181: One Battle Makes Him Famous; A Low-Profile Approach Brings Lasting Success

When Chen Dengming and his companion returned to the Longevity Sect, not only was the sect's assessment task considered to have been perfectly completed, but they also reaped a great deal of other credit.

Even the news that he and True Man Yu Ding had joined forces to defeat the Blazing Flame Blood Devil gradually spread within the Longevity Sect.

In no time, this False Core Great Cultivator who had just entered the Longevity Sect had become famous.

The Longevity Sect has its own rigorous regulations and verification methods for recognizing merits.

In fact, True Man Yu Ding not only reported the detailed process of severely injuring and repelling the Blazing Flame Blood Devil to the sect, but also attached the recorded Sound-Image Pearl as evidence.

In addition, it was Chen Dengming who initially recognized Bian Yucheng and the others' identities and alerted the police for help.

It was Chen Dengming who killed Bian Yucheng.

It was Chen Dengming who warned He Yingyu and Qian Yingquan to avoid the dangers of the Dragon Transformation Sect's base.

With this series of achievements piling up, He Yingyu and Qian Yingquan also benefited and gained extra credit, while Chen Dengming was even more outstanding and won big.

Three days later.

Having truly established themselves in the Longevity Sect, Chen Dengming and He Yingyu arrived together at the Merit Hall to receive the tallied merits.

The steward who records merits is an elderly man in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage with gray hair. He is a very senior disciple who became a steward after passing the examination.

He usually sits behind the counter with a perpetually sullen face, ignoring the disciples who come and go and record their merits.

Seeing Chen Dengming and He Yingyu arrive together, the old man immediately stood up, bowed, and said with a smile, "Senior Brother Chen, I just sent you the message on the jade talisman, and you received it so quickly?"

"You've really made a name for yourself this time. The merits you've achieved are something I might not have accumulated even after working at the Longevity Sect for over ten years."

Chen Dengming politely bowed in response and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Wu, thank you for your timely notification. What's all this talk of being in the limelight? Aren't there many more people in our Longevity Sect who are far more prominent than me? This is just a small matter."

"Why!"

Old Man Wu quickly shook his head and laughed, "Senior Brother Chen, you are underestimating yourself too much. To be honest, you have really brought honor to our Longevity Sect this time."

It should be noted that when this war broke out, our Longevity Sect was not fully involved; we were only handling logistics. Originally, we were under pressure from the Tiandao Sect and other parties, and the pressure from above was also great.

As a result, your meritorious service this time has greatly brought honor to our sect and given the higher-ups a much-needed respite. It will be much easier for sects like the Tiandao Sect to exert pressure on us in the future.

Our Longevity Sect can enjoy some peace and tranquility again. Many disciples in the sect are now grateful for your kindness.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, you really know how to talk."

Chen Dengming chuckled, turned around and glanced at the doorway. He saw the admiring gazes of some disciples at the door, and he had to admit that he felt a little smug.

However, this truly shows that the Longevity Sect is full of opportunistic people who all seek comfort and ease.

His meritorious service this time resolved many troublesome matters, giving the Longevity Sect a chance to be arrogant in front of other sects, which indeed made many disciples feel good.

Beside her, He Yingyu held Chen Dengming's small hand even tighter, her pretty face radiant and beautiful, feeling honored to be a part of it.

The two quickly tallied their achievements and entered them into their respective Foundation Establishment disciple identity tokens.

Chen Dengming received a total of 6400 Sect Contribution.

He Yingyu only received 800 Sect Contribution.

"Junior Brother, exchanging for the beginner level of the Longevity Merit Golden Elixir only requires 2000 Sect Contribution, and the intermediate level only requires 3000 points. Considering the contribution points we accumulated in the Evergreen Sect in the past, it's more than enough."

As they flew to the Blessed Land Hall to choose their cave abode, He Yingyu calculated the Sect Contribution the two of them had just transferred to and smiled.

