The Programmer Cultivator

"Technique: Vine Growth!"

Countless Seeds of Spiritual Power erupted inside its body, far exceeding the beast’s ability to suppress them—and at the strength of the Tai Chi Stage, no less.

The Kongyan Beast held on for only a moment before shattering, cleanly dissolving into a shower of light specks. The vines Zhang Deming had summoned hadn’t even pierced its skin.

Watching the Kongyan Beast die, Zhang Deming let out a long sigh of relief.

He instantly dispelled most of his active techniques. Aside from a few vines still wrapped around his body, everything else dissolved into specks of light.

His Spiritual Power had dropped to less than ten percent. If it had dragged on any longer, it would have been game over for him.

He immediately sat down, recovering his Spiritual Power while cautiously observing his surroundings.

It seemed this arena only had one Demon Beast; once it was killed, no more would appear.

The spherical Light Curtain that had surrounded him had already vanished.

After a long time, Zhang Deming slowly stood up, his Spiritual Power fully restored.

He left the arena and approached the massive cave entrance on the hillside.

A Light Curtain once again appeared before Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming reached out to touch it. As before, an outline was quickly sketched onto the Light Curtain, and the silhouette of a Kongyan Beast slowly took form.

Then, a message appeared.

Target: Kongyan;

Status: Target Killed;

Evaluation: Excellent;

Overall Assessment: High-Good.

The message on the Light Screen lingered for a moment before condensing into a Command Token, one that looked quite similar to the earlier Entry Order. It floated there, gently bobbing in the air.

Zhang Deming beckoned, and the object flew into his hand.

The moment he grasped the Command Token, before he could even pass through the Light Curtain, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he vanished on the spot.

When Zhang Deming came to his senses, he found himself standing at another cave entrance.

But this one wasn’t on a small hill, and there was no deep forest or grassland behind him.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Deming stepped inside.

The cave was large and slightly damp. After walking for a short while, the path before Zhang Deming suddenly opened into a brightly lit space.

At the end of the cave was a large hall with rather antiquated decorations.

In the center of the hall was a round table, not too large. At the moment, there was nothing on it.

Beside the round table, there were only two seats.

Two people were already seated there. One was Xue Su; the other was a stranger to Zhang Deming, apparently a member of one of the two-person teams.

The two sat quietly, waiting. When Zhang Deming appeared, they both turned their heads in unison to look at him.

Zhang Deming nodded. As he approached the round table, a chair rapidly condensed into shape.

By the time Zhang Deming reached it, the chair had completely formed.

Zhang Deming saw this and got the hint, obediently taking a seat.

During this process, the three of them just nodded slightly to each other.

Xue Su smiled at Zhang Deming, but with a stranger present and given Zhang Deming’s mysterious nature, they made no attempt to communicate privately.

The atmosphere was silent, but not awkward, because they weren’t familiar enough with each other for it to be awkward.

After sitting down, Zhang Deming silently sized up the other two. ’Judging by Xue Su’s condition, and considering what I know about his foundational path, it seems he didn’t pass the trial through combat.’

’The other person looks even more relaxed than I do. Of course, that’s assuming he didn’t change his clothes before coming in, like I did.’

’If that’s the case, then this person must be incredibly strong, and fighting opponents of a higher stage probably isn’t too difficult for him.’

None of the three spoke. After a moment’s wait, another person walked in from the entrance, and the three of them turned in unison to look.

Li Shifan walked in, his expression cold as he clutched his Sword. He had some minor injuries, but nothing serious. His face was a little pale, giving him the look of someone who had just been thoroughly drained.

He reached the entrance, surveyed the situation in the hall, and then walked straight toward Zhang Deming.

When he reached Zhang Deming, a seat materialized next to him, and he immediately sat down.

Looking at his condition, Zhang Deming broke the silence.

"You’re injured?"

Li Shifan, maintaining his cool persona, said, "Just a scratch. It’s nothing serious."

Zhang Deming flipped his palm, and a seedling appeared in his hand. Li Shifan paused; this wasn’t the first or second time he had been treated by Zhang Deming.

Therefore, after a slight pause, he reached out, plucked a leaf from the seedling, and put it in his mouth.

To maintain his persona, he didn’t even say a word of thanks, as if they weren’t just a newly formed team, but the kind of teammates who would unhesitatingly take a bullet for each other.

Then, Li Shifan sat next to Zhang Deming and began to circulate his energy to heal, aided by the Growth Technique’s modest effects.

The hall fell silent once more. This time, the four of them waited for a full half-hour before they heard another sound.

A figure stumbled into the hall.

The four of them looked at the newcomer, their gazes all sharpening slightly.

The newcomer’s left arm was severed. Although he had likely treated his wounds and rested outside, it was obvious that he was severely injured.

His face was unfamiliar; he wasn’t one of the seven who had shown their faces before. ’He must be the lone wolf who entered first, the one who hid his face like I did.’

Now, because of his severe injuries, he no longer had the strength to conceal his face.

As he staggered into the hall and saw the four people already sitting at the round table—four people who seemed largely uninjured—he instantly became wary.

His condition made Zhang Deming’s brow furrow slightly. ’Didn’t he act like he knew the most about this Secret Realm? He was the first one in, after all.’

’Did he just charge in without any confidence? So reckless?’

He slowly approached the round table. After a chair had materialized, he looked at the four of them with extreme caution before sitting down.

As he sat down, the hall once again fell into silence. Because of his severe injuries, his expression remained tense.

This continued for about a quarter of an hour, and then the five of them suddenly found their seats moving.

The five of them instantly tensed. When the chairs stopped, they were arranged in a pentagon, seated at equal intervals around the round table.

This small change caused the expressions of all five to shift in unison. They all realized that the other four people...

...weren’t coming.