What was virtue?

The moment [Deng Libuduo] knelt.

Ding!

A dormant system awakened in Lin Bai's mind.

Know-It-All Teacher System: a teacher imparts the Way, passes on knowledge, and resolves doubts. The transmission of knowledge cannot do without teachers. Please respect this profession.

A teacher must first nurture character, then cultivate talent.

A student straying onto an evil path is a teacher's failure. When teaching disciples, put virtue first.

[Explanation: every student is a resource for their teacher. The skills you impart to them will be returned to you according to their virtue. The system will assess your disciples' virtue and return a percentage of their cultivation to you. The greater their virtue, the greater the return; the reverse also holds true. Please choose your disciples carefully.]

[Initial quest: take on one disciple; reward: comprehension +1]

So this was how dormant systems awakened?

The system that suddenly popped up left Lin Bai a little dazed.

What the hell did it mean, teaching disciples virtue? Did he have to turn them into people who benefited society?

Virtue!

You gave me a whole pile of messed-up systems, then demanded that the disciples I taught be virtuous? Wasn't that bullshit?

Besides, players were known as the Fourth Calamity. Murder and arson were everyday occurrences in games. Could you expect a bunch like that to help the Old Woman cross the street in a game?

What a joke!

If he took natives as disciples, he might be able to teach them to be virtuous.

But a teacher's gains came from his students. How could natives' aptitude possibly compare to players who leveled up by grinding experience?

What a contradiction!

"Master, please accept me as your disciple." [Deng Libuduo] kowtowed again, his face full of devotion.

Players were the best at seizing opportunities, and he felt he had found a big, sturdy thigh to cling to.

While everyone else was still learning Basic Martial Arts at the Martial Arts Hall, he could already learn the Dragon-Subduing Palm with its flashy special effects. Just thinking about it made him happy.

What was more, he felt this NPC could teach him more than just the Dragon-Subduing Palm.

From his marketing methods for the shop to his means of dealing with the Taoist, everything was full of life lessons that seemed applicable to the real world.

In just one day, he felt he had learned more than in the previous twenty-odd years.

At this point, becoming his disciple was no longer simply about learning skills. It also concerned his future quality of life...

"Xiao Deng, get up!" Lin Bai looked at Deng Libuduo, who knelt before him, with a complicated expression. "Our sect has strict requirements for selecting disciples. You don't meet them."

His poor choice of a big brother had already caused Lin Bai trouble. He could not be so careless when choosing a disciple.

Especially since [Deng Libuduo] had followed him for a day and learned plenty of things he should not have through his words and example. His virtue was already lacking. Taking him on would only be digging a pit for himself.

"Master, I have excellent aptitude," [Deng Libuduo] said urgently. "I guarantee I can learn any martial art as soon as you teach it. I absolutely won't disgrace the sect."

"It has nothing to do with aptitude." Lin Bai took a deep breath. "Our sect values virtue above all when taking disciples. You must have morals and good character. Neither your public nor your private conduct can be lacking..."

"..." [Deng Libuduo].

"..." Qingfeng Daoist.

"..." Song Jinnan and his family.

As though a cold wind had swept through, an eerie silence fell over the scene.

Of course.

The silence was only on the surface. Inside, everyone's heart surged with turbulent waves.

[Deng Libuduo]: Master, put your hand over your heart before you say that. Doesn't your conscience feel even a little guilty?

Qingfeng Daoist: Look at everything you've done. What does virtue have to do with you?

Song Jinnan and his family: Does Shopkeeper Lin have some misunderstanding about virtue?

[Resentment from Deng Libuduo: +1 +1 +1...]

[Resentment from Song Jinnan, Wu Xiuxiu, and Song Ling: +1 +1 +1...]

[Resentment from Qingfeng Daoist: +1 +1 +1...]

Lin Bai clearly sensed everyone's emotions. He glanced at [Deng Libuduo] and grumbled inwardly, See? I've barely said anything, and he already resents his teacher. Can I take on a disciple like this?

But the chives still had to be harvested. If the east did not light up, the west would. Negative emotions were useful to him too!

