Morning Yuan Sword Sect.

Sword Peak.

Sect Leader He Qin, Wan Qifeng from the Spirit Artifact Pavilion, Valley Master Ma Changcheng from the Medicine King Valley, along with various deacons and elders, sat in the council chamber, all seething with indignation.

…

"Absolutely outrageous!"

"Monstrous villains!"

"This time, we must ensure that upstart doesn't return alive!"

"The so-called Justice League is nothing more than a disorganized mob. Once Lin Bai is captured, their organization will surely fall apart like a house of cards. They are no cause for concern."

"That upstart has no idea what he's up against! We are not some pushovers like the Evil Five Sects, for him to crush as he pleases…"

…

The council chamber buzzed with the chaotic energy of a marketplace.

Originally, everyone lived their lives and cultivated their practices, largely keeping to themselves. Though minor skirmishes occasionally broke out between sects, they rarely caused serious harm.

But then, Lin Bai, a veritable troublemaker, appeared out of nowhere, forcing them all into battle. How could any of them feel at ease?

Worse still, this troublemaker had a glorious track record, making him as unbearable as a thorn in their side—foul and stubbornly resilient.

Therefore, though these cultivators seemed to be mocking Lin Bai, they were, in essence, trying to bolster their own courage.

Lin Bai often said that the arrival of the Sky-Descended People was a catastrophe.

However, in the eyes of the Morning Yuan Sword Sect's cultivators, Lin Bai himself was the greatest catastrophe in the world. Compared to him, the turmoil caused by the Sky-Descended People was like a firefly vying with the radiant moon—utterly insignificant.

As for why the animosity between Lin Bai and them had escalated to this point, no one cared anymore.

"Quiet!" Sect Leader He Qin of the Morning Yuan Sword Sect looked at the cultivators in the hall, who were outwardly fierce but inwardly craven, and felt a surge of anxiety. They repeatedly called Lin Bai and his followers a disorganized mob, but in his view, the group before him was the true disorganized mob.

They were clearly terrified, yet they stubbornly put on a brave face—all bark and no bite, utterly hopeless.

As He Qin's gaze swept across the room, the clamor gradually subsided.

He Qin coughed lightly and said, "Fellow Daoists, Lin Bai will attack in no more than half a day. We shouldn't waste our time on these pointless arguments. Instead, we need to focus on how to deal with Lin Bai and his Justice League."

"Sect Leader He is right," Wan Qifeng from the Spirit Artifact Pavilion chimed in. "We don't know what methods Lin Bai used, but he managed to win the complete loyalty of the people from Return to Dragon View in just two days. The members of the Evil Five Sects were defeated by him and forcibly incorporated into the Justice League, showing no signs of resistance. The Hundred Flower Valley, while stalling for time, simply defected to the enemy, pushing us into this predicament. Underestimating him would be irresponsible of us…"

"What methods could he have used? Nothing more than coercion and enticement," Ma Changcheng huffed. "The Justice League relies entirely on his overwhelming strength to keep them suppressed. The members beneath him are merely feigning compliance; their hearts are not with him. Otherwise, why is he always the one charging into the fray in every major battle? An alliance forged by sheer force may seem powerful, but it's riddled with hidden dangers. It might hold for a short while, but in the long run, it's bound to crumble. Perhaps we won't even need to intervene; the alliance might just collapse from within."

"Valley Master, we are currently cornered by this forcibly assembled Justice League. If we cannot handle the present situation, our sects are likely to be absorbed by him before the Justice League even has a chance to collapse," a mocking smile touched the corner of He Qin's lips. "The Sky-Descended People communicate amongst themselves. We know everything Lin Bai does, and he, in turn, is fully aware of our movements. He will not give us time to wait for reinforcements from the Rigorous Seventh Sects. We must hold out until aid from the Rigorous Seventh Sects arrives."

"These Sky-Descended People are truly detestable," Ma Changcheng frowned. "If not for them, would we be facing so many problems?"

