Lin Qingfeng walked in front, with Su Ling'er following behind.
The deeper they went, the thicker the scent of plants and trees became. Along with the surrounding vitality, strange noises also began to appear.
"SWOOSH—!"
A sound of something cutting through the air rang out abruptly.
It was immediately followed by the dull THUD of a heavy object hitting the ground, mingled with a cry of pain.
Su Ling'er's steps faltered, and she looked toward the sound.
But Lin Qingfeng, walking ahead of her, acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. Without turning his head, he said:
"Junior Sister, no need to be alarmed. It's just a few senior brothers in their daily sparring. They're just being a bit loud."
'Sparring?'
'Why did that sound like someone falling off a roof?'
A sliver of doubt rose in Su Ling'er's mind, but she continued to follow him.
But when they rounded a wall, the scene before them made her freeze in place once more.
It was a bluestone plaza, with dozens of Guixi Sect disciples scattered about.
She couldn't comprehend their actions, but she was deeply shaken.
They ignored the flat bluestone path, with a few of them instead leaping rapidly across the roofs of the halls on either side. Their movements were incredibly fast, leaving only afterimages in their wake.
Not far away, a disciple who needed to go a mere dozen or so steps away insisted on summoning a brilliant, iridescent Immortal Sword to travel via Sword Control.
The Immortal Sword looked magnificent. As he summoned it, countless other disciples turned to look, gasping in amazement.
"Holy crap! Isn't that the 'Sacrificial Spirit Sword' from the last event rewards?! It's so freaking cool! I want one too!"
"I heard he had to whale hard during the last event to get it! Look at that smug bastard. Ever since he got it, he has to take the stupid sword out to flex every time he walks more than two steps!"
"What a show-off! I want to show off too! Why isn't it me showing off? I'm so jealous. So salty right now!"
What Su Ling'er found even more incomprehensible was a disciple riding a demon wolf that was wreathed in roaring flames.
The flames were practically licking his rear, yet his clothes showed no sign of catching fire.
'Is he using Spiritual Qi to block the flames?'
'To ride a demon beast with its flames at full blast… Is this… Body Refining?'
The other disciples on the ground also turned to stare at this demon beast.
"Damn! Isn't that the big shot's 'Flame Wolf' mount?"
"He probably saw that guy with the flying sword flexing too hard and got jealous, so he rode his wolf out to flex back!"
The disciple on the fiery demon wolf arrived at the entrance of the Transmission Hall and dismounted.
The moment he landed, the massive demon wolf went POOF and vanished into a cloud of green smoke.
Su Ling'er was stunned.
The behavior of these disciples would be unimaginable at her Qingxu Temple.
Disciples were required to walk in a steady and stable manner. Outer Sect Disciples were only allowed to hurry slightly in deserted areas while cleaning, but upon seeing an Inner Sect Disciple or an elder, they had to slow to a respectful pace and maintain their composure.
Within the sect, Sword Control was forbidden unless it was an emergency. Leaping onto roofs and scaling walls was an even greater taboo; if a deacon discovered it, they would dock your monthly Spirit Stone allowance.
Everything was about propriety and order.
But the people here were completely without discipline, their actions bizarre to the extreme!
First, she was confused, but then a thought popped into her head.
'Of course, this isn't nonsense at all… this is Cultivation!'
'It's arduous training, carried out at every possible moment!'
'They treat moving across rooftops as a part of their daily Body Refining! Using the most direct method to temper their Body Technique, reflexes, and courage! If they fall, they get right back up. This is a dual tempering of both body and will!'
'Using Sword Control for a mere dozen steps is to familiarize themselves with the subtle changes of Spiritual Power circulating in their meridians! It's to pursue the most refined control over their Spiritual Power!'
'As for that demon wolf that vanished into thin air…'
Su Ling'er gasped.
'That must be a legendary spatial Divine Technique! Is it the Sumeru Mustard Seed Skill? Or perhaps the universe-in-a-sleeve Divine Technique?! Or maybe it's some storage-type magic treasure she'd never even heard of! To be able to store and release such a living creature at will!'
Having figured it all out, Su Ling'er didn't relax. Instead, she fell into an even deeper fear.
