Chapter 253: The Largest Scale of Player Advent

Cats have their own paths, and mice have their own paths.

Cultivators of the Righteous and Evil Paths each found ways to cope with the turmoil brought about by the "Heavenly Dao Review."

The sects behind them were engaged in heated public opinion wars, using this method to increase their own sect's influence among the populace; as the war of public opinion rose, the mysterious veils of the high-and-mighty practitioners were torn away, and the Dao Heart they once focused on cultivating was stirred into pieces.

However, although public opinion was lively, no sect touched upon the reviews.

Lin Bai, an outsider, could write reviews, but if their official publications did so, it would be inciting conflict; in these troubled times, that would bring them no benefit.

With the Justice Alliance and the Righteous Seven Sects at war, the players also found their own fun in the game.

Lin Bai broke the rules, and they suddenly upgraded from objects of suspicion and scrutiny to hot commodities, no longer needing to level up step-by-step from the novice village.

High-level cultivators of the Spirit Transformation Realm, Void Refinement Realm, and others, who were previously impossible to even see, sprang up like bamboo shoots after a rain, replacing the original low-level NPCs and directly intervening in their cultivation.

Players in charge of publications earned advertising fees by the handful;

Combat players cultivated by sects were personally guided by famous masters, stuffing pills into their stomachs as if they were free, their levels shooting up like they were riding a rocket;

The players of the Moon Spirit Sect went further and further down the path of being kept men...

Before the fifth wave of players arrived, the players in the game ushered in their own benefits.

The first four batches of players totaled over one hundred thousand people, who were carved up by the Righteous Seven Sects, the Demonic Five Sects, and their subordinate sects.

After subtracting those who entered officialdom and those who entered the game for leisure, a single sect could not get many people at all.

Among the players, the most lost should be the usurped Gugao Laoren and Gelige and others, who were killed by Lin Bai to the point of account deletion in the first wave.

The great prospects of the game were inexplicably ruined.

The claim by Gugao Laoren that Lin Bai's skills could affect the Real World was a flash in the pan on the forums; it didn't even make a splash, as no one believed that skills inside a game could truly affect reality.

In the eyes of most players, being affected by Lin Bai's divine abilities was merely the server temporarily depriving them of control over their bodies in the game; it was a normal operation, and there was no need to make a fuss.

When it came down to it, the bodies in the game were not their own; they could log out of the game normally, so damage or brief control didn't matter at all.

Zhen City.

The warm-up for the cooking competition was in full swing.

Venue arrangements, various advertising banners, the opening ceremony, competition rules...

The players were well-versed in handling these things, and Lin Bai didn't need to worry at all.

After Lin Bai proposed the reward of taking the runner-up as a disciple, whether they were folk chefs, cultivators in sects, or players, everyone was eager to sign up for the cooking competition.

The folk contestants were fine; if they weren't chefs, they would be too embarrassed to participate;

The cultivators and players in the sects didn't care about that; one by one, they crammed their cooking skills, determined to participate in the competition;

What if they were chosen!

This was an opportunity to reach the sky in a single bound.

Lin Bai was being hunted by both the Righteous and Evil Paths, looking precarious and ready to topple at any moment, but he was a true propagator of the Laws, possessed the strength of the Great Vehicle Stage, and was, in particular, the Supreme Alliance Leader of the Justice Alliance...

As the saying goes, wealth is sought in danger.

To be apprenticed to such a big shot, just following him around for a few years would be worth it, not to mention the many people with ulterior motives who wanted to use this to get close to Lin Bai.

Moreover, there was another outcome: what if the Justice Alliance grew big? This was an opportunity to reach the sky in a single bound!

Lin Bai's first disciple, Deng Li Buduo, looked at the suddenly lively cooking competition and inexplicably recalled the days of practicing knife skills with Kitchen God Rice in Jiamu City; a trace of regret arose in his heart for no reason, feeling that he seemed to have missed a great opportunity.

But at this time, it was too late to pick up cooking again; knife skills could not be practiced in a short while, and besides, Lin Bai might not be willing to teach him anymore.

Fortunately, the status of being Lin Bai's disciple made Deng Li Buduo's cultivation speed fifty percent faster than others; having this halo was enough.

Coupled with him borrowing Lin Bai's authority to bully others, using the identity of Lin Bai's first disciple to swindle and bluff, he had cheated quite a few pills from Medicine King Valley, seized the time to level up all the way, and rushed to the Golden Core Stage; now he could already fly through the air by his own strength, and it was estimated that in ten days or half a month, he would be able to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

Moreover, he had obtained quite a few Dharma Treasures from the Weapon Refinement sect and even contracted a Golden Core Stage Demon Beast from the little white fox.

These implicit benefits were enough for him to show off.

Now, he could proudly pat his chest and say that among the players around Lin Bai, his level and strength were the highest.

However.