The Sect Contribution of the Evergreen Sect and the Longevity Sect Contribution can be exchanged and transferred at a one-to-one ratio.

Therefore, after the two switched Sect Contribution, Chen Dengming's Sect Contribution in the Longevity Sect was already 9,300.

He Yingyu accumulated more Sect Contribution in the Evergreen Sect, and after the conversion, she now has more than 7,000 Sect Contribution in the Longevity Sect.

This is also an advantage for cultivators from lower sects entering the Longevity Sect.

If other Golden Core Cultivator wanted to join the Longevity Sect, they wouldn't be able to immediately learn the Longevity Merit Technique, a sect-defining cultivation Cultivation Method. They would have to gradually accumulate Sect Contribution, and there would even be other binding agreements. The level of trust would be different, as the major sects have the strictest protection measures for their fundamental laws.

This also shows that Chen Dengming's strategy of using the Evergreen Sect as a stepping stone to gain familiarity before joining the Longevity Sect was a particularly wise move.

The two arrived at the Blessed Land Palace, intending to use their two spots to jointly select a sufficiently large cave abode in a decent location for convenient living.

The temporary cave abode before formally joining the sect was clearly inferior to the one personally chosen after officially entering the sect.

"Steward Lü, I need your help. Could you please take a look?"

Inside the Blessed Land Hall, Chen Dengming smiled and handed a small Storage Bag to the steward in charge.

The steward in charge of the Blessed Land Hall politely declined, saying, "Junior Brother Senior Brother Chen, you're too kind. How could I possibly accept this? It's no need! It's just a small matter."

Chen Dengming smiled and pressed Lü Pu's hand, saying, "My wife and I joined the Longevity Sect for the first time and haven't had a chance to visit Deacon Lü yet. Even if this is a small matter, this little gift is still appropriate."

He Yingyu smiled generously, "That's right, this is a small gift for my husband and me when we visit each other. Deacon Lü, please don't refuse."

"This..." Lü Pu's smile widened as he accepted the favor, saying, "You two are far too hospitable."

"Of course."

He Yingyu smiled.

The saying goes, "If you marry a chicken, follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, follow the dog; if you marry a unicorn, follow him wherever he goes."

Having followed Chen Dengming for so long, He Yingyu has unconsciously begun to emulate Chen Dengming's way of dealing with people and situations.

After a short while, the two left the Blessed Land Hall satisfied and went to collect the Longevity Sect Foundation Establishment Robes that had been made for the past few days.

Whenever they encountered disciples of the Longevity Sect along the way, they would immediately address the two of them respectfully as "Uncle-Master" or "Senior." Even those who didn't recognize them at first would realize it later, and their eyes would immediately reveal admiration.

The Evergreen Sect a pair of highly skilled Evergreen Immortal Couple, who made great contributions during the sect's assessment mission, bringing honor to the Longevity Sect in front of all other sects.

After this incident spread, the images of Chen Dengming and He Yingyu gradually became known within the Longevity Sect.

Many disciples knew that the male cultivator in the Evergreen Immortal Couple was False Core Great Cultivator, with a handsome face, white hair at the temples, and a friendly demeanor that made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

The women are described as having exquisite features, graceful and voluptuous figures, and exuding an air of nobility, elegance, and intellect in their speech and manners. They are rare beauties who are both strong and beautiful.

After receiving their Daoist robes, the two followed the address given by Steward Lü of the Blessed Land Hall and found a spacious cave abode near the sect's Third-Rank Spirit Vein.

A babbling Spirit Spring flows past the entrance, and the fragrance of Spirit Plant wafts from the distant Spirit Field.

Because it is close to Changle Peak, which has Third-Rank Spirit Vein, the Spiritual Qi around the cave abode is even more abundant, making it quiet and comfortable.

