The same scene was also playing out in the Poison Sect, Blood Sect, and Valley of Thousand Souls.
The tycoons who recently joined the game had learned valuable lessons from the failure of the Deer Mountain Group. From the moment they started playing, they spent a fortune, going all out to manipulate the major global trends for their own advantage.
The Poison Sect and the Blood Sect united and stationed themselves outside Yimucheng.
The forces of the Valley of Thousand Souls and Sky Demon Mountain were too conspicuous, filled with eerie spirits and dense yin energy, making it unsuitable for them to stay in towns. The two groups joined forces and settled down in the wilderness eight thousand li away from Zhen City.
Beast Control Sect paused in Fiore City.
Even though the Men from Heaven suggested that genetic technology might be able to decrypt the secrets of transformation, the Sect still gave Elder Qiu an irrevocable order to obtain the Shape-altering Pill Formula.
After all, the Men from Heaven were just making empty promises; the transformation pills from the Righteous Door were tangible objects, ready to be used.
Beast Control Sect could still tell which was more important.
And so, the challenging problem landed on Elder Qiu's shoulders.
But Elder Qiu did not know how to confront Lin Bai, and he could not retreat either, as the sect was pressing him from behind. To make matters worse, he was unable to find any allies on this matter.
Overnight, Elder Qiu's hair had turned white from stress.
[The Art of Debate... Debunk your opponents' views with reason and evidence within 24 hours... (Completed); Reward: Sophistry (Your words will trigger rich associations in others)]
[When Truth becomes lie and lies become Truth, the muddled truths of life are difficult to distinguish. Use language to sow confusion among opponents who are a level higher than you (Quantity: 10 people); Reward: Illusion Domain (When you stay still, within a radius of 100 meters, you can create realistic illusions that last for three minutes)]
Thanks to Monk Wu Wang's deliberately poor performance.
「The next day.」
Lin Bai, who had been conducting a day and night educational course above Zhen City, was notified by the System that his task was completed.
"Alliance Hierarch Lin, I believe that roosters have three legs..." Lin Bai stopped, and Monk Wu Wang reflexively continued the question.
People at Great Cheng can stay awake indefinitely, but accompanying Lin Bai's Spoken Law Follows cultivation process was like taming a hawk by forcing it to stay awake—incessantly churning out a variety of strange questions, with no repetitions. Even Monk Wu Wang was starting to show signs of fatigue at this point.
If not for the formidable power of love that had just awakened within him, he might have fled in disarray long ago.
At this moment, Monk Wu Wang had already been completely won over by Lin Bai.
A day and a night of debate! Even though he had held back later, Lin Bai still came up with various reasonable explanations that thoroughly convinced him.
Throughout the day and night, Lin Bai explained the principles behind the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, elaborated on the mysteries of plant growth, described the principles of aesthetics, and even mentioned the birth of the universe.
The mysterious veil of the world was slowly unveiled before Monk Wu Wang.
Lin Bai used a knowledge system entirely different from that of the Cultivation World to explain the operation of all things from another perspective, opening up a new window for Monk Wu Wang, so much so that Monk Wu Wang felt his understanding of Buddhist principles had advanced.
At a certain moment, he even had the thought of taking Lin Bai as his master.
He felt that if he continued to study deeply, he could easily step into Great Cheng one day, and perhaps even attain the legendary living Buddha status mentioned in the Buddha Spirit Sect.
But seeing Zhou Zhu sitting in the middle of the Milky Way, Monk Wu Wang ultimately gave up this attractive idea.
To him, worldly love was more enviable than immortal life. He had wasted hundreds of years with Zhou Zhu. Now it was time to enjoy real love. Cultivation and the like could go to hell!
Monk Wu Wang had long given up on Spoken Law Follows.
"Alliance Hierarch, please proceed... um... am I correct?" Monk Wu Wang suddenly faltered, looking at Lin Bai in astonishment, and asked tremulously, "Alliance Hierarch, have you mastered Spoken Law Follows?"
"I haven't mastered Spoken Law Follows, but luckily, I've managed to overcome another obstacle," Lin Bai said with a genuine, relaxed smile.
