No one believed Song Juyao's words; it only sparked more ridicule.
"The sword of a sword cultivator is so blunt that it can't even kill a ghost. What kind of future can it support?"
"The immediate priority is to repay the bank loan. Otherwise, the Tai Chu Sword Sect will really be homeless."
"Miss Song, may I ask how you plan to resolve this matter?"
"Even the investments of the Song family have been withdrawn one by one. Recently, there has also been a crisis, and they can hardly sustain themselves. So, they probably can't come up with the money to help the Tai Chu Sword Sect repay the loans, right?"
The reporters bombarded her with questions.
Everyone was waiting for Song Juyao's spectacle. Originally, someone like Song Juyao, who wasn't a celebrity, couldn't sustain attention for ten years. But the Song family was just too dramatic. Every time they made a move, it involved money, and they would often quarrel with netizens. In this world, nothing grabs attention more than money and incomprehensibly bizarre events. The Song family had both.
Song Juyao was like a vampire, sucking away money from the Song family bit by bit under public scrutiny for ten years. Each time it would become a hot search topic, because the sums involved were either in the millions or billions. The topic of whether Song Juyao had placed a curse on her family members would be brought up every time. Netizens who were well-versed in metaphysics would write lengthy analysis, with the majority believing that Song Juyao had indeed placed a curse on her family and eagerly awaited for an outcome.
Now, Song Juyao had finally shown her face, and they wanted to see what bizarre amusing thing she would come up with again.
Song Juyao stood on the stage, completely indifferent to all these gazes. The gentle breeze brushed through her long hair, but it couldn't shake her clear, dark, and determined eyes.
Outside the Tai Chu Sword Sect, there was a vast bamboo forest, cool and refreshing. But this could not conceal the fact that this press conference was really shabby.
In modern times, all major sects were like corporations - they would hold press conferences for everything. They wouldn't do it in their own sect's luxurious venues, but would go to a grand hotel or even a sports stadium to project the grandeur and image of a major sect.
This was especially true for the annual development plan release conferences of major sects. Each sect had many fans and followers, and the purpose of the conference was to inform the public what new talismans or new protective artifacts the sect would launch that year, their functions, as well as collaborations with companies to launch co-branded blessed products, and so on.
Only the sword sects basically never held future development release conferences. They didn't even hold any press conference at all, because nobody cared about them and there was nothing worth announcing. The development of sword sects was too limited compared to other sects who could sell various talismans, blessed goods, and offer fortune-telling and feng shui services.
[What kind of business can the Sword Sect start? If I think about it, the only option seems to be... opening an acrobatics class, right??]
[No, they can also join the entertainment industry as stunt doubles.]
[They can start livestreaming and become internet celebrities too I guess, but it's a bit low. Never seen any cultivators become internet celebrities before.]
[...So being a sword cultivator is really useless. I don't understand why anyone would want to become one. Its limitations are huge, there's no money and no ability to slay demons or monsters. The government should abolish sword sects to prevent wasting talents with spiritual roots.]
[Enough said, sword cultivators are just lazy bums who want to live off government subsidies without working hard.]
Song Juyao stood on a platform hastily built overnight by her senior brothers using bamboo. She remained unfazed by the mockery and said, "Next, I'll explain the future development plan of the Tai Chu Sword Sect. Firstly, we will collaborate with the Song Corporation, expanding our business into the fields of health and wellness, beauty, and building demolition. We plan to squeeze into the top ten of the empire's sect rankings within a year."
Her words caused an uproar in the audience.
[Health and wellness, beauty, and demolition?]
[This sounds like a burly man suddenly deciding to take up delicate work, it's weird.]
[Sword cultivators? Health and wellness? Beauty? Demolition? These words have no relation whatsoever.]
[Hahaha, this live press conference was worth the wait. Breaking into the top ten of the sect rankings within a year? The sect rankings are based on the combined sales performance of sects' side businesses and the popularity of their main activities among the public. Among the 301 sects in the Empire, the Tai Chu Sword Sect is ranked last. They really have no self-awareness.]
