Sovereign (Pseudo)]

[Trial Evaluation: S+ (Perfect)]

[Calculating Rewards...]

DING! DING! DING!

A series of crisp, pleasant system alerts chimed in Lin Qingfeng's mind—a heavenly sound no gamer could ever resist.

[Base Rewards: 10,000 EXP/Cultivation, 2,000 Medium-Grade Spirit Stones, 5,000 Prestige.]

[Special Status Triggered: "Enemy of the Nation." Rewards Doubled: 20,000 EXP/Cultivation, 4,000 Medium-Grade Spirit Stones, 10,000 Prestige.]

[Special Status Triggered: "Age of Chaos." Rewards Doubled Again: 40,000 EXP/Cultivation, 8,000 Medium-Grade Spirit Stones, 20,000 Prestige.]

[Additional Special Rewards:]

[Free Attribute Points: 15]

[Reward Acquired: 1,000 Medium-Grade Spirit Stones]

[Special Item Acquired: 1x Weapon Promotion Stone]

[Rare Consumable Acquired: 1x Artifact Replication Order (Sword-type)]

(Note: Can forcibly copy an exclusive Cultivation Technique or special skill from a sword-type weapon and convert it into a learnable Skill Book.)

[Achievement Unlocked: "Calling a Stag a Horse." Your team has obtained the following title:]

[Title: Calling a Stag a Horse]

[Effect: While this title is equipped, your true Cultivation will be forcibly designated as "Unknown." No scouting-type Magic or Divine Techniques can perceive the truth. Note: This effect is temporarily disabled if you initiate an attack.]

[Ending "The Supreme Sovereign" Achieved. Additional Reward: Dragon Qi Infusion (Though it is a pseudo-Dragon Qi, it can still temper the physical body).]

Lin Qingfeng watched the frantic cascade of numbers and text on his panel, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably as they curled into a wide grin.

Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh!!!

'I originally just wanted to farm the "Calling a Stag a Horse" title to prepare for the Yunzhou Sword Testing Conference.'

'Who would have thought that Su Ling'er's new [Rhythmic Executioner] title would trigger a chain reaction, causing the battle to escalate until we ended up clearing the entire instance!'

'And a full eight thousand medium-grade Spirit Stones, plus the extra thousand, makes nine thousand!'

'In any other player's sect, how much would they have to whale to get all this?'

'And now I can get it all from a single Nabo Garden trial!'

'Not to mention the Artifact Replication Order and Dragon Qi Infusion, which are practically priceless.'

'This haul... I made a killing!'

「At that moment, the two of them appeared outside Nabo Garden.」

As Lin Qingfeng was teleported out, a stream of qi materialized from thin air, pouring into the crown of his head and spreading throughout his body in the blink of an eye.

As the pseudo-Dragon Qi entered him, his bones and muscles began to CRACKLE and POP. A feeling of profound comfort washed over him, and he seemed to gain a special sensitivity to dragon qi and dragon veins.

"Haaa..."

Meanwhile, Su Ling'er felt the changes in her own body, a look of delight spreading across her face.

She had reached the stage of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection!