Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players
Chapter 155: How is the illness of madness transmitted?
No players believed Lin Bai was telling the truth.
Just as NPCs could not hear their private chats, they also could not see the red thread Lin Bai had thrown out from the Matchmaker System.
Players could see the arrows from Cupid's bow, but who would believe that being hit by an arrow would make someone burst out with intense feelings of love?
That was even more absurd than Spoken Law Follows.
Considering Lin Bai's past actions, the players were more willing to believe in the existence of Spoken Law Follows.
Otherwise? Did Lin Bai concoct Spoken Law Follows to deceive people for no reason? Did he first turn himself and his lover, Jiang Qingqin, into clowns before deceiving others? That doesn't align with Lin, the Storekeeper's character of never acting without a profit motive.
Therefore, the live audience firmly believed that Lin Bai was practicing Spoken Law Follows.
Based on Lin Bai's performance, they voted and selected the two most probable scenarios: Lin Bai was likely speaking in opposites or saying deliberately provocative things.
Players did not care about the sequence of Lin Bai's Spoken Law Follows cultivation.
Because Lin Bai had said that after breaking through the first stage, "Warm as Spring," subsequent prompts would naturally appear.
This was typical for hidden skills.
In the forums, many prospective players had already begun quietly collecting "golden sentences" offline, practicing how to continuously spread warmth like Lin Bai without being disturbed.
Players on transports like the Hundred Flowers Shuttle and Sword Boat also erupted with unparalleled enthusiasm. The transports were nearly at full capacity. While practicing Martial Arts onboard was unlikely, practicing Spoken Law Follows was no problem at all.
...
"You look great today."
"The more profound a person is, the more humble they are; undeniably, you are such a profound individual."
"You are so beautiful, as beautiful as a lyric poem..."
"No, you're even more beautiful, as beautiful as a love poem..."
...
The suddenly frenzied players left Jiang Yuru speechless.
She suddenly realized, Spoken Law Follows, which I had been questioning all this time and hadn't even dared to report to the Sect, is very likely to be true.
Thinking that practicing Spoken Law Follows to its peak would allow one to master the power of Laws, Jiang Yuru felt an inexplicable resentment toward Lin Bai.
Why did he have to tell such a terrifying Cultivation Technique to those players? If they master the Laws first, will we even have a way to survive? Truly reprehensible! Is it really as Jiang Qingqin said? Is he using the players to force us to cultivate it too? Alright, he's won. We can't let them get the upper hand! Originally, I felt that practicing Spoken Law Follows was somewhat humiliating and planned to experiment with my disciples first. Now, I can't afford to care about that anymore.
Jiang Yuru glanced at a nearby disciple from Hundred Flower Valley and ordered, "From now on, everyone is to practice the Spoken Law Follows Cultivation Technique. You mustn't fall behind the players."
"Yes, Master," the disciple responded. She looked up at Jiang Yuru, her eyebrows curved as she forced her most sincere smile. "Dearest teacher, your earnest teachings have awakened me from my confusion and given me new life. I can live without sunshine, but I cannot live without you."
Ever since they boarded the flying shuttle, the ears of the natives had been filled with all sorts of sweet talk.
Influenced by the environment, it was hard not to learn.
They entered the state so quickly? Jiang Yuru was taken aback. She gave her disciple a playful glare and responded, not to be outdone, "Little Willow, your success is largely due to your own intelligence and hard work..."
...
「Meanwhile.」
Zhao Yi, Peng Ze, and others were similarly startled by the players' sudden frenzy.
The few of them questioned each other, but none knew what was happening.
When they asked the players, all they got were nonsensical compliments like, "Senior Brother Zhao, you're wise and heroic, clearly a star descended from the heavens," or "Senior Brother Sun, your soulful stubble and weathered eyes are so masculine," which made their skin crawl.
Zhao, Peng, and Sun knew nothing of Lin Bai's "warmth-spreading" incidents in Jiamucheng. They simply assumed the players were collectively possessed or hysterical. After some discussion, they went to the Hundred Flower Valley's flying shuttle to ask Jiang Yuru for a countermeasure.
