Am I being mistaken for a Demon Cultivator?

The Insect External Incarnation glanced at the dried corpse in the distance, then at himself.

His body still bore the unsettling changes that hadn't dissipated, making him look far from a normal cultivator.

He didn't mind this trivial matter, driving his Escape Light towards the direction of Lingyuan City.

「More than half a month later」

The Insect External Incarnation arrived thousands of miles away from Lingyuan City.

With the Profound Realm Key in his possession, Jia Ren didn't find it convenient to enter Lingyuan City and instead returned to the Temporary Cave Dwelling he had once built.

Nearly four years had passed since his departure, and the Cave was well-preserved, with no other cultivators having visited.

Activating the Tongluo Sound Disc, he contacted Wang Fugui.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the spiritual power of heaven and earth gathered, and Wang Fugui's body gradually solidified.

He had used some kind of Divine Skill to cross thousands of miles, appearing before him from Lingyuan City.

The Insect External Incarnation was surprised, pondering how to learn this Divine Skill from Wang Fugui.

Wang Fugui saw through his thoughts at a glance and chuckled, "This Divine Skill cannot be passed on to you; it is one of the sect's Divine Skills."

Sect Divine Skills?

Wang Fugui's sect?

This wasn't surprising. Ordinary Loose Cultivators could hardly obtain the Golden Scale Wind-Riding Technique, let alone safely reach the Divinity Transformation Stage.

"Wang Daoyou, which sect do you hail from?"

He wasn't from a sect in this realm but from a sect in the Mysterious Realm.

"Heavenly Palace Sect."

Jia Ren knew little about the sects of the Mysterious Realm and had never heard of this sect. His only point of reference was the Lingbao Sect.

"How does the Heavenly Palace Sect compare to the Lingbao Sect?"

He knew the Lingbao Sect was a top-tier sect in the Mysterious Realm and wondered how the Heavenly Palace Sect measured up against it.

Wang Fugui couldn't help but smile bitterly. "The Heavenly Palace Sect is a respectable force in the Mysterious Realm, but compared to the Lingbao Sect, it's not worth mentioning."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have failed to enter the Lingbao Sect back then, only to join the Heavenly Palace Sect," Wang Fugui revealed without hesitation.

"Joining the Heavenly Palace Sect isn't a good choice for you; there's a wider world ahead."

"Since you're interested in the Lingbao Sect, why not give it a try?"

Wang Fugui cultivated the Golden Scale Wind-Riding Technique; the higher Jia Ren's future achievements, the better it would be for him.

The Cultivation Techniques of the Heavenly Palace Sect didn't suit Jia Ren and were far inferior to those of the Lingbao Sect.

"Are the Lingbao Sect's requirements for recruiting disciples very low? Didn't Wang Daoyou fail to join the Lingbao Sect?"

Jia Ren was no newcomer to the path of cultivation. Having already reached the Middle Stage of the Golden Core, it was like joining halfway.

Great Sects like the Lingbao Sect have extremely high criteria; I fear they won't accept me...

Moreover, his Spiritual Root Aptitude isn't superior, so how could he possibly become a disciple of the Lingbao Sect?

Wang Fugui laughed and replied, "Joining the Lingbao Sect isn't easy. It has several ways of recruiting disciples."

"The first is the common path for new cultivators: only those with Superior Grade Spiritual Roots are eligible. However, eligibility is just the beginning; the crucial part is gaining recognition from a Spiritual Treasure."

"The second path is to become a Protector. Golden Core Stage and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators can apply. If they pass the assessment, become Protectors for Lingbao Sect disciples, obey their commands, excel, and stand out among the other Protectors, they also have a chance to become true disciples."

"The third path is... donating treasures to gain the status of a Lingbao Sect disciple. Three Spiritual Treasures will allow you to join the Lingbao Sect."

The first path was not feasible; he was too old, and his Spiritual Root Aptitude didn't meet the standard.

The second path, serving as a Protector for Lingbao Sect disciples and being at someone's beck and call, didn't appeal to him.

The third was to essentially buy his way in—three Spiritual Treasures for an outer disciple status, with an additional Spiritual Treasure due every hundred years.

