The four hundred and ninety-ninth time.

Su Ling’er felt like she had become an empty shell, a walking corpse.

She no longer wondered why the fallen leaves could never be fully swept away, or why the water vats were always empty again.

Her brain seemed to have stopped thinking. She just numbly repeated her previous actions amidst the endless clamor, heading to the next courtyard to do it all over again.

When she dragged her feet into the Transmission Hall for the five hundredth time, the aura of numbness about her made the other disciples who were chatting instinctively give her a wide berth.

Lin Qingfeng stood by a stone pillar inside the hall, staring at the Sect Panel that only players could see.

[Sect Information]

[Sect Contribution (NPC): 500/500,000]

Seeing the number finally climb from 0 to 500, Lin Qingfeng breathed a silent sigh of relief.

’Alright, 500 contribution points have unlocked other daily quests. Little Junior Sister can finally do something else.’

’If she keeps sweeping like this, I’m genuinely afraid I’ll make this already dim-witted NPC completely malfunction.’

’If she ends up like Qian Buyu, it would be a huge waste.’

Su Ling’er placed the jade slip on the stone platform before the task elder, all hope extinguished.

She waited for the elder to hand her another jade slip, just as he had the hundreds of times before, to begin the next cycle of torment.

This time, however, the task elder’s empty eye sockets seemed to twitch.

He accepted the jade slip and took a brand new one from the stone wall.

The luster of this new slip was slightly better than the dim ones from before.

Su Ling’er’s heart skipped a beat.

’Is this finally the five hundredth time?’

As she watched the jade slip slide toward her, a surge of warmth rose from her Dantian to her heart.

’Am I finally free from this endless cycle?’

’Do I finally never have to see those bizarre courtyards or that eternally unfillable water vat in the back mountains again?’

’Is it finally over?!’

With a trembling hand, she accepted the jade slip and sent her consciousness inside.

[Sweep the Sect’s Fallen Leaves]

[Carry Water to Fill the Nine Vats in the Back Mountains]

The moment she saw the first two options, the flicker of hope in her heart was instantly extinguished, plunging her back into despair.

’Why is it still these two?!’

Her gaze then swept downwards.

[Chop a Hundred Loads of Deadwood in the Back Mountains]

[Till Three Acres of Medicinal Fields in Hundred Herbs Valley]

[Cut Down a Hundred Green Bamboos in the Cyan Bamboo Forest]

This time, there were five quests.

At the very bottom was another line of small text.

You may choose one, or you may accept all of them.

Su Ling’er’s eyes were glued to the last three lines:

Chopping firewood, tilling land, cutting bamboo.

She had been tormented by endless sweeping and water-carrying for so long that seeing these three new, equally menial tasks actually made her want to cry.

’How long will this new cycle last?’

’It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters anymore!’

’As long as I don’t have to face those endless leaves and that bottomless water vat, I’ll do any chore they give me!’

’I’m really at my limit. My brain can barely think anymore!’

Meanwhile, the other disciples in the sect were well aware that their Little Junior Sister had met the contribution requirement.

After all, she was the only native NPC in the sect, so everyone was keeping an eye on her quest progress.

So, following their Eldest Senior Brother’s prior arrangements, they began a new round of "encouragement."

"Little Junior Sister! You’ve unlocked new quests!"

"I knew it! After persevering five hundred times, your Dao Heart is unshakable! The sect has finally acknowledged you!"

"An unyielding Dao Heart! An unending struggle! Little Junior Sister, your future is bright!"

The pests behind her started their relentless cheering again. Su Ling’er was so mortified her face felt numb.

’So annoying.’

’Is this how you treat a disciple joining an immortal sect for the first time?!’

’Don’t you people have a shred of conscience?!’

’As I thought! All you demonic Evil Cultivators are utterly heartless creatures!!!’

She reached out and swiped across the jade slip, accepting the last three quests.

She completely ignored the first two; even looking at them made her head spin.

She checked her condition. A quick internal scan revealed that she didn’t have much Spiritual Power left.

But she had to see what the rewards for these new quests were before her Spiritual Power ran out completely.

Otherwise, she felt she wouldn’t be able to rest in peace.

Without a backward glance, she walked out of the Transmission Hall, as if she had made a firm resolution.

...

In a logging yard in the back mountains.

