Chapter 349: Releasing the Slots

Han Daozi’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He had thought Song Jiulai coming here would be a big deal.

But he never thought it would be *this* big of a deal!

He couldn’t help but stand up and ask, "Where could you possibly recruit seven hundred disciples?"

’Are disciples cabbages you can just pick up off the street?’

For a Major Sect with a reputation like the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect, forget seven hundred—they could get seven thousand!

Just look at how many people went to their competition this time.

But the Longevity Sect? On what grounds?!

They were already hiding in the shadows, and having so many disciples was already incredible. To think they could recruit seven hundred more!

How was Song Jiulai supposed to explain this? She tucked her hands into her sleeves and gave Han Daozi an awkward look. "How should I put this? I have some... unorthodox methods."

Han Daozi: ?

’You’re being this honest?’

Han Daozi sat back down and said earnestly, "You mustn’t use unorthodox methods. They are detrimental to a Cultivator’s path."

Song Jiulai replied, "I just picked a term that I thought would be easier for you to accept."

Han Daozi: "..."

However, Song Jiulai’s cultivation path had been so smooth; she didn’t seem like the type to go astray.

Han Daozi stood up again, clasping his hands behind his back and gazing at the sky with a complex expression. "Aren’t you afraid of what this old man might do to you?"

Song Jiulai said, "Well, that just depends on whether my luck is good or not. And I believe you, old senior, are also very interested in our Sect’s secrets, aren’t you?"

’Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stayed here for so long.’

Han Daozi turned to look at her.

A flicker of interest showed in his eyes.

After a moment, he burst out laughing. "HA HA! This old man has seen it all in his life, but I’ve never seen anyone like you. I’m quite looking forward to seeing what your Sect becomes. Perhaps you’ll even carve out a place for yourselves on the Yunzhou Continent?"

"You can designate a location, and I will set up a great Array for you. After that, the daily maintenance will be up to your people. As long as you do not grant permission, no one will be able to enter the area you’ve designated. Naturally, your disciples won’t be able to bring anyone inside either."

In other words, only Longevity Sect disciples would be allowed in.

Song Jiulai was overjoyed. "Thank you, Senior! This junior will work like a horse and toil like an ox for you, dedicating my life to your service!"

Han Daozi wasn’t accustomed to this kind of modern, loose-tongued hyperbole. Even though Song Jiulai was thanking him, he turned with a stern face. "Don’t just say whatever comes to mind. This old man is not such a demanding person. As a Sect Master, you should be more mindful of your words!"

Song Jiulai accepted the lesson humbly. "Yes, this junior will be more careful in the future."

Now that Han Daozi had agreed to set up the Array, all she had to do was announce the news to the outside world.

Having arrived at the Dragon Frost Swamp, Song Jiulai now felt that her Sect was still too small.

Far too small.

Since the Feique Sect was clearly within her grasp, the neighboring Taohua Sect was as good as hers too.

With the Array in place, she no longer had any worries about expanding the Sect.

But she couldn’t expand too aggressively all at once.

Otherwise, too many people would be difficult to manage.

This time, she would still need to open up a few sect locations.

She could also include the Netherworld Sect and the Liuyun Sect.

She could even let people start in the Dragon Frost Swamp.

After all, she had been there, but the Dragon Frost Swamp was simply too dangerous.

Song Jiulai estimated that the incoming players would likely suffer heavy losses.

Considering that having too many players there could easily lead to undesirable accidents, she ultimately decided against opening the Dragon Frost Swamp as a starting zone.

Four sect locations were enough for the players to mess around in.

Some players had been to the Xingshui Sect and unlocked it as a location.

But the Xingshui Sect was too reclusive. Qing Guo had been interrogated when she went there before. Any normal player wandering around would be killed on sight.

Dying the moment you log in doesn’t make for a great gaming experience.

’I have to be frugal with the puppets, too.’

The system’s Energy Pool could handle it this time, but without a major cycle to replenish it, she would have to be conservative if she wanted to return to the Dragon Frost Swamp.

The Energy Pool had to be expanded. Relying on the slow replenishment from the current players’ cultivation wasn’t enough.

New players’ cultivation advanced the fastest.

At least, the speed at which they reached Late-stage Qi Refining was much faster than old players reaching Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

So, Song Jiulai had the system send out a message.

Sect Channel:

[System]: The game is about to receive the major version 1.003 update. This update will introduce 700 new players. Interested players can participate in the welcoming event to obtain a certain number of points. A double points event will also be active for one month.

[System]: The Sect will soon be opening a Core Sect location. This core location will not permit entry to any local Yunzhou Cultivators, only players. Please prepare yourselves!

[Han Tian: Holy crap, 700 new slots this time? Is our Sect awesome enough to actually handle that many?]

[Zhou Nvzi: 6666666, where did the Sect Master strike it rich recently? She even dares to let in 700 people.]

[Wu Dahu: @Zhou Nvzi You say that, but you won’t even go!]

[Shuang Xiahuai: Seven hundred! Holy cow!]

[Jiang Tianya: Is the new Sect location related to the new players being added?]

[Lin Baobao: Buying Demon Beast Materials in bulk! Buying Demon Beast Materials in bulk! Offering power-leveling services for new disciples, carrying them through demon beast hunts. Private message meeeee!]

...

The moment this message was released, the players erupted in discussion.

Shuitan immediately logged off to tell the national team that 700 slots were about to be released.

Wei Jun was a little shocked. "They’re actually releasing seven hundred this time?"

Shuitan nodded. "And we’re also getting a Core Sect location. This sect won’t allow any local Yunzhou Cultivators to enter. I suspect it’s related to the new players. The Sect Master must have found a way for them to hide."

As long as the Longevity Sect disciples remained hidden.

They could set out for Demon Cave Valley in batches.

Completely spread out, even when entering Wang’an County, they wouldn’t let other Cultivators realize just how many people the Longevity Sect had.

Besides, most of the Longevity Sect disciples weren’t in the Sect’s territory anyway.

Wei Jun knew this was urgent. Moreover, the Broken Sect had a habit of making an announcement right before releasing slots.

He immediately had Liu Wen Yu send out a notice, telling the people they had already prepared to get into position at the designated locations.

They were about to compete with hundreds of thousands—no, perhaps millions or even tens of millions of people who were all paying attention to this one game.

All to snatch one of a few hundred slots.

Even though, compared to the past, the Broken Sect was being quite generous this time.

It was still far, far too few.

Liang Xueyao had already entered the location arranged by the base to conduct targeted long-term research. With more and more case studies on hand, they were able to understand the Yunzhou Continent better and better.

’If only Song Jiulai were willing to communicate with them!’

Unfortunately, they had sent private messages to the Sect, but the system had never replied.

The main reason was that Song Jiulai didn’t know how to respond.

Right now, she really couldn’t open a backdoor for the national team.

The system placed great emphasis on a player’s luck; anyone who got in had to do so on their own merit.

Song Jiulai had never dealt with official government bodies before, so it felt a bit awkward. For now, she had no intention of privately contacting anyone from Blue Star.

’Besides, I’ve already limited the players to Huaxia. Isn’t my stance obvious enough?’

Most importantly, she wasn’t sure if, once the national team confirmed she was truly a Huaxia person from Blue Star, their goals would conflict with her own plans for the Sect’s development.

It might seem like the national team could give her the best advice, but they were two worlds apart. Yunzhou was her world.

Her life couldn’t afford any mistakes.

’For now, I’ll just play it by ear.’