Chapter 1 The Conference

The elder hosting the meeting hadn't logged on yet, and the thirty-odd people in the conference room were chattering away in the comments section.

The top eight contestants seemed to think highly of themselves, or perhaps they were just image-conscious, as they all kept their distance and didn't participate in the trivial chitchat. Zhang Yuanqing was different. He was a master of socializing, and since these people were potential allies, he naturally wanted to build relationships and earn some goodwill.

Don't think that just because many people were sucking up to him meant that those who could participate in the killing副本(fuben) (instance) were all top performers from their respective branches.

Some of these people would be promoted to Saints. Once they accumulated enough merit, they would naturally be promoted to Deacons. In other words, the Extraordinary Ones in the classroom right now were the future mainstays, the Deacon reserves.

[To Yuan Shi Tianzun, everyone here is a senior. The killing 副本(fuben) (instance) is full of dangers, and individual strength is not enough. Once inside, I will do my best to help everyone. I also ask that you lend a hand when I encounter trouble. Only by working together and helping each other can we clear the 副本(fuben) (instance) and advance to the Saint stage.]

[The Little Match Boy speaks well. I'm sticking with Tianzun from now on.] [Yu Nu Wu Gua counts me in.]

[Bai Hu Wan Sui: I heard that the 副本(fuben) (instance) uses a random teleportation mechanism. I hope I can be teleported with Tianzun.] Yuan Shi Tianzun's "humility and gentleness" earned him praise from his colleagues, and they became more casual in their speech, no longer so formal.

That Yuan Shi Tianzun is quite the smooth talker. He's more suitable to be a pack leader than Zhao Chenghuang. Once we're in the 副本(fuben) (instance), I can choose to ally with him. I don't need to listen to the old guys' opinions... Sun Sensen thought, her mind working as she looked at the constantly refreshing, lively comments section.

The guidance from her elders was that once inside the killing 副本(fuben) (instance), the Night Watchers should unite and form a small group with Zhao Chenghuang at the core. Then, based on this, they should join forces with the members of the Five Elements Alliance.

But Sun Sensen believed that if conditions permitted, joining Yuan Shi Tianzun's camp directly might be more reliable, because the Five Elements Alliance had more professions and more people, and the power formed by their cooperation would definitely be top-notch.

Of course, there were also hidden dangers. Yuan Shi Tianzun's reputation was too strong, and he would definitely be a prime target for evil organizations.

As Sun Sensen's thoughts ran wild, a two-dimensional handsome guy avatar holding a Green Edge sword suddenly appeared on the "podium," with the Lingjing ID: Shi Bu Sha Yi Ren (Ten Steps, Kill One Man).

A mellow voice came from the computer speakers:

"Everyone, report your number in the comments section, starting from Yuan Shi Tianzun, one to thirty-eight, start now!" The voice was mellow and clear, and sounded young, at least not middle-aged or elderly. [Yuan Shi Tianzun: 1] [Zhao Chenghuang: 2]...

After the roll call was completed, confirming that everyone was sitting in front of their computers and no one had left, Shi Bu Sha Yi Ren (Ten Steps, Kill One Man) said, "I am an elder of the White Tiger Army, Lingjing ID is Shi Bu Sha Yi Ren (Ten Steps, Kill One Man). You can call me Elder 'Shi Bu'." Comments section:

[Yuan Shi Tianzun: Elder Shi Bu sounds awkward, can we call you Elder 'Yi Ren' instead? Yi Ren sounds like Yin Ren, it sounds better.] [Guan Ya, shut your mouth, Elder Shi Bu is short-tempered, don't talk nonsense.] [Yuan Shi Tianzun, Sister Guan Ya, do you know him?] #Yuan Shi Tianzun has been muted by the administrator# #Guan Ya has been muted by the administrator#

Shi Bu Sha Yi Ren (Ten Steps, Kill One Man): "This meeting is serious and solemn, please don't make noise, don't talk nonsense, and don't disrupt my rhythm."

