Chapter 221 – Going Undercover in the Advent Cult Again, Goal: Become the Villain’s Chief! (5k)

【You did not reveal your pill-refining talent, but instead joined the Advent Cult under a new identity.】

【With your current strength, you could practically crush all three faction leaders, but you chose not to expose your true power. Instead, you displayed only Peak Martial Sovereign cultivation, barely qualifying to become a Protector of the Advent Cult.】

【Over the following year, you and Luo Shuying worked together and pocketed most of the medicinal ingredients from the Advent Cult’s treasury.】

【You refined pills every day, preparing to gift them to Great Xia’s military in the future.】

【In the second year, you once again entered the Luotian Assembly dungeon, hoping to deepen your comprehension of the Dao of Puppetry.】

In the Real World, Su Xing saw this and nodded slightly, murmuring:

“Use immersive simulation…”

【Ding, you have successfully used immersive… remaining energy: 3,016,630,000 points.】

Soon, one session of immersive simulation ended, and Su Xing returned to the Real World.

“Not bad. With Ghost Granny’s guidance, my comprehension of the Dao of Puppetry has been advancing by leaps and bounds…”

“Although I haven’t reached Minor Mastery level yet, performing basic modifications and controlling those puppets shouldn’t be much of a problem…”

The corner of Su Xing’s mouth curved slightly upward.

With his current attainments in the Dao of Puppetry at merely the Beginner level, trying to create puppets capable of refining pills wasn’t realistic.

But fortunately, Su Xing had eight existing puppets. With minor modifications, they might be put to use for him in a short time.

“It’s a shame though. As time continues to pass, the Luotian Assembly dungeon is only two years away from closing… This means that in future simulations, I can only enter it twice more at most…”

Su Xing let out a sigh.

He had always had a premonition that the Luotian Assembly dungeon concealed some earth-shattering secret, and he needed to explore and uncover it within the limited time remaining.

“But for now, I should keep muddling along in the Advent Cult. If I can become a faction leader, perhaps I can gain access to even greater secrets — maybe even learn the identity of that mysterious person?”

Thinking this, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【After leaving the Luotian Assembly dungeon, you returned to the Advent Cult and continued your role as a Protector.】

【You performed valiantly during missions, and in daily life, you put on an act of caring deeply for your subordinates.】

【In just one short year within the Advent Cult, you had already amassed nearly twenty thousand devoted followers.】

【Some cult members even secretly urged you to establish a new faction, expressing their willingness to join under your banner.】

【But to avoid arousing suspicion from the Advent Cult’s two faction leaders and Old Dog Dragon, you chose not to do so.】

【Instead, you continued staying in the Advent Cult, playing the part of a loyal and devoted cadre.】

【In private, you secretly refined pills and continued your study of the Dao of Talismans.】

【Over the course of a year, several thousand spirit carp died at your hands.】

【But at the same time, you had mastered several types of talismans, and their effects when used were outstanding.】

【For example, the Second Rank talisman that enhances speed — the Gale Talisman. When used by a Master-stage Class User, it doubles their speed for the duration of one incense stick’s burning. Even a Grandmaster-stage Class User can gain a fifty percent speed boost!】

【For example, the First Rank Ox Talisman. After use, it can grant a Class User an increase of anywhere from one ox’s strength to nine oxen’s strength, providing a tremendous power boost for lower-ranked Class Users.】

【Beyond these, there were also the Gold Blade Talisman for unleashing golden blades, the Vajra Talisman for activating protective shields, and more.】

【In the third year, your comprehension of the Dao of Talismans had fully crossed the threshold of entry.】

【This was thanks to the bonus from your Talisman Expert talent, combined with your astonishing divine soul aptitude and your Subtle Realm divine sense.】

【The Dao of Talismans demands an extremely high level of spiritual power — that is, divine sense. If a low-ranked cultivator makes even the slightest error, off by even a hair’s breadth, it will cause a talisman to be ruined.】

【But with your Subtle Realm divine sense, you could perfectly inscribe the talisman formulas from your mind. All you needed was continued practice, attention to detail, and mastery of spiritual energy application…】

【This year, your comprehension of the Dao of Talismans remained at the entry level, but you could already inscribe dozens of types of First and Second Rank talismans. You had even mastered several Third Rank talismans.】

In the Real World, Su Xing saw this and nodded slightly, saying:

“As expected — accumulated effort pays off!”

