Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Li Chunfeng.

As a mortal, he had spent his family fortune and half his life in pursuit of this one, faint sliver of hope!

Now, a heavenly path to immortality that "judges not by Spirit Root, but by one’s true heart" lay before him. How could he possibly back down?!

He firmly believed that his Dao heart, one that saw "the good in all things," was as solid as a rock and completely unassailable!

Seeing Li Chunfeng step forward so resolutely, the other undercover agents all gave him looks of encouragement and anticipation.

They nodded at him emphatically and in unison, their eyes screaming, ’You can do it, Feng!’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As they saw it, when it came to the fortitude of one’s Dao heart, not a single one of them—a group of Cultivators repeatedly tormented by fear and doubt—could compare to Li Chunfeng’s almost fanatical optimism. They all wished him well from the bottom of their hearts.

"Mr. Li, your Dao heart is pure. You are sure to astound everyone this time! We will wait here and wish you a triumphant success. May you knock open the gates of immortality and set foot upon the path that is yours to walk!"

Watching the scene unfold, even Su Ling’er couldn’t help but be swept up in the atmosphere.

She recalled her time at Qingxu Temple. Mr. Li had been just like this back then, always taking the most optimistic view of everything.

She spoke up, "Mr. Li, though you are a mortal, I can see your Dao heart is resilient. May you achieve your heart’s desire and ascend to the path of immortality!"

Amid everyone’s gazes and blessings, Li Chunfeng was brimming with heroic pride.

He took a deep breath and straightened his slightly disheveled Daoist robes!

He was the first of the twelve undercover agents to walk toward the Asking Dao Ladder!

At this moment, he seemed not a mortal man past fifty, but a seeker on the verge of proving his Dao and attaining immortality!

Everyone held their breath, their attention fixed. Even Lin Qingfeng, who had been enjoying the show from a distance, momentarily set down his melon seeds, ready to witness a miracle.

Li Chunfeng arrived at the foot of the white jade staircase.

He lifted his foot, and with all the faith and longing he had accumulated in his life, he firmly planted it on the first step.

...

And then...

He pulled his foot back.

He then tried lifting his left foot and stepping up.

...

And then...

He pulled his left foot back again.

Li Chunfeng stood rooted to the spot. The prideful, heroic smile on his face froze, replaced by a look of utter bewilderment.

The crowd: "???"

Su Ling’er: "???"

She watched as Li Chunfeng tentatively reached out and felt the air, as if touching an invisible wall.

He then crouched down and knocked on the step. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Refusing to give up, he took two steps back, broke into a sudden run, and slammed right into it!

THUD!

With a soft thud, Li Chunfeng bounced off an invisible wall of air and was gently thrown back, landing on his butt on the ground.

The entire process was silent and utterly anticlimactic.

He had been rejected by the Asking Dao Ladder.

The scene fell into a dead silence.

Su Ling’er and the other undercover agents were dumbfounded, staring blankly at Li Chunfeng, who sat on the ground looking just as bewildered.

A chilling thought that even she found horrifying began to surface uncontrollably in Su Ling’er’s mind:

’It can’t be... Is it because... Mr. Li is a mortal, so... he isn’t even qualified to take the test?’

As soon as she had the thought, the others came to the same realization. It seemed entirely possible.

But this was immediately followed by a strong sense of injustice.

’Someone as optimistic as Li Chunfeng, with such a powerful state of mind, doesn’t even get a chance to be tested just because he’s a mortal? It’s just too unfair!’

In that moment, everyone was filled with sympathy for him.

They could already imagine how lost and heartbroken Li Chunfeng must be.

After all, this was his life’s sole obsession and dream!

Her heart ached for him. She and the others prepared to go and comfort this respectable man.

They had a whole speech of comforting words ready, wanting to tell this respectable man that this failure meant nothing, that he still had a long life ahead of him...

Ummm...

’Actually... maybe not that long. Li Chunfeng was already halfway through his life.’

However, just then, the man sitting on the ground—the one who should have been the most dejected and heartbroken person there—suddenly moved.

Li Chunfeng didn’t cry. He didn’t pound the ground in frustration.

He just sat there, staring blankly up at the towering white jade staircase. The bewilderment on his face gradually faded, replaced by an expression of sudden, dawning realization!

He slapped his thigh and, to everyone’s astonishment, began to chuckle to himself!

"Well, I’ll be! This is a great thing!!!"

Su Ling’er and all the other agents, who had been about to go comfort him, were instantly petrified on the spot.

Their outstretched hands froze in mid-air, the comforting words they had prepared caught in their throats.

Su Ling’er was completely baffled.

’This... How can this possibly be a good thing?’

’Has he... Has the shock driven him insane?’

They then heard Li Chunfeng continue, his voice full of excitement:

"Think about it! Why wouldn’t the Asking Dao Ladder let me ascend? It’s not rejecting me, it’s protecting me!"

He pointed to his chest.

"It knows I’m merely mortal flesh. My Dao heart may be strong, but my physical body is pathetically weak!

A trial for the path of immortality like this would be a near-certain death sentence for me!

It couldn’t bear to see a rare talent like myself perish, so it used this gentle method to turn me away!

What incredible compassion!"

At this, he adopted a slightly smug, mysterious expression and added:

"Or perhaps... it’s afraid!

It’s afraid of my Dao heart, so sincere and pure it’s one of a kind in all of history!

It knows that the moment I set foot on that ladder, any trial of Heart Demons would be rendered useless. I would inevitably ascend all the way to the top,

and basically break the entire trial!

So, to preserve its dignity as a ’trial,’ it had no choice but to... prevent me from even starting!"

"So even though the Asking Dao Ladder singled me out, it only serves to prove my value!"

"Now tell me, isn’t that a wonderfully great thing?!"

Li Chunfeng’s astonishing speech made the brains of all the undercover agents and spectating players short-circuit on the spot.

[Sect Channel]

[Shen Nong]: Holy shit! This NPC... what’s with him? Is he brain-damaged? How is not being able to climb the ladder a good thing?!

[Shi Gandang]: That logic... is just wild! I dub thee the Ah Q of the Cultivation Realm! That guy had his ’spiritual victory’ method, but our man here has his ’everything’s a good thing’ victory method!

[Ji]: I get it now! Anything can become a good thing as long as he says it is! But man, this NPC’s personality is pretty interesting!

Lin Qingfeng watched as Li Chunfeng stepped aside, looking completely content, as if he’d just achieved a great victory. The corner of Lin Qingfeng’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

’I’ve played games for so long... I’ve seen stubborn NPCs, moronic NPCs, and even perverted ones. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen an NPC who could describe his own ’failure’ in such a fresh, unconventional, and utterly self-righteous way.’

"What a character..."

"And he even has a talent for the Sword Dao. With that kind of mental fortitude, it’s a real shame he can’t practice Cultivation."