Filthy Cultivation: I Pierced the Heavens with the Merit System

"It's me."

“I don’t deny that there is genuine love in the world that puts others above oneself, but I have never experienced that kind of love, so I cannot give you that kind of love.”

Li Fuyao looked at him calmly and explained gently within the soul seed:

"All I can give you is the second place in my heart. I can get hurt for you, take risks for you, be biased towards you, and plan for you. Sometimes I'm even willing to give my life for you. But there are some things that are more important to me than life itself."

"I will not restrict my social life or restrict my freedom for you, absolutely not, and I hope you will do the same."

"What I can tell you and teach you is that before you meet someone who is more important than your own life, you must put loving yourself first and foremost. Don't let your misplaced love become a chain to bind the person who loves you, and don't place your feelings on someone you know is hopeless."

"Hmph, I was just asking a question, and you're so talkative."

Bai Suifeng turned his head away to listen, then mumbled as he laboriously shuffled over to completely block Li Fuyao's view. After a long while, he finally mumbled something in a barely audible voice:

“I understand. I will try my best to refrain from interfering too much with you, but to me, you are the most important person right now.”

Looking at the wrinkles on the front of the boy's shirt, Li Fuyao felt a surge of warmth in her heart, thinking that the little brat's possessiveness was really cute.

She thought of how she had done the same thing to her grandfather when she was a child, vying for his favor. A tenderness welled up in her eyes. Just as she was about to say something to Bai Suifeng, she heard a commotion suddenly break out beside her. Li Fuyao looked up and saw that, just like on the day of the first trial, several elders had descended onto the stage.

The council of elders was the same group from the first trial. The leading elder first raised his hand to signal for silence, then stroked his beard and spoke in a loud voice:

"The second stage of the Ascension Ceremony is about to begin. As the Chief Discipline Elder of the Obsidian Division of the Yanjian Sect, I will read out the relevant rules before the second test begins."

"The first test is just to see if you have the aptitude to embark on the path of cultivation. The second test will determine how far you can go on this path and in what direction."

"Now that the scourge of filth has struck again, we cultivators are doing this test of character in order to restore order to the world and to cultivate upright and pure disciples. Therefore, I urge all cultivators present to listen carefully to the rules."

After speaking, the elders gathered their spiritual energy and formed hand seals once more. As the vast spiritual light descended, the blue stone tablet suddenly shone brightly with azure light, and lines of ancient characters appeared on it, shimmering with light.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the rules and precautions for the second test.

"This test will be conducted through the Bewitching Illusionary Realm created by the Bewitching Heart Stone. The Illusionary Realm will generate different scenarios and challenges based on each cultivator's experience, personality, and state of mind."

"Test takers need to remain clear-headed in the illusion, stick to their beliefs, and not be misled by the temptations or fears in the illusion."

Hearing the sudden uproar from below the stage, the chief discipline elder responsible for reading the rules waited quietly for a moment, as if it were commonplace. Seeing that the crowd quickly quieted down again, he slowly began to read:

"There is only one way to evaluate the results. If the test taker can stay true to himself and find the truth in the illusion, he will be ejected from the illusion the moment his mind is clear. The sooner he wakes up, the better his score will be. If he is not ejected after three incense sticks have burned, he will be considered to have failed the test."

"All test participants below the stage, are you ready?!"

"Ready!"

The thousands of test participants below the stage were all eager to participate and cheered loudly.

The elder in charge of discipline nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this. With a wave of his long sleeves, hundreds of black-clad deacons obeyed his orders and flew down from the spirit boat, hovering steadily on their swords a foot above the heads of the cultivators.

Meanwhile, tables and chairs had been set up on the stage at some point. On the dark table was an ancient incense burner shaped like a small tripod, and an elder solemnly took out three long, bright red incense sticks, each as long as an arm, and inserted them into the burner.

Three deep, resonant bell tolls echoed from within the Yanjian Sect, and the cyan stone tablet lit up in response.

A cyan halo spread out from the stone tablet like ripples on water, and in an instant, it swept across the entire Divine Martial Square like an overwhelming tsunami. Wherever it passed, the cultivators felt their souls stirred, and the next moment, their vision blurred and their minds became extremely dizzy.

Li Fuyao and Bai Suifeng exchanged a glance, knowing that this was a sign that they were about to enter the Bewitching Illusionary Realm, so they did not resist much and relaxed their minds to let their consciousness sink in.

Because her soul quality far surpassed that of others, Li Fuyao entered the Bewitching Illusionary Realm a little later than others due to the natural resistance brought by her high attribute points.

She watched as the elder lit one of the long incense sticks before she closed her eyes tightly.

When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to find that she was as if she were soaking in watered milk. All around her was a white expanse, everyone had disappeared, and she was the only person she could see.

Oh? The test has started?

Li Fuyao was not afraid. Instead, she focused her attention and carefully looked around. She noticed that the milky white smoke was thinner than before.

A familiar yet distant roar gradually rose in my ears.