118: Chapter 118: Lu Guhuai's Little Moves

In the inner hall of the Qingheng Sect's Law Enforcement Hall, several eternal lamps flickered unsteadily, stretching people's shadows long and casting them onto the mottled walls, looking exactly like ghosts waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai sat in the main seat, rotating two pitch-black iron balls in his hand; the sound of them turning was dull and oppressive.

Opposite him sat several other Elders who often had complaints about Hengchuan Peak—some responsible for Outer Sect resources, some for Sect discipline, and a few conservatives affiliated with the Old God Group.

"Regarding tomorrow's satisfaction assessment, what does everyone think?" Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai's voice was low, like tea leaves floating in a teacup, carrying a hint of bitterness.

A plump Elder snorted coldly, "What else is there to think? Some Peaks don't focus on their proper work, instead engaging in 'livestreaming' and 'work routines,' completely losing face for cultivators! And now they want to surpass us in satisfaction? If we let them take first place, wouldn't that be telling the entire Nine Provinces that from now on, as long as you know how to play the victim and act, you can achieve the Dao?"

The iron balls in Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai's hand suddenly stopped with a sharp "click." He lifted his eyelids, his gaze murky yet sharp, "You cannot say it like that. Hengchuan Peak... has its own merits. After all, they took first in the resource assessment, which was stamped by the Heavenly Dao."

He paused, his tone suddenly becoming earnest, "However, as Elders, we must consider the 'Heart-Nature' of our Disciples. Young people today have an unsettled Heart-Nature and are easily blinded by flashy things. If we let them think that kind of grandstanding is the Righteous Path, then wouldn't the century-old foundation of our Qingheng Sect be destroyed in an instant?"

The few Elders looked at each other, seemingly understanding the hidden meaning.

"Does Elder Lu mean..." a thin Elder asked tentatively.

"I mean nothing at all." Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam, "It's just that tomorrow's questionnaire is anonymous, and the Heavenly Dao rules will only record the Disciples' true intentions. As their Revered Master, shouldn't we give the Disciples a reminder before the exam? Remind them to be 'honest,' to be 'objective,' and to distinguish between true 'cultivator dignity' and low-class 'actor's tricks'?"

The plump Elder's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood, "Senior Brother Lu is right! The practices of some Peaks are indeed... repulsive. It's normal for the Disciples to be angry. If the questionnaire asks about 'views on other Peaks' or 'Sect atmosphere,' it is only right to let them express themselves truthfully."

"Yes, they must reflect the truth." Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai set down his teacup, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, cold sneer, "Especially for those Peaks that like to air their dirty laundry and display their Senior Brothers as jokes to outsiders; it is understandable that the Disciples are unhappy. After all, who would want to be in the same Sect as a 'monkey'?"

The candlelight flickered, and several sinister laughs echoed in the hall. Although not a single word explicitly said "give Hengchuan Peak a low score," those seeds had already been precisely planted in the hearts of every Elder present.

...

The next morning, at the very last moment before the assessment began.

In the camps of the various major Peaks, several Elders were conducting their final "pre-exam mobilization."

"Remember, the questionnaire is anonymous, and the Heavenly Dao does not know who filled it out." The Elder responsible for discipline said with a stern face to his Personal Disciple, "If anyone asks about the 'Sect atmosphere,' you must uphold impartiality. For those behaviors that rely on livestreaming to grab attention and turn the Sect into a joke, you must dare to say 'no'!"

"Also," another Elder patted his Disciple's shoulder, "If the questionnaire asks for comparisons regarding 'other Peaks,' you must be realistic. Do not be misled by temporary hype; what we must uphold is the dignity of cultivators."

Although they didn't mention the words "Hengchuan Peak," all the Disciples knew exactly who they meant—who else but Hengchuan Peak had been the most popular recently, livestreamed the most fiercely, and talked about "working" all the time?

Meanwhile, inside Hengchuan Peak's temporary command post.

Shen Xingzhou was staring at the System panel, his brows knitted into a "river" shape.

On the System interface, the satisfaction pre-assessment data, which should have shown a "normal distribution," now displayed an extremely strange and glaring red line.

[System Monitoring: Satisfaction pre-survey data is abnormal]

Data Source: Anonymous sampling from the twelve main Peaks of the Sect (500 samples in total)

Abnormal Indicator: A surge in negative evaluations targeting "Hengchuan Peak."

Keyword clustering: "grandstanding," "corrupting Sect traditions," "embarrassing," "actor."

Time distribution: Negative evaluations concentrated and erupted within the last half-hour.

Wording characteristics: Highly similar, with a repetition rate as high as 85%.

[Preliminary Marking] Suspected externally interfered samples

Judgment Logic: Naturally occurring resentment is usually diverse, with insults that are never the same. But the insults in this batch of samples seem to be carved from the same mold, full of "bookish language" and "grand words," clearly guided by uniform instruction.

