Chapter 343: Gale

The video recording of the conversation between Lin Bai and Cheng Xunyun was delivered to the hands of top micro-expression experts.

More than a dozen experts analyzed every movement and every sentence Lin Bai spoke, frame by frame.

"…When Lin Sibai speaks, he smiles and makes other gestures, but his facial muscles remain consistently relaxed, and his pupils show almost no change. This proves his mood is always calm, completely without fluctuation; therefore, I believe that deep down, he does not care about the so-called Game Company, nor does he even care about the people of the two worlds. It is an attitude of being detached from the world."

"When mentioning the Game Company and the Justice Sect, Lin Bai had a subconscious pause, which proves he has a certain understanding of the Game Company, and there is also a possibility that he is rejecting the Justice Sect..."

"…Survival of the fittest. These are Lin Bai's words, which prove that he likewise does not care about the lives in the game world. He used a specific term—'indigenous world.' This is somewhat abnormal; if he were representing the game world to negotiate with us, he should not refer to his own world as an 'indigenous world.' This is a derogatory term that places himself in a superior position."

"Based on the Fazhe Zhidao mastered by Lin Bai and the products he brought out from the Justice Sect that are vastly different from the game world, as well as the poems in the 'Collection of Heavenly Flaws,' we can be almost certain that Lin Bai does not belong to the indigenous people of the game world; he is an outsider. His master's sect, the Justice Sect, is highly likely to be an existence higher than our dimension, just like the Game Company..."

"…Lin Sibai is trying to use us to achieve some goal."

"Is it possible that because the body he is using belongs to Zheng Tong, it leads to errors in your judgment?" an old man wearing a military uniform asked. "If he came from a high-dimensional world, he wouldn't be trapped by the indigenous people of this world using a lightning tribulation..."

"General Chen, that possibility cannot be ruled out," a psychologist said. "We are only making reasonable inferences about him based on our professional knowledge."

"Lin Bai keeps saying he wants to cultivate into the Heavenly Dao; is it possible his goal is to become the master of both worlds?" Cheng Xunyun asked.

"That possibility cannot be ruled out," the psychologist said. "Perhaps he intends to use the two worlds to complete his personal growth. In the conversation, he mentioned the path of Faith."

"We all know that Lin Bai's admirers in the game are crazily infatuated with him, almost to the point of obsession. Once he gathers a large number of fans in our world and uses these fans to boost his own power, it is highly likely that our world will fall into chaos, or rather, he will directly ascend to the top and control our world."

The expressions of the several generals became increasingly solemn.

The old man in the military uniform rubbed his temples and sighed: "There are more and more uncontrollable factors."

Cheng Xunyun said: "Lin Bai says the Game Company treats our world as a plaything, but isn't he also treating us as playthings?"

The general in the military uniform said: "Whether it is an individual becoming the Heavenly Dao and being able to change the rules of the world at will through their words, or the path of Faith creating a deity, neither is something our world can accept. The public believes in the Heavenly Father, but that doesn't mean they truly wish for the Heavenly Father to come to the mortal world! We must still find a way to contain Lin Bai."

"General, what about Lin Wubai?" Cheng Xunyun asked.

"Delay for two days before making contact with her. Otherwise, it will make us appear too eager. Keep Lin Sibai stable; do not let him do impulsive things. It is much better for the situation to be within our control than for Lin Bai to go off and stir things up himself!" the general in the military uniform said. "Currently, Lin Bai needs us and should not take excessive actions against us. We can take this opportunity to test just how powerful Lin Wubai's Fazhe Zhidao really is. The indigenous Cultivators who were subjected to Soul Possession have had their abilities completely suppressed. Lin Bai is using a split-soul possession; it is impossible for there to be zero loss. We cannot let him bluff us."

"Yes, General," Cheng Xunyun said.

"Notify the consortium people not to cut off contact with the Proper Seven Sects and the Demonic Five Sects. There are no absolute enemies in this world, nor are there absolute friends," the general in the military uniform continued to instruct. "Also, find a way to guide the public's emotions. Every time the Game Company releases slots, it's them causing a ruckus on the game forums, and nearly one million people have already entered the game. If more people are allowed to enter the game, society will truly fall into chaos..."