After the two entered the courtyard, they released the Black Cloud Leopard from the Beast Taming Bag, as well as Xu Wei and the Little Array Spirit from the Soul House, to get some fresh air. Instantly, the large family became lively.

At night.

Chen Dengming changed into the Longevity Sect Foundation Establishment Dharma Robe embroidered with a Chinese toon tree. He stood tall and looked dignified. As he turned around in the lamplight, He Yingyu's beautiful eyes lit up.

"Junior Brother, this Movement Method is fine, but it's not good enough for you."

He Yingyu covered her mouth and chuckled. After straightening Chen Dengming's collar, she said, "The third-tier robes that our Longevity Sect makes for Golden Core Cultivator are more suitable for you. Even if I were to make a top-tier second-tier robe, it still wouldn't be worthy of you."

Chen Dengming smiled nonchalantly and shook his head, saying, "I've never even worn a top-tier second-order robe, let alone a third-order one? I wouldn't even dare to dream of it."

Back when I was in the Gathering Place, I wore a low-grade first-tier robe for a long time. Now that things are better, I can't be too extravagant."

As he spoke, he patted the Storage Bag.

Swoosh--

A pile of Law Artifact and robes flew out and landed on the ground.

Among them was a seal-shaped Law Treasure that exuded a strong bloody stench.

These were all spoils of war looted from Bian Yucheng and another Foundation Establishment cultivator some time ago.

"Senior sister, what do you think of these Law Artifacts and this Law Treasure?"

He Yingyu selected a palm-sized, gleaming Golden Light flying sword and said.

"This flying sword is a top-tier second-tier flying sword, even better than the Divine Transformation Blade I forged for you. You can use it as another secondary weapon for your main combat role."

Chen Dengming stared at the dragon pattern on the golden flying sword, and nodded slightly, recalling the power Bian Yucheng had when wielding it.

"And this Law Artifact fan, it should be a replica of the legendary Banana Leaf Fan. With a single wave, the airflow surges and can interfere with the enemy's spellcasting. This should also be a top-tier second-order magical Law Artifact."

He Yingyu picked out another fan-shaped magical Law Artifact.

Chen Dengming shook his head and smiled, saying, "You can keep this fan."

His gaze fell on the bloodstains on the ground, his expression grave.

Once activated by Bian Yucheng, this Law Treasure could forcibly suck out the blood from his body, causing his Qi and Blood to churn and forcibly breaking his state of Unity of Heaven and Man. It was extremely powerful and vicious, and perhaps it was related to the Blazing Flame Blood Devil.

"This Law Treasure is just like Han Yongxu's Law Treasure; it's not suitable for you, Junior Brother. It seems we'll have to find a Dark Market to sell it to you and prepare a more suitable Law Treasure for Junior Brother in the future."

He Yingyu frowned and shook her head, then looked at her husband with tenderness and smiled, "You're now False Core Great Cultivator, you have Core Power and can activate Law Treasure, so you should prepare Law Treasure."

Chen Dengming remained noncommittal, "Including Han Yongxu's two items, we now have three Law Treasure. You're about to break through to the Pseudo-Core stage, so we need to prepare one for you too."

He Yingyu felt a warmth in her heart. "No rush. We have enough resources right now, and what's yours is mine."

Chen Dengming changed the subject, "Although we have now established a firm foothold in the Longevity Sect, the Longevity Sect still has Duty Assignment every year."

We've just accomplished a great feat, so we can skip missions for two years. But three years from now will be troublesome. I just hope the war between the Eastern and Western Regions will end in three years.

He felt a sense of urgency. Although the Duty Assignment were all simple, they were not without casualties. For example, Du Baoyue died this time.

Three years later, if the war is still ongoing, the Longevity Sect may not be able to remain uninvolved, and Duty Assignment may not be so easy.

This instability was caused by the times and circumstances, and Chen Dengming could not avoid it. The only thing he could do was to quickly improve his strength.

