Undercover Meets Undercover

Niu Yuanshan was one of the nine stewards of the Dao Sect's outer sect.

His cultivation wasn't considered high within the Dao Sect—only the Third Realm.

But he held significant power in 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 only just been in his room, stroking that golden mask, recalling bits and pieces of his time in the Moon Kingdom.

Though he had been undercover for years, now wielding high authority and deep trust in the outer sect, none of this had corrupted him.

He felt no sense of belonging to the Dao Sect.

"Everything I am belongs to the organization."

"Loy-al-ty!"

Tonight, the reason Niu Yuanshan's thoughts were scattered was simply that he had completed his final Newcomer Reception Mission.

"From now on, I just need to lie low in the Dao Sect, waiting for the organization's next orders."

"After all these years of hard work without complaint, I've already wormed my way into the outer sect's core circle. In the future, I'll surely give myself fully and achieve great merits for the organization!"

These people, brainwashed since childhood, weren't afraid of death at all. They only regretted not dying spectacularly enough, not sacrificing themselves for the organization.

After a moment of inner reflection, Niu Yuanshan's mind conjured up that young man with the fox-like face.

"It's been a long time since I've met such a special newcomer," he thought.

He couldn't help but feel a measure of admiration for that Fox Face.

"Lately, the newcomers have been giving me the feeling that the organization's future is doomed."

"Looks like there are still some good seeds after all!"

What a pity—he had to enter the Dao Sect as a menial laborer. Who knew when he'd get a chance to soar?

Lost in these Wild thoughts, Niu Yuanshan saw that very Fox Face come flying over.

Outside the courtyard, when Niu Yuanshan clearly made out Huai Xu's features, shock overwhelmed him.

"Li Chunsong personally brought him here?"

"And not as a menial, but straight to Registered Disciple?"

"How did he manage to connect with Li Chunsong?"

"This is Li Chunsong! The Sixth Elder of the Dao Sect, a Seventh Realm peerless powerhouse!"

"In all my years undercover, I've only managed to get on nodding terms with him!"

"And that alone was worth a special mention in my report to the organization last year!"

A prodigy—this was absolutely a prodigy!

No wonder we dark, crawling insects usually keep a low profile, while he does the exact opposite.

Niu Yuanshan still remembered how that Fox Face kept slapping Xue Hu every so often, with such a flamboyant attitude.

It even made him want to go down and try it himself, just to see if it felt that satisfying.

"A heaven-defying genius has his own way of doing things," Niu Yuanshan sighed inwardly.

In his view, Li Chunsong was a man with his nose in the air, brimming with arrogance.

To earn his special attention must have been no easy feat.

This young man had accomplished in one go what others couldn't achieve in years!

"The organization truly produces talents in abundance!"

But one thing left Niu Yuanshan a bit puzzled.

He was an experienced Moon Kingdom Spy, having worked undercover for so long, skilled at reading people.

When he had locked eyes with Chu Huai Xu earlier, he felt something was off. That Fox Face had Staring at him for quite a while.

"Does he know my identity? Did the organization not hide it from him?" Niu Yuanshan speculated.

In truth, Chu Huai Xu did know.

"Niu Yuanshan? Why did Li Chunsong dump me here with him?" His heart jolted.

He remembered this guy—he'd seen plenty of posts about him on the forum.

This man was a mole sent by some organization in the Moon Kingdom, and his identity had been accidentally exposed by a few goofy players, causing a huge uproar back then.

That incident had sparked massive discussion on the forum, even touching on some philosophical reflections.

After all, the current era's backdrop was—the Great Calamity was approaching.

Under these circumstances, was humanity only maintaining a facade of unity?

The Dao Sect had a Moon Kingdom spy. What about the other sects?

And on the Moon Kingdom's side, were there spies sent by the Four Great Sects of the Eastern Continent or the Mirror Kingdom?

Later, the goofy players even organized a grand operation to hunt down moles, purely for the thrill of stirring up trouble.

As it turned out, quite a commotion did stir up.

Since players were scattered across various factions, some camps reaped benefits while others got caught in the fallout.

And Niu Yuanshan's exposure was the beginning of it all!

Those who gained called out: "Farewell, Grandpa Niu!"

Those affected cursed him: "Bullshit!"

Thus, Chu Huai Xu had deliberately slipped up earlier to gauge his reaction.

Now, with his back to Li Chunsong, he had a faint inkling of the answer.

