Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Chapter 215: Han Lie: Your Floating Life Art is Excellent, I’ll Take It!

With the conclusion of the individual competition, the event transitioned to the assessments for mentors and deacons—tests aimed at the older generation of disciples.

Compared to the high-octane excitement of the individual and team battles, many disciples found the mentor and deacon assessments lackluster. The intensity was lower, and the spectacle was far less gripping. However, a dedicated few remained at the venue, eager to observe the proceedings.

A few days later.

“Members of the Myriad Pill Hall, along with Li Xingji’s supporters, are spreading rumors outside. They claim your championship title is undeserved. What are your thoughts on that?”

Inside the Vermilion Bird Squad office, Zhuo Hongyi posed the question.

“Let them talk. I don’t care,” Han Lie replied, spreading his hands with a nonchalant air. “Besides, they can’t stir up any real waves. Why bother paying them any attention?”

The primary fuel for these rumors was the abrupt, somewhat anti-climactic nature of his final match against Zhuo Hongyi. It gave the Myriad Pill Hall disciples a convenient excuse to cause a scene.

“I remember… Sister Zhuo’s reputation isn’t exactly pristine right now either. Many people are saying you and Brother colluded!” Xiao Qingge chimed in.

“If we are talking about collusion, strictly speaking, that is indeed the case. I don’t deny it,” Zhuo Hongyi admitted without a hint of evasion.

In the eyes of both Han Lie and Zhuo Hongyi, those who seized this opportunity to spread slander were nothing more than jumping clowns. There was no need to acknowledge them.

Furthermore, anyone with true discernment could see the reality of the situation. Had Han Lie and Zhuo Hongyi continued fighting, the probability of Han Lie winning remained high. Therefore, while Han Lie’s championship victory had been slightly rushed, it was undeniably well-deserved.

If it weren’t, the Hall Master of the Myriad Pill Hall would have been the first to object.

“Enough about those clowns.”

Han Lie waved his hand, dismissing the topic. He turned his gaze to the woman beside him. “Little Hongyi, how long do the mentor and deacon assessments usually last?”

“Hmm… about a month. Not too long.”

“A month? That’s enough.”

After a moment of contemplation, Han Lie stood up abruptly. “I have matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave. When the assessments are over, if you have time, come find me at the small wooden hut in front of the Violet Heaven Palace.”

Before Zhuo Hongyi or Xiao Qingge could react, Han Lie had already vanished without a trace.

“Eh…?”

It took a good while for Xiao Qingge to process his sudden departure. She looked at the older woman, bewildered. “Sister Zhuo, what business does Brother have?”

Zhuo Hongyi was equally perplexed. “I can’t say for sure. But seeing how urgent he looked, it must be pressing. Let’s not disturb him for now.”

Elsewhere.

After leaving the Vermilion Bird Squad office, Han Lie tracked down Han Feng.

“Brother Mo, you were looking for me?”

Han Feng was surprised to be suddenly sought out by Han Lie.

Han Lie didn’t beat around the bush. He went straight to the point. “Your Floating Life Art. What’s the story behind it?”

Hearing this, Han Feng immediately understood. He retrieved the cultivation manual for the Floating Life Art from his Storage Ring and offered it with a generous smile. “Brother Mo, I obtained this from an ancient ruin. Regardless, I’ve already mastered it, so keeping the manual serves me no purpose. You take it and cultivate.”

Han Lie didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the book Han Feng offered, but immediately produced a Storage Ring of his own and pressed it into Han Feng’s hand. “I won’t take advantage of you. I’m buying it for 100,000 Spirit Stones.”

In the Elder assessment a month from now, Han Lie would likely face a brutal battle. His opponent was Old Ghost Black Sha, a cultivator at the late Nascent Soul stage.

Han Lie reasoned that having one more trump card was undoubtedly an extra layer of security. Since he knew Han Feng possessed an amplification secret art like the Floating Life Art, he certainly wanted to test its efficacy.

“No need, no need, Brother Mo!” Han Feng tried to shove the Storage Ring back, scratching his head with an awkward chuckle. “I still haven’t repaid the favor you did for me last time. How could I dare accept your Spirit Stones?”

“Heh, alright then. You’re a kid who knows how to repay kindness, so I won’t be polite.”

Han Lie grinned, deciding not to waste time engaging in a back-and-forth tug of war.

“I’m heading off. Focus on your cultivation.”

Having obtained the Floating Life Art, Han Lie didn’t linger. He bid farewell to Han Feng and returned directly to the small wooden hut at the Violet Heaven Palace.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Han Lie began to study the manual.

The Floating Life Art was a Top Grade technique. Its fundamental principle for boosting cultivation was deceptively simple: it used a secret method to stimulate the body’s latent potential, allowing the user to unleash energy far beyond their limits for a short duration.

The manual clearly outlined the negative side effects accompanying the technique.

Simply put, the backlash of the Floating Life Art wasn’t fatal, but it was significant. After stimulating one’s potential to break through limits, the technique caused damage to the foundation—the Golden Core, the Nascent Soul, and other primary sources of spiritual power.

Crucially, this damage was not irreversible. As long as one rested and recuperated for a certain period, they could make a full recovery. Alternatively, if one possessed self-healing abilities, the impact of the damage to the Golden Core or Nascent Soul would be drastically minimized.

“Truly excellent. The side effects are lower than I anticipated!”

Han Lie smiled with satisfaction.

His Pure Yang Sacred Body possessed innate self-healing abilities. While perhaps not as tyrannical as the Undying Sacred Body—which was the pinnacle of regeneration—it was more than sufficient.

This meant that for Han Lie, who possessed the Pure Yang Sacred Body, the backlash of the Floating Life Art was almost negligible!

“This is perfect.”

After fully grasping the pros and cons, Han Lie eagerly entered a deep meditative state and began to cultivate the technique.

While Han Lie was secluded in practice, the mentor and deacon assessments continued on the training plaza. The number of senior disciples participating was considerable.

Qin Lan was among them.

She was participating in the deacon assessment for the Law Enforcement Hall. For someone with her early Nascent Soul stage cultivation, the test was a walk in the park. She passed with effortless grace.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Inside the small wooden hut.

Han Lie opened his eyes. A vast torrent of understanding flooded his mind—the culmination of his month-long meditation on the Floating Life Art.

“Nailed it.”

After digesting the final pieces of information, a sharp gleam of light flashed in Han Lie’s eyes, which were as deep and dark as a starry night.

Before learning this technique, Han Lie hadn’t been confident he could guarantee a win against Old Ghost Black Sha.

Now, things were different.

Although he still wouldn’t claim a 100% chance of victory, he at least had a solid grasp on the battle. With his base cultivation at the early Nascent Soul stage, he might have struggled to deal with the Old Ghost.

But if he could use the Floating Life Art to temporarily boost his cultivation to the mid-Nascent Soul stage…

Then the question of who would die and who would survive became a massive question mark.

Meanwhile, at the Training Plaza.

As the mentor and deacon assessments officially concluded, Grand Elder Chi Lian appeared once again.

“Next, I will announce the most important news regarding this Sect’s comprehensive competition.”