Qianniao City was not only a floating city renowned far and wide, but also a prestigious cultivation sect in the xianxia world.
Since the game servers opened, Qianniao City had attracted countless players with its unique floating characteristics.
Not only was there a main city in the sky, but even the outer city directly beneath Qianniao City was packed with innumerable buildings. NPC residents and players mingled together, each performing their own duties, making Qianniao City appear even more prosperous and alluring.

At the very highest point of the floating city stood a Daoist temple that resembled a heavenly paradise. Only cultivators of inner-sect disciple rank or above were qualified to reside there. A large number of outer-sect disciples were scattered throughout the floating city and the outer city below, cultivating tirelessly day after day, hoping that one day they would be able to walk proudly into the core area of the floating city.

However, the events that occurred within Qianniao City’s sphere of influence on this day cast a shadow over the Daoist temple.

Gongsun Ding knelt in the main hall of the temple. Facing him was a middle-aged man with a long beard. On either side of him sat an elder; judging by cultivation-world standards, they were at least two hundred years old.
Behind Gongsun Ding, nine other inner-sect disciples were also kneeling.

Tang Tong, the first witness of the hidden boss, was spared punishment and stood trembling at one side of the main hall.
On the surface, he looked utterly terrified, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

After all, this was not a place he could enter whenever he wanted, and it was also the first time players had ever set foot in Qianniao City’s core area.
Thus, he immediately opened his livestream to attract traffic.

He even changed the stream title to “Qianniao City Elders Discuss How to Deal with the Cold Moon Witch.” As a result, a large number of players were tricked into entering the stream.

Naturally, the NPCs had no idea that the frightened-looking Tang Tong was pulling such a stunt. The atmosphere at the scene was extremely oppressive, and Li Yingtian, the sect master of Qianniao City, wore a particularly grim expression.

After a long pause, Li Yingtian finally spoke.

“Gongsun Ding, do you know your crime?”

Gongsun Ding pressed both hands to the ground and slammed his head down repeatedly with loud thuds. “This disciple knows his crime. I beg the Sect Master to punish me. I will harbor no resentment!”

“What is your crime?”

Gongsun Ding did not dare to protect himself with spiritual power while kowtowing. He truly smashed his forehead into the ground. After only seven or eight strikes, a few drops of blood seeped out from his forehead.
He did not dare wipe it away. Upon hearing the Sect Master’s question, he hurriedly replied:

“There are three crimes. First, after discovering the demon woman’s whereabouts, this disciple did not immediately gather my fellow disciples, but instead wished to claim all the credit for myself, acting out of selfish intent.
Second, I underestimated the demon woman’s strength. Had I gone all out from the very beginning and not given her the chance to use the Black Snow Transformation, I would have captured her long ago.
Third, I lost the sect’s most precious immortal beast, and it was even abducted by that demon woman and turned into her mount, causing our sect to lose all face. This disciple deserves death!”

After speaking, Gongsun Ding slammed his head down several more times.

The livestream chat immediately exploded:

“Holy shit, this guy is a kowtow pro. That head is tough as hell.”
“Looks like Qianniao City’s sect rules are really strict. Didn’t you see Gongsun Ding trembling the whole time?”
“Tsk tsk, no wonder. Qianniao City is one of the top ten xianxia sects in Immortal Path. Its floating city is also a gorgeous sight in the game world. Be honest—how many of you wanted to join Qianniao City just because of the floating city?”
“That’s true. My wife dragged me up to the floating city to see the scenery. I originally wanted to join the demonic sect and enjoy a wild, carefree villain life, but now I’m a miserable outer-sect disciple doing two people’s work alone—chopping wood, carrying water, cooking, and then陪 my wife to watch the sunset at night. Damn it, my youth, my villain dreams!”
“Hahaha, this is killing me.”

Tang Tong watched the comments while desperately holding back his laughter.

He dared not show the slightest hint of mockery in front of these powerful NPCs. He really didn’t want to die.
So he endured it painfully and finally stopped looking at the livestream, barely saving his own life.

Li Yingtian said coldly, “You seem to understand everything very clearly now, but isn’t it already too late? My dignified Qianniao City not only failed to subdue the demon woman who slaughtered outer-sect disciples within our territory, but even lost a precious immortal beast. If this were to spread, how would Qianniao City maintain its standing among fellow sects?”

Gongsun Ding suddenly raised his head. “I beg the Sect Master to give this disciple another chance. This time, I will not slack off in the slightest. I will surely present the demon woman’s head on your desk.”

Li Yingtian sighed. “That demon woman’s origins are unknown, and her whereabouts unpredictable. By now, she has likely already left Qianniao City’s territory. The world is vast—where would you even begin searching for her like a needle in the sea?”

Gongsun Ding lowered his head and said nothing.

The entire main hall fell silent, broken only by the sound of blood dripping from his forehead onto the floor.

