"Mom! *Sob sob sob*... I miss you so much, Mom! Two years without seeing you..."
"My dear son, are you out of your mind? I only haven't seen you for a week, what are you wailing about?"
"Huh?"
...
It was no wonder Chu Yang advised them to pay close attention to their mental state. The disparity in the flow of time gave them the illusion of a fleeting dream, where everything had changed.
If their improved cultivation wasn't real, they might have truly believed their experiences in the Time Secret Realm were just a dream.
However, what made them secretly delighted was that everyone outside had a cultivation base of only Qi Refining.
As for them, the weakest among those who emerged from the secret realm had reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment, most had achieved the middle stage, and the most formidable few had already entered the Golden Core stage.
This sense of superiority made them feel a notch above the rest.
Of course, not everyone had a pleasant experience in the secret realm. Those who didn't get a chance to enter the inner sect were not happy.
"I want to file a complaint! I want to complain about Daoist Bai, this old Daoist is not respectful of his age, he swindles and deceives, he has gone too far!!"
"That's right, that's right, don't be fooled by his immortal-like demeanor. This old scoundrel colluded with us, promising to enter the inner sect together, but instead, he made us work for him and then ran off by himself!"
"It's outrageous! Not only that, but he also used formations to occupy the spirit energy-rich cultivation rooms and ambushed passing cultivators!"
"You think that's bad? He even charged fees! If you want to cultivate, you have to pay him spirit stones!"
"..."
As waves of fierce accusations erupted, the interviewing reporters were dumbfounded.
They looked at the old Daoist Bai Nianchen. After entering the Golden Core stage, the Daoist's aura had become even more distinguished.
He carried himself with an air of detachment from worldly affairs, seemingly unconcerned by these accusations, making him appear less like the swindler they described.
"Daoist Bai, Daoist Bai, please tell us, is what they are saying true?"
Bai Nianchen stood with his hands behind his back, sighed, and said calmly, "This humble Daoist can only say that the clear will remain clear. We cultivators should rely on our own efforts and cultivate diligently. Those underhanded tactics are not to be condoned."
"Uh... they say you swindled and deceived."
"Nonsense! You can go and ask junior Luo, junior Qingyun, and the others. Would this humble Daoist be such a person?"
"Then they say you deliberately charged fees?"
Bai Nianchen sighed helplessly and said, "Compared to fighting, this humble Daoist prefers to obtain resources through mutual consent. Moreover, this humble Daoist maintains the formations to protect them from external disturbances. Is there anything wrong with this?"
For a moment, the entire audience fell silent.
Those who had complained didn't expect the old Daoist to be so shameless, yet they couldn't find any solid counter-arguments.
"It's hateful, don't let him cloud your judgment!"
"Exactly, so many of us are saying the same thing, doesn't that prove something?"
At this moment, Bai Nianchen coughed twice and said, "In fact, although this humble Daoist is the Dao Master of Baishi Cave Heaven, my master taught me from a young age that Longhu Mountain is also the orthodox lineage of Daoism. If there's an opportunity, this humble Daoist would like to visit Longhu Mountain to exchange Daoist arts..."
As soon as this was said, the cultivators from Longhu Mountain's eyes lit up.
Good heavens, although they had always claimed to be the orthodox lineage of Daoism, they hadn't produced a single outstanding disciple so far.
Bai Nianchen, not engaging with them, had put them in a rather awkward position.
Now, what was Bai Nianchen saying? That their Longhu Mountain was the orthodox lineage of Daoism?
Good heavens, what immense popularity did the old Daoist command now? Not only in Xia Country, but he was a top figure worldwide!
If he acknowledged Longhu Mountain as orthodox, who else would dare to dispute it?
Thus, they immediately knew what to do.
"You scoundrels, you're colluding to slander an old man over eighty years old. Have you no conscience?"
"That's right, that's right. Look at our Daoist Bai, does he seem like the kind of person you're describing?"
"Just because the events inside weren't broadcasted, you want to keep everyone in the dark!"
"If you slander our Daoist Bai again, you'll receive a lawyer's letter!"
"..."
These cultivators from Longhu Mountain were more agitated than the cultivators who felt wronged by Bai Nianchen, leaving them utterly bewildered.
Daoist Bai, weren't you raised in the deep mountains and old forests? Why have you mastered the art of fan comment control?
Seeing that nothing more could be gleaned from Daoist Bai, people turned their microphones back to Li Qingyun.
He was the true top-tier amongst the top-tiers.
"Why did you reach the middle stage of Golden Core so quickly?"
"You are only ranked tenth on the exploration list. Does this represent a significant blow to you, who has consistently ranked first on various lists?"
"Did you encounter any powerful enemies inside? How do you evaluate the accusations made against Daoist Bai by other trial participants from the secret realm?"
Li Qingyun's head ached. After the reporters explained, he roughly understood that Chu Yang had created the ranking system.
He calmly replied, "Isn't what you obtain inside meant to make you stronger? I've gained enough as well, and I even acquired the hidden secret technique of the Li Huo Palace, which allowed me to break through to my current realm. What is there to be discouraged about?"
Alright, upon reflection, that indeed made sense.
But the crowd clearly didn't intend to let him off easily.
"Then please tell us, did you have any conflicts when competing for opportunities?"
"It's quite regrettable. Apart from teaming up with Daoist Bai and Brother Wei to fight a certain monster, I spent most of my time in secluded cultivation. Furthermore..."
Li Qingyun paused, then said, "...from a generally rational perspective, most people would flee upon encountering me, so conflicts over seizing opportunities simply don't exist for me."
At this, everyone realized that this fellow's journey in the secret realm had been rather uneventful.
It was more interesting to find Ah Wei to interact with.
Luo Xiaowei was excitedly narrating, "...Family members might not know how awesome I was at the time. When that demonic cultivator was about to make a move on our brother Qingyun, I couldn't stand it! With a slide tackle, holding my Candle Dragon Burning Heaven Sword, oh right, in case you forgot what my beloved sword looks like, let me show you..."
This all stemmed from a reporter who called herself 'iwei' asking, "Was there any danger in the secret realm?"
And then Luo Xiaowei embarked on his path of bragging. He spoke with great animation, and although there were many exaggerations, everyone listened with great amusement.
Li Qingyun was too dull to listen to. Ah Wei was everyone's source of joy, after all, he started his career as a streamer.