Secret Cultivator Society

Yang Qizhou still harbored a certain curiosity regarding the "Secret Cultivator."

The other party had not only posted online to share five precautions for becoming a player in the [World of Weirdness], but had also managed to evade investigation by the "relevant departments." From this alone, one could infer that the "Secret Cultivator" was definitely no simple figure.

With the effect of the "Garment of the Hidden World," Yang Qizhou did not need to worry about the risk of his identity being exposed. He first entered the group number and applied to join without any pressure.

"I wonder if this 'Secret Cultivator' is a man or a woman, and if they are good-looking. If it's a beauty, I should definitely interact more in the future."

Yang Qizhou's attention had wandered to a strange place again.

The "Secret Cultivator" was quite efficient and did not keep Yang Qizhou waiting long; in about two or three minutes, his application was approved.

There were only seven people?

The first thing Yang Qizhou did after joining the group was to click on the member list. He was somewhat surprised; the number of people was far fewer than he had expected.

Yang Qizhou clicked on the profiles of the other members, but to his astonishment, he found that while the detailed information appeared right before his eyes, no matter what he did, he could not remember the content. It was as if an invisible force was blocking his cognition.

This "Secret Cultivator" was indeed not simple.

Yang Qizhou turned his attention to the group itself. The name was quite casual: "Secret Cultivator Society."

[Secret Cultivator (Group Owner): Newcomer, you just joined the group and didn't even say hello to the members, instead focusing on checking everyone's profiles. That's not very polite, is it?]

[Rabbit (Member): A newcomer has arrived, welcome, welcome.]

[Orange Cat (Member): 1.]

How did the "Secret Cultivator" know I was checking the group member profiles? Yang Qizhou frowned. With the effect of 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 group member profiles?]

[Honey Pot (Member): Wait, how did I become Honey Pot?]

[Rabbit (Member): Hahahaha, newcomer, don't be surprised. This is the Group Owner's quirky sense of humor. She just loves giving members animal names; no one knows what kind of hobby that is.]

So that was it. Yang Qizhou felt a mix of realization and confusion, but why was his own nickname Honey Badger?

[Secret Cultivator (Group Owner): Because this is something every new member does. Even if you join other groups, the first thing you do is check the profiles of the group owner and the administrators.]

Is it really that simple? Yang Qizhou remained skeptical.

[Honey Pot (Member): You guessed right, Group Owner, your eyes are truly like torches.]

[Honey Pot (Member): Worshiping face.]

[Rabbit (Member): You're already bootlicking? Newcomer, you need to have some backbone. You can't just surrender to the Group Owner's might.]

Tch, children.

Yang Qizhou felt disdain. Saying a few nice words wouldn't cost him anything, and it was a quick way to integrate into the circle. Why not? The game isn't just about killing and fighting; it's about social sophistication.

Understand?

[Secret Cultivator (Group Owner): New members, please read the group precautions. If you have questions, you can @ the Group Owner. Regarding information involving the "World of Weirdness," you may apply to the Group Owner based on the principle of equivalent exchange.]

It's actually quite formal?

Yang Qizhou clicked on the group files and quickly found the precautions.

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

[Code of the Secret Cultivators]

[Special Note: This code is established under the witness of the "King of Oaths" and possesses constraints at the level of rules. Anyone who violates it will be punished.]

[Rule 1: You may not disclose the information of "Secret Cultivator Society" members in any form.]

[Rule 2: You may not commit acts detrimental to the "Secret Cultivator Society."]

[Rule 3: In the process of "intelligence" trading, you may not falsify, fabricate, or defraud secret information.]

[Rule 4: Any intelligence obtained within the "Secret Cultivator Society" is not allowed to be disclosed to outsiders.]

[Rule 5: The final right of interpretation belongs to the Group Owner.]

Witnessed by the "King of Oaths"?

Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes. Others might not know the weight of this honorific, but he was very clear about it.

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

The "King of Oaths" was one of them.

He just didn't know if the statement "this code is established under the witness of the King of Oaths" was true or false.