“However, since Qianniao City has many outer-sect disciples, it’s not impossible to mobilize their strength. If we cast a wide net, once we find the demon woman’s whereabouts, Qianniao City can regain lost ground and help you recover your damaged reputation. During this period, you must diligently cultivate and not allow even the slightest slack. If you are defeated by that demon woman again…”

With a loud thud, Gongsun Ding slammed his head down once more. “This disciple is willing to take his own life to apologize to the world.”

The livestream chat erupted again:

“Damn, if this kowtow pro keeps charging like this, he’s gonna smash a hole through the floor.”
“Hey, hey, stop looking at that unlucky Gongsun Ding. Qianniao City just released a new mission.”
“What mission? I don’t see anything in my system panel.”
“I swear, you have to go to Qianniao City to accept it. What do you think this is, a card game?”
“Haha, I’m in Qianniao City. Just touch the bulletin board and it counts as accepting the mission. I just took it—wait… holy crap, it’s an A-rank mission. An A-rank mission!”
“A-rank? No way. This should be the first A-rank mission released since launch, right?”
“Qianniao City Announcement: The Cold Moon Witch (name taken from player terminology to ensure accuracy) has committed countless evils, slaughtered over a hundred outer-sect disciples of our immortal sect, rejected our offer of recruitment, and seized an immortal beast. The sect hereby issues an A-rank mission. Any player who can provide the specific location of the Cold Moon Witch will receive the corresponding A-rank mission rewards: one 5,000-experience pill and a no-exam qualification to enter the inner sect.”
“I can’t breathe. These rewards are insane, and all you have to do is tell Qianniao City where the Cold Moon Witch is. You don’t even need to fight.”
“Yeah, 5,000 experience is enough to go from level one to level ten, plus a no-exam inner-sect qualification. Holy crap, who’s going to be that lucky?”
“Hey, hey, why did the livestream audience suddenly drop by more than half?”
“Are you stupid? They all went to Qianniao City to take the mission.”
“Damn it, those bastards move fast. I’m going too.”

Before long, Tang Tong awkwardly watched as the number of viewers in his livestream plummeted in a straight line. Even so, he maintained a serious expression, because the meeting did not seem to be over yet.

“Tang Tong.” Li Yingtian’s gaze fell upon him.

Tang Tong immediately knelt to the ground and respectfully called out, “Sect Master.”

“Mm. As the first outer-sect disciple to come into contact with the demon woman, you are to write down, from beginning to end, every technique she used that you witnessed—word for word, without missing a single detail. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Li Yingtian said, “Good. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Do this well, and you may directly enter the inner sect to cultivate.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Tong was overjoyed.

Because he had died once before and lost half his experience, he thought he would have to struggle miserably for quite some time to meet the requirements to enter the inner sect. Now, the Sect Master had directly given him the opportunity—how could he not be ecstatic?

The sect meeting came to an end at this point.

However, the inner-sect disciples who had been kneeling did not stand up immediately. Only after the Sect Master and the elders left the main hall did the disciples rise in small groups. Their bodies had gone stiff from kneeling, and it took quite a while before they returned to normal.

Gongsun Ding’s loyal follower, Luo Xiu, did not step forward to help him up this time. Instead, he walked out coldly, and everyone clearly heard him curse, “Fuck.”

Tang Tong had no idea what grudges existed among the inner-sect disciples. He looked at Luo Xiu’s departing figure, then at Gongsun Ding still kneeling there, and decided to help senior brother up.

Only when he got close did he realize in shock that a large pool of blood had already accumulated in front of Gongsun Ding.

“Senior Brother, are you alright?”

Tang Tong exclaimed as he supported Gongsun Ding by the arm and slowly helped him up.

Gongsun Ding did not refuse Tang Tong’s kindness.

When Tang Tong helped him sit down on a nearby chair to rest, Gongsun Ding’s expression looked somewhat desolate.

“Heh, you know? I wasn’t stripped of my position as chief inner-sect disciple on the spot. That probably disappointed a lot of people.”

Tang Tong suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for him.

“After confirming the demon woman’s whereabouts, I wanted to send a signal to you all right away, but the fireworks in my hand just wouldn’t ignite. In order to prevent the demon woman from escaping, I had no choice but to intercept her alone.”

Tang Tong was surprised. “Then why didn’t you report this to the Sect Master just now?”

Gongsun Ding shook his head. “Saying it would only make people think I’m eloquent and unwilling to take responsibility. Besides, I did indeed commit the crime of underestimating the enemy. I lost fairly.”

Tang Tong had never imagined that the seemingly powerful inner-sect disciples of Qianniao City would engage in such intense internal strife, which left him feeling somewhat chilled.

Gongsun Ding glanced at him and forced a smile. “Where there are people, there is the martial world. Even cultivators are no better than ordinary people when it comes to fighting over fame and profit. So when you enter the inner sect, don’t think that focusing solely on cultivation will be enough. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Do you understand?”

Tang Tong half understood, half didn’t.

It seemed that even the path of cultivation within a game was full of uncertainty and hardship—but wasn’t that exactly what made Dao of Inquiry so appealing?