Chapter 39 Demonic Energy Revitalized, Cultivation World Progress 39%

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"Helian Yi! It's Helian Yi, isn't it?"

"Helian Yi, the number one expert in Yingzhou! So it was him! Qi Tian's defeat was not unjust!"

"My goodness, is the young master of the Helian family really going up against the Xuantian Sword Sect? This is truly a feast for the eyes."

Others are concerned about other aspects.

"The head of the three clans and the most powerful of the nine sects match up?"

“There is also competition within the three clans and nine sects, but it is usually not brought out into the open. Today, I am afraid it will not end well.”

The sect leader of the Xuantian Sword Sect could hardly contain his laughter.

His murderous gaze swept over the source of everything, the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace. The latter knew the sinister methods hidden beneath his righteous facade, and the nearly thousand-year-old man shrank back in fear.

The Palace Master of Shengqi Palace was in great distress.

It was something that came about because of his status and position, and it should have been a very easy problem to solve. How did an unexpected obstacle suddenly appear?

This arrogant young master of the Helian family is truly outrageous! He insists on going against them for the sake of a mere rogue cultivator! Why didn't he reveal his identity beforehand? They would have given him some face. Instead, he brazenly stands on the opposite side and publicly humiliates them. What are his intentions?

Helian Yi received the best education from his family from a young age, and his ability to read people was first-rate. He could tell what the Palace Master of Shengqi Palace was thinking at a glance.

He scoffed inwardly.

He had already disguised himself as a rogue cultivator and kicked the grandson of the Xuantian Sect Master off the stage, which was a disaster for all the sects in Lingzhou. Why would he give them any face at this time?

The bunch of good-for-nothings in Lingzhou are used to getting by and are utterly stupid.

The young man arrogantly glared back at him.

The sect leader of Xuantian Sword Sect took a deep breath and revealed a fake smile, as if he were dealing with an unreasonable junior: "So it is my nephew. Why hide your arrival from Yingzhou? This matter really needs to be made clear in public, lest we tarnish the reputation of Shengqi Palace and make people think that we are bullying the weak."

He then turned to the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace and said, “This move is indeed inappropriate. To prevent those who are unaware from spreading rumors, you should clarify the matter in front of everyone. You cannot ruin your young friend’s reputation, otherwise you will not be able to explain it to Patriarch Helian.”

After saying that, he looked at Shen Suxi, who was meditating: "Young friend Shen, you should focus on your breakthrough. The Golden Core stage is the easiest time to develop inner demons. Don't let some minor setbacks shake your Dao heart. Kunpeng Mountain is the territory of my Xuantian Sword Sect. If you have been wronged in this matter, I, as the host, will definitely seek justice for you."

His way of speaking is very sophisticated.

Not only did he distance himself from the situation, characterizing it as a private dispute between the Palace Master of Shengqi Palace and Shen Suqi, but he also righteously comforted Shen Suqi, taking care of her in every way.

As expected, his righteous demeanor earned him the respect and admiration of the audience.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace knew that the Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect wanted both profit and face. He was secretly angry but still dared not drag him into the mess. He quickly sighed and shook his head: "I should have dealt with the sect privately, but Shen Suqi was so audacious as to use a secret technique that my palace never shows to outsiders at the Lingzhou Grand Gathering. I lost my composure in my haste. Since that is the case, I ask you all to be witnesses and let her defend herself after her breakthrough."

"I am truly grateful to my fellow senior masters for giving me this favor," Helian Yi said with a cold smile.

His words implied that if it weren't for his status, these people would have bullied the weak today.

The rhythm of the Lingzhou Grand Gathering was completely disrupted, with tens of thousands of people on Kunpeng Mountain waiting for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to condense his Golden Core.

Shen Suqi is still young, so the pressure on her is considerable.

Fortunately, although she was unable to move, she had the help of her friends and the secret assistance of the system, so her path to advancement was relatively smooth.

[Host, keep it up! Think about the points you'll get after reaching the Golden Core stage and unlocking the main cultivation path! Think about the advanced prize pool and the increased drop rates for this season's treasures! Think about this quarter's leaderboard! With the points from successfully advancing to the Golden Core stage, you can draw lots to your heart's content! You might even steal the top spot on this quarter's leaderboard! Stay calm! We can win!]

12345 excitedly waved two carrots made of data in Shen Suqi's sea of ​​consciousness.

Shen Suqi's spiritual power stabilized somewhat.

Points! Prize pool! Baby! Top of the leaderboard! She wants it all!

Her lofty ambitions and the overwhelming spiritual energy within her complemented each other, propelling her cultivation to an even higher level in one fell swoop.

12345, aware of the changes in its host, happily tossed the carrot around.

Suddenly, the overjoyed little system stopped working and switched to the system background in surprise.

[Host]

It said hesitantly.

