Cultivation Method's New Entry: Shield of Justice

Sermon Hall.

A bizarre scene unfolded in this circular classroom.

Two burly, towering men with rough features embraced each other, utterly disregarding the image of cultivators as they wept bitterly.

"Wuwu, Junior Brother Jiang, we were wrong. We should never have become undercover agents of the Yin Puppet Sect and aided the tyrant in his evil. Arrest us—we confess our crimes, and we repent."

The brothers Wang Hu and Wang Long were overwhelmed with remorse.

They wanted Jiang Li to arrest them. They did not deserve to be disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land.

Off to the side.

Li Xiao's eyes widened.

His face was full of disbelief.

No way.

You two confessed just like that?

Didn't we agree to advance and retreat together?

So we were going to prison together, huh?

As one of the undercover agents, he found it hard to imagine someone talking undercover agents into exposing themselves and repenting for their sins.

Especially when these two were no ordinary people.

They were cultivators at Qi Refining Level 6.

This was far too humiliating for the Yin Puppet Sect.

Thinking of this.

Li Xiao nearly spat blood.

His mind kept racing through the undercover agent's survival manual, searching for a way out.

But the result was simple: there was no way.

Before a Golden Core cultivator, he had no chance whatsoever of escaping.

Just as he was thinking.

Li Xiao suddenly caught sight of Jiang Li turning toward him.

Thud.

He dropped to his knees without the slightest hesitation.

He buried his head deeply.

Then shouted, "Junior Brother—Junior Brother Jiang, I confess! I confess everything! I truly am also an undercover agent of the Yin Puppet Sect. Don't say anything. I want to preserve the last shred of my dignity."

He did not want to clutch his head and weep like the Wang Hu and Wang Long brothers.

If that happened.

He could only change worlds and start life over.

Jiang Li regretfully stopped in his tracks.

His gaze swept across the room.

The righteous expression on his face made the surrounding disciples pale by comparison. None dared meet those sharp eyes.

In the end.

Jiang Li looked toward the Teaching Elder in the center of the Sermon Hall.

And continued typing.

The Dog Cultivation Method would only act according to a fixed procedure. When it came to actual execution, he still had to rely on himself.

"Elder Zhang, this is my conviction, and it is also the answer to the assignment I submitted. Once a demonic cultivator, always a demonic cultivator. Demonic cultivators cannot be forgiven, but after being guided by the teachings, they can still put their remaining warmth to use."

This was the line of thought Jiang Li had refined from the central idea behind the third option of the cultivation method, the "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art."

It perfectly matched what that option called for.

Upon hearing this.

Zhang Song, Elder Zhang, who had been silently observing everything, burst into hearty laughter. His beard and hair flew wildly, and his admiration for Jiang Li was completely undisguised.

"Good, good, good! For the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land to have a disciple like you is a blessing to the Holy Land. You are very much to my taste. I will report this matter exactly as it happened. Any merit that belongs to you will be yours, and I will recommend you to the Holy Land for the Elite Training Program."

The moment those words were spoken.

The outer sect disciples present erupted in commotion.

The Elite Training Program was one of the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land's major reforms.

Those selected all had the potential to one day contend for Golden Core and Nascent Soul.

The minimum selection threshold was Qi Refining Level 9.

And one still had to pass test after test.

The selection was so harsh that it was even harder than entering the Inner Sect.

Because the Holy Land would spend vast resources on nurturing those selected, allowing them to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm and beyond as quickly as possible.

It could be said.

As long as one was selected, one would at the very least become a Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse in the future.

And now...

Jiang Li, an unknown minor figure, had actually been preselected.

This was simply a pie falling from the heavens.

Had they known that this Teaching Elder so highly approved of such conduct, they would have rushed to do it first.

For a time.

Countless envious and jealous gazes fell upon Jiang Li.

Jiang Li had not expected the surprise to come so suddenly.

By a twist of fate, he had obtained a fortune vast enough to drown him.

Looking at it this way, the Dog Cultivation Method's sudden takeover—and exposing him beneath the spotlight—had not been entirely without benefits.

At that moment.

A cold, mechanical electronic voice rang out in sync.

Ding. The cultivation method "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art" has perfectly carried out its own righteous ideals. Its Dao Heart has become completely stable, its Righteous Qi is endlessly renewed, and it has entered a Minor Enlightenment State.

Your Cultivation Method Progress has increased by 30%.

Option Mission completed. Completion reward: Shield of Justice.

Additional Entry: Shield of Justice.

Shield of Justice: Condense a Guardian Shield that withstands all forms of attack. As long as Righteous Qi remains in one's heart, the Shield of Justice will never shatter.

Ding. The cultivation method "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art" is delighted to have gained a like-minded companion. This period of takeover has officially ended.

As the system notification ended.

Jiang Li regained control of his body.

