Niu Yuanshan, one of the nine stewards of the Daoist Outer Sect.
His cultivation is not considered high within the Daoist Sect, only at the Third Realm.
But he wields significant authority in the Outer Sect.
Just half an hour ago, he completed the newcomer recruitment task assigned by the [organization] and returned to his own residence.
He was even just in his room stroking that golden mask, reminiscing about the bits and pieces from when he was in the Moon Country.
Though he has been undercover for many years, now holding a high position with significant trust and value in the Outer Sect, none of this has corrupted him.
He has no sense of belonging to the Daoist Sect.
"Everything of mine belongs to the [organization]."
"Loyalty!"
Tonight, the reason Niu Yuanshan's mind is wandering is purely because he completed his last newcomer recruitment task.
"From now on, I just need to quietly lie low in the Daoist Sect and wait for the next instruction from the [organization]."
"After so many years of tireless work, I have infiltrated the core circle of the Outer Sect, and in the future, I will contribute greatly to the [organization]!"
Those who have been brainwashed since childhood are not afraid of death, only regretting that they cannot die gloriously, only regretting that they haven't sacrificed their lives for the [organization].
After reflecting in his heart, the image of that fox-faced young man emerged in Niu Yuanshan's mind again.
"It's been a long time since I've met such a special newcomer," he thought.
For this fox face, Niu Yuanshan's heart was not without admiration.
"The newcomers in the past few years gave me a sense that the [organization] was going to fall apart."
"Seems there are still some promising ones!"
It's a pity that he's infiltrating the Daoist Sect as a servant. Who knows when he'll have the chance to soar high?
In Niu Yuanshan's idle imaginings, this fox face... actually flew all the way here.
Outside the courtyard, when Niu Yuanshan clearly saw Huaixu's face, his heart was struck with immense shock.
"Brought in personally by Li Chunsong?"
"And not as a servant, but directly as a Registered Disciple?"
"How did he reach the connection with Li Chunsong?"
"That's Li Chunsong! Sixth Elder of the Daoist Sect, a peerless powerhouse in the Seventh Realm!"
"I've been undercover for so many years, and I'm just a familiar face to him!"
"Just this familiarity alone was worth mentioning in my report to the [organization] last year!"
A monster, this is definitely a monster!
No wonder we who crawl in the shadows are usually low-profile, while he is the complete opposite.
Niu Yuanshan still remembers how this fox face occasionally slapped Xue Hu, with such a flamboyant demeanor.
Even he felt like going down to try if it really felt that good.
"A brilliant genius has their own style of doing things," Niu Yuanshan sighed in his heart.
In his view, Li Chunsong person is incredibly arrogant.
Gaining his special attention must not be easy.
This young man achieved what others couldn't in several years right from the start!
"The [organization] indeed still produces talents in abundance!"
But there's one thing that puzzled Niu Yuanshan.
He is an experienced spy from the Moon Country, having gone undercover for so many years, very skilled at observing people's expressions.
Earlier, when he made eye contact with Chu Huaixu, he felt something was off, that fox face stared at him for a long time.
"Could it be that he knows my identity? The [organization] didn't hide it from him?" Niu Yuanshan speculated.
In fact, Chu Huaixu really knew.
"Niu Yuanshan? Why did Li Chunsong bring me to Niu Yuanshan!" he was startled in his heart.
He had an impression of this person, having seen many posts on the forum about him.
This person was an undercover sent by some organization from the Moon Country, but his identity was accidentally discovered by a few foolish players, which caused quite a stir back then.
This issue sparked a huge discussion on the forum, including some cultural reflections.
After all, the current era is facing an imminent calamity.
In this situation, is humanity only maintaining a facade of unity?
The Daoist Sect has an undercover from the Moon Country, what about other sects?
On the Moon Country's side, are there not undercover agents from the East Continent's Four Great Sects or the Mirror Country?
Later, foolish players even organized a grand action to find undercover agents, purely for the spectacle.
As a result, quite a stir was indeed created.
Since players were distributed across various forces, some camps' players benefited from it, while others suffered from this ripple effect...
And the exposure of Niu Yuanshan was the beginning of it all!
The beneficiaries called him: "Farewell, Grandpa Niu!"
The affected cursed him: "Damn Ox Demon!"
Thus, Chu Huaixu deliberately exposed a flaw just now to observe his reaction.
At this moment, with his back to Li Chunsong, he had some faint answers in his heart.
...
...
