Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

Yan Cheng didn't know why the female cultivator behind Tian Tong was staring at him, but he vaguely noticed that she was very beautiful.

But since she's in a celestial sect, she's definitely a wicked woman with malicious intentions; it's best to keep your distance.

There are not many female cultivators in the Hall of Longevity. Even the Weaver Girl, who is less influenced by the sect's traditions, is a ruthless character who kills without blinking an eye. Yan Cheng has no intention of finding a Daoist partner here.

The celestial child chuckled and said:

"I have spoken with each of my junior brothers and sisters after they successfully broke through."

"I'm sure you all already know how to cultivate after entering the middle stage."

"As I said before, mid-stage cultivators must cultivate the middle and lower dantians to perfection."

"One must also open up the eight extraordinary meridians and temper one's physical body to the extreme."

"The amount of Yin Corpse Qi required is far more than can be obtained through cultivation alone."

"Therefore, having reached this point, we have no choice but to rely on external forces to make further progress."

He abruptly changed the subject, then gave a cold laugh:

"I know what some people are thinking."

"You can all give up that idea. It is much more difficult for mid-stage cultivators to borrow baleful energy from that person than for early-stage cultivators."

"In the past, it was easy for her to borrow money because she felt she could easily withdraw her evil aura and didn't mind putting on a generous act."

"Now that you have all broken through to the mid-stage, the cost for her to forcibly collect the debt has increased considerably, so she will no longer lend out her evil energy so easily."

Many corpse cultivators immediately showed disappointment on their faces, while Yan Cheng secretly scoffed inwardly:

"A bunch of good-for-nothings. Before their breakthrough, they were thinking about borrowing money to cultivate; after their breakthrough, they're still thinking about borrowing money to cultivate."

I wonder how they achieved that!

Tiantong then said:

"In addition to what is needed for cultivation, the number of Yin Corpse Fiends that the hall will collect from you will also double."

"Furthermore, now that you have all reached the mid-stage of cultivation, the expenses required for exchanging and learning spells should not be ignored."

"His Majesty requires that within six months of your breakthrough, you must master at least the three basic techniques for the Qi Refining stage."

"These are the physical techniques 'Ghost Corpse Claw' and the movement techniques 'Flying Hawk Step'."

"And the 'Secret Method of Yin Body Entanglement', which is indispensable for corpse cultivators to temper their bodies and expand their meridians."

He smiled slightly:

"These three techniques are given away for free; there is no need to exchange them for malevolent energy."

"However, the resources required to master the three techniques within six months are quite substantial."

"Miraculous medicines that expand the meridians, pills that aid in the circulation of qi, and even various talismans, arrays, and artifacts beneficial to cultivation..."

"Which one doesn't require exchanging a large amount of malevolent energy?"

Tiantong remarked with emotion:

"As your cultivation levels improve and your resource production capabilities increase, His Highness's expectations for you are also rising."

Having said that, all the smiles on Zhu Xiu's face vanished completely, leaving only a deathly silence in the air.

In the early stages, everyone diligently practiced and accumulated malevolent energy, and it was only with great difficulty that they reached the middle stage.

Why does it seem that the higher the realm, the harder it is to satisfy the emperor's appetite?

Yan Cheng was completely unaware of anything amiss.

This godforsaken place has always been like this. Those who still have expectations for the palace even after reaching the middle stage of cultivation are truly stupid. They are probably idiots who have put all their talent into their innate abilities.

He had anticipated Tiantong's next words, and sure enough, he heard the guy laugh:

"Fortunately, thanks to the tireless efforts of Senior Sister Huang and all my fellow disciples, the environment you all face today is much better than it was when I was here."

"The arts of talismans, arrays, alchemy, and artifacts on the three levels are currently managed by us corpse cultivators."

"The senior brothers and sisters of each branch have always cherished talent the most, and they have already agreed to select outstanding individuals from among the fellow disciples who have broken through this time to join their respective branches."

"If you all learn a skill well, you will have a means to make a living. Not only will you no longer have to worry about your source of income, but you will also become an indispensable talent in the palace."

"The days when I was filled with fear and anxiety whenever I encountered obstacles in my spiritual practice will never come again."

"The suffering we endured will never befall you again."

Upon hearing this, many people immediately turned from worry to joy.

It's not that everyone was so naive as to immediately believe the promises made by the Heavenly Child.

But since we've already said all that, what can we do if we don't believe it?

The cultivators no longer wished to live in constant fear and anxiety on the second floor.

Looking at the group of so-called fellow disciples around him, who seemed to want to cry or laugh, Yan Cheng felt colder than his face.

No, you don't really expect Tiantong to have even the slightest bit of goodwill, do you?

Newly advanced mid-stage cultivators possess both strength and ignorance, making them perfect targets for these seasoned veterans to exploit.

They'd already planned it all out, even dividing up the meat so that the piglets being sold would have to help count the money!

He didn't spend much time on the second floor, but the composure and calmness that came with his position allowed him to keenly grasp the key points:

Leaving aside the various factions recruiting new corpse cultivators, what unspeakable conspiracies lie behind it all?

How many people could those few dilapidated and small rooms on the third floor possibly hold?

The three-story building certainly couldn't accommodate everyone in its rooms, and since Tiantong had already planted anxiety in the hearts of all the cultivators, he had no choice but to provide a way out besides the rooms themselves.

This might just be exactly what Tiantong had planned:

He would definitely prefer to concentrate resources under his own command rather than distribute talent among various departments!

The next moment, Yan Cheng heard the other party say:

"As for the junior brothers and sisters who were not selected, they don't need to worry about their future."

"My enforcement team is in dire need of manpower. All you need to do is master the three basic techniques, and you can recommend yourselves to work with me."

He held up five fingers:

"A monthly salary of five strands of Yin Corpse Demonic Energy!"

The hall filled with corpse cultivators instantly erupted in commotion.

To be honest, even Yan Cheng was a little tempted after hearing it.

Hearing the words "monthly salary" in this godforsaken place feels like watching a ray of moonlight pierce through the dark clouds.

Although the Yin Corpse Fiend does not help his cultivation, it can be used to exchange for various resources in the hall.

What attracted him most were the various cultivation techniques that were only open to mid-stage corpse cultivators in the palace!

The Mirror of Immortals possesses the ability to deduce and transform incomplete techniques into supreme arts.

The blessing of the [Hidden Radiance] position will help him to cultivate these techniques at a speed far exceeding that of any other Qi Refining cultivator in the hall!

Just as the cultivators' spirits rose from the depths of the sea to the clouds, and they began to envision a bright future, they heard the Heavenly Child laugh:

"Oh right, I almost forgot something."

"Those junior brothers and sisters who have successfully broken through this time are indeed rare talents."

"But there was one junior brother who was even more outstanding, becoming the first to successfully break through in seclusion."

"When Senior Sister Huang learned of this, she praised him highly and specially instructed me to introduce this junior brother to everyone so that all cultivators could take him as an example."

Tian Tong's gaze fell on Yan Cheng, whose smile was gradually freezing on his face, and a mischievous smile flashed in his eyes.

But his hands started clapping on their own:

"Please welcome Junior Brother Yan Cheng to come forward and say a few words to our fellow disciples!"