Yang Qizhou turned his attention back to the content of the rules. The first four had nothing to say; they were firewalls set up to protect the "Secret Cultivator Society." However, the fifth rule was quite interesting.

"In other words, the 'Secret Cultivator' could completely use sophistry to circumvent the constraints of the first four rules."

"As long as she argues that no violation occurred, she won't suffer punishment at the level of the oath."

"Because the final right of interpretation is in her hands."

Yang Qizhou never hesitated to attribute the greatest malice to strangers, and he kept a special watch on the fifth rule of the "Code."

He clicked confirm, and the document opened.

[Precautions for New Members of the Secret Cultivator Society]

[First and foremost, the Secret Cultivator Society is not a clandestine organization; it is merely a platform provided by the "Secret Cultivator" for members to communicate, trade, and exchange. The Secret Cultivator Society has no obligation to provide assistance to its members. Correspondingly, members remain free agents and are not required to pledge any so-called loyalty.]

[I: The Group Owner will periodically post tasks, which members are free to accept or decline.]

[II: When two group members reach an information trade, the Group Owner will open a private chat room and pull both parties in. The Group Owner reserves the right to eavesdrop on the information traded by both parties as compensation for providing the platform.]

[III: When there is a need for item trading, the Group Owner will guarantee the safety of the items. In exchange, both trading parties must pay the Group Owner an Old Offering, the amount of which depends on the value of the items traded.]

[IV: Every Thursday at 9:00 PM, the Secret Cultivator Society will hold an online gathering. All members must attend; those unable to do so 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 does not know the answer, the opportunity is forfeited.]

[V: Members may recommend players of the World of Weirdness to join the group. The Group Owner will provide rewards based on the player's level. Note: The Secret Cultivator will personally vet the recommended person. If they fail to join, it proves that admitting them carries a certain risk, and the recommender need not ask further questions.]

[VI: Finally, to reiterate: do not chant the full honorific names of the hidden existences in the Ancient Earth in reality, do not use items from the World of Weirdness lightly, and do not continue playing the game after your resurrection count is exhausted.]

[Conclusion: Wishing everyone the ability to go further in the game.]

How dark.

Yang Qizhou felt a chill. No wonder they say the most profitable industry in this world is running a platform. Good heavens, this "Secret Cultivator" simply built a group and used a few methods to ensure members wouldn't be discovered by the "relevant departments," allowing him to reap the secrets traded between two members for free.

The Group Owner can also post tasks, using members as tools to achieve his own ends.

And yet, you have absolutely no way around it.

Right now, the relevant departments are conducting strict investigations into everything and everyone related to the World of Weirdness. Even searching for keywords like "World of Weirdness" or "Ancient Earth" would bring the Bureau of Occult Investigation to your door within half an hour. Quitting the Secret Cultivator Society and losing contact with other players would mean cutting yourself off from the "Weirdness" circle, which would be even more counterproductive.

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

The responsibilities are wiped clean, too.

Moreover, the Secret Cultivator knows how to balance the stick with the carrot, holding an online gathering every Thursday at 9:00 PM to answer one question for each member.

However, there is a prerequisite: the Secret Cultivator must be able to answer it.

In other words, whether or not a question is answered depends entirely on the Secret Cultivator's will. If he doesn't want to answer, he can easily brush it off with four words: "I don't know."

The membership is small now, but once it grows—a hundred, no, fifty would be enough—the "Secret Cultivator's" profits would be terrifying.

The more he analyzed, the more alarmed he became, to the point where Yang Qizhou felt quite envious. It was a pity he lacked the ability to protect members' privacy from the relevant departments; otherwise, he would have started such a platform himself.

Another member came online.

[Fox (Member): Group Owner, help! I've gotten into big trouble.]

[Fox (Member): Oh, a newcomer? Welcome, welcome.]

[Fox (Member): It's an emergency! Group Owner, I've offended a big shot who possesses an item of "Primal Darkness." The other party used an item called the "Stone of Truth" to obtain a lot of my information. They might show up at my door any day now to kill me and silence me. Group Owner, you must save me!]

An item of "Primal Darkness"?

"Stone of Truth"?

Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes and smiled. Brother, it really is a small world.