Chapter 1 The Dark Room

In the dimly lit secret room.

The Chunyang Sect Leader and the Grand Protector stared at each other in silence for a long time. The former finally gritted his teeth and said, "What kind of profession's power forcibly erased the memories, returning people to before they came into contact with the information? It's a bit like hypnosis."

The Grand Protector shook his head. "Hypnosis requires a medium. Hypnosis from a distance is unheard of. Moreover, the content on the phone was also erased. Hypnosis can't do that."

After the first failure, the Grand Protector used his phone on the table to record the entire "interrogation" process, hoping to find clues from the video.

Even more shocking was that the phone didn't record anything. The video content, like the memory, was erased.

The Grand Protector continued, "What power it is isn't important. What's important is that it's likely a high-level rule-type item, or a karma-type item, which is against common sense... Why is Yuan Shitianzun's real-world identity classified so highly?"

"This is what he can't understand the most. Moreover, as far as I know, no demigod in any Lingjing Xingzhe organization possesses a high-level karma-type item. If the power interfering with our investigation of Yuan Shitianzun's identity originates from a karma-type item... we may have discovered some terrifying secret," the Grand Protector said.

"It's not yet known whether it's a karma-type item!" The Chunyang Sect Leader was unwilling to believe that a mere Yuan Shitianzun could be protected by a karma-type item.

What did he do to deserve that?

The Grand Protector stood up and went to the wide area in the center of the secret room, sitting down cross-legged. "I need to report this matter to the leader."

…

Zhang Yuanqing put on an attentive posture, "Tell me about it."

Hearing this, Xiahou Aotian revealed a disdainful smile. "The old fart was right. You really are trying to pua me, wanting me to work for you for free. But I, Xue Tu, am never afraid of difficult problems." He first expressed that he had already seen through Yuan Shitianzun's tricks.

"It's all about research!" Then he said, "The method to level up quickly? First, you have to understand the leveling mechanism of Lingjing Xingzhe. Unlike the ancients who cultivated by breathing in spiritual energy, the spiritual energy of Lingjing Xingzhe comes from the role card's empowerment."

"Completing a Lingjing-arranged instance will grant you an empowerment opportunity. So, how does the role card infuse spiritual energy into the Lingjing Xingzhe's body?"

Zhang Yuanqing said, "I don't think there's any technical skill involved. It's just forced infusion."

Xiahou Aotian snapped his fingers. "That's right. Actually, there's no technical skill at all. It relies on the shameful monopoly of resources. There's no spiritual energy in the real world anymore. All the spiritual energy is in the Lingjing. If Lingjing Xingzhe want to level up, they have to obediently listen to the Lingjing's arrangements and regularly go to instances to do tasks."

Xiahou Aotian spoke eloquently, "After understanding the core mechanism, it's very simple. Clearing instances is a means of obtaining empowerment, not the goal. Our goal is to research a method of empowerment that doesn't rely on clearing instances."

"If you don't clear instances, how do you obtain empowerment?" Zhang Yuanqing frowned.

"We're just Sovereigns, not Lingjing administrators. It's definitely impossible to go through the Lingjing channel," Xiahou Aotian raised his chin, looking self-important and full of confidence. "I consulted a lot of information yesterday and found a method in ancient documents."

"From the end of the Song Dynasty to the end of the Ming Dynasty, for more than three hundred years, spiritual energy was exhausted. Sovereigns became legends, and Saints were rare. Most cultivators stagnated in the Transcendent Realm. In order to break through the realm, in order to compete for the ever-decreasing spiritual energy, our predecessors developed an inhuman method of advancement."

Zhang Yuanqing was shocked and understood Xiahou Aotian's meaning. "The method you're talking about is to imitate the ancients and improve spiritual energy by eating people?"

He thought, what the hell is this idea?

Xiahou Aotian snorted, "Even if you want to eat people, you may not succeed. The method of eating people recorded in the documents is limited to those below the Saint level. Moreover, the aftereffects are extremely great. First of all, the foreign spiritual energy is not compatible with one's own spiritual energy, and the process of fusion is very painful, like adding muddy water to a bucket of clear spring. Even if they eventually merge together, it will make the spiritual energy turbid, and the quality is not as good as relying on one's own hard work to cultivate."

"On the other hand, in the process of eating people, it is inevitable to swallow the target's residual spirits. The more one eats, the worse one's mental state becomes, and it is easy to develop schizophrenia and become a madman."

The more you eat, the easier it is to go crazy. Indeed, compared to the state when he was resurrected from the ancient tomb, the Chunyang Sect Leader is now becoming more and more crazy. However, the method of eating people in the documents is limited to those below the Saint level, but the Chunyang Sect Leader has eaten a Sovereign, indicating that he has mastered a higher level of eating people... Zhang Yuanqing first thought of this nominal ancestor.

He looked at the protagonist unhappily, "After talking for so long, it's as if you said nothing!"

"No, no, no!" Xiahou Aotian shook his finger. "I analyzed it with a model. It's very dangerous for others to use this method, but you are different. You have unique advantages."

"You are a Night Watcher and Illusionist dual-class. The talents of these two classes, one has a natural immunity to negative states, and the other is an expert in controlling emotions."

"General spiritual pollution can't threaten you at all. You can try things that others can't."

"Then, you need to obtain a Sovereign-level method of eating people and improve it. It is best to purify some of the pollution before swallowing it. In this regard, I suggest you ask that Niangniang of the Three Daoshan for advice. Didn't you say she treats you like a son?"

The Chunyang Sect Leader knows how to cook high-end ingredients. As a disciple of the Chunyang Sect Leader, she has surpassed her master. Presumably, she also knows.

With Niangniang's staunch and upright character, if she knew I wanted to eat people, I'm afraid she would kill me, the unfilial son, immediately!

No, unfilial disciple! Zhang Yuanqing thought.

He seriously considered the plan provided by Xiahou Aotian and said, "The only Night Watchers I can eat are the Dark Rose and Protector Tian, but they are more cunning than rats in the gutter and need to wait for an opportunity."

"Theoretically speaking, the Night Watchers in the instances are also your targets."

Xiahou Aotian said, "It's a pity that the guild instances you enter are not Night Watcher-exclusive instances, unless you join the Taiyi Sect."

"The Taiyi Sect Leader is my competitor. The Merchant Guild and the Beauty God Association are unwilling to hand over the Light Compass fragments because of me. Do you think the Taiyi Sect will let me enter their guild instance?" Zhang Yuanqing said unhappily.

"Even if the Taiyi Sect agrees, I wouldn't dare to go. What if they silently kill me in the instance!"

Author: Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun