Chapter 14
“What Did You Just Say? You Want to Leave the Sect???”
She only felt a sharp ringing in her ears, her vision darkened, and she instinctively took two steps back.
But her legs faltered, almost causing her to fall.
And in that brief instant when her mind went blank, a phrase slipped from her tightly wound nerves before she could stop herself:
“Can I… withdraw from the sect…”
Her voice was almost drowned out by the roaring of the furnace.
However, the face of her senior brother beside her — Lin Qingfeng, who had been feigning a calm and profound expression — instantly froze.
Wait a second… what did I just hear?
Withdraw from the sect?
Did she just say “withdraw from the sect”?
No way!
Wasn’t she doing fine just now?
She’d been spouting all that “sacrifice oneself to forge divine weapons” nonsense so seriously—why is she suddenly talking about quitting?
With that kind of conviction, what kind of immortal cultivation is she planning to do? Shouldn’t she just go home and farm instead?!
The noisy Refining Hall suddenly fell into an eerie stillness.
The disciples who had just finished hammering their weapons stopped what they were doing, slowly wiping the “blood stains” off their massive hammers.
Even the onlooking players and the other disciples working nearby put down what they were doing.
Time itself seemed to have stopped.
Then, one by one, all eyes turned toward Su Ling’er.
The first to react was the burly man Shi Gandang, who had just been released from the forging platform.
“Did I just hear her say ‘withdraw from the sect’? Senior Brother, I didn’t mishear, did I?”
“What the hell? Withdraw from the sect?!”
Another disciple slammed his huge hammer to the ground with a loud bang.
“We can’t let her run away!”
“Should we break her legs? If she escapes, what happens to the sect’s future?”
“Exactly! We finally got one, let’s break her legs and then educate her properly! Anyway, even if they’re broken, we can just reattach them later!”
“Senior Brother, give the order! I’ll do it!”
Several players hefted their hammers, producing a series of heavy thuds.
More people surrounded her from all directions, sealing every exit of the Refining Hall completely.
Their expressions were varied — and in the flickering furnace light, all of them looked even more twisted and menacing.
Su Ling’er looked at their vicious faces, hearing their talk of “don’t let her escape” and “break her legs,” and her heart sank into despair.
It’s over. It’s over. I said the wrong thing!
This hellhole—once you enter, you can never leave!
They won’t let me go alive!
What do I do?
What do I do, what do I do?!
She could already imagine them skinning her alive, ripping out her tendons, and chaining her within the sect.
Seeing those huge, blood-red hammers swinging in front of her made her dizzy and weak in the knees.
Lin Qingfeng, meanwhile, finally snapped out of his shock.
Looking at Su Ling’er’s deathly pale face, he didn’t even stop to consider whether she could handle this mentally.
He had to make sure.
If this only NPC really dared to withdraw from the sect, they would need to use force immediately!
“Junior Sister,”
His expression remained calm, even with a faint smile.
“What did you just… say?”
But looking at his narrowed eyes, Su Ling’er felt her back go cold — the threat of death had never felt so real.
She had no doubt that if she dared to repeat the words “leave the sect,” her legs would be snapped in half the very next second.
In this place where human life meant nothing, who knew what kind of fate would await her!
She couldn’t admit it. Absolutely not!
Let herself be brainwashed and turned into a sacrifice like them? Never!
She had to come up with a reasonable explanation — something they could reluctantly accept.
Withdraw from the sect… what sounds similar to that?
Tuì…
Tuì!
Got it!
A flash of inspiration crossed her mind.
Su Ling’er quickly waved her hands, forcing her voice to sound calm and steady:
“Senior Brother, Senior Brothers and Sisters — you all misheard me.
What I said wasn’t ‘tuì zōng’ (withdraw from the sect), but ‘tuì zōng’ (shed/transform the sect) — ‘tuì’ as in transformation!”
Huh?
What are you talking about?
Seeing their skeptical faces, Su Ling’er knew she had to keep pushing.
She took a deep breath, sweeping her gaze across their predatory expressions, burying all traces of fear, and forcing herself to appear composed.
Then she clasped her fists and declared in a loud, impassioned voice:
“Just now, I witnessed Senior Brother Shi using his very body as a weapon, enduring pain as his flame, breaking himself down to rebuild — a true rebirth through suffering.
My heart was struck with awe!
Such a path, seeking strength not from outside, but from within — daring to cast one’s body into the great furnace of tempering — this is the supreme way to enlightenment!”
