Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Fishing
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"Who made a deal with you? Maybe in the next life!"
"With the Book of a Hundred Lives, I'll just take the 'Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Riding Ascension Treasure Scroll' this time. I can get the 'Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art' in the next life. They'll all be mine eventually!"
From the very beginning, Lu Yang had never trusted Zhao Xuhe.
Sharing the Dao scripture was nothing more than a temporary measure. Lu Yang was certain that as soon as Zhao Xuhe escaped, he would find a way to kill him.
Unfortunately, Zhao Xuhe was stronger. Lu Yang had no absolute certainty of killing him and eliminating the threat for good. If they truly fought to the death, he might be the one to die.
Furthermore, his loan was about to come due, and he had no way of repaying it. His time in this life was running out. So, the moment the Dao scripture was in his hands, Lu Yang decisively self-destructed.
[You brazenly self-destructed and died.]
[Remaining pages in the Book of a Hundred Lives: 97]
[Restarting a new life. You may choose one of the following gains from your previous life:
One: Treasures.
Two: Cultivation.
Three: Lifespan.
Four: Forfeit all gains and awaken a random talent based on your previous life's experiences.]
"Those whose names are called, come before me."
As his consciousness cleared, Liu Xin's familiar, hateful voice echoed from the stage. Lu Yang paid it no mind and said internally, "I choose Cultivation."
Boom!
The next second, Lu Yang felt a surge of True Qi erupt from his Dantian, quickly flowing to his limbs and meridians, beginning a frantic transformation of his essence, Qi, and spirit. He gritted his teeth and circulated the Qi Concealment Art he had obtained from the three black-robed men, containing all the commotion beneath his skin.
A moment later, Lu Yang let out a long, turbid breath.
"I'm back again!"
Fourth level of Qi Refining, mid-stage!
Lifting his head to look at Liu Xin on the stage, Lu Yang no longer felt the fear of their first meeting. At this point, Liu Xin was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining!
Only after selecting a registered disciple and refining them into Innate Primal Qi could he break through his bottleneck and reach the late stage of Qi Refining. Only then would he have a chance of seeing through Lu Yang's Qi Concealment Art. Before that, even if Lu Yang stood right in front of him, he would only see an ordinary person.
"But there's also a pleasant surprise."
Lu Yang looked inward at his Dantian and saw a wisp of hazy white Qi floating there. It was the Innate Primal Qi from his previous life. It was still here in this life!
"I understand now... The Book of a Hundred Lives doesn't reset to the original anchor point, but to my previous life!"
This was undoubtedly a good thing.
It meant that the treasures, cultivation, and even lifespan he chose in each life could be carried over to the next, saving him from starting over every time.
From then on, Lu Yang's actions were the same as before.
He went on stage, was assigned, and went to the Harmonious Union Hall.
He out-cultivated Yu Suzhen.
He laid low, broke through after three months, and became a formal disciple without drawing any attention.
"According to my plan for this life, besides the remaining 'Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art', there are two other major things worth trying."
The first was naturally the "Merit Lottery."
Lu Yang stayed in his grotto-mansion for a few days before heading to the Meritorious Deeds Tower to accept the "Accumulate Merit" task. Then, he rushed straight to the Merit Pool.
"2025113!"
Standing in the crowd around the Merit Pool, Lu Yang slicked back his hair handsomely and began to imagine how he would spend the grand prize from the Merit Pool.
A billion, a billion, enough to last a lifetime~!
Goodbye, poverty, I will miss you...
The next second, a clamor erupted from the crowd. Countless people looked at Lu Yang in surprise, and at the Merit Fish drawn by the number he had chosen.
"Brother, your luck is pretty good."
Someone sidled up to Lu Yang, his voice filled with envy. "A purple Merit Fish. Though it's only a little better than white and blue, it's still a rare sight."
"...What?"
Lu Yang tilted his head, a series of question marks appearing above it.
A purple Merit Fish?
Not a rainbow one?
Lu Yang quickly looked at the Merit Fish he had drawn. It was indeed glowing with a purple light. He checked the number he had chosen again—2025113. It was correct.
Why didn't he win?!
Could it be that the lucky winner from his previous life, Xiao Shiye, had lied? But he couldn't have known someone could restart their life, so there was no reason to lie.
In that case...
"It's rigged!"
Lu Yang's hands trembled with anger, his face flushing red. He finally understood: what lucky winner? That Xiao Shiye was clearly a designated shill!
"Forget it, at least it's a Merit Fish..." Lu Yang could only comfort himself with this thought. Purple was still considered rare, second only to gold and rainbow. Although he had missed out on the billion-point grand prize, eating the purple Merit Fish would probably allow his cultivation to quickly reach the fifth level of Qi Refining.
Thinking this, Lu Yang felt much better. To be safe, he didn't take the Merit Fish back to his grotto-mansion. Instead, he consumed it on the spot in front of everyone, then began to meditate and circulate his technique to refine it.
After he was done, Lu Yang clearly felt several gazes that had been on him dissipate.