“The Dao of Talismans requires strength of divine sense and mastery over spiritual energy…”

“The talismans left behind by predecessors are like mathematical formulas… each with their own characteristics. And with my powerful spiritual force, I can naturally memorize those talisman inscriptions completely — something low-ranked cultivators simply cannot match.”

“Refining Third Rank talismans is roughly equivalent to Master-stage power… Fourth Rank equates to Grandmaster-stage, Fifth Rank to Heavenly King-stage… And refining Sixth Rank talismans could give an ordinary Class User the ability to briefly threaten a Martial Sovereign-level powerhouse!”

Su Xing nodded with satisfaction at this.

Unlike pill refining and artifact forging, which increase a cultivator’s strength through gradual accumulation — making it impossible to instantly give a Gold-stage Class User the power of a Heavenly King — the Dao of Talismans was different. Even a Gold-stage Class User, as long as they possessed a Sixth Rank offensive talisman and used it properly, could potentially kill a Heavenly King-stage Class User!

But the drawback was also obvious — talismans were essentially one-time-use items. Even high-ranked talismans could only be used a few times at most.

“Once these talismans hit the market, their prices won’t be low… They might even be more profitable than pills!”

“But this simulation is just a trial run. I only need a taste of the Dao of Talismans for now. Afterward, I’ll try studying the spirit-gathering formation and the Five Elements Formation Dao…”

Thinking this, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【In the fourth year, you tallied up all the pills you had accumulated over these years — approximately two hundred and fifty thousand in total.】

【Afterward, you disguised your appearance, concealed your aura, shielded your fate from divination, and sought out Lu Yuanwu. You handed over all the pills to him, hoping to strengthen Great Xia’s military and humanity’s forces at Demon-Sealing Pass.】

【After completing this, you returned to the Advent Cult.】

【During these years, on each Awakening of Insects day, you observed the power of thunder, hoping to comprehend a trace of the Essence of Strength from the Great Dao of Thunder.】

【After several attempts, you vaguely touched upon the faintest edges of the Essence of Strength…】

【You were somewhat pleased by this, but remained neither arrogant nor impatient, continuing to comprehend the Essence of Strength each year on the Awakening of Insects day while practicing the Dao of Talismans the rest of the time.】

【In the fifth year, as your comprehension of the Dao of Talismans deepened further, you could now refine Fourth Rank talismans.】

【You successfully elevated your refinement of the Second Rank Spirit-Gathering Talisman to the level of Major Mastery.】

【The Spirit-Gathering Talisman is a type of talisman that can rapidly gather spiritual qi and restore a cultivator’s spiritual energy.】

【You noticed that the Spirit-Gathering Talisman and the principles behind setting up a micro spirit-gathering formation shared some similarities. Perhaps the Five Elements Master had originally drawn inspiration from this very talisman.】

【At the same time, during your time lying low in the Advent Cult, you befriended various Grand Elders and Protectors, spending your days socializing, feasting on meat, and drinking wine.】

【Through your interactions with these Elders and Protectors, you gradually came to understand that the hierarchy within the Advent Cult was even stricter than you had imagined.】

【From ordinary followers at the bottom to Protectors and Elders at the top, everyone could only accept missions and earn contribution points — though Elders and Protectors enjoyed relatively more freedom.】

【But whether they were ordinary followers or Protectors, they knew almost nothing about why they were assigned these missions or the reasons behind them.】

【This also meant that even Protectors were completely ignorant of the Advent Cult’s most closely guarded secrets.】

【After learning this, a plan quietly began to form in your mind.】

【That plan was — to find a way to ascend to a higher position: to become a faction leader of the Advent Cult!】

【Because only by becoming a faction leader could you truly gain access to the Advent Cult’s core secrets!】

【What frustrated you somewhat was that the three faction leader positions were already filled. The only one who was elusive and rarely seen was the Conservative Faction’s leader, whom you suspected had been Protector Dragon all along.】

【And the only way to rise to the position of faction leader… was to find a way to eliminate one of the existing leaders!】

【You knew you couldn’t rush this. You had to wait patiently for the right opportunity. One slip, and everything would be for nothing!】

【And so, in quiet waiting, another two years passed.】

【In the seventh year, your research into the Dao of Talismans advanced yet another step. You could now refine Fifth Rank talismans.】

【A Grandmaster-stage Class User, after activating a Fifth Rank talisman, could even briefly contend with a Heavenly King-stage Class User.】

【Despite successfully refining Fifth Rank talismans, your overall mastery of the Dao of Talismans still remained at the entry level — though Minor Mastery was no longer far away.】

