The Programmer Cultivator

Li Cheng shook his head. ”What I mean is, one or two people won’t be enough. The source of the mutation is inside.”

”If I’m not mistaken, that ocean is the Geng Metal Heaven of the Five Elements Blessed Land. The entire Secret Realm Grotto Heaven has been completely corrupted.”

”It just broke through to the Cyan Wood Secret Realm. If this Earth Spirit gets corrupted too, the Sect might not be able to withstand the United Force of two Grotto Heaven Earth Spirits.”

The expressions of all four changed in unison. Dang Qian asked, ”Senior Brother Li, are you certain?”

Li Cheng replied, ”Would I joke about something like this?”

Zhou Tong quickly pulled out his Identity Card and began to operate it.

”Senior Brother, can you be more specific?” Seeing this, Dang Qian asked.

Li Cheng shook his head. ”There’s nothing more. That’s all I know.”

”My Li Family only has this one seedling left. In a situation like that, if I didn’t grab him and run for it, what else did you expect me to do?”

Hearing this, Dang Qian gave an awkward smile.

Just then, Zhou Tong spoke up. ”I’ve already notified the Sect. The master who was searching the back mountain will be here any moment, and the master we notified earlier is also on his way.”

Dang Qian asked, ”Who’s coming?”

Zhou Tong replied, ”Your Seco—”

”Your two messages are completely contradictory. What is the meaning of this?” Before Zhou Tong could finish, a somewhat aged voice rang out.

Dang Qian froze. He turned to see a streak of light flash before them. He said in surprise, ”Second Uncle, when did you come out of seclusion?”

”A few days ago. What’s the situation here? One moment you report a problem with the Secret Realm and ask for help.”

”The next, you’re saying you’ve found the point of mutation and that the source is inside the Secret Realm itself. Who confirmed this?” Dang Ketao asked as his figure landed.

”Greetings, Master!”

”Greetings, Master!”

”Greetings, Grandmaster!”

”...”

Upon seeing Dang Ketao, they all bowed in unison.

Dang Ketao’s gaze swept over the group before landing on Li Cheng. ”You old rascal,” he said in surprise, ”you haven’t faded away yet?”

Li Cheng’s expression twitched. ”Thank you for your concern, Master Dang. I’m still full of vigor.”

”Oh, give me a break,” Dang Ketao said. ”Every day you’re around is another day of misfortune for the Li Family. Don’t be so vigorous. Didn’t I hear a few years ago that you’d completely retired?”

Li Cheng just smiled sheepishly and didn’t respond.

Dang Ketao looked at the group. ”So, what’s the situation?”

The group then summarized the information they had.

After listening, Dang Ketao frowned slightly. ”Elder Huang? A Great Cultivator whose Outer Body Incarnation is at Peak Three Talents?”

Li Cheng, noticing Dang Ketao muttering to himself while staring, gave a wry smile. ”Master Dang, even if you tear out my Lifebound Painting, that’s all I know.”

”Anything else, I dare not say, and cannot say.”

Dang Ketao said, ”Aren’t you the founding ancestor of the Li Family? You certainly left a trail of broken hearts in your youth. How is it you’ve suddenly got an ancient monster for an elder?”

Li Cheng spread his hands. ”Just because I founded a family doesn’t mean I can’t have elders, right? It’s not like I was born from a stone.”

Dang Ketao’s brow furrowed. He looked at the unconscious Zhang Deming and said, ”Since you’re awake, stop playing possum.”

”That position looks pretty uncomfortable. Don’t want you getting a stiff neck, or I’ll have to loosen up those bones for you.”

Li Shifan, who was supporting Zhang Deming, froze. All eyes turned to Zhang Deming.

A surge of aura rippled from Zhang Deming as specks of gray mist dissipated around him. The sense of being overlooked vanished in an instant, and he opened his eyes.

