"Master, you are truly great." After leaving the City Lord's Mansion, the Little White Fox, nestled in Lin Bai's arms, looked up at his increasingly handsome face, her eyes full of admiration.

"Xiao Bai, my greatness isn't limited to humans; it extends to Demon Beasts too, you know!" Lin Bai, mindful of the Lie Task he had not yet completed, subconsciously filtered the truth from his statement.

"I know." The Little White Fox's voice softened. "I knew it that day. Master, you had the Beggar Gang target the Beast Taming Sect all for my sake. Xiao Bai didn't say anything then, but I understood in my heart."

Sure enough.

My Little White Fox is just so innocent!

So much cuter than that old fox, the City Lord.

Lin Bai stroked the fox out of habit, enjoying the pleasant sensation of its soft fur, and sighed, "Indeed! I long for the day when humans and Demon Beasts can live in harmony, with no more killing between the two races."

"Master, you're so kind." The Little White Fox affectionately nuzzled Lin Bai's palm, enjoying the unique sense of security she felt with him.

"On that day, Xiao Bai can play whenever she wants and eat whenever she wants. She won't have to worry about training every day just to survive." After teaching the Little White Fox the Cultivation Technique of the Nine-Days True Scripture, the little fox remained gluttonous and playful. Previously, Lin Bai would have directly ordered her to train. Now, however, for the sake of the Lie Task, he had to subtly remind the little fox it was time to practice.

"No, Master, I will train diligently." The Little White Fox raised her head, looked up at Lin Bai, and said earnestly, "I can't hold you back."

Sure enough.

Kind lies are far more reliable than hurtful truths.

Lin Bai smiled and said no more.

With a grand plan in mind, the once-lazy Little White Fox finally began to cultivate seriously. As she started practicing, a notification about a completed mission sounded in Lin Bai's mind:

"[Increase your pet's combat power (Completed); Reward: 10 Enlightenment Pills, 1 Transformation Pill (Dispatched)]"

"[Find a suitable Cultivation Technique for your pet; Reward: Positioning Ring (after putting it on the pet, you can sense its current location)]"

Sure enough, the Nine-Days True Scripture isn't universal. At least, it's not suitable for the Little Fox.

The Pet System task is stuck.

To find a suitable Cultivation Technique for Little White Fox, I might have to find her mother or head to the Beast Control Sect.

Ultimately, it seems I can't avoid a trip to the Beast Control Sect!

Looking at Little White Fox sitting cross-legged and practicing diligently, Lin Bai pondered for a moment and decided to temporarily set aside the follow-up Pet System task.

He has too many Systems. It doesn't matter if he postpones unimportant tasks.

Besides, as long as Little White Fox can cast spells, her combat power is as high as mine. When would I ever need her to personally charge into battle?

Also, I don't see much use for the Positioning Ring rewarded by the task. Keeping Little White Fox by my side makes her a powerful and efficient early-warning system. Why would I want to be separated from her?

Besides, the little fox is so soft...

「The next day.」

The Beggar Gang Disciples, who had studied Martial Arts all night, finally became active.

Some continued to practice.

Some continued to discuss advertising matters with wealthy merchants.

Those skilled in business began purchasing shops throughout the city.

Others entered the city and started interacting extensively with NPCs, trying to discover Qian City's hidden quests.

Still others ventured out of the city into the mountains and forests, searching for new leveling spots and dreaming of capturing an adorable pet similar to Little White Fox…

It was no secret that Lin, the Storekeeper, had let Miracle Doctor Flower and others study the Enlightenment Pill.

The Enlightenment Pill can awaken the Spirit Intelligence of animals. So, why not cultivate your own beast-eared lady from a young age?

Unless a major event occurred within the gang, the Players' time was their own to manage.

They were here to play a game, not to work in a factory; no one wanted to be bound by rigid gang rules.

After all, the Beggar Gang was just a place for Players to earn money and learn Skills.

Crispy Rice and Lonely Old Man understood this, so they didn't make too many demands on the Beggar Gang's Players.

They were happy for the Players to explore the Map themselves. This world was too unfamiliar to them; there were too many things to relearn and comprehend…

However, once the Beggar Gang Players, who had received the methods to practice two hidden Skills, entered Qian City, the atmosphere changed completely.

They were like a swarm of locusts, destroying everything in their path.

While eating, they would chip the shopkeeper's bowls. They knocked an ear off a stone lion at the entrance of a wealthy household and, while being chased down the street by house servants, would yell things like, "Your smile is so sweet! May you become the person you want to be..." or "Having you in my life brings such joy and satisfaction!" These remarks made the pursuing house servants stamp their feet in frustration.