The result was as he expected. The essence from the purple Merit Fish allowed him to smoothly break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, and he even touched the threshold of the sixth level.
"And this is just purple. If it were rainbow..."
Lu Yang's mind drifted for a moment. After all, in his past life, that Xiao Shiye had gone from the first level of Qi Refining straight to the peak of the realm overnight after consuming the rainbow Merit Fish.
"Forget it, I won't force it."
Lu Yang quickly regained his composure. The first matter was a bust, but there was still a chance for the second: the "Death-Substituting Yin Puppet price bubble incident."
The old man from the Scripture Repository Pavilion, Wang Bairong, had nearly lost his entire fortune because of this, which led to him being deceived by Zhao Xuhe and becoming cannon fodder on Coiling Dragon Island. But in the end, that was because Wang Bairong had entered the market too late. He was different; he knew the exact timeline of this price bubble.
"The price is actually already on the rise."
Lu Yang opened his Disciple Token and checked the price of the Death-Substituting Yin Puppet. Sure enough, it had fluctuated slightly. It was clear that someone with inside information was already manipulating the market.
"To get in on this, I still need a sizable amount of capital..."
Lu Yang thought for a moment, then turned and headed for the Meritorious Deeds Tower.
As expected, in the eyes of the older disciples, a newly initiated disciple like him was a little lamb ripe for the slaughter. It wasn't long before Zhao Xuhe took the initiative to approach him.
"Junior Brother, you don't look so well. Are you facing some kind of difficulty?"
Lu Yang looked up at his words and forced a bitter smile. "What other difficulty could there be? I'm just short on money. Senior Brother, do you know of any tasks that pay well in Contribution Points?"
"So it's money... I understand. I've been there, Senior Brother. When I was your age, I was also worrying about Contribution Points, stressed out every day. My cultivation partner even left me because of it... Sigh, endless tasks every day, it felt like there was no hope in sight."
Zhao Xuhe's tone was wistful, as if he and Lu Yang were kindred spirits.
After speaking, he patted Lu Yang's shoulder and said, "I've stumbled through half my life, Senior Brother, and I've finally summed up a universal truth."
"And that is, money is stagnant."
"So you have to make money make money. Use Contribution Points to earn more Contribution Points. Only then can you avoid becoming a slave to the sect, only then can you escape this life of toil!"
Lu Yang's face immediately showed a look of admiration. "Listening to your words, Senior Brother, is more enlightening than ten years of study!"
But soon, Lu Yang's head drooped in disappointment again. "But Senior Brother, I don't even have any Contribution Points right now. How can I use them to earn more?"
"No! You're thinking too small!"
Zhao Xuhe's expression grew even more amiable as he flashed a smile. "You may not have money now, but you can borrow it. Just pay it back after you've made a profit, right?"
"But..." Lu Yang still looked hesitant.
Seeing a sale on the horizon, Zhao Xuhe wasn't about to let it go. He quickly said, "How about this? I feel a connection with you, Junior Brother. I'll lend you a sum!"
Lu Yang's eyes instantly lit up. "Really?"
Seeing his eager expression, Zhao Xuhe was certain the fish had taken the bait!
"Of course, it's true!"
Zhao Xuhe patted his chest in assurance while also showing off the so-called emblem of the Three Rivers Association. Only then did he ask Lu Yang, "How much are you planning to borrow, Junior Brother?"
Lu Yang was silent for a moment, then held up two fingers.
"Two hundred?"
"Two thousand!"
Lu Yang's face was resolute. "To be honest, I haven't used my Cultivation Method Loan yet, which is worth 1000 Contribution Points. There's also my newcomer benefits, the Bone Jade Sword, the Qi and Blood Pills, the Human-faced Owl... I'll use all of these as collateral. Senior Brother Zhao, can you lend me 2000 Contribution Points?"
Zhao Xuhe was stunned.
Are all young people these days so reckless?
I've only been talking for a few minutes, and you're already going all in?
Before Zhao Xuhe could even react, Lu Yang said something that shocked him even more. "Senior Brother Zhao, I plan to put it all into Death-Substituting Yin Puppets."
"What!?"
Zhao Xuhe was shocked at first, then, as if realizing something, he quickly lowered his voice. "Junior Brother... don't tell me you have some inside information?"
"Senior Brother is wise." Lu Yang also whispered, "When I was choosing a cultivation method in the Scripture Repository Pavilion, I overheard Senior Brother Wang Bairong at the entrance. It seems the war in the south is not going well, and the Ten Thousand Men Pit that produces the Death-Substituting Yin Puppets has fallen. The sect is just secretly suppressing the news..."
"Hiss!"
At these words, Zhao Xuhe sucked in a sharp breath. A thick greed filled his eyes; he had clearly smelled an opportunity.
If this news was true, then a chance to strike it rich had just arrived!
Looking at the unbearably excited Zhao Xuhe, Lu Yang sneered inwardly.
The fish has taken the bait!
(End of Chapter)