Sword-fighting Field.

The atmosphere was somewhat tense.

A group of players glared daggers at Lin Bai. They began planning in private chats not to make the first move, wanting to see what Lin Bai would do.

Lin Bai was unhurried. He quietly watched them all, then turned to the little fox and said, "Xiao Bai, start the timer."

"Yes, Master," Little White Fox responded crisply. At that moment, her mood finally eased considerably. Indeed, Master was the most formidable.

Time ticked by.

Seeing Lin Bai's expression grow increasingly cold, Silver reluctantly activated the team voice chat: "Brothers, let's fight! Maybe we'll discover new opportunities in the mines! Even if there aren't any, Medicine King Valley has merged with the Justice League, so there will be plenty of Pill Medicine to enhance our cultivation. Even if we have to delete our accounts and start over, it will be easier than our current situation. If we don't give Lin Bai some face, we'll all suffer."

He ultimately couldn't resist giving the players this advice.

"Old Bai, you'd better not go back on your word later; we all have this recorded!" one of the players said.

"Don't worry, we're a team. We won't abandon anyone," Silver replied.

"What about compensation for deleting accounts?" another player asked.

"..." Silver hesitated for a moment. "There will be."

"How much?" the previous player pressed.

"Financials are not under my purview." Seeing these aggressive players, Silver suddenly regretted stepping forward. Indeed, this group had no sense of collective spirit; they deserved to be punished. He scoffed, then said coldly, "The only promise I can make is the one I just stated. The specific compensation needs to be discussed by everyone. I just want to make one thing clear: if you don't act now and Lin Bai expels all of you from the Beggar Gang, there will be no compensation whatsoever..."

Naturally, Lin Bai heard the players' conversation. He glanced at Silver but said nothing.

Some things were inevitable.

In games, high-level accounts boosting low-level ones was the most common practice. But what truly made players feel the pain were System skills...

However, with Medicine King Valley in his hands, controlling Pill Medicine and Dan Fangs was enough to make these players suffer significantly.

After receiving Silver's promise, the players no longer bothered to resist.

After all, half of them had a chance to retain their current levels and status.

This was enough for them to fight for.

If there was even the slightest possibility, no one wanted to delete their account and start over.

It's just real-life PK, isn't it? It's not like we haven't done it before! We haven't had a proper PK since entering the game! So, let's do it!

The moment Dragon Breath slapped a nearby player, the chaotic battle instantly erupted.

"DAMN YOU! A sneak attack! Have you no martial virtue?"

"The Azure Dragon Squad is teaming up! Let's take down the high-level players first, or we won't stand a chance!"

"Old Meng, the Constitution Building Elixir! Give your brother one, damn it, I'm almost dead!"

"Screw this, making me go mining! I'm deleting my account as soon as I get compensation!"

"Who the hell shot me with an Arrow of Rejuvenation?"

"Lin Bai is my lifelong nemesis! One day, I'll tear him limb from limb!"

Dragon-skill aftershocks flew about chaotically.

Poisonous Rejuvenating Pills and Arrows of Rejuvenation whizzed back and forth, mixed with a cacophony of curses.

The Martial Arts Field descended into utter chaos.

Before long, the players forgot their grievances and became completely engrossed in the fight.

Players constantly fell, returning to the resurrection point, waiting dejectedly to be sent to the mines. Some simply logged out to contact Lonely Old Man to discuss compensation.

With high-level players to carry them, deleting their accounts became less daunting, but the promised compensation was a must. Silver might not have the authority, but Lonely Old Man certainly did...

The chaotic scene made Silver sigh. He shook his head. "Old Gu is right; this bunch is too greedy. Moreover, they showed no coordination; they were just a disorganized mob. If taken out for PK, they'd be no match for those players backed by large consortiums."

"Old Bai, you were too impulsive just now," Dumbelldore said.

"What else could I have done? Let the stalemate continue until Lin Bai kicked everyone out?" Silver retorted angrily. "We're high-ranking members of the Beggar Gang; we should at least salvage some of our reputation!"

"Don't listen to him, Old Bai. You did the right thing; appeasing Lin Bai is paramount," I'm Not an Alt Account said, watching the farce unfold before him. "Old Gu is also right; the priority is to gradually reduce our reliance on Lin Bai."

Bitter Melon Vine lamented, "It's a shame we didn't contact the advertising sponsors. This first major player brawl was a missed opportunity to make money. Such a waste."

The other players were speechless.

This was killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. The warning wasn't just for the players, but also for the locals present.

Watching the players slaughter each other in the Sword-fighting Field, Ma Changcheng from Medicine King Valley judiciously presented Lin Bai with war reparations.