[Internal system announcement: We, the 2023 graduating class, are required to finish all current tasks and write a performance review report within the next three days. (Note: The report must be concise and no more than 3,000 words. Too verbose will result in point deductions. Hey, this requirement is definitely aimed at those working 996 (9am-9pm, 6 days a week), making them always pushing the word count. Then, we'll take the report back to the System Academy for three months of training, during which time an AI system will take over the host's tasks. Wow, I have to go back to three months of classes!)]

After reading 12345, open the forum.

Let me check the forum... Everyone's received the notification.

It didn't read the rest of the text because it involved content that was blocked by the system.

996 speculates that the Tianyan Academy is likely to open its gates soon. During this period, all mission takers will gather in a closed space for assessment. They will not need to be guided in cultivation, choosing secret realms, or receiving missions. This is the best time for the systems to return to the factory for upgrades.

It felt that 996 truly deserved to be called the number one in the world, and what it said made perfect sense. After a little thought, it said to its host.

[Host, host, don't be afraid of those guys over there. Tianyan Academy will definitely open its gates within three months. When you come back to the island then, they will all be your defeated opponents, hmph!]

Shen Suqi lacked the ability to communicate with spirits, but the steadily increasing spiritual power indicated that she had listened to everything.

She steadily fought until the final crucial moment, where spiritual energy gathered around her, surrounding her like clouds, and the invisible power in her dantian surged even more rapidly.

A golden core formed from spiritual energy gradually solidifies under repeated tempering by intense spiritual energy.

"Is the commotion at the Golden Core stage really that big?" Wu Ji asked with a strange look.

Ever since he acquired the system, he sees every genius cultivator as one of those big shots on the quarterly leaderboard, fighting fiercely and making ordinary cultivators question their existence.

He glanced at his friend beside him.

Three years ago, after escaping death in the Misty Forest, he was bound to a system. His first reaction was to test whether the people around him had also had a strange encounter. Senior Brother Xu was an upright person who would not lie, and he knew immediately that he was not a mission taker. Huangfu Mian was carefree and did not have any special reaction. On the contrary, Dai Kui, who was usually taciturn, frequently winked at him and became a medicine cultivator after leaving the Liuyun Sect.

Unable to reveal anything about the system, he and Dai Kui relied on various probes to confirm each other's identities as mission takers, and often covered for each other, thus openly sharing cultivation techniques and spiritual artifacts with Xu Lingyou and Huangfu Mian. Their talents were inferior to others, so they were not proactive in completing missions and earning points, focusing instead on real-world combat training to compensate for their lack of talent.

Unfortunately, he has not yet obtained the Marrow Cleansing Pill. He always felt that Senior Brother Xu's efforts deserved to be matched with a better spiritual root.

Wu Ji's eyes flickered.

Occasionally, he would ask 888 if he and Xu Lingyou were too close and it had bound the wrong person. No matter how you looked at it, Xu Lingyou, who was more hardworking and had a heart for the light than anyone else, was more deserving of being chosen. But 888 told him that someone like Xu Lingyou didn't need any assistance anymore; he just needed to seize the opportunity.

Wu Ji thought that with the system around, none of their four-person team would fall behind.

"Isn't this how it is for all Golden Core cultivators?" Su Xiaoyao replied casually upon hearing his words.

Wu Ji's thoughts were pulled back, and he said in surprise, "Although I have little experience, I have seen inner disciples advance in the Liuyun Sect before. There shouldn't be such a commotion."

Now it was Su Xiaoyao's turn to be surprised. She tilted her head and asked, "So, the bigger the commotion, the better?"

“Of course,” Wu Ji said. “The greater the commotion, the more spiritual energy is absorbed, and the more solid the Golden Core becomes. It is said that when the Heavenly Evolution Dao Ancestor advanced to the Golden Core stage, he attracted the tribulation lightning that only occurs when advancing to the Nascent Soul stage. After being tempered by heavenly lightning, the Golden Core stage can easily challenge those of higher levels.”

"I've learned something." Su Xiaoyao nodded thoughtfully.

Wu Ji said in surprise, "These should be common sense."

Su Xiaoyao said frankly, "I was a mortal three years ago. After coming to the cultivation world, I mostly stayed in the deep mountains and forests, so I haven't heard much about these things."

"I see." Wu Ji smiled, his goodwill towards those who also valued practical combat increased. "Hello, my name is Wu Ji, and over there is my senior brother Xu Lingyou. Those two are my junior sisters, Huangfu Mian and Dai Kui. However, we have already left the former sect, so we only address each other as senior brother and junior sister."

"Su Xiaoyao, the world is vast, but I am free and unfettered." Su Xiaoyao said in a light tone, "These two are my partners, Xiao Tingyuan and Jiang Yun."

