I'm in the Demonic Sect, but my cultivation techniques are being used for palace intrigue!

The claim by the "Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique" that there were only nine Foundation Establishment disciples was met with astonishment from the other practitioners, including Zhu Jingguang himself, who was secretly watching.

They couldn't understand why, despite having over five hundred Qi Refining Perfection cultivators within the Demonic Sect, the final number of Foundation Establishment cultivators was a pitiful nine... Was this reasonable?

[The Yin-Yang Cycle and the Daily Yang-Gathering Scripture: "Only nine people? Are you sure?"]

[The Yin-Yang Revolving Daily Yang-Gathering Scripture: "Of course, I'm not questioning your statement, I'm just...astonished! After all, how could there be so few Foundation Establishment cultivators among so many Qi Refining Perfection cultivators?"]

[The Yin-Yang Revolving Daily Yang-Gathering Scripture: "My cultivation method, without relying on any auxiliary means, has a one-in-ten chance of advancement, not to mention those stronger cultivation methods... Within the Demonic Sect, there are countless cultivation methods stronger than mine, plus various methods to aid advancement, such as 'Foundation Building Pills' and 'Foundation-Laying Fruits'..."]

[The Yin-Yang Revolving Daily Yang-Gathering Scripture: "It can't be that all these Qi Refining Perfection cultivators are practicing inferior cultivation techniques, can it?"]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Seal: "That's right, my cultivation technique has a one in fifteen chance of advancing, so logically... there shouldn't be so few Foundation Establishment cultivators!"]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Seal: "It can't be... that the demonic sect was wiped out by righteous cultivators and is now like this?"]

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "Being annihilated by the righteous path... it can only be said that this was a very small part of the reason... but that's not the point. The point is..."]

[Heart-Eroding and Soul-Controlling Technique: "Qi-Drawing Technique... Hmm... Eldest Sister, what are your thoughts on this?"]

Meanwhile, ever since the "Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique" mentioned that there were only nine Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Demonic Sect, the "Qi-Inducing Technique," who had been lost in thought, hesitated before speaking upon hearing this.

[Qi-Inducing Technique: "How should I put it... When I heard you say that there were only nine Foundation Establishment cultivators, I felt that, rationally speaking, I should have been surprised. But for some reason, I wasn't surprised at all by this result; it was as if... it was supposed to be this way!"]

  

Upon hearing the words of the "Qi-Guiding Technique," the "Heart-Eroding and Soul-Controlling Technique" looked at the "Qi-Guiding Technique" with even more profound meaning.

Then, the "Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique" stopped being mysterious and immediately explained the reason behind it.

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "About a hundred years ago, this world underwent a dramatic change, and the first change that occurred along with this dramatic change was... that our cultivation technique began to develop its own consciousness... which is what I just mentioned, 'activity'!"]

[The Soul-Controlling Technique: "However, the concept of 'activity' varies in different cultivation methods, but regardless, the cultivation method... does indeed possess its own consciousness, something unthinkable a hundred years ago!"]

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "Of course, there are other unforeseen circumstances, but we won't discuss those now. What we need to talk about now is why there are so few Foundation Establishment cultivators!"]

[Heart-Eroding and Soul-Controlling Technique: "A hundred years ago, to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, one only needed to reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage and could attempt a breakthrough. Once successful, one would become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, now, even if one breaks through, one is not a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Cultivators remain at the Qi Refining Perfection level, only slightly stronger than those who haven't broken through to the Qi Refining Perfection stage..."]

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "Nowadays, after breaking through to the Qi Refining Perfection stage, if a cultivator wants to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, in addition to breaking through their own realm, they also need to bring the 'activity' of their cultivation technique to a level where they can communicate normally with their master!"]

[The Yin-Yang Reincarnation and Daily Yang Gathering Scripture: "You mean... all Foundation Establishment cultivators are able to communicate with their own cultivation techniques?"]

[She found the "Yin-Yang Reversal and Daily Yang Absorption Scripture" mentioned in the "Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique" utterly unbelievable, because in her view, communicating with her master... didn't seem like such a difficult thing, right?]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Seal: "Are you sure you're not fucking kidding us? Is communicating with people... that hard?"]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Seal: "According to you... all of our cultivation techniques can allow cultivators to directly become Foundation Establishment cultivators after breaking through to the Qi Refining Perfection realm?"]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Union Seal: "While our techniques are unique, they don't seem to be that unique even within the Demonic Sect, do they?"]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Seal: "Moreover, within the Demonic Sect, there are quite a few people who cultivate our techniques. Even just considering the techniques we are currently practicing, the number of people who have cultivated them... according to you, there should be more than nine people who have broken through to the Qi Refining Perfection stage, right?"]

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "It's a pity that there isn't a single person in the Demonic Sect, or even in the entire world, who has cultivated these techniques to reach the Foundation Establishment stage!"]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Seal: "If that's the case, then what you said before is problematic! Based on our 'activity,' we should have helped countless people successfully establish their foundations, yet you're now telling us that not a single person has achieved foundation establishment through our cultivation method?"]

[The Soul-Eroding Technique: "It should be said that even if such a technique exists, it can only allow one person to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Anyone who practices this technique afterward will never be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage again—unless the person who has now reached the Foundation Establishment stage dies!"]

At that moment, all the martial arts practitioners in the space exclaimed in unison, "What?!"

[The Yin-Yang Revolving Daily Yang-Gathering Scripture: "This shouldn't be happening! According to my memory, my cultivation method... shouldn't have this kind of restriction!"]

[Heavenly Demon Joyful Union Seal: "Mine doesn't have any either!"]

[Explosive Bloodlust: "Mine too!"]

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "Of course, you won't have these memories, because you will only receive them from the 'Heavenly Dao' when your 'activity' reaches a certain level and, for the first time, a certain creature cultivates your technique and achieves the Foundation Establishment stage!"]

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "If you truly did not obtain these memories from the 'Heavenly Dao' before, then it means that in this world, no being has yet achieved the Foundation Establishment stage by using your cultivation method as the primary method!"]

[Heart-Eating and Soul-Controlling Technique: "So you are very lucky to have found such a treasure land. As a result, among those who cultivate your technique, before anyone has even achieved the Foundation Establishment stage, you already possess 'vitality' comparable to ours!"]