Snapping back to reality, under the Sixth Elder's gaze, Niu Yuanshan, as an Outer Sect Deacon, began distributing Registered Disciple tokens to Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang.

The token was both a symbol of identity and a Storage Artifact, colloquially called a "bag" by players.

Its storage space was about three cubic meters.

Inside were already some daily necessities, a Disciple Handbook, and a Residence Key.

Niu Yuanshan wasn't stupid; he knew to treat them well, so he arranged for prime lodging, with their Bamboo Houses right next to each other, making them direct neighbors.

After finishing, he looked at Li Chunsong with a fawning expression and asked, "Elder, should the Aperture Opening Stage techniques be chosen now? Also, do you have any other orders?"

He didn't mind showing this side of himself in front of the newcomers sent by the organization.

On the contrary, he felt that the humility, sycophancy, and hardship he displayed now were all contributions to the organization!

He would surely sense this, feel my years of struggle—my image would only grow taller in his eyes!

Niu Yuanshan figured he probably couldn't compete with this unorthodox prodigy in ability, so he decided to teach the newcomer a lesson on a spiritual level.

Little did he know, Chu Huai Xu wasn't paying much attention at all; even his words fell on deaf ears, turning directly into: "Blah blah. Aperture Opening Stage technique. Blah blah."

Finally here? Was my path to cultivation about to open at last?

He perked up instantly, chest out, head up, stomach in, butt clenched.

Li Chunsong stood there, pondering for a moment, then raised a finger at Han Shuangjiang and ordered, "Give her the 'Ice Purity Art.'"

He essentially handpicked it for Han Shuangjiang.

Chu Huai Xu's heart burned with anticipation: "What about me! What about me!"

Li Chunsong indeed pointed at him again and said, "For him, whatever he wants."

Fox Face nearly turned into a meme of a pouting animal at that.

The Sixth Elder was also helpless.

He was well-traveled, and the Dao Sect had deep foundations; he'd seen all kinds of spirit fetus physiques, even the top-tier Profound Yin Physique, and knew how to guide it.

"Ice Purity Art," a perfect score, no problem.

But this kid's Pseudo-Spirit Fetus...

—Damn, this question is tough!

Never taught a poor student before.

"But it doesn't matter; Aperture Opening is just the basics. Whether the technique matches well does have an impact, but overall it's not significant," Li Chunsong thought.

For someone like Han Shuangjiang with a Profound Yin Physique, no matter what Aperture Opening technique she practiced, she'd breeze through it; the difference was just a few days earlier or later.

"Uncle picked a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus to bring up the mountain; I wonder what he was thinking," Li Chunsong couldn't figure out.

"But there are occasional oddballs in this world, whose spirit fetus doesn't show outwardly, like a pearl hidden in dust."

"Once they step through the door of cultivation, they'll radiate luster."

He looked at Chu Huai Xu and thought, "What if?"

With that thought, his gambling itch flared up.

"The Sect Leader and fellow disciples are still waiting for me; I need to hurry back and gamble a few rounds with them!"

"This little girl and this kid are both special—what better choice to bet on?"

With that in mind, Li Chunsong gave a few brief instructions and then flew off into the air.

He even rubbed his hands together as he flew, leaving the three of them staring at each other in bewilderment.

Wumeng Mountain, Biyou Meadow.

The rain had stopped for a while now.

Xu Ziqing, still drenched all over, stood under that ancient tree, feeling time tick by second by second.

Yet no one ever came to take him to the Dao Sect.

During this time, Xu Ziqing's mind ran wild with scenarios, constantly comforting himself, constantly making up excuses.

"It's fine, there must be a reason."

"Wait a little longer, just a little longer!"

Eventually, Xu Ziqing even began to lose track of time.

Cold, so cold.

In the rain, he began to tremble more violently. The boy whose lips had once been rosy now had them pale and bloodless.

Xu Ziqing's mind surfaced the face of that storyteller—ordinary in appearance, yet with a hint of a cynical, world-weary air.

At first, he thought that aura was unmistakably that of a great cultivator playing in the mortal world.

But the more he thought about it now, the more wrong it felt, the more off it seemed.

If it was all just playing in the mortal world... then could I be the one being played?

From Biyou Meadow at the foot of Wumeng Mountain, the ragged youth's roar began to echo:

"You tricked me."

"You tricked me!"

"You tricked me!!"

"Ah!!!!"

New book period—requesting monthly votes!