Joy appeared on his face.

Three Joys Arriving at the Door.

Not only had he gained the favor of the Teaching Elder and become a preselected member of the Elite Training Program, but the cultivation method "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art" had also gained a defensive entry.

There was also the 30% increase in Cultivation Method Progress. This was the reward for perfectly carrying out the ideals of the "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art," allowing the cultivation method to attain another minor enlightenment.

Of course.

Where there were benefits, there were drawbacks.

Being overly exposed beneath the spotlight would draw attention to him in the short term, and his Undercover Identity could be exposed at any moment.

Once exposed, all his past honors would become his burial goods.

He would not even have a chance to repent.

After all.

Besides being an undercover agent of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, he was also the Backup Possession Body of the Myriad Desire Demon Lord.

His situation was more difficult than that of an ordinary Demonic Cult undercover agent.

Whether he stabbed them in the back or continued his undercover work, neither the Myriad Desire Demon Lord nor the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land would give him a second chance.

Looks like I need to find an opportunity to deal with that Undercover Contact Person first.

As his thoughts shifted.

Jiang Li withdrew his thoughts.

He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Elder Zhang. I will humbly accept."

Zhang Song laughed heartily, the sleeve of his right arm sweeping dramatically. "No need to thank me. The Holy Land does not lack geniuses, but it lacks Righteous Talent like you. If every Righteous Sect could be as united and mutually supportive as you, how could the Demonic Path run rampant? Work hard. As long as you always uphold this conviction, I will do everything within my power to give you a push."

Jiang Li nodded.

The meaning of this Teaching Elder's words was obvious.

What the man valued was not Jiang Li's talent, but his determination to slay demons and defend the Dao.

As long as Jiang Li did not perform disastrously badly, the man would strongly support him.

Jiang Li was somewhat speechless.

He had never imagined that one day, he would actually live off the "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art."

The Dog Cultivation Method no longer seemed quite so detestable.

Over the following days.

Jiang Li, a follower of the Dao of Survival who had spent three years as a nobody, finally learned what it meant to fear fame as pigs feared growing fat.

Outer sect disciples came to visit his Cave Residence every day.

Some merely wanted to show their faces, some wanted to form a good connection, and some wanted to curry favor...

Even the threshold outside his Cave Residence had been trampled several inches lower.

This made Jiang Li increasingly frightened.

He knew that if this continued, he would probably become a celebrity in the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land.

How could that possibly be acceptable?

What kind of undercover agent was known by everyone?

It was not as if he wanted to become some celebrity sleeping around with fans.

No, no.

He needed to lie low for a while.

Jiang Li repeatedly recited the Art of Lying Low.

He set up a "Do Not Disturb" sign at the entrance and refused all visitors. Outside the Cave Residence, he activated the formation to block all prying eyes.

And so.

The number of visiting disciples finally dwindled considerably.

That day.

As night fell.

Jiang Li, who was cultivating on his own, suddenly received a visitor notification.

His expression immediately turned solemn.

He opened the formation.

And let the visitor in.

It was a middle-aged man around thirty years old, dressed in black robes, with a sinister face. His cultivation had reached Qi Refining Level 9.

"Junior Brother Jiang, you have truly been making quite a splash these past few days. Even I heard that an outer sect disciple who hated evil as though it were his mortal enemy, a Guardian of the Dao who slew demons and defended the Dao, had sent three Yin Puppet Sect undercover agents lurking within the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land straight in. You are damaging our friendship with the Yin Puppet Sect. What are you trying to do? Betray the Ten Thousand Demons Sect?"

Yuan Li stared deeply at Jiang Li.

"This is my business. If I do not first gain attention, how will I have the chance to spy on the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land's core secrets? I do not want to be optimized."

Jiang Li said expressionlessly.

The man before him was precisely his Undercover Contact Person within the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land.

His name was Yuan Li.

He was at Qi Refining Level 9.

A disciple of Spirit Plant Peak, one of the Heavenly Mystery Thirty-Six Peaks.

The reason Jiang Li worked as a farmhand at Spirit Plant Peak, laboring every day in the fields, was also related to this man.

Upon hearing this.

Yuan Li said nothing.

He merely said in a sinister voice, "It is good that you know your identity. Do not entertain such wild fantasies as betraying the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. Otherwise, even if the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land accepts you, you still will not live."

"Oh, right. The Ten Thousand Demons Sect has recently decided to optimize all undercover agents below Qi Refining Layer 4. I am already prepared to report you. Make your preparations, erase every trace that could expose a flaw, and prepare to return to the Ten Thousand Demons Sect soon."

After saying that.

Yuan Li left on his own, without caring whether Jiang Li was willing or not.

Jiang Li's eyes darkened.

Dog bastard.

Sooner or later, I'll kill you and use your blood to consecrate the banner.