Originally, as the largest Sword Sect, the Tai Chu Sword Sect at least had other Sword Sects trailing behind them. But in the past ten years, the sword cultivators of the Tai Chu Sword Sect have been in seclusion, not taking any jobs outside. Coupled with the bad reputation brought by Song Juyao's parents, their ranking dropped to the bottom.
Previously, they were ranked sixth from the bottom, so it wasn't much better either.
Netizens felt that Song Juyao truly had an unexpected and weird way of thinking to dare say such things.
"Of course, like all sects, these are just our side businesses. Our main business remains slaying demons and monsters. So we are now accepting orders starting today. Our online store is now open, you can click the link on our official website to access it. We welcome those in need to place orders in our store.
"In addition, our sword cultivators are different from other sects. We don't hold back when we take action; it's always a lethal strike. Therefore, please be cautious when placing orders. If you don't actually want to kill the other party, please don't seek our services, as we won't take responsibility in such cases."
"Furthermore, we sword cultivators are different from other sects. We either don't take action at all, or when we do, we go for the kill. So please be cautious when placing an order. If you don't want to kill the target, don't hire us, otherwise we won't be responsible."
This was an extremely arrogant statement, making people want to slap her down. Netizens swarmed the Tai Chu Sword Sect's official accounts and indeed found the link to their online store. They clicked on it to take a look.
Just like other sects, the Tai Chu Sword Sect used the method of placing orders by name. Customers could click on the name of the sword cultivator listed in the store to place their orders. This way, the chosen sword cultivator would be the one to handle their requests. Generally, the more famous the cultivator, the higher the appearance fee.
Of course, many top-tier experts would not list their names in their sect’s online store. The wealthy and powerful had to beg through various means to personally request their services, which added to the experts' prestige and maintained an air of exclusivity.
Song Juyao was still a nobody. People clicked in and saw that her appearance fee was a whopping one million yuan, and even more ridiculous, it was stated that only the first three customers could get a 10% discount.
[Who would fall for this scam?]
[One million? A 10% discount? She's got some nerve!]
[We've spent a decade confirming that Song Juyao isn’t right in the head, but she still managed to surprise us with her craziness today.]
[Take a look at other sword sects websites. The most expensive appearance fee is only 500 yuan, and hardly anyone placed orders. Song Juyao really thinks highly of herself.]
What made netizens even more speechless was that the Song family appeared again at this moment.
Song Juyao's father, Song Shengqing V: Darling, one million is too little!!! Daddy will give it to you directly!!!
Song Juyao's mother, Lin Yin V: You guys are really in for a big bargain. I advise you to place an order quickly if you have the need, or you'll regret it later.
Song Juyao's sister, Song Yaoqin V: My sister is really too kind! This is charity!
Wow! This family is really intolerable!!!
[Damn, is there any rich person out there who can place an order just to slap them in the face?]
[They just talk big, when faced with actual evil spirits, they'll probably use exorcism products from other sects!]
[So angry. Someone please come and slap this family of weirdos in the face!!!]
Because Zeng Can and Bei Jiayuan were also watching the Tai Chu Sword Sect’s press conference online in the virtual world, the viewers in the Judgment Show live broadcast room could also see the comments of netizens in the virtual world through their perspective. They understood what Song Juyao had done in the past ten years and immediately felt so embarrassed that they were picking at the ground with their toes.
【What’s wrong with Song Juyao in this episode? So disappointing.】
【I think if she dares to say such things, she must have a way to back up her claims.】
【What kind of plan could she have? I think she’s just seeking attention. Given the weak sword cultivator setting in this virtual world, how strong can Song Juyao be?】
【I trusted her so much this time, bought so many lottery tickets, but she ended up making me lose so much money!】
Liang Qiao smiled, he won.
