Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin made peace.

Jiang Qingqin then revealed the purpose of her visit. The Heavenly Descendants from the Lin Bai Support Group were strongly requesting Lin Bai to hold a fan meet-and-greet, and she had come to invite him.

"No," Lin Bai said decisively.

Jiang Qingqin was taken aback. "Why? Don't you know how infatuated they are with you? When they descended, their first act wasn't to find suitable Cultivation Techniques but to request the alliance to design unified uniforms for them. They've even prepared many sketches of you."

With that, she took out a stack of sketches from her bosom. There were numerous drawings of Lin Bai in various styles: regular, chibi, in women's clothing, as a child, and more.

Xu Longyun looked at the sketches, then at Lin Bai, her lips involuntarily curving upward. "Senior Sister, the members of your support group are certainly interesting. Have them draw another set like this; I'd like to keep one too."

"Shifu, they came to this world because of you. They love discussing everything about you. Everyone I meet asks me to help them meet you," Jiang Qingqin said. "They're incredibly enthusiastic. The Heavenly Descendants have all their meridians naturally open, making them exceptionally fast learners in cultivation. A group like this, so devoted to you, is far more loyal than the Beggar Gang or the Alliance Army. If we can motivate them, they'll quickly become a formidable fighting force, entirely at your service."

"Then I have even more reason not to meet them," Lin Bai responded.

"Why?" Jiang Qingqin asked, puzzled.

"Distance lends enchantment. Their infatuation stems from hearing and seeing stories about me. Even if I have flaws, they are unaware of them from afar," Lin Bai explained.

"But you don't have any flaws," Jiang Qingqin countered. "I believe if they met you, they'd become even more obsessed. A few words of encouragement from you would be more effective than ten sentences from me in motivating them to cultivate diligently."

"That's because you don't understand the dynamic between an idol and fans," Lin Bai said.

"Fans?" Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin asked in confusion.

Lin Bai chuckled. "You can think of me as a star in the sky, and them as a group of star chasers. The reason stars are so alluring is precisely because they are untouchable. If a star were to fall to the mortal world, you might discover it's just an ugly rock, no longer shining. Would you still like it then? It's like the once high-and-mighty cultivators. People used to revere them, but the Justice League brought them down to the mortal plane. Now that common people know cultivators also scheme for power, eat, drink, and have bodily needs, do they still revere them as before?"

"I understand now," Xu Longyun said, a look of sudden realization on her face.

"I understand too," Jiang Qingqin nodded. "I'll go and decline their request immediately."

"You don't need to decline all of them." Lin Bai thought for a moment, took a few sketches from Xu Longyun, picked up a pen from the table, and began to write on them:

'May you find warmth through all three winters, may your springs be free of cold. May you have a light in darkness, an umbrella in the rain, and a good companion by your side always. – Lin Bai'

'May you be loved your whole life through, live with frankness and ease, free from illness and worry. May you be like the wind, like the rain, like the sunlight. May you never lose your innocent heart, nor your faith. May all your wishes come true. – Lin Bai'

'To be different from others, you must dare to do different things. – Lin Bai'

...

In a short while, Lin Bai had written his blessings and signed his name on all the sketches.

Jiang Qingqin looked at the sentences, which read like love letters. For a moment, it was as if she had returned to that moonlit forest. She stole a glance at Lin Bai, sighing inwardly at how long it had been since he had spoken such tender and loving words to her.

Xu Longyun, on the other hand, was reminded of the poem "Magpie Bridge Immortal," with its lines, "If love between two hearts can last, why need they stay together day and night?" She felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy towards these fans.

However, recalling the admonition of the nine ancestors of the Righteous Door, she reined in her thoughts and focused on her own tasks. One day, Lin Bai would surely feel her affection.

Both women simultaneously resolved to keep one of the signed sketches for themselves later.

Lin Bai looked at his signed blessings with satisfaction and said, "Qingqin, select a leader from the support group, along with some deputy leaders and directors. Let them manage themselves. These signed blessings can be distributed as rewards. Tell them the cooking competition is approaching, and I need to enter seclusion to practice my culinary skills, so I won't be meeting them for now."

"Okay," Jiang Qingqin nodded.

"Tell them to cultivate diligently," Lin Bai added after a moment's thought. "The Justice League will face many battles in the future. If they want to keep up with my pace, they must achieve a sufficient level of cultivation. I look forward to the day I can fight alongside them."

"Okay," Jiang Qingqin nodded again.

"When major events occur in the League, the support group's leader and directors can accompany me and assist with some tasks." Lin Bai glanced at Jiang Qingqin. "Members can also participate, but you will be responsible for assigning the spots. This will help establish your leadership position within the support group."

Jiang Qingqin's eyes gradually brightened. It was as if she had just grasped the secret to leadership.

