For a period, Li Hai almost forgot about the Dege Gong.

Because at most, it could only elevate others to the Steel Grade level.

If he wanted to elevate them to a higher Realm, such as the Grandmaster level, he would have to greatly enhance the Dege Gong itself from an even higher Realm, far surpassing the Grandmaster level, by taking a commanding perspective.

Therefore, this Cultivation Technique became a mere trifle.

But now, Li Hai, who was slightly unwilling after his continuous experimental failures, wanted to try again.

He wanted to see if the upgraded Dege Gong was truly effective.

So, he immediately sat down and began to rapidly deduce based on this Cultivation Technique.

He planned to first deduce it to a sufficient level, for example, to a level where it could elevate others to the Grandmaster level, then consume a fragment to forcefully elevate this Cultivation Technique once more.

The reason Li Hai was determined to consume a fragment was because the difficulty of Breakthrough to the Tyrant Level Realm was too high; one had to create their own Cultivation Technique and walk their own Dao to enter it.

And this was completely contrary to the logic of the Dege Gong, so it was basically impossible to rely solely on deduction to elevate the Dege Gong's grade.

“No consumption, resentment will never cease.”

After quickly deducing the Dege Gong to the Grandmaster level in a short time, Li Hai slowly opened his eyes, looked at the fragment column on his personal interface, and with a thought, consumed a fragment on this Cultivation Technique.

Buzz—with almost no process, the Dege Gong instantly ascended from the Grandmaster grade to the Tyrant Level Realm.

This meant that from now on, Li Hai could use this Cultivation Technique to 'create' Tyrant Level Martial Artists.

Without hesitation, he immediately pulled one of the Sand Bandits out and began to circulate his Qi to enhance his Realm.

This enhancement took nearly an hour.

Then, before this freshly minted Tyrant Level expert could even react, Li Hai instantly killed him with a flying dagger.

“Nothing?! Still no fragments.”

Looking at the number 45 displayed next to the fragment column on his personal interface, Li Hai furrowed his brow and muttered, “What exactly went wrong?”

Just as he was puzzled, his personal interface suddenly trembled, and a line of clear text appeared:

【Attention, you have accumulated three instances of cheating. Please, Master, consciously maintain good academic conduct.】

“Cheating behavior? Good academic conduct?”

Li Hai was utterly bewildered, “What is all this about?”

As he grew even more confused, his personal interface trembled again, and several more lines of text appeared:

【The essence of a strong person's fragment is challenge and trial. All methods of obtaining strong person fragments by creating, strengthening, cultivating, or resurrecting strong persons and then killing them will not yield fragments.】

As this string of text gradually faded, lines of slogan-like text appeared:

【Study Hard, make progress every day;

Be earnest and upright;

Respect yourself, be disciplined, and stay away from cheating;

Correct your academic conduct, let knowledge and action be one;

Be honest and diligent, achieve your future.】

After these slogans also gradually disappeared, the personal interface completely returned to normal.

And Li Hai, with a complex expression, let out a deep sigh:

“So, after all this, everything I just did was considered cheating. Alas~ a fragment was wasted.

Hmm… it can’t be considered a complete waste; it’s still somewhat useful for strengthening subordinates.”

After this experience, Li Hai deeply realized that his System might essentially be something akin to a student ID card.

And he, Li Hai, might truly be just a naive child in middle kindergarten to the System.

“Forget it, let’s drop this matter from now on and honestly go find the old man to farm gold.”

Glancing at the group of Sand Bandits frozen in the Gobi Desert not far away, Li Hai muttered, “However, before going to the Sword Emperor Manor, I need to make a detour to the Pure Yang Temple to see what the situation is like there.”

As he muttered, his figure instantly vanished from the spot.

And after he disappeared, the Sand Bandits, like burning red candles, 'melted' into bloody fragments.

Central Land of the Martial World, southwest region.

“Elder.”

On a dirt road, Li Hai, whose face had become unremarkable, gently asked an Old Woodcutter with a bundle of firewood on his back and a slight limp, “Do you know the way to the Pure Yang Temple?”

“Pure Yang Temple?” The Old Woodcutter looked blankly at Li Hai and said hoarsely, “Young man, what are you going there for?”

“Heh heh.” Li Hai smiled slightly, “I heard from others that the Pure Yang Temple is very efficacious, so I want to go there to worship and make a wish.”

“This—..

The Old Woodcutter put down his firewood and said hesitantly, “Young man, if you trust me, don’t go to that Pure Yang Temple.”

“Oh?” Li Hai raised an eyebrow, “Why?”

“When this old man was young—I also believed this rumor.”

The Old Woodcutter sighed dejectedly, “So I took my wife to that Pure Yang Temple, wanting to worship.

But once we were there and I finished worshipping, I fainted. When I woke up again after a short while, I found—my wife was gone.”

“Hmm?” Li Hai frowned, “What did the Daoist priests in the temple say?”

Upon hearing this question, the Old Woodcutter said heavily, “The Daoist priests of the Pure Yang Temple said that only this old man came to make a wish that day, and he didn’t bring anyone else.

Not only did the Daoist priest say this, but even the passersby who were praying alongside also said the same.

This old man didn’t believe it and argued with the Daoist priest, wanting to break into the back hall of the main building to look. This old man suspected that my wife might have been hidden there by some evil Daoist priest.

Alas~ but the Daoist priests of the Pure Yang Temple insisted that this old man was being unreasonable, and the passersby nearby were also helping them, so in the end, this old man was beaten up and thrown out.”

“Did you just let it go?” Li Hai asked doubtfully, “Did you not do anything else afterward, elder?”

“What else could I do?”

The Old Woodcutter slowly said, “All of my family’s travel money was on my wife. When she disappeared, the money was gone too.

Moreover, my leg was crippled by the Daoist priests of the Pure Yang Temple, so afterward, I could only rely on begging all the way back to my hometown.”

“So in the days that followed—”

Li Hai mused, “You never went back to that Pure Yang Temple, and you never looked for your wife again, elder?”

“I looked, but couldn’t find her.”

The Old Woodcutter said blankly, “We country folk are like grass; no one sees us, and if they do, they just step on us. No one is willing to listen to what you have to say, so if someone disappears, they just disappear. No one cares.”

“I understand.”

Li Hai slowly said, “This Pure Yang Temple must be a place of Nurgle.”

After saying this, he asked the Old Woodcutter again, “Elder, could you roughly tell me which direction the Pure Yang Temple is in, so I have an idea?”

“Huh?” The Old Woodcutter was stunned and said, “I’ve told you all this, young man, and you still want to go?”

“Yes, of course I want to go.”

Li Hai smiled, “Such a filthy place always needs someone to clean it up.”