After regaining his senses, under the gaze of the Sixth Elder, the Outer Sect Steward, Niu Yuanshan, began distributing registered disciple tokens to Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang.
The tokens are both a symbol of identity and a storage magical treasure, commonly referred to by players as a "backpack".
The storage space within is roughly three cubic meters.
Inside, there are already some daily necessities, a disciple manual, and residence keys, among other things.
Niu Yuanshan isn't foolish; he knows he needs to take good care of them, so he arranged for accommodations in a prime location, and the two bamboo houses are next to each other, making them neighbors.
After completing these tasks, he looked obsequiously at Li Chunsong and asked, "Elder, should the Acupoint Opening Stage Technique be chosen now? Also, do you have any other instructions?"
He didn't mind showing this side of himself in front of the newcomers sent by the organization.
On the contrary, he felt that the humility, flattery, and bitterness he displayed at this moment were all for the organization's dedication!
He certainly can feel it, feel my years of hard work; my image in his heart will only grow greater!
Niu Yuanshan felt he might not match up to such an unconventional genius in terms of ability, so he decided to give the newcomer a lesson on a spiritual level.
Little did he know that Chu Huaixu didn't pay much attention at all, and even his words fell on deaf ears, turning into: "Aba aba... Acupoint Opening Stage Technique... Aba aba."
Is it finally here? Is my path to cultivation about to open?
At once, he stood more spirited, chest out, head high, belly in, and bottom tucked.
Li Chunsong stood there, pondering for a moment, then gestured towards Han Shuangjiang and instructed, "Give her the 'Ice Purity Formulas'."
He essentially picked it personally for Han Shuangjiang.
Chu Huaixu's heart burned: "And what about me? What about me?"
Sure enough, Li Chunsong raised his hand again pointing at him, and said, "As for him... he can pick anything."
The fox-faced one almost transformed into the expression meme of a Tibetan fox upon hearing this.
The Sixth Elder was also quite helpless.
Having seen much, and with the Daoist Sect's profound foundations, he's encountered all kinds of spiritual embryo constitutions, knowing even the best way to guide a "Profound Yin Body".
The "Ice Purity Formulas" are perfect, without a flaw.
However, for a "Pseudo Spiritual Embryo" like this kid...
——Damn, this is hard!
Never taught a failing student.
"But whatever, Acupoint Opening is just the basics. The technique's compatibility might have an impact, but overall it's not that significant," Li Chunsong thought to himself.
For someone like Han Shuangjiang with a Profound Yin Body, no matter what Acupoint Opening Stage Technique she practices, she'll speed through it; the difference is only by a few days.
"I don't understand why Uncle-Master chose a 'Pseudo Spiritual Embryo' to come up the mountain," Li Chunsong couldn't figure it out.
"Although, there are exceptions in this world where spiritual embryos are not outwardly apparent, like a pearl hidden in dust."
"Once stepping onto the path of cultivation, they will glow like a pearl."
He looked at Chu Huaixu and thought: "What if?"
At this thought, his gambling addiction flared up.
"The Sect Leader and fellow disciples are still waiting for me, I need to hurry back and gamble a few rounds with them!"
"These two kids are quite special, aren't they the best choice to bet on?"
Thinking this, Li Chunsong gave a few simple instructions and then flew away into the sky.
While flying, he rubbed his hands, leaving the three behind staring at each other.
...
...
Wumeng Mountain, Biyou Plateau.
The rain had stopped for quite some time.
Drenched all over, Xu Ziqing stood under the ancient tree, feeling time slipping by second by second.
Yet, no one appeared to escort him to the Daoist Sect.
During this time, Xu Ziqing kept comforting himself, making up various reasons in his mind.
"It's okay, there must be a reason."
"Just wait, wait a bit longer!"
Eventually, Xu Ziqing began to lose track of time.
Cold, so cold...
Standing in the rain, his shivers grew more intense, and the once rosy-lipped and snowy-toothed young man's lips had turned pale.
Xu Ziqing's mind flashed back to the face of the ordinary-looking, yet somewhat rogue storyteller.
At first, he thought such a temperament clearly belonged to a worldly cultivation expert.
But now, the more he thought about it, the less it made sense.
If he was indeed indulging in the world, then, could I be the one being played?
In the Biyou Plateau at the foot of Wumeng Mountain, the anxious boy's roars began to echo:
"You lied to me."
"You lied to me!"
"You lied to me!!"
"Ah!!!!"
...