"At this point, we can't do without them," He Qin said. "It's thanks to the Sky-Descended People passing on information that we weren't caught completely off guard by Lin Bai's impending attack. Lin Bai handles everything with such ease precisely because of his familiarity with them. Once this matter is resolved, we must re-evaluate our relationship with the Sky-Descended People."

"Let's focus on surviving the current crisis first! Those Sky-Descended People are busy making some kind of billboards; they have no sense of honor or shame. They can be used, but they absolutely cannot be trusted," Wan Qifeng sighed. "We failed to arrive on time for the Qian City Cup organized by Lin Bai, and we've been scheming behind his back. Lin Bai is unlikely to let us off easily…"

"And so what if he does? Would you want to become puppets like Pei Yanzong, living a life worse than death?" Ma Changcheng slammed his palm on the table. "We cannot end up like Return to Dragon View or the Evil Five Sects. Even if it means mutual destruction, we must not surrender to him."

"Lin Bai's arsenal of techniques includes Lightning Storm, Cupid's Arrow, the Puppet Sealing technique, and the Blacksmith's utensils that can destroy Magic Treasures. Just yesterday, he added a new technique called Separation of Love, which can forcibly send people flying into the sky." He Qin glanced at the two sect leaders, deliberately steering the conversation back on topic. "Among these, Lightning Storm is the most destructive. During the last battle against the Evil Five Sects, the lightning was unleashed continuously for nearly a quarter of an hour. Its power was terrifying. To defeat Lin Bai, we must first find a way to counter his Lightning Storm…"

"Leave this to my Spirit Artifact Pavilion," Wan Qifeng declared. "The 300 Golden Core Cultivators accompanying me this time are all equipped with thunder-resistant Magic Treasures. A single strike of Lin Bai's Palm Thunder can severely injure or incapacitate a Golden Core Monk. Even the most basic thunder-resistant Magic Treasures refined by my Spirit Artifact Pavilion can withstand five lightning strikes. Combined with Puppets and the Mist Formation, we can deplete as much of Lin Bai's Spiritual Power as possible."

"Five strikes are far from enough," He Qin stated. "Lin Bai possesses a Recording Magic Weapon from the Righteous Door, capable of unleashing nearly 2,000 lightning bolts in a short period. Even if Lin Bai cannot control such a vast number of bolts, your 300 Golden Core Cultivators will last three to five rounds at most…"

"My Medicine King Valley can provide Spirit Revitalizing Pills to the disciples of the Spirit Artifact Pavilion. A single Spirit Revitalizing Pill can instantly replenish eighty percent of a Golden Core Monk's Spiritual Power," Ma Changcheng offered. "Five Spirit Revitalizing Pills per person should be enough to nearly exhaust Lin Bai's Spiritual Power. Even if it doesn't completely drain him, my Medicine King Valley's 3,000 Golden Core Cultivators, though not specialized in combat, can, with the support of Pill Medicine, scatter and hold Lin Bai off for some time, dragging it out until his Spiritual Power is depleted. Then, the Sword Immortals from the Morning Yuan Sword Sect can seize the opportunity to strike, killing Lin Bai with lightning speed. Once Lin Bai is dead, the Justice League will pose little threat."

"Sect Leaders, I believe your current approach is too passive," Guan Pengfei, the Sword Peak Deacon of the Morning Yuan Sword Sect, said, flicking the copy of Justice Weekly in his hand. "Observing Lin Bai's battles, his strategy has consistently been to capture the leader to subdue the subordinates. In the battle outside Qian City, he first bewildered Qing Yu. In the battle at Return to Dragon View, he risked himself to confuse Dao Xu. And in the fight against the Evil Five Sects, he first bewildered Pei Yanzong, then intimidated the leaders of the Evil Five Sects with the Bow of Love.

"With their leaders captured, numerous disciples were hesitant to act for fear of harming their own, which allowed him to manipulate them. However, when he faced the leaders of the Evil Five Sects directly, he didn't gain much of an advantage. His Laws primarily focus on incapacitation and bewilderment. Even his newest technique, Separation of Love, merely sends people high into the air.

