173: Chapter 173 acquired a new entry: [The Self-Cultivation of a Power-Obsessed Dog]

The first rays of the morning sun spilled onto the square of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, illuminating a scene that looked like a buffet after an ancient war between gods and demons...

The air still held a faint aroma of crab oil, but the originally solemn and dignified Holy Land of cultivation now appeared somewhat—not quite serious.

"Ha! Hya!"

An Outer Sect Disciple was punching the air with a chaotic set of flailing strikes. With every punch, it added its own sound effects: "This punch of mine has twenty years of crab meat power! Can you block it? You can't!"

If this were before, an Elder from the Enforcement Hall would have flown over and kicked it, letting it know what "Sect dignity" meant.

But now, that usually stern Elder Wang from the Enforcement Hall was lying on the stone steps not far away, hugging a giant crab claw. It was burping while dazedly drawing circles in the void with its finger, muttering: "These patterns... marvelous... The patterns on this crab shell look just like the 'Xuantian Treasure Record' I couldn't comprehend back in the day... No, I must lick it clean to see..."

The entire Sect, from the Sect Master down to the Servants, had fallen into a strange "sage mode."

This was the aftereffect of consuming an excessive amount of high-dimensional rule fragments (crab meat)—the brain was frantically processing information that was off the charts, causing the body to instinctively enter a "standby" or "garbled" state.

Only one person was clear-headed.

Li Mo held that iconic broken broom, wandering around the square at a leisurely pace.

His movements were light and rhythmic. Every time he swung the broom, it stirred up a seemingly weak but actually incredibly precise Spiritual Qi wind. The "crab shell fragments" scattered on the ground, left over from the Disciples' feasting, would be swept up by the wind and silently slip into his sleeve (which was actually the System space).

"A bunch of people who waste heaven's gifts."

Li Mo looked at a gray-white shell the size of a basin by his feet and shook his head.

This was the hardest piece of armor from the back of the "Shielding Giant Crab." The group of Disciples had only cared about digging out the meat inside, casually throwing this most precious "container" on the ground. In their eyes, this was just waste material that was too hard to bite and couldn't even be cut by a Flying Sword.

But in Li Mo's 【Great Reader】 vision, countless gray characters were densely flowing across this shell.

Those characters were not the Golden Seal Script of the Cultivation World, nor were they the ancient language of gods and demons, but a font Li Mo was very familiar with, and even somewhat hated, in his previous life—Song typeface, size 5, 1.5 line spacing.

"How is this a crab shell?" Li Mo crouched down, his fingers gently stroking the cold texture on the shell. The tactile sensation didn't feel like a shell, but rather like a huge, rigid plastic keyboard. "This is clearly an 'industry standard regulation.'"

【High-dimensional carrier book detected: "Plane Content Review Standards (Incomplete Manual · Internal Trial Version)."】 【Reading difficulty: Extremely high (not only boring, but also likely to cause physiological discomfort).】 【Read?】

"Read."

Li Mo didn't hesitate. He had been surviving in the Cultivation World for so many years, he had even read "postpartum care for sows," so what was there to fear about this?

However, when those characters truly appeared in his mind, Li Mo still almost couldn't keep a straight face.

The first line of text was filled with a thick bureaucratic atmosphere: "Article 1: In order to maintain the healthy, harmonious, and orderly development of All Heavens and Myriad Realms, the plot direction of all low-dimensional planes must conform to 'positive and uplifting' core values. Any description involving gore, violence, pornography, or indescribable body parts below the neck is considered a violation."

The corners of Li Mo's mouth twitched. No wonder this crab was called the "Shielding Giant Crab," was it just a mobile censor?

He patiently continued reading.

"Article 14: Regulations on the color of 'blood.' To avoid causing discomfort to viewers, the blood color of all living beings (including but not limited to humans, Yao Beasts, and the Demon Race) must be adjusted to green, black, or rainbow colors in visual presentation. Large-scale spraying of red blood is strictly prohibited."

"Article 32: IQ restrictions for 'villains.' To ensure the clearance experience of the protagonist (Son of the Plane), villains must not possess logical thinking abilities exceeding the average level of the plane. If a villain's IQ is too high, it should be forcibly lowered, or a 'talkative leads to death' plot should be arranged."

"Article 78: It is strictly forbidden for animals to become spirits after the founding of the nation... (This clause may be exempted in the Cultivation World depending on the situation, but they must wear a 'pet collar' to distinguish themselves)."

The more Li Mo read, the more his scalp tingled. This wasn't a Cultivation Technique; it was simply a "Creator's Nightmare." Every rule in here was a Sword of Damocles hanging over the Cultivation World.

If this standard were to fully descend, what kind of cultivation would there be in the Cultivation World? Everyone wouldn't need to fight when they met, they could just compare who smiled more brightly and who was more civilized and polite. The Demon Lord couldn't appear with a sea of blood, but with a green, eco-friendly grassland; the seductive enchantress couldn't show her thighs, but had to wear cotton pants and a tank top?

"Terrifying," Li Mo gasped, feeling a belated sense of awe for the crab that had already been eaten clean.