"Is this... a paid troll army?" Su Ciyao leaned over to take a look, her eyes widening, "The cultivation world has paid trolls leaving bad reviews too?"

"More Advanced than a troll army." Shen Xingzhou sneered, tapping his finger on that red line, "This is 'organized behavior.' Someone doesn't want us to win, so they brainwashed the Disciples before the exam, making them fill out the questionnaire with resentment."

Wen Xi pushed up her glasses, her abacus clicking rapidly, making crisp sounds, "From a statistical perspective, this data distribution completely defies natural laws. If this batch of samples is mixed into the final assessment, our satisfaction score will be dragged down by at least 15%. In a fiercely competitive situation, this is enough to drop us from first to fifth."

Shen Xingzhou fell silent.

He knew who did this. It could be no one else but Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai, who viewed "rules" and "dignity" above all else. This old man had disliked Hengchuan Peak for a long time, and this time he was taking his "methods" to the extreme.

"System, can this be removed directly?" Shen Xingzhou asked.

[System Response] Cannot be removed directly. Reason: These evaluations indeed came from real Disciples; although they were incited, under the rules of the Heavenly Dao, they belong to "true will." Unless you can prove these are "violation instructions," the Heavenly Dao will judge this as "internal freedom of opinion." Direct intervention without public evidence will instead be judged by the Heavenly Dao as the host "attempting to manipulate assessment results."

"In other words, we have to just swallow this bitter pill?" Senior Sister Xie Handeng's hand rested on her sword hilt, Killing Intent appearing in her eyes, "Should I go have a chat with those Elders? A chat with my sword."

"No, that's suicide." Shen Xingzhou pressed down on Senior Sister Xie Handeng's hand, "If we act now, it means we are 'not following the rules,' which is exactly the excuse they need to cancel our results."

He took a deep breath, staring at the flashing "warning" prompt box on the System interface, his brain working at high speed.

This is the workplace of the cultivation world. You think you are being tested on professional ability, but they are testing you on political alignment. You think you are comparing who is better at leading a team, but they are comparing who is better at stabbing people in the back.

"Since they want to play with 'public opinion,' we will play along with them." A flash of ruthlessness crossed Shen Xingzhou's eyes, "System, provide response plans."

The options on the screen refreshed; this time, each option was marked with a different risk level.

[Available Operations]

Option 1: Turn a blind eye, accept the interference. Operation: Default to accepting these bad reviews, focus on improving the satisfaction of our own Peak's Disciples. Result: High probability of losing first place, keeping top three. Safe, but cowardly.

Option 2: Communicate privately with the Sect Head, request manual correction. Operation: Take the data to Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou and explain the situation. Result: The Sect Head might help secretly, but it would incur a favor, and it would not cure the hostility of the Elder faction.

Option 3: Publicize part of the interference evidence at an appropriate time. Operation: At the assessment site, expose this "incitement" behavior in public, bringing the conflict into the open. Result: High risk, high reward. As long as the evidence is solid, it can utilize the backlash of public opinion from the livestream room to turn "public opinion" into a "conspiracy." But this will completely tear off the facade, bringing internal conflict to the table.

Shen Xingzhou's gaze was fixed on Option 3. That line of red text was as glaring as blood: Warning: Option 3 will significantly amplify internal conflict.

This was not just an assessment, but a declaration of war. Once started, Hengchuan Peak would be at odds with the old faction, with no room for maneuver.

"Senior Brother, which one to choose?" Wen Xi asked, "According to calculations, choosing 3 has the highest win rate, but our survival risk also increases exponentially."

Shen Xingzhou did not answer immediately.

He turned to look at the high platform of the Martial Arts Arena, where Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai was sitting, looking solemn, as if he were the embodiment of justice. And behind him, those Elders who participated in the collusion also looked indifferent.

They thought this was still a world where "whoever has the biggest fist is right" or "whoever has the most seniority has the final say." They thought they could easily erase the efforts of Hengchuan Peak's Disciples with a few whispers and a few glances.

But, the world had changed.

"If we don't cut out this rotten flesh, next time they will put poison in our food." Shen Xingzhou's voice was very soft, yet as cold as ice, "We are already pawns that have crossed the river; there is no turning back."

He reached his hand toward Option 3, but his fingertips did not land immediately. He was waiting, waiting for the most suitable moment—a moment that everyone could see, and one that even the Heavenly Dao could not ignore.

"Save it for now." Shen Xingzhou withdrew his hand, his eyes flashing with the light of a hunter, "When they raise their knives, we will grab their hands and break them."

At the bottom of the System panel, a line of faint, small text appeared, as if foreshadowing the coming storm:

"You are no longer just playing a game against the cold machine that is the Heavenly Dao, but also against a group of people who don't want to change the books and don't want to lose their power. Be careful, old foxes are harder to deal with than gods."