After a few seconds of pause, this elder of the White Tiger Army said:

"First of all, I will explain to you what a large-scale killing 副本(fuben) (instance) is. I believe many members know that the killing 副本(fuben) (instances) are opened twice a year, in the middle and at the end of the year. Clearing a killing 副本(fuben) (instance) is a necessary process for advancement, and it is the only way." Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously started typing on the keyboard: "Is it really the only way, Elder Shi Bu? I know an exception..." Halfway through, he remembered that he had been muted.

He could only helplessly wait for the mute to be lifted, listening to Elder Shi Bu continue:

"The model of the large-scale killing 副本(fuben) (instance) is different every year, but there is one setting and one core that remain unchanged. The unchanged setting is time. The large-scale killing 副本(fuben) (instance) will last for three days, and the main mission is to survive 72 hours.

"The unchanged core is the point system. There are three ways to obtain points: one is from the 副本(fuben) (instance) itself; two is from hunting evil professions; and three is from hunting Lingjing Xingzhe (Spiritual Realm professionals) of the same camp."

"The first two have the most point rewards. The last one has very few points... Speaking of this, everyone should understand that the large-scale killing 副本(fuben) (instance) is actually an enhanced version of the factional combat 副本(fuben) (instance), except that teammates can hunt each other, increasing the degree of freedom and operational space." "After the 副本(fuben) (instance) ends, the person with the highest points will receive the most experience points and the highest-level props." "Therefore, major organizations will pay attention to the leaderboard. The person ranked first is recognized as having the greatest potential and the best talent." After speaking, Elder Shi Bu paused for more than ten seconds, giving the "students" time to digest the information.

Lingjing Xingzhe (Spiritual Realm professionals) from the same camp can hunt each other, in that case, the reliability and trustworthiness of independent cultivators would be greatly reduced... Zhang Yuanqing's subconscious thought was:

If evil organizations bought off independent cultivators from the law-abiding camp, their situation would be very bad. At this time, he saw Zhao Chenglong inquiring in the comments section:

[Zhao Chenghuang: What are our official countermeasures against wild independent cultivators?] Elder Shi Bu saw the message and replied:

"The officials have already spoken to all registered wild professionals. Of course, this cannot completely eliminate hidden dangers, so when you are in the 副本(fuben) (instance), do not easily trust independent cultivators. If you find that any independent cultivators are hunting our official members, write down their Lingjing IDs. We will naturally settle accounts after the killing 副本(fuben) (instance) ends."

After answering a few more questions, Elder Shi Bu continued the lecture:

"Next is the leaderboard. The leaderboard has twenty-four positions, and these twenty-four positions are the list of those who will be promoted to Saints. Those who are not on the list and are lucky enough to survive will be considered eliminated and can wait for the killing 副本(fuben) (instance) at the end of the year."

"Of course, we usually only look at the top ten rankings. Those outside the top ten are considered Saints with average potential. The elders will provide you with a list of the leaderboards from the past ten years. You can refer to it."

As the voice fell, the interface on everyone's computer screen changed, and two lists appeared: #Large-Scale Killing 副本(fuben) (instance) Leaderboard, Extraordinary Stage, Mid-Year 2012# #Large-Scale Killing 副本(fuben) (instance) Leaderboard, Extraordinary Stage, End of Year 2012# The top scorer in the mid-year had 700 points. The top scorer at the end of the year had 730 points.

Zhang Yuanqing carefully looked at the changes in the leaderboard. From 2012 to 2015, the scores of the top scorers mostly fluctuated between 700 and 800. He didn't recognize any of the Lingjing IDs on the list.

In 2016, he saw a familiar Lingjing ID: Hei Wuchang (Black Impermanence).

Ranked seventh, he was considered a very promising Witch Master, and later did become a small boss of the Spiritual Energy Society, Eastern Branch, a Level 6 Saint.

