Chapter 26: Truly Worthy of the Saint Sect
The landscape stretched like a painting, the setting sun crimson as blood.
Lü Yang stood upon the sea of clouds, waiting for what felt like an eternity, yet no palm strike descended from the heavens to crush him into dust. Only then did he finally exhale in relief.
"Was that... a Foundation Establishment True Person?"
Lü Yang didn't dare voice his thoughts aloud, keeping them locked within his mind. His expression darkened to an extreme degree—the gap between them was simply too vast.
Not only had his body been frozen, but even his thoughts had been paralyzed. It wasn't until Daoist Hong Yun departed that he regained his senses. The feeling was akin to a mouse caught in a cat's claws—no longer just a disparity in strength, but a fundamental difference in level. In an instant, it shattered all the arrogance Lü Yang had harbored in his heart.
"I'm still too weak... I lack power..."
Originally, after defeating Liu Xin and his group against overwhelming odds, Lü Yang had felt as though he had swept away the shadows of his past life, brimming with confidence. But now, his mindset had once again been humbled.
The path of immortality was long—he still needed to temper himself and press forward.
Lost in reflection, Lü Yang suddenly recalled Xiao Shiye's situation, and a trace of fear flickered in his eyes once more.
"Fortune... can it truly be bestowed by others?"
By now, he had pieced it together.
Before heading to the Merit Pool, Xiao Shiye had once said: "It just so happens that I've been unusually lucky recently, so I wanted to try my hand at fishing while the opportunity lasts."
"Unusually lucky recently."
At the time, Lü Yang had taken it as the modesty of a Chosen One. But now, it seemed those words might have been the truth—Xiao Shiye had genuinely only begun to experience good fortune recently.
Because of that Daoist Hong Yun!
"The colorful fish in the Merit Pool... he must have been referring to the multicolored Merit Fish. Did Daoist Hong Yun intend to use Xiao Shiye as a means to fish it out from the pool?"
"If that's the case, then he succeeded in my previous life. But then again, in my past life, after Xiao Shiye fished out the multicolored Merit Fish, he announced he was going into seclusion... and was never heard from again..." The more Lü Yang pondered, the more horrifying the implications became. Fishing, fishing—once the fish was caught, what need was there for the bait?
At this thought, Lü Yang abruptly raised his head.
The Primordial Saint Sect—the sky-reaching sea of clouds.
Perhaps, to those elusive high-ranking figures of the sect, disciples like them were nothing more than fish raised in a pond?
"Truly worthy of the Saint Sect..."
Lü Yang took a deep breath, finally understanding why no one had bothered to crush him like an insect.
A mere fish—even if it leaped about a little too energetically, even if it harbored some unspeakable secrets—what did it matter? They might even consider him a promising talent!
"Regardless, at least the secret of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] wasn't exposed." Lü Yang inwardly sighed in relief. Not only that, but the karma related to the book seemed to have escaped Daoist Hong Yun's notice, preventing any suspicion about how he had reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining before even formally joining the sect.
"No time to waste—I should head back and eat first."
Fortunately, though the Innate Dao Book had been taken by Daoist Hong Yun, Lü Yang had already memorized its contents beforehand.
This was a habit Lü Yang had developed precisely because of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes].
Whenever he encountered a worthwhile technique or divine ability, he committed it to memory immediately—so that it could be utilized in his next life without needing to spend Contribution Points to exchange for it again.
Moreover, while Daoist Hong Yun had taken the Innate Dao Book, he had left behind Qing Chen Fairy's Secrets of Formation Treasures.
"Admittedly, the two are incomparable—Qing Chen Fairy's belongings clearly didn't even catch that person's eye... But for me, they're immensely useful."
Truthfully, Lü Yang didn't place much importance on the Innate Dao Book. His sights were already set on Zhao Xuhe's third-grade true technique. The Innate Dao Book was expendable, whereas the Secrets of Formation Treasures, which involved formations and treasure refinement, greatly intrigued him.
As for the Innate True Qi Myriad Spirits Banner...
"There will be opportunities in the future. I'll worry about it in my next life."
Returning to his cave dwelling, Lü Yang first steadied his mind, focusing on cultivation while studying the Secrets of Formation Treasures and gradually repairing the damage to his sword pill.
