Chapter 163: Human Education Advanced Test

Li Changshou secretly guided the way while Xiong Lingli sprinted across the ground, and the two quickly reached another hidden location. Since they couldn't stay at the edge, they had to make a strategic retreat.

Two consecutive waves of demonic beasts had charged towards their location. According to Li Changshou's deduction, this was either a deliberate act by someone or a punishment mechanism for hiding near the edge. It wasn't easy to manipulate the Treasure Map Universe under such public scrutiny. It was highly probable that this situation was one of the hidden rules of the current assembly. Senior Yunchungzi had indeed thought things through thoroughly.

Relying on his extended spiritual sense, Li Changshou activated the Wind Whisper Spell, prepared spider webs, cast Earth Evasion, and followed behind Xiong Lingli. Soon, Xiong Lingli reached the bank of a large river. On a riverside slope, she found a large cave carved out by the river water, and she and Li Changshou hid inside it together.

Li Changshou set up two layers of low-level illusion spells and continued to observe a 500-li radius with his spiritual sense. This time, they were within the active range of many cultivators, not on the edge. In a cultivation battle of this level, there was no need for him to reveal his trump cards or attract attention.

Xiong Lingli curled up in a corner, looking down at Li Changshou. She asked, "Cousin, are we going to keep hiding?"

"It depends," Li Changshou said with a smile. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling sound like thunder coming from Xiong Lingli's armor. Xiong Lingli awkwardly scratched her head and explained, "Watching those two demonic beasts just now made me hungry."

"Those two can't be eaten," Li Changshou said, taking out a bottle of pills. "Take one if you're hungry... By rights, you should have achieved Bigu by now."

"Hmm, I won't starve to death if I don't eat now, but I won't have much strength if I don't eat meat." Xiong Lingli said, a little embarrassed, that she often felt hungry on the mountain too, as most people didn't enjoy eating much after achieving Bigu.

Li Changshou nodded, roughly understanding the physique of the Wu people. He was about to continue asking questions when his spiritual sense suddenly detected three more demonic birds flying out from the edge, swiftly approaching him and Xiong Lingli. Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, immediately dismissing his previous speculation about an edge punishment mechanism. Among the remaining possibilities, the highest probability was that someone was deliberately making things difficult for them, or that the Wu bloodline had an extra attraction to demonic beasts.

"Lingli, you hunt often, have you ever caught birds?"

Xiong Lingli immediately nodded and replied cheerfully: "Of course! Everyone in our village hunts and fishes; catching birds and netting fish are things everyone knows how to do! But when catching birds, we usually throw out some forks. I don't have any with me..."

"I'll make some for you," Li Changshou said. With a casual wave towards the outside, streams of riverbed mud and sand surged forward, rapidly forming earthy-yellow, three-pronged long forks between his hands. Li Changshou deliberately made each fork thicker and heavier, ensuring uniform quality and an excellent feel.

Xiong Lingli watched from the side, a wave of excitement washing over her. The Sea God was manifesting before her!

Li Changshou handed the bundle of long forks to Xiong Lingli and said seriously: "A few large birds are flying over; it's up to you now. Don't feel pressured. If you can't handle it, I'll naturally step in."

Xiong Lingli pursed her lips, her large eyes sparkling. She nodded vigorously to Li Changshou and whispered: "Cousin! I will definitely protect you well!"

Li Changshou offered a slight smile and waved his hand. Xiong Lingli, clutching the bundle of long forks, charged out of their hiding spot.

A moment later, hurried whooshing sounds came from outside the cave, followed by the shrill cries of those demonic birds. Inside the earth cave, Li Changshou put away the porcelain bottle in his hand. His spiritual sense also detected that the dozen or so cultivators who had been pursuing those demonic birds had scattered and retreated.

Three colorful demonic birds crashed into the woods a hundred zhang away. Xiong Lingli stared blankly at the demonic birds for a moment, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, then honestly turned her head, preparing to return to the cave. Then a faint voice transmission entered her ear:

"Go and cut off the wing of the demonic bird on the left. We'll move to another spot and I'll roast it for you to satisfy your hunger. This type of demonic bird is called a 'Colorful Plumed Brocade Pheasant,' and its wings are a rare delicacy."

