Graduated

A bountiful harvest!

Lu Li silently tallied his gains in his mind; he had acquired five treasures in total today.

They were: the Streamlight Sword, the White Jade Snuff Bottle, the Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords, its accompanying cultivation manual, and a single drop of Azure Flood Dragon True Blood.

An absolute windfall!

Lu Li felt immense joy in his heart.

The only pity was that the Streamlight Sword was a high-grade spirit artifact, and with his current mana, he could not activate it.

Flying on a sword would have to wait for a while.

But it shouldn't take too long.

As long as he refined that drop of Azure Flood Dragon True Blood, his Kunpeng Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art would soon break through to the tenth level.

By then, he would reach Foundation Establishment!

"Lu Li, stay behind."

At this moment, Ghost Demon True Person, seated upon the White Bone Throne, spoke up: "Meimei, Jinfei, you are both tired today; go and cultivate first."

"As you command!"

Meimei and Bai Jinfei cupped their hands in salute, turned, and exited the cave dwelling.

Before leaving, Bai Jinfei cast a glance at Lu Li, his eyes filled with envy.

Boom.

Accompanied by a thunderous rumble, silver lightning flickered across the cave entrance, forming a barrier to block any prying eyes.

The main hall of the cave dwelling instantly fell into silence.

"Lu Li, this tempered physical body of yours, and that martial technique from just now that blasted out a golden dragon aura—I don't recall ever teaching you those. Where did you learn them?"

Ghost Demon True Person's icy voice broke the silence, echoing down from above.

At the same time, a terrifying pressure, vast as a mountain, descended upon him.

In this instant, it felt as if a supreme sovereign who held the power of life and death were interrogating a subject who had committed a heinous crime.

A single wrong answer, and he would be doomed forever!

It's here!

Lu Li's heart tightened.

When he prepared to unleash Flying Dragon in the Sky, he had already guessed that Ghost Demon True Person would press him on this matter, and he had long since prepared his story.

Therefore, Lu Li did not panic. He wore a look of hesitation on his face, cupped his hands, and said, "Master, this matter concerns the privacy of that Scripture Protection Elder... This disciple wishes to speak, but cannot. I beg Master to forgive my transgression."

"Hm? Is that true?"

Ghost Demon True Person narrowed his eyes and asked coldly.

"This disciple dares not lie! I am willing to swear to the Ancestral Master; if there is even half a word of falsehood in what I have said, may I be struck by lightning and suffer a miserable death!"

Lu Li straightened his back, his expression earnest as he swore on the spot.

This oath was spoken from the heart.

Of course, he wasn't making things up.

His Indestructible Vajra Divine Art had evolved from the Vajra Art, and the Vajra Art was something he only obtained after answering the Scripture Protection Elder's question.

That question—whether a toad could eat swan meat—was indeed a matter of the Scripture Protection Elder's private affairs.

From that perspective, there was absolutely no issue!

It was perfectly reasonable!

Thus, Lu Li spoke without a shred of guilt.

"So that is how it is."

Seeing that Lu Li's expression did not seem feigned, Ghost Demon True Person nodded and smiled: "Since it is a technique passed down by the Scripture Protection Elder, it is not my place to pry further. Now, I shall pass on to you the true Kunpeng Devil Art! Listen carefully!"

"Yes!"

Lu Li's expression turned solemn, and he stood straight as a rod.

The next moment, a set of incantations was transmitted into his ears, resounding within his mind.

Ding.

The moment the incantations ceased, the system prompt rang out:

Your Kunpeng Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art has received the secret cultivation manual, completing the laws of the Great Dao. With no further concerns in your cultivation, you are overjoyed, and your cultivation speed has increased by 500%.

Not bad, not bad at all!

His cultivation speed had increased fivefold!

With this, the time needed to break through to Foundation Establishment would be even shorter!

A surge of joy welled up in Lu Li's heart.

"Have you memorized it? I shall recite it once more!" Ghost Demon True Person's voice rang out again.

As the words fell, the incantation was transmitted into his ears once more.

Lu Li naturally feigned the appearance of someone struggling to memorize it.

Halfway through.

Suddenly, the incantation cut off, and the tone shifted. A voice filled with extreme allure echoed in his ears: "Lu Li, are you an undercover agent?"

"No."

Lu Li answered subconsciously.

The moment the words left his lips, he realized what had happened: Ghost Demon True Person was utilizing the Soul-Capturing Demon Sound to steal the secrets from his heart.

"Good, very good. You are not an undercover agent; this master is relieved."

At this moment, Ghost Demon True Person revealed a faint smile.

"This disciple is absolutely not an undercover agent! I beg Master to discern the truth!"

Lu Li bowed solemnly, his hands cupped.

In his heart, he instantly raised his vigilance to the highest level.

The Ghost Demon True Person before him was truly a demonic cultivator who had lived for hundreds of years; his schemes and depth of character were unfathomable!

If he had truly been an undercover agent, he likely would have exposed himself just now and died a miserable death on the spot!

"The Dharma is not easily imparted, especially since this is my primary cultivation technique. Therefore, I was merely being cautious and testing you; do not take it to heart. Very well, I shall impart the incantation to you one more time. You must memorize it well!"

Ghost Demon True Person waved his hand and continued to transmit the technique.

