Cultivation Online

After White Lotus teased everyone in the chat room with the information that she'd met with Player Yuan, hundreds of people began trying to reach out to White Lotus.

They tried messaging her though emails, through the chat room, and even through her phone.

When none of that worked, they started calling her and those around her.

"Miss Bai… They're calling us nonstop. Why don't you just respond to them?" Her manager pleaded with her, as her phone has been blowing up nonstop for the past hour.

"Just turn off your phone like I did." White Lotus smiled.

"And then it will only be a matter of time before they start showing up at our doorstep. In fact, I am willing to bet that some of them are already on their way here!" Her manager sighed.

"Let them come. They're always talking about Player Yuan, so I am teasing them for a bit."

"You're so evil, Miss Bai…"

"It'll only be for a bit." White Lotus shrugged.

The following day, as expected, a crowd of people showed up in front of the Eternal Lotuses' headquarters.

Of course, they were all females. And because they were all from Legacy Families, the Eternal Lotuses couldn't just send them away.

"Miss Bai, here are the families that are currently outside." Her manager handed her a list of names.

"Oh? Fiery Queen is also here?" White Lotus noticed her name at glance.

"Yes, and she said that she won't leave until you meet with her." The manager sighed.

White Lotus smiled and said, "Bring her inside. Tell the others that I am only going to be speaking with Fiery Queen and nobody else."

"Right away."

Sometime later, a beautiful young woman with long, wavy crimson hair appeared before White Lotus in her room.

"White Lotus! How dare you leave us hanging after dropping that bomb in the chat room yesterday! Do you have any idea how much ruckus your comment had caused?!" Fiery Queen began lecturing White Lotus the moment she entered the room.

"Ruckus? It was just a casual comment. Why would there be a ruckus?" White Lotus acted ignorant.

"Y-You met with Player Yuan, right? The mysterious player that shook the entire world with his impossible achievements! Everybody and their mother has been trying to contact him but to no avail. Even a teaspoon of information on him is worth a fortune! You must tell me about your meeting with him!"

"Why should I tell you— or anybody, for that matter? It was a private conversation between the two of us. There's no need for the whole world to know about it." White Lotus shook her head.

"Bullshit! Then why did you mention it in the group chat? You could've kept the meeting to yourself!"

"I just wanted to see your reactions, that's all."

Fiery Queen was speechless.

"You're a really horrible person, you know that, right?"

White Lotus chuckled, "Is that so? I was going to give you a chance to meet him, but since I am a horrible person…"

"W-Wait! I was joking! You're not a horrible person! Please, I want to meet him, too!" Fiery Queen began panicking.

White Lotus then said, "If you're thinking about recruiting him, I suggest you give up on that idea."

"Why? Did you already recruit him or something?" Fiery Queen frowned.

"No, I didn't even try to recruit him."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand it until you meet him. That man… He's untamable." White Lotus sighed.

"You won't know until you try." Fiery Queen said.

"Try?" White Lotus scoffed, and she continued, "When I first met him, I was barely able to keep my composure. I felt like a prey before its predator— it was a truly humbling experience. Even though he was very polite and humble, he has this overwhelming presence that cannot be masked."

"So you're saying that he's a dangerous individual?" Fiery Queen raised her eyebrows.

"Yes and no. He seems like a genuinely good person and someone easy to befriend, but if you offend him, he'll become your worst nightmare. He's that sort of individual." White Lotus said, recalling her experience with Yuan.

"Unfortunately, even if I trust you, this is not something we can decide on. It'll be our families that will make the final decision. Speaking of our families, has your family contacted you yet?" Fiery Queen asked her.

"No, they haven't."

"Well, color me surprised."

"But it'll only be a matter of time." White Lotus said.

"What will you do if they want you to recruit him?" Fiery Queen asked.

"Then I'll recruit him." She calmly said.

Fiery Queen frowned and said, "Even after everything you'd just said? You're such a hypocrite." 

"He's going to refuse, anyways. The most important thing is the way we approach him and that we don't push our luck."

"You knew this was going to happen before you even made that comment in the group chat yesterday. Why?"

"Who knows." White Lotus shrugged.

White Lotus suddenly noticed her private cell phone ringing.

"Speaking of the devil. Looks like my family has finally decided to contact me," she said with a smile.

"If you don't mind…" White Lotus looked at Fiery Queen.

"We're not done yet! I will be waiting outside!" Fiery Queen said before going outside.

White Lotus answered the phone and began speaking with her parents.

"Yes, it's true."

"No, not yet. I didn't want to rush things."

"Don't worry, I will have another chance to meet him soon."

"Yes, I know. I will do my best to recruit him."

"Sorry, but I promised him that I wouldn't reveal any information about our meeting yesterday."

"Even if it's my own family, there is a chance that it could be leaked outside. Unless you want to risk offending him and lose our chance to recruit him…"

"I understand. Goodbye."

White Lotus hung up many minutes later and sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Yuan logged into Cultivation Online and met up with those that will be ascending the Stairway to Heaven with him.