When the 2017 leaderboard appeared, the comments section instantly exploded. 2017, Mid-Year Leaderboard, #￥: 980 points. 2017, End of Year Leaderboard, E Du Gui Wang (E-City Ghost King): 850 points. The mid-year top scorer ID was blurred out. Comments section:

[Bai Hu Wan Sui: Holy crap, what's the background of that top scorer in mid-year 2017? It's a full 130 points higher than E Du Gui Wang (E-City Ghost King), and, and it's close to a thousand.]

[Niu Lan Shan Xiao Xian Nu: That's outrageous. Before, the top scorer's points were all within 800 points. E Du Gui Wang (E-City Ghost King) is known as the former Fu Qingyang, so it's understandable that his score exceeded 800, but this person in 2017 scored 980 directly.]

[Mu Dan Xian Zi: Why is the name blurred out? It must be some big shot.] [Jiang Jing Wei: Oh, I know. This person in 2017 is the marshal of the White Tiger Army.] #Jiang Jingwei has been muted by the administrator# Elder Shi Bu said calmly: "Don't discuss it, focus on looking at the leaderboard!"

The implied meaning was, don't discuss that female marshal. As subordinates, they were not allowed to comment on superiors online.

The female marshal of the White Tiger Army was still in the Extraordinary Realm five years ago? Then she shouldn't be too old... Zhang Yuanqing was shocked. Although he knew that the female marshal of the White Tiger Army was not in the first batch of Lingjing Xingzhe (Spiritual Realm professionals), he never expected her to be so young.

No, maybe she just obtained her character card late, and her actual age might be forty or fifty... But, 980 points is too abnormal. This directly suppressed the top scorers of all previous sessions. Is this the talent of a leader-level figure... Zhang Yuanqing secretly sighed.

Next, Zhang Yuanqing saw many familiar Lingjing IDs. In 2018, he saw Aunt Xiao Yuan, You Feng Lai Yi, Xiao Nao Fu, and others.

And the top scorer this year was "Zhi Sha Gong Zhu (Palace Master of Stopping Slaughter)," with 890 points.

That's right, Zhi Sha Gong Zhu (Palace Master of Stopping Slaughter) was that lunatic's Lingjing ID. Zhang Yuanqing had always thought that this was an external honorary title, like the Taiyi Sect Master. In 2019, he saw Yin Ji, Fu Qingyang, Ling Gou... It is worth mentioning that the mid-year top scorer in 2019 was Yin Ji, and the end-of-year top scorer was Yin Chuanmei, with Fu Qingyang ranking below Yin Chuanmei.

"The centurion at that time had not yet entered the ranks of top-notch experts. Well, this is in line with the rise of a hardworking person with poor talent..." Just as he was thinking this, he saw the leaderboard begin to alternate, and the 2020 leaderboard emerged: Mid-Year Top Scorer, Mo Jun (Devil Lord): 940 points. End-of-Year Top Scorer, Shao Nian Bing Wang (Young Soldier King): 860 points. The comments section exploded again.

[Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun: Mo Jun (Devil Lord)! I actually saw Mo Jun (Devil Lord)! His score is awesome, second only to the marshal.]

[Tian Xia Gui Huo: The scariest thing is not the points, but the year. Damn, Mo Jun (Devil Lord) was promoted to Saint at the beginning of 2020, and died at the beginning of 2022. At that time, he was already a figure feared by the elders of the Taiyi Sect...]

[Guo He Zu: Does this mean that Mo Jun (Devil Lord) actually only had two or three years from obtaining the character card to his death?] [Yin Chi Guai Wu: This guy is a monster.]

[Kong Ming Ai Huang Shu: I suddenly understand the Taiyi Sect Master's evaluation. He is the most outstanding Night Watcher in the past fifty years, without exception.]

While the atmosphere in the comments section was fiery, Zhang Yuanqing's eyes were firmly fixed on the end-of-year list, staring at the ID "Shao Nian Bing Wang (Young Soldier King)."

