A Painless and Ineffectual Ban—I, Gu Yuan, Am No Trash

The chat group's monitoring system may be low-key, but it certainly isn't nonexistent!

At first, nothing seemed amiss. After all, the two members from Group 2 had been discussing 'Transcendence Celestial,' a member from Group 1, all along. Since the task trigger didn't originate from them, the system had been processing it as a normal task flow.

But the problem arose when, after the task failed, the focus of their conversation abruptly shifted to 'TMD Heavenly Tribulation is Still Chasing Me,' the Group 108 admin. Their emotional fluctuations were unusually intense, immediately drawing the monitoring system's attention.

Adding to this, Chen Yi had repeatedly used clones to execute tasks. When the system cross-referenced the corresponding detection logs with the primary target that triggered this free task...

Well, well!

An 80% similarity match!

The remaining 20% was just him deliberately obscuring his origin attribute fluctuations to evade the system's scan.

What audacity!

Daring to use clones for rule-breaking operations right under the monitoring system's nose?!

[Warning! Your account is exhibiting abnormal activity, suspected of being accessed from an unauthorized location!]

[Partial account privileges have been suspended. Account will be reinstated in 30 days.]

[Reminder: Further violations will result in harsher penalties. Please adhere to the rules and help maintain a harmonious and friendly group environment.]

[Suspended privileges include:

1. Access to the Multiverse Store.

2. Daily check-in rewards.

3. Authority to initiate Exorcism Dungeons.

4. Use of the Super Comprehension module.

5. Location-sharing functionality.]

Hah, what a slap on the wrist.

These features might be invaluable to regular group members, but to Chen Yi, as long as his core admin privileges remained untouched, a month-long suspension was nothing!

After all, the heist on Ye Wuchen had already filled his pockets. This was the perfect time to lay low, digest his gains, and maybe even explore potential loopholes in the chat group system during the ban!

With that in mind, Chen Yi stretched out his hand lazily. "Alright, Ye Wuchen, hand over the Immortal Yuan Stones first. Let’s round it down—882,560 stones. Not one less."

Ye Wuchen’s heart clenched at those words.

How could someone sound so generous yet so petty at the same time?

"Rounding down" only shaved off two stones!

This is just...

Miserable. Absolutely miserable.

Soon, Ye Wuchen’s chat group account balance was emptied of Immortal Yuan Stones.

Meanwhile, Chen Yi’s pockets visibly bulged.

"Not bad. Now, Wuchen, get me out of the public channel’s blacklist too."

Chen Yi finally allowed a faint smirk, even addressing Ye Wuchen more amiably.

"Understood." Ye Wuchen nodded, resigned to his fate.

If you can’t hold onto sand, you might as well let it slip through your fingers. Keeping his remaining points was already a stroke of luck.

But when he logged back into the public channel and saw the blacklisted avatar of the Group 108 admin—marked "Suspended for Violations"—his heart skipped a beat.

Oh-ho! So that’s why this greedy bastard let me keep over 500 billion points, saying I could "hold onto them for now"!

His account got banned!

Hahaha! Chat group, for once, you’ve done something satisfying!

Though he didn’t know how long the suspension would last, Ye Wuchen—having been banned a few times himself—knew it was at least seven days.

Sure, Chen Yi could still access the public channel and trade with other admins, but without the Multiverse Store, large point transfers were impossible!

Seven days would be more than enough to drain every last point.

By then, if he comes demanding them back? Hah! No points left—just my life if you want it!

The thought lifted Ye Wuchen’s spirits instantly. His eyes brightened, and his gaze toward Chen Yi took on an indescribable, almost mischievous glint.

"Ahem... Senior, I’ve removed you from the blacklist. But... why does your account show a violation notice?"

Chen Yi shot him a sidelong glance. "As if you don’t know!"

Meeting that penetrating stare, Ye Wuchen felt his scheming laid bare. He quickly straightened up and asked seriously, "Senior, any preferences for the three members in the trade?"

Chen Yi glanced at Gu Yuan. "Him, and let him pick the other two."

Hearing this, Gu Yuan immediately puffed out his chest. "Ye Wuchen, you’ve always called me, Liu Bo, and Qin Sheng useless trash, haven’t you? But whether we’re trash or not isn’t for you to decide!"

His voice grew fervent as he continued.

"I know this well—no two paths in life are the same. Some sprint ahead thanks to a head start, some overtake with clever choices, and some charge forward on sheer talent!"

"And me? I came from nothing. Every crossroads I picked wrong, my aptitude is mediocre at best. But I’ve never stopped walking my own path. Slow as it may be, I’ve never retreated!"

"The other shore might be far for me, but as long as I live, I’ll keep moving. My life will still be extraordinary. I’m not trash, and neither are my friends!"

As the words left his mouth, Gu Yuan’s mind seemed to break free of invisible shackles. His aura surged wildly, and in an instant—he broke through to a new realm!

Chen Yi’s eyes gleamed. This Gu Yuan truly deserved to be called one of Group 108’s twin prodigies alongside Fang Zheng!

Noticing Gu Yuan’s momentum wavering, Chen Yi didn’t hesitate to toss him 500,000 Immortal Yuan Stones.

Whoosh—

A massive whirlpool of immortal spiritual energy erupted, flooding into Gu Yuan’s body.

And Gu Yuan didn’t disappoint. Riding the momentum, he soared from the early Pseudo-Immortal stage straight to its peak—just one step shy of the True Immortal realm!

The shockwave of his breakthrough silenced the entire scene.

Ye Wuchen stood frozen.

Not because Gu Yuan had burned through his hard-earned Immortal Yuan Stones, but because he was stunned by Gu Yuan’s performance.

He stared blankly at this veteran member who’d been around since Group 2’s founding. Gu Yuan’s combat power had skyrocketed from 1.25 billion to 1.99 billion in moments. For the first time, Ye Wuchen felt like he was truly seeing Gu Yuan.

Was Gu Yuan trash?

Ye Wuchen had always thought so.

As one of the group’s earliest members, Gu Yuan had watched countless juniors surpass him. If not for his sheer longevity, he’d have been at the bottom of Group 2 long ago.

His poor aptitude was undeniable. In the group, he played the role of a smooth-talking, unprincipled jester—no pride, lacking in temperament.

Calling him trash seemed justified, didn’t it?

Pushing him hard was just to motivate him—was that wrong?

But the truth proved otherwise.

Excessive pressure had only forced his edge inward, locking his spirit away like invisible chains, stifling his path.

Today, when Gu Yuan could no longer endure the suppression and constraints, cast off all pretenses, and revealed his true self, Ye Wuchen suddenly felt his heart clench in realization.

A heavy sword lacks sharpness, yet its simplicity conceals unparalleled mastery!

The further one advances in cultivation, the clearer the importance of temperament becomes.

While early-stage sharpness and brilliance may grant a temporary lead, such unyielding intensity often leads to breaking midway!

Outward radiance and flamboyance pale in comparison to inner strength and refinement.

Though there were several geniuses at the True Immortal Realm in the group, each was brimming with arrogance and conceit—none could match Gu Yuan’s unpretentious steadiness. Even after breaking through three minor realms consecutively, his foundation remained rock-solid, devoid of any shallowness.

This was the mark of a true genius!

How had he never recognized it before?

Now, it seemed Gu Yuan was slipping away from him...

And what of his two friends? The trio, often mocked in the group as the "Trash Trio" alongside Gu Yuan—were they truly trash?