Evil Cultivators already took a shortcut by plundering life force, resulting in an unstable foundation but extremely rapid progress.
But now she was seeing with her own eyes that they were even more diligent than righteous disciples! They used every single minute, every single second of their lives for Cultivation!
If people who take shortcuts are also this hardworking, then in the long run…
'How are the righteous paths supposed to fight them?!'
Before she could think further, the two "hard-training" show-offs had already confronted each other out of mutual dislike.
"I'm telling you, is there something wrong with you? You have to whip out that crappy sword of yours just to walk a few steps?"
"You're just afraid people don't know you got the reward from the last event, aren't you?"
"Still better than someone who almost sets himself on fire just by riding his mount, putting on a brave face when he can't handle it!"
Immediately, the surrounding disciples who loved a good spectacle started jeering.
"Fight! Fight!"
"Yeah! The Flame Wolf is cool! The Sacrificial Spirit Sword is trash!"
"Bullshit! The Sacrificial Spirit Sword is number one! Even a dog wouldn't ride that thing!"
The duo's dispute quickly devolved into the real-world equivalent of two people coming to blows over "who is stronger, a lion or a tiger."
Since this was in a game, they were even more unrestrained.
"What did you say? This 'Flame Wolf' of mine isn't better than that crappy piece of metal? What can that thing of yours do besides glow? Tickle someone?!"
"You don't know shit! This is the air of an immortal! Not like you, looking like a complete arsonist, about to roast your own ass off and still trying to act tough! You're nothing!"
"You're asking for a beating!"
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who!"
The words had barely left their mouths before the two of them started fighting for real.
The disciple on the Flame Wolf let out a roar, and the figure of the giant flaming wolf pounced at his opponent. The other disciple activated his magnificent Sacrificial Spirit Sword, which instantly flared with brilliant light, giving birth to countless sharp sword gleams to meet the attack!
The magic treasure's edge was sharp, Sword Qi crisscrossing the air; flames surged, and the demon beast roared!
The entire scene became incredibly dangerous, making Su Ling'er's heart pound in her chest.
"Wait, over something so small! They're actually fighting for real?!"
Su Ling'er cried out subconsciously, then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.
'These two are using lethal moves with every strike, without a shred of camaraderie between fellow disciples!'
'Is this the daily life of a demonic sect?'
'Right, this is a demonic sect, after all. Infighting is probably the norm. A single disagreement can lead to a battle to the death.'
Suddenly, a stray spell, wrapped in Sword Qi and flames, shot toward her and Lin Qingfeng!
Su Ling'er's mind went blank, and her legs turned to jelly.
'What do I do, what do I do? How am I going to die right after joining?'
'Is there any justice in this world? Can I even do this undercover mission properly?!'
'Huh? Where's Eldest Senior Brother?'
'Eldest Senior Brother… wasn't he right in front of me? Where did he go?'
In a flash, Su Ling'er realized that Lin Qingfeng had, at some point, already disappeared.
Then, a figure shot out from behind her, once again blocking her path.
"Eldest Senior Brother? You… how did you end up behind me?"
Lin Qingfeng was also speechless for a moment.
When he saw the attack, he had instinctively put a person in front of him, only to remember that this was currently their only real NPC! Nothing could happen to her!
So he hastily dodged again, repositioning himself to shield Su Ling'er from behind.
"My body moves with my will. What does it matter whether I am in front or behind? Protecting you completely is my instinct."
Su Ling'er: "Is protecting me by putting me in front of you how you do it?"
Lin Qingfeng: "Don't worry about the details!!!"
Su Ling'er: 'Fine…'
Then, Lin Qingfeng formed a sword with his fingers and flicked it gently at the incoming Sword Qi and flames.
"DING!"
With a light sound, the Sword Qi and fierce fire vanished into nothingness before his fingertips.
However, a gust of sword wind still grazed Su Ling'er's cheek, severing a lock of her hair.
Su Ling'er: '!!!'
Su Ling'er: 'That was so close! Hah… hah… I… I almost died! You scared… scared me to death!'
Lin Qingfeng's expression turned grim.
'These two idiots nearly hurt the NPC he'd worked so hard to trick into joining!'
He glanced at his little Junior Sister, then at the two who were still fighting, and snapped his fingers.
"SNAP!"
A wave of spiritual pressure blanketed the entire area. The two disciples who were in the middle of their fight came to a sudden halt, all their magic and movements ceasing!
Then, as if slapped down by a giant, invisible hand, both were pressed to the ground, their health bars instantly emptying as they vanished into a mist of blood.
At the same time, a message popped up in the sect channel:
[Lin Qingfeng]: If you want to fight, go to the sparring grounds! You two almost made it impossible for us to do future sect quests!
[Lin Qingfeng]: I've screenshotted you two and reported you to the Law Enforcement Hall. Both of you can go reflect on your actions at Siguoya!
[FlameWolf_Is_Coolest]: @Lin Qingfeng Why? That guy with the crappy sword started it!
[SacrificialSword_Is_Coolest]: @FlameWolf_Is_Coolest Bullshit! You were the one who started flexing on your dog mount first! If it weren't for you, would this have happened?!
[Lin Qingfeng]: Both of you shut up. If you keep arguing, it won't be just for an hour.
[System Notice]: Player [FlameWolf_Is_Coolest] has been muted for one hour.
[System Notice]: Player [SacrificialSword_Is_Coolest] has been muted for one hour.
However, in Su Ling'er's eyes, all of this was a completely different scene:
Without so much as an extra movement, Lin Qingfeng had effortlessly annihilated two of his fellow disciples who were infighting, just with a snap of his fingers!
'As expected of a wicked and dangerous demonic sect, slaughtering their own over a single disagreement!'
'This… is this what a demonic sect is like?!'
When Lin Qingfeng turned around, he saw his little Junior Sister once again wearing an expression like the sky was falling, seeming to be muttering something under her breath.
She looked like her character model had bugged out and was about to disconnect.
'This won't do! I haven't gotten the quest reward yet, I can't let her run off! She must have been scared by those two idiots!'
A smile immediately appeared on Lin Qingfeng's face. He walked a few quick steps to Su Ling'er's side.
"Junior Sister, were you startled by your senior brothers' actions?"
Su Ling'er suddenly looked up, staring at him blankly.
Lin Qingfeng thought for a moment, then straightened his back and spoke with considerable pride:
"You have seen it. This is the foundation of our Guixi Sect—diligence! We never miss any opportunity to improve ourselves!"
"Walking is Cultivation, breathing is also Cultivation, and battles between fellow disciples are Cultivation even more so! Within the sect, the greatest taboo is to allow laziness to grow in your heart. A single moment of laxity, and you will be overcome by a Heart Demon, your Dao Foundation utterly destroyed!"
"In the future, you should observe your senior brothers' actions more, see through to the true meaning here, and integrate yourself into this torrent of ceaseless improvement as soon as possible. Only in this way, in this Cultivation Realm where all compete for the Great Dao, can you seek that sliver of life and glimpse a wisp of eternity!"
Although their sect had, in fact, never stepped outside the mountain gate and had no idea what this Cultivation Realm was actually like, that didn't stop him from spouting complete nonsense!
But his words shattered the last sliver of wishful thinking in Su Ling'er's heart.
'It's true… it's exactly as I suspected!'
Seeing her expression, Lin Qingfeng thought the lines he had just copied from the forums were having an effect. He made a secret resolution.
'To make myself look more like an enlightened master, I need to study more poser quotes!'
Meanwhile, the news that he had brought back a native NPC had spread through the sect channel.
[Holy crap, did you guys hear? Old Lin brought back a live NPC! She was almost one-shot by those two morons!]
[For real? A live one?! Damn it, those two almost ruined our future of exploring the Cultivation World!]
[Their crimes are monstrous!]
[A crime for which death is no absolution!]
At this moment, disciples who had heard the news began to converge from all directions.
"Over there! That's the newcomer Eldest Senior Brother brought back! Where? Where is she?"
"Let me see! Thank god she wasn't hurt by those two idiots!"
"Haha! Our sect finally has someone new! The Guixi Sect can finally rise! Hehehehehe!"
Every word that reached Su Ling'er's ears sent a chill through her entire body.
'Why are you all staring at me?'
'Two people just died!!'
'And what do you mean… someone's *finally* here?'
'Does that mean no one has come for a long time?'
'Then how did you recruit members before this?'