Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

After the four people finished asking their questions, only Master Yunbai remained.

He pondered for a moment before slowly asking, "You said that when you first entered the sect, your aptitude was ordinary and your comprehension was average."

"But as far as I know, your spiritual root talent is only of the upper-grade Earth rank!"

Master Yunbai smiled as he said this, "Even in a first-rate sect, this talent would be considered genius. How come you've been stuck at the bottom of the rankings for years in a minor, low-ranking sect?"

"How come you're struggling even with the most basic breathing techniques of the sect, and can barely see any progress?"

Faced with Master Yunbai's sharp questioning, Master Qingfeng's calm eyes clearly showed a hint of panic.

However, he immediately explained, "It's...it's that golden pill I just mentioned. It helped me rebuild my spiritual root, which is why I have my current talent!"

"Yes... even this pill!"

However, no one seemed to believe Qingfeng Shangren's explanation.

"The Q&A session is over. Voting will begin immediately." The remnant soul in mid-air spoke indifferently, its voice echoing through the empty palace.

As soon as he finished speaking, Master Yunbai raised his left hand, believing that Master Qingfeng had lied.

"Master, do you think I'll believe you just because you deliberately tell me a story I've heard before?"

Master Yunbai gave a cold laugh and continued, "The same trick won't work if I use it again!"

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their left hand.

Including Gou An, who raised his hand at the very end!

This story is even more outrageous than what Master Yunbai just told.

A secret realm that has existed for millennia suddenly opened up, and inside was a perfectly intact elixir.

Not only is there no danger of trials, but the treasure is just left out in the open, which seems unreasonable no matter how you look at it.

And before Gou An chose to raise his left hand, because most people had already decided it was fake, a hint of confusion, or rather regret, flashed before Qingfeng Shangren's eyes.

This further solidified Gou An's decision to choose him as the one who had lied.

After all, I have the most energy right now, so following the majority is the safest and most profitable option.

Because we'll all suffer the same losses, I'll still be one of the people who put in the most effort.

But if you choose the wrong option, everyone else will catch up instantly.

After everyone had made their choices.

The remnant soul spoke: "The voting is over! Venerable Qingfeng, you should tell everyone whether what you just said is true or false."

Five pairs of eyes locked onto Master Qingfeng, awaiting his answer.

The confusion and slight regret in Master Qingfeng's eyes suddenly vanished: "I'm sorry everyone, I didn't lie!"

"What?" Master Yunbai was immediately shocked.

The other demon cultivators also couldn't believe it.

At the same time, the story told by Master Qingfeng began to play on the water mirror that the remnant soul had transformed into.

From the moment he was reprimanded by the elder and walked dejectedly towards the back mountain, to the moment the cliff face collapsed, revealing the entrance to the secret realm.

Then he entered the secret realm and discovered an empty stone palace, as well as withered bones, pills, and an unnamed cultivation technique on the stone platform.

Everything was exactly as Master Qingfeng had said, word for word.

There is no danger or trial in this secret realm.

All the treasures were placed there quietly, motionless, allowing Master Qingfeng to take them away.

And as Master Qingfeng walked out of the cave, the secret realm collapsed without a trace.

The video has finished playing.

The remnant soul spoke: "If everyone guesses wrong, one point of mental energy will be deducted from each person's score."

"Master Qingfeng's story of success gives me a little more motivation."

With the second round of storytelling concluded, the mental strength of the participants was as follows:

Master Qingfeng has three points of mental strength.

Master Yunbai has three points of mental strength.

I have three points of strength to maintain a peaceful life.

The three demon cultivators—the rat, the old sheep, and the crow—only had a little energy left.

At the same time, the remnant soul looked at Gou An and said, "Master Gou, it's your turn to make the selection!"

After hearing this, Gou An snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the three remaining demon cultivators in the room.

After a brief moment of thought, Gou An's gaze locked onto the rat!

Before entering the ancient tower's secret realm, when the demons were drinking and chatting together, he told many of his past stories.

Therefore, among the remaining demon cultivators, Gou An understood him better.

So he said, "Then please, Fellow Daoist Xu Guzi, begin your narration!"

The mouse wasn't surprised after hearing this, as if it had already planned to tell its story, so it started speaking directly.

......

I was originally just an ordinary mortal rat in a corner of the human race's alchemy room, spending my days mingling in the dust and dirt, just trying to find food and survive.

Every day, alchemists refine pills in the alchemy room, and a large amount of waste medicine residue accumulates at the bottom of the furnace year after year. No one cares about the remaining pill fragments and they are all discarded.

I ate these discarded pill residues day and night, year after year, and unexpectedly absorbed the scattered pill energy. Slowly, my spirit and intelligence were awakened, and I developed demonic nature, turning into a demon beast.

After my spiritual intelligence was awakened, I knew that I was insignificant and worthless, nothing more than an ant or dust in the eyes of cultivators, so I became even more cautious and kept a low profile.

I hid in the crevices between the beams and pillars of the alchemy room, in the dark corners of the walls, never showing my face to disturb the disciples, never stealing any finished pills, and slowly cultivating myself by relying on the untouched dregs and elixir energy.

For decades, he remained hidden, gradually accumulating his cultivation and growing steadily, unnoticed by anyone in the sect.

They just didn't notice me hiding in the shadows, but I discovered the sect's secrets hidden in the dark.

The back mountain of the sect is a place that is sealed off year-round, overgrown with vegetation, and ordinary disciples cannot get close to it. Only a few core elders of the sect, holding exclusive tokens, are allowed to enter and exit.

I have remained hidden within the sect for decades, always adhering to the boundaries and only moving within safe areas, never daring to set foot in forbidden territory.

But fate had other plans. That night, the moon and stars were hidden, and the sect was conducting its routine array adjustment. The outer layer of the forbidden area's restrictions loosened briefly, revealing a barely perceptible gap.

I went out late at night in search of food, and out of curiosity, I stumbled into this secret alchemy ground reserved for the elders.

They also stumbled upon a shocking secret that the sect had kept hidden for a hundred years.

In this secret place stands a black, blood-patterned stone platform. At the center of the platform, crisscrossing chains tightly bind a bloated, alien insect demon.

This demon was bound by a secret technique of the sect, rendering it unable to move and subjecting it to torture every day.

I witnessed firsthand that every few days, the sect elders would secretly escort lower-level disciples into the sect and feed the insect demons with the warm blood and essence of living cultivators.

They used the flesh and blood of living people as a catalyst to force the insect demons to refine something within their bodies day and night.

It's called the Blood Essence Pearl!

This bead has extraordinary effects, surpassing all the pills I have ever seen.

What ordinary cultivators may struggle to overcome even after years or decades of arduous training, can be achieved by simply refining a Blood Essence Pearl into the body, instantly boosting cultivation, breaking through shackles, and solidifying the foundation of one's Dao.

Normally, these beads are bestowed by the sect leader upon meritorious disciples, but no one knows that these beads actually came from this source.

I was initially very scared, but in the end I couldn't resist the temptation of the Blood Essence Pearl.

I want to steal one!

However, he was discovered and had no choice but to flee the sect, where he lived a life of wandering among mortals ever since.