Fortunately, it had been eaten. Otherwise, if this thing were really allowed to enforce the law in the Cultivation World, what kind of ghost of a world would it become?

As the last boring clause was "gnawed" through by Li Mo, the crab shell in his hand turned into a stream of light and completely merged into his body.

The System notification arrived as scheduled, even carrying a sense of having lowered its volume intentionally because the content was too sensitive:

【Congratulations to the Host for completing the reading of "Plane Content Review Standards (Incomplete Manual)."】 【Extracted purple entry: authority dog (Elementary).】

【Entry Name: authority dog (Elementary)】 【Grade: Purple (Rule-type / Growth-type)】 【Description: Since you have thoroughly read the review standards, you are the embodiment of the rules. Although you are only an Elementary Administrator (intern version), in this low-dimensional plane, you possess the power to adjudicate "inharmonious" content.】 【Passive Effect: Sensitive Skin... oh no, Sensitive Word Radar. When you hear or see any content that violates the "Review Standards," a red box will automatically be marked on your retina.】 【Active Skill 1: Mute Spell (Beep——). You can designate a target and mute the sound it emits in real-time. Whether it is chanting a forbidden Spell or cursing, to others, it will only sound like a crisp, melodious "Beep" sound.】 【Active Skill 2: Holy Mosaic. You can apply a mosaic to any object, Move, or wound. The mosaic has a "cognitive blocking" effect; the obscured parts will be unparseable and cannot cause damage judgment.】 【Active Skill 3: One-Click Greening (Cooling down). Forcibly modifies the art style, turning horror scenes into family-friendly scenes. (This skill consumes a huge amount, use with caution.)】

Li Mo closed his eyes, feeling the gray "scissors" icon that had appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Is this... the power of administrative authority?"

He opened his eyes, and the world had changed.

At this moment, in the corner of the square, an Inner Sect Disciple who had excess energy from eating too much crab meat was holding a Flying Sword, trying to carve words onto a fellow Disciple's clothes.

"Watch this Move, 'Blood Slaughter Sword Technique'!" The Disciple shouted, and the tip of the sword cut its own finger, attempting to sacrifice blood to the sword to increase its power.

In Li Mo's vision, that drop of blood was instantly encased in a red box, and a small warning sign popped up next to it: 【Violating content: Bloody display. Rectification suggested.】

Li Mo's heart stirred.

"authority dog, activate."

Snap.

A crisp snap of fingers.

The Disciple who was just preparing to squeeze out some more blood suddenly froze.

It discovered in horror that what was flowing from its fingertip was no longer bright red blood, but a kind of... green, viscous liquid with a hint of fluorescence.

"Holy crap? Am I poisoned?" The Disciple was so scared its face turned green, perfectly complementing the liquid on its finger. "Senior Brother, save me! My blood turned green! Am I going to mutate into a tree demon?"

The surrounding Disciples looked over upon hearing the sound, but instead of panicking, each of them showed an expression of "this is very reasonable"—after all, everyone had just finished eating crab, and their worldviews hadn't finished reassembling.

"What's there to panic about!" A Senior Brother with black teeth nearby said calmly, "Green represents vitality, it means the crab meat you ate is very fresh and full of life force. Keep practicing!"

Li Mo hid in the shadows, unable to help but laugh out loud.

This skill is quite interesting.

He cast his gaze in another direction.

There, the "big-mouthed" Disciple named Zhao Liu was still immersed in the pleasure of being an "outlaw."

Zhao Liu stood on a towering rock, boasting to a group of newly admitted Junior Sisters below: "Back in the day, your Senior Brother, I punched the fierce tigers of the Southern Mountains and kicked the flood dragons of the Northern Sea! Even the Sect Master had to respectfully call me..."

【Violating content: False advertising / Suspected of insulting Sect leadership.】 【Judgment result: Mute.】

Li Mo tapped his finger lightly.

Zhao Liu was in the middle of his boast: "...call me—Beep——!"

"?" Zhao Liu froze, patted his throat, "What's going on? Is my throat hoarse? Ahem, I mean, the Sect Master calls me—Beep——!"

"Beep——! Beep Beep——! Beep Beep Beep!"

Zhao Liu panicked. He was clearly speaking with force, and his vocal cords were vibrating, but the sound coming out was as if it had been forcibly replaced by a monotonous electronic sound by some irresistible force.

The Junior Sisters below, who had originally looked on with admiration, were now looking at each other, then covering their mouths and snickering.

"Senior Brother, what kind of divine skill have you been practicing? How come you can send telegrams?"

Zhao Liu's face flushed red, gesturing wildly as he tried to explain: "I am not—Beep——is—Beep——!"

Finally, he could only squat on the ground in defeat, letting out a series of desperate "Beep Beep Beeps."

Second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

Li Mo withdrew his gaze, the gray light in his eyes gradually fading away.

"Not bad, although it's only Elementary authority, in this kind of 'local conflict,' it's simply a dimensionality-reduction strike."

This wasn't just a prank. Li Mo knew very clearly that the true terror of this entry lay in the "interruption."

