Chapter 332: Dream Reality 332
Ascend to Immortality!
The Players’ private messages reminded Lin Bai. He had only been focused on figuring out how to pass the Tribulation and hadn’t considered this issue.
Is the Fairy World a new Map? But this world isn’t unified yet! And who knows what the Fairy World is like? I finally managed to become the number one person in the world, and I haven’t even had a chance to enjoy life. Am I supposed to start over and struggle anew in the Fairy World? I definitely don’t want to ascend! My strength comes from Cards. At worst, I’ll just put away my Transcendence Tribulation Stage Card. I can still throw my weight around and rule supreme in this world... If I’m going to ascend, it should be when I want to. As for facing another Heavenly Tribulation... after experiencing tens of thousands of people undergoing this Tribulation, would I be afraid of a minor, personal Heavenly Tribulation again?
...
After a unanimous discussion among the consortium, Lin Bai was suddenly no longer considered an enemy threatening them.
The Players’ attitude towards Lin Bai shifted once more; they began to consider how to extract any remaining value from him.
Having received a task from the consortium, Madness Without Battle approached Lin Bai and said, "Master, the Righteous Seven Sects and Demon Five Sects are making a lot of noise outside, suppressing the Justice League everywhere and forcing the descended people to leave the alliance. Should we intimidate them a little to help Uncle Four White?"
Although they hadn’t said it aloud, Lin Bai saw through their intentions at a glance. "Did Lin Si Bai ask you to find me?"
"Um, Uncle Four White is indeed in a difficult situation," Madness Without Battle replied.
POP!
A Ruler appeared out of nowhere in Lin Bai’s hand.
The very next moment, Madness Without Battle extended his left hand, and the Ruler struck his palm hard.
AARGH!
A piercing, inhuman scream erupted. Madness Without Battle jumped three feet high, clutching his left hand and trembling uncontrollably. His face contorted as he stared at the Ruler in Lin Bai’s hand, his eyes filled with terror.
"What happened?" Hold Nothing Back in Happiness quickly sent a private message to Madness Without Battle.
"Damn, it hurts!" Madness Without Battle replied. "When Lin Bai hits people with his Ruler, it really hurts! It’s a pain that seeps into the marrow; it’s unbearable."
"Are you joking?" Rational Cat said. "We’re Players; we don’t even frown when we’re cleaved in half. How could there be physical pain?"
"Do I look like I have nothing better to do than joke with you?" Madness Without Battle, eyes brimming with tears, glared angrily at Rational Cat. "Why don’t you let him hit you and see? There’s definitely something wrong with that damned Ruler! No, there’s something wrong with this game! I’m going to complain to the game company..."
"Really?" Hold Nothing Back in Happiness still couldn’t believe it.
...
Lin Bai heard their private chat and couldn’t help but snort. I’ve already performed Body Snatching into the real world, so what’s impossible? However, he couldn’t reveal these secrets to the Players. The act still had to be maintained!
"Do you realize your mistake?" Lin Bai asked Madness Without Battle, his face emotionless.
"What the hell did I do wrong?" Madness Without Battle retorted reflexively.
POP!
The Ruler fell again.
Before the incredulous eyes of Hold Nothing Back in Happiness and the others, Madness Without Battle shot up, presented his left hand to Lin Bai, and was forcibly struck by the Ruler again.
Another scream, even more intense than before.
A chill ran down the spines of Hold Nothing Back in Happiness and the others as they listened. When they watched Lin Bai punish others, they merely found it amusing. But when the punishment fell upon themselves, that sense of fun and amusement vanished instantly. The fact that Lin Bai’s Ruler could actually inflict pain made it all the more terrifying...
"Fuck!" Madness Without Battle, his eyes red with pain, cursed. Unable to bear the agony, the moment he broke free from the Ruler’s control, he immediately chose to log out, disappearing from Lin Bai’s sight.
On Hold Nothing Back in Happiness’s livestream, the bullet screen comments from the consortium’s top executives suddenly surged:
"What’s going on?"
"Can the Ruler actually hurt Players?"
"Contact Madness Without Battle and ask him what happened. If he plans to complain on the forums, shut him down first. This situation is unusual..."
"It bypasses the server and directly harms the Player’s real body! If this is confirmed, our safety can’t be guaranteed. The possibility of this being a real world is over one hundred percent! Our original cultivation methods are ineffective against Players, and Lin Bai’s Way of Law targets the Players themselves."
"From cultivation to the Way of Law, it’s like an antivirus program upgrading itself!"
"Previously, the romance between Lao Mi and the City Lord already showed signs. Now, Lin Bai’s Ruler can hurt Players. The Soul Split Body Snatching might also be Lin Bai’s experiment to counter Players. The truly terrifying event will be when Lin Bai’s Way of Law can kill people in reality through their in-game bodies."
"Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?"
"We must prepare for this. Assuming these are two real worlds and we can invade through the game company, then it’s normal for this world to retaliate. Caution is never a mistake."
"Happiness, ask Lin Bai why he suddenly attacked. Try to get him to hit you with the Ruler."
