Chapter 125: Passing the Test

Li Yunfei gave a wry smile and said, "I previously avoided dealing with Zixiao because I was afraid of being labeled as a practitioner of the Killing Path. But recently, I’ve realized that this is definitely not the Killing Path."

Ziwei looked serious. "Explain in detail."

Li Yunfei continued, "First of all, there are three thousand Great Daos. Regardless of which path one practices, one must possess the corresponding cultivation techniques. I practice authentic Maoshan techniques; my spiritual energy is pure and upright, having absolutely nothing to do with the Killing Path. There is no accumulation of baleful energy in my body, and I have never felt my soul or intelligence affected in any way."

"Secondly, it’s not just about killing living beings. Killing ghosts also significantly boosts my cultivation. It doesn't matter what I kill."

"Over the past two months, I have gone on a killing spree..."

Upon hearing this, the breathing of Ziwei and the others hitched, and their hearts jumped into their throats.

"...slaughtering a large number of vicious souls, vengeful spirits, evil ghosts, and wild beasts. My cultivation has progressed rapidly to the late stage of the Yin Spirit realm, with no signs of bottlenecks or an unstable foundation."

After hearing the second half of Li Yunfei's sentence, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, their tension easing.

Seeing this, Li Yunfei said with a helpless laugh, "What kind of reaction is that? Do you really think I would kill people indiscriminately just to raise my cultivation?"

"Heh..."

Ziwei and He Ming shared a slightly awkward laugh. He Ming immediately changed the subject, asking, "Then, when you first started practicing and had no cultivation to rely on, what were you killing? And how did you discover that killing could rapidly increase your cultivation?"

Li Yunfei answered without hesitation, "Wild boars. They were rampant in my hometown. After getting the secret manual and practicing for a day, I prepared to leave the village that evening to stay with relatives. I encountered a wild boar on the mountain path, and after taking it down, I discovered that my cultivation had improved. Over the following days, I tried killing a few more, which confirmed that killing could boost my cultivation."

He Ming nodded. "The first wild boar you killed was shared with the villagers, right?"

Li Yunfei feigned shock. "Damn, you even found that out?"

He Ming chuckled. "Although you were a soldier, you know nothing about the power of the state machine."

Seeing the look of awe on Li Yunfei's face, Ziwei smiled knowingly. "Don't worry about it. Even a routine background check involves such processes, let alone matters concerning supernaturals."

"Yes, I understand," Li Yunfei replied.

He Ming looked at Ziwei and asked, "Do you have any idea what his situation is?"

"Hmm..." Ziwei pondered for a moment before speaking. "Barring any surprises, this should be a type of Innate Dao Body."

"Innate Dao Bodies are strange and varied; there are as many types as there are paths to cultivation. In my opinion, Yunfei's condition likely belongs to a Dao Body of the Killing or Plundering path. This is fundamentally different from actively practicing the Killing or Plundering paths."

"Innate Dao Bodies don't follow standard rules; they are gifts from the heavens that cannot be scrutinized too deeply. As long as there are no side effects, there is no problem."

At this point, Ziwei glanced at the panda siblings with a helpless expression. "Just like those two gluttons—aside from being thick-skinned and knowing how to act cute, they are virtually useless. Yet, they were born with the ability to control the Dao of Yin and Yang. Who can argue with that?"

Everyone looked at the smug panda siblings and couldn't help but laugh and shake their heads.

Li Yunfei secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the biggest issue regarding his situation had been cleared.

Once the questions about his techniques and cultivation were settled, Ziwei shifted the topic. "Tell us about your internal space. I saw you manifesting items out of thin air earlier, and the wild boars you killed didn't leave their carcasses behind. You must have an internal storage space, right?"

Li Yunfei replied, "Yes, it seems to be a special ability. I have a space within my body. It started at only one cubic meter in size, but as my cultivation level has increased, the space has grown. It has now expanded to about 100 cubic meters."

"The most magical aspect of this space is its ability to replicate everything. Any item stored in it can be replicated using my own cultivation energy. However, the higher the quality, the greater the energy and spiritual essence contained within the item, the more energy it consumes and the longer it takes to replicate."

He said this to avoid becoming a production machine. If he could replicate items without limit, would he be able to do anything else? Would there even be a need to do anything else? If Ziwei asked him to take over the logistics for Zixiao or even the entire Great Xia, would he be able to refuse? By setting this limitation, he made his ability useful but not decisive. It ensured he would be valued without being turned into a factory.

To his surprise, after hearing this, Ziwei looked at him with astonishment. "You actually possess this ability?"

Seeing Ziwei's reaction, Li Yunfei was even more surprised. "Judging by your tone, Comrade Ziwei, have you seen this ability before?"

Ziwei shook his head. "I have never seen another person with this ability, but there is a magical artifact that can achieve something similar."

Li Yunfei was truly taken aback. Such an artifact existed? Wouldn't that mean the production capacity of Great Xia would explode? He asked curiously, "What kind of artifact is it?"

Ziwei replied, "You may have heard of it. The Twin Fish Jade Pendant. Do you know it?"

Li Yunfei realized and nodded. "I've heard of it. The Lop Nur Twin Fish Jade Pendant incident. I always thought it was just a prank or a conspiracy theory. Does this artifact actually exist?"

Ziwei said, "It does exist, though the public only knows fragments of the truth, and most of the legends are indeed myths. People didn't understand it before, but we have confirmed that the jade pendant is indeed a miraculous artifact."

"Even without spiritual energy, it could function. Before the resurgence of spiritual energy, it was uncontrollable. Now, while it is controllable, it isn't as magical as people imagine."

"The Twin Fish Jade Pendant does have the ability to replicate, but it can only replicate living things, not inanimate objects. And it isn't true replication; it just creates a mirror image. That mirror image possesses the same abilities and consciousness as the original."

"After research by the experts in the Profound Division, it is almost certain that this artifact was likely used by ancient cultivation sects to evaluate or select disciples."

Li Yunfei asked, "How so?"

Ziwei smiled and asked, "Among opponents of the same level, who is the hardest to defeat?"

Li Yunfei pondered for a moment, and combined with the function of the Twin Fish Jade Pendant, he quickly understood.

"Oneself. Are you saying the greatest purpose of the Twin Fish Jade Pendant is to create a mirror image of oneself to achieve the goal of 'defeating oneself'?"

Ziwei nodded. "Exactly. The mirror image has the exact same abilities and thoughts as you. Everything you can do, it can do. Everything you can think of, it can anticipate. In such a situation, how could you possibly defeat it?"