After all, while dealing with Monk Wu Wang, I had to divert some attention to the outside world. I feared another Mahayana Realm practitioner might cause chaos. Luckily, I landed smoothly; most likely Qi Yun protected me silently.
"Congratulations, Master." Xu Longyun, who had been waiting by the side, smiled and blinked at Lin Bai. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as they met Lin Bai's.
After a day and a night of debate, she was utterly impressed with Lin Bai.
No matter what Lin Bai said about not being the author of the Heavenly Remnant Collection, Xu Longyun would not believe it. She had decided to ask Lin Bai to complete the Heavenly Remnant Collection. Even if it wasn't circulated, it would be nice to study it herself for her own enjoyment.
"Congratulations, Alliance Hierarch." He Qin and the others also surrounded Lin Bai with smiling faces and congratulated him in unison. During the debate between the two, everyone had stopped fearing Great Cheng and flocked to Lin Bai's side.
The Little White Fox, who couldn't fly, was being held by Hu He. Seeing that Lin Bai no longer needed to practice Spoken Law Follows, she jumped out of Hu He's arms into Lin Bai's embrace. Her little head snuggled in his arms as she said coquettishly, "Master, can you take me with you in whatever battles you face in the future? I don't want to be separated from you ever again."
"Okay, I'll take you with me." Lin Bai gently stroked the Little White Fox's head soothingly. Having completed the mission, his mood was exceptionally good.
At this time, the Emotion Tree was laden with strings of admiration.
Temperament Fruits sprouted one by one from the tree, their growth momentum rivaling that of the Spirit Fruits.
The public debate had massively boosted people's impressions of him. Lin Bai's image among the civilian population became more distinct. Regardless of the era, people hold a deep respect for erudite individuals.
This debate was tantamount to Lin Bai preaching a sermon.
The citizens of Zhen City learned a lot of previously unknown knowledge, free of charge. Although it might not all be practically applicable, it was certainly enough for them to show off.
"Alliance Hierarch Lin, have I passed the test?" Monk Wu Wang coughed softly, his voice overshadowing all the congratulations and clearly reaching Lin Bai's ears.
"Naturally," Lin Bai nodded. Without waiting for Monk Wu Wang to say more, he waved his hand and dispelled the Milky Way surrounding Zhou Zhu.
With the disappearance of the Milky Way, an already impatient Zhou Zhu flashed in front of Monk Wu Wang and looked at him earnestly, slightly flustered, "Wu Wang, I..."
"No need to say more, I understand everything." Monk Wu Wang smiled, "Zhou Lang, let bygones be bygones. Now that you know my feelings, let's start all over again."
"Okay, let's start over." Zhou Zhu looked at Monk Wu Wang, his voice slightly choked.
Looking at the two affectionate old men, Lin Bai felt more awkward than ever. What a disaster! Why did they have to provoke me? They're ruining my reputation as a matchmaker. Fortunately, they were quite restrained and didn't hug in public. Otherwise, I might have vomited on the spot.
"Monk, Master Zhou, what are your plans?" Lin Bai forcefully interrupted their tender moment. "Given your current status, I'm afraid neither the Heavenly Dao Sect nor the Buddha Spirit Sect will welcome you. Have you considered joining the Justice League as guest elders? In our spare time, we could discuss the Way of Love."
"Not interested." Zhou Zhu coldly glanced past the Taoists from Return to Dragon View and Wind Spirit Observatory standing behind Lin Bai and snorted, "Lin Bai, I learned all my skills from the Heavenly Dao Sect. Just because the Heavenly Dao Sect rejects me doesn't mean I would betray them. Now that your Milky Way restrains Wu Wang and me, we can't do anything to you, but we won't join the Justice League because of it. After we part today, we will remain enemies when we meet again."
"I will follow whatever Zhou Lang decides." Perhaps it was a case of 'no conflict, no acquaintance,' as Monk Wu Wang now harbored less animosity towards Lin Bai. He looked at Zhou Zhu and said, "Alliance Hierarch Lin, while others may aspire to the Way of Love, Zhou Lang and I do not. Our relationship has been troubled for a hundred years. Now that we have finally cleared up our misunderstandings, being together surpasses everything else in the world."