“Now I finally understand the true meaning of our sect’s name — ‘Gui Xi Sect’ (Return to Dawn).”
“It doesn’t merely mean returning to light, but represents shedding the mortal shell and washing away the mundane — like a cicada molting, abandoning the old self to be reborn and bathe in the dawn of the Great Dao!
That is why I said ‘tuì zōng’ (transformation of the sect) — for our sect’s supreme doctrine is founded upon transformation!”
Her speech grew increasingly passionate, even bringing tears to her eyes — though those tears were from fear, she twisted her expression into one of fervent devotion.
“Such depth, such courage — no other sect could ever compare!
I can only say — Gui Xi Immortal Sect, eternal and everlasting, shall one day unify the entire cultivation world!
Thank you, Senior Brother, for enlightening me! And thank you, everyone, for demonstrating it before me in person — Ling’er is deeply grateful!”
Her voice rang with such conviction that the entire Refining Hall once again fell silent.
Everyone stared at one another, exchanging glances rapidly.
Whoa… this NPC’s flattery skills are insane!
So Gui Xi Sect actually means shedding mortal flesh and bathing in divine light?
That sounds so badass!
Junior Sister says our sect will one day unify the whole cultivation world!
Alright, alright — as long as she’s not running away, that explanation works for me.
Lin Qingfeng, meanwhile, looked at Su Ling’er’s face — filled with admiration and gratitude — and was quite satisfied.
Transformation of the sect?
Why didn’t I think of that?
Even I, the guild master, didn’t know our sect name had such profound meaning!
But… it fits!
Our sect is that awesome!
This girl truly understands me!
Just then, the player “Ji,” who had previously jumped into the potion bath and been resurrected, spoke up to smooth things over:
“Oh—so it was ‘transformation’ you meant!
Scared me half to death!
I knew it — our Gui Xi Sect is so great, a model of righteousness and admired by all. How could Junior Sister possibly want to leave!”
Someone beside him picked up his hammer from the floor, chuckling:
“Looks like Junior Sister knows what’s good for her. Better stay obedient, huh?”
“It’s all Senior Brother’s fault for having bad hearing — misunderstanding and almost wronging her!”
“Yeah, yeah, Senior Brother’s fault!”
Everyone chimed in, the tense atmosphere dissipating a little.
Lin Qingfeng took the chance to ease out of the situation as well, smiling while quietly typing in the sect channel:
【Lin Qingfeng】: @everyone Keep an eye on Junior Sister’s location on the minimap!
If she gets anywhere near the sect boundary, report immediately and intercept her! She must not leave the sect — not even half a step!
【Shi Gandang】: Roger that!
【Ji】: Don’t worry, guild master!
【Yan Buliu】: Got it. If she runs, I’ll steal her shoes!
Seeing the replies, Lin Qingfeng finally relaxed.
He regained his calm, lofty demeanor and smiled gently at Su Ling’er:
“I was overthinking it, Junior Sister.
But your insight — it’s a great blessing for your cultivation path.”
“I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare…” Su Ling’er bowed quickly.
“Alright, everyone — back to work!”
The crowd laughed and dispersed, returning to their forging tasks.
Su Ling’er remained frozen in place until the last spectator turned away. Only then did she let out a long, trembling breath.
Her back was completely soaked with cold sweat.
For a moment there, she had no doubt that if she had said even one wrong word, she’d have lost her legs — or her life.
A narrow escape… truly a brush with death.
It seemed the undercover mission assigned by her sect master was far more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.
And someone dared to call this Gui Xi Sect a “model of righteousness”?
What a joke!
Breaking people’s legs, performing live sacrifices—what part of that looks righteous?!
Wait—was that guy who jumped into the potion bath also one of the brainwashed disciples?
Why can’t I remember clearly?
Su Ling’er shook her head — maybe it was just the stress making her forget.
But in any case… at least she was still alive.
[Reality]
[News Archives]
In response to ongoing player complaints, Jintian Group’s subsidiary Tianyuan Interactive Entertainment, the operator of Jintian Online, issued an official announcement.
The announcement admitted that there were “model reuse and behavioral anomalies” among NPCs, but gave no specific repair schedule, only stating:
“These issues stem from certain core principles of the ‘Shensi’ engine’s underlying architecture. To ensure long-term system stability and data integrity, any adjustments require extremely cautious evaluation. We are currently exploring potential solutions.”
This vague statement failed to appease players’ anger — instead, rumors that “Jintian can’t fix its bugs” spread even more wildly.