A three-party game.

The situation is temporarily in a state of eerie balance.

Lin Sibai re-entered the game, leading the Justice Alliance players to receive the territories of the Proper Seven Sects one by one, setting up Magpie Bridges between the various sects.

Controlling transportation means controlling everything.

Lin Bai must keep the transportation lines in his own hands; that way, whatever he does will be convenient.

Most of those responsible for the Magpie Bridge transmissions are indigenous people; there are very few players.

You cannot expect players to do nothing all day but specifically help people cross bridges.

The most critical thing is that there are very few player couples.

However, if player couples are willing to connect a Magpie Bridge, Lin Sibai will not object.

After all.

He is in charge of all the Magpie Bridges in the world; if he wants to paralyze transportation, he can do it at any time.

The Basic Cities of countries like Taiyi, Taichu, and Taihao have begun to accept large numbers of players.

Originally, players newly entering a Basic City would first be taken by sects around the various towns to be taught and instructed in skills.

But now the situation is unclear, and even if the various sects still have people guarding them, they are unwilling to provoke the Heavenly Descended.

Therefore.

If players want to practice skills, they can only go through the Magpie Bridges to the territory controlled by the Justice Alliance, select suitable techniques, and then use the Magpie Bridges to disperse to the sects they like for cultivation.

It is fortunate that Lin Bai established Patent Law in the "Justice Alliance" back then and forcibly looted many secret manuals.

Otherwise.

The players who entered the game later would not even have techniques. Even so, among the players, only the Blood Sect has the most complete set of high-level techniques.

After all, the sects of the Proper Seven Sects that Lin Sibai conquered were all empty.

It was one thing for the Proper Seven Sects to leave behind their sect grounds, but it was impossible for them to have left their secret manuals behind for them...

Fifty thousand players entered the game, and a shortage of resources soon appeared.

The previous high-level players were piled up by the various sects using pills.

And refining pills requires various spirit herbs, as well as high-level Pill Refinement masters; these players possess neither.

The Danling Sect does not supply them with pills, so the players can only use their limited pills on the elites.

Most players can only rely on the ordinary method of absorbing Spirit Qi to level up.

The leveling speed has inevitably slowed down; this is something that cannot be helped.

However, even so, the players' leveling speed is still something the indigenous people cannot hope to reach...

At the same time.

Players burdened with various missions began to frequently contact the high-level officials of countries like Taiyi and Taichu, using Lin Bai's banner and the slogan of serving the common people to carry out various forms of economic infiltration against these countries.

Through the Magpie Bridges, a series of modern management methods and styles rapidly replaced the original commercial models.

They are using this method to tightly link themselves to the world, subsequently gradually encroaching upon the indigenous people's control over the world...

"It's refined."

On the sixtieth day of the lightning tribulation, Gu Yi, who had been using Heavenly Fire for Pill Refinement, excitedly held a furnace of pills and came before Lin Bai, claiming credit as if presenting a treasure: "Alliance Leader, the pills are refined."

Lin Bai looked toward the pills.

The pills were golden in color, emitting a faint fragrance, shining as brilliantly as gemstones.

Lin Bai blinked his eyes. Usually, with the Pupil of Flaws, one could see the weaknesses of any pill at a glance, but the pills Gu Yi had newly refined were perfectly flawless, without a single trace of a Flaw.

Everyone's gaze was concentrated on the pills Gu Yi was holding.

"Brother Gu, what kind of pill is this?" Zuo Lan asked, subconsciously licking her lips.

"That is a question for the Alliance Leader." Gu Yi looked at Lin Bai and said, "From beginning to end, I was only stabilizing the flames. I have no idea what materials the Alliance Leader threw into the furnace, so naturally, I do not know the effects of the pill..."

Everyone turned their gaze toward Lin Bai again.

Lin Bai felt slightly awkward; he didn't know either!

At the time, in order to deal with the Heavenly Fire, he had thrown in Spirit Fruit, Temperament Fruit, Green Wood Fruit, and various pills for replenishing Spiritual Power and healing wounds.

A big pot of chaotic stew.

Who the hell knew what kind of effects this thing had?