A cultivator's chanting, hand seals, and even the operation of a Cultivation Technique all relied on specific syllables and rune logic. If, at the critical moment when one chanted "Hurry as the law requires," one was hit with a "Beep," then the Spell would instantly collapse, or even cause a backlash.

If, at the moment one swung a sword to attack, a "mosaic" was applied to the sword, then the moment the sword touched the enemy, it would be unable to cause physical damage due to "cognitive blocking."

This wasn't an "authority dog," this was clearly a "rule-level · causal weapon."

"However..."

Li Mo looked down at the broom in his hand, his expression slightly solemn.

This "Review Standards" was just an Incomplete Manual. This meant that although this "Shielding Giant Crab" was strong, it was just the tip of the iceberg of some massive force in the Upper Realm. It was just a "low-level censor" sent down.

Now, the censor had been eaten, and even the work manual had been stolen and studied. The people above (or rather, the gods above) couldn't possibly have no reaction.

"Eating someone from the public sector, this matter won't be easy to smooth over."

Li Mo looked up at the sky.

The heavenly thunder that had originally been blocked by the "Beep" sound had long since dissipated, and the sky was blue to the point of being unreal. But in Li Mo's 【authority dog】 vision, deep within that azure sky, a trace of extremely minute "cracks" faintly appeared.

That wasn't a spatial crack. That was the signal of the "server" attempting to reconnect.

【Warning: Illegal cheat detected.】 【Warning: Abnormal data fluctuation detected in this plane (Source: Heavenly River Sword Sect).】 【Warning: Superior inspection team is generating a projection... Estimated arrival time: 10 minutes.】

The red bold warning that suddenly popped up on the System panel made Li Mo's eyes instantly turn cold.

"Coming so fast."

He had originally thought he could survive for a few more days, but he didn't expect the opponent's reaction speed to be comparable to a Titled Douluo.

"Ten minutes..."

Li Mo glanced at his fellow brothers who were still dancing like demons on the square, "greening" each other's faces with blood, or "Beep Beep-ing" endlessly.

Relying on this bunch of drunks who had just eaten their fill to fight the "inspection team"? They would probably be collectively banned by the other side using higher-level authority before the fight even started.

"It seems I have to install a firewall for the Sect first."

Li Mo sighed and took out the crab leg that had been eaten down to the bone from the System space.

This crab leg was the most essential skeleton of the "404 Divine Beast," which was itself a natural "signal blocker."

He walked to the center of the square, which was the eye of the Heavenly River Sword Sect's protective Formation.

The Sect Master's life-bound Formation Flag used to be stuck there, but now the Formation Flag had been pulled out by some drunk Elder to use as a toothpick.

Li Mo slammed the crab leg into the eye of the Formation.

Hum——!

An invisible ripple centered on the crab leg instantly spread to the entire Heavenly River Sword Sect.

"With bone as the base, with authority as the guide."

Li Mo pinched a seal in his hand; it was the "LAN encryption technology" he had just learned from the "Review Standards."

"Entry loading: 【authority dog】——Global silent mode!"

In an instant, the Spiritual Qi that had been restless above the Heavenly River Sword Sect suddenly quieted down.

A layer of faint, gray-white light curtain, which would be impossible to notice if one didn't look carefully, was like a huge bowl, covering the entire Sect inside.

From the outside, the Heavenly River Sword Sect was still shrouded in clouds and mist, with cranes flying together. But at the rule level, this place had become a "404 Not Found" ghost zone.

"Even if it's a superior inspection, if they want to find this place, they have to pass my test first."

After doing all this, Li Mo clapped the dust off his hands, returning to the lazy appearance of a sweeping Servant.

Just then, the Treasure-Seeking Rat, Squeak, which had gone off to who knows where, suddenly drilled out from the ground.

It had half a sparkling crystal in its mouth, obviously having gone off to dig for treasure again. But the moment it saw Li Mo, all its fur stood on end, its two little claws gestured frantically, and it let out a rapid: "Beep! Beep Beep! Beep——!! (Boss! There's a big eye in the sky watching us!!)"

Li Mo looked up.

Although there was a "firewall" blocking it, he could still feel that, above the Nine Heavens, a cold, mechanical, and emotionless gaze was projecting onto this land from across billions of miles of void.

There was no killing intent in that gaze, only a kind of suffocating... censorship intent.

"Don't rush."

Li Mo bent down to pick up Squeak, smoothly smoothing down its bristling fur, a meaningful smile curling on the corner of his mouth.

"Since the leaders inspecting the work have arrived, shouldn't we prepare a 'work report' properly?"

"Just in time, I have a few 'mosaic' Formations I just learned, and I was worried about having no one to test them on."

He turned and walked toward the Scripture Pavilion, his back silhouette stretched long in the morning light, appearing both thin and incredibly arrogant.

"Pass the order down (although no one can hear it)." Li Mo said silently in his heart, "The whole Sect is to enter 'acting mode' immediately. If anyone dares to slip up, I will sew their mouth shut forever... using a mosaic."