Like the players, Lin Bai didn't strictly adhere to being part of the Righteous Faction or Evil Sects; anyone beneficial to him could become his friend. After all, being righteous doesn't necessarily mean one is kindhearted. The Players are the real protagonists. Before he became powerful, if he were forced to choose a side, Lin Bai would definitely choose neutrality or, more precisely, align with the official organization represented by Xu Longyun. However, he did not visit those from the Evil Sects. The recruitment fair was about to start, and he needed to maintain his stature. At least on the surface, he was a member of the Righteous Door—the name itself suggested righteousness.

The day the members from the Blood Shadow Sect and other sects arrived in Qian City also marked the return of the members of the five major sects who had gone to clear the roadblocks. The Players, always the best informed, left the starter city for Qian City the moment the members of those five sects returned. Unless they were in the game purely for leisure, no ambitious Player wanted to remain in the starter city. Life in the starter city was stable, but in terms of resources or future prospects, it couldn't compare to the larger cities. To develop, one had to go to a larger city.

「The Beggar Gang Branch.」

Lan Nuotian from the Blood Shadow Sect, Pei Lie from the Waning Sun Gate, Lady Hua Xi from the Mysterious Darkness Cult, Liu Mingshan from the Blood Separation Sect, and Luo Linger from the Magic Spirit Sect all arrived with their respective groups to pay a visit.

While Lin Bai avoided meeting people from the Evil Sects, they couldn't do the same and ignore him. After all, it was Lin Bai who had advocated for their entry into Qian City. Despite their willful actions, they owed him this favor.

Targeting the heavenly descendents just outside the starter city would not be a long-term solution. Once or twice was manageable, but any more would inevitably provoke retaliation from righteous individuals. The righteous sects could simply enter the starter city and snatch the heavenly descendents, putting the Evil Sect members in a passive position. What they were betting on was that the righteous sects did not want to disturb the current balance. Now that no one truly understood the heavenly descendents, jointly recruiting disciples from Qian City was a good idea! Lin Bai and his Beggar Gang were the most familiar with these heavenly descendents. Furthermore, his background had almost no connection to the Righteous Faction, and his style of doing things was somewhat similar to theirs. Attracting such a neutral individual to their side was clearly advantageous. Even if they couldn't pull him over to their side, creating a rift between him and the Righteous Faction wouldn't be bad either.

"...A while ago, a few of my incompetent disciples had some conflict with Shopkeeper Lin. My visit today is to apologize." Lan Nuotian of the Blood Shadow Sect greeted Lin Bai with a smile and a cupped fist salute. "I've heard that Shopkeeper Lin is adept at Artifact Refining. I've specifically gathered some Cloud Fire Stones and Red Copper Essence as a token of my apology. Please forgive the behavior of my insolent disciples."

"Mr. Lan, you are too polite." Lin Bai returned the salute. His eyes swept over Golden Lion standing behind Lan Nuotian. He laughed and said, "There's no clear right or wrong about what happened. I understand your intention, Mr. Lan. However, the recruitment fair is managed by the Beggar Gang. You've come to the wrong place to apologize. Speaking of which, your disciples did suffer a bit at my hands. How are their injuries?"

"Thank you for your concern, Shopkeeper Lin; my unworthy disciples are almost fully recovered," Lan Nuotian replied with a smile. "Even if I've come to the wrong place, we can still consider this an opportunity to make friends."

"Shopkeeper Lin, just accept it. Everyone knows you're the real person in charge of the Beggar Gang! Our Mysterious Darkness Cult's Cold Ice Pill provides the crucial finishing touch for Artifact Refining. You'll understand once you use it..."

Lady Hua Xi from the Mysterious Darkness Cult sat there, her face veiled, making it hard to guess her age. She radiated an endless allure, especially her eyes, which with a few blinks seemed to carry a captivating Charm, making one irresistibly curious about the face hidden beneath her veil.

Behind her was the gaming prodigy, Greg.

Meanwhile, Greg was discussing his grand plan with Golden Lion, Live under the Crotch, Little Cat Don't Eat Fish, and Zhuge Chasing Wind through private chat.

The five visiting Evil Sects had, coincidentally, all brought Players along with them. They knew it took a heavenly descendent to understand another heavenly descendent, so bringing them to the Beggar Gang also served an investigative purpose. This was the perfect opportunity for Greg. While their masters were in discussion with Lin Bai, Greg seized the chance to assemble a temporary team and hold a small meeting with a few Players.

On the surface, Lin Bai was dealing with Lan Nuotian and the others, but most of his attention was actually on Greg. He rather enjoyed this feeling of conspiracies unfolding right under his nose.