Similar incidents occurred in every corner of Qian City. In less than half a day, these newcomers had completely ruined the good reputation the Beggar Gang had painstakingly built.

A flood of complaints was delivered to the City Lord's Mansion.

Guo Yuan broke out in a cold sweat, finally grasping the full meaning of Lin Bai's words about the lawlessness of these Heaven-sent individuals.

They are a genuine plague.

Guo Yuan had no choice but to send someone to inform Lin Bai, asking him to restrain his gang members. However, Lin Bai, currently engrossed in his Lie Task, had lost his ability to communicate normally. He simply wrote, "Act according to law," and dismissed the messenger from the City Lord's Mansion.

As a result, the City Lord's Mansion posted a notice that same day: anyone found damaging others' property without cause would be sentenced to imprisonment for a period corresponding to the value of the damaged goods.

The City Guard Army was dispatched to arrest the Players wreaking havoc in the city, finally suppressing this wave of destructive behavior.

By this point, Qian City had been thrown into chaos by the boisterous Players.

Guo Yuan had to seriously consider Lin Bai's suggestion. Perhaps finding something exciting for these Heaven-sent individuals was the right approach. More than ever, he hoped the Evil Sect would attack. Ideally, they would teach these Heaven-sent members of the Beggar Gang a harsh lesson, steering them towards cultivation and revenge…

After a group of them was jailed, the Beggar Gang Players realized it was unrealistic to destroy things legally and "reasonably." Qian City, after all, wasn't Jiamucheng, which Lin Bai had transformed. It wasn't cost-effective for them to spend money buying items just to destroy them.

The Beggar Gang is rich, sure.

But now, there are so many people in the Beggar Gang!

The Beggar Gang does pay wages to every member, but that money is for living expenses, not for buying things to destroy.

Even if 'Daddy Lin' is rich, the money should be used wisely, not endlessly squandered by us.

And spending our own money to cultivate a Skill whose effectiveness is unknown just isn't worth it.

Thus, a group of Players naturally concluded that the cultivation method for the Way of Incompleteness was just another scheme by the game developers to bleed them dry. They angrily cursed the "deceitful planning team," claiming they had joined the Beggar Gang to make money, not to spend it.

Being Lin, the Storekeeper's Incomplete System promoter isn't so easy after all...

MBD! Pay-to-win game!

So, does this mean only rich people are cut out for the Beggar Gang?

It seems the recruitment standards Lin, the Storekeeper set were serious. Ordinary folks really can't play the Beggar role well!

However, fortunately, the Beggar Gang also had another hidden Cultivation Technique: Spoken Law Follows. It didn't require any payment, only the relentless utterance of pleasantries.

Although the Cultivation Technique for Spoken Law Follows was spread through live broadcasts and was technically open to anyone, few outside the Beggar Gang could grasp the profound secrets behind it, and likely not many would persist.

Consequently, within half a day, most Beggar Gang Players had voluntarily abandoned their roles as promoters for the Way of Incompleteness, choosing instead to focus solely on practicing Spoken Law Follows.

Although Spoken Law Follows was equally difficult to practice, at least it required no financial investment, and the process itself was quite enjoyable.

After all, consistently speaking warm and gentle words wasn't easy. One careless slip could derail the effort, and sometimes, mid-speech, they'd just run out of things to say...

This darn Cultivation Technique really is a test of one's literary skill.

But it had to be said, the practice of Spoken Law Follows filled the entire Beggar Gang with laughter and lively chatter.

It's a game, right?

You can't just focus on leveling up and fighting monsters; relaxation is important too...

「However,」 in that short half-day, over three thousand Beggar Gang Disciples had gone on a rampage, leading to their arrest by Guo Yuan's City Guard Army. As a result, Lin Bai's Inner Strength had surged by over two hundred years. On average, each Beggar Gang Disciple had destroyed at least thirty items, and Lin Bai had also received the Art of Separated Legs as a reward.

The subsequent task from the Incomplete System was still to have his promoters destroy more items. The reward was another Cultivation Technique from the Great Demon Solution Book: this time, the Art of Separated Limbs.

Head, feet, hands, limbs...

Once I collect this entire set of Cultivation Techniques, my chances of survival will skyrocket. If I encounter an unavoidable attack, I could literally fall apart to dodge it and give the enemy a good scare too!

Moreover, even though most Players had stopped practicing the Way of Incompleteness, a persistent few continued. Consequently, Lin Bai's Inner Strength kept growing, slowly but steadily, far faster than if he cultivated himself.

Even without the Card System, I no longer have to worry about Palm Thunder depleting my Inner Strength.

And it's not just Inner Strength.