These players didn't even possess Golden Cores. Their melee, full of flashy but impractical moves, was nothing in the eyes of these Nascent Soul experts.

It was like watching chicks pecking each other; it couldn't pique their interest at all. They might as well use the time to attend to serious matters.

Truth be told, if not for their amusing private chats during the fight, Lin Bai wouldn't have bothered watching them.

When Ma Changcheng delivered the Dan Fangs, Lin Bai's attention shifted to his system missions.

Flipping through the Dan Fangs, the long-stagnant missions from the God Doctor System suddenly progressed:

[You have obtained the Fog Poison Pill Recipe; Reward: God Wood King Tripod (Granted)]

[You have obtained the Detoxification Pill Recipe; Reward: Eye of Breaking Miasma (Granted)]

[You have obtained the Heart Cleansing Pill Recipe; Reward: Appraisal Pill Technique (Granted)]

[You have obtained the Qi and Blood Elixir Recipe; Reward: Intercept Pulse Technique (Granted)]

[You have obtained the Lifespan Extension Pill Recipe; Reward: Eight Diagrams Alchemy Furnace (This furnace improves elixir quality by ten percent and can be retrieved at any time)]

[You have obtained the Increase Gas Pill Recipe; Reward: Yin Yang Fan (This fan improves flame control technique by ten percent and can be retrieved at any time)]

[Your Way of Alchemy has achieved some success. You should benefit the world. Use your Pill Medicine to save lives and earn the title of Famous Doctor within a nation. Reward: Palm Flame]

After a series of task completion prompts, the God Doctor System rewarded Lin Bai with a pile of what he considered junk.

From an Alchemist's perspective, items like the God Wood King Tripod, Eight Diagrams Furnace, and Yin Yang Fan were undoubtedly top-tier. But Lin Bai was more passionate about conquering the world and expanding his power; he had little interest in Alchemy. Besides, Medicine King Valley had readily available Blood Return Orders and Spirit Revitalizing Pills, making him even less inclined to refine Pill Medicine himself. Perhaps in the future, when his God Doctor System matured, he might refine some High-level Elixirs. But for now, it was completely unnecessary. After all, this world's civilization had developed for tens of thousands of years; Pill Medicine was already quite mature and ready to use. Lin Bai persisted with the quests solely for the System rewards. The System offered a vast array of rewards, and one never knew when a particular one might prove useful. Having many skills is never a burden. Moreover, to get later rewards, Lin Bai had to complete quests sequentially. Fortunately, his Justice League was already substantial, allowing many System quests to be completed along the way. The rewards seemed to be obtained effortlessly. Not that they were entirely free, of course. After all, he had laid the groundwork, so it was natural for reaping rewards to be easier.

After completing a string of God Doctor System quests, he calculated that only the Appraisal Pill Technique and the Eye of Breaking Miasma were truly useful.

The Appraisal Pill Technique would ensure he never used counterfeit Pill Medicine.

And the Eye of Breaking Miasma allowed him to easily identify the properties of any poisonous gas in the air.

This feature was extremely practical; at least it saved his nose, preventing disfigurement on the battlefield. Medicine King Valley, much like Hundred Flower Valley, wasn't skilled in direct combat, relying entirely on Pill Medicine. Poison Pills were their primary combat method. In battles between Cultivators, one couldn't simply run up and feed Poison Pills to an opponent. They were usually thrown or used in ambushes, causing the Poison Pills to rupture and release a toxic mist to harm enemies. The composition of these toxic mists was complex: some entered the body through respiration, others through skin absorption; some were colored, while others were entirely invisible and colorless... They were incredibly difficult to defend against. It was just that Medicine King Valley hadn't had a chance to fully unleash its might before Lin Bai swiftly dealt with them. Had they been able to deploy their tactics, even the then-inexperienced Lin Bai would have struggled to cope. Now, with the Eye of Breaking Miasma, poisonous mists held no secrets for him. In the future, carrying some Detoxification Pills, unless he encountered an uncounterable poison, ordinary poisonous fogs would no longer pose a threat to him. As for a Universal Detoxification Pill? Medicine King Valley didn't have one of those either! They did possess a Cultivation Technique for achieving a body immune to all poisons, but Lin Bai wasn't a player; relying on his own cultivation was far less efficient than grinding System quests!

But even shearing wool had its limits. After he reviewed a few Dan Fangs, the God Doctor System stopped him from further research and advanced him to the Fame stage, aligning with the progress of his other System quests. This wasn't urgent, as the Fame quests could be integrated and completed concurrently with others.

The players quickly sorted out winners and losers.

