Chapter 3: Keep calm and don’t waste time!

Chapter 3: Stay Steady, Don’t Go Wild — I Can’t Stay Steady Anymymore!

“Time to run.”

After the initial excitement,

Jiang Li quickly got up and left.

He didn’t want the people of the Holy Land to know that he, with his Qi Refining third-layer Cultivation, had reached the end of the Wenxin Forest and stayed there for a whole day.

If this were exposed, his undercover career would have to end.

It’s worth mentioning that perhaps because the Cultivation Technique, “Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art,” had already cleared the Asking Heart Trial on his behalf, under the judgment of the Wenxin Forest, the Cultivation Technique’s passage was equivalent to his own.

The Wenxin Forest had lost its effect on him.

Otherwise, he really might not have been able to get out.

He felt ashamed.

Why did he feel like he was dragging the Cultivation Technique down?

Jiang Li wiped away non-existent cold sweat.

He bolted out of the Wenxin Forest in a flash.

As soon as he stepped out,

a graceful figure came into view.

It was Murong Qing.

This was the first time Jiang Li had looked directly at this Heavenly Chosen Daughter. She had a typical cool, fair complexion, and under the sunlight, her skin was so tender and white it seemed to glow.

Her temperament was rather aloof,

giving off a feeling of ‘do not approach strangers.’

And Jiang Li noticed a detail.

This Heavenly Chosen Daughter seemed to be waiting for someone.

She just stood quietly at the entrance of the bamboo forest,

letting the cool breeze ruffle her hair at the temples.

“Who is she waiting for? Who could make a Heavenly Spiritual Root wait like this?”

Jiang Li thought to himself,

preparing to sneak away quietly.

One of the three core principles of being an undercover agent: don’t stand out, and don’t associate with people who do.

Murong Qing was precisely the type of person who naturally drew attention.

Just as he was thinking this,

the next second,

Murong Qing’s cherry lips parted slightly: “What is your name?”

Jiang Li:?

Was she calling him?

As if doubting his own judgment, Jiang Li looked left and right.

He found that this Heavenly Chosen Daughter was indeed looking at him as she spoke.

Damn it (a type of plant).

Could she be waiting for him?

Jiang Li felt a faint headache coming on.

Was his performance in the Wenxin Forest seen?

He did indeed seem to catch Murong Qing glancing at him at the time.

However, at that moment, the damned System directly controlled his body and walked away, so he wasn’t sure if it was an illusion.

“Jiang Li.”

Jiang Li cupped his hands and replied.

“Mm.”

Murong Qing pursed her lips.

She nodded silently.

She actually had many questions she wanted to ask him.

For example, how did he, with his Qi Refining second-layer Cultivation, get ahead of her? And how far did he actually go?

But she was naturally aloof, and she couldn’t bring herself to interrogate someone.

She simply kept it in mind.

“Senior Sister, do you need anything else?”

Jiang Li asked tentatively,

his desire to leave becoming even more apparent.

If other Disciples saw Murong Qing talking to him, within a day, his name would resound throughout the entire Tianxuan Holy Land.

This was the attention that an unparalleled beauty naturally brought.

He couldn’t handle it.

“No.”

Murong Qing’s expression remained aloof, but a hint of surprise could be heard in her tone.

Jiang Li didn’t care about that.

After hearing the answer he wanted, he immediately bid farewell.

He moved swiftly, leaving this troublesome place.

Seeing this,

Murong Qing’s expression froze for a moment.

He was the first man who, upon seeing her, reacted as if he had seen some monstrous flood beast.

“Jiang Li, I’ll remember you.”

She thought to herself.

To describe it in one sentence: “Very well, man, you have successfully caught my attention.”

…

A short while later,

Jiang Li returned to his Immortal Cave.

After turning on “do not disturb” mode, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

Each day was truly exciting.

The damned System was also an unstable factor.

One Hosting (hosting/delegation) session had him doing something an undercover agent would consider a monstrous flood beast: entering the Wenxin Forest.

Fortunately, it didn’t cause too much of a stir.

He decided to reflect on his mistakes.

He would no longer rely on Cultivation Technique Hosting (hosting/delegation), but Cultivate himself.

After all,

the evolved Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art came with a Cultivation speed +100%. Even without Medicinal Pill assistance, his Cultivation speed wouldn’t be slow.

At most, in half a year, he would advance to the Qi Refining fourth-layer.

Although it was much slower than Cultivation Technique Hosting (hosting/delegation), it was safe.

Jiang Li silently repeated the ‘Gou (gou – stealth/low-profile)’ mantra several times.

Then,

he opened the System panel.

