Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Invitation from the Three Rivers Association, a Foundation Establishment Opportunity
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Outside the cave residence, following Lu Yang's breakthrough, information about him was laid on the desks of interested parties. His origins and background were quickly investigated.
And just as Lu Yang had predicted, his background could only be described in four words.
A proper demonic pedigree.
A disciple recruited during the Primal Saint Sect's annual intake, formally joined after 'sending off' a Senior Sister in the Harmonious Union Hall, then made a fortune speculating on Death-Substituting Yin Puppets, and had been in seclusion ever since.
"This is an ascetic cultivator."
Looking at the materials on the table, a female cultivator with a powdered face that held a hint of killing intent and sharp eyes couldn't help but praise him. She was also a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, but compared to the newly broken-through Lu Yang, her cultivation had impressively reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining, just one step away from the tenth layer of perfection!
The female cultivator's name was "Feixia," and she was quite famous within the Primal Saint Sect.
Not only because of her beauty, but also because she was a rare talisman cultivator in the sect. With her talisman crafting skills, she had even earned the appreciation of a sect elder.
"An ascetic cultivator alone can't reach the late stage of Qi Refining."
Beside Fairy Feixia, a young man with a feather fan and a silk turban smiled faintly. "He clearly made a fortune speculating on Death-Substituting Yin Puppets, yet he kept a low profile."
"From this, we can see he is also a cautious and intelligent person."
"That's normal, and it makes sense."
Hearing this, Fairy Feixia sighed. "For ordinary disciples like us to stand out, talent, caution, intelligence, courage... none of these can be lacking."
"So, it's decided?"
Fairy Feixia nodded and said, "I'll recommend him. This person broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining in just ten years. My Three Rivers Association needs talent like him."
Inside the cave residence, Lu Yang sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.
Before him, more than ten talisman messages were laid out in a row. Each was an olive branch, claiming that if he was willing to join their faction, a grand gift would be presented immediately, including but not limited to cultivation partners, techniques, divine abilities, treasures, and pills... one could say they had everything.
"I didn't notice in the life before last, I never expected there were so many factions within the Primal Saint Sect..."
Basically, as long as one had a late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, they could pull together a sizable team in the Primal Saint Sect. For example, Liu Xin from the life before last was just like that.
Lu Yang wasn't surprised by this.
After all, "no factions within a sect is the strangest thing of all." The Primal Saint Sect was so large, it was impossible for everyone to be of one mind. They would always band together for their own interests.
Of course, those factions were like rootless duckweed, lacking a foundation.
The ones who truly had the confidence to recruit him were the factions established by some Primal Saint Sect elders, or even True Disciples. The conditions they offered were also relatively more realistic and credible.
But that was all.
"I still overestimated myself." Lu Yang shook his head. The conditions offered by those major factions were indeed good, often involving tens of thousands of contribution points.
However, he happened to not be short on money.
After all, he still hadn't finished spending the contribution points he earned from speculating on the Death-Substituting Yin Puppets.
Compared to money, what he lacked was "access"—the access to truly connect with the middle echelons of the Primal Saint Sect and purchase things that couldn't normally be bought.
Just as Lu Yang was pondering, the array outside his door suddenly trembled.
Lu Yang looked up at the sound, only to see the illumination array he had set up in front of his cave residence burst with light. The brilliant glow of the array illuminated a graceful and curvaceous silhouette.
It was Fairy Feixia.
"Junior Brother Lu, you also know arrays?" Fairy Feixia looked at the array patterns appearing around them in astonishment, a hint of unexpected surprise on her pretty face.
Lu Yang cupped his hands. "Senior Sister, may I ask why you have come?"
Fairy Feixia didn't act coy, returning the salute gracefully. "I am Feixia, a deacon of the Primal Saint Sect's Three Rivers Association. I have come for you, Junior Brother."
"Oh? Please, Senior Sister." Lu Yang quickly welcomed her in, his mind racing. The Three Rivers Association, wasn't that the faction behind Zhao Xuhe? Why would they come to recruit him?