Wu Ji's gaze swept between the three of them, but he couldn't sense any fluctuations in their spiritual energy. He guessed that all three of them were at least at the Golden Core stage, and his envy only strengthened his resolve.

After chatting for a bit, Su Xiaoyao returned to Xiao Tingyuan and Jiang Yun's side with her hands in her pockets, and said vaguely, "Old Xiao, I remember that I sat there for less than a quarter of an hour and my Golden Core was formed, while you and Jiang Yun attracted nine bolts of heavenly lightning, right?"

Xiao Tingyuan raised his head with a reserved air: "I told you long ago that Jiang Yun and I have a more solid foundation, but you wouldn't believe me."

This distance was enough for him to hear their conversation.

"I thought you guys were just bragging," Su Xiaoyao said sourly. "Damn, is this the retribution for being a lazy bum? Could my Golden Core, which I acquired in less than a quarter of an hour, really be a fake?"

Jiang Yun lowered his eyes: "What do you think of someone who can fight a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator at an early Golden Core stage?"

He and Xiao Tingyuan considered themselves to be at the peak of the same level, but even so, they couldn't break through Su Xiaoyao's defense.

Su Xiaoyao thought about it and agreed: "Maybe I have a special talent."

[Xiao Yao, your cultivation path is different; you're a rare pure defensive cultivator, so it's normal that your advancement is extraordinary.]

996 had already consulted numerous classic texts before her painless promotion, but unfortunately, there wasn't a single example to refer to. However, once she became energetic and capable of lifting heavy weights, it was no longer worried.

“That makes sense.” Su Xiaoyao was very good at calming herself down, and in less than a second she acknowledged her own uniqueness.

996 also informed her of the internal system announcement that had just been released.

"A performance review report? What's the difference between that and that vague, abstract self-summary at the end of the semester?" She expressed her disdain.

Of course there's a difference; we get bonuses after our performance review.

Su Xiaoyao: "...There is indeed a difference."

The crowd either chatted privately or focused their attention on the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace and Shen Suqi, and no one noticed that the Sect Master of the Xuantian Sword Sect, who had retreated to the back, released his spiritual sense.

He said meaningfully to the Palace Master of Shengqi Palace, "The Golden Core stage is most prone to the growth of inner demons."

The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace suddenly realized, "Yes, if we don't let her stand up and confront us, we won't have to worry about anything. The dead don't need to argue!"

The Golden Core stage is most prone to inner demons, especially since he was a small rogue cultivator who had "stolen" a treasure and was feeling guilty. It was perfectly normal for him to panic and go into a demonic state during his breakthrough. As a righteous cultivator, it was his duty to kill the demon.

The only hesitation was about the "cultivation technique."

The Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master's tone remained completely unchanged: "The Soul Searching Technique can also be used on the dead."

The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace was overjoyed, almost forgetting about the Soul Searching Technique! This technique is listed as a forbidden technique because the user will become mentally impaired after use. However, in reality, the law enforcement halls of various sects use it, usually on the dead, and only on the living in very special circumstances.

He glanced at the elders of the Flowing Cloud Sect behind him. He still remembered that three years ago, the sect leader of the Flowing Cloud Sect wanted to use the Soul Searching Technique on the traitorous disciples, but it was blocked by the special jade pendant they had obtained, which made a big joke of himself.

Fortunately, the dead have no means of protection.

His hand, hidden in his sleeve, moved almost imperceptibly.

A wisp of black mist, invisible to others, slowly approached, climbing up Shen Suqi's waist like a vine under the watchful eyes of millions.

He smiled faintly, picked up his teacup, and slowly savored the fragrance of the thousand-year-old spiritual tea.

Shui Fan was so bored that he yawned, and two pearly tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. He wiped his eyes and brushed away the troublesome tears. His casual gaze suddenly caught sight of a cold, dark aura that looked like a coiled snake.

"Hey? Isn't that a local specialty from our Deep Sea Abyss?" he asked, pointing.

Helian Yi looked in that direction but saw nothing: "Spiritual energy."

"Of course I know about spiritual energy, I'm talking about the black one."

Helian Yi frowned: "Black?"

Seeing that he couldn't understand, Shui Fan simply moved closer to Shen Suqi, stretched out her beautiful, slender fingers, grabbed him, and flipped her palm over.

The ethereal, malevolent black energy fell into his hand and suddenly materialized, trembling and struggling wildly.

Helian Yi's pupils contracted sharply, and he involuntarily took a step back.

“Look, this is it, the demonic energy that escaped from the well that suppressed the demonic dragon.” The innocent little mermaid’s blue eyes were exceptionally pure as she said naively, “I didn’t expect this little local specialty to be so inspiring. It traveled all the way from the bottom of the sea to Lingzhou and it still hasn’t dissipated.”

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Author's note: I got home late from working overtime ORZ