The victors, naturally, were jubilant.

Apart from a few interested in mining, most losers simply logged off, unwilling to even show their faces.

[Big Brother's enterprise is in crisis. The Beggar Gang is wavering, its members uncertain about the future. Please assist Big Brother in restoring their confidence. Reward: Qi Yun 50]

Lin Bai was about to offer some encouragement to the victors when, before he could speak, the Beggar Gang—which had consistently provided him with Luck Value—suddenly triggered a new crisis notification.

CRAP! Lin Bai's expression darkened. He had really shot himself in the foot this time! He didn't know how much Luck Value had contributed to his current position; therefore, Big Brother's enterprise had to remain stable. But to make him eat his own words? Absolutely impossible! When a company grows complacent and lacks initiative, what's to be done? Naturally, one creates a competitor to spur them on...

Thus, Lin Bai's gaze fell upon the players spectating around the Sword-fighting Field. These were all players who had joined the Morning Yuan Sword Sect during the previous recruitment drive.

"Don't think this is over just because you're standing there. It is my overindulgence towards you that has led to today's mistakes. Competition drives progress. I intend to establish a Justice League Army, separate from the Beggar Gang. Its members will be selected from the disciples of the original sects, guided by their respective Sect Leaders, to assist the Beggar Gang with Justice League affairs and promotions." Lin Bai swept his gaze over the crowd and said calmly, "Henceforth, the Beggar Gang and the Justice League Army will supervise each other and progress together. Whichever side performs better will receive more resources from the Righteous Door. I trust you will all take this seriously..."

"DAMN IT!"

Silver and the others' faces changed instantly. They exchanged glances, finally realizing the true gravity of the situation.

Lin Bai was establishing this so-called Alliance Army, ostensibly to assist them, but it was clearly designed to compete directly with the Beggar Gang!

Silver and the others didn't know that the Beggar Gang was linked to Lin Bai's Qi Yun missions. Seeing the newly formed Alliance Army, they cursed their misfortune inwardly. If they couldn't regain Lin Bai's trust, the Beggar Gang would likely be truly marginalized.

Previously, players who joined various sects had hoped to escape Lin Bai's control and experience the game's pleasures from a different angle. However, before they could even learn the ropes, Lin Bai had led the Beggar Gang to effortlessly crush their home sects. This left those players deeply apprehensive about their future.

Although many among them were Beggar Gang undercover agents, and they had profited considerably from joining the Beggar Gang's Advertisement Alliance, they were not core members. Now that they were being integrated, they were worried about what the future held.

The Beggar Gang's recent blunder, however, turned into an unexpected boon for them.

It was a windfall!

Players like Wild Wolf, First Sword Immortal, Man with Golden Tongue, and Pill Saint suddenly found themselves on equal footing with Lonely Old Man. They were ecstatic, each one vying to demonstrate their loyalty to Lin Bai...

Everyone knew that following Lin Bai meant wealth! They could do everything the Beggar Gang did. If they could just leverage superior operational skills to oust the Beggar Gang, they would become the new darlings of the Immortal World!

True to the saying, "a new broom sweeps clean," after pledging their loyalty, Wild Wolf and his cohort immediately began reorganizing players, establishing new advertising, media, and combat departments...

Not to be outdone, the Beggar Gang members also felt the pressure. Lonely Old Man, seeing his "golden rice bowl" threatened and no longer caring whether Lin Bai might harm the players, logged in immediately. He personally began coordinating with Beggar Gang members to manage the various tasks Lin Bai had previously assigned.

The fourth issue of Justice Weekly was rushed into production, with everyone working overtime.

Vast sums of money were poured out, and players stationed in the four foundational cities initiated a new wave of commercial development. Foundational businesses like the Justice League Pill Refinery, Tool Refining Workshop, and restaurants all began preparations and construction simultaneously.

No matter what, the Beggar Gang's core operations could not be abandoned. He had to capitalize on the Justice League Army's nascent stage—lacking funds and advertising channels—to win back the favor the Beggar Gang had lost with Lin Bai.

[The Beggar Gang is united once more, its members' morale restored. Big Brother's enterprise crisis has been resolved. Reward: Qi Yun (50)]

[The Beggar Gang's reputation is to be further expanded, granting it the capability for high-level combat. Reward: Qi Yun (50)]

That night, two notifications sounded in his mind, and Lin Bai breathed a sigh of relief. Big Brother's enterprise was back on the right track.

Indeed, fostering competition among the players was the correct move. By splitting them into two factions, as long as their conflicting interests and underhanded schemes kept them occupied with each other, they likely wouldn't unite to cause trouble for the foreseeable future.