Honestly, when she first established the support group, facing the chaotic crowd, she had been completely overwhelmed. She had no idea how to handle them. Many of the Heavenly Descendants had even told her to her face that she wasn't good enough for Lin Bai, accusing her of being nothing more than a lucky Fox Spirit and demanding she stay away from him... Those comments from the Heavenly Descendants had left her seething with suppressed anger. That was why she had instantly flared up when she heard Xu Longyun suggest disbanding her support group.

It was only after Lin Bai's guidance that she realized the core of the problem lay with her. Ultimately, she still hadn't fully transitioned from her former identity as an obedient disciple of the Hundred Flower Valley, always waiting for orders.

...

"Xiao Yun," After guiding Jiang Qingqin, Lin Bai felt his own ideas expanding. He turned to Xu Longyun, pointed to a chibi illustration of himself, and said, "Contact the folks at 'Heavenly Review'. Have them find time to create a manga series based on my image. Make it a book series and get it published..."

"What is manga?" Xu Longyun asked.

"It's a set of images with a story. Just tell them that, and they'll understand," Lin Bai explained. "Also, notify the people from the Spirit Artifact Pavilion and the Treasures Refining Pavilion. Let them create some toys based on these chibi figures that can be assembled and disassembled. Sell these in the Tool Refining Workshop. If these toys can provide some protective function after being assembled, that would be even better…"

"We could also have the cultivators from the Hundred Flower Valley make some dolls. Many girls in the mortal world would surely love them," Xu Longyun said, her eyes gleaming.

"Exactly! Just like that," Lin Bai said, snapping his fingers and looking appreciatively at Xu Longyun.

The Super Idol System's requirement for the number of fans was continuously increasing; relying solely on Players was no longer feasible.

The native people of this world were the best targets for development. Comics, autobiographies, toys, dolls… he would merchandise them all to imprint his image among the populace. Isn't popularity what a celebrity needs? Individual native cultivators might lack high cultivation, but when gathered in sufficient numbers, the rewards he could obtain from them could also boost the Player Fan Army.

Jiang Qingqin looked at Xu Longyun with envy, secretly encouraging herself. What she lacked was this ability to think flexibly and extrapolate. From now on, she needed to reorient her approach. She could no longer rely solely on luring people with her beauty. Among the disciples of Hundred Flower Valley, Wash Flower Valley, and Lin Bai's Support Group, none of them were unattractive. If she couldn't stand out among such people, she would probably feel so ashamed she'd withdraw from this contest for his affection herself, even without Xu Longyun as a rival.

"All of you, including the creation of Dumbelldore's series, dolls, and visual media—they can help design those too," Lin Bai said, glancing at the two of them. "This is also a form of promotion. Within the Righteous Door, I can't be the only one who's famous. As my disciples, your fame should also resound throughout the universe."

The Good Teacher System required disciples to make a name for themselves during trials. Lin Bai figured that helping them build their reputation beforehand was also feasible. In the future, he just needed to arrange a few relatively easy trials, then publicize them through the comics, and their fame would naturally follow.

Fame! Who said it had to be based solely on actual personal strength?

「Duke Zhenguo's Manor.」

An advisor was reporting on the situation in various regions to Duke Zhenguo. Thanks to the Players' built-in communication function, information from all areas was now transmitted with remarkable speed.

"...The Heavenly Descendants who arrived in the various basic cities were snatched away by personnel from the various sects stationed there before they even had a moment to pause. The sects didn't even give the Heavenly Descendants a chance to choose. It seems their actions haven't incurred any divine punishment; the god of the otherworld appears to have tacitly approved their behavior," the advisor reported. "The City Lords in those basic cities are completely unable to stop them, nor can they retain the Heavenly Descendants to serve Taiyi Country. The Seven Orthodox Sects now intend to cultivate these Heavenly Descendants to counter Lin Bai. However, there's a risk that these individuals, nurtured by the Seven Orthodox Sects, might one day become another blade held to the nation's throat. The cultivation speed of the Heavenly Descendants is simply too fast."

Duke Zhenguo, seated and calmly sipping tea, asked with a solemn face, "These cultivators are increasingly disregarding the state's existence. Does Lin Bai truly possess cultivation at the Mahayana Realm level?"

"I previously dispatched someone to investigate. Three thousand miles northwest of Zhen City, a forest spanning a hundred-mile radius was destroyed by Lin Bai. His strength indeed seems equivalent to the Mahayana Realm, but Lin Bai publicly attributes his power to the Dao of Laws," Mu Liao responded. "Considering Lin Bai's history, this feat is also consistent with the principles of the Dao of Laws. No one can develop so quickly, not even the Heavenly Descendants."

"And the Commandery Princess?" Duke Zhenguo asked.