"In my opinion, the three Sect Leaders and the top experts of our sects are the most crucial element in this battle. If we handle this correctly, we might be able to take down Lin Bai even without assistance from the Rigorous Seventh Sects…"

"Elaborate!" He Qin's interest was piqued. He scanned the cultivators in the hall. "All information about Lin Bai is out in the open. Fellow Daoists, feel free to speak your minds. There are no Sky-Descended People here to leak our plans. We will use the best strategy offered, with the primary goal of eliminating Lin Bai."

"Let's hear Deacon Guan's strategy," said Wan Qifeng.

"Aside from Lin Bai's bizarre Laws, his own cultivation Realm is roughly equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm," Guan Pengfei continued. "Although he has the support of the Evil Five Sects' leaders, as you, Sect Leaders, have pointed out, the Justice League was forcibly integrated by Lin Bai; they are not truly united. Xin Shang and the others are highly unlikely to go all out to help Lin Bai. This is our opportunity…"

"And where does this opportunity lie?" Ma Changcheng asked.

"Lin Bai has not seen the true faces of you, Sect Leaders," Guan Pengfei said after a moment's hesitation. "If you, Sect Leaders, were to use decoys to confront Lin Bai openly, while you yourselves hide among the ordinary disciples, you could launch a surprise attack and potentially capture him in one fell swoop."

"Deacon Guan, this plan seems a bit too fanciful. Lin Bai will not give us an opportunity to ambush him," He Qin said, shaking his head.

"What if our disciples intermingle with those from the Evil Five Sects during the battle?" Guan Pengfei proposed. "The Medicine King Valley alone has 3,000 Golden Core Cultivators. Lin Bai leads, at most, a little over a thousand people. If everyone is mixed together in the fight, Lin Bai surely wouldn't resort to using Lightning Storm to indiscriminately cover everyone, would he? If he did that, the Justice League would fracture, and everyone would turn against him."

He Qin and the others exchanged glances, their eyes simultaneously lighting up.

Wan Qifeng looked at Guan Pengfei and clapped his hands. "An excellent plan! By blending in with the ordinary disciples, Lin Bai's Bow of Love will be rendered useless."

"If we only want to neutralize his Bow of Love, there's an even simpler method," a deacon from the Medicine King Valley suggested. "Why don't we all wear identical clothing and cover our faces with black scarves? Who could Lin Bai's Bow of Love target then? Such a Divine Artifact can't possibly shoot all several thousand of our Golden Core Monks, can it?"

"Brilliant!" Ma Changcheng exclaimed.

"We could also have our disciples try to persuade the members of the Evil Five Sects to feign combat when they engage," another person suggested. "Having just suffered a setback at Lin Bai's hands, they are unlikely to be willing to die for the Justice League…"

"We could use the Sky-Descended People to feed Lin Bai false information," a cultivator from the Spirit Artifact Pavilion proposed. "Set up two different battle plans to confuse him."

In the council chamber, the cultivators chimed in one after another, gradually refining the plan, as if Lin Bai were already a turtle in a jar, completely at their mercy.

Finally, the plan took shape.

He Qin and the others let out a collective sigh of relief, the immense pressure Lin Bai had placed on them easing considerably.

Looking at the once again excited Golden Core Monks, He Qin sighed helplessly, "To think that my esteemed and righteous sect, which once vanquished all evil with a single sword strike, is now forced by Lin Bai to resort to such underhanded tactics. It's truly beneath us. Even if we win this battle, I fear the Heart of Sword of our Sword Immortals will be tarnished."

"Sect Leader He, you are mistaken," Wan Qifeng said, shaking his head. "Dealing with an unorthodox outsider like Lin Bai requires such unconventional measures. If we were to end up like Dao Xu, we would become a laughingstock."

"Pavilion Master Wan is absolutely right," Ma Changcheng said, stroking his beard. "If Sect Leader He's Sword Sect were to be absorbed by Lin Bai's Justice League, that would be a true tarnishing of the Heart of Sword."

