Countless disciples happily slapped Spirit Stones on the tables, grabbing pills and stuffing them into their mouths.
After one burly disciple swallowed a pitch-black pill, his eyes instantly lost focus, and he began to mumble a string of nonsensical syllables:
!)#@%@~!@¥·
His companions, far from panicking, burst into gales of laughter.
"Hahahaha, this guy's a goner! He won't be able to speak properly for the next couple of hours!"
"Quick, record it with a Memory Stone!"
"Later, we can tell him: 'You wouldn't want anyone else to find out you were like this, would you?'"
"My god, what kind of predatory talk is that!"
Su Ling'er watched all of this in silence.
'What's this Golden Autumn Harvest Festival? And what's this Demon Suppression Ceremony they mentioned again?'
'Suppress demons? You people are the biggest demons of all!'
'Besides, everyone in this sect is an absolute lunatic. They don't just develop poison pills; they even sell the failed batches as a form of entertainment!'
The buyers tested the poisons on themselves, finding joy in being poisoned and enduring all sorts of unimaginable torment for a moment's pleasure.
At that moment, the image of the twitching figure in the flames of the alchemy room surfaced in Su Ling'er's mind.
Her Senior Brother had said the man was a volunteer, that he was "sacrificing his body to attain the Dao." Before, she hadn't believed a single word of it.
But now, looking at this crowd of lunatics, she suddenly felt that what her Senior Brother said… might actually be true.
A bunch of madmen who voluntarily become materials, willingly endure boundless pain, and even take pride in it…
'What kind of demonic sect is this?'
'How did they manage to brainwash their disciples to this extent? To make them willingly give their lives for the sect?'
Just then, Lin Qingfeng's voice reached her. "Junior Sister, this is actually a form of their cultivation."
"What is it that a Cultivator seeks? It is merely to see through illusion and perceive the true self. In this seemingly absurd farce, what they are tempering is nothing more than their own Dao hearts."
"The body's constraints, the mockery of those around them—to them, these are all but passing clouds. You could even see this as a form of refining one's heart in the mortal world."
Su Ling'er was too exhausted to even retort.
'Refining one's heart in the mortal world? What a joke! Taking poison for fun, actively seeking out suffering—that's their method of "heart refinement," is it?'
She could no longer tell if the world had gone mad or if she had, but she was slowly figuring out how to get into this Senior Brother's good graces.
"Junior Sister… I have come to an understanding. All phenomena are illusory; only the true self is real."
"I see now… True cultivation isn't about meditating idly within the sect gates, nor is it about fighting against fate."
"Instead, it's about daring to throw oneself into this great dyeing vat, to experience a hundred changes, to endure a thousand hardships, and in the end… still manage to guard that spark of true spirit and keep it from being obscured. Thank you, Senior Brother, for… imparting the Dao to me."
Lin Qingfeng looked at her "profoundly enlightened" expression and nodded.
'I didn't understand any of it myself, but it's good that she does! At least she has the right mindset!'
'She's a promising talent! This is exactly the kind of person our sect's recruiters are looking for!'
"Little Junior Sister, it is excellent that you have come to this realization. Excellent indeed."
Su Ling'er straightened up, her gaze once again falling upon the boisterous crowd.
In her heart, feelings of fear, disgust, and contempt… all eventually settled into an almost numb curiosity.
This sect that had completely overturned the past three years of her understanding, even subverting the common sense of the entire Cultivation Realm… what terrifying truth was hidden behind it all?
The answer was perhaps far heavier than she could ever imagine.
For the sake of the world, for her original sect… and for her own distant hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, she had to stay… and see it through…
...
Lin Qingfeng looked at the "pensive" Su Ling'er beside him and decided it was time to take her to the Artifact Refining Pavilion. After all, this was a place that could allow even someone with her poor aptitude to step onto the path of cultivation!
So, he cleared his throat and said:
"Junior Sister, since you've had a breakthrough, I'll take you to see our Guixi Sect's..."
"Artifact Refining Pavilion!"
...
[Real World]
[News Archive]
In response to public concerns about the potential health risks of "deep immersion," the Ashen Heaven Group unexpectedly announced the launch of its "Digital Vital Signs Monitoring Initiative."
The group claimed it would collaborate with several top health organizations to anonymously collect basic physiological data from players during gameplay, with their voluntary consent. This data would be used to "optimize the gaming experience and provide proactive recommendations for users' overall health and well-being."
The move was widely interpreted by the public as a clever public relations stunt.