Xiong Lingli immediately rushed forward with delight, deftly grabbing the wing of the demonic bird, which had a wingspan of over three zhang. She stepped on the bird's corpse and pulled with all her might, causing demonic blood to splatter.

A moment later, Xiong Lingli tucked two one-zhang-long "chicken wings" under her arm and sprinted off like a whirlwind. Along the way, the cultivators from the Three Sects and Immortal Schools who saw her all retreated three paces, most with stunned looks, not daring to propose a single word of sparring. In such a setting, naturally, no one dared to launch a sneak attack. Everyone had to display the demeanor of a gentleman, elegant and courteous. Even when moving to contend for a treasure, they had to announce their intention to act beforehand.

Half an hour later, in a clearing in the woods, Xiong Lingli sat obediently behind a narrow, elongated bonfire. In her left hand, she held a three-zhang-long earth fork, on which two "extra-large chicken wings" over one zhang long, specially supplied by the Primordial World, were skewered! This was no ordinary fire; it was the 'Forged Bright True Flame,' which Li Changshou occasionally used for alchemy, possessing moderate power. Li Changshou was hidden in a large tree nearby, quietly observing his surroundings and pondering his previous encounters.

Xiong Lingli held some salt and seasonings she had brought, scattering them liberally with large, practiced movements. She continuously licked her lips and happily hummed the sect song of the Carefree Immortal Sect: "Green grass by the river, a turtle running on the bank, why can't it run fast, green grass grows on its head."

If others heard this song, they would surely think the atmosphere within the Carefree Immortal Sect was utterly chaotic! But Li Changshou was different. He frowned slightly, considering that there were several powerful beings outside associated with turtles, and the Jie Teaching itself had a Tortoise Spirit Holy Mother. Such details that could be noticed should naturally be paid close attention to.

Li Changshou said, "Hum a different song."

"Oh," Xiong Lingli replied obediently, shrinking her neck. She originally didn't dare to speak, but then thought that perhaps the Sea God wanted to hear her sing a little tune. Soon, she found a tune and began humming the second sect song of the Carefree Immortal Sect.

Outside the Treasure Map, in the clouds, the Grand Master paused his influence on the Treasure Map Universe. He wasn't intentionally making things difficult for Li Changshou but was planning for Li Changshou to achieve renown and brilliance at the Three Sects Origin Assembly, paving the way for his entry into the Tushita Palace. At this moment, this Senior Disciple of the Human Teaching had begun contemplating another question: 'What was the reason forcing Li Changshou to be so cautious and constantly hide?' Could it be that someone was secretly coercing a disciple of the Human Teaching?

Grand Master Xuandu's gaze remained calm as he sat there, performing divinations with his fingers. Little Changshou's teacher had obscured the heavenly secrets, so he couldn't deduce anything directly. However, the Immortal Ascension Sect where he resided could be freely divined. By bypassing Li Changshou and observing his short life from the side, some answers could naturally be found.

Presently, Xuandu calmed his mind and concentrated, his fingers manipulating as a faint Taiji diagram revolved in his palm. Then the heavenly secret manifested: The Immortal Ascension Sect's only misfortune in the past three hundred years was when a certain expert from the Western Teaching secretly plotted and used puppets to attack the mountain gate. 'Could this incident truly have such a great impact on him?'

Grand Master Xuandu pondered briefly and quickly decided to continue his probing, but the method would no longer be as simple as before. He intended to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Li Changshou. Immediately, Grand Master Xuandu began to quickly formulate one script after another in his mind, secretly commencing... The 'Human Teaching Highest Level' mini-test!

First wave: Several cultivators from the Jie Teaching lineage were jointly besieging a demonic beast. On the beast's back was a purple divine hammer wrapped in lightning, and the beast itself was already on its last breath. These cultivators had already entered the stage of superficial politeness, saying "You take it," "No, you take it."

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted. The purple divine hammer integrated into the demonic beast's body, and the beast's demonic power instantly surged! Seeing this, these cultivators reacted quickly, immediately fleeing for their lives. A faint, indistinct voice transmission entered their ears, guiding them towards Li Changshou and Xiong Lingli's hiding place.

Li Changshou had been observing this area for a while. He immediately switched from Wood Evasion to Earth Evasion and transmitted a message to Xiong Lingli. Xiong Lingli, who had just finished gnawing on two extra-large chicken wings, immediately stood up, holding her earth fork. As Li Changshou instructed, she hid in the nearby woods, preparing for battle!