He didn't let Lin Bai know about these things.

Deng Li Buduo decided that after breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, he would give Lin Bai a surprise; perhaps if Lin Bai was happy, he might reward him with some hidden skills or something...

The Tianlong Sword Sect, Fengling Temple, Lianbao Pavilion, Ghost Spirit Sect, Blood Blade Sect, and other sects arrived at the same time as the fifth batch of players the next day; these sects had come to participate in the Law Promotion Conference under the guise of surrender, so without Lin Bai wasting any breath, they registered as members of the Justice Alliance, contributed their sects' unique techniques to the Patent Office, and presented their letters of intent.

Xu Longyun likewise settled their sects outside Zhen City, using the original members of the Justice Alliance to keep them in check.

Xu Longyun did not have a heart as big as Lin Bai's and was not at ease with the newly joined sects, fearing they would stir up trouble behind their backs.

The unstable foundation of the Justice Alliance made her worry to the point of exhaustion.

Xu Longyun did not know that Lin Bai's various methods of killing and condemning had long since planted seeds of terror in the hearts of the sect masters and disciples of these surrounding sects.

As long as nothing happened to Lin Bai, no one dared to resist; at least these sects, which didn't even have many Nascent Soul cultivators, dared not; were they afraid of the Justice Alliance?

No.

They were only afraid of Lin Bai alone.

The prodigy of the Moon Spirit Sect, Luo Xue, had her eardrums shattered by Lin Bai's roar, and her courage shattered as well; she was not sealed into a Puppet, and Lin Bai did not brainwash her, but she was still devoted to Lin Bai.

Medicine King Valley had all kinds of healing pills, and her hearing had long since recovered.

Lin Bai did not pay too much attention to her; Luo Xue had many opportunities to escape, but after thinking it over, she did not run away.

She even took the initiative to volunteer, using her own strength to assist Xu Longyun in managing the newly arrived sects.

Luo Xue could not last a single round under Lin Bai, but she was a genuine Spirit Transformation Stage cultivator; excluding Lin Bai's Puppets, she was the true number one expert of the Justice Alliance.

Xu Longyun was very satisfied with this assistant.

The only thing that made her uncomfortable was that this prodigy surnamed Luo would involuntarily blush whenever she saw Lin Bai, her eyes flowing with emotion, looking like she was deeply in love.

But having seen too much infighting among women in the Zhenguo Duke Mansion, Luo Xue's petty tricks—having the heart of a thief but not the guts—were really not enough to catch Xu Longyun's eye.

Xu Longyun was just uncomfortable, but she didn't take it to heart; she had no one she could use by her side, so she certainly couldn't let that little hussy Jiang Qingqin help her!

Furthermore.

According to Xu Longyun's observations, the so-called Great Dao of Love between Lin Bai and Jiang Qingqin was not at all like what *Justice Weekly* publicized—that the two were inseparable and their love was stronger than gold; it was more like a one-sided effort, where one only saw Jiang Qingqin fawning over him, while Lin Bai didn't even bother to respond.

If even his nominal lover was so lukewarm, let alone someone half-familiar like Luo Xue.

This was a good thing, and also not a good thing.

Lin Bai's lack of interest in women made Xu Longyun feel that she had no way to start; as a dignified County Princess of the Duke of Zhen, she couldn't exactly force herself upon him!

That would be too beneath her dignity.

The only thing Xu Longyun could do was to use her own strength to gradually dilute the influence other women had on Lin Bai, and finally make Lin Bai unable to leave her.

This was an open and aboveboard conspiracy, the strategy of a dignified mistress of the harem...

As long as Lin Bai did not cultivate to the Heavenly Dao, she would always be able to achieve her goal.

Xu Longyun guessed that Lin Bai's so-called Heavenly Dao was most likely fake; the Justice Sect was just giving Lin Bai an illusory fantasy, wanting to use his hands to stir up the Cultivation World and quell the disaster brought by the Heavenly Descended.

Facts proved that Lin Bai had this ability.

What Xu Longyun had to do was to soothe him when Lin Bai learned the truth, so that he would not suffer a mental breakdown and end up falling into demonic cultivation.

Xu Longyun knew how terrifying it was for a person's lifelong Faith to be shattered! Especially for a proud person like Lin Bai; if his true Faith were shattered, he would either destroy himself or destroy this world.

Regardless of which of the two results it was, Xu Longyun did not wish to see it; she had even prepared herself to help Lin Bai oppose the Justice Sect...

……

【Bottom-tier celebrity, possesses 30,000 fans; Reward: Faith 50. Idol Charm (already issued)】

【Third-tier celebrity, possesses 100,000 die-hard fans; Reward: Faith 300. Intermediate Idol Aura (when you are with fans, the fans' combat power is increased by an additional 30%)】

The moment the players had their Advent, the Super Idol System's mission was completed in an instant.