Their respective sect leaders were absent, leaving Jiang Yuru as the only Golden Core cultivator available.
Unexpectedly, just as they knocked on Jiang Yuru's door, she paused for a moment before blurting out, "The arrival of you three Junior Brothers graces the Hundred Flowers Shuttle and brings it much honor. I can see that your divine light is restrained; forming a Golden Core is surely just a matter of time for you."
Once she finished speaking, Jiang Yuru's face flushed red to the roots of her neck.
For me, a dignified Golden Core cultivator of over eighty years, to say such shameful things to these juniors... it's practically killing me! Damn this Spoken Law Follows! It really isn't something an ordinary person can cultivate. It's too much of a test for one's Daoist heart!
"..." Zhao Yi was stunned, stammering, "Senior Sister Jiang, you... are you alright?"
Once the Spoken Law Follows cultivation began, it could not be stopped until a prompt appeared. Jiang Yuru had finally mustered the courage to start and naturally did not want to give up halfway. She looked at Zhao Yi, gritted her teeth, and said, "Your concern warms my heart like spring. There is nothing more comforting."
Zhao Yi's expression changed abruptly. He swallowed and looked at his allies, who had also been tormented by Lin Bai. "It's over! Senior Sister Jiang is possessed too! Senior Brother Peng, what should we do?"
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Thousands of players exhibiting symptoms simultaneously—there must be a reason," Peng Ze said, looking at the "infected" Jiang Yuru with lingering fear. He instinctively took a step back and sighed. "I don't have any Heart Cleansing Pills. Their symptoms are just nonsensical speech; their other actions are normal. Let's just go to Return to Dragon View and ask Lin Bai what to do. He's full of tricks; maybe he knows what's going on."
"That's our only option!" Sun Lie's face was also grim. He looked at Jiang Yuru with pity and said worriedly, "Ever since the players arrived, strange things have been happening constantly. I understand this world less and less."
"..." Jiang Yuru closed her eyes in anguish. I've lost all the face I've accumulated in my entire life because of this Spoken Law Follows! In this brief moment, I finally understand why Lin Bai insisted on spreading Spoken Law Follows. Such an utterly humiliating Cultivation Technique shouldn't be endured by just one person! It's better for everyone to suffer this together than for one person to suffer alone!
Thinking of how she had persisted in her Spoken Law Follows cultivation for over half an hour just now, Jiang Yuru steeled herself. She cleared her throat and said, "Junior Brothers, I'm fine. The players aren't going crazy either. We are all cultivating a miraculous technique called Spoken Law Follows. There's no need to go ask Lin Bai. Spoken Law Follows is the cornerstone technique of the Righteous Door; it was Lin Bai who spread it. This Cultivation Technique is extremely difficult, but when cultivated to a high level, one's words become law. It is a method of cultivating the Great Path..."
Jiang Yuru relayed, word for word, what Lin Bai had used to fool her to the three men.
Lin Bai is selfless. If he could impart Spoken Law Follows to the Hundred Flower Valley, he would naturally tell Zhao Yi and the others too. Rather than letting them be indebted to Lin Bai, I might as well be the one to do them this favor.
"This..." The three men looked at each other, somewhat disbelieving Jiang Yuru's words.
After all, Lin Bai had done too many unreliable things. Moreover, how could a method of practicing the Principle of the Great Tao be so crude and absurd?
"This matter was personally witnessed and heard by my disciple, Jiang Qingqin. Besides, it's common knowledge in Jiamucheng that Lin Bai cultivated Spoken Law Follows. Believe it or not, it's up to you." Jiang Yuru looked at the three hesitant men, suddenly experiencing the peculiar sensation of being the only sober one in a crowd of drunks. "Junior Brothers, please leave. In trying to clear your doubts, my Spoken Law Follows cultivation was forcibly interrupted. Now that all the players are cultivating Spoken Law Follows, I must hurry and begin anew."
...
「Night fell.」
Having flown all day, Lin Bai and his party found a cave in the mountains for a brief rest.
Practicing their Martial Arts had significantly improved the players' endurance.