"The situation was urgent at the time. When I threw the materials into the furnace, I didn't know what I was putting in either, but they were all rare treasures and non-toxic. I imagine the effect of this pill won't be bad. Why not find someone to test it?" Lin Bai said.

Test it?

Can pills be eaten indiscriminately?

Everyone was stunned.

Besides, you say it's non-toxic, so it's non-toxic?

Even if they are all highly nourishing items, a pill refined from a mixture of them could still be toxic!

"It looks delicious, I'll try it." Xiaobai had no such reservations and reached out to grab the pill from Gu Yi's palm.

The next moment.

A gentle force pushed her to the side.

"Let me do it!" Ancestor Tuohai flashed in front of Gu Yi and picked up a pill from his palm. "Senior Sister Bai, I have joined Master's sect without having made any contributions. My cultivation is deeper than yours, so let me handle the testing. Once I have tested the medicinal power, it won't be too late for you to eat it."

As he spoke.

He popped the pill into his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored it carefully.

On the side.

Nan Rong and the others were filled with regret.

What a great opportunity to show off, how could that old thing have snatched it first!

【Sect fraternity, Disciple's virtue increased, Spiritual Power feedback increased to 60%】

The weak Lin Bai glanced at the pouting Xiaobai, then looked at Ancestor Tuohai testing the pill, and nodded with satisfaction. 100% Loyalty is just different; with a group of disciples like this, why worry about the sect not flourishing?

Tuohai kept his eyes closed.

But in a moment's time, his appearance underwent visible changes.

Tuohai was in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm and had lived for over a thousand years; even with techniques to preserve his youth, his beard and hair had turned white.

But now, his hair, as if washed by water, turned from white to black from the roots, and his skin became bright and lustrous...

Xu Longyun and the others watched Tuohai's changes and subconsciously held their breath.

Cen Qing swallowed hard; the Moon Spirit Sect's techniques had the effect of preserving youth.

But every Moon Spirit Sect Disciple knew that the technique only changed the appearance; if one looked closely, some parts of the body could still reveal signs of old age, such as the tendons on the neck...

Yet after Ancestor Tuohai took the pill, the details of his body that showed signs of old age were changing bit by bit—it was a true rejuvenation!

"Youth Preserving Pill?" Xu Longyun whispered.

Lin Bai didn't find Tuohai's change strange.

After all.

He had eaten too many Temperament Fruits; he was graceful in every movement, and he might even be captivated by himself when looking in a mirror.

And the pill contained not only Temperament Fruit but also the life-extending Green Wood Fruit; such an external manifestation was perfectly normal.

What he wanted to know was the other effects of the pill.

A moment later.

Tuohai opened his eyes with a look of surprise. He smacked his lips, as if savoring the aftertaste of the pill.

"How is it?" Gu Yi asked.

"My Spirit Soul has condensed by nearly ten percent, the circulation speed of my Spiritual Power has increased by twenty percent, and my affinity with Spirit Qi seems to have increased as well..." Tuohai described his physical changes. He looked at Lin Bai and said excitedly, "Master, this is a divine pill; it seems to be able to improve a cultivator's Physique!"

"Change aptitude?" Lin Bai muttered, clearly somewhat disappointed. "Just that?"

"Master, this is already remarkable. Throughout history, everyone's aptitude has been innate, which is why there is the term 'Heavenly Pride'. For ordinary people to catch up to a Heavenly Pride is as difficult as ascending to heaven." Tuohai said, "But this pill can actually improve an individual's Physique in such a short time. If it were promoted, ordinary people could also become Heavenly Prides, and the advantage of the Heavenly Descended would no longer exist."

"Promote it?" Lin Bai shook his head and asked Gu Yi, "How many pills did one furnace produce?"

"Forty-nine," Gu Yi said.

"Not worth it! Rather than changing other people's aptitude, it's better for me to take action and settle everything in one go!" Lin Bai shook his head again and said dismissively.

A pile of Spirit Fruits, a pile of Temperament Fruits, and the life-extending Green Wood Fruit, only to refine forty-something pills.

In his view, it was a huge loss.

The War God System had also rewarded him with aptitude, but it hadn't played much of a role in his cultivation; it was far less efficient than cheating.