Lu Yang actually didn't know much about the Three Rivers Association, but he knew Zhao Xuhe was a member. More importantly, as a disciple of the Heaven Mending Peak's Master, Zhao Xuhe seemed to be only in the middle or lower ranks of the association. This point alone showed the value of the Three Rivers Association.
"Please forgive my ignorance, Senior Sister. I am ill-informed. What is the Three Rivers Association...?"
Lu Yang asked very cautiously. Fairy Feixia wasn't surprised to hear this and smiled. "The Three Rivers Association was established by three True Disciple Senior Brothers."
"The eldest among them is already a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being and has established his own peak within the Sea of Clouds."
"Although the second and third Senior Brothers have not yet reached Foundation Establishment, they have both refined third-grade True Qi and are at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, poised to break through at any moment."
"I've heard that you, Junior Brother Lu, also come from an ordinary disciple background. You should understand the hardships of an ordinary disciple's early days. The three Senior Brothers, like us, came from humble beginnings. So, after achieving great success in their cultivation, they established the Three Rivers Association, dedicated to helping ordinary disciples overcome the initial difficulties."
"I see." Lu Yang wore a look of admiration. "The three Senior Brothers are truly virtuous."
*Pah!*
If I hadn't taken loans from your Three Rivers Association in my past lives and personally witnessed your 36% annual interest rate, I might have actually believed this nonsense.
Lu Yang cursed inwardly. He was never one to act without seeing a reward, so he naturally wouldn't make a rash decision just based on Fairy Feixia's words. He immediately asked cautiously, "It is my utmost honor to be invited to join the Three Rivers Association. I just wonder, what are the benefits?"
"You need not worry about that, Junior Brother."
Hearing this, Fairy Feixia said frankly, "As long as you are willing to join, Junior Brother, I can immediately make the decision to gift you a True Disciple-level divine ability secret art."
"After joining, you will receive an annual stipend of contribution points."
"Furthermore, as long as you have the money, you can also use the association's True Disciple access to purchase items you desire, or even ask the three Senior Brothers for guidance in your cultivation."
"Of course, there are requirements as well."
Speaking of which, Fairy Feixia took out a jade slip and placed it before Lu Yang. "All who join must sign a contract and leave behind a drop of essence blood..."
"That's simple."
Lu Yang glanced at the contract before him. It was nothing more than the usual clauses found in any faction: confidentiality obligations and so on. Perhaps some would feel this meant losing their freedom, being unable to act on their own will in many matters, but Lu Yang couldn't care less. With a wave of his hand, he signed his name.
It's just a matter of one lifetime; it won't affect the next.
Lu Yang even wished the binding was stronger. That way, he'd be more likely to be treated as one of their own, and the resources he received would surely be better.
Seeing Lu Yang act so decisively, Fairy Feixia nodded in satisfaction.
"Next, just take out your Primal Saint Sect disciple token, Junior Brother. I will place a restriction on it, and from then on, the token can be used within the association."
"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Sister."
Lu Yang took out his token. He saw Fairy Feixia form a hand seal with one hand and strike a talismanic seal into it. A brand new section immediately appeared on the token.
"Talisman crafting..."
Lu Yang's eyes lit up slightly. He could now be considered a ninth-rank array master. By analogy, although he didn't understand talisman crafting, he could grasp some of it.
In his view, a so-called talisman was just a simple, temporary, small-scale array.
*Good stuff... I want to learn it.*
The next moment, watching this display of talisman crafting, Lu Yang finally remembered who this Fairy Feixia was. He had heard of her in the life before last.
"She is Zhao Xuhe's Dao companion..." Lu Yang mused. "In the life before last, while I was studying arrays, I heard that she and Zhao Xuhe became Dao companions. Both were at the perfection of Qi Refining and shone brightly on the battlefield between the righteous and demonic paths. They even attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment together, but unfortunately, they both failed and passed away..."
At this thought, Lu Yang's eyes suddenly lit up.
The key point wasn't that they failed to reach Foundation Establishment and died, but that they actually had the opportunity to attempt it. Behind that, there must have been a Foundation Establishment opportunity!
(End of this chapter)