"In that case, I won't insist on keeping you." Lin Bai smiled, clasped his fists to the two, and said, "As the saying goes, 'When love is deep, one is naturally intoxicated; when love is passionate, the heart has no regrets.' Monk, though you have no intention of pursuing the Way of Love, your current state of mind aligns well with its fundamental principles. It's possible that even if you don't cultivate it, the Divine Skills of the Way of Love will naturally find you."
As he said this, he inadvertently used his new skill, Sophistry.
Monk Wu Wang and Zhou Zhu both paused for a moment, exchanging a look, their expressions tinged with excitement.
Swallowing gently, Poor Monk bowed to Lin Bai and chuckled, "In that case, we shall accept Alliance Hierarch Lin's auspicious words. If one day we truly cultivate the Way of Love, we will certainly seek out Alliance Hierarch Lin for another discussion."
"Joy from Wu Wang, Zhou Zhu; +1 +1 +1..."
After using Sophistry, Lin Bai had been observing their expressions. From their slightly unusual behavior and the sudden change in their emotional feedback, Lin Bai knew that Sophistry had indeed affected them.
But he didn't know exactly what effect it had. This Enlightenment Skill isn't as powerful as I imagined! Lin Bai complained privately.
He had no idea what they had associated with his words.
Joyful emotions are good feedback. But if they associated it with something negative and suddenly attacked, I would be the unlucky one.
Thinking of this, Lin Bai's joy at obtaining a new skill instantly diminished. Is this skill more trouble than it's worth?
At least it isn't a skill like "Laugh when I see you." I can control it. Otherwise, if every sentence I uttered triggered their associations, I probably wouldn't be able to get anything done.
Sighing inwardly, Lin Bai returned the bow impassively, "That is what I hoped for, though I wouldn't have dared to ask. If that day truly comes, I'm afraid the Milky Way will not be able to contain such a blessed couple as yourselves."
"Haha!" Poor Monk laughed heartily, looking at Zhou Zhu. "Zhou Lang, let's go."
"Let's go." Zhou Zhu smiled faintly, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Poor Monk. Their hands naturally intertwined, and with a few leaps, they vanished from everyone's sight.
"Alliance Hierarch, why didn't you keep them?" Xin Shang asked, his expression somewhat gloomy. "When you said they might cultivate the Way of Love, I felt a sudden stirring, like an epiphany, as if they really could comprehend the Way of Love. Letting them leave like this might be detrimental to us."
Jiang Qingqin said, "Sect Leader He, did you feel that too? I had the same thought, though fleeting. It was as if they could genuinely cultivate the Way of Love!"
"I also felt it," Xu Longyun said, her face looking grim.
"Me too."
"The same here."
...
Everyone chimed in with similar sentiments.
Lin Bai was stunned. Damn, so the Enlightenment Skill affects everyone who heard me speak? This is seriously bugged!
Regaining his composure, Lin Bai looked around at everyone. "Don't panic. The laws are fair; anyone can cultivate and comprehend them, regardless of whether they are our friends or enemies. That feeling merely suggests they have a chance, but who will ultimately succeed is impossible to say..."
"Even having a chance is far better than us. Alliance Hierarch, you should have kept them," He Qin said.
"How would we keep them?" Lin Bai glanced at him. "They are two Great Cheng practitioners. Who in the Justice League can restrain them? You don't actually believe they are both sincerely impressed with me, do you? Things aren't as simple as you think. To win their loyalty, they need to experience enough setbacks out in the world. When they realize the outside world won't tolerate them, they'll naturally remember the benefits of the League. We'll have Justice Weekly handle their love story well later on."
"The Alliance Hierarch is wise." He Qin smiled sheepishly, feeling he was still too naive. Lin Bai dared to let them go; he must have already made plans.
"Inform everyone to disperse. I don't think anyone will come looking for trouble with me for a while," Lin Bai said with a smile. "You all head back to the city first and give me a detailed account of everything that has happened outside these past two days."