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this plan," He Qin said with a wry smile, shaking his head. "I was just thinking, if my master, the Cangming Sword Immortal, were here, a single sword strike from him would have annihilated several Lin Bais. Why must we go through all this trouble?"

At this remark, everyone in the hall fell into Silence.

"Enough talk; it's pointless," He Qin said, realizing the shift in mood. He stood up and smiled. "The plan is set. Time is short, so let us split up and prepare. The very survival of our sects hinges on this."

…

Players would occasionally report the movements of the Morning Yuan Sword Sect to Lin Bai, so he naturally knew that people from the Medicine King Valley and the Spirit Artifact Pavilion had rushed to aid the Morning Yuan Sword Sect.

Despite this, he did not hurry. Instead, he calmly continued to complete the emotional intelligence tasks from the Great Language System and received the "You Smile When You See Me" reward.

In a real fight, if my mind isn't sharp, I probably wouldn't even have time to think of high-EQ responses. Completing the task is more important than anything.

Xin Shang, aware that people from both the Medicine King Valley and the Spirit Artifact Pavilion had gathered at the Morning Yuan Sword Sect, decisively suggested they change targets and launch surprise attacks on the two now-vulnerable sects. This would draw their forces out of the Morning Yuan Sword Sect, exhaust them, and make their alliance easier to break.

But Lin Bai rejected this proposal.

From the Players, Lin Bai had learned about the significant impact the third issue of Justice Weekly had created; his name was now widely known.

The strategy of relieving the besieged by attacking the besieger's base was indeed a good one, but he didn't have time for such back-and-forth maneuvers. The longer things dragged on, the more variables could arise. It was important to remember that the previous generation of these sects all had Divinity Transformation Realm Masters.

If Divinity Transformation Realm Masters received news and returned to reinforce them, the trouble would be even greater. Who knew what special abilities those Divinity Transformation Realm Masters possessed?

It wasn't just the Divinity Transformation Realm Masters from the Morning Yuan Sword Sect; even the masters of Xin Shang and the others, whom he had forcibly incorporated into the Justice League, were all formidable Devil's Heads of the Divinity Transformation Realm. If they learned what had happened to the sects they had founded, they would most likely not be polite to him.

Lin Bai was well aware of his own limitations.

So, time was of the utmost importance to him.

Of course, so was his reputation.

Defeating the Morning Yuan Sword Sect head-on versus defeating them through trickery would produce entirely different effects on his renown.

The Super Sect Leader System required his reputation to be formidable enough to deter riff-raff from casually provoking the Righteous Door.

The Extreme Kill-Back System only activated tasks and rewards when he was in mortal danger.

Whether for the sake of the Righteous Door or his own interests, he had to fight the hard battles, to gnaw on the tough bones.

…

"Sect Leader Xin, I know you mean well. But the purpose of the Justice League is to spread the Way of Rules. Since I cultivate the Heavenly Dao, my decisions are absolute. I said I will attack the Morning Yuan Sword Sect, and I will definitely attack the Morning Yuan Sword Sect. Otherwise, my Cultivation of Rules will stagnate. So, you don't need to persuade me anymore."

Lin Bai looked at Xin Shang, maintaining a cheerful disposition and offering an affirmative smile.

The next moment, Xin Shang, Ge Feiyun, Little White Fox, Jiang Qingqin, even the emotionless Pei Yanzong and the perpetually stern Perfected Dao Xu, along with the Players standing around Lin Bai, all broke into understanding smiles simultaneously, their moods inexplicably lifting.

You Smile When You See Me: When you are happy, those around you will be infected by your happiness.

Xin Shang didn't notice anything amiss with himself, still smiling as he said, "Alliance Hierarch, I understand. Dealing with that disorganized mob doesn't require much thought."

Understand my ass!

Your smile looks so fake!

Lin Bai cursed inwardly. Looking at the harmoniously smiling faces around him, he gained a new appreciation for the skill rewarded by the Great Language System. Although the skill itself seemed rather useless, its effect was undeniably terrifying. People really did just start smiling on command!