Soon, several figures rushed past, and the demonic beast charged forward. A wisp of colorless, odorless sedative entered the demonic beast's soul, instantly stunning it! At that very moment, Xiong Lingli, having entered hunting mode, let out a soft cry. She leaped up, holding the earth fork, her movements precise and ruthless, her face calm. With both hands tightly gripping the fork, she directly thrust it into the vital neck area of the demonic beast! Demonic blood gushed out. Xiong Lingli twisted the earth fork forcefully, and the demonic beast didn't even whimper, just kicked its legs and died.

The cultivators from Jie Teaching who had been chased each looked back. What they saw was only the majestic figure standing bathed in blood. A female cultivator's eyes immediately became hazy, her cheeks flushed, and she softly said, "Fellow Daoist..."

"Hmm? Are you calling me, Fellow Daoist?" Xiong Lingli turned to look. Her face, which was three parts more adorable and delicate than the female cultivator opposite her, instantly made the latter tightly close her soft lips.

Li Changshou transmitted a message to Xiong Lingli. Xiong Lingli, with her large eyes wide, asked the cultivators, "There's a hammer inside this. Do you want the hammer?"

"Fellow Daoist saved our lives; how can we take such a treasure?"

"These are some tokens of gratitude; please accept them, Fellow Daoist."

Immediately, those Jie Teaching disciples each took out some spirit stones and elixirs, pushed them over with their magical power, and then quickly bid farewell. Xiong Lingli was a little puzzled. Following the Sea God's decree, she first put away these items, then pulled out the hammer from inside the demonic beast, exclaiming in surprise: "Cousin, why is this hammer so small but so incredibly heavy!"

Li Changshou said, "Use the refining method I told you to refine this spirit treasure. You can use it for self-defense later."

"Oh!" Xiong Lingli responded, holding the hammer in her hand. She infused it with magical power and quickly completed the initial refinement. This thunder hammer, indeed worthy of being crafted by the master artificer Yunchungzi, possessed formidable power and numerous versatile functions. The moment Xiong Lingli refined it, the thunder hammer transformed to half a zhang in length, perfectly sized for Xiong Lingli to wield.

"Let's go," Li Changshou transmitted, "Time to change locations again." Xiong Lingli assented, hoisted the hammer onto her shoulder, and resumed her spirited run.

Outside the Treasure Map, high in the clouds, the solitary figure smiled contentedly and proceeded with the next phase of his observation.

Over the next three hours, Li Changshou continuously encountered a variety of unusual events. There was a comatose female cultivator, injured by a demonic beast, who fell into a small lake and was drenched. Two demonic beasts fought each other, coincidentally dying not far in front of Li Changshou, while several cultivators swiftly approached nearby. They were diverse and varied.

Li Changshou didn't act deliberately; his actions always adhered to the principle of "avoiding karma." He would hide if he could, but if he couldn't, he would skillfully employ his newly acquired "magical artifact person." The only difference from his usual self was that ordinarily, he wouldn't meddle in other people's troubles. However, within this Treasure Map, if it required little effort, he would lend a hand to others, but then quickly depart, doing good deeds without leaving his name. If he knew someone was testing his character in this manner, Li Changshou would undoubtedly retort "boring" in his mind and then present himself as a regular "humble gentleman."

The results of this test slowly solidified in Grand Master Xuandu's mind, forming only one large character—Grand Master Xuandu understood. This feeling was extremely profound, something that could only be intuitively grasped, not expressed in words.

At this point, Grand Master Xuandu's interest was piqued. He deployed his trump card, flicking a finger towards the Treasure Map. Li Changshou, who was slowly moving forward in a stream using Water Evasion, suddenly felt a surge of "enlightenment" in his mind, as if something was about to burst out of his mouth. These enlightenments gradually condensed into four large characters: Human, Teaching, Display, Might.

Li Changshou immediately frowned. He then instantly revealed himself in the water and bowed towards the sky. This was a "Primordial World survival tip" he had just learned from the Twelve Golden Immortals of Jie Teaching: seize any opportunity to bow to the Saints. Was his mission to come here and display his might? But this... didn't align with the Human Teaching's tenets. Could it be the Grand Master?