The Secret Cultivator Society

Yang Qizhou was still somewhat curious about the Secret Cultivator.

Not only had he posted online, telling players of the World of Weirdness five things to keep in mind, he had also managed to evade investigation by the authorities. That alone was enough to suggest that the Secret Cultivator was no ordinary person.

With the Garment of the Hidden World protecting him, Yang Qizhou didn't need to worry about his identity being exposed. He entered the group number and applied to join without a second thought.

"By the way, is this Secret Cultivator a man or a woman? Are they good-looking? If she's a beauty, I could chat with her more in the future."

Yang Qizhou's attention had wandered off in a strange direction again.

The Secret Cultivator was quite efficient and didn't keep Yang Qizhou waiting long. The application was approved in about two or three minutes.

There were only seven people?

The first thing Yang Qizhou did after joining was open the member list. He was a little surprised; there were far fewer members than he'd expected.

Yang Qizhou opened the profiles of the other members, only to discover that their detailed information was displayed right before his eyes, yet no matter what he did, he couldn't remember any of it. It was as if some invisible force were blocking his ability to perceive it.

This Secret Cultivator really was no ordinary person.

Yang Qizhou turned his attention to the group itself. Its name was pretty casual: the Secret Cultivator Society.

[Secret Cultivator (Group Owner): Newcomer, you just joined the group and haven't even greeted everyone. You're only busy checking out the other members' profiles. That's not very polite, is it?]

[Rabbit (Member): We've got a newcomer! Welcome, welcome.]

[Orange Cat (Member): 1.]

How did the Secret Cultivator know he was checking the members' profiles? Yang Qizhou frowned. Thanks to the Garment of the Hidden World, he wasn't worried about his identity being exposed.

[Honey Badger (Member): How did you know I was checking the members' profiles?]

[Honey Pot (Member): Wait, why am I Honey Pot?]

[Rabbit (Member): Hahahaha, don't be surprised, newcomer. It's the group owner's little quirk. She loves giving members animal names. Who knows what she's into?]

So that was it. Yang Qizhou understood, though he was still confused. But why was his nickname "Honey Badger"?

[Secret Cultivator (Group Owner): Because every new member does that. Even if you joined some other group, the first thing you'd do would be to check the group owner's and administrators' profiles.]

Was it really that simple? Yang Qizhou was skeptical.

[Honey Pot (Member): You guessed it, Group Owner. You really are perceptive.]

[Honey Pot (Member): Adoring face.]

[Rabbit (Member): You're sucking up already? Newcomer, have a little backbone. You can't just bend to the group owner's authority.]

Tsk, childish.

Yang Qizhou sneered. A few kind words wouldn't cost him anything, and they'd help him fit in faster. What was gaming about, if not human relationships and social savvy rather than fighting and killing?

Get it?

[Secret Cultivator (Group Owner): New members, please read the group rules. If you have any questions, you can @ the group owner. For information concerning the World of Weirdness, you can make a request to the group owner in accordance with the principle of equivalent exchange.]

Pretty formal, huh?

Yang Qizhou opened the group files and quickly found the rules.

As soon as he opened the document, a pop-up appeared.

[Code of the Secret Cultivators]

[Special Notice: This code was established under the witness of the King of Oaths and is binding on the level of rules. Anyone who violates it will be punished.]

[Rule One: Members of the Secret Cultivator Society may not reveal one another's information in any form.]

[Rule Two: You may not do anything that harms the Secret Cultivator Society.]

[Rule Three: During the exchange of "intelligence," you may not falsify, fabricate, or deceive others about secret information.]

[Rule Four: Any news or intelligence obtained within the Secret Cultivator Society may not be disclosed to outsiders.]

[Rule Five: The group owner has the final say in interpreting these rules.]

The witness of the King of Oaths?

Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes. Others might not understand the weight of that title, but he knew it all too well.

The Radiant Kingdom had three Kings of Ancient Gods, rulers of all the ancient gods. They were ancient beings who had destroyed the wizards in the previous era and protected humanity through the catastrophe.

The King of Oaths was one of them.

He just didn't know whether the claim that "this code was established under the witness of the King of Oaths" was true.

