Chapter 268: Self-Brainwashing

The same scene was also playing out at the Poison Sect, the Blood Sect, Wanhun Valley...

The large Groups that had newly entered the game drew upon the failed experiences of the Mountain Deer Group; from the moment they entered the game, they spared no expense, using every possible method to stir up the world's situation for their own use.

The Poison Sect and the Blood Sect joined forces and stopped outside Yimu City.

The teams from Wanhun Valley and Tianmo Mountain caused too much of a stir, with ghost energy running rampant and a gloomy aura, making them unsuitable for staying in towns; the two teams merged and stopped in the wilderness eight thousand miles away from Zhen City...

The Beast Taming Sect stopped their advance at Binghuo City.

Even though the Heavenly Descended told Elder Qiu that genetic technology might be able to crack the secret of Form Manifestation, the sect still issued him a death order to obtain the Transformation Pill Recipe.

After all.

The Heavenly Descended were merely painting a pie in the sky, while the Transformation Pill of the Justice Gate was a verified, tangible object that could be used the moment it was obtained...

Which was lighter and which was heavier.

The Beast Taming Sect could still tell the difference.

Therefore.

The difficult problem weighed upon Elder Qiu.

Yet Elder Qiu knew not how to deal with Lin Bai if he advanced, and if he retreated, he had the sect pressing him from behind; furthermore, he could not find a single ally for this matter.

Overnight, Elder Qiu was so worried his hair turned white.

【The Art of Debate... within twelve hours, refute the opponent's viewpoint with reason and evidence... (Completed); Reward: Self-Brainwashing (the words you speak will trigger rich associations in the other party)】

【When the false is taken for the true, the true also becomes false; in life, truth and falsehood are inherently indistinguishable. Please use language to cause cognitive confusion in opponents one level higher than you (quantity: ten people); Reward: Illusion Domain (when you stand still, you can create realistic illusions within a hundred-meter radius, lasting for three minutes)】

Thanks to Wuwang Chanshi going easy on him.

The next day.

Lin Bai, who had spent a day and a night popularizing science above Zhen City, received a notification in his mind that the task was complete.

"Alliance Leader Lin, I believe a rooster grows three legs..." Lin Bai paused, and Wuwang Chanshi asked reflexively.

Those in the Great Vehicle Realm could go without sleep or rest, but coordinating with Lin Bai's practice of 'Words Follow the Law' was like training a hawk; it required constantly posing all sorts of strange questions without repeating them, and Wuwang Chanshi eventually developed a trace of fatigue.

If not for the great power born of love, he would have likely fled in a panic long ago.

At this moment.

Wuwang Chanshi had long since been convinced by Lin Bai.

After a day and a night of debate, even though he had gone easy on him later, Lin Bai could still provide all sorts of reasonable explanations. It made him admire him wholeheartedly.

Throughout this day and night, Lin Bai expounded to him the principles of the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, spoke of the mysteries of plant growth, explained the principles of aesthetics, and even mentioned the birth of the universe...

The mysterious veil of the world was slowly lifted before Wuwang Chanshi.

Lin Bai used a knowledge system completely different from the Cultivation World to explain the operation of all things from another perspective, opening a new window for Wuwang Chanshi, to the point that Wuwang Chanshi felt his own Buddhist cultivation had improved.

At one moment, he even had the thought of taking Lin Bai as his master.

He felt that if he continued to study in depth, one day he would be able to easily cross the No-Self Stage, and perhaps even attain the legendary status of a living Buddha of the Buddha Spirit Sect.

But looking at Zhou Zu sitting in the middle of the Heavenly River, Wuwang Chanshi finally abandoned this tempting idea.

Only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals.

He and Zhou Zu had wasted several hundred years; it was time to enjoy the true time of love, and as for cultivation, let it be!

Wuwang Chanshi had long ago given up on 'Words Follow the Law'.

Lin Bai had proven with iron-clad facts that even if someone were lucky enough to pass the previous few hurdles, they would not be able to pass the debate hurdle; it required a depth of knowledge storage that could not be overcome by anyone but a highly learned scholar.

Perhaps only someone with the talent of a top scholar would be qualified to practice this art of 'Words Follow the Law'.

The commoners of Zhen City shared the same thought as Wuwang Chanshi; Lin Bai had publicly demonstrated the powerful strength of the Law, and the practice of 'Words Follow the Law' looked simple and interesting, but after a day and a night of observation, everyone was discouraged—it was too difficult, and 'Words Follow the Law' was not something an ordinary person could practice.

Spending more effort on the Dao of Love and the Incomplete Dao might yield some results, but as for 'Words Follow the Law', forget it!

After all, the Love Separation of the Dao of Love was equally overbearing, and could be used without fully mastering the Law;

As for the Incomplete Dao, the Nine Ancestors easily breaking into their minds had already proven that cultivating the Incomplete Dao might not be as simple as just divination...

"The Zen Master is right," Lin Bai said.

Task complete.

Naturally, Lin Bai would not continue to popularize science.

Every time he finished a task for the Great Language System, he felt his Spirit had been ravaged inside and out, as if he had shed a layer of skin.

