Niu Yuanshan was one of the nine Outer Sect Deacons of the Dao Sect.
His cultivation was nothing remarkable within the Dao Sect, only at the Third Realm.
But he wielded considerable authority over the Outer Sect.
Just half an hour ago, he had finished carrying out the Newcomer Reception Mission assigned by the organization and returned to his residence.
In fact, he had just been rubbing that golden mask in his room, reminiscing about the bits and pieces of his time in the Moon Kingdom.
Although he had been undercover for many years and had risen to a position of power in the Outer Sect, earning deep trust and respect, none of it had corrupted him.
He felt not the slightest sense of belonging toward the Dao Sect.
"Everything I have belongs to the organization."
"Loyal—ty!"
The reason Niu Yuanshan's thoughts were running wild tonight was purely because he had completed his final Newcomer Reception Mission.
"From now on, I only need to remain quietly undercover in the Dao Sect and await the organization's next orders."
"After working tirelessly for so many years, I've infiltrated the Outer Sect's inner circle. In the future, I'll surely be able to give my all and render great service to the organization!"
People like them, brainwashed from childhood, were not afraid of death at all. They only regretted that their deaths were not grand enough, and that they had not been able to sacrifice themselves for the organization.
After sighing with emotion inwardly, the image of that young man with the Fox Face surfaced in Niu Yuanshan's mind.
It's been a long time since I've encountered such a special newcomer, he thought.
Niu Yuanshan held no shortage of admiration for that Fox Face.
"The newcomers these past few years had made me feel like the organization was doomed to collapse."
"Looks like there are still some promising seedlings!"
Unfortunately, he was going to infiltrate the Dao Sect as a menial disciple. Who knew when he would get the chance to soar into prominence?
Amid Niu Yuanshan's wild imaginings, that Fox Face really did fly over.
Outside the courtyard, when Niu Yuanshan got a clear look at Chu Huai Xu's face, he was utterly shaken.
"Li Chunsong personally brought him here?"
"And he isn't even a menial disciple—he directly became a Registered Disciple?"
"How did he get on Li Chunsong's good side?"
"That's Li Chunsong! The Dao Sect's Sixth Elder, an unparalleled expert of the Seventh Realm!"
"After being undercover for so many years, I've only managed to become vaguely acquainted with him!"
"That mere acquaintance was already worth mentioning specifically in the report I wrote to the organization last year!"
A prodigy—this was absolutely a prodigy!
No wonder we dark, lowly insects usually kept a low profile, while he acted in the exact opposite manner.
Niu Yuanshan still remembered how that Fox Face had slapped Xue Hu every so often, displaying such an unrestrained attitude.
It had even made him want to go down and try it himself, just to see whether the sensation really was that satisfying.
"A heaven-gifted genius naturally has his own way of doing things." Niu Yuanshan sighed inwardly.
In his view, Li Chunsong was conceited and extremely arrogant.
It must have been no easy feat to earn his special attention.
This young man had accomplished something from the very start that others could not achieve in several years!
"The organization truly is full of talented people!"
But one thing left Niu Yuanshan somewhat puzzled.
He was an experienced Moon Kingdom Spy who had been undercover for many years and was highly skilled at reading people's expressions.
When he had exchanged glances with Chu Huai Xu earlier, he had felt that something was off. That Fox Face had stared at him for quite a while.
Could he know my identity? Did the organization not conceal it from him? Niu Yuanshan speculated.
In fact, Chu Huai Xu really did know.
"Niu Yuanshan? Why did Li Chunsong dump me here with Niu Yuanshan?" His heart jolted.
He had an impression of this man, having seen many posts about him on the Forum.
This man was an undercover agent sent by some organization in the Moon Kingdom. His identity had been accidentally exposed by several idiotic players, and the incident had caused quite a stir at the time.
Back then, the matter had sparked a great deal of discussion on the Forum, including no small amount of reflection on humanity.
After all, the current setting was—The Great Calamity was approaching.
Under such circumstances, had humanity merely maintained unity on the surface?
The Dao Sect had an undercover agent from the Moon Kingdom, but what about the other sects?
And did the Moon Kingdom have undercover agents sent by one of the Four Great Sects of the Eastern Continent or by the Mirror Kingdom?
Later, the idiotic players had even organized a grand search for undercover agents of their own accord, purely because they loved watching the world burn.
As a result, they really did stir up quite a commotion.
Since the players were distributed among all kinds of factions, some factions' players profited from it, while others were caught in the crossfire.
And Niu Yuanshan's exposure was where it had all begun!
Those who benefited called out to him, "Farewell, Grandpa Niu!"
Those caught in the crossfire cursed him, "Go to hell, you son of a bull!"
That was why Chu Huai Xu had deliberately revealed a clue just now, observing his reaction.