Su Ling’er stood before a pile of dried firewood.

Eldest Senior Brother and his cheerleading squad still didn’t step forward to help. They just kept shouting empty words of encouragement.

"Little Junior Sister, don’t just see this as ordinary wood. Every swing of the axe is an examination of your own strength!"

"Go for it! Chop away all the distracting thoughts in your heart along with the sawdust!"

Su Ling’er closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

’Still, this quest wasn’t anything special. The difficulty was about the same as sweeping floors and filling vats.’

’But the one difference was that it was finally a *new* quest.’

’It was as if she was no longer a person born just to sweep floors and carry water.’

’...except for that incessant, grating noise.’

The tasks were simple. She easily chopped all the firewood with her Wooden Sword, then went to cut down a hundred green bamboos in the Cyan Bamboo Forest.

’She couldn’t understand it. The Wooden Sword looked just like any ordinary piece of wood; it wasn’t even made of iron.’

’So why was it so effective for chopping?’

’Was my cultivation realm too low to tell the difference?’

’But if only high-level cultivators could see its true nature, why would it be given to new disciples for free?’

Her train of thought was interrupted by the voices of the cheerleading squad.

"Tough is the green bamboo, firm is the Dao Heart! Junior Sister, felling bamboo will let you reach for the heavens!"

"One, two, three, faster, faster! Don’t keep Eldest Senior Brother waiting!"

Su Ling’er turned her head away and rolled her eyes.

’I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to see them.’

’Aren’t you guys embarrassed at all?’

’Just let it all be destroyed.’

’And hurry it up.’

...

On the path to Hundred Herbs Valley, Su Ling’er’s Spiritual Qi hadn’t recovered, but her mental state had improved considerably. Even her steps were much lighter.

’Finally, only one quest left.’

’Tending a medicinal field is just pulling some weeds and tilling the soil.’

’I wonder what the reward will be this time. This is a good chance to take a proper look around Hundred Herbs Valley.’

She remembered her last visit, when Lin Qingfeng had tried to test her with a wicked flower that reflected one’s innermost thoughts. She had even received a "Sorrow Flower" from it.

Sigh, the thought made Su Ling’er’s heart leap into her throat again.

’This place is full of traps. I hope I don’t run into that eccentric Senior Brother Shen Nong again.’

Soon, a medicinal field appeared before her.

In the field next to it, there seemed to be another figure at work.

And then, the hellish racket from her followers started up again.

"That’s right! Tending the medicinal field seems ordinary, but in reality, it’s a dialogue with heaven and earth!"

"Little Junior Sister, use your patience and sweat to comprehend the withering and flourishing of life!"

Su Ling’er’s eyelid twitched.

She watched the "hype squad" as they skillfully unfurled spirit banners and waved Radiant Stones, seemingly tireless.

If you looked closely, you could see their eyes were vacant.

’I really want to ask them...’

’Aren’t you guys tired?’

’Don’t you have your own cultivation to do?’

’Are you all really this idle?’

’Just following me around all day long?’

’Haven’t you noticed the blank expressions on your own faces?!’

’Sigh, it seems this demonic sect has thoroughly brainwashed you all...’

’This demonic evil sect is truly wicked beyond belief!’

In reality, however, the players had logged off long ago, setting their characters to "auto-follow" and "action memory" modes.

They were now just repeating their cheering motions and slogans while automatically following Little Junior Sister.

Just then, Lin Qingfeng emerged from the crowd again, his hands clasped behind his back.

He looked at his Little Junior Sister, that familiar smile reappearing on his face.

’Looks like it’s time to feed Little Junior Sister another bowl of chicken soup for the soul!’

’And while the reward for this garden-tending quest isn’t huge, it’s a lot better than the initial daily quests!’

’Besides, I just brushed up on my inspirational speeches.’

’No time like the present!’

’Here comes the chicken soup!’

...

「Real World」

**News Archive**

Ashen Heaven Group announced on its official website the formal establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary: Nirvana Biotechnology Inc.

The announcement stated that Nirvana will be dedicated to "applying the experience gained from exploring the virtual world to solving the health challenges faced by humanity in the real world."

Looking back at the corporation’s moves over the past few years, the global market was only now beginning to realize that the ambitions of this tech behemoth extended far beyond just gaming.