Lin Zhaoting and Zhou Yibin chose to use their free points to increase their cultivation because there were certain restrictions on how the system-issued free points could be allocated.
For example, if Zhang Yu, who has fire and wood dual spirit roots, wanted to upgrade to a single spirit root, he would not only need to add points to his bone structure but also require enough serendipity points or enough affinity points to reasonably obtain elixirs or items for upgrading his spirit roots.
However, there were no such restrictions if the points were used directly to increase cultivation, though the amount of points needed for cultivation increase also depended on one's stats; people with high bone structure, good comprehension, and high luck would require fewer free points to increase their cultivation.
Lin Zhaoting and Zhou Yibin were taken away by Lingjian Peak and Spirit Talisman Peak, respectively.
Zhang Yu, relying on his fire and wood dual spirit roots, also successfully joined Lingyao Peak, becoming an outer disciple of Lingyao Peak.
The collateral relative from the Lin Family became a handyman for the Taiyi Sect.
He arrived at the Taiyi Sect's handyman quarters with his meager belongings.
If not for his main branch brother, Lin Zhaoting, who had just entered the Taiyi Sect and became an inner disciple of Lingjian Peak, promising a bright future and potential to look after him, he would definitely have chosen to leave the Taiyi Sect and seek another small sect to join.
"Go in, this is your bunk. Put your things away yourself." Another handyman led him to the handyman quarters and then turned to leave; his daily duties were not yet finished.
The Lin Family collateral relative frowned tightly as he looked at the environment of the handyman quarters.
The handyman quarters were a large communal sleeping area, and each handyman had limited space for luggage.
Even his small amount of luggage completely filled the designated space.
As soon as he arrived at the handyman quarters, he was assigned a task: to shovel dung for the spirit beasts on Ling Beast Peak.
Although he was a collateral relative of the Lin Family, he was still a Lin Family member; he had never done such dirty and tiring work before.
After finishing his work, smelling the stench all over himself, he couldn't help but gag.
After finally taking a shower and ending a day's work, he could finally go to bed, but the communal sleeping area had no dividers; as soon as he lay down, the handyman on his left pressed his leg onto him, and the handyman on his right snored so loudly it shook the heavens.
In such a sleeping environment, he couldn't fall asleep even though he was exhausted and sleepy.
He endured and endured, until he finally couldn't take it anymore and pushed away the two handymen on his left and right, leaving the handyman quarters.
As a handyman, he couldn't run around indiscriminately in the Taiyi Sect, so he could only go to the back mountain of the handyman quarters to enjoy the cool breeze.
Breathing the fresh air, the Lin Family collateral relative's mood improved considerably.
Just as he was planning to sleep there for the night, his vision suddenly went black, and his consciousness completely vanished.
As the Junior Martial Aunt of the Taiyi Sect, Wen Xiangjie's residence was naturally unique; she lived on another small peak of the main sect, and this entire small peak was her territory.
Given that Wen Xiangjie had just arrived at the Taiyi Sect, having endured a long and arduous journey, after the entrance ceremony, Li Junzhuo, feeling concerned, urged Wen Xiangjie to quickly return to her peak to rest.
The Wen Family's maids and servants had already cleaned the entire peak from top to bottom and redecorated Wen Xiangjie's residence to her favorite style before she returned.
Wen Xiangjie slumped in her chair, took a bite of a small pastry meticulously shaped like bamboo, and then asked Wen Keqi, her head maid, who was beside her.
"Have they caught the person?"
Wen Keqi was a trusted subordinate prepared by the Wen Family for Wen Xiangjie, specially granted the Wen surname, and only obeyed Wen Xiangjie's commands.
When Wen Xiangjie takes over the Wen Family in the future, Wen Keqi will be the next head steward of the Wen Family.
"Caught, already imprisoned in the dungeon," Wen Keqi replied respectfully.
"Alright, I will interrogate him personally later. You don't need to come in."
"Yes."
After finishing her pastry, Wen Xiangjie patted her stomach contentedly and went to the dungeon.
This dungeon had also been arranged by Wen Keqi, with a special formation set up, which Cultivators below the Mahayana Realm could not break into, except for Wen Xiangjie and Wen Keqi.
Similarly, if Cultivators below the Mahayana Realm were imprisoned here, even if their physical bodies died, neither their souls nor nascent souls could escape, and no information could be transmitted outside.
Wen Xiangjie sat on a soft and comfortable chair, with snacks and an ice-cold little drink that Wen Keqi had prepared for her in advance on the table in front of her.
This was a complete heaven-and-earth difference from the disheveled person slumped on the ground inside the prison cell.
Wen Xiangjie unhurriedly formed a hand seal, and the person who had been lying unconscious in the prison cell was forcibly shocked awake by electricity.
"Ah ah ah—!!!"
Awakened by the intense pain, Zhou Yunchang took a long time to recover.
After regaining his senses, he immediately saw Wen Xiangjie sitting opposite him, enjoying his suffering as if it were a meal.
"It's...you...?" Zhou Yunchang said weakly.
"Tell me, how many people did the Family send in this time, who are they, and what are their levels?" Wen Xiangjie asked directly.
"Do you think I'll tell you...? Dream..."
Before the word 'dream' could be fully uttered, Wen Xiangjie formed a hand seal, followed by another bolt of lightning.
"Ah ah ah!!!"
Zhou Yunchang's screams once again echoed in the dungeon.
Wen Xiangjie listened to Zhou Yunchang's screams with an unperturbed expression, picking up her ice-cold little drink and taking a delicious sip.
Indeed, no matter what kind of little drink, if it's ice-cold, it's a national treasure; if it's warm, it's horse piss.
After a lightning strike, Wen Xiangjie spoke again: "Speak."
"I won't..."
Wen Xiangjie formed another hand seal.
This time it wasn't lightning; this time it was fire.
Blazing flames licked at Zhou Yunchang's skin inch by inch, leaving no wounds, but the pain was doubled.
This was one of the marvelous uses of the formation; unless Wen Xiangjie wanted Zhou Yunchang to die, Zhou Yunchang would not die even if he endured all the tortures.
Zhou Yunchang truly fainted from the pain this time; before he fainted, he seemed to smell the scent of charcoal coming from himself.
When he woke up again, Zhou Yunchang was somewhat dazed, not knowing how much time had passed.
But when he turned his head, drenched in sweat, he saw Wen Xiangjie still drinking that ice-cold little drink, and when she caught his gaze, Wen Xiangjie even raised the ice-cold little drink to him in a gesture.
At this moment, Zhou Yunchang's psychological defense was finally completely shattered.
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!"
Zhou Yunchang then revealed all the information about the Family members to Wen Xiangjie in one breath.
According to Zhou Yunchang, the Family had sent a total of twelve people into the game instance this time, and apart from him and Lin Zhaokai, the others were all between levels 40 and 60.
Wen Xiangjie hadn't expected to find an old acquaintance, Lin Zhaokai, in this game instance.
Excluding the 5 people who came to the Taiyi Sect, the remaining 7 people were dispersed to other places and were somewhat difficult to find.
Fortunately, the three highest-level individuals among them had all joined the Taiyi Sect.