It wasn't until half a month later that he emerged from seclusion once more.
This time, he sought out Zhao Xuhe.
When he arrived at Zhao Xuhe's cave, however, he found the latter engaged in a heated argument with a stern-faced young man dressed in Law Enforcement Hall attire.
"Senior Brother, you have to believe me! You know my reputation, Zhao Xuhe's—over a dozen years, never a blemish! It's just 1,000 Contribution Points, I'll definitely repay them... What? Interest!? You—fine, no problem! Senior Brother, just give me a few more days, I'll return everything with interest..."
After some back-and-forth, the Law Enforcement Hall disciple finally left with a sneer.
Zhao Xuhe remained standing in place, his expression gloomy, his aura fluctuating erratically. Seeing the timing was right, Lü Yang stepped forward and approached.
"Senior Brother Zhao, it's been a while."
Zhao Xuhe looked up, immediately sensing Lü Yang's unrestrained aura—his pupils constricted sharply.
"Junior Brother Lü... You've broken through to late-stage Qi Refining!?"
"Just luck, just luck."
Lü Yang smiled faintly. "With my mediocre talent, it took months of seclusion and quite a few Contribution Points to barely manage this breakthrough. I must look quite pitiful in your eyes."
Zhao Xuhe's expression grew increasingly stiff, even slightly distorted. After all, they had both speculated on Substitute Death Yin Puppets—yet while he had lost everything, even his lover abandoning him for another, Lü Yang had profited immensely, even using his earnings to break through to late-stage Qi Refining.
What was even more infuriating was that he might no longer be Lü Yang's match!
"Though I obtained True Person Panlong's opportunity, due to insufficient fortune and merit, I only acquired half of that third-grade true technique..."
He had even consulted his master about it.
After deducing the karma, his master concluded that Zhao Xuhe had exhausted three lifetimes' worth of accumulated merit by speculating on Substitute Death Yin Puppets prematurely—leading to his current predicament.
At this thought, Zhao Xuhe nearly ground his teeth to dust.
Half of a third-grade true technique—only the Qi Refining portion, the Nine Transforming Dragon Art, while missing the Foundation Establishment segment—was utterly useless to him!
Not to mention, he was now saddled with debt, unable to even risk dispersing his cultivation to switch techniques. If debt collectors came knocking while he was weakened, they might easily turn into robbers, stripping him bare before silencing him permanently. Then he'd truly have no one to complain to.
"Junior Brother, what brings you here?"
"It's a long story." Lü Yang sighed. "To be honest, I came seeking Senior Brother's guidance. I've run into some trouble recently."
"Trouble?" Zhao Xuhe's eyes lit up.
Lü Yang continued with a sorrowful tone, "I was solely focused on cultivation and only learned about the issue of qi quality after breaking through to late-stage Qi Refining. I deeply regret it..."
Hearing this, Zhao Xuhe suddenly felt slightly better.
"So it's about qi quality."
He offered some insincere words of comfort. "Most disciples in the Saint Sect aren't even aware of this, so it's perfectly normal that Junior Brother didn't know..."
"Ah, such is fate." Lü Yang shook his head helplessly. "That's why I came to seek Senior Brother's advice—is there any way to improve qi quality? Preferably with a superior technique... As for price, don't worry. I can spare one or two thousand Contribution Points."
"...Oh?"
At this, Zhao Xuhe's mind immediately began racing. One or two thousand Contribution Points—that was precisely the sum he urgently needed right now!
In a flash, Zhao Xuhe's thoughts whirled before he suddenly spoke:
"Junior Brother Lü, since you mention it... I do happen to have a technique that would suit you perfectly. Once you cultivate it, your qi quality will undoubtedly improve."
"Really?" Lü Yang's face brightened with anticipation. "What technique is it?"
Zhao Xuhe hesitated briefly, an inexplicable sense of oddity creeping over him. But then he reconsidered—this technique was incomplete, already worthless.
Rather than keeping it, why not make use of it to settle his debts?
With this thought, Zhao Xuhe gritted his teeth and pulled out the Nine Transforming Dragon Art he had obtained from Coiling Dragon Island, handing it directly to Lü Yang.