Filthy Cultivation: I Pierced the Heavens with the Merit System

Thinking that his words that day were indeed as Xiao Fuyao had said, the old man's awkwardness lessened slightly. He cleared his throat, suppressing a hint of joy, and muttered somewhat embarrassedly:

"Hmph, what a glib-tongued little girl, all she does is tell lies to fool the old man!"

He said this, but his hands were full of affection as he patted the little girl's head. Then he took Li Fuyao's wrist and carefully examined her physical condition, while earnestly giving her advice despite still being on stage:

“Fuyao, for us cultivators, a solid foundation is extremely important, even more so than the advancement of one’s cultivation level.”

"Your cultivation has improved so quickly. If your foundation is not solid, it may affect your future. Don't forget your roots in pursuit of higher realms. Otherwise, when your cultivation level is high, you will find your spiritual energy difficult to circulate..."

At this point, Ye Wuxin suddenly stopped with a strange expression, mimicking the same smug look as the leading elder.

He opened his mouth to ask a question, but then hesitated and shut his mouth after realizing that the occasion was inappropriate. Just as he was hesitating about what to say, he saw his sect leader and several elders gracefully land beside Li Fuyao.

Upon seeing this, Ye Wuxin's expression hardened. She immediately pulled Li Fuyao behind her like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and looked at her fellow disciples warily, saying:

"Li Changqing, what are you doing down here?"

"I waited here to stop you from disrupting the exam."

After clearing his throat, Sect Leader Li Changqing glanced between Li Fuyao and Ye Wuxin, his gaze serious and scrutinizing, and continued:

“Senior brother, as an elder of the sect, it’s one thing for you to act casually in normal times, but this is not a place to fool around. You should know the rules of the sect.”

“Even if this child is exceptionally talented, you cannot interfere with the testing process at this moment. The siblings' talent is too dazzling and has already attracted the attention of the other three sects. If you want to keep them here…”

"Oh dear, my dear junior brother, my dear sect leader, I know what you're going to say, so stop reading now!"

Ye Wuxin covered his ears and shook his head like a spoiled child. Seeing Li Changqing stop talking and glare at him helplessly, he chuckled and gently patted Li Fuyao's head to pull her out from behind him.

After thinking for a moment, he waved to Bai Suifeng again. Seeing the two little ones standing neatly in front of him, Ye Wuxin whispered a reminder to them:

"You two idiots, hurry up and greet the sect leader and elders."

Upon hearing this, Li Fuyao pulled Bai Suifeng forward respectfully, stepping forward and bowing to the sect leader and elders:

"This humble girl, Li Fuyao, and her brother, Bai Suifeng, are here to greet the sect leader and all the elders."

The elders nodded in response with kind expressions. Sect Leader Li Changqing looked at the two children before him with gentle eyes, not asking them trivial questions like why they had different surnames. He simply smiled and nodded slightly, saying softly:

"You two siblings are exceptionally talented, and your future achievements are bound to be limitless. I heard that you performed the feat of exorcising demons in Yuanshan Town when you were young. We also witnessed your conversation with the judges and elders just now, and we are very pleased with your character."

"But the path of cultivation is long and arduous. I hope that you will not forget your original intentions in this chaotic world, and diligently cultivate. When you have completed your studies, do not forget your original intention to help the people and eliminate evil."

Upon hearing this, Li Fuyao and Bai Suifeng responded earnestly:

"Yes, I will certainly live up to the sect leader's expectations."

At this moment, one of the elders who had been silent suddenly spoke up: "Junior Brother Ye, Fuyao's foundation..."

Ye Wuxin knew what he wanted to ask, and her face lit up with pride and smugness as she revealed the discovery she had been hesitating to make:

"Indeed, her foundation is exceptionally solid, and the spiritual energy within her body is extremely pure, which is completely unlike what one would expect from someone whose cultivation has improved so rapidly."

Upon hearing this, all the elders were shocked, and their expressions turned incredulous.

"This...how is this possible?"

"Could it be that when she possesses all seven elements and has equal affinity with them, the spiritual energy within her body reaches a certain balance, allowing her to ignore the instability of her foundation brought about by the improvement of her cultivation?"

"I have no way of knowing that~"

Ye Wuxin, like a child who had gotten first place in an exam, patted the two little ones on the shoulders and showed off:

"I'll study them in more detail when I become their master."

Upon hearing this, the other elders' eyes turned red, their dignified and otherworldly demeanor vanished, and they began shouting excitedly as if they had entered a marketplace:

"You greedy old fool! You want to have two such good talents by yourself? Keep dreaming!"

Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Li Changqing, who held the highest position, quickly spoke up to reprimand them:

"Quiet down, all of you! At your age, making such a racket is just making you a laughingstock!"

Seeing that the atmosphere remained tense, with the elders glaring at each other like fighting cocks, he sighed helplessly, rubbed his forehead, and shouted through telepathy:

"What's all the noise about? Do you even have the demeanor of elders anymore?"

"What kind of behavior is this?!"

Seeing the elders' reluctant expressions and heads bowed, Li Changqing softened his demeanor and continued:

"Li Fuyao and her brother Bai Suifeng have indeed shown amazing talents. One has a balanced seven-element spiritual root and is making rapid progress in cultivation, while the other has a rare lightning-elemental spiritual root with an astonishingly high affinity."

"If these brother and sister grow up within the sect, they will surely become a powerful force for humanity in dealing with the corrupted beasts when the protective barrier is destroyed by the filth in the future. This is undoubtedly excellent news."

"But as I just said, the sect rules cannot be abolished, and the tests must continue. It's not too late for you to compete after these brother and sister pass the three tests and officially enter the sect. For the sake of the Yanjian Sect's reputation, you all need to behave yourselves!"

Having finished speaking, and seeing that all the elders obediently agreed, Li Changqing turned to the surrounding cultivators, who were now in an uproar, and said loudly:

"The test is not over yet, please be patient and continue the test in an orderly manner."

"In addition, to ensure the safety and fairness of the examination, the following steps will be personally supervised by this sect leader and the elders of the Yanjian Sect."