Three Punches to Crush the Rebellious Bone, I'm Truly an Honest Man

Indeed, this was a classic "inviting the enemy into a trap" scheme.

To gauge just how deep the waters of the public zone ran, Chen Yi had gone a bit mad—though, to be fair, he’d always been this way.

Xuanxuzi and Zhang Kuang, two rogue immortals of the Heavenly Dao, were also exceptional actors. Not only had they flawlessly used the oblivious Mu Chen as bait to lure out a big catch, but they’d even managed to hook a massive fish!

And this "Just a Bit of Hardship" was merely a member of the second group—the highest-ranking group admin hadn’t even shown their face. This alone proved that beneath the calm surface of the public zone, there were even bigger fish lurking!

A simple probe had dredged up so much intel. Truly, Mu Chen was such a useful little brother.

In the depths of the extraterrestrial void...

Chen Yi’s eyes burned with fervor as he delivered three solid punches to shatter "Just a Bit of Hardship’s" rebellious spirit, leaving his gaze much clearer. Only then did the interrogation begin.

"Don’t even think about using the chat group to send warnings, or I’ll obliterate your soul in an instant!"

"How did you know I have a chat group?"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"First warning. Try again, and you die."

"I won’t! I won’t!"

"What’s your name?"

"I didn’t say anything?"

"......"

"I’m asking for your real name!"

"Oh, I’m Cheng Long."

"......"

BANG! BANG! BANG!!!

Chen Yi’s expression darkened as he ruthlessly landed three more punches.

If not for the chat group’s automatic shielding of all related information in a member’s consciousness—rendering brute-force soul-searching useless—he wouldn’t have wasted so much breath on this fool.

"I’ll behave! I’ll behave! My name is Chen Zhen!"

"Ha! Still messing with me? Why don’t you say you’re Brother Zeng next?!"

"Eh? Wait, how do you know about—"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Stop! No more! My name’s Gu Yuan, I swear! Believe me, it’s really Gu Yuan!!!"

"Just a Bit of Hardship" was thoroughly broken, no longer daring to spout nonsense.

Through swollen eyelids, he cautiously studied the brutal man before him, feeling nothing but despair.

Even though this guy knows ancient memes like Brother Zeng, he can’t possibly be a transmigrator!

It must be that bastard admin of Group 98 who sold us out—betrayed the chat group, betrayed all us fellow transmigrators, and sided with this overpowered native!

He even used himself as bait to lure me out and get me killed!

Damn it!

Why does this seemingly ordinary Purple Star Continent have such a monster?!

And Group 98’s admin, you backstabbing snake! I trusted you with my heart, and you played me for a fool?!

I’ll —

Noticing his defeated expression, Chen Yi grinned amiably. "Relax, I can tell you—I’m also a transmigrator, and I’ve joined the Multiverse Transmigrators Mutual Aid Group."

But Gu Yuan, already convinced otherwise, remained expressionless. "Prove it."

Chen Yi scoffed. "For example, you’re from Group Two? Your group nickname is ‘Just a Bit of Hardship’? You’re here on a mission?"

"Hmph, I don’t buy it. The guy you used as bait could’ve known that too. Unless... you send me a private message in the public zone!"

BANG!

Another punch scattered Gu Yuan’s defiance. "Believe me now?"

His eyes instantly regained clarity.

Does it even matter if I believe him or not?

If he could kill me anytime but is still talking, doesn’t that prove he’s telling the truth?!

Not sending a private message must mean he’s hiding his identity!

Heh, acts all tough, but he’s scared of his own group admin too, huh?

With that realization, Gu Yuan’s mood lightened considerably.

Ah, if he’s a fellow group member, then this is easy!

All this talk just means he wants compensation, right?

Fine, I’ll pay!

Gu Yuan exhaled deeply and spoke humbly, "My apologies for acting rashly. I shouldn’t have accepted the mission without verifying in the public zone first. I had no idea you and Group 98’s admin were in the same world, and I ended up snatching the rewards you’d planned for. Truly, my mistake."

"How about this? List any item anonymously in the Multiverse Store, and I’ll gift you two billion points as an apology. I hope you can forgive my oversight."

Though his tone was light, Gu Yuan’s heart bled.

Not only did I fail the mission and gain nothing, but now I have to empty my savings to apologize...

The pain... it’s unbearable!

Group 98’s admin, I —

"Oh? Quite the fortune you’ve got!" Chen Yi’s gaze grew even more predatory, brimming with satisfaction.

Gu Yuan shuddered under his stare and hurriedly flattered, "Ah, how could I compare to you? Slaving away in a dungeon run only nets me a few hundred million, while you can earn tens of billions just by joining a single ‘Peak Demon Extermination Trial.’ These two billion are just a humble offering—please don’t take offense."

"Oh? ‘Peak Demon Extermination Trial’?" Chen Yi’s brow rose. Yet another term he’d never heard.

Honestly, these high-ranking group old-timers just lurk silently in the public zone, acting all aloof with their notifications muted. No way to learn about the chat group’s deeper developments.

Now that I’ve finally caught a veteran from Group Two, I’m squeezing every last drop of value out of him!

"You... don’t know about it?" Gu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. Did I misjudge?

A powerhouse like him, with combat strength exceeding 1.5 billion, unaware of the ‘Peak Demon Extermination Trial’?

Is he not in one of the top-ranked groups on the Peak Leaderboard?

"What’s the ‘Peak Leaderboard’?" Chen Yi suddenly asked.

"The Peak Leaderboard? Well, it’s—wait, no!" Gu Yuan’s pupils shrank. "How did you know what I was thinking?!"

Chen Yi said nothing, merely staring at him calmly.

Gu Yuan’s scalp prickled. If he can read my mind... then what’s real and what’s fake?!

I can’t tell... I really can’t!

After a long moment of mental chaos, he forced himself to focus and deadpanned, "Are you really a transmigrator? If you’re in the Mutual Aid Group, then answer this: when you reach Level 5, the daily welfare sign-in unlocks. How many points do you get per day?"

Chen Yi smirked. "Funny, I recall the welfare sign-in system unlocks at Group Level 3, granting 100 points daily. After that, every level-up multiplies the daily reward by ten."

Gu Yuan was utterly numb.

To prevent mind-reading, I even deceived myself—planting traps in my questions and mentally reciting wrong answers.

Yet he still gave the correct response!

These early-stage group secrets aren’t even known to most members! Even if Group 98’s admin knew, he wouldn’t bother mentioning such trivial details unless... he’d been soul-searched!

But if the admin of the Ninety-Eight Groups had his soul searched, then this mission wouldn’t just require a combat power of one billion—it would demand at least 1.8 billion or more. Otherwise, who could possibly take down someone like him?

So, he must genuinely be part of one of those chat groups, likely an early member who joined right after the group was created!

Yet Gu Yuan couldn’t wrap his head around it.

With an OG member whose strength had already shattered the heavens, how could such a group fail to rank on the pinnacle leaderboard, no matter how mediocre the rest were?

Why was this guy completely clueless?

Could it be that he’d just transmigrated, took over the body of a cultivator who’d refined an immortal physique, and then got dragged into some low-ranked newbie group?

That’s way too far-fetched!

A freshly transmigrated soul is pathetically weak—how could it possibly seize an immortal physique from a top-tier expert?

Even if the expert’s primordial spirit had perished, the nascent consciousness derived from the immortal body alone would effortlessly annihilate such a feeble soul!

"What the hell are you muttering about? Now, I ask, you answer!"

Chen Yi’s sudden sharp bark snapped Gu Yuan out of his spiraling thoughts.