In an era where everyone is cultivating immortality, the system wants me to become a demon?

Chapter 166 Zhu Qingqing: I think you're being too extreme! (4.6K views, please subscribe!)

"Trash! Trash! What Taibai Sword Immortal? He's nothing but a trash!"

Within the Third Ring Road.

Looking at the completely shattered Crimson-faced, White-boned puppet that he had personally strengthened, Tai Baiji fell silent.

The difficulty of the last three levels has reached a point where it is almost insurmountable!
Opposite Tai Baiji, a flawless, pale-faced, white-boned puppet stood with its hands on its hips, laughing triumphantly, its voice full of mockery!
Clearly, the puppeteer was Zhu Qingqing, the last abbot of the Zhu Yan Bai Gu Temple.

She looked at Taibai Baiji with the same disdain she would show an insect:

"I thought you had a lot of potential, but it turns out this is all you can do?"

"How about this, you take your own life and let me turn your body into a decent skeleton puppet, and I can spare the lives of the other useless people."

Tai Baiji didn't speak. With a thought, brand new puppet-making materials appeared before him, and he silently started from scratch.

He wouldn't give up on clearing the game until the very last moment.

Zhu Qingqing frowned, somewhat annoyed by Tai Baiji's disregard.

Her eyes darted around, and a smug smile returned to her lips.
"You probably don't know this yet, but for you and those good-for-nothings, your companions have been rushing into the Land of Inheritance one after another in an attempt to clear the level."

"But unfortunately, none of them could compare to you, and in the end, they only lost their lives in vain."

"Oh, no, actually there's one of the examiners who might be a bit more talented than you."

Seeing that Tai Baiji finally looked up with curiosity after hearing the last sentence, Zhu Qingqing nodded in satisfaction.

She deliberately kept everyone in suspense for a moment before giving a wicked smile:
"That examiner seemed to call you Teacher Taibai. He's your most beloved disciple, isn't he?"

"I remember what that kid's name was again, I think his surname was Su, and his given name was..."

"Su Yuan?"

Tai Baiji was taken aback and uttered the name with some disbelief.

"Hahaha, he really is your apprentice!"

The puppet controlled by Zhu Qingqing immediately became excited and began to describe it to Taibai Baiji:
"That kid named Su Yuan passed the first three levels in a mere eight minutes."

"When I first learned how to make puppets, it took me six hours."

"That kid mastered it in eight minutes; it's clearly not something he did by chance."

"It is probably because he mastered this technique in some place beforehand, so I cannot determine his true talent in the demonic path."

"However, judging from his seasoned puppet-making skills, it can't be too low."

As Zhu Qingqing spoke, she observed Tai Baiji's expression, then chuckled:

"I'm almost reluctant to kill you. I want you to witness your disciple's performance in the next few levels."

"If he's not good enough, you'll see him struggle desperately in the next level until time runs out and he dies."

"If he is even more outstanding than you... then I will spare your life for now, and kill you in front of him after he reaches the third level, so that he will fight me with intense hatred."

"At that time, Su Yuan will be at his peak in both ability and fighting spirit!"

"Wait... what are you laughing at?"

Just as Zhu Qingqing was passionately describing the desperate fate of the master and disciple, she saw Tai Baiji, who had been looking so serious, suddenly burst out laughing.

"I remembered happy things."

Tai Baiji tried hard to keep a straight expression, wanting to maintain his aloof demeanor.

But seeing Zhu Qingqing's surprised look, he couldn't help but laugh again.

Zhu Qingqing: "..."

Oh no, my own big toy can't take the shock and has gone crazy!

I should have known better than to provoke him so intensely.

Fortunately, after laughing for a while, Taibai Baiji calmed down again.

Zhu Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that this big toy had a good ability to self-regulate and had recovered from its shock and despair.

But then she heard the other person ask solemnly:
"Master Zhu, do you think it's possible for Su Yuan to pass all nine checkpoints within half an hour?"

"If he succeeds, will you keep your promise and let everyone in the Land of Heritage go?"

Zhu Qingqing: "..."

Oh no, the big toy's condition has worsened!

She waved her hand forcefully and said:
"Impossible, impossible."

"When this kid started the test, you and those good-for-nothings only had half an hour and a quarter of an hour left, which is what you call one hour and fifteen minutes."

"A mere Qi Refining stage nobody like him might not even pass my test in twenty-four hours. He thinks he can pass all nine levels in such a short time? Absolutely impossible!"

Taibai Baiji smiled but didn't offer any further explanation.

He casually waved his hand, dispersing the materials he had just gathered to create the puppet, and said indifferently:

"If Abbot Zhu does not believe me, you may watch the battle with me."

"As for the remaining three trials, I'm too lazy to continue. I'll just wait for my apprentice to help me out."

Zhu Qingqing was stunned by Taibai Baiji's calm and composed demeanor.

She began to doubt whether what the other person had said earlier was true or false.

But after a little rational thought, she realized that Bai Tianji's words could not possibly come true!
One hour and fifteen minutes to complete the game?

Instead of believing that some lowly Qi Refining cultivator could do it, it's better to believe she's the number one benefactor in the world.