At this moment, with his back turned to Li Chunsong, he vaguely had an answer in mind.
After regaining his composure, under the Sixth Elder's watchful gaze, Niu Yuanshan, as an Outer Sect Deacon, began distributing Tokens to Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang.
The Tokens were both symbols of identity and Storage Artifacts. Players commonly called them—Inventory Bags.
The storage space inside was approximately three cubic meters.
They already contained some daily necessities, Disciple Handbooks, Residence Keys, and so on.
Niu Yuanshan was no fool. He knew he had to take good care of them, so he arranged residences in an excellent area. Their Bamboo Houses were right next to each other, making them neighbors.
After finishing, he looked at Li Chunsong obsequiously and asked, "Elder, do they need to choose their Cultivation Methods for the Aperture Opening Stage now? Also, do you have any other instructions?"
He did not mind showing this side of himself in front of the newcomer sent by the organization.
On the contrary, he felt that the humility, fawning, and bitterness he was displaying at that moment were all sacrifices made for the organization!
He would surely sense all of it, sense how hard his years had been. His image in the newcomer's heart would only grow more imposing!
Niu Yuanshan felt that he probably could not compete with this unconventional prodigy in terms of ability, so he decided to give the newcomer a lesson on the spiritual level.
Little did he know that Chu Huai Xu had not been paying much attention at all. Even when Niu Yuanshan's words reached his ears, they directly transformed into, "Blah blah blah. Aperture Opening Stage Cultivation Method. Blah blah blah."
Is it finally happening? Am I finally about to open the door to cultivation?
He instantly perked up, puffing out his chest, raising his head, pulling in his stomach, and tightening his buttocks.
Li Chunsong stood there and pondered for a moment before raising a hand toward Han Shuangjiang and instructing, "Give her the Ice Purity Art."
He had personally chosen it for Han Shuangjiang.
Chu Huai Xu's heart burned with anticipation. What about me? What about me?
Sure enough, Li Chunsong raised his hand toward him as well and said, "As for him, anything will do."
Hearing this, Fox Face almost made the expression of the Tibetan Fox meme.
The Sixth Elder was helpless too.
He was widely experienced, and the Dao Sect possessed deep foundations. He had seen all kinds of Spirit Fetus physiques, and he even knew how to guide the most exceptional Profound Yin Physique.
The Ice Purity Art was a hundred out of a hundred. Nothing could go wrong.
But this boy's Pseudo-Spirit Fetus...
—Damn it, this question was difficult!
He had never taught a poor student before.
"But it doesn't matter. The Aperture Opening Stage is only the foundation. Whether the Cultivation Method's Match Rate is high will indeed have an effect, but the overall impact won't be significant." Li Chunsong thought.
With a physique like Han Shuangjiang's Profound Yin Physique, she could speedrun any Cultivation Method for the Aperture Opening Stage. The difference was merely a few days earlier or later.
"I wonder what my Martial Uncle was thinking when he brought a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus up the mountain." Li Chunsong could not understand it.
"But there are also a few unusual people in this world whose Spirit Fetus does not reveal itself, as though a pearl were buried in dust."
"Once they step onto the path of cultivation, they will radiate the light of that pearl."
He looked at Chu Huai Xu and thought, What if?
At that thought, his gambling addiction acted up.
"The Sect Leader and my fellow senior brothers and sisters are still waiting for me. I need to hurry back and place a few bets with them!"
"This little girl and this boy are both very special. Aren't they the perfect choices to bet on?"
With that thought, Li Chunsong gave them a few brief instructions before flying away through the air.
He even rubbed his hands together as he flew, leaving the three of them staring at one another in bewilderment.
Wumeng Mountain, Biyou Meadow.
The rain had stopped for quite a while.
Xu Ziqing, still drenched from head to toe, stood beneath that ancient tree and felt each second pass.
Yet no one ever appeared to take him to the Dao Sect.
During that time, Xu Ziqing had imagined all sorts of possibilities, constantly comforting himself and continuously coming up with excuses.
"It's fine. There must be a reason."
"Let's wait a little longer. Let's wait and see!"
Later, Xu Ziqing began to lose his sense of time.
Cold, so cold...
Standing in the rain, he began to shiver more and more violently. The handsome youth, whose lips had once been red and teeth white, now had lips that had turned pale.
The face of that Storyteller with ordinary features but a somewhat roguish air appeared in Xu Ziqing's mind.
At first, he had thought that such an air clearly belonged to a great cultivator who was merely playing at life.
But the more he thought about it now, the more wrong it seemed. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.
If he was merely playing at life, could I be the one he was playing with?
In Biyou Meadow beneath Wumeng Mountain, the anguished roar of the drenched youth began to echo:
"You lied to me."
"You lied to me!"
"You lied to me!!"
"Ah!!!!"
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