### Chapter 3: The Monster-Catching Tribe
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Inside the Law Enforcement Hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Wang Qianshan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window.
Beyond the glass, the mountains were a lush green, the waters a crystal blue, birds were chirping, and flowers were basking in the warm spring breeze. One would think it would lighten his mood.
But alas, Wang Qianshan’s face was anything but cheerful.
His disciples, knowing his temper all too well, had conveniently found a cozy spot far away to avoid his bad vibes. Better safe than sorry, right?
Elder Lei Wanying, lounging back in his chair, sipped his tea like a sage in a sitcom.
“Eh? Wang Elder, do you not trust this old man?” he quirked an eyebrow.
Wang Qianshan turned around, “Elder Lei, you flatter yourself! You are the top of the four elders of the Monster-Catching Tribe. How could I possibly distrust you?”
A sly smile crept onto Lei Wanying’s face. “I suspect you wish those two disciples won’t be dragged away by Luo Ying, but my lips are sealed to the truth.”
“Ah, your insight is as sharp as ever, Elder Lei. I am most ashamed!” Wang Qianshan sighed.
Both were ancient monsters in their own right; Wang Qianshan’s thoughts were an open book to Lei Wanying.
And he was right.
Those two disciples from the Falling Sunset Peak were at the top of Wang Qianshan’s suspect list.
Because of this, Luo Ying had practically camped outside his door, accusing him daily of not providing evidence while demanding their release.
His hair was nearly worn out from all the scratching!
Eventually, he went to the Monster-Catching Tribe himself to invite them to the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the first order of business? A little inspection of Suspect Number One.
He thought if that guy showed even a hint of guilt, he wouldn’t hesitate to lock him up. But that sneaky fellow was like a cockroach in a flood, even managed to see through Lei Wanying’s hypnotic tricks, acting like a duck not bothered by hot water!
With no other choice, he let the two disciples go, as per his prior agreement with Luo Ying.
How could he not be frustrated after losing face in front of his disciple?
But there were still many matters to rely on Lei Wanying for, so he couldn’t keep nagging about this.
Wang Qianshan composed himself and asked, “With eight thousand disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, how long do you think it will take to examine them according to Elder Lei’s arrangements?”
“Don’t worry, Elder Wang. The twenty disciples I’ve brought are top-notch, and even those with diluted bloodlines won’t escape our keen eyes. Our detection methods have matured quite a bit; we’ll be done in half a day at most.”
“So the Monster-Catching Tribe is continuously updating their identification methods?” Wang Qianshan raised an eyebrow.
Lei Wanying nodded seriously. “Indeed. The monster race never gives up, always plotting to infiltrate the human world. They dilute their demon energy by breeding with humans; some half-demons have barely one-eighth monster bl**d!”
“Wow, so with past methods we wouldn’t have been able to find them,” Wang Qianshan noted. “What’s the new method? Can you share?”
Lei Wanying put down his teacup and adjusted his slightly ajar mask to hide his face completely. “I can only assure you one thing: no monster clan will slip through my fingers. As for the method? That’s a secret, my good sir.”
“Fair enough,” Wang Qianshan smiled, dropping the subject.
At that moment, a disciple bowed respectfully at the doorway of the reception hall.
“Elder, the Sect Leader has agreed to your arrangements!”
“Excellent!” With a bang, Wang Qianshan stood up like he just won the lottery.
“Announce to the Law Enforcement Hall that, aside from the three from Falling Sunset Peak, all others are to gather at the Grand Hall on the Main Peak within the next moment! No excuses! Any latecomers will be dealt with according to the rules!”
“Yes, Elder.”
He turned to Lei Wanying, “Elder Lei, let’s head out together. We’ll be more at ease with your final oversight.”
“Just follow Elder Wang’s lead,” Lei Wanying replied.
In an instant, chaos erupted across the Small Thousand World.
Disciples of all ranks converged towards the Main Peak from every direction.
The sky was filled with traces left behind by flying swords.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, the disciples who hadn’t yet learned to fly, mainly comprised of the player crowd, were “huffing and puffing” their way over, racing against time, afraid they’d be labeled as rule-breakers.
Of all groups to irritate, who would pick a fight with the Law Enforcement Hall?
“Oh boy, say goodbye to your social life in the Heavenly Sword Sect if you cross them!”
At the Main Peak,
After a hasty repair job, the towering Grand Hall representing the highest authority of the Heavenly Sword Sect was back in shape, and the polished marble square before it looked magnificent.
However, the square was brimming with a crowd, buzzing with chatter.
It had been several years since everyone was gathered like this, and the NPC disciples were just as confused as the silly player ones.
Most of these inner door disciples had harbored dreams of slaying monsters and saving the world, but that was long gone; now they just wanted to grind levels and livestream their way to riches.
Being collected like sheep for half a day with no clear reason? Pure madness for the time-is-money streamers!
“What’s going on at the Heavenly Sword Sect? Did they gather a whole army to raise a flag or something?”
“Oh come on! Have you even graduated elementary school? What, you planning to give a speech up there too? Something big is clearly being announced, or they wouldn’t have us all here!”
“But… doesn’t the atmosphere feel a bit off? Have you guys noticed the enforcers are all in black?”
“The Law Enforcement Hall folks?”
“Holy cow, wait a minute, are we still dealing with that monster invasion from last time?”
“Most definitely! Wang Qianshan is still brooding over that embarrassing internal betrayal!”
“Whatever, go find the Cold Moon Witch if you want trouble. Picking on us small fries is nothing to brag about!”
“Shhh… keep it down. If they hear you, you’re toast!”
Amidst all the chatter, the ever-confident Wang Qianshan strode up to the Grand Hall, towering over the crowd.
Thanks to the formidable reputation of the Law Enforcement Hall, the square went quiet in mere moments.
Everyone held their breaths, praying they wouldn’t be the unfortunate soul pulled out for some public shaming.
“Today, I’ve gathered you all here for one purpose: to ensure the purity of our Heavenly Sword Sect.
The monster race is notorious for its cunning and treachery. They are always scheming to infiltrate our ranks with the intent to undermine our human pride.
Just recently, Yan Zhike, who turned into a monster and attacked the Main Peak, is a living example.
He lived among us, no one suspected a thing, even befriended a lot of people.
Who would’ve thought he was just a pawn in their game?
They could strike at any critical moment, delivering us a fatal blow from behind.
To avoid such situations in the future, we’ve specially invited the renowned Monster-Catching Tribe to help us conduct a thorough investigation.”
As he spoke, Wang Qianshan waved his hand dramatically.
Two rows of over twenty mysterious figures in iron masks appeared before the crowd, and the atmosphere turned deadly serious.
An uneasy thought crept into everyone’s minds: could there really be monster infiltrators among them?