Lin Bai looked regretfully at Deng Libuduo. "Xiao Deng, you became the Blacksmith's disciple, yet betrayed him and left the very next day. That was unfaithfulness. When the Daoist came to make trouble at the shop, you failed to step forward and defend it. That was unrighteousness. When Qingfeng Daoist was injured and used a Shield Armor Talisman to protect himself, I wanted to burn him. Instead of stopping me, you piled on firewood. That was inhumanity..."

"Fuck..."

Veins throbbed on [Deng Libuduo]'s forehead. He wanted nothing more than to pick up a brick and smash it over Lin Bai's head.

At that moment.

He finally understood how Qingfeng Daoist felt. This fucking NPC really was a piece of shit...

"Look, I haven't even finished speaking, and you're already spewing foul language. You don't even have any sincerity about becoming my disciple. With virtue like that, how could I admit you into our sect?" Lin Bai sighed dejectedly. "Xiao Deng, everything I've done has been a test for you."

Motherfucker!

"..." [Deng Libuduo] was going insane.

[Resentment from Deng Libuduo: +1 +1 +1...]

"Get up. You're not yet qualified to be my disciple." Lin Bai shook his head. "Just settle down and work as my waiter. With Qingfeng Daoist buying a stake, the shop now has ample funds. I'll waive your lodging fee too..."

Who the fuck wanted you to waive room and board?!

I came here to play a game, not to work for you!

[Deng Libuduo] looked resentfully at Lin Bai, took a deep breath, and steadied his emotions. "Master, those virtues you mentioned don't have anything to do with you either, do they?"

"Xiao Deng, don't call me Master just yet." Lin Bai smiled. "I opened a shop in the Haunted House, bringing life to this desolate place. That is benevolence. The Returning Dragon Temple trapped Song Jinnan and his family, and I was willing to offend the temple to save them from fire and flood. That is righteousness. Facing Qingfeng Daoist's attack and the overbearing sect behind him, I stepped forward. That is courage. After accepting the Daoist's ransom for his life, I refrained from taking it. That is faithfulness..."

[Resentment from Qingfeng Daoist: +1 +1 +1...]

[Resentment from Deng Libuduo: +1 +1 +1...]

[Deng Libuduo] was utterly stunned by this shameless speech. This guy really did misunderstand the definition of virtue.

"Tell me, which of my deeds lacked virtue?" Lin Bai asked with a smile.

Every single one!

[Deng Libuduo] griped inwardly.

"Xiao Deng, when your heart is upright, everything is upright." Lin Bai put away his smile and said solemnly, "You and I stand in different positions. There are things I can do that you cannot. You're still young, and you only see the surface of things. That's why you have some misunderstandings about me. Don't jump to conclusions without knowing the inside story. Get up and prepare the food and wine. It's time to eat."

The surface?

The inside story?

Behind the Shield Armor Talisman, Qingfeng Daoist suddenly shuddered, and his regard for Lin Bai deepened another level.

"Shopkeeper, does that mean you'll accept me as your disciple once my virtue meets your standards?" Ignoring Lin Bai's self-congratulatory speech, [Deng Libuduo] asked, unwilling to give up.

Naturally, a special NPC taking disciples could not be compared to an ordinary NPC. Even changing classes involved assessment quests. He could not abandon this big, sturdy thigh over a tiny bit of difficulty!

Otherwise, how would he be any different from ordinary players?

"Of course." Lin Bai looked at Deng Libuduo with a smile. "Hold yourself to the virtue of a gentleman. Once I feel you've passed, you can naturally become my disciple. Xiao Deng, doing one good deed isn't hard. The hard part is doing good deeds for a lifetime!"

[Deng Libuduo]'s sudden surge of fighting spirit gave Lin Bai an idea.

Players had infinite possibilities. If he could not find a suitable disciple, he could mold one.

The system did not seem particularly strict about checking quest completion. Who said players could not do good deeds in a game?

A disciple's cultivation would feed back to his teacher. It was the equivalent of bringing along an extra experience pet. Not using it would be a waste.

His fight with Qingfeng Daoist had already proved that his current internal energy was nowhere near enough. Even Duan Yu, whose abilities worked only intermittently, had the Northern Darkness Divine Skill as his foundation!