The rewards of the Great Language System were generous, but the tasks were truly difficult.

Fortunately, the Spirit Fruit rewarded by the Emotion System allowed him to easily scrape together the knowledge reserves of his past life, and his brain was flexible enough.

Otherwise.

The tasks of the Great Language System would have come to an abrupt end at the True Speech Art; how could he have made it this far?

He had obtained Self-Brainwashing.

The Great Language System issued a new task.

However, the next task actually had no time limit, but instead changed to causing cognitive confusion in opponents one level higher than him, which surprised Lin Bai a little.

For a moment, Lin Bai couldn't tell if the task difficulty had increased or decreased.

However, the task reward still looked tempting.

Standing still was a flaw, but creating realistic illusions, if operated well, would be enough to produce many strange effects.

As for causing cognitive confusion in ten opponents one level higher than him, Lin Bai didn't think it was very difficult.

Just a moment ago, he had tricked a Great Vehicle Realm expert into thinking he was a woman; now with the Self-Brainwashing skill, causing cognitive confusion in others would be simple.

"Alliance Leader, please continue... hmm... am I right?" Wuwang Chanshi was suddenly stunned, looking at Lin Bai in astonishment, and asked with a trembling voice, "Has the Alliance Leader achieved the 'Word Follows the Law'?"

"I have not achieved 'Word Follows the Law', but I was lucky enough to pass another hurdle," Lin Bai smiled; this smile was one of genuine relaxation.

After all, while dealing with Wuwang Chanshi, he had still kept a portion of his mind focused on the outside world, fearing that other Great Vehicle Stage cultivators might take the opportunity to cause trouble. Fortunately, he had landed safely; in all likelihood, his Luck was protecting him in the dark.

"Congratulations, Master." Xu Longyun, who had been waiting on the side, smiled and blinked at Lin Bai. Her clear eyes rippled, and the gaze she directed at Lin Bai seemed to contain stars.

After a day and a night of debate, Xu Longyun admired Lin Bai to the point of prostration.

Even if Lin Bai said again that the *Collection of Heavenly Remnants* was not written by him, Xu Longyun would not believe it. She had already made up her mind to find Lin Bai later to complete the *Collection of Heavenly Remnants*; even if it wasn't circulated, it would be good enough to satisfy her own craving.

"Congratulations, Alliance Leader." He Qin and the others also surrounded Lin Bai, their faces beaming with smiles as they offered their congratulations in unison. The brilliant debate between the two had made the people of the Justice Alliance forget the terror of the Great Vehicle Realm, and they all crowded around Lin Bai.

The little white fox could not fly and was being held by Hu He. Seeing that Lin Bai had finished his practice of 'Word Follows the Law', she leaped out of Hu He's arms and jumped into Lin Bai's arms. Her little head arched back and forth in Lin Bai's embrace as she acted spoiled: "Master, from now on, no matter what kind of battle it is, will you take me with you? I never want to be separated from you again."

"Alright, I'll take you," Lin Bai stroked the little white fox's head skillfully and comforted her. With the mission cleared, his mood was exceptionally pleasant.

At this moment.

The Emotion Tree was covered in strings of admiration emotions.

Temperament Fruits emerged from the tree one by one, their growth momentum chasing after the Spirit Fruits.

The debate in front of the public had earned him a wave of impression points. Lin Bai's image among the common people became increasingly three-dimensional; no matter the era, people would always admire profound scholars from the bottom of their hearts.

This debate competition was almost equivalent to Lin Bai preaching the Dao.

The commoners of Zhen City learned many things they hadn't known before for free. Although they might not necessarily be able to apply them, it was enough to use them to show off.

"Alliance Leader Lin, has this poor monk passed the test?" Wuwang Chanshi coughed lightly, his voice drowning out all the congratulatory sounds and clearly entering Lin Bai's ears.

"Naturally." Lin Bai nodded. Without needing Wuwang Chanshi to say more, he waved his hand and canceled the Heavenly River lingering around Zhou Zu.

The Heavenly River vanished.

Zhou Zu, who had long been unable to restrain himself, arrived in front of Wuwang Chanshi in a Flash, looking at Wuwang affectionately, somewhat awkwardly: "Wuwang, I..."

"No need to say more, I understand everything in my heart," Wuwang Chanshi smiled. "Brother Zhou, let the misunderstandings of the past drift away with the wind. Since you have understood my intentions, let us start over."

"Good, let's start over." Zhou Zu looked at Wuwang Chanshi, his voice somewhat choked.

It was one thing to have his own Puppets, but seeing two old men looking at each other affectionately without his control made Lin Bai's gaze drift, embarrassed to the extreme. What a sin!

Why did you two have to come and provoke me? You've ruined the reputation of the Matchmaker.

Fortunately, the two of them were relatively restrained and didn't actually hug or anything in front of the public; otherwise, Lin Bai felt he might have vomited on the spot.

"Zen Master, True Person Zhou, what are your plans for the future?" Lin Bai forcibly interrupted their tender affection. "Given your current situation, I fear the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Buddha Spirit Sect can no longer accommodate you. Have you considered coming to the Justice Alliance to be guest Elders? In our spare time, we could discuss the Love Dao?"