Hearing Players exchange private messages was more effective than any System could be; it had helped him avoid countless disasters! This fellow named Greg was quite insidious too. Inflict a thousand casualties on the enemy, but suffer eight hundred yourself. He was hell-bent on setting Lin Bai up for a fall! If all the Players really joined the Beggar Gang on the day of the recruitment fair, it might indeed be difficult to handle... Such deep hatred and resentment! Was it easy for a mere transmigrator like him to make his mark? Why was everyone making things difficult for him?

"Exactly, Shopkeeper Lin! Don't listen to the nonsense from those so-called 'Righteous Factions.' Our Sects just have different Cultivation Techniques; we're not some heinous criminals," Luo Linger of the Magic Spirit Sect, also dressed in black, chimed in. She looked no more than twenty but sat there with the gravity of a seasoned veteran, appearing even more mature than Lady Hua Xi. She wore an expression of disdain for the Righteous Faction.

"Shopkeeper Lin, Junior Sister Luo is absolutely right," said Pei Lie from the Waning Sun Gate. "Our successful entry into Qian City and the ability to recruit heavenly descendents alongside those so-called 'Righteous Factions' was all thanks to your efforts, Shopkeeper Lin. It is both right and proper that we express our gratitude. Your proposal to allow us into Qian City also clearly shows that you are different from those in the Righteous Faction."

"Indeed," Liu Mingshan added. "We've come to your door not seeking special favors, Shopkeeper Lin, but only hoping for fairness from the Beggar Gang. That is enough. To be frank, the seven major Righteous Sects control the starter city and have nearly driven us to the brink. If the world had more cultivators like you, Shopkeeper Lin, who treat everyone equally, then it would truly be a golden age of cultivation!"

"This is a matter of mutual willingness, Shopkeeper Lin, so please don't refuse," Lan Nuotian chuckled. "If you won't even accept a thank-you gift, it would genuinely make us a bit uneasy."

"Since you've put it that way, I'll accept it to put you all at ease. I'm not from the Cultivation World, and I don't care about your feuds. All I seek is stability and a way for the Beggar Gang to survive." Seeing that the Players had reached an agreement, Lin Bai stroked the Little White Fox's ears and changed the subject. "If I'm not mistaken, these disciples behind you are all heavenly descendents, right?"

Greg and the other Players simultaneously cast questioning glances at Lin Bai.

"Correct," Lan Nuotian and the others exchanged looks and nodded in agreement.

"Before the recruitment fair begins, why not let them stay at the Beggar Gang?" Lin Bai suggested with a smile, looking around at everyone. "The heavenly descendents are familiar with each other. Letting them communicate and work together to plan the recruitment fair's strategy would be more convenient. After all, at the recruitment fair, each Sect wanting to recruit heavenly descendents must highlight its unique features. Since they've been studying under you for some time, having them design the approach would surely be more suitable than the Beggar Gang members fumbling about blindly. Speaking of which, those Sects from Medicine King Valley don't have your advantage in this regard..."

"Holy shit!" the Players exclaimed in unison.

The color instantly drained from Greg's face.

Was this some kind of joke? If they participated in the planning and then failed to recruit any disciples, wouldn't that just prove their incompetence? At that very moment, he even began to suspect his plan had been leaked. Yet, Lin Bai's request was perfectly reasonable, and there was no fault to find with it... It had to be a coincidence! Perhaps they shouldn't have come to the Beggar Gang together in the first place!

Lan Nuotian and the others' eyes lit up, and they nodded in quick succession. Lan Nuotian said, "Shopkeeper Lin's words make perfect sense. Disciple, you shall stay at the Beggar Gang for these next few days! You have some understanding of our Blood Shadow Sect and are familiar with how the heavenly descendents operate. If this recruitment of heavenly descendents is successful, upon your return to the Sect, you will be the lead disciple among the heavenly descendents. I shall reward you with the Blood Soul Flag and permit you to enter the Blood Pool once."

"Indeed, Little Greg, you should stay as well!" Lady Hua Xi looked at Greg with a smile. "Chat more with the brothers of the Beggar Gang, learn how they do things. When you return, I'll reward you with the Profound Ice Pill. In the future, the position of chief disciple of the Mysterious Darkness Cult will undoubtedly be yours."

The other leaders, sensing Lin Bai's goodwill, also made various promises to their respective disciples.

Golden Lion and the others gulped, clearly enticed by the mission rewards and the promised status within their Sects.

"Greg, maybe we should call off the plan for now?" Golden Lion suggested to Greg with some embarrassment. "There's no rush to kill Lin Bai. Let's get the rewards first."

"Once our Levels are higher, we can kill him then just the same," Live under the Crotch chimed in. "And if we get familiar with the Beggar Gang members, we might even be able to assassinate him directly later!"

"..." Greg stared at Lin Bai, speechless. He began to continuously supply Lin Bai with negative Emotion Value. He had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was...