But the members of Dragon Breath had first flown with the Return to Dragon View group for a day and a night to reach Qian City, and without even setting foot on the ground, they had flown back from Qian City. They had barely rested, and their fatigue had reached its threshold.
They were all struggling to keep going.
Moreover, Lin Bai would get hungry, and the players also had a hunger stat.
The Belly Filling Pill could temporarily alleviate hunger, but relying solely on Pill Medicine was clearly a bit monotonous.
The mountain forest was teeming with wild game.
The Cooking God System had rewarded Lin Bai with a plethora of cooking skills. He was no longer the culinary novice who had tortured Xu Longyun's guards.
Even without seasoning, the food he grilled was incredibly delicious. His knife skills, in particular, had reached a level of exquisite mastery.
A wild deer was dismembered in minutes, transformed into raw ingredients, leaving the members of Dragon Breath awestruck.
A few players eagerly discussed in private chat the possibility of Lin, the Storekeeper's knife skills being used in actual combat.
But after just a few exchanges, they concluded that no matter how exquisite or flashy the knife skills were, in this Immortal World brimming with sword qi, the chances of successfully striking an enemy were virtually nil.
So, the players unanimously abandoned their aspirations regarding knife skills.
Actually, Lin Bai had considered the combat potential of the Cooking God System's knife skills long before the players did.
The Cooking God System was one of the initial systems. The other three systems had all demonstrated formidable power; even the later-acquired Matchmaker System had shown its might. It's unreasonable that the Cooking God System can only be used for cooking. Besides, once one cultivates to the Nascent Soul Realm and can subsist on ambient wind and qi, eating becomes unnecessary. What's the point of having exquisite culinary skills then?
Afterward, the appearance of the Big Devil Dismantling technique made Lin Bai consider the slight possibility of using his knife skills for a sneak attack.
But after much thought, the plan still seems unworkable. If I can't immobilize the enemy, no matter how good my knife skills are, if the enemy runs off after one slash, what's the damn point of even trying to cut them!
Moreover, whether they were sword cultivators or cultivators proficient in Taoist law, almost all of them possessed one or two Body Protection Treasures.
Without immobilizing them and breaking through their Body Protection Treasures... the Cooking God System is ultimately just of limited use... Since I can't find a way to make it work, I can only hope that some yet-to-emerge systems will provide one or two effective skills that can complement the Cooking God System and allow it to unleash its proper power.
...
「The sun set over West Mountain.」
Under the firelight, Lin Bai and his party shared the roasted deer.
The Truth-telling task finally registered as successful, and Lin Bai received the Truth-telling Technique as a reward.
The tasks from the Great Language System always proceeded in an orderly fashion, without any hitches.
Upon completing one task, the next was immediately issued:
*Bragging can, to a certain extent, enhance self-confidence, reduce inner fear, and alleviate anxiety. This allows one to psychologically achieve an ideal self-image and gain a powerful edge in psychological confrontations. Please maintain a bragging speaking style for the next 24 hours (conditions as above). Reward: Sound Transmission Technique (allows you to transmit your words to a specific target).*
The Sound Transmission Technique? Lin Bai pursed his lips, his heart thumping. The Great Language System's rewards are getting better and better.
Lin Bai had always envied the players' private chat function. With players everywhere, walls had ears, making it inconvenient for him to whisper to others. The Sound Transmission Technique would make things much more convenient.
Moreover, it'll make it easier for me to pose as a grandmaster. As for bragging? Isn't that just a matter of opening my mouth! What I didn't expect was that the Great Language System could make bragging sound so sophisticated. It truly lives up to its name as a system that plays with language!
"Shopkeeper Lin, when did you learn the skills of Return to Dragon View?" Dragon Breath, a disciple of Return to Dragon View, had noticed Lin Bai occasionally using moves and Divine Skills from his sect and, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, finally asked.
"Learn them? Please. I master techniques just by looking at them," Lin Bai glanced at him, feigning indifference. "The moment I joined the Righteous Door, my master told me I was a talent seen once in ten thousand years. Any Martial Arts Taoist Law I see, I understand instantly; any technique, I master with a single glance. Why else do you think the Righteous Door, which had been in seclusion for a thousand years, would send a twenty-something like me out to contend for supremacy in the world? It's because all those old geezers in the Righteous Door felt inadequate next to me, so they kicked me out early to get rid of me!"
