Testing the Cultivation Art Again

What?

Cultivation arts could fight each other too?

Lu Li sprang up from the ground like a carp flipping itself upright.

Looking closer, the cultivation progress of the White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm had indeed decreased by 1%.

"..."

Lu Li felt a pang of heartache.

To make up that 1%, he would have to deliver ten tenth-level Qi Refinement vengeful ghosts.

But on further thought, demonic arts and Buddhist Sect arts were one righteous and one evil, innately as incompatible as fire and water. That was perfectly reasonable.

Among the Demon Sect, Daoist Sect, and Buddhist Sect, quite a few peerless geniuses had also tried to cultivate both Buddhist and demonic arts.

Their ends had all been miserable.

They either died from cultivation deviation or became madmen.

Those who could truly cultivate both Buddhist and demonic arts could only be unparalleled prodigies of astonishing talent.

Yet such peerless geniuses were exceedingly rare, as scarce as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Lu Li knew his own limits.

He was no peerless genius.

It seemed that if he wanted to cultivate both Buddhist and demonic arts in the future, he would first have to find a supreme cultivation art capable of reconciling them.

Fortunately, although the White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm's cultivation had regressed, it was still at the fourth level.

It had not fallen back to the third level.

This White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm child was truly a constant source of worry!

Lu Li frowned slightly, then lay back down, relaxed his taut nerves, and began recuperating.

During the twenty days he had spent in Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, he had remained on edge every moment. He was truly exhausted.

Now that he had returned to his cave dwelling, he naturally had to rest properly.

Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

Lu Li slept until late morning before waking, fully refreshed.

"Your Indestructible Vajra Divine Art cannot break through because your realm is too low and your physical body lacks spiritual qi."

"Your Spirit Ghost Phantom Step diligently cultivated, increasing its progress by 1%."

"Your White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm, spurred on by shame, underwent arduous cultivation and increased its progress by 5%."

The moment he awoke, system notifications rang in his mind.

Good!

After hearing them, a smile appeared at the corner of Lu Li's lips.

This White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm really knew how to surprise people!

It seemed he needed to find more Buddhist Sect cultivation arts to provoke it!

Thinking this, Lu Li walked out of his cave dwelling.

Before long, he caught several rabbits and returned, plucking them and cleaning out their bellies.

He built a fire!

Half an hour later, after slathering them with scallions, ginger, garlic, and honey, fragrant, crisp, golden roasted rabbits were ready.

As Lu Li ate rabbit, he reflected upon and summarized the battles of the past twenty days.

He also sorted through the spirit herbs and poisonous herbs he had found in Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, intending to sell them for some spirit stones after a while.

Thus, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was once again the end-of-month day when Ghost Demon True Person tested their cultivation arts!

Rumble.

At the mountainside, the enormous black stone gates of the great cave dwelling slowly opened.

A sinister voice emerged from within, echoing across the mountain peak:

"Come at once!"

It was Ghost Demon True Person's voice!

Lu Li and the other newly initiated disciples did not dare delay. They activated their movement techniques and hurried toward the mountainside.

Along the way, the newly initiated disciples naturally guarded against one another, viewed each other with hostility, and secretly assessed each other.

When they saw that Lu Li was still at the first level of Qi Refinement, all of them revealed gloating smiles.

Lu Li's expression remained cold, as still as an ancient well without a ripple.

Who knew that he had already reached the edge of the second level of Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, and could suppress and deliver five tenth-level Qi Refinement vengeful ghosts by himself?

"Disciple greets Master!"

Before long, the seven entered the Black Market cave dwelling. Upon seeing Ghost Demon True Person seated upon the White Bone Throne, they all bowed in salute.

"Good!"

Ghost Demon True Person was still wrapped head to toe in a black robe, emanating chilling ghostly qi, his pressure as heavy as a mountain.

His pair of scarlet, blood-red eyes slowly swept over the seven.

Finally, they paused briefly on Lu Li, and his bloody eyes narrowed slightly.

"April has arrived. Today, I shall continue testing the progress of your cultivation arts! Xiao Yan, you will go first again!"

Ghost Demon True Person began calling names.

"Yes!"

Xiao Yan stepped forward with complete confidence and cupped his hands in a bow.

As his words fell, he flicked his broad sleeve. A stream of blood qi flew out, as thick as the mouth of a bowl and more than three feet long, circling endlessly around his body.