The negative emotions from the Beggar Gang Disciples cursing the game developers, and the positive, joyful emotions from their practice of Spoken Law Follows, are both increasing rapidly.

My Spirit Fruits are already innumerable; I can eat them like candy. Each Spirit Fruit permanently increases my spirit by 10 points, so I'll just let them keep accumulating. My dream of becoming Professor X is still alive!

Eating many Spirit Fruits doesn't cause diminishing returns. With every Spirit Fruit consumed, I feel my thinking and perception of the outside world sharpen significantly. I can now handle the myriad task pop-ups in the background and simultaneously listen to Players' real-time conversations and private chats without any interference.

The overwhelming sensation I initially felt when multiple Systems entered my body, nearly causing a total collapse, probably won't happen again.

Continuously consuming Spirit Fruits might not turn me into Professor X, but becoming a human supercomputer should be feasible.

The Spirit Fruit provided by the Emotional System must have been intended to lay the foundation for the simultaneous operation of the many Systems hidden within my body.

No wonder the Emotional System appeared first!

I'd also eaten the three Temperament Fruits that had grown. No need to hoard those; temperament translates to Charm. A man with Charm achieves twice the results with half the effort. It's even useful for showing off...

In short, Lin Bai benefited regardless of what his three thousand Beggar Gang Disciples did.

As his strength grew, Lin Bai no longer felt as much aversion towards the Players. They're like leeks growing in my own field; naturally, the more robust, the better.

"Lin Bai, did you give the Cultivation Method for Spoken Law Follows to those Heaven-sent individuals?" Jiang Qingqin asked, astonished by the barrage of sweet talk filling her ears as she approached Lin Bai.

"No, they figured it out themselves," Lin Bai denied flatly. The Lie Task has been active for too long. With other System tasks stalled, I need to complete this one quickly.

Jiang Qingqin looked displeased. "Don't lie to me. If you hadn't revealed the secrets of Spoken Law Follows to them, how could they be practicing so diligently?"

"When have I ever lied to you?" Lin Bai shook his head and chuckled. I've known all along that the Lie Task is the easiest to complete; it doesn't affect normal conversation at all...

"You clearly know that the cultivation of Spoken Law Follows is tied to the safety of the entire world! Why would you disclose it to those Heaven-sent individuals?" Jiang Qingqin frowned slightly. "If they master it, what chance do we have of surviving?"

"I did it to make you all pay more attention to practicing this technique. Competition breeds pressure, and you've all been too complacent," Lin Bai sighed.

"I..."

Jiang Qingqin faltered, suddenly unsure how to respond. He was right. Even after receiving the Cultivation Method for Spoken Law Follows, no one, including herself, had practiced it seriously. They had mostly joked around and been perfunctory, their enthusiasm not even matching that of the Heaven-sent individuals in the Beggar Gang.

She also knew the Beggar Gang members were wreaking havoc in the city.

And as one of Lin Bai's promoters for the Way of Incompleteness, she hadn't destroyed a single item since yesterday!

Plus, there was my betrayal at the recruitment event.

Perhaps...

Lin Bai is just too disappointed in us!

Jiang Qingqin's spirits suddenly plummeted. The Five Great Sects and Return to Dragon View had already become Lin Bai's enemies. The few allies she had found were indecisive, always looking out for their own interests. Caught between such people, Lin Bai was in a very difficult position.

His decision to strengthen the Beggar Gang Disciples is understandable. After all, at the recruitment event, only the Beggar Gang Disciples genuinely helped him.

"I misjudged you." Jiang Qingqin's eyes reddened, and she lowered her head in shame. "Lin Bai, from now on, I won't question anything you do."

Lin Bai instinctively wanted to nod, but he paused and chose a different response, saying softly, "Don't be like that. You should live for yourself, not for anyone else in the world."

Jiang Qingqin's tears streamed down her face. She rushed forward, hugged Lin Bai, and buried her head in his chest, whispering, "Lin Bai, you're so kind. I don't want to go back to Hundred Flower Valley. Can I stay in the Beggar Gang from now on? My master only wants to use me—to get close to you, gather information about you, and pry as many secret manuals out of you as possible. I never knew she was that kind of person. Compared to being with you, living with them is just too exhausting."

"..." Lin Bai was suddenly at a loss for words. He realized that whether he agreed to Jiang Qingqin's request or refused it, even he couldn't tell if his response would be the truth or a lie.

Why is this happening?

Telling one lie isn't hard; the challenge is to keep lying consistently!

This must be why I haven't completed the Lie Task!

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Bai gently patted Jiang Qingqin's shoulder and said softly, "Don't say that. Your master is a good person!"