Filthy Cultivation: I Pierced the Heavens with the Merit System

Liu Yi smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said in a calm tone:

"Since everyone agrees to find their own way out, let's choose the path according to our own abilities and wishes."

"However, this underground space is full of traps and dangers. I suggest that we discuss how to allocate the passageways to avoid further conflict."

Although Li Fuyao didn't know what tricks Liu Yi was secretly planning, she wanted to see what he was up to, so she didn't refuse. She exchanged a few glances with Bai Suifeng and Qiao Tianxing, then nodded in agreement.

"Young Master Liu is right. Although we should act separately, we should try to avoid unnecessary conflicts and dangers."

"How about this, we first roughly categorize these channels, and then choose the appropriate channel based on our respective capabilities."

Bai Suifeng, knowing Li Fuyao's thoughts, readily put away the Qiankun Spear.

He coldly swept his gaze across the various expressions of the rogue cultivators, then glanced at Liu Yi almost imperceptibly, gave a soft snort, and said in a meaningful tone:

“I have no objection. Since Young Master Qiao will be leading the team, Fuyao and I will listen to him.”

"However, if anyone dares to have any more wicked ideas, don't blame me for being impolite."

Qiao Tianxing, who had been silently observing everyone, heard Bai Suifeng call his name and saw that Yu Zhenzhen, Yun Hanxing, and Zhao Lingyun had no objections. He could only cross his arms, nod, and say in a deep voice:

"I don't want to waste any more time with this rabble. Since Young Master Liu has a solution, why don't we give it a try?"

"Anyway, it's better than staying here and waiting to die."

Liu Yi smiled slightly and continued:

"In that case, let's roughly divide these channels into three categories."

"One type is a relatively safe passage, suitable for those with weaker abilities; another type is a passage of medium difficulty, suitable for those with some ability to explore; and the last type is a passage with a high degree of danger, suitable for those with strong abilities to challenge."

Li Fuyao nodded in agreement:

"This allocation is indeed reasonable, but how do we determine the difficulty of these channels?"

These words seemed to have struck a chord with Liu Yi. He smiled and took out an ancient compass from his pocket.

The compass was covered with intricate runes, and a faint spiritual light seemed to flow around it. Liu Yi held the compass and explained with a slight smile:

"This is my personal 'Spirit Compass,' which can detect fluctuations in the surrounding spiritual energy."

"Generally speaking, the stronger the spiritual energy fluctuations, the more traps and mechanisms there are, and the higher the danger level."

After saying that, Liu Yi placed the compass flat in his palm, muttered a few words, and the pointer on the compass began to slowly rotate, eventually pointing to one of the channels.

Liu Yi glanced at the compass, then at the scattered cultivators around him who were still unwilling to leave. Seemingly too eager to think of a way to communicate, he didn't use telepathy, but instead gave a very clear look towards one of the passages, before whispering an explanation:

"The spiritual energy fluctuations in this passage are relatively weak, making it a safer passage."

Then Liu Yi explored the other channels one by one, eventually dividing the dozens of channels into three categories.

Li Fuyao observed all of this, glanced at the rogue cultivators, and said calmly without showing any emotion:

"Now that the channels have been categorized, everyone should choose according to their own abilities."

"However, I would like to remind you that if anyone overestimates their abilities and chooses a path beyond their capabilities, they will bear the consequences themselves."

The rogue cultivators looked at each other, still dissatisfied, but knowing that Li Fuyao and the others were powerful, they dared not provoke them again.

Several weaker rogue cultivators hesitated for a moment, then chose the safer passage and hurriedly left.

Among the remaining independent cultivators, a few with slightly stronger abilities chose the medium-difficulty passage in hopes of obtaining more treasures, while Li Fuyao, Bai Suifeng, Qiao Tianxing, and others unhesitatingly chose the passage that was clearly the most dangerous, yet which Liu Yi had signaled to them several times.

Liu Yi glanced at Li Fuyao, then smiled slightly at Qiao Tianxing:

“Young Master Qiao, now that everyone has chosen their passage, let’s go our separate ways. However, if we encounter any danger, please look out for each other out of consideration for our shared journey.”

Qiao Tianxing nodded upon hearing this, patted his chest, and earnestly assured him:

"Don't worry, Young Master Liu, we know what we're doing."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the passage, with Li Fuyao, Bai Suifeng and the others following closely behind.

Liu Yi watched them leave, a barely perceptible hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

He smirked and followed suit.

The rogue cultivators behind them, who had not yet made a move, all lit up at the sight. After exchanging wary glances, they followed Li Fuyao and his group into the passage.

As Li Fuyao entered the passage, she immediately felt that she was surrounded by darkness.

Ancient runes were carved on the stone walls on both sides of the passage, faintly emitting a light that illuminated the path ahead.

Bai Suifeng gripped the Qiankun Spear tightly, cautiously surveyed his surroundings, and whispered:

"This place is a bit strange, everyone be careful."

Qiao Tianxing snorted coldly: "A mere trap or mechanism is no match for us."