Brother Bing was two years older than him. Two years ago, Brother Bing was still a freshman. He participated in the killing 副本(fuben) (instance) when he was a freshman, so the time he became a Lingjing Xingzhe (Spiritual Realm professional) was before he went to college, during the summer vacation after graduating from senior high school. This detail coincided with the analysis he and the squad leader had made at the time. Brother Bing's temperament changed drastically during that summer vacation of his senior year of high school.

As for the fact that Mo Jun (Devil Lord) was very young, after seeing the mysterious person's appearance and combining it with the audio from the Cat King speaker, Zhang Yuanqing knew that Mo Jun (Devil Lord) was not very old.

Speaking of which, Mo Jun (Devil Lord) was not very old, but the women he slept with were mostly in their thirties.

Yin Ji was in her early thirties, Zhu Rong was thirty-two or three. He didn't know about the women in the Lust profession, but judging from their voices, they weren't young girls. The youngest was probably the Wood Fairy girl with a Deacon mother, but she didn't seem to be a young girl either. It was hard to say that he didn't have some special fetishes. Soon, the leaderboard ended. Elder Shi Bu said:

"Zhao Chenghuang, Yuan Shi Tianzun, you two have a chance to break 900 points. The headquarters is looking forward to your performance. Next, let's talk about the deployments of evil organizations in the past few sessions.

"Using curses and toxins to set traps, using illusions to confuse and lurk are their usual methods. And because the number of evil professions is far lower than that of law-abiding professions, they will show amazing unity in the killing 副本(fuben) (instance).

"By the way, I want to add something here. The prop restrictions in the inter-stage competition restore the setting of the killing 副本(fuben) (instance). The killing 副本(fuben) (instance) contains crises at the Saint level. We collected data from previous sessions to analyze and evaluate the upper limit to be about Level 4.

"Therefore, props that exceed the upper limit of the 副本(fuben) (instance) will be prohibited from use by the Lingjing. But there is a bug here. Sets are not subject to this restriction. The power of several Level 4 quality sets combined greatly exceeds Level 4, but it will not be judged as a violation.

"In 2017, the evil organizations shouted the slogan of killing the marshal, and they used sets, but unfortunately they failed. Part of that set became the marshal's spoils of war, and part returned to the Lingjing.

"Since then, the situation of sets bypassing the bug has never happened again. It's not that the evil organizations don't want to, but sets are too scarce. Collecting a complete set is even more difficult than obtaining rule-based props, so everyone doesn't have to worry about similar things happening again.

"This year, we received reliable intelligence that the evil organizations shouted the slogan 'Yuan Shi Tianzun' and 'Fu Qingyang' must die. To be on the safe side, the headquarters decided to give Yuan Shi Tianzun a set to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

"After the killing 副本(fuben) (instance) starts, everyone must remember to find Yuan Shi Tianzun as soon as possible and advance and retreat together with him as the core. You are lucky because you have not experienced the great defeat of 2020."

Speaking of this, Elder Shi Bu suddenly stopped and did not continue. Comments section:

[Mu Dan Xian Zi: What happened to the great defeat of 2020?] [Ge Ge: Same question.]

[Yuan Ting: I know, I know. Mo Jun (Devil Lord) participated in the mid-year killing 副本(fuben) (instance) in 2020. He was a servant of the Ghost Eye Judge. After entering the 副本(fuben) (instance), he started a massacre. Only six of the thirty official law-abiding professions survived. The Taiyi Sect was completely wiped out. This incident caused great turmoil and had a very bad impact. The Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance have always been very taboo about this matter and prohibit us from mentioning it in public. As long as we mention it, we will definitely be muted and banned!] #Yuan Ting has been muted by the administrator#

[Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun: Aha, he really got muted.] [Sun Sensen: This idiot is hopeless, beyond saving.] Elder Shi Bu ignored the chatter in the comments section and continued:

"Time is limited. Let's move on to the final part. I will give you a list of the top ten evil organizations in the Extraordinary stage, and a list of the top ten independent law-abiding cultivators and independent evil cultivators.

"The list has been sent to your email. Remember to check it." "Today's meeting is over. Dismissed."