Chapter 296: Chumming the Waters

Song Jiulai had been tempted ever since the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect announced its selection tournament.

There was only one reason she was tempted by the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect: its immense resources.

Even Shuitan and his group had managed to learn exclusive mental methods just by sneaking in.

’How could I, a Sect Master, not do the same!’

’This was one of the greatest Major Sects, after all.’

Her only worry was that she had too many secrets. For a Major Sect like this, it would be disastrous if they used some artifact or technique that could easily reveal there was something wrong with her.

Besides, almost all of her Magic Treasures had already been exposed.

And the Supreme Mysterious Sect was still hunting for her.

But the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect’s selection tournament was in just over a month. Not only was she currently in the Dragon Frost Swamp, but Song Jiulai also wasn’t sure if she could break through to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment in time.

There was no way she could disguise herself as a true Qi Refinement Realm cultivator at the tournament. Everything would be exposed the moment a fight broke out.

The system suddenly spoke up, "Actually, there’s another way for you to get into the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect. You have an advantage that neither players nor other Cultivators possess."

Song Jiulai paused. "What way?"

"An avatar." The system offered an angle she hadn’t considered. "Players can attach themselves to puppets, and so can you. You can split off a part of your consciousness, attach it to a puppet, and I will Open a Spirit Root for it. It would be no trouble for it to reach Late-stage Qi Refining in just over a month. The downside is that this puppet will drain your cultivation. If you want to achieve Core Formation or even Nascent Soul Formation later, the Spiritual Energy Cultivation you’ll need will be several, or even dozens of times, that of others."

"You already require more Spiritual Energy than others to begin with. Add an avatar to the mix, and while others face a standard challenge, yours will be six times harder."

"Furthermore, if the puppet is seriously injured, your true body will also suffer a severe blow. If it’s bad enough, it could become a major hindrance to your progress. I didn’t mention this before because you didn’t need it until now."

Song Jiulai was immediately hooked.

Although this avatar would require far more cultivation, it would allow Song Jiulai to create a much better disguise.

Her true body could stay in the Dragon Frost Swamp while the avatar was somewhere else entirely.

’How perfect was that?’

Plus, the avatar could practice a different Cultivation Technique.

She knew that the avatars of Cultivators on the Yunzhou Continent were nothing like this.

Puppets could substitute for other Cultivators, but they could never be disguised as a Cultivator with a Spirit Root.

This was, after all, how players managed to evade detection by other Cultivators.

The only exception was through heretical methods like soul possession.

She focused on a key point. "Theoretically, does this mean I can have many avatars?"

System: "Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it right now. The more of your consciousness you split off, the more your Divine Sense will plummet. This can train the upper limits of your Sea of Consciousness, but it’s also incredibly time-consuming. You don’t want to be stuck in the Early Stage Golden Core when the players are all Late-stage Golden Core and preparing for Nascent Soul Formation, do you? Although your combined abilities let you fight above your station, the main quests require your Level to be as high as possible."

"..."

’That was a good point.’

Avatars sounded wonderful, but it wasn’t worth it if having too many of them dragged down her true body.

After all, no matter how strong you became at a certain level, you were still stuck spinning your wheels within that level.

Many Cultivation Techniques and Magic Treasures could only be used after advancing to a higher Level.

But creating one for now was definitely an option.

She could use it to infiltrate the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect’s selection tournament in just over a month.

The players had also managed to dig up some information about the selection tournament recently.

This time, the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect’s selection process was unusually meticulous. It wasn’t just divided by major Levels, but was further subdivided into competitions for the Early, Mid, and Late Stages.

This time, they weren’t looking at Spirit Root talent, but purely at one’s ability to win matches within a given cultivation stage.

In other words, it wasn’t just about one’s cultivation, but also one’s aptitude, because some people were capable of being completely overpowered even within the same level.

It was like when Song Jiulai fought a Mid-stage opponent in her Early Stage—though that was thanks to the system’s shameless cheats.

But she had an advantage. Back in her Early Stage, her Fireball technique was clearly better than anyone else’s. As long as she could demonstrate a superior aptitude for Cultivation Techniques, she would catch the eye of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.

Because the requirements were so lenient, the number of disciples they would accept from the tournament was extremely limited.

Only one person from each Level.

If you weren’t the absolute best, you wouldn’t be accepted.

Of course, if you happened to have a Metal Spirit Root, that was a different story.

Therefore, Song Jiulai’s best option was to create an Early Stage avatar. It would only practice ordinary cultivation mantras, not the Soul Cultivation Technique that came with the system, with the sole purpose of getting into the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.

That way, even if its Spirit Root was ordinary, she could easily cook up an excuse without raising suspicion.

As for whether it could win?

Please. If she went through all the trouble of cultivating an Early Stage avatar and it still couldn’t beat some piddly Early Stage Qi Refinement nobody?

Then she might as well just quit and reroll her character.

System: "There’s still plenty of time. Create the avatar and cultivate hard. Even if it reaches the Mid-stage, it won’t be a problem."

"Forget it." Song Jiulai was an extremely cautious person. "I can’t openly use hacks in the selection tournament, and I won’t be able to use any enhancement pills. What if I compete in the Mid-stage and crash and burn? But in the Early Stage? I have absolute confidence!"

It was like choosing to fight kindergarteners instead of elementary schoolers. Why would you ever pick the harder fight?

Kids in elementary school are well-fed these days; you never know when you’ll run into some freakishly tall one. The probability of crashing and burning just goes way up.

She spoke with such deafening conviction that, for a moment, even the system was rendered speechless.

After a long pause, the system sighed with emotion. "You really are worthy of being the godmother of that pack of players."

There was truly no one else as shameless as her.

Song Jiulai rubbed her chin. "For the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect to relax its standards this much... I have a feeling they’re using this selection as a pretense for something else."

System: "And you’re going anyway."

"My true body would definitely hesitate, but an avatar? That’s no problem." Song Jiulai knew she had to seize an opportunity when it presented itself. "At a massive sect like the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect, the information even a junior disciple has access to is beyond anything other Sects could offer. I have to go. If something goes wrong, losing one avatar is a price I can afford to pay."

As for her true body, it would just lay low here in the Dragon Frost Swamp.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside.

"If you know what’s good for you, hand over the spirit materials!"

It was the belligerent shouts of several Cultivators.

Song Jiulai sensed their auras were weak. Extending her Divine Sense from her cave, she saw several Qi Refinement Realm Cultivators chasing a female cultivator.

The female cultivator wore a panicked expression, clutching a stalk of Third Rank spirit material in her hand—White Scale Wood infused with Dragon Breath Spirit.

’A material needed for Artifact Refining, and a rather rare one at that.’

’But with the Dragon Breath Spirit, it was even more valuable.’

From inside her cave, Song Jiulai and the system simply watched as the group of Cultivators flew past in pursuit of the woman.

The system suddenly spoke. "Why doesn’t she put it in her Jiezidai? She’s clearly wearing one."

’Flaunting it for everyone to see instead.’

Song Jiulai’s tone was full of meaning. "That woman is chumming the waters."

’And she even sensed my cave?’

’Or did she see me pass by earlier?’

Having pieced this together, Song Jiulai waited until they were far away. Realizing this was no place to linger, she decisively summoned her gourd and made a run for it.

A few minutes later, the female cultivator returned.

She found that the cultivator’s aura was gone from the spot.

Her expression immediately soured.

’She didn’t even try to snatch a Third Rank White Scale Wood?’

’What kind of self-respecting Cultivator acts like that?!’