Everyone wanted to refute him, but remembering Lin Bai's heaven-defying battle record, they couldn't find the words to argue. With Lin Bai's monstrous level, any Heavenly Pride would have to kneel when meeting him!

"Leave one for me. As for the remaining pills, except for the Heavenly Descended, all the Disciples can split them! Xiaobai, Hu He, Xu Longyun, you few with poor cultivation, eat a few more!" Lin Bai ordered lazily.

【Resentment from 'Happy Without Reservation', 'Frenzied Without Fighting'...; +1 +1 +1 +1...】

Lin Bai didn't care about the petty minds of a few players. They had no contributions and didn't even meet the Loyalty threshold, so why should they get benefits from him?

He didn't need to buy the hearts of these guys who were disloyal!

Everyone happily divided the pills and took them immediately.

A moment later.

A notification suddenly appeared in Lin Bai's mind:

【Pet rank increased; Pet aptitude +10】

【Continue to increase pet rank; Heart-to-Heart (You can know your pet's thoughts at any time)】

Lin Bai turned his head to look at Xiaobai.

Sure enough.

Behind Xiaobai, an extra tail had appeared.

After the medicinal pill entered her stomach, she successfully evolved into a two-tailed fox; her brothers and sisters were the same as her, all having grown an extra tail, and they were jumping around excitedly one by one...

Their mother, Hu He, also had an extra tail appear behind her, becoming a four-tailed fox; she was full of charm, and every glance of her eyes seemed to carry a sense of Charm.

The Temperament of Xu Longyun, Jiang Qingqin, and the others also became refined and otherworldly, looking truly like fairies who had fallen into the Mortal World, and their looks were on par with Qingmu.

It goes without saying that Ye Song and the others also had their own changes.

The biggest change was in the Shengji Sect Cultivators like Ye Lan who practiced the Dead Man Sutra and Zombie Sutra; under the powerful effect of the medicinal pill, their appearances were actually forcibly restored, and furthermore, their cultivation base had not regressed, but instead improved...

In just a short moment.

Lin Bai's Disciples were reborn, and the sect was full of handsome men and beautiful women, faintly showing a trend of turning into a looks-based faction.

Even if the players customized their faces, they paled in comparison to them.

Lin Bai also had gains.

Everyone's aptitude had improved by a level, and the Spiritual Power feedback he received from the Disciples was also becoming faster and faster.

Everything was advancing steadily.

Lin Sibai took down all the sects of the Righteous Seven Sects step by step, and built one Magpie Bridge after another between countries like Taiyi, Taihao, and Taichu.

Lin Wubai officially moved into the Special Office for the Real World, truly intervening in the Real World, and began to make contact with more Cultivators who had used Soul Possession to enter the Real World, but he had not yet made Lin Bai's identity public...

The Cultivators of the Righteous Seven Sects and the Demonic Five Sects were still going in circles with Lin Sibai.

They no longer intercepted Lin Sibai from using Butterfly Transformation to save Lin Bai.

From the time Lin Bai split the first Tribulation Cloud until now, the Tribulation Cloud had never been able to form; Lin Bai passing the lightning tribulation had become a certainty, and he simply did not need the help of Butterfly Transformation.

Rather than guarding there to block the road, it was better to do some of their own things...

The lightning tribulation lasted seventy-two days.

The speed at which the Tribulation Cloud gathered was getting faster and faster, and the time Lin Bai was not in a state of serious injury was getting shorter and shorter; every two or three minutes, he had to be on the verge of death once and slash at the sky.

And at this time, it was not just Heavenly Fire falling from the Tribulation Cloud.

Within the range of the lightning tribulation, a violent wind actually began to blow.

This wind did not blow from the Tribulation Cloud in the sky, but was born out of thin air from all directions, and it rolled toward all living beings within the Tribulation Cloud without stopping for a moment.

The violent wind seemed to contain countless sharp blades, tearing apart everything it encountered.

Not only that.

The wind born out of thin air during the Heavenly Tribulation could actually pass through the body and blow directly at the Spirit Soul.

When the wind rose.

Caught off guard, Er Bai was blown away on the spot.

(End of this chapter)