The Programmer Cultivator

In Yousheng Residence, Qian Xiaogong, who had been forced to cultivate by his mother, paused and closed the door to his Cultivation Room. In a daze, his vision shifted.

...

In the Celestial Spirit Inner Sect, on White Rock Peak, Feng Mingyou, who had just received a summons from the Sect, stopped in his tracks. He turned and returned to his Cultivation Room. In a daze, his vision shifted.

In the Outer Sect, on Small Hui Peak’s Array Department, Xu Weihai, who had been engrossed in comprehending arrays, simply closed his eyes. His vision shifted.

...

In Celestial Spirit City, everything was unnaturally calm. Communications had been cut, so no one had received the news. Moreover, because the city was so close to the Celestial Spirit Sect, the Five Elements Remnants hadn’t made a move on it, hoping to delay their discovery.

Tong Hou, who was blending in at the market, glanced around before ducking into a rarely used restroom in a teahouse. In a daze, his vision shifted.

...

In Celestial Spirit City’s Qu Family, after a recent tragedy, Qu Qizhong, who had been away managing their shops, was recalled. He was now handling daily affairs alongside Qu Qingxian. The rest of the family believed their ancestor intended to groom him as the next successor.

Just like any other day, the two were attending to their duties when they both paused simultaneously, exchanging a look. Qu Qingxian waved a hand, sealing the entrance to the Cave Mansion and activating an array. He then led Qu Qizhong into an inner cultivation chamber. They sat down cross-legged, and in a daze, their vision shifted.

...

In Panzhou, Li Shifan, who had only recently departed, suddenly paused. After scanning his surroundings, his flying ship came to a halt in the sky. His vision shifted.

In Panzhou, the traveling Qin Shizhong and Zhang Deming, who was in his Dream Spirit state, both stopped short. After exchanging a glance, they descended to the ground. Zhang Deming waved his hand, conjuring a thicket of vines, while an array flickered to life, enveloping and concealing the three of them.

Ignoring Wang Qian’s confusion, Zhang Deming said to her, ”Stand guard!”

With that, he and Qin Shizhong quickly sat cross-legged on the ground and closed their eyes. Their vision shifted.

...

Everyone found themselves before Xuanhua Tower, looking up at its roof where Elder Huang stood against the wind, his hands clasped behind his back.

Elder Huang scanned the group, seemingly sizing them up, before he spoke.

”Our Alliance has remained hidden for tens of thousands of years, vanished from the world. Now, we re-emerge. Although we do not meddle in the vicissitudes of the mortal world or the turmoil of the Cultivation Realm...

...the Five Elements Remnants are destroying the very fabric of humanity, unleashing a calamity that endangers all life. This is the epitome of human evil, and they must be exterminated!”

”On behalf of the Alliance, I am issuing a mission for the Celestial Spirit District: to save the common people from their suffering and eradicate these remnants from the world.”

As he finished speaking, the book in front of him flipped through its pages at high speed. When the book stopped, a mission appeared.

Category: Regional Mission

Type: Rescue & Extermination (Combat/Healing Focus)

Level: Unrestricted (The disaster caused by the Five Elements Remnants is widespread; proceed according to your own capabilities.)

Participants: Multiple

Description: The Five Elements Remnants have resurfaced. Their path begins with Devouring; they cultivate their bodies by consuming human flesh and cultivate their minds by annihilating human morality, bringing calamity upon the mortal world.

Information: Alliance members are already active in the Celestial Spirit District, providing disaster relief of their own accord. Their efforts have proven quite effective. Inquiries can be made within the district.

Requirements: None. During the disaster, any form of relief is permissible; however, rewards for indirect aid will be calculated at a reduced rate.

Direct and effective aid—whether saving cultivators or mortals—will be rewarded equally. The same applies to the extermination of the Five Elements Remnants.

Duration: For the duration of the Five Elements Disaster.

Reward: Contribution Points

Note: In addition to standard rewards, special rewards may be available. The conditions for completion are unknown. Your diligent efforts are encouraged.

Issuer: Xuanhua Tower — Elder Huang

After the mission details appeared, Elder Huang once again scanned the crowd and said, ”During this relief effort, if you encounter any danger, you may request aid. The Contribution Points required will be discounted by another fifty percent. This means that in the Celestial Spirit New District, the cost for requesting aid will be a mere twenty-five percent of the usual amount.”

Elder Huang paused for a moment before adding a word of caution, ”Though the path of cultivation is fraught with difficulty, and you must cherish your progress, exterminating a Demon Path that tramples on humanity is the sworn duty of us cultivators. It is a fundamental principle of being human. I trust you will all weigh your options carefully!”

With that, Elder Huang waved his hand, and everyone was flung away.

But as their vision cleared, they discovered they hadn’t returned to their rooms. Instead, they were in a massive hall, each seated at a round table, surrounded by figures whose heads were shrouded in a chaotic mist.

Of the nine people present, only Nangong Cheng, Tong Hou, and Qian Xiaogong seemed dumbfounded. The other six, including Xu Weihai, who had been utterly clueless the first time, were no longer so bewildered. They knew it was time for another meeting.

As they took stock of one another, the completely unobscured face of Zhang Wu materialized at the head of the table. Simultaneously, a cold, aloof figure appeared in an empty seat between where Zhang Deming’s avatar and Li Shifan had sat.

After appearing with the face of Zhang Wu, Zhang Deming surveyed the room, looked at everyone, and nodded serenely. ”Not bad. It seems our district is finally showing some progress. My efforts over the past few years have not been in vain.”

Including Zhang Wu and the figure representing Zhang Deming, there were now twelve people present.

Zhang Deming paused, then said, ”This is our district’s second meeting. Aside from the four new arrivals, I imagine the rest of you are already familiar with one another. I won’t bother with introductions for the existing members; let’s talk about the four newcomers to the right.”

”These two next to Painted Sword, I believe many of you are already somewhat familiar with. They are Speaking Lotus and Sacrificial Chess.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded slightly. Speaking Lotus (Nangong Cheng) rose and bowed. ”Speaking Lotus greets you all.”

Sacrificial Chess (Tong Hou) also rose and bowed. ”Sacrificial Chess greets my fellow Daoists.”

Zhang Deming then continued, ”Further to the right... hmm... this one who looks like a child, is member Xiangteng.”