This third path is too costly!

But this wasn't difficult for Jia Ren.

As long as he crafted Magical Treasures with a Fire-Absorbing Glyph and enhanced them with the Demon-Sealing Tower's Sacrificial Fire, he could elevate them to the Spiritual Treasure Level.

It's hard for a Divinity Transformation Cultivator to produce three Spiritual Treasures, but this wasn't a problem for him.

The only trouble was, without a significant background to support him, producing three Spiritual Treasures would be too ostentatious and might attract trouble.

Was Wang Fugui's status sufficient? Probably not...

He decided to consider this further after entering the Mysterious Realm.

"The first path isn't viable, but with your talent, advancing from Protector to an official disciple isn't difficult."

Wang Fugui didn't even mention the third path. As a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator, he only possessed one Lifebound Spirit Treasure and couldn't possibly produce three Spiritual Treasures for Jia Ren.

That was an avenue for the offspring of wealthy and powerful cultivators; the poor should seek other routes.

Being a Protector and donating treasures were two viable routes.

Apart from these, there was a third path he considered:

Slaying a Lingbao Sect disciple and using the Corpse-Eating Fiend Pill to seize their Cultivation Technique, which utilized Spiritual Treasures to enhance one's Cultivation Level.

This path meant becoming an enemy of the Lingbao Sect.

Which path to take would depend on the situation.

"Have you decided what treasures you want to exchange the Profound Realm Key for?"

"I can select a sect based on the resources you wish to acquire."

The Profound Realm Key wasn't of great value to Jia Ren; trading it for treasures that could rapidly boost his Cultivation Level and strength was far better.

"Break Infant Pills, Cultivation Methods, Divine Skills, and precious Spiritual Medicines."

His Proficiency Level in crafting Break Infant Pills had already improved. Concocting the pills himself would yield better effects, far surpassing those provided by a sect.

The alchemy materials are still short one Two-Thousand-Year Profound Bone Ghost Grass. This can be added to the exchange list.

There's no need for other Cultivation Techniques. He's still in the process of converting to the Tianyu Divine Art, and he also has his sights set on the Lingbao Sect's Cultivation Techniques.

Cultivation Techniques from other sects can't compare to the Tianyu Divine Art, so there's no need to exchange for them.

As for Divine Skills and secret techniques, he already has a solution thanks to the Corpse-Eating Fiend Pill, so there's no need to waste the Profound Realm Key exchange opportunity on them.

"Spiritual Medicines. The more precious the Spiritual Medicine, the better. Ideally, I want to exchange for Heavenly Earth Elixirs like the Five-Colored Lotus and Creation Fruit."

High-year Spiritual Medicines were hard to come by, and Heavenly Earth Elixirs were even rarer.

Jia Ren desired Heavenly Earth Elixirs like the Five-Colored Lotus and Creation Fruit.

Heavenly Earth Elixirs differed from common Spiritual Medicines; they couldn't be cultivated or transplanted, being born from the power of heaven and earth and possessing incredible, miraculous effects.

The Five-Colored Lotus possesses tremendous Spiritual Power and can raise one's Cultivation Level by one minor realm for those below the Divinity Transformation Stage.

This could save a cultivator years of accumulation, rapidly enhancing their Cultivation Level.

The Creation Fruit is an even rarer Heavenly Earth Elixir, capable of raising one's Cultivation Level by one major realm for those below the Divinity Transformation Stage. It is truly a peerless treasure.

Heavenly Earth Elixirs are scarce, and even Great Sects have trouble finding them.

If not for such rare and precious Heavenly Earth Elixirs, why would I even consider trading the Profound Realm Key?

"Heavenly Earth Elixirs are hard to find. I can't guarantee that any of the major sects will have them."

Once cultivators obtain Heavenly Earth Elixirs, they usually consume them immediately, leaving none behind. Thus, even top-tier sects rarely have them in stock.

Finding a suitable sect for the trade would not be an easy task.

"I will do my best to find you a suitable buyer," Wang Fugui said earnestly, as Jia Ren's improvement in Cultivation Level was linked to his own.

"Many thanks, Wang Daoyou."

