In Qingling Sect, Li Sheng woke from his slumber on the soft couch, squinting at the glaring sunlight outside, unsure how much time had passed. He circulated his true energy to check his condition, relieved to find that his injuries hadn’t worsened.

Bai Ye, who had been meditating nearby, stood up upon hearing him stir. "Senior brother, you’re awake!" Her face radiated genuine happiness.

"Thank you for your hard work, junior sister. How long have I been unconscious?" Li Sheng asked.

"You fainted yesterday evening; it’s been about nine and a half hours..." Bai Ye counted on her fingers.

Li Sheng nodded, grateful he hadn't been asleep for days and wasted his alchemy opportunities. The crisis wasn’t over; Chen Hu would surely return, alongside the unpredictable Zhuge Fu. This seemingly peaceful Qingling Sect felt like a lone ship in a vast sea, at risk of capsizing at any moment.

"I need to quickly reach the sixth-grade perfection; refining the necessary herbs must be prioritized, and I can’t delay my recovery any longer..." Li Sheng pondered, then suddenly remembered to check his task panel.

【Special Task: Hell Level】

【Soul Devouring: 3054/3000】

【Sect Annihilation: 33/50】

【Kill a Hundred: 124/100】

"The tasks for 'Kill a Hundred' and 'Soul Devouring' are completed, but why haven’t I acted on the 'Sect Annihilation'? How did I end up with 33 completion?"

"Could it be that after he wiped out the higher-ups, the remaining disciples fled, leading to the sect's self-destruction?" Li Sheng mused, thinking this was the most plausible explanation.

"I need to complete this special task as soon as possible. I wonder what the reward will be..."

"By the way, senior brother, the manager Liu from the Treasure Pavilion came by earlier. He should still be here; do you want to meet him?" Bai Ye asked.

"That’s perfect; I need to purchase some resources. Please invite him in." Li Sheng got up and headed to the study to wait.

With nothing else to do, he pulled up his personal panel.

**Host:** Li Sheng

**Title:** Sect Master of Qingling Sect

**Sect:** Qingling Sect+ (Conditions Met for Promotion)

**Sect Points:** 0

**Cultivation Level:** Sixth Grade Refining State

**Martial Arts:** Turtle-Snake Body Refinement Technique (Perfection), Thunder Tiger Breathing Technique (Perfection), Golden Ape Bone Forging Technique (Perfection)

**Talent:** Exceptional (National Talent)

**Comprehension:** Exceptional (National Talent)

**Skills:** None

**Training Grounds:** +

**Inheritance Hall:** +

**Skill Repository (Martial Arts Simulation):**

**Spirit Spring Pool:** +

**Alchemical Room (Potion Synthesis):**

**Spiritual Pulse:** Low Tier (Talent +2, Comprehension +2, Body Quality - Strong)

**Protective Array:** Second Tier Array (Repair)

"Um?"

"This time, the spiritual body refinement didn’t lead to a cross-grade transformation, just an enhancement within the same grade. It seems that improving talent becomes more difficult over time..." Li Sheng reflected. "But that makes sense."

"Senior brother, manager Liu has arrived," Bai Ye's voice came from outside.

"Let him in."

Bai Ye and Liu Hongfeng led a slightly plump manager Liu into the room. Liu wore a warm smile, his gaze toward Li Sheng filled with respect.

"Greetings, Sect Master Li!"

"I am here on behalf of Manager Hua, bringing the list of forces that have invaded Qingling Sect. If you have any other requests, feel free to ask." As he spoke, Liu scrutinized Li Sheng, whose refined demeanor contrasted sharply with the rumors circulating outside.

Sensing Liu's probing gaze, Li Sheng frowned, giving off an intimidating air. "Do I have something on my face, manager Liu?"

"Uh... No, no! I was just lost in thought, disturbing the sect master," Liu quickly explained, panic evident on his face.

"Don't be nervous... Am I that scary?" Li Sheng couldn’t help but chuckle at Liu's fright.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Uh... The outside world calls you 'Li the Demon,' a figure standing eight feet tall, broad as a wall, who kills for pleasure."

"I’m a kind-hearted person, not fond of conflict, and I consider myself somewhat handsome. Those wild rumors are not credible," Li Sheng said, a bit annoyed.

"Pfft!" Bai Ye couldn’t hold back her laughter at Li Sheng's frustration. "Senior brother, you might not know, but outside, I'm called 'White Demoness,' and Liu is known as 'Red Asura.'"

"Is that so?" Li Sheng sighed, turning to Liu.

"Please convey my thanks to Manager Hua. Qingling Sect will remember the favor of your message relay."

"I will inform Manager Hua," Liu smiled, though inwardly, he felt a mix of incredulity and exasperation.

"I have two requests for your pavilion."

"Sect Master, please go ahead."

"First, prepare ten portions of herbs for the Refining State."

"Second, spread the word: any force that invades Qingling Sect must disband their sect, clan, or gang. Otherwise, I will personally annihilate them, digging three zhang deep to ensure not even earthworms escape."

"Oh, and one more thing!" Li Sheng smiled.

"You may speak..." Liu wiped the sweat from his brow, inwardly thinking. Surely, there was no mistake about this nickname; his murderous intent seemed almost demonic, not even sparing earthworms.

"Third, I want to reverse the slander against me and change my reputation. Just say that I’m kind-hearted, dislike conflict, and love peace—yes, that’ll do." Li Sheng clapped his hands, satisfied.

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone varied. Bai Ye smiled approvingly, clearly supportive of her senior brother’s approach. Liu Hongfeng chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Liu managed a wry smile, accepting the requests, but inwardly raged: "If we’re to clarify the misunderstanding, why combine that with a statement about digging deep enough to catch earthworms? Can’t you think this through?"

Liu left the room, heavy-hearted.

"Junior brother, how is your injury?" Liu Hongfeng inquired.

"I can manage; once I refine the pills, recovery will be quick," Li Sheng assured them both.

He then went to the bedroom, retrieving the ninth-grade spirit-level martial arts book to hand to Liu Hongfeng.

"Turtle-Snake Body Refinement Technique... a ninth-grade technique?" Liu Hongfeng opened the book in confusion.

Two spiritual images appeared, and her expression turned to shock, her mouth agape.

"Junior brother, this... this is a dual-spiritual-level martial arts technique... What?"

"No need to be surprised, senior sister. I’ll refine an excellent body refinement pill for you in a few days to help you cultivate it quickly."

"This is too precious; I... I can’t accept it..."

Seeing the situation escalate, Bai Ye laughed: "After what happened yesterday, senior brother and I have fully acknowledged you, senior sister. Once you master this, there are also eighth and seventh-grade spirit-level martial arts for you. Please don’t decline."

"Alright, then." Liu Hongfeng nodded, slightly dazed.

In her view, spirit-level martial arts represented the foundation of a faction, their value incalculable, especially for dual-spiritual-level techniques.

After sending her and Bai Ye away, he made his way to the Skill Repository.

Inside, Li Sheng exhausted his previous usages and then spent his refreshed chances as well.

The shelves had now lost more than half their contents.

One sixth-grade martial art, one sixth-grade dual-spiritual-level martial art—Dragon Elephant Breathing Method.

Seven seventh-grade martial arts, fifteen eighth-grade, and forty-five ninth-grade.

"While it seems like a lot of martial arts, the total consumption is too high, far from enough," Li Sheng shook his head, deciding to have Manager Hua come up with a way to acquire some high-grade martial arts.

He later moved on to the Alchemical Room.

A moment later, a top-grade Gold Organs Pill was freshly made. Li Sheng swallowed it and headed to the Spirit Gathering Room to start his healing.