【Name: Jiang Li.】

【Identity: Tianxuan Holy Land Outer Sect Disciple (Ten Thousand Desires Demon Lord’s 630th Possession body).】

【Realm: Qi Refining third-layer.】

【Main Cultivation Technique: Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art.】

【Do you want to enable the Cultivation Technique Growth Plan?】

“No.”

Jiang Li refused.

His gaze lingered on the refreshed hidden identity.

After advancing to the Qi Refining third-layer, he changed from the 666th Possession body to the 630th Possession body.

His ranking moved up.

This was not something to be happy about.

Because the higher the ranking, the greater the probability of being Possessed.

This was like raising Gu; only the Gu King that survived to the end would have the chance to become the Ten Thousand Desires Demon Lord’s new body.

The others were all sacrifices.

The only thing to be thankful for was that these backup bodies of theirs were safe for a short time.

Because raising Gu also required the Gu King to reach a certain level before Possession would occur.

He still had time.

“Cultivate, Cultivate. Cultivating stealthily is the most comfortable.”

…

In the following days,

Jiang Li’s life returned to peace.

Every day, he would weed, plant crops, from 10 AM to 6 PM.

In his leisure time, he would go to the Phantom Sound Pavilion, Tea Room, and Dao Discussion Arena to record information about the Holy Land Disciples and Elders. His days were quite pleasant.

This was the right rhythm.

Fulfilling and secure.

One day,

Jiang Li woke up early.

He went to the Lecture Hall with other Outer Sect Disciples in groups.

Every three months, the Tianxuan Holy Land would arrange for an Elder to impart knowledge to the Outer Sect Disciples.

This included, but was not limited to, explaining the core Cultivation methods of Qi Refining, discussing precautions for Spells, and sharing strange tales of the Immortal Realm.

Jiang Li naturally wouldn’t miss it.

Undercover principle number two: never make yourself seem out of place.

Being out of place meant being memorable.

This was a major taboo for an undercover agent.

In the Lecture Hall,

a peculiar circular building.

It resembled an ancient Roman arena.

Jiang Li found a seat in the middle, towards the back.

This position wouldn’t attract too much attention, nor would it seem too isolated.

The lecturer was an Elder from the Law Enforcement Hall, a Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

His name was Zhang Song.

He had the appearance of a middle-aged man, with a stern face and a strong aura of killing intent. Even more striking was his empty right arm.

“Today, I will not preach the Dao, but rather tell you about the Ten Demonic Lords of the Immortal Realm. Each of them has countless lives on their hands and are Devil Heads that everyone should punish.”

Jiang Li listened carefully.

Soon, he heard about the Ten Thousand Desires Demon Lord.

“The Ten Thousand Desires Demon Lord, ranked third among the Ten Demonic Lords, is at the Peak of the Void Refining Realm, only one step away from the Dao Integration. This Devil Head specializes in Demonic Thought Spells, and his Divine Sense is considered the strongest among his peers. He once annihilated a city of Mortals with a single thought, slaughtering millions of lives, which led to a collective crusade by the Nine Great Immortal Sects. In the end, he escaped pursuit at the cost of exhausting his Lifespan and vanished without a trace.”

Jiang Li was expressionless.

He had already gathered this information.

In fact, if he hadn’t known that the Ten Thousand Desires Demon Lord was about to die, with his strength less than one-tenth of his Peak, he would never have entertained the thought of “I can counterattack.”

Of course,

if that weren’t the case, he probably wouldn’t have been chosen as a backup Possession body either.

Jiang Li’s mind wandered.

He wasn’t very interested in the subsequent content.

It was nothing more than passionate rhetoric about upholding the Righteous Path and slaying demons.

He was tired of hearing it.

As an undercover agent for the Demonic Cult, he would be insane to respond to such a call.

Finally,

Elder Zhang concluded today’s lecture with the topic, “Should a Demonic Cultivator die after abandoning darkness for light?”

Jiang Li found it agonizing to listen to.

Even more agonizing was the sudden “ding” in his mind.

【The Cultivation Technique “Profound Yellow Heart Refining Art” has pondered this topic, deeply analyzing its inner self. You have triggered the following choices.】

【Option One: Publicly declare, “Upholding Righteousness starts with me,” and immediately expose a Demonic Cult undercover agent. Reward for completion: Ten high-grade Qi Gathering Medicinal Pills.】

【Option Two: Publicly declare, “Demonic Cultivators deserve to die,” and expose your own undercover identity, sacrificing yourself for a noble cause. Reward for completion: Cultivation speed +300%.】

【Option Three: Expound your own righteous principle, “Once a Demonic Cultivator, always a Demonic Cultivator,” and immediately expose three Demonic Cult undercover agents, making them truly repent. Reward for completion: New Cultivation Technique entry — Righteous Shield.】

Jiang Li:??!

What the hell.

System, don’t mess with me!