At this moment, in the virtual world, someone actually placed an order.
The person who placed the order was named Hao Gui, a faded internet celebrity with four million followers. He was recently worried about how to make a comeback.
Seeing Song Juyao's popularity, he decisively chose to take a gamble. As expected, he immediately made it to the hot search, and his follower count and popularity skyrocketed.
He and his team were instantly excited and immediately started a livestream.
"Friends, what do you think I should ask her to do? My house is very clean, and there's nothing dirty that needs to be exercised..."
Netizens started giving suggestions.
[Let her go to Ling Wang's Tomb. Isn't there a Ghost King there? Let her try to exterminate it if she's capable. Even the masters can only seal it. Let's see if she has the ability to exterminate it!]
[Forget about the Ghost King. We want to slap Song Juyao in the face, not get her killed. Besides, what if she fails to kill the ghost king and instead releases it? Then it'll be us common people who'll suffer in the end...]
[That evil god in Luo Mountain hasn't been dealt with yet. Let her go there. With so many masters present, she shouldn't end up dead.]
[Oh, with masters around, she can just blend into the crowd and take credit for their work.]
[If she dies, so be it. She dared to take the order and make such bold claims. Why should we care about her life or death? Besides, I think she's just seeking attention. There's no way she'll actually go anywhere.]
Hao Gui and his team discussed it for a while. He wanted to become popular again, not to get himself into trouble. Although netizens now wished for Song Juyao to die, if she really died because of something he asked her to do, it would backfire on him in the end, especially in modern society where negative energy was rampant, he feared karmic retribution.
…...
At Qingcheng Real Estate Group.
The boss was constantly making phone calls, sweating profusely from anxiety.
"We will definitely resolve the evil energy as soon as possible..."
"Master, there's no one else who can help me. I beg you, please, help me cleanse this evil energy..."
"There's too much evil energy. Our spiritual power is simply not enough. You'll have to wait for it to dissipate gradually."
"No, you..."
The master on the other end hung up.
A hint of despair flashed across Mr. Li's face. He plopped down on the sofa, and even the flesh on his face seemed to have sagged.
Half a year ago, he had purchased a piece of land with several old buildings that needed to be demolished. However, for some unknown reason, one of the buildings couldn't even be approached, let alone demolished. The whole building had suddenly begun to generate evil qi. Each attempt at purification failed, with the evil energy regenerating again and again.
Evil energy was a visible black gas that used to originate from the human heart. It could appear in various places. Sometimes it would dissipate like smoke blown away by the wind, while other times it would condense into a terrifying black mass. If a person inhales negative energy, mild cases could lead to minor illnesses and misfortune, while severe cases could result in serious illnesses or even paralysis.
Evil qi wasn't a ghost or monster that would devour people. However, its terror was just as intense, and it was quite troublesome. Unlike ghosts or monsters, it couldn't be killed; it could only be purified. Spiritual power, which was very precious, was the only way to purify this evil qi. But, the purity of spiritual power varied from person to person, and not everyone possessed the ability to purify the evil qi.
According to the law, this situation with the house arose after Mr. Li purchased it, so it was Mr. Li's responsibility to solve the problem. If any problems arose, such as evil qi bursting out from the building and affecting the health of nearby residents, he would have to compensate them to the point of bankruptcy, and he would also be drowned in public condemnation.
Mr. Li knew that he had been set up. The master he invited explained to him the cause of the problem–someone had set up a formation in the building to gather evil qi from all directions. Although the master helped him resolve that formation, an invisible undercurrent had already formed, causing evil energy to continue gathering in the building.
In this situation, the only solution was to purify the evil qi very quickly and destroy the path of the hidden undercurrent.
Many masters had already been invited to purify it, but often before the evil qi was completely purified, more evil qi from outside replenished it, making it a bottomless pit. Which cultivator could afford to exhaust themselves like this? They could only let him use talismans to slowly purify it.
However, if even the spiritual power within a master couldn’t solve the problem, how could talisman papers, which only contained a trace of spiritual power, be effective? If the problem couldn’t be resolved and the evil energy accumulated to a certain volume, the government would step in and take over the building, turning it into one of the "evil qi wells" of the country. Though he would receive some compensation, the loss would still be enormous.
He couldn't afford such a loss.
At this moment, his assistant rushed in, "Boss, look at this! I think we can give it a try!"
……
"Hao Ge! We've got it!" The assistant answered a phone call and ran over to Hao Gui.
The one contacting Hao Gui's team was an assistant to a real estate tycoon.
"This real estate tycoon is at his wit's end because of the evil energy. Now, it's a case of trying anything in desperation. I think we can give it a shot."
After listening, Hao Gui explained the situation to the audience. Mr. Li hoped he could bring Song Juyao to see if she could handle the building. If she couldn't, Hao Gui would still achieve his goal of slapping Song Juyao in the face, gaining some popularity. If she succeeded, Mr. Li promised to give him two apartments once the building was completed.
In essence, Mr. Li didn't trust Song Juyao; otherwise, he would have placed the one million yuan order with her directly. Because of this lack of trust, he didn't want to spend that money on her, especially since he still needed to hire other masters.
This deal was a sure win for Hao Ren, so he made the decision immediately.
"Looks like we can see if this boastful sword cultivator can really handle the demolition," Hao Gui said. "If she can really solve Mr. Li's problem, I'll write my name backwards!"
[Hahaha I'm looking forward to it]
[I'm just here to watch. It's my first time seeing a cultivator taking on demolition work]
[I bet she'll definitely take out some demolition talismans from another sect]
[Demolition my foot. If she blows it up, won't the evil energy engulf her? She definitely won't take this job]
……
Tai Chu Sword Sect.
Reporters were also following the news online and immediately spoke up, waiting for a good show, "Miss Song, you have a client. Are you going to solve it right away?"
Song Juyao also saw the order information on her phone and nodded, "Indeed."
"You don't mind us watching, right?"
"Feel free."
"Do you want us to give you a ride along the way?"
"No need." Song Juyao looked at her second senior brother who had just walked out.
The second senior brother shook his head and said, "I just received information that the government is not sure if our sword flying is safe and reliable. Considering the risk of falling from high altitude and injuring people, they are sending someone to inspect. They are already on their way."
Song Juyao nodded. In modern society, sword cultivators couldn't just fly around on their swords casually. Without reporting to the government and obtaining an air route usage permit, they might be mistaken as an enemy by the air force base and be shot down by a missile.
Since she couldn't fly with her sword yet, Song Juyao could only drive her car to complete the first task for now.
Song Juyao's car was a five-million-yuan SUV. When the audience saw it, they became even more envious and angry. Song Juyao was really shameless, living off other people's blood while enjoying a life of luxury, even driving such a good car. Meanwhile, the Tai Chu Sword Sect couldn't even pay back their loans!
A group of reporters immediately got into their cars and followed Song Juyao.
The building where Song Juyao was going to perform the "demolition"—no, to clean the evil qi—was right in the city, so driving could get them there. Now that Song Juyao's popularity was so high, and they also wanted to see her get slapped in the face, of course they had to keep up.
……
On the other hand, the government department had received Tai Chu Sword Sect's air route usage application two days ago and were also completely baffled.
"Sword flying... What is that? Is it literally using a sword to fly?"
"Does it mean that they can fly using a sword?"
"Has Tai Chu Sword Sect gone crazy? Their imagination is too wild. Even a sect as big as Xuanling Sect can't make flying talismans, how can they fly just by relying on a sword??"
But no matter how absurd it sounded, since a proper sect with a valid license had formally submitted the application in accordance with the rules, they still had to go through the process. So, they sent an inspection team.
The inspection team included two lawyers, two government-affiliated Taoist Masters, and two police officers.