He met the gazes of the powerful cultivators without any awkwardness and said respectfully, ”Greetings, Masters. Greetings, Grandmaster.”

Dang Ketao looked at Zhang Deming with a slight frown. ”Which family’s junior are you? Why do you look so familiar to me?”

Zhang Deming paused for a moment before replying, ”This disciple is Zhang Deming, an Outer Sect Disciple.”

”Outer Sect Disciple???” Dang Ketao said. ”Wait, what did you say your name was?”

”Replying to Grandmaster, this disciple’s name is Zhang Deming,” he repeated.

”The Zhang Deming who caused that huge uproar in the Inner Sect a few days ago? The one who got a whole batch of disciples sent to Wanghui Peak for wall-gazing?” Dang Ketao asked.

Zhang Deming looked up, his face a mask of confusion. ”Grandmaster, what are you talking about?”

Seeing Zhang Deming’s utterly bewildered expression, Dang Ketao looked over at Zhou Tong and the others.

Zhou Tong nodded, eagerly bringing up a Light Screen and pointing to the file for Dang Ketao. ”It’s most likely him,” Zhou Tong said.

At this, the expressions of Dang Qian and Fang Qing twitched. Yang Sinan, watching Zhou Tong pass the buck, had a look of pleasant surprise.

Dang Ketao glanced at the screen, and his own face twitched a few times. ”Nineteen years old, Peak of Tai Chi One Life?” he said.

”With this kind of aptitude, what was that old fellow Yue Mengsheng so dissatisfied about he was hopping mad?”

”Was he expecting to find someone with an Immortal Spirit Root or something?”

”Ahem...” Zhou Tong coughed, pointing at the file. ”Master, his Spirit Root is a twenty-one.”

Dang Ketao looked utterly astonished. He shook his head. ”Impossible. What are you talking about?”

”A nineteen-year-old with a Spirit Root of twenty-one? Even if you had people constantly funneling Spiritual Power into him, given his efficiency, he shouldn’t even be past the Apprentice Stage yet.”

”Ahem...” Yang Sinan chimed in. ”Master... he had fifty-seven professional Spirit Root tests.”

”How many?” Dang Ketao asked, completely dumbfounded, thinking he must have misheard.

”Fifty-seven!” Yang Sinan said, exasperated.

Dang Ketao paused at that, then shook his head. ”That girl... she really knows how to stir up trouble.”

”I feel for the testing department. I didn’t even know our Sect had that many different kinds of tests.”

He then looked at Zhang Deming, a strange light glinting in his eyes.

Zhang Deming kept his head down, listening to their conversation with a blank face.

”No wonder,” he mused. ”Forget that old man Yue Mengsheng; no one would be happy with that level of Talent.”

”But you, kiddo... the mismatch between your Cultivation and your Spirit Root is certainly interesting, eh?”

”You’d better be careful when you get back to the Sect. Oh, and I heard you were the one who invited that Elder Huang. Are you also one of the Li Family?” As he spoke, Dang Ketao flicked a glance at Li Cheng.

As for the Secret Realm, now that he had a clear picture, he was suddenly in no hurry. He realized he probably couldn’t handle this alone.

Never mind anything else, a Celestial Realm Earth Spirit at the Peak of Three Talents was more than he could handle by himself.

Li Cheng glanced at Zhang Deming and answered for him, ”Replying to your question, Master... in a sense, you could say that.”

”What do you mean, ’in a sense’?” Dang Ketao demanded. ”It’s a simple yes or no. What is this nonsense?”

”It just means that by Bloodline, he isn’t—”

”Not good!” Before Li Cheng could finish, Dang Ketao’s expression changed drastically.

”AOOOOOO—”

A Dragon’s roar, urgent and mournful, echoed from beyond the Secret Realm’s confines.

The image in the sky rippled once more, like a transparent film shattering all over again.

The mirage overhead no longer showed just the pavilion district; it now encompassed nearly the entire core region.