"On the very day Lin Bai revealed his Mahayana Realm cultivation, Commandery Princess Yunyang met with him in Zhen City." Mu Liao said, cautiously glancing at Duke Zhenguo. "The Commandery Princess joined the Justice League in your name and ordered City Lord Feng Jing to cooperate with Lin Bai in organizing the cooking competition. The day she joined the Justice League, she issued a flurry of directives, drastically reforming the loosely organized group. As a result, her current standing in the Justice League is akin to your own position in Taiyi Country—second only to one person, yet wielding authority over thousands..."

"Lin Bai has no objections?" Duke Zhenguo finally showed a change in expression.

"No," Mu Liao replied. "Lin Bai is more focused on cultivating his Dao of Laws. He... he seems to show some partiality towards the Commandery Princess..."

"Partiality?" Duke Zhenguo mused.

"Duke, should we send someone to inform the Commandery Princess to be more discreet?" Mu Liao suggested. "She is acting in your name, and I fear it might lead to misunderstandings with the Seven Orthodox Sects. If the Justice League fails in the future, they might hold you accountable. At that point, His Majesty could offer you as a scapegoat to ensure Taiyi Country's peace."

"No need," Duke Zhenguo stated categorically. "The Seven Orthodox Sects and the Five Demonic Sects have monopolized the Heavenly Descendants from the very beginning; Taiyi Country no longer has any true peace. Once the Heavenly Descendants cultivated by these sects mature, the power we've amassed over years will be effortlessly crushed. The so-called peace is merely a more drawn-out decline. Rather than that, a swift end would be preferable."

"Duke..." Mu Liao looked at Duke Zhenguo, wanting to say something but unsure how.

Duke Zhenguo chuckled self-deprecatingly. To think that I, the esteemed Duke Zhenguo, am less daring and insightful than my own daughter. "Pass on my orders: all towns are to prioritize cultivating the Heavenly Descendants who joined previously. There's no need for further restraint. If necessary, use them to attract more Heavenly Descendants. Stop blocking news related to the Justice League; when appropriate, we can even help Lin Bai promote his Dao of Laws."

"Duke, doing so is tantamount to declaring war on both the Seven Orthodox Sects and the Five Demonic Sects simultaneously!" Mu Liao's face turned pale.

"The world is about to descend into chaos. If not now, when should we declare war?" Duke Zhenguo glanced at him. "With Lin Bai's Justice League at the forefront, the Seven Orthodox Sects won't be able to spare us any attention for now. But if Lin Bai falls, we will truly have no way out. Don't worry about it too much; just pass down the orders. I will personally go and explain the situation to His Majesty. Taiyi Country has reached its most critical juncture..."

...

Far Vision Eagle from Xinlong Group found the leader of the Heavenly Dao Sect and stated bluntly, "Master Zhang, your methods for utilizing the Heavenly Descendants are flawed. You've been consistently led by the nose by Lin Bai and his Justice League. If the Righteous Door truly exists behind him, then you cannot win this war."

"And what is your brilliant insight?" Master Zhang's cultivation was not high, only at the Divinity Transformation Realm; he had been dispatched by the Heavenly Dao Sect to recruit people from the basic cities. He didn't pay much heed to what this person named Far Vision Eagle was saying.

The Heavenly Dao Sect didn't have many Heavenly Descendants, but those they had were extraordinarily active, constantly offering suggestions, none of which had proven useful.

"Before we talk, let me introduce myself. You should be aware that Heavenly Descendants come from another world. In our world, I belong to an organization called Xinlong," Far Vision Eagle said, looking at Master Zhang with confidence. "The Xinlong Group's standing in our world is comparable to that of your Seven Orthodox Sects. Every decision we make has the potential to cause global upheaval and alter the course of world events."

"A group comparable to the Seven Orthodox Sects?" Master Zhang finally dropped his perfunctory attitude. He looked at Far Vision Eagle and asked, "Why do you say our methods for utilizing the Heavenly Descendants are flawed?"

"Firstly, you shouldn't regard the Heavenly Descendants as enemies," Far Vision Eagle chuckled. "Instead, they should be seen as partners. The collision of two worlds shouldn't be about mutual suspicion and exploitation, but about cooperation—integrating the strengths of both sides to achieve a win-win situation. We possess the accumulated knowledge of an entire civilization from our world. Yet, instead of seeking to draw from this wellspring, you only think of using the Heavenly Descendants as mere fighters. How is this not a mistake?"

Master Zhang fell into silence.

Far Vision Eagle then dropped another bombshell: "All this time, no one has told you that Lin Bai's Righteous Door might also originate from another world, have they? His theories, his conduct, his so-called Dao of Laws—they are all incompatible with this world. His recording pen, his color printer... to be precise, they shouldn't be called Magic Treasures. They should be called technological products. Lin Bai constantly proclaims himself a savior, but in reality, he might be the true invader..."