...
"Get him to hit me with the Ruler?" Hold Nothing Back in Happiness asked incredulously. "Didn’t you see Madness Without Battle was beaten offline by him? It must be incredibly painful..."
"Understanding the Ruler’s power is very important to us," a bullet screen comment from Like the Midday Sun flashed past.
"You’ll have to pay extra," Hold Nothing Back in Happiness said after a moment of silence. "Getting hit by that Ruler must be extremely painful. I can’t take that hit for free."
"Thirty thousand. Describe truthfully what it feels like to be hit by the Ruler," Like the Midday Sun stated.
「Meanwhile.」
Rational Cat and Action Over Words both received the same task. Since it was an experiment, a diversity of samples was required.
For the money, the three Players reluctantly accepted the bizarre mission of provoking Lin Bai to get hit by the Ruler.
...
Lin Bai couldn’t see their bullet screen comments, but he could hear their private chats and their strange requests. He looked at them with a somewhat peculiar gaze.
"Master, why did you suddenly hit Junior Brother Madness Without Battle?" Hold Nothing Back in Happiness asked.
"He deceived me," Lin Bai replied.
"Disciple doesn’t understand," Hold Nothing Back in Happiness said.
"I was fully aware that your Uncle Four White would face difficulties from the Righteous Seven Sects and Demon Five Sects once he came out of seclusion," Lin Bai explained. "However, it’s only been a few days, and your Uncle Four White hasn’t even met with anyone from the Righteous Seven Sects or Demon Five Sects. He would absolutely not ask me for help. After all, Uncle Four White has mastered the Way of Law. Even if his methods are inferior to mine, it wouldn’t be easy for the Righteous Seven Sects and Demon Five Sects to cause him trouble. Yet, Madness Without Battle asked me to help Uncle Four White. Who instigated him? Who is he really trying to help?"
Lin Bai continued, "He enjoys the benefits of being my disciple, yet he betrays my trust and schemes against me. With such poor moral character, who else should I strike if not him?"
"..." Hold Nothing Back in Happiness was speechless, messaging privately, He’s already failed at Body Snatching, yet he’s still so confident!
"Deceiving your Master is one thing," Lin Bai swept his gaze over them and lectured, "Secondly, I can currently only contact the outside world through you few. If you feed me false information, leading me to make mistakes, it will be too late for regrets. There’s a saying: ’a filial son is produced under the rod.’ If I don’t correct your moral conduct, I will ultimately be the one to suffer. I only struck his palm twice, and that rascal wailed and cursed me, his Master. That was still letting him off lightly. When he returns, he’ll undoubtedly face several more strikes from the Ruler."
"Damn!" Rational Cat cursed in a private message. "Lin Bai is too cunning! He’s just making an example of one to warn others, afraid we’ll pass him false information."
"It’s not like you just found out today that Lin Bai is cunning," Hold Nothing Back in Happiness sighed and said. "If he didn’t have such a mind, how could he play the whole world in the palm of his hand? Now that he knows the Ruler is effective, he might become even more severe in the future."
...
"You lot, don’t learn from him," Lin Bai teased them, as there was nothing better to do. "Disciples of the Righteous Door prioritize moral character above all, and respecting the Master comes first in moral conduct. Deng Libuduo is a lesson to learn from. Things are fine for now, but if you do something to wrong me, your Master, in the future, even if you’ve enjoyed immense benefits from me, I, your Master, will reclaim everything with interest."
With just a few words, Lin Bai had blocked all their paths. Hold Nothing Back in Happiness privately messaged his companions: "He’s laid it out so clearly. If we provoke him again, will he really get angry enough to expel us from the sect?"
"Probably not," Rational Cat replied. "The Holy Extreme Sect only has us few. Without us, he’d lose his source of external intelligence. At most, he’ll hit our palms once or twice; he won’t expel us. From Lin Bai’s perspective, he actually needs us more."
"Master, I wish to experience what the Ruler feels like, so I can take it as a lesson," Action Over Words glanced at the other two, then bowed respectfully to Lin Bai and said.
"..." The other two were stunned. This guy is also quite cunning. It’s supposed to be a three-person show; couldn’t he have included us?
"Junior Brother Madness Without Battle erred, and we share responsibility. Please punish us as well, Master," Hold Nothing Back in Happiness shot Rational Cat a look, and the two of them obediently extended their left hands, saying in unison.
[System Notification: Hold Nothing Back in Happiness, Rational Cat, Action Over Words’ Virtue Value increased. Spiritual Power Feedback Value increased by five percent.]
Lin Bai looked at the three palms stretched out before him and was momentarily stunned. This actually yields a reward? Damn, this System really only judges by appearances!
"To have such disciples, my heart is greatly comforted," Lin Bai laughed heartily. "I hope you will remember today’s display of brotherly love and respect for your Master. This is true moral character! Good, good, good. As your Master, I shall reward each of you with one strike of the Ruler, to fulfill your bond of brotherhood."
"Thank you, Master!" the three of them said in unison, overjoyed.
