A Contest of Wits with Gongsun Qiong

After Ma Feifei left, the important figures naturally turned their attention to the projection floating above their heads, their faces filled with curiosity. They had never seen anything like it before; it was astonishing that it could reflect images of another place.

Inside the projection, the image switched back to Mangcang Town.

This was the second day since the five-person team infiltrated Mangcang Town.

Unfortunately, they only stayed in the town for one night and half a day before being forcibly expelled from Mangcang Town along with tens of thousands of other residents by Azi.

Where can I go if I'm expelled?

Mangcang Town is surrounded by mountains, and the mountain roads are rugged. Not all the residents of Mangcang Town are cultivators, so it would be quite difficult for them to leave.

In addition, everyone here has lived in Mangcang Town their whole lives; they are children of the mountains, and they are not interested in what the outside world is like.

So in the end, they chose to settle down on a hilltop with a water source next to Mangcang Town and began to enthusiastically cut down trees and build houses, just like primitive people.

This put the five-person team in a difficult position. How could they, who were usually high and mighty, possibly handle such things? But they couldn't refuse to do it. Tens of thousands of people had formed an organization, and they couldn't disobey the organization's orders, otherwise they would be expelled from this large group.

Their cultivation levels absolutely could not be revealed, otherwise the mission would be completely ruined. So the five of them gritted their teeth and worked hard, striving for the mission.

"That little girl is really ruthless. She drove us away without a word, and there are tens of thousands of people here! Isn't she afraid of them rioting?" Elder Chi Chengzi of the Lingjiu Palace sighed as he chopped down a tree thicker than himself with the axe assigned to him by the organization. He glanced at Mangcang Town below the mountain.

Such a thick tree would take forever to chop down with just an axe, so this kind of task is usually done by cultivators who can infuse their axes with Spiritual Power, thus enabling them to cut down a large tree with a single blow.

However, the five-person team spent half a day chopping down trees but didn't manage to cut down a single one, and everyone was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Seeing this, the practitioners outside the Bookstore couldn't help but start complaining.

"They're such good actors. If I didn't know their true cultivation levels, I'd probably believe them too."

"Exactly, considering they're all high-ranking members of their sects, they're really bringing shame to their sects."

"They're all too cunning and sly; their character is clearly not good."

The five-person team was attacked by the side that had pressured Gongsun Qiong to win.

"They can pretend well, that proves they're good actors. As long as they can successfully infiltrate this group of troublemakers, what's wrong with being a little shameless?"

"Exactly, everyone's doing it for the mission, using their own methods; didn't President Gongsun also rely on that young lady's intimidation to Sheer Force drive these unruly people out of Mangcang Town?"

This was the support from the winning team of the five-person betting group, and since the five-person betting group had more members, they gradually gained an advantage.

The commotion among the crowd on the periphery left the bigwigs in the inner circle looking at each other in bewilderment.

Those who knew Chang Kong looked at him, only to find that Chang Kong also looked bewildered.

Chang Kong had only returned yesterday, so he naturally knew nothing about what had happened before; he could only shake his head apologetically to everyone, indicating that he was unaware of the situation.

Everyone could only continue to focus their attention on the projection.

The conversation within the projection continued.

"A riot?" Bai Yishui spoke up, glancing at the busy residents of Mangcang Town behind him. He sneered, "These unruly people, don't be fooled by their fierce appearance; they're all cowards. You saw it yesterday, that young lady, she's only at the Spirit King fifth stage, and the three behind her are probably only at the Spirit King ninth stage. If everyone Working Together to resist, they might not have been driven out of Mangcang Town yesterday. But what happened? Tens of thousands of people were treated like Sunzi by that young lady, driven away without a second thought, utterly terrified of death. What riot? Impossible."

The other three remained silent upon hearing this, inwardly agreeing with Bai Yishui's words.

Of the tens of thousands of unruly civilians, apart from a few without cultivation, those with cultivation accounted for about half, and their cultivation levels were not low, hovering between the eighth and Spirit Master ninth stage Spirit Practitioner Eighth Stage. A few unruly civilians even possessed the cultivation level of Spirit Ancestor Sect Master. If several thousand people were to fight together, those four people might not necessarily have the upper hand.

"But actually, this is for the best. Since President Gongsun has kicked us out, as long as we stand up to her, don't back down, and stall for time, if President Gongsun fails to complete her mission of education, then we'll consider it a victory." Yu Chengxian Rollout his eyes as Analytic.

"It's hard to say. President Gongsun's move must have a deeper meaning. He might take action next." Wan Chengnan looked down at Mangcang Town and said in a deep voice.

The moment Gongsun Qiong was mentioned, the expressions on everyone's faces noticeably darkened; the name Gongsun Qiong, president of the Wantong Chamber of Commerce, was simply too intimidating.

"Shouldn't we try to incorporate these unruly people into our own ranks first?" Chi Chengzi suddenly said.

Right now, they are just one of the tens of thousands of residents of Mangcang Town. They haven't participated in the newly established organization and are just Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals. If they really have to resist Gongsun Qiong, simply inciting others won't be very effective. The best way is to get tens of thousands of unruly people to listen to them so that they can fight Gongsun Qiong.

"That's true, but how are we going to control these unruly people? We can't just use our cultivation to suppress them, can we?" Bai Yishui asked, puzzled.

Their cultivation levels must not be exposed, because the residents of Mangcang Town are extremely xenophobic. Once their cultivation levels are revealed, everyone will know that they are outsiders. After all, in the entire Mangcang Town, apart from Azi and her three companions, no one else has a cultivation level of Spirit King. Not to mention that two of the five are such important figures as Spirit Venerable.

"I have a technique that can Attract minds and control thoughts," Lin Taiji, the Lingchang Academy, said in a low voice.

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

Wan Chengnan asked doubtfully, "This technique can control the minds of tens of thousands?"

If that's really the case, then this cultivation technique is far too overpowered.

Lin Taiji shook his head and said, "Three to five people is the limit, but we don't need to control tens of thousands of people. Controlling the leader among them is enough."

When Lin Taiji finished speaking, everyone naturally understood what he meant.

As long as we control the leader and make him obedient at crucial moments, we can retaliate against any sweet talk or bribes that President Gongsun tries to use. In that case, President Gongsun's mission of educating her will essentially die before it even begins.

They don't need to show their faces; they can simply hide in the crowd and work behind the scenes. In this way, their safety can be guaranteed, and they won't be discovered by President Gongsun.

This defensive approach, while potentially taking longer, is safer and more reliable.

Almost instantly, everyone agreed to the plan.

"Look, the young lady and the others are coming out!" Suddenly, a rascal shouted from the hilltop ahead.

The five of them turned around at the same time and looked towards Mangcang Town.

Gongsun Qiong, along with Azi, Second Mother, and ten traitorous "troublemakers," were walking out of Mangcang Town. These troublemakers were carrying farm tools such as hoes on their shoulders, following behind Gongsun Qiong and the others, heading north along Mangcang Town.