This time, no accidents occurred.

A cup of tea later, the second recitation was complete.

"This disciple thanks Master for imparting the Dharma!"

A look of gratitude and excitement immediately appeared on Lu Li's face as he bowed deeply.

"Rise."

Ghost Demon True Person chuckled: "You are handsome, possess excellent aptitude, have good resilience, and are quite cunning and strategic; I like you very much. That is why I have imparted the Kunpeng Devil Art to you."

"Master is too kind. This disciple's meager cleverness is not even one ten-thousandth of yours. As for my appearance, it does not even compare to one hundred-thousandth of Master's. If Master were to emerge from the mountains, I fear those female immortals of the Dao Alliance would betray their sects and come directly to join our Yin Underworld Ghost Sect."

Lu Li said humbly.

"Hahahaha."

Upon hearing this, Ghost Demon True Person could not help but burst into loud laughter: "You brat, your flattery is truly blunt, but I like it! Hahahaha!"

As expected!

Flattery never fails!

Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief.

This hurdle had been cleared.

"Next, I shall teach you how to refine that drop of Azure Flood Dragon True Blood!"

At this moment, Ghost Demon True Person spoke again.

"Please, Master, enlighten me."

Lu Li cupped his hands.

"Circulate your mana, traverse the four extraordinary meridians, and perform the small circulation..." Ghost Demon True Person did not waste words and immediately began teaching the secrets of refining the true blood.

Lu Li's expression turned solemn as he mobilized his mana according to Ghost Demon True Person's guidance.

Soon.

A wisp of Blood-Devouring Demon Light condensed in his palm, swirling incessantly.

"Quick! Drive your divine sense and compress the mana!" Ghost Demon True Person's sharp shout came.

Lu Li hurriedly mobilized his divine sense.

Bang.

With a crisp sound, the mass of blood-colored demon light in his palm dissipated and exploded.

He had failed.

"No matter, try again. Your mana is very pure, but your divine sense is too slow."

Ghost Demon True Person's expression remained calm as he continued to provide guidance.

"Yes!"

Lu Li nodded solemnly, focusing all his attention as he drove his mana once more.

In this moment, only the voice of Ghost Demon True Person remained in the hall.

Along with the low hum of Lu Li's mana in motion.

Blobs of Blood-Devouring Demon Light condensed in his palm and detonated, causing a thin layer of blood-colored frost to form on the surrounding floor.

The temperature of the air plummeted rapidly.

Only at this moment did the two of them look like a true master and disciple.

One taught earnestly, and the other learned diligently.

Finally, Lu Li forcibly pushed his soul power to its limit, abruptly compressing the Blood-Devouring Demon Light in his palm.

With a soft pop.

The Blood-Devouring Demon Light condensed into shape, transforming into a blood-colored fish an inch long and as thick as a chopstick, swimming back and forth in his palm with great vitality.

This was the advanced version of the Blood-Devouring Demon Light.

The Spirit-Devouring Fish!

"Not bad, not bad! Your comprehension is indeed excellent, and your divine sense is twice as strong as an ordinary person's. It seems I didn't misjudge you when I first picked you out to be my outer disciple."

Ghost Demon True Person looked at the blood-colored fish in Lu Li's palm, his expression quite satisfied.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Lu Li let out a sigh of relief and thanked him with a smile.

"Very well, now that you have condensed the Spirit-Devouring Fish, use it from now on to slowly devour and refine the Azure Flood Dragon True Blood, and reach Foundation Establishment within a month!"

As Ghost Demon True Person spoke, a sharp, cold light shot from his eyes.

"This disciple dares to ask, why one month?"

Lu Li asked tentatively.

"One month from now is the new round of the Chief Disciple election. At that time, any inner disciple with Foundation Establishment cultivation can compete for the position of Chief Disciple!"

Ghost Demon True Person narrowed his eyes and said coldly.

His voice carried a trace of chill.

"Even if I reach Foundation Establishment within a month, I fear I won't be able to win. After all, the sect is full of hidden talents."

Lu Li frowned slightly.

"Do not worry. From the start of the election to its end, the entire cycle lasts a full month! With the supreme Kunpeng Devil Art I have passed to you, this drop of Azure Flood Dragon True Blood, and your tempered physical body, these two months are enough for you to be invincible in the Foundation Establishment stage and sweep away all opposition!"

Speaking of this, Ghost Demon True Person became murderous:

"When the time comes, there will be a competition between the candidates. Take that opportunity to directly finish off Li Jing! Hack him until even his own mother wouldn't recognize him!"

"This..."

Lu Li's brows furrowed even tighter.

"Hmph! You have already become Li Jing's inner demon. If he doesn't kill you, he will never break through to the Golden Core stage! Therefore, in his eyes, you must die!"

Ghost Demon True Person snorted coldly.

"Master, you misunderstand."

Lu Li shook his head solemnly: "I mean, why don't I just dig up the ashes of Li Jing's younger brother and flush them down a latrine to anger Li Jing to death! That way, we don't have to fight to the death, isn't that better? Master, what do you think?"

Ghost Demon True Person: "..."

After a long while, he slowly raised a thumb:

"Lu Li, in terms of being a practitioner of the demonic path... you have already graduated!"