Before their voices had even faded, three screams blended into one continuous wail. Their expressions were identical to Madness Without Battle’s. They weren’t individuals with strong willpower like Ye Song or Qing Yun; they were just ordinary people working nine-to-five jobs who occasionally played games. How could they possibly endure such bone-deep agony when it struck so suddenly?
They wished they could chop off their hands! They would rather die than endure a second strike like that.
At this moment, they all understood why Madness Without Battle had cursed Lin Bai and logged off so quickly. Enduring two such blows was truly beyond human tolerance. Thirty thousand was a rip-off for this!
The thought that as Lin Bai’s disciples, they could be struck by such a Ruler at any time without being able to resist, made the three Players reluctant to even log into the game anymore...
Far Vision Eagle’s concerns were correct: Lin Bai’s Way of Law must absolutely not be allowed to spread. That would be the apocalypse for Players!
"Would you like to experience it again?" Lin Bai asked kindly.
"No, thanks!" The three of them backed away in terror, waving their hands frantically, not even bothering to look at the bullet screen comments anymore.
"You have now experienced the pain of the Ruler. From now on, when you speak to me, your Master, you will think thrice before you act. Understood?" Lin Bai asked.
"As you command, Master," the three groaned inwardly. In the future, they would really have to think thrice before following the consortium’s orders. Lin Bai was too suspicious and would hit them with the board at the slightest provocation. Who could endure that?
...
"Facts have proven that Lin Bai’s Ruler can indeed inflict unbearable pain on Players. I’ve suppressed this news. Without my permission, no one is to spread it, to avoid causing panic." Far Vision Eagle urgently convened a meeting to inform the top executives of the situation. "From this, we can deduce that this is definitely not a game; it’s a real world. We must accelerate our progress in the game. Only by grasping power can we respond to all potential crises."
"If Lin Bai’s Way of Law can threaten our lives, shouldn’t we quit the game and reconsider our long-term strategy?" Agile Leopard asked.
"Opportunity often arrives hand-in-hand with danger. The game company is likely an Advanced Civilization. This could be a golden opportunity for the Group to soar," Far Vision Eagle said. "After all, with such powerful technology, whether it’s invading our world or annihilating it, it would be as easy as flipping a hand for them. So why bother creating such a game? I speculate this might be a test from an Advanced Civilization for our civilization—the kind where passing the test earns a prize, and failing means being abandoned."
"Eternal life, higher-Level technology—either one is enough to drive the world mad!" Tiger that Controls the Mountain exclaimed. "Indeed, Advanced Civilizations can do as they please."
"It can’t be helped; we are the ones who are behind," Far Vision Eagle said with a wry smile. "This is the price of growth. I don’t know what lies at the end of this road, but I hope everyone here can persevere with me to the end, to either claim the prize or uncover the truth."
...
「At the same time.」
The Xinlong Group secretly reopened its investigation into Zheng Tong, and everything about Zheng Tong was placed under covert surveillance.
If the Ruler could hurt Players, then Lin Bai’s Body Snatching couldn’t have been without reason.
"Si Bai, Lin Bai’s Ruler can directly bypass the game’s settings and hurt Players. Have you inherited his Way of the Master?" Trouble Maker found Lin Si Bai and asked via private message.
"No, I haven’t inherited any beneficial-type Ways, including the Way of the Master and the Way of Belief," Lin Si Bai glanced at him and said. "All the Ways I’ve inherited are offensive-type. This is probably a restriction the game places on Players!"
"You’re not surprised at all that the Ruler can hurt Players?" Trouble Maker asked impassively.
"Not surprised at all!" A sense of vigilance rose in Lin Si Bai’s heart, but he smiled. "Lao Mi can fall in love with the City Lord, so the Ruler hurting Players also seems quite normal!"
"True." Trouble Maker forced a smile. "Si Bai, without Lin Bai’s Puppet Techniques, are you confident about attacking the Beast Taming Sect this time? I feel it’s still a bit risky. When Lin Bai attacked the Blood Sect, he had over a dozen Mahayana Realm experts by his side..."
...
"...Jin Zong, when Amazing Falcon convened a meeting for everyone in the Blood Sect, the computer in his room showed frequent data exchange. Similar incidents have occurred several times in the last three days. During those times, Amazing Falcon was in the game and was interacting with people around him..."
"...On the day Lin Bai performed the Body Snatching, a janitor resigned, and her attitude was very firm. According to her colleagues, she believed the apartment was haunted. We investigated afterwards, and the time she claimed the haunting occurred coincided with Zheng Tong’s first phone call with you. The specific manifestation was: her mouth would open, but no sound would come out!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Zong’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. He shot up, snatched the report from the investigator’s hand, and said, "Alright, I understand. Find that janitor and bring her back. Don’t let her spread this externally. This matter must be kept strictly confidential; it must not be spread to any third person. Also, closely monitor all activity in Zheng Tong’s room."
After saying this, he hurriedly left the office. As he was leaving, his shoulder slammed hard against the doorframe, but he didn’t even pause to rub it.