Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

But as Judge Li had said, knowing how to leverage others’ strength was a skill in itself.

"Since the rules don’t forbid cooperation, banding together to stay safe is our most reliable option."

The leader of the group was named Chem Wangming, a third-year senior student who was lean but had a shrewd look in his eyes.

He perennially hovered around the top one hundred. While not dazzling, his strength lay in his cautious approach and good social standing.

More importantly, he’d gotten lucky during the chaotic melee of the first round and managed to pick up a Middle-Grade Dharma Artifact, the [Streamlight Shuttle]. Although it couldn’t compare to Upper Grade Treasures, it gave him a certain authority among this group of students, who were either empty-handed or only possessed Low-Grade Dharma Artifacts.

"Everyone has their own strengths. Old Zhang, you’re skilled in Earth Defense. Little Li, your Wood Vines are great for control. And my Streamlight Shuttle will handle the main offense..."

Chem Wangming’s gaze swept over the two beside him, his tone resolute. "It’s just like our usual missions for the Daoist School. As long as we coordinate properly, even without prior practice together, it’ll be enough to handle the current situation."

"If we want to get the Evil Qi enhancement, we have to work together."

He pointed to the base of a giant tree not far away, where five agile Shadow Demon Cats with glowing green eyes were resting.

"Working together, we can take down these five Demon Cats."

Chem Wangming said in a low voice, "As we discussed, we’ll split the Evil Qi equally. If anyone comes up short on Evil Qi this time, we’ll prioritize them in the next hunt to make up for it."

"Any objections?"

"No problem!"

"We’ll follow Senior Brother Chem’s lead."

The other two exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement. In this kind of environment, it was far better to have a leader than to run around aimlessly like headless chickens.

"Go!"

At Chem Wangming’s low command, the three of them charged out instantly.

BOOM!

An earthen wall shot up from the ground, blocking the Demon Cats’ first pounce. Vines coiled like Spiritual Serpents, restricting their uncanny speed, while Chem Wangming’s Streamlight Shuttle transformed into a silver streak that weaved through the battle, drawing a spray of blood with every flash.

Though a lack of trust made each of them hold back, not daring to completely entrust their backs to their teammates, it was more than enough to deal with these Demon Cats, which possessed little intelligence.

A moment later, the battle ended as the final, shrill cry of a cat was cut short.

Five clouds of black Evil Qi drifted out. As previously agreed, the three of them each absorbed a portion.

Feeling the faint increase of power within him, a flicker of joy passed through Chem Wangming’s eyes.

’It’s just as I thought. Hunting as a group is far more efficient than fighting alone.’

If he had been alone against these five Demon Cats, he wouldn’t just have failed to annihilate them; it would have been a question of whether he could escape with his life.

’But...’

Chem Wangming schemed inwardly while performing his Breath Regulation.

’If we had more people, even though it would mean everyone gets less Evil Qi, our safety would undoubtedly be much greater.’

’Besides, it’s not just Demon Beasts in this Spirit Realm. What if we run into other allied teams, or even... those top-tier experts who are on their own.’

At this thought, a strange glint flashed in Chem Wangming’s eyes.

If he had the chance to eliminate those geniuses who were usually so high and mighty, that would be another way of climbing the ranks.

’With my social connections and current prestige, if I come across any other classmates who are alone, I should be able to recruit them into the team.’

He stood up, dusted himself off, and looked toward the mist-shrouded mountainside.

’Once we have more people and the team is stronger, we can try to climb higher.’

’Farther up, the Demon Beast Swarms are even larger, and the Evil Qi is denser.’

’That’s where the real opportunities are.’

...

「On the mountainside, beside a pile of rubble that had just witnessed a slaughter.」

Chu Bai slowly concluded his technique. The chaotic aura around him, a result of the intense battle, had already calmed and returned to normal.

Thanks to the almost freakishly fast recovery speed of his Perfection Realm Guiyuan Technique, combined with the physical advantage from his "Nourishing and Exquisite" Fate Chart, this brief period of Breath Regulation was all it took for him to return to his peak condition.

Huuu...

He exhaled a breath of turbid air and, without the slightest delay, his figure blurred and transformed back into a crimson afterimage, plunging into the vast mountain forest.

As the Evil Qi entered his body, the feeling of his power rapidly rising became more and more pronounced.

’The more I kill, the heavier the Evil Qi becomes. The stronger I get, the more efficient I’ll be at killing Demon Beasts...’

Chu Bai felt the Spiritual Power coursing relentlessly through his meridians, now tinged with a hint of berserk fury. A playful smile touched his lips.

’This snowballing mechanic is really quite interesting.’

This was especially true for the Fire Element Ring at his feet. Its once-subdued crimson glow had now brightened, and with every step, the flames erupting from beneath him were hotter and more explosive than before.

It wasn’t that the Dharma Artifact itself had leveled up. Rather, as Chu Bai’s own strength grew—particularly with the dual enhancement of Evil Qi on his physical body and Spiritual Power—he, a mere Early-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, could finally touch upon a higher threshold of the Upper-Grade Dharma Artifact’s power.

’No wonder the Judge said this second round was indispensable. Without this Evil Qi as a foundation, even a Divine Artifact would be nothing more than a fire poker.’

Understanding dawned on Chu Bai, and his speed increased even more.

He climbed steadily upward. The scattered Demon Beasts he encountered along the way didn’t even require him to use any major techniques. Often, as their paths crossed, a single Spirit Water Needle or a casual Cloud Hand was enough to end their lives.

As the altitude increased, the concentration of Evil Qi in the air grew visibly thicker. Correspondingly, the density and quality of the Demon Beasts also rose.