Li Fuyao didn't say much. He slightly unfolded the Luminous Fan in his hand, and a cold golden light appeared on the fan surface, ready to deal with any emergencies at any time.

The group continued forward, and the passage gradually narrowed. A musty smell filled the air, as if no one had set foot here for a long time.

Suddenly, a slight tremor came from the ground ahead. Li Fuyao frowned and whispered:

"careful!"

Before he could finish speaking, the ground in front of Qiao Tianxing suddenly cracked open, and dozens of sharp stone spikes shot out from the ground, forming an encirclement and stabbing straight at the group, startling Yu Zhenzhen into letting out a sharp shriek.

Bai Suifeng reacted extremely quickly, sweeping out the Qiankun Spear with lightning speed, instantly shattering the stone spikes.

Qiao Tianxing was not to be outdone. He swung his long sword, and the sword energy swept across the land, cutting off all the remaining stone spikes.

Li Fuyao stood still, and with a gentle wave of her Luminous Fan, a golden light flew out from the fan, shattering all the surrounding stone spikes.

"It seems this place is indeed extraordinary."

Li Fuyao patted Yu Zhenzhen's back to comfort her, then frowned slightly and said in a deep voice.

Bai Suifeng nodded: "Let's keep going, but be careful."

As they continued forward, they encountered many more dangerous traps, but the passage gradually widened, and after more than an hour, a huge stone gate finally appeared ahead.

The stone gate was covered with complex runes, and faint spiritual light flowed around it, clearly indicating that it was a mechanism.

Li Fuyao stepped forward, observed carefully for a moment, and whispered:

"The runes on this stone door are an ancient sealing formation that needs to be deciphered to open it."

Qiao Tianxing said impatiently, "Why don't we just blast it open?"

Bai Suifeng shook his head:

"We must not be reckless. Forcibly destroying the formation on this stone gate could trigger even greater danger."

Zhao Lingyun, who was skilled in talismans, nodded in agreement:

"Young Master Bai is right, we need to find a solution."

After saying that, she took out a jade slip from her bosom, which was covered with complex runes.

She placed the jade slip on the stone door and silently chanted an incantation. The runes on the jade slip gradually lit up and resonated with the runes on the stone door.

After a moment, the runes on the stone door gradually dimmed, and the stone door slowly opened, revealing the passage behind it.

The group exchanged glances and continued on their way.

Meanwhile, Liu Yi stood alone behind everyone, a faint smile still on his face, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

“Li Fuyao, Bai Suifeng, Qiao Tianxing…you disciples of prestigious sects are really naive.”

Liu Yi muttered to himself.

Liu Yi stood behind the crowd, a faint smile still on his face, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

He quietly stepped back a few paces, and while everyone's attention was focused on the stone gate, he took out a black jade talisman from his sleeve.

The jade talisman was covered with strange runes, and faint black energy swirled around it.

He gently crushed the jade talisman, and a wisp of black energy silently dissipated into the air before disappearing completely.

Liu Yi's lips curled up slightly, and he thought to himself:

"Li Fuyao, Bai Suifeng, Qiao Tianxing... you so-called promising talents from prestigious sects are really naive. Since you've chosen this path, don't blame me for being ruthless."

At the same time, Li Fuyao and the others had already stepped into the passage behind the stone gate.

There were no monsters that suddenly appeared behind the door, but just as everyone relaxed their guard, the stone walls on both sides of the passage suddenly began to move slowly, and the runes on the stone walls gradually lit up, with a faint spiritual light flowing through them.

Li Fuyao frowned and said in a low voice:

"Oh no! This is a trap formation! Everyone be careful!"

Before the words were finished, the runes on the stone wall suddenly burst out with a strong light, and countless sharp stone blades shot out from the stone wall, piercing straight towards the group.

Suddenly, everyone's hands lit up with inspiration.

However, there were simply too many stone blades, and the group was caught in a fierce battle.

Just then, Liu Yi quietly took a few steps back, a slight smile playing on his lips, a cold glint in his eyes:

"These traps and formations are powerful, but not enough to wipe them out completely. It seems I need to add fuel to the fire."

He quietly took out a black jade talisman from his pocket. The talisman was covered with strange runes. Liu Yi gently crushed the talisman, and a wisp of black energy silently dissipated into the air and then disappeared.

A moment later, the mechanisms and formations within the passage suddenly became even more violent.

The number and speed of the stone blades increased dramatically, and everyone was immediately put in an even more dangerous situation.

Bai Suifeng frowned and said in a low voice:

"Something's not right. Why has the power of this mechanism suddenly increased?"

Li Fuyao also noticed the abnormality. She quickly unfolded the Luminous Fan, and crescent-shaped spirit blades shot out, shattering all the incoming stone blades.

"Move forward quickly, don't linger here!"

Li Fuyao looked at the endless stream of stone blades rushing towards him and whispered:

"If the power of this stone blade comes from the secret realm itself, then the few of us simply cannot withstand its power!"