"Ah, how annoying. Why do we have to go inspect something that's clearly nonsense?" one of the young police officers complained unhappily. "Look at the unreliable things she's saying. If this unreliable Sword Sect can figure out how to fly with swords, I'll kick my head off."
The young officer shoved his phone in front of his colleagues, showing several trending topics about Song Juyao, none of which were positive.
#Song Juyao's Big Talk#
#Tai Chu Sword Sect#
#What Does It Take To Squeeze into the Top Ten Sect Rankings in a Year#
#Daydreaming#
"Forget about it. Let Song Juyao make a fuss. The government is already planning to crackdown the Sword Sects, so it's a good opportunity to start with her," another police officer said.
A Taoist Master nodded, "They should have been shut down long ago. It's such a waste for children with spiritual roots to become sword cultivators. Even if their aptitude is poor, they can at least draw a talisman. In recent years, evil energy has been increasing, and demons and ghosts are becoming more troublesome to deal with. As the saying goes, 'virtue is one foot tall, the devil ten foot.' Talent can no longer be wasted like this."
"Exactly, what a pity for Song Juyao, with her heavenly spiritual root… alas" Another taoist master sighed deeply.
The young officer curled his lips in disdain. What's the use of having a heavenly spiritual root for someone with Song Juyao's character!
……
A small bridge over flowing water, a luxurious Chinese-style courtyard with an ancient charm, someone was brewing tea under the veranda.
At this time, someone crossed the courtyard, walked across the small bridge, and bent down.
"Sir..." the butler whispered in his ear.
"Oh? Demolition? Hehe." The middle-aged man in a white Chinese tunic suit shook his head and picked up a cup of green tea, smelling it at the tip of his nose. "It can't be demolished. With that evil qi there, how can the building possibly be torn down?"
"No one's spiritual power is pure enough to resolve all that evil qi in one breath."
……
Several vans trailed behind Song Juyao's car. They arrived at the destination while being watched and photographed along the way.
Internet celebrity Hao Gui was already there, holding his phone to livestream the building's condition to netizens, and even used a drone to film a circle around it.
It could be seen that all the buildings within a ten-mile radius had been demolished, leaving the surroundings bare. Therefore, the only building standing there was very conspicuous. This building had seven floors, but none of them were visible at the moment.
The building was completely enveloped in black evil qi. The boss had invited a grandmaster from a major sect to set up a formation and used numerous talisman papers to seal the evil energy inside and around the building. In the camera view, the black gas appeared to have a consciousness of its own, continuously writhing and struggling to escape, making anyone who watched it feel their scalp tingle.
Netizens immediately began to discuss.
[Whoa, if this evil energy is released, won't it cause a plague in the city?]
[This is too scary. it's better not to let Song Juyao mess with it. She's so unreliable, I'm afraid she won't be able to solve it and will instead let the evil qi escape.]
[How did so much evil energy accumulate? Is there a vengeful spirit inside?]
[But isn't it said that evil qi is produced from humans? Vengeful spirits can't produce it.]
[Song Juyao is here!]
Qin Mei was also watching Song Juyao through the internet, and she saw that Song Juyao had really arrived…
Mr. Li was already waiting, looking anxious. When he saw Song Juyao get out of the car, he was momentarily stunned, a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes before he forced a professional smile.
"Miss Song! Thank you for coming. We really hope you can help us." He actually didn't hold much hope. Treating a dead horse as if it were alive wasn't supposed to be done like this. She looked so young; how could she possibly resolve so much evil qi?
Song Juyao looked at the building in front of her without speaking. The news reporters and photographers behind her immediately started working, capturing everything from all angles.
Song Juyao calmly walked around the building without saying a word, her expression calm.
"If you can't handle it, don't mess around. Even if you don't die from inhaling evil qi , it will leave you disabled," said the reporter who questioned Song Juyao in the beginning.