Yang Qizhou turned his attention back to the rules. There was nothing much to say about the first four; they were a firewall meant to protect the Secret Cultivator Society. But the fifth was rather interesting.

"In other words, the Secret Cultivator can use sophistry to get around the first four rules."

"As long as she argues that she hasn't violated them, she won't be punished by the oath."

"Because she has the final say in interpreting the rules."

Yang Qizhou had never hesitated to assume the worst of strangers. He paid particular attention to the fifth rule.

He clicked confirm, and the document opened.

[Important Notes for New Members of the Secret Cultivator Society]

[First, let it be clear that the Secret Cultivator Society is not a secret organization. It is simply a platform provided by the Secret Cultivator for members to communicate, trade, and exchange information. The Society has no obligation to help its members. Correspondingly, members remain free and do not need to offer up any so-called loyalty.]

[One: The group owner will post tasks periodically. Members may choose freely whether to accept them.]

[Two: When two members reach an agreement to trade information, the group owner will open a private chat room and add both parties. The group owner is entitled to listen in on the information being traded as payment for providing the platform.]

[Three: When members wish to trade items, the group owner will guarantee their safety. In return, both parties must pay the group owner Old Offerings. The amount will depend on the value of the items being traded.]

[Four: The Secret Cultivator Society will hold an online gathering every Thursday at nine in the evening. All members must attend. Those unable to make it must apply to the group owner in advance. At the gathering, the group owner will answer one question for each member. Note: if the group owner doesn't know the answer, the opportunity will be forfeited.]

[Five: Members may recommend players of the World of Weirdness to join the group. The group owner will provide a reward based on the player's level. Note: the Secret Cultivator will personally assess each recommended player. If they fail to join, that means their membership would pose a certain risk. The person who recommended them need not ask further questions.]

[Six: One final reminder: don't recite the full honorific names of the hidden beings from Ancient Earth in the real world. Don't use items from the World of Weirdness carelessly, and don't keep playing after you've run out of revivals.]

[Conclusion: May you all go further in the game.]

What a racket!

Yang Qizhou was shocked. No wonder people said the most profitable business in the world was running a platform. The Secret Cultivator had simply made a group, used a few tricks to keep its members hidden from the authorities, and could now freeload on the secret information exchanged between members.

The group owner could also post tasks and use members as pawns to achieve her own goals.

And there wasn't a thing you could do about it.

The authorities were currently investigating everyone and everything connected to the World of Weirdness. All it took was a search for a few keywords like "World of Weirdness" or "Ancient Earth" for the Bureau of Occult Investigation to show up within half an hour. Leaving the Secret Cultivator Society meant losing contact with other players, cutting yourself off from the World of Weirdness community. That would be an even worse deal.

As for coming back to the Secret Cultivator Society for help after being bullied outside? Sorry, we're just a platform for communication. We have no obligation to stand up for you.

They'd managed to shrug off all responsibility, too.

Besides, the Secret Cultivator knew how to offer a carrot after wielding a stick. Every Thursday at nine in the evening, she held an online gathering and answered one question for each member.

There was just one catch: the Secret Cultivator had to know the answer.

In other words, whether she answered a question was entirely up to her. If she didn't want to answer, she could brush it off with four simple words: "I don't know."

"There aren't many members yet. But once there are more—one hundred, no, fifty would be enough—the Secret Cultivator's profits will be staggering."

The more Yang Qizhou thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He was even a little envious. Unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to protect members' privacy and keep them hidden from the authorities. Otherwise, he'd definitely set up a platform like this himself.

Another member came online.

[Fox (Member): Group owner, help! I'm in serious trouble.]

[Fox (Member): Huh, we have a newcomer. Welcome, welcome.]

[Fox (Member): It's urgent! Group owner, I've gotten myself into a huge mess. I've crossed paths with a big shot who has an item of Primal Darkness. They used an item called the Stone of Truth and got a lot of information about me. They might come to my place one day and kill me to cover their tracks. Group owner, please, you have to save me.]

An item of Primal Darkness?

The Stone of Truth?

Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes and grinned. What a small world, brother.