【You have a suspicion in your heart — successfully crafting a Sixth-Order talisman might be enough to push your comprehension of the Dao of Talismans into Minor Mastery!】

【But you have no plans to further research talismans, as your talisman attainments are already sufficient. You intend to begin attempting research on the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【Year eight. You continue quietly waiting for an opportunity. Not only have you rallied a large group of loyal followers within the Advent Cult, but you are also working to elevate your status and authority within the organization.】

【You provide Luo Shuying with more Mind-Condensing Pills and other elixirs, hoping to boost her strength.】

【And Luo Shuying does not disappoint. She cultivates diligently every day, and with your assistance, advances to Mid-stage Legendary in a mere eight years.】

【This year, your comprehension of the Essence of Strength deepens further.】

【Year nine. You begin a thorough study of the Five Elements Sect’s Five Elements Formation Dao.】

【You discover that the Five Elements Formation Dao differs from the foundational Formation Dao you previously studied. Its approach to formations leans more toward the rational application of five-element spiritual energy.】

【Because you already possess a certain foundation in Formation Dao, your progress in studying the Five Elements Formation Dao is rapid.】

【And so, another two years pass.】

【Year eleven. Your study of the Five Elements Formation Dao has long since surpassed the introductory stage, and you are now able to construct some composite five-element formations.】

【At this point, you have comprehension in the Dao of Talismans, Formation Dao, and the Dao of spiritual energy — you have met the foundational prerequisites for learning the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【And so, you decide to formally begin inscribing micro spirit-gathering formations.】

【You enter the spirit field grotto-heaven, retrieve a plump spirit carp from the pond, and take out the spirit ink, spirit brush, and other materials needed for inscribing the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【Holding this spirit carp in your hand, you soothe it with spiritual energy, then carefully sense the flow of spiritual energy within its body.】

【Several minutes later, you have a thorough grasp of every thread of spiritual energy circulating within the spirit carp… and so, you slowly open your eyes!】

【Then, with strokes swift as dragons and serpents, you complete the work in one flowing motion… your Subtle Realm divine sense manifests perfectly in this moment.】

【You carefully channel spiritual energy, inscribing a tiny formation onto the spirit carp’s body.】

【But when the formation is only half-complete, you make a slight error. Combined with the spirit carp’s thrashing, the spiritual energy destabilizes… and the spirit carp explodes in your palm.】

【Another failed attempt at the micro spirit-gathering formation, but you are not surprised.】

【Compared to before, your inscription of the micro spirit-gathering formation has matured considerably. You need only continue attempting, and success will eventually come.】

【And so, you spend every day inscribing micro spirit-gathering formations on spirit carp. Another year passes.】

In the Real World, Su Xing watched this and gave a slight nod, sighing:

“As expected — the micro spirit-gathering formation may be nominally a formation, but in reality it’s the culmination of Formation Dao, Talismans, and the Dao of spiritual energy combined. Only by unifying all three Daos can one inscribe a sufficiently effective spirit-gathering formation!”

Su Xing was quite hopeful about the future development of the spirit-gathering formation.

“And the Dao of Puppetry is the same… Looking at it this way, cultivating all three Daos simultaneously seems rather good — it could prove useful in many directions in the future!”

After a pause, Su Xing thought with some exasperation:

“However, the Advent Cult’s scale still exceeds my expectations… To become a faction leader, I’ll probably need to do more maneuvering behind the scenes!”

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【Year twelve. You finally succeed in inscribing a micro spirit-gathering formation on a spirit carp.】

【According to Perfected One Myriad Wood’s classification, this micro spirit-gathering formation is only the lowest First Rank — a basic formation.】

【You hold the spirit carp with the successfully inscribed micro spirit-gathering formation in your hands and observe it carefully. You discover that the speed of spiritual energy gathering is not fast — roughly equivalent to the cultivation speed of a cultivator with the most rudimentary Five-element mixed spiritual root. It would not even rank highly among those with Five-element mixed spiritual roots.】

【Through continuous calculations, you come up with a vivid analogy.】

【With your mutated Heavenly Spirit Root of wood-fire dual elements, plus your mutated lightning spirit root, your base cultivation speed is approximately one hundred and fifty levels.】

【An ordinary Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator’s cultivation speed is one hundred levels.】

【A True Spirit Root is fifty levels! Dual-element, triple-element, and quadruple-element mixed spiritual roots decrease in succession…】