However, given his strength, it's unrealistic for him to break through to the Golden Core stage in a short time. On the other hand, He Yingyu is able to break through again in a short period of time.

He Yingyu felt the pressure, "Don't worry, I will speed up my cultivation."

Her cultivation speed was not slow to begin with, but it became even faster after she spent money on in-game purchases, making her comparable to ordinary High-grade Spiritual Root cultivators. However, compared to Chen Dengming, that freak, she was clearly still somewhat inferior.

"No need to rush. You can stay in your cave abode and cultivate in peace tomorrow. I want to go down the mountain to see Fellow Daoist Du's family."

"Now call Xu Wei, let's cultivate together tonight."

"Dream on! Humph, you think you're all that now, expecting the two of us to serve you?"

He Yingyu rolled her eyes, inwardly cursing her past misdeeds. Back in the Evergreen Sect, many male cultivators admired her, but they were all intimidated by her elegant and noble demeanor. They all felt ashamed of their own inferiority and feared to offend her.

Only this kid in front of me was sweet-talking and knew how to coax people from the start, and now he's just teasing me all the time.

Despite her apparent displeasure, she still turned around, her flowing skirt billowing, and gracefully went to call her sisters.

Out of guilt towards Xu Wei, she was willing to overcome it.

Because proper cultivation would not only improve her cultivation level but also enhance her relationship, and considering the time left, Xu Wei really didn't have much time left to accompany Chen Dengming.

The question of immortality presents a very helpless and cold problem for many people.

The only way to make this question more engaging and interesting is to make the most of our limited time, cherish the limited people we have, and fill our limited lives with endless memories.

At the same time.

In the darkness of the night, deep within the forests outside the Longevity Sect, a series of heavy, animalistic breaths echoed through the depths of the mountains.

The person breathing seems to have difficulty controlling their emotions and is in a state of extreme restraint.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the distant Thirteen Peaks of Longevity. His aged face was shrouded in malevolent black energy, as if he wished he could rush into the Mountain Gate that could intimidate countless scoundrels, even if it meant being shattered to pieces.

Fortunately, this time the evil power did not completely invade the depths of his mind as it had in the previous two days, leaving him in a daze like a walking corpse, his mind filled with strange thoughts.

Even so, whenever he tried to distance himself from the Longevity Sect, that intense evil would invade his mind again, as if trying to drag him into the abyss of evil from which there was no return.

Helpless, he could only wander around the Longevity Sect like a lost Three Souls who had lost half of his spirit.

He knew that what had drawn him here, or rather, the evil force that controlled him, was the image of the white-haired man deeply etched in his mind, as if the man could offer him liberation.

"Roar!--"

A sharp tiger roar suddenly echoed through the mountains and forests.

Unable to control his anxiety, he hunted down and killed a tiger.

After removing the heart, he took out a still-pulsating tiger heart, stuffed it into his mouth, stared at Longevity Peak with bloodshot eyes, and began to chew it heartily.

Even with his face covered in blood, the thick, nauseating smell of hot blood choking him and bringing tears to his eyes, almost making him vomit, he still forced down mouthful after mouthful, as if he wanted to devour the person in his mind along with him.

The next day.

Chen Dengming woke up feeling refreshed. His progress in the Evergreen Merit Technique had increased by 10 points. He left behind his tired body and a stack of paper figures, put on the Longevity Sect Foundation Establishment Daoist robe, and left the cave abode.

He first went to the Longevity Sect Repository.

Choose the Technique Method to study in the years to come during your training.

The Longevity Sect's Sutra Repository was clearly the most heavily guarded place.

A Golden Core Elder named Ran Yiqiang, who is at the Golden Core stage, is personally overseeing the area.

However, upon seeing Chen Dengming, the other party was quite polite and friendly, clearly having heard of Chen Dengming's reputation in the past few days. After accepting his identity token, they allowed Chen Dengming to directly enter the second-floor area of the pavilion to select Technique Method.