Looking carefully, several resentful souls seemed imprisoned within that blood qi, letting out silent howls.

"Hm? This Blood-Devouring Demonic Qi is fierce. You must have absorbed the blood qi of ten cultivators, and those resentful souls were at least at the eighth level of Qi Refinement in life. With your fifth level of Qi Refinement cultivation, you killed opponents at the eighth level of Qi Refinement. Not bad!"

Ghost Demon True Person narrowed his bloody eyes and commented.

He seemed quite satisfied.

"Thank you for your praise, Master!"

Xiao Yan cupped his hands and bowed again, looking rather delighted.

It was as though he could already see himself becoming Ghost Demon True Person's Core Disciple.

"Stand aside for now. Next, Zhou Qingwu, come forward." Ghost Demon True Person commanded.

"Yes!"

Xiao Yan stepped aside.

Then another newly initiated disciple stepped forward.

She was a female disciple.

She was around twenty years old, alluring and charming. She stepped forward and bowed coquettishly. "This disciple specializes in the Spirit Ghost Phantom Step. Please offer your guidance, Master."

As she spoke, she took one step forward, and a ghostly shadow flashed through the center of the hall.

Who would have thought that only three seconds into her demonstration, a great black qi serpent emerged from behind Ghost Demon True Person? It stretched out its long neck and swallowed the woman in one bite.

Then it instantly withdrew and vanished.

Everyone was shocked.

Lu Li's pupils contracted slightly as well.

"Hmph. That slut neglected her cultivation and instead went around seducing others, letting them play wind, pluck, strum, and sing upon her. She has utterly tarnished and dragged down my reputation. She deserved to die!"

At that moment, Ghost Demon True Person gave a cold snort. His icy gaze swept across them, intimidating everyone.

Someone instantly went pale.

Lu Li's heart also skipped a beat for no reason.

He had thought that Ghost Demon True Person was secluded in cultivation within his cave dwelling, unaware of and unconcerned with these newly initiated disciples.

Now it seemed that Ghost Demon True Person had been watching them in secret all along!

"Next, Fang Yuan."

Ghost Demon True Person called another name.

The thin young man whose name had been called stepped out trembling. His face was already covered in beads of cold sweat as large as soybeans, and his eyes were filled with terror.

Smack.

Before long, he dropped to his knees with a thud and repeatedly slammed his head against the ground. "Master, spare me! Master, spare me! I only wanted to go to Nine Yin Superior as an undercover agent and gather intelligence for you! I never truly intended to betray you..."

"With trash like you? Undercover my mother's ass! Die!"

Ghost Demon True Person seemed furious and immediately began cursing.

Then.

Bang.

The familiar scene appeared once more.

The kneeling man exploded on the spot, turning into a skyful of blood mist.

Then Ghost Demon True Person inhaled it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, the remaining people went slightly pale.

Lu Li's heart sank as well.

It seemed that the rumor that Ghost Demon True Person only accepted one disciple at a time was true.

Of this group today, only one could survive!

With that thought, Lu Li's expression turned slightly cold. His right hand, hidden in his sleeve, tightened gently and crushed the Glazed Bottle he had long been holding in his palm.

Whoosh.

At the instant he made his small movement, a sharp, needle-like gaze swept over him.

It was Ghost Demon True Person!

This Golden Core old monster had noticed!

Yet the gaze instantly withdrew, and nothing happened.

"Next!"

Ghost Demon True Person's voice rang out again, like that of the Grim Reaper.

Bang.

The newly initiated disciple who went up died.

Then... bang, bang.

The two newly initiated disciples who went up after him died as well.

There was only one cause of death:

Their aptitude was dull, their minds as stupid as pigs, and their cultivation progress failed to meet the standard.

By then, only Xiao Yan and Lu Li remained standing in the vast cave dwelling.

"Lu Li, it is your turn."

Ghost Demon True Person's bone-chilling voice descended from above.

Beside him, Xiao Yan's lips curled slightly, his gaze cold, sinister, and resentful.

He looked at Lu Li as though looking at a dead man.

"Yes."

Lu Li's expression turned solemn as he stepped forward.

The next moment, he tilted his head slightly and said coolly to Xiao Yan:

"Senior Brother Xiao, please move aside. I'm about to show off."