That nearly one-tenth of the 200,000 new players were his fans made Lin Bai quite excited.

Sure enough, the players still recognized his actions.

But Lin Bai thought about it later; his fans might not just be players, perhaps there were some among the natives as well.

After all, with the overwhelming publicity of *Justice Weekly*, once they were assimilated by his ideology, it was possible for them to become his fans.

It was just that players knew this was a game, so the possibility of them chasing stars was greater.

Therefore, they accounted for the majority among his fans, and only after they appeared did the system mission complete rapidly.

Estimating conservatively, among the 200,000 new players, 10,000 were his fans; if this combat force were utilized well, it would be terrifying enough.

But the Idol System required an ever-increasing number of fans; relying solely on players was probably not feasible, so he still had to vigorously develop natives to become his fans...

……

Players had their Advent from the Basic City.

With the original old novice villages plus the newly opened novice villages, there were 200,000 players; each Basic City could welcome roughly two thousand to three thousand players.

This number was quite terrifying; the novice villages simply couldn't handle it.

But unlike in the past, the rules were broken by Lin Bai; sects that received the news early were no longer waiting for the players to grow, but were directly guarding the novice villages to snatch people.

Almost the moment the new players had their Advent, these players were carved up by various sects, loaded into various means of transport, and taken back to the nearest sect, where they were issued pills and cultivation techniques to level up, while incidentally being subjected to various brainwashing education to instill loyalty to the sect.

The players were happy to skip the novice village and start directly from cultivation, each one obediently accepting the benefits issued by the sects.

Many among this batch of players had been recruited in advance by financial groups; the moment they entered the game, they were already salaried employees of the financial groups.

The large financial groups had learned the lesson of Shanlu and were not prepared to take the economic route from the start.

In the Xianxia World, without strength as a foundation, no matter how large an economic entity was developed, it would be like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water; it was better to let employees go level up and improve their strength from the beginning.

Finally, they would combine their forces to conquer cities and seize territory, and it would be fine to develop their own country;

Only by using employees to develop economic entities in the game and coordinating inside and outside the game could they truly achieve the effect of a win-win in publicity and money-making.

As for wasting a little time, they didn't care; the chaotic world created by Lin Bai had already allowed them to take a huge advantage.

Of course.

It was impossible for all players to be willing to work for the financial groups.

But even for life-profession players, if they wanted to have better leisure in this world, without a set of skills, they probably wouldn't be able to survive.

Who knows, they might be fishing and then get wiped out by some unknown person's ultimate move.

Just like the shockwave Lin Bai used to flatten a hundred-mile radius; before he released it, would he check if there were innocent commoners within a hundred-mile radius?

……

Lin Bai's desire for control was too strong.

Most financial groups chose to plant employees in the Beggar Sect and the Justice Alliance, and did not take the initiative to talk about cooperation with Lin Bai.

This was the conclusion reached by the financial groups' think tanks after comprehensively analyzing all of Lin Bai's experiences in dealing with players.

Following Lin Bai might allow them to take advantage for a moment, but in the long run, the financial groups would definitely lose their right to speak and be reduced to Lin Bai's vassals, with no chance to turn things around.

Just like the members of the Justice Alliance and the Beggar Sect; whether they were willing or not, they all had to safeguard the interests of the Justice Alliance and Lin Bai.

Lin Bai was very skilled at kidnapping people.

Large financial groups did not want to accept such an outcome.

They were more than happy to develop themselves in secret while the Seven Righteous Sects and the Justice Alliance fought for dominance, and finally control the world, becoming the fisherman who gains the benefit while the snipe and the clam fight.

In the early stages, financial groups should act more as the black hand behind the scenes pushing the waves, rather than soldiers charging into battle.

……

Players who chose to have their Advent around Zhen City.

Were either short-sighted players who only cared about immediate gains;

Or gamblers who had taken a fancy to the prospects of the Justice Sect and the Justice Alliance;

Or they were purely Lin Bai's fans; as long as they could be with Lin Bai, they didn't care about the game at all...

Therefore.

When Xin Shang and the others brought the players who had experienced the Advent in the surrounding Basic City back to Zhen City, female players made up the majority, chirping like orioles and swallows.

Once the signboard for the Jiang Qingqin Support Group was erected, players swarmed over, and in a short time, they formed the Lin Bai Support Group army, reaching a total of eight thousand people.

Its numbers and scale quickly surpassed the Alliance Army of the Beggar Sect and Huangye Lang.

Jiang Qingqin admired Lin Bai, who could foresee things like a god, so much that he prostrated himself in total submission.

Xu Longyun watched the rapidly established support group army, her brows slightly furrowed, feeling that the situation, which had finally stabilized, had once again slipped out of control.

The massive support group was composed almost entirely of female Heavenly Descended, and Lin Bai had even organized them into an army; what did he want to do?

Was this guy really not lecherous?

(End of this chapter)