Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Qingxu Temple, the forbidden grounds of the rear mountain.

Inside the dim, secret chamber, rows of wooden shelves lined the stone walls, holding the life tablets that represented the life or death of the undercover disciples.

Only two life tablets remained undamaged.

The Sect Leader of Qingxu Temple, Xuanyuan, was clad in a black Daoist robe, sitting upright and solemn upon a rush mat cushion.

On the stone platform before him, a Spirit Fruit, crimson all over and covered in strange patterns, was emitting a faint spiritual glow.

The glow was faint, yet steady and persistent.

This was the mother fruit of the [Heart-Connected Fruit].

And this steady glow was proof that three hundred li away, in the Guixi Sect, the child fruit had been successfully activated!

Xuanyuan’s heart leaped with joy, and even the solemn muscles of his face twitched slightly.

He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them before vanishing.

’It worked?!’

’That failure Su Ling’er was gone for so long without a peep, yet Wang Xiedi has only been there for a few days and has already found a chance to send back intelligence?!’

"It’s time to see just what kind of value this Guixi Sect holds."

He glanced at the life tablet on the shelf carved with the name "Su Ling’er," a flicker of disappointment crossing his mind.

’A failure is a failure, after all!’

’Even after doing so much work at Qingxu Temple, listening to so many of my teachings, and being influenced by that Outer Sect disciple Dong Changsheng, she’s still this useless!’

However, despite his anticipation, Xuanyuan did not let the joy go to his head.

Although this [Heart-Connected Fruit] was a wondrous item he had chanced upon in his early years, it was ultimately a single-use Spirit Fruit. No one could guarantee that the connection between the mother and child fruits wouldn’t be disturbed by some unknown factor.

What’s more, if the Guixi Sect was truly a demonic or heretical sect, there was no guarantee they didn’t have some bizarre Secret Technique that could trace the Spirit Fruit’s connection and backlash against him.

There was no lack of precedent in the immortal world of mighty senior cultivators who had perished because of such things, their cultivation scattered.

To ensure he was completely safe, he chose a more prudent method.

With a thought, he walked out of the secret chamber. His body transformed into a streak of light, carrying an outer sect disciple with him to a deserted mountain rarely visited by people.

After they landed, the outer sect disciple knelt before Xuanyuan, bowing his head respectfully.

"This disciple greets the Sect Leader! What are your commands!"

This disciple was an inconspicuous presence in Qingxu Temple.

Outer Sect Disciple—a disciple in name, but in reality no different from a handyman. Their existence was insignificant, and Xuanyuan couldn’t even remember the name of this unremarkable person.

Xuanyuan stood with his hands behind his back, considered his words for a moment, then spoke:

"I have observed your diligence in the outer sect for many years. You also frequently heed the teachings of your Senior Brother Dong Changsheng. Your disposition is acceptable."

"Today, I will bestow a great fortune upon you."

He opened his palm, and the crimson mother fruit appeared there.

"This is a Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit. Take it and consume it.

"It will perform a Washing Marrow for you and reshape your bone structure. Afterward, you will gain a special kind of perception.

"When that time comes, you are to report everything you perceive to me, down to the smallest detail.

"Afterward, I will even accept you as an Inner Sect Disciple!"

The disciple, deeply influenced by Dong Changsheng’s usual teachings, looked utterly stunned and astonished upon hearing this.

He had never imagined that after so many years of bitter struggle, his day to shine had finally come!

Washing Marrow and reshaping his bone structure!

And a supreme Spirit Fruit bestowed by the Sect Leader himself, along with the status of an Inner Sect Disciple!

He couldn’t help but recall the scene when Senior Brother Dong Changsheng from the outer sect had spoken to all the junior brothers and sisters.

"Ask your hearts! Why did you come to Qingxu Temple?"

"Was it to spend all day fetching water, sweeping floors, and serving those chosen ones of heaven?"

"Was it to watch your Cultivation stagnate for years on end, only to eventually turn into a pile of yellow earth?"

"No! Of course not!"

"I know what you’re thinking!"

"You’ll say, ’Senior Brother, I just have a Pseudo Spirit Root,’ or ’Senior Brother, my bone structure is terrible!’ You blame your failures on your aptitude!"

"But!"

"Wrong! Utterly and completely wrong!"

"The thing truly holding you back isn’t your Spirit Root, it’s your mindset! It’s that pathetic, weakling’s way of thinking!"

"You think Inner Sect Disciples and Direct Disciples—what gives them the right to the sect’s preferential resources?"

"Aptitude? How shallow!"

"They rely on the heart of a champion—a heart that craves success and firmly believes that success is inevitable!"

"And what’s most important?

"Attraction!

"If you have the mindset of a champion, you will attract a champion’s opportunities!

"If you spend all day thinking you’re a failure, then even if an opportunity falls right in your lap, you’ll think it’s just a rock and complain that it’s in your way!"

Dong Changsheng spread his arms wide.

"So, the first step you must take is to change!"

"Abandon your old selves, reshape your Dao hearts! Repeat after me!"

"Believe! Believe that you are the chosen one!"

"Be grateful! Be grateful for every trial the sect gives you!"

"Give! Give everything you have for the sect, for the strong! Because every contribution is an investment in your own success!"

"Remember! Opportunity only knocks for those who are prepared!"

"The Sect Leader and the elders are secretly watching every single one of us, at all times!"

"They don’t care how weak you are now! What they care about is whether you dare to seize an opportunity without hesitation when it appears!"

"Remember! The sect’s grace toward us is as heavy as a mountain! The Sect Leader has not cast us out for our mediocre aptitude, and that itself is a heavenly kindness!"

"What we must do is repay that kindness with a hundred times the effort! Repay the sect’s grace, repay the Sect Leader’s grace!"

"When the Sect Leader gives you a pill, will you eat it or not?!"

"EAT IT!"

The crowd of outer sect disciples roared from below.

"When an elder tells you to undertake a mission that is nigh-on suicidal, do you accept or not?!"

"ACCEPT!"

The outer sect disciples responded in unison.

"Because this is a test! This is the ladder to success!"

"You must learn from me! See every suppression as a test, and treat every injustice as a chance to temper yourselves!"

"The good may be bullied by men, but they are not bullied by Heaven! The wicked may be feared by men, but they are not feared by Heaven!"

"As long as we hold gratitude in our hearts and persist in repaying kindness, success will surely be ours!"

"If you understand me, give me a round of applause!!!"

At the time, countless people had listened with their blood boiling, and he couldn’t help but applaud along with them.

’It seems now that Senior Brother Dong Changsheng was right all along!’

’As long as I persist, my day to succeed will come!’

’The Sect Leader... he’s finally noticed me!!!’

He no longer hesitated in the slightest. His greedy gaze was fixed firmly on the crimson Spirit Fruit; he took it and swallowed it in one gulp.

The fruit melted the moment it entered his mouth. There was none of the chewing sensation he expected; instead, it transformed into a cool, warm current that slid down his throat and into his belly.

Immediately after, he felt his spiritual soul establish a mysterious connection with some distant existence.

And then...