"You think you can fool me with your mere defeated opponent?"

Zhu Qingqing snorted coldly, waved her hand, and Su Yuan's assessment video clearly appeared in front of the two of them:

"Then I'll make you give up completely... huh?"

Zhu Qingqing was stunned when she saw Su Yuan's actions in the sixth ring.

The sixth ring of the screen features Su Yuan, the examinee, and the human puppet he brought in, which had been created in the first three rounds.

In addition, he also manifested some new materials.

The materials consisted of a sinister-looking nail and various spices.

The three intermediate stages revolve around strengthening the Crimson-Faced White Bone Puppet, and test takers can naturally conjure up strengthening materials during this period.

As long as it doesn't exceed a certain amount, it's fine.

But Zhu Qingqing had never seen enhanced human puppets use these materials.

Logically speaking, the materials for upgrading a human puppet, besides parts taken from a human body, should be some metal or bone reinforcements. What did Su Yuan manifest?

Then she saw Su Yuan drive nails into the top of the puppet's head, then rip it open, stuff it with various spices, and then sew it up.

The entire process was so smooth and seamless, it was almost like performing a precise surgical procedure.

The stitched-up human puppet showed no visible injuries on its skin.

Then, without stopping, Su Yuan began to prepare some kind of spiritual water and carefully poured it onto the human puppet.

The puppet's skin, along with its internal bones, began to harden at a visible rate!

Then, without anyone's control, the thing stood up straight, baring its fangs as if to bite, but Su Yuan pressed it back down.

Su Yuan then led the puppet to a test knife in the sixth ring for a hardness test.

The knife cleaved down with predetermined force, leaving only a white mark on the puppet's body.

Pass!

Holding the enhanced human puppet, Su Yuan entered the Fifth Ring, which is one ring higher than the Fourth Ring.

The fourth stage took five minutes!
"Is the enhancement complete?"

Zhu Qingqing found it unbelievable.

However, after observing for a while, she vaguely understood.

"Could the method this kid used be the secret corpse-refining technique of the Undying Bone Nether Sect?!" "Didn't I hear from outsiders that in the cultivation world 100,000 years from now, demonic forces will have declined while righteous forces will have risen, and demonic forces will have been suppressed to the point of being unable to rise again?"

"How did this kid manage to master such a forbidden technique?"

Zhu Qingqing was somewhat bewildered.

She felt she had been deceived.

Could the outside world be ruled by a demon?

Otherwise, how could such a method, which even demonic cultivators would avoid at all costs, have become so prevalent?

"Hmph, just a lucky little fish."

"It's just that I happened to learn the corpse refining method of the Undying Bone Nether Sect and the puppet refining method of our temple. It's nothing special."

In front of Taibai Baiji, Zhu Qingqing forced a look of disdain.

However, she knew very well that Su Yuan's operation just now, though seemingly difficult, was actually not simple at all.

If two completely different demonic arts want to be combined, one must first thoroughly understand both of them; otherwise, they will conflict with each other.

Even if Zhu Qingqing knew about the ancient method of corpse refining, it would still take time to integrate the two.

It's absolutely impossible to do it in five minutes like Su Yuan did.

This made Zhu Qingqing realize that Su Yuan was definitely not just a pretty face.

"However, it won't be that easy for them to get to me within an hour."

"You have the secret corpse-refining technique for the fourth level, what do you have for the fifth level?"

"To achieve a Class A level of precision in operating a puppet, in addition to the puppet itself being sufficiently agile, the most important thing is the years of practice and refinement between the puppet and the user."

"Only by understanding the human puppet as a swordsman understands his natal flying sword can the required precision in operation be achieved."

"Although top-tier talent can shorten this process, the zombification of human puppets will cause their bodies to become too stiff, greatly increasing the difficulty of improving operational precision!"

"You made a terrible move in the previous round."

Thinking of this, Zhu Qingqing's lips curled into a smile:
"He's still a young man who's a hundred thousand years younger than me."

"I don't understand that the most important aspect of puppet making is making choices. Just piling on all sorts of materials will only result in serious redundancy."

To Zhu Qingqing's surprise, Su Yuan, upon arriving at the Fifth Ring, did not hesitate for a moment and directly sent the puppet to the testing artifact to begin testing.

The testing tool for judging operational precision is also a puppet with eight incredibly long arms.

Each of its arms has hundreds of joints, allowing it to perform countless tricky movements.

To achieve a Class A level of operational precision, one must dodge the continuous attacks of the detection puppet for thirty seconds.

Of course, the frequency of the puppet's attacks during these thirty seconds corresponds to the examinee's own cultivation level.

The evaluation criteria for Taibai Baiji and those for Su Yuan are completely different.

Even so, the detection puppet's attack speed was as swift as the wind, each move cunning and deadly.

However, Su Yuan's puppet, under his control, dodged with terrifying speed, escaping unscathed.

The stiffness that would result from turning a human puppet into a walking corpse seems to have disappeared!

It's as if the puppet's performance has been amplified, greatly improved!
Thirty seconds passed in a flash. After achieving a top-tier rating for operational precision, Su Yuan shouldered the puppet and charged straight for the fourth ring road.

Including the time spent traveling, Su Yuan only stayed on the Fifth Ring Road for forty seconds.

He is now only one ring away from Taibai and Baiji.

"Wait a minute, I'm a bit confused. Why can't I understand this kid's moves?"

The puppet controlled by Zhu Qingqing scratched its beautiful hair and tilted its head to look at Tai Baiji:
"You... Su Yuan is your disciple, do you have any leads?"

Tai Baiji seemed to have anticipated this, and calmly replied:

"I'm not entirely sure either, but he said he has a constitution that makes various magical artifacts naturally favor him, thus causing the artifacts to unleash effects far exceeding those of normal times."

"Human puppets are also magical artifacts in a sense, and are naturally affected by this ability."

"A constitution that makes magical artifacts naturally favor him? Are you kidding me?"

Zhu Qingqing felt that her intelligence had been challenged.

Ever since she survived by transforming her life form 100,000 years ago, her intelligence has actually been slowly declining.

But even after 100,000 years, she wouldn't be fooled by such words!
This Taibai Ji is up to no good!
Just as she was about to deliver a scathing jab at this nobody, a thought suddenly popped into her head.

The means to instantly increase a magical artifact's favorability and achieve a mental connection with it do exist.

That is the Weapon Demon Finger among the Ten Demon Finger Techniques!

Once you master this extremely evil demonic art, no matter how carefully you protect and cherish your magical treasures, they will be easily stolen!

"This kid, could he have mastered the legendary Demon Finger Weapon Technique...?"

Zhu Qingqing felt a chill run down her spine.

In her time, the Ten Demonic Finger was undoubtedly a source of chaos and had long been suppressed and destroyed by the combined efforts of the righteous path and even the demonic sect.

How exactly did this nobody named Su Yuan learn one of the Ten Demonic Finger Techniques, the Weapon Demonic Finger Technique?
Is it really just a matter of luck?
For a moment, Zhu Qingqing even had the urge to stop the assessment and kill Su Yuan directly.

But... the thought that Su Yuan might defeat her and point out a new path for the Crimson Bone Puppet to be elevated made her spontaneously dismiss the idea.

"If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die content in the evening." She has lived on until now, isn't it just to witness the birth of a demonic genius who surpasses her?
"However, although this kid has an unparalleled inheritance, he is only an eighteen-year-old Xiao Chunan. How can he improve the charm ability of the Crimson Bone Puppet?"

Unbeknownst to her, Zhu Qingqing had begun to pay close attention to Su Yuan's next steps.

She even worried that Su Yuan would get stuck on the Fourth Ring Road and wouldn't be able to reach her.

Fortunately, Su Yuan remained as composed as ever when he arrived at the fourth ring.

He casually waved his hand, conjuring a mechanical device with neural synapses and an interface, which he then inserted into the back of the puppet's head.

What is this mechanism?

Zhu Qingqing looked curious.

Tai Baiji said quietly:
"Brain-computer interfaces are outdated technology; nowadays, there's no need to have an interface installed in the back of your head to enter virtual reality."

"Even high school students can easily figure out the technology of old-fashioned brain-computer interfaces, so it's not surprising that Su Yuan was able to manifest it."

Zhu Qingqing seemed to understand but not quite:
"What's the use of this thing?"

But before Bai Tianji could answer, Zhu Qingqing saw Su Yuan take something out of his backpack.

A silver-white pole.

She saw right through the nature of this thing.

It's just the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Zhu Qingqing gave Tai Baiji a deep look:
"I told you before that you were deeply demonic, and you wouldn't listen. But now that your disciple has appeared, hasn't he completely exposed himself?"

"Your disciple was able to slaughter tens of thousands of lives from what you call a peaceful era to forge the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls. I'd like to see how you can still wash that up!"

Tai Baiji: "...Forget it, there's no point in arguing with an ancient person like you."

Seeing that the other party remained silent, Zhu Qingqing sneered:
"It seems my question has touched your soul."

She turned back to look at Su Yuan again, and then saw that the end of the silver-white rod in Su Yuan's hand had deformed, becoming a plug that corresponded to the slot of the brain-computer interface.

Once the connector was inserted into the back of the puppet's head, the puppet's originally lifeless eyes came to life at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At first, the other person's expression was somewhat masculine, much like Su Yuan's own.

But after only a few breaths, the puppet's expression became incredibly alluring and seductive.

Understand that the essence of allure lies not in appearance, but in the charm revealed in one's expression and every smile and gesture.

With such charm, the human puppet simply made some expressions and gestures towards the magic weapon that recognizes human faces, and it immediately received a first-class rating!

"This...this! Did Su Yuan implant the soul of a stunningly beautiful courtesan into a human puppet?"

Zhu Qingqing was deeply shocked!
Corpse refining, the Ten Demon Fingers, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner... all these methods deeply shocked Zhu Qingqing, a well-informed giant of the demonic path!
She sincerely believed that Su Yuan was more suited to be a demon than she was!
(End of this chapter)