"That's right." The other reporters also agreed. They kept their distance and had already put on masks. They didn't want to be harmed by her.
Netizens were also commenting.
Song Juyao ignored them and directly looked at Mr. Li and Hao Gui, "Just to confirm, you want to demolish this building, right?"
"Yes." To demolish this building, the evil qi had to be resolved first.
Song Juyao nodded, "In that case, I won't waste time. I'll resolve it in one strike."
[One strike to resolve it? She is still bragging at this point.]
[If sword cultivators were really that powerful, they wouldn't need to take our taxpayer' money as subsidies.]
Song Juyao stood in front of the building, slowly raising her right hand to grasp the hilt of the sword on her left side.
Her sword was named "Jianxue" (Seeing Snow), with a completely snow-white scabbard adorned with intricate silver patterns.
She gently closed her eyes, and in an instant, the air around her seemed to change. The photographers, looking at Song Juyao through the lens, felt as if they saw something mysterious and profound, and couldn't help but hold their breath.
Everything seemed to slow down.
Song Juyao opened her eyes, a glimmer of light flashing in them. At the same time, Jianxue was slowly drawn from its sheath. The blade rubbed against the scabbard, emitting a hauntingly crisp and ethereal humming sound that sent shivers down one's spine.
Song Juyao's lips moved as she softly chanted something, then she swung a slash whose power was difficult to perceive with the naked eye.
There seemed to be a harsh wind blowing past the tip of their noses, and everyone could not help but blink several times, subconsciously looking towards the building.
The building stood there quietly, motionless.
[???]
[I knew it, she's just pretending...]
"Th-this..."
Just as the netizens and people on site were about to voice their doubts, a sudden change occurred.
The dense evil qi surged frantically, as if undergoing a terrifying devouring, letting out a silent scream. It struggled desperately, but seemed to be torn apart and consumed by some terrifying, formless entity. In a frenzied yet powerless manner, it slowly dissipated.
The old residential building gradually became clear before everyone's eyes.
People stared wide-eyed at Song Juyao. Her expression remained calm, as if everything was as it should be. She sheathed her sword, turned around, and walked away, her ponytail gently sweeping in the air.
Mr. Li stared in shock. Wh-what? The evil qi??
"Miss Song..."
"Boom—!"
Mr. Li was startled, abruptly stopping in his tracks, and looked behind Song Juyao.
The tall building, now free of evil energy, collapsed with a roar as Song Juyao walked ten steps away. It collapsed so belatedly, as if it hadn't even realized it was supposed to fall apart. Unlike a demolition blast, there were no flying stones; it crumbled obediently and weakly, like a house of cards collapsing effortlessly.
The tall building, completely cleared of evil qi, collapsed behind Song Juyao when she walked ten steps away.
It collapsed so suddenly, as if it didn't even have time to react before crumbling. It didn't explode, and there were no flying stone splinters. It collapsed obediently and fragilely, like a house made of stacked playing cards falling casually and effortlessly.
But even more casual and nonchalant was Song Juyao, who didn't even bother to look back.
The overwhelming aura of a master in that moment made everyone who witnessed it widen their eyes, unable to utter a single sound.
Just then, something suddenly burst out from beneath the collapsed building and quickly fled. It was as fast as a shooting star, disappearing a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye. The onlookers noticed it, but their eyes couldn't keep up with its speed.
"Zheng—" The crisp sound of a sword being drawn echoed, and her ponytail swung through the air.
A cold gleam flashed in the sunlight. A slash, wrapped in an icy, surging sword aura, carried an overwhelming sense of oppression, as if descending from the heavens itself.
In an instant, the thing two hundred meters away was cleaved in half, letting out a shrill, horrifying shriek.
Song Juyao stood straight, sheathing her sword.
Under the sunlight, the graceful and upright girl still had her previous calm gaze and indifferent expression, yet the impression she gave off now was entirely different.
The comments section had gone silent for quite a while, with everyone gaping in stunned awe.