It has to be said, a major sect is indeed a major sect.

The Longevity Sect's Sutra Repository contains the "Golden Escape Technique," which is almost extinct in the market.

Among the Five Elements Evasion Technique, earth and wood escape techniques are relatively common, while water and fire escape techniques are relatively rare, and metal escape techniques are almost extinct in the general market.

Therefore, even though it is only a first-tier Technique Method, the <Golden Escape Technique> is more valuable than a second-tier Technique Method in most cases.

Chen Dengming still remembered that some time ago when he fought with Bian Yucheng, the other party suddenly disappeared into a flying sword and used the countless sword lights to cover his tracks and escape.

This fighting style is versatile, capable of both offense and defense, and virtually impossible to defend against, demonstrating the value of the Golden Escape Technique when used effectively.

However, no manual for the Golden Escape Technique Method was found in the other party's Storage Bag. Normal cultivators rarely carry Technique Method in their Storage Bag, unless they are manual dealers or have purchased the manual but have not yet learned it.

After exchanging 100 Sect Contribution points for the Golden Escape Technique, Chen Dengming was then faced with a dilemma in choosing between top-tier second-order Technique Method.

The Longevity Sect has five top-tier second-order Technique Method, each corresponding to one of the five Technique Method: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Among them, the top-tier second-order Wood Element Technique Method is the enhanced version of the <Water Yin Wood Lush Poison Gu Art>, namely the <Puppet Technique>.

This technique has a simpler name, but its power is much greater.

After casting the spell, one can forcefully invade the enemy's body with powerful Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy, controlling the opponent like a puppet and making them completely at one's mercy.

Exchanging for this Technique Method requires 1500 Sect Contribution points, which is extremely expensive.

The top-tier second-order metal-type Technique Method is called <Gold Control Technique>. After casting the spell, the caster can control any metallic substance in the surrounding area by mastering Metal Elemental Spiritual Energy Spiritual Qi loss to the caster.

In Chen Dengming's view, this technique was somewhat similar to the ability of that ambiguous character in a movie from his previous life.

"To exchange for <Gold Control Technique>, you need 2000 Sect Contribution plus <Puppet Technique>, which is 3500. Both of these are control-type Technique Method with overlapping effects, so is it necessary to learn both?"

After pondering for a moment, Chen Dengming looked at the learning requirements for third-tier Technique Method in the Scripture Pavilion.

The fact that the Sect Contribution were often over five thousand made him gasp.

After careful consideration, Chen Dengming gritted his teeth and spent 3,500 Sect Contribution to exchange for the right to learn two Technique Method.

The Golden Elixir is the goal for the next ten years.

Ten years from now, his Sect Contribution may have accumulated to an even greater extent.

Both the Puppet Technique and the Gold Control Technique are very practical and can be used to deal with different situations in battle. Once you level them up, their effects are no less than those of Law Treasure, so it's worth learning both.

This kind of top-tier second-order Technique Method is rare even among some top-tier Cultivation Family. Learning it won't be a loss.

He spent half Heavenly Timing in the library, comprehending all three Technique Method.

Chen Dengming then left the Sutra Repository.

Elder Ran was stationed at the Sutra Repository, watched his departing figure with a hint of approval in his eyes.

"To have learned three Technique Method so quickly, two of which are top-tier second-tier Technique Method, your talent is no worse than mine."

Chen Dengming was unaware that his aptitude had been praised by even a Golden Core Elder.

After learning the Technique Method, it was already dusk.

He planned to go down the mountain to visit Du Baoyue's family.

In any case, we were colleagues, fellow Daoists, and comrades-in-arms who had been together for three months.

Now that Du Baoyue has died unexpectedly, without even leaving behind any belongings, Chen Dengming decided to visit her and bring back her share of the credit.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion, wondering if his comrades would visit his family if he were to die unexpectedly in battle one day.

It really depends on the person.