"Not interested." Zhou Zu coldly swept his gaze over the Daoists from Huilong Temple and Fengling Temple behind Lin Bai and snorted. "Lin Bai, all of Zhou's skills come from the Heavenly Dao Sect. The fact that the Heavenly Dao Sect cannot accommodate me is not a reason for me to betray the Heavenly Dao Sect. Your Heavenly River restrains me and Wuwang; we cannot do anything to you, but we will not join the Justice Alliance because of that. After we part today, when we meet again in the future, we will still be enemies."

"Whatever Brother Zhou does, I shall do." Having become friends through a fight, Wuwang Chanshi didn't have that much hatred for Lin Bai at this moment. He looked at Zhou Zu and said, "Alliance Leader Lin, perhaps others might yearn for the Love Dao, but Brother Zhou and I will not. Our feelings have been delayed for a hundred years; now that we have finally cleared away the barriers and can be together, that is better than anything else in the human world."

"Since that is the case, Lin will not force the two of you to stay." Lin Bai smiled, cupped his hands at them, and said, "As the saying goes, when love is deep, one is intoxicated; when love is deep, the heart has no regrets. Zen Master, you have no heart for the Love Dao, but your current state of mind is quite in line with the foundation of the Love Dao. Who knows, even if you don't cultivate it, the divine ability of the Love Dao might naturally find you."

When he said this, he subconsciously used his new Skill, 'Dihua'.

Wuwang Chanshi and Zhou Zu were both stunned for a moment. The two looked at each other, their expressions inexplicably excited.

Wuwang Chanshi's throat moved as he swallowed lightly. He bowed to Lin Bai and smiled: "In that case, we shall take Alliance Leader Lin's auspicious words. If one day we truly can achieve the Love Dao, we will surely have to come and find Alliance Leader Lin for another exchange."

"From Wuwang and Zhou Zu: Joy; +1 +1 +1..."

After using 'Dihua', Lin Bai had been observing their expressions. From their slightly abnormal behavior and the suddenly changed emotions in the background, Lin Bai knew that 'Dihua' had indeed worked on them.

But he didn't know what specific effect it had. Lin Bai complained to himself: this 'Dihua' Skill didn't seem as powerful as he had imagined!

He had no idea what the other party had associated his words with.

Joyful emotions were a good feedback.

If the other party associated it with something bad and suddenly exploded in violence, he would be the unlucky one.

At the thought of this, the joy Lin Bai felt from getting a new Skill was instantly discounted. Was it a useless Skill?

Fortunately.

'Dihua' was not like 'Smile When I See You', which he could control. If it wasn't under his control, every word he said would trigger the other party's associations, and he feared he wouldn't be able to do anything at all.

Sighing to himself, Lin Bai returned the salute calmly: "It is my wish, I dare not ask for more. If there truly comes such a day, I fear the Heavenly River will not be able to trap the two of you."

"Haha!" Wuwang Chanshi laughed heartily and looked at Zhou Zu. "Brother Zhou, let's go."

"Let's go." Zhou Zu smiled slightly. He and Wuwang Chanshi stood side by side, their hands naturally holding each other, and with a few leaps, they disappeared in front of everyone.

"Alliance Leader, why didn't you keep them?" Xin Shang asked, his expression somewhat gloomy. "When you said just now that they could achieve the Love Dao, I suddenly felt a touch in my heart, like a feeling of sudden enlightenment. It seems they really might be able to comprehend the Love Dao. Letting them leave like this might be disadvantageous to us."

Jiang Qingqin said: "Does Sect Leader He also have that feeling? I had that thought just now too. Although it flashed by, it felt as if they really could achieve the Love Dao!"

"I had it too." Xu Longyun's face didn't look very good.

"I had it too."

"Me too."

Everyone echoed in succession.

Lin Bai was stunned. Damn, does the 'Dihua' Skill affect everyone who hears him speak?

It's too damn useless. Is the usage wrong?

Stabilizing his mind, Lin Bai looked around at everyone: "Don't panic. The Laws are fair; anyone can comprehend from them. It doesn't matter if they are our friends or enemies. The feeling in the dark only shows that they have hope, but on the path of the Laws, no one can say for sure who will reach the end..."

"Having hope is still much better than us. The Alliance Leader should have kept them," He Qin said.

"How to keep them?" Lin Bai glanced at him and said, "Two Great Vehicle Realm cultivators, who in the Justice Alliance can restrain them? You don't really think they are convinced by me, do you! Things are not as simple as you think. To make them submit, you have to let them suffer enough setbacks outside! When they realize that the outside world cannot accommodate them, they will naturally think of the benefits of the Alliance. Later, let *Justice Weekly* handle their love story properly."

"Alliance Leader is wise." He Qin gave a dry laugh, feeling that he was still too green. Lin Bai, such a shrewd person, must have already made plans when he let them leave.

"Notify everyone to disperse. I think no one will come to hit me for a while," Lin Bai smiled. "Return to the city first and tell me in detail everything that has happened in the outside world over the past two days."

(End of this chapter)