【The lowest Five-element mixed spiritual root fluctuates between approximately 0.8 to 1.5 levels in cultivation speed.】

【And this micro spirit-gathering formation, once successfully inscribed, can add approximately 0.5 levels to a cultivator’s speed.】

【You are not very satisfied with this speed, as such a minuscule improvement is almost useless to you.】

【And so, you decide to further research the inscription of the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【Year thirteen. You further expand the spirit carp population in the pond, bringing their numbers to nearly ten thousand.】

【You attempt to inscribe micro spirit-gathering formations daily, and your success rate gradually rises from ten percent to approximately fifty percent.】

【Year fourteen. Your spirit field grotto-heaven pond now contains over six thousand spirit carp inscribed with micro spirit-gathering formations.】

【One day, you feel the number of spirit carp is sufficient, so you decide to further experiment with improving the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【You take out a spirit carp and place it in your palm, carefully observing the flow of spiritual energy within it.】

【Then you take out your spirit brush, dip it in spirit ink, and begin modifying the palm-sized micro spirit-gathering formation on the carp’s back, attempting to further enhance its power.】

【Boom! A few minutes later, as expected, you fail. The spirit carp in your hand is blasted into braised fish.】

【You are not discouraged. You take out another spirit carp and prepare to try again.】

【And so, several months pass. The number of spirit carp that have died at your hands approaches one thousand.】

【One day, inspiration strikes. You begin modifying the spirit-gathering formation on a spirit carp’s back with fluid, effortless strokes.】

【A quarter of an hour later, you set down your brush. The spirit-gathering formation on the spirit carp’s back has completely transformed.】

【It remains at the tier of a First Rank micro spirit-gathering formation, but compared to before, this formation has been improved enormously!】

【You test its efficiency at absorbing spiritual energy and are astonished to find that the micro spirit-gathering formation’s operating speed has nearly doubled.】

【From the original 0.5 levels, it has jumped directly to one level.】

【This is nearly equivalent to the efficiency of an ordinary Five-element mixed spiritual root cultivator cultivating nonstop, twenty-four hours a day!】

Seeing this, Su Xing could not suppress the joy in his eyes. He murmured:

“Finally — success!”

“A mere First Rank micro spirit-gathering formation is already equivalent to a Five-element mixed spiritual root cultivator’s cultivation speed… If it reaches a higher rank, wouldn’t that be incredible?”

What Su Xing found most noteworthy:

It was that the micro spirit-gathering formation operated around the clock, twenty-four hours a day. As long as there was spiritual energy in the surroundings, the micro spirit-gathering formation would cultivate automatically.

This was essentially idle experience — the kind that stacked buffs!

“Not bad. Next, I need to attempt crafting even higher-level micro spirit-gathering formations…”

With that thought, Su Xing’s gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【Over the next several months, you upgrade all the First Rank micro spirit-gathering formations on these spirit carp.】

【Several months later, you obtain five thousand spirit carp inscribed with excellent First Rank micro spirit-gathering formations on their backs.】

【Year fifteen. You prepare to attempt inscribing Second Rank micro spirit-gathering formations.】

【You research day and night, attempting every day. After several months, the number of spirit carp that have died at your hands exceeds one thousand.】

【Through your relentless attempts, you finally succeed in inscribing your first Second Rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【According to your measurements, a Second Rank micro spirit-gathering formation is equivalent to three cultivation levels.】

【In other words, inscribing a Second Rank micro spirit-gathering formation on a cultivator would passively grant them a cultivation speed approaching that of a quadruple-element spiritual root cultivator…】

【At the same time, you discover that each rank of the micro spirit-gathering formation is further divided into two grades: ordinary and excellent.】

【Based on your estimates, if the Second Rank micro spirit-gathering formation is further refined, it could reach Second Rank excellent grade, with a spiritual energy gathering speed approaching five levels! This is nearly the peak aptitude of a quadruple-element mixed spiritual root cultivator.】

【One day, just as you are about to continue researching the advancement path of the micro spirit-gathering formation, you suddenly receive an important mission.】

【The mission’s specific requirements: travel to Demon-Sealing Pass and assassinate a Legendary Class User…】

【Those accompanying you on this mission include not only the current leader of the Transhuman Faction — a Peak Legendary powerhouse — but also four Legendary-stage Protectors, yourself and Luo Shuying among them.】

【Upon receiving this mission, you immediately realize: the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Transhuman Faction’s leader has arrived!】