No longer needing to choose his words carefully to speak the truth, Lin Bai felt like himself again, effortlessly handling Dragon Breath's question.
"Master, you're so amazing," Little White Fox chimed in with praise for her master, her mouth still greasy from eating.
"Well, there's another new version of Shopkeeper Lin's origin story," Great Loe the Golden Immortal sent in a private message.
"I reckon this one's the truth," Mountain Tiger replied. "Shopkeeper Lin really does possess many skills that other NPCs don't. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius."
"Damn planners' favoritism, right!" Dragon Breath grumbled. "If we could see Shopkeeper Lin's stats, his comprehension would definitely be three question marks."
"It's not just comprehension! Other attributes are probably like that too," The Iron-Headed Immortal asserted excitedly. "Even now, Shopkeeper Lin hasn't shown his true limits. But what's that got to do with us? We're all members of the Beggar Gang. The stronger Shopkeeper Lin is, the better it is for us!"
"My only fear is that we might end up as enemies with Shopkeeper Lin one day..." Dragon Breath muttered, sneaking a glance at Lin Bai. "Never underestimate how nasty those planners can be."
"Why think so far ahead?" Great Loe the Golden Immortal said dismissively. "If Shopkeeper Lin really is the final BOSS and we can't beat him, we can just play other games! The world's a big place; do we really have to fight to the death with one person? I believe a game that has practically created a real world wouldn't have a scenario where all players target a single BOSS. That wouldn't make sense..."
...
Lin Bai sneered at Dragon Breath's covert jab. Who the hell wants to be the final BOSS?! Psycho! Isn't a win-win cooperation good enough for you? Always scheming against me. Sooner or later, I'll make you quit this game!
"Shopkeeper Lin, when can you teach us Taoist magic?" Great Loe the Golden Immortal emerged from the private chat, asking Lin Bai with a grin. "I always feel like the Dragonfall Palm is falling behind the Beggar Gang's development! You've also mentioned that the Beggar Gang is your Righteous Gang. You can't possibly handle everything yourself when trouble comes, right?"
Lin Bai turned the roasting meat in his hand and chuckled. "I'm far too skilled to just teach you Immortal Law and Taoist magic; that would be a waste of my talents. Wait a bit. I'll go to the Seven True Sects and capture a hundred or so powerful immortals. I'll make them teach you Taoist magic and Martial Arts. Wouldn't that be even better? Before long, the world will only know of my Righteous Door and forget all about the Seven True Sects."
"Yes, yes, Shopkeeper Lin is right! The Righteous Door is number one in the world!" Great Loe the Golden Immortal said, smiling broadly. "But that's in the future, isn't it? Why don't you teach us a few Taoist laws first so we can start practicing? Who knows, we might even help you capture those powerful immortals!"
"Exactly," Iron-Headed Immortal chimed in. He glanced at Lady Hua Xi and Daoist Qingyu, who were standing respectfully nearby, and smacked his lips. "It's a pity Daoist Qingyu and the others, sealed by Shopkeeper Lin, are in a daze and have lost their Spirit Intelligence. Otherwise, it would be wonderful if they could become instructors for the Beggar Gang disciples!"
Spirit Intelligence? Lin Bai was suddenly stunned, his gaze inadvertently falling on Daoist Qingyu. He even forgot his bragging.
The Enlightenment Pill! That's right! How could I have forgotten about that! The Enlightenment Pill can help ordinary creatures awaken their Spirit Intelligence. These guys sealed by the Card System... theoretically, they also count as living beings, right? Although the Enlightenment Pill is a reward from the Pet System, it never said it could only awaken the Spirit Intelligence of animals... Should I give it a try? What if it actually works? Puppets that can obey my commands in battle and also help me teach skills to the players—now *those* would be truly good puppets!
After several Pet System missions, Lin Bai had accumulated quite a few Enlightenment Pills. Using one or two for an experiment wouldn't be a big deal...