Jia Ren raised his hand and passed the Profound Realm Key to him.

Without Wang Fugui, he couldn't have retrieved the lost Profound Realm Key.

Leaving this matter to him also allowed Jia Ren to rest easy.

Moreover, he still had a backup World-Devouring Sentinel and other options.

The two chatted casually for a while before Wang Fugui left a Jade Slip behind.

"This is the Five Metals Divine Escape technique I obtained. It's also the escape technique I use most often."

The Jade Slip detailed a rare metal-element escape Divine Skill. Once mastered, one could travel through the five metals with complete freedom.

When cultivated to an advanced level, it could even affect metal-element Magical Treasures.

A cultivator who mastered the Five Metals Divine Escape was difficult to harm with ordinary metal-type Magical Treasures.

With a mere thought, they could merge with an enemy's metal-element Magical Treasure, greatly diminishing its killing power.

Cultivators in the Cultivation World favored flying sword Magical Treasures. The crafting of these flying sword Magical Treasures inevitably involved metallic materials, making them naturally countered by the Five Metals Divine Escape.

Against someone who had mastered this Divine Skill, such cultivators were inherently at a disadvantage and found it difficult to inflict harm.

The Xuan Shui Escape was far inferior to a Divine Skill like the Five Metals Divine Escape; they were not on the same level.

"Many thanks for the Divine Skill, Wang Daoyou."

Jia Ren accepted the Five Metals Divine Escape with delight, without any reservation.

An escape Divine Skill could greatly enhance one's ability to survive. If outmatched in combat, he could use the Five Metals Divine Escape to flee.

"The incidents of Bizarre Demons breaking their seals have been increasing recently. I need to go and reinforce the seals," Wang Fugui said.

"The Bizarre Alliance is constantly releasing Bizarre Demons. I'll also be heading to the Bizarre Alliance stronghold you informed me about soon."

"I won't be able to protect you completely in the near future, so you must be careful."

Jia Ren had already informed Wang Fugui about the annihilation of the Cold Mountain Temple, including the intelligence he had obtained on the Bizarre Alliance stronghold.

"You should also be careful," Jia Ren warned. "We cannot rule out the possibility that this is a trap."

Wang Fugui waved his hand dismissively. "Except for those few most troublesome Bizarre Demons, there are truly few in this realm who can kill me."

As the only Late-Stage Divinity Transformation cultivator in this realm, his tone exuded immense confidence.

"This was my former Cave. It's surrounded by the Five Elements Magnetic Pole Light Array that I set up. Even Divinity Transformation Cultivators would find it difficult to break into. If you can't find a safe place for refuge, you can cultivate in my Cave."

A Black Command Token flew towards Jia Ren. The moment he caught the Token, he instantly knew the Cave's location.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Wang Fugui didn't linger. His figure vanished like a bubble.

What had arrived was not his true body, but an incarnation formed from nature's spiritual energy.

"Many thanks!"

Wang Fugui went to great lengths to help him, viewing it as an investment in the future, and Jia Ren was profoundly grateful for this.

Wang Fugui had brought him out of the Sealed Land, offered him protection and Divine Skills, and personally shouldered the risk of exchanging the Profound Realm Key for resources, not to mention the assistance with powerful talismans and other resources.

Even one's own son might not receive such treatment.

I owe him more and more…

The only repayment he could offer was to improve his Cultivation Level and not disappoint Wang Fugui's high regard and expectations.

Clutching the Cave Mansion Token, Jia Ren decided on his plans for the next twenty years.

I still need to get one Two-Thousand-Year Profound Bone Ghost Grass from the Town Demon Alliance, just in case.

He had obtained two Thousand-Year Purple Sky Flowers from the Cold Mountain Temple and lacked no other auxiliary herbs.

An additional Two-Thousand-Year Profound Bone Ghost Grass would allow him to concoct one more batch of Break Infant Pills. It's always better to be prepared.

One stalk would be obtained by Wang Fugui from other sects, while he would acquire another himself from the Town Demon Alliance.

Despite Wang Fugui's help, based on his past experiences, it was best not to put all his eggs in one basket.

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