Chapter 57: Cultivation Erases Years
Chapter 57: Cultivation Erases the Years
Primordial Saint Sect, Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds.
When Lü Yang returned to Mending Heaven Peak, there was hardly a patch of unblemished flesh left on his body. His injuries were even more severe than those from the great battle at Skeleton Mountain.
On his way back to the sect aboard the flying boat, they were ambushed by a righteous sect. A peak Qi Refining cultivator used a divine ability to strip the flesh from his left hand, leaving only bone. His face was covered in scars—a result of being ambushed by a scorpion demon beast's tail stinger while passing through a mountain forest.
And these were just the visible wounds.
Beneath the surface, his meridians, acupoints, dantian, and Purple Mansion were all damaged to varying degrees—all inflicted by those weaker than him.
"This is the fate of fortune... when luck turns against you, even heroes are powerless."
Lü Yang sighed helplessly. His fortune for the next thirty years had been drained prematurely by True Person Yinshan's scheme, leaving him plagued by misfortune. Naturally, nothing went right for him.
At first, Lü Yang tried to fight back.
But every time he clashed with someone, some unexpected mishap would befall him—old hidden injuries flaring up, excessive exertion causing backlash, divine abilities rebounding on him...
In the end, all he could do was flee.
Still, he was, after all, a peak Qi Refining cultivator. Though his fortune was gone, his life force was tough enough to endure until he made it back to the sect.
As for the sect's extermination campaign against the Divine Martial Gate following the events at Skeleton Mountain, Lü Yang dared not participate. Given his current state—where even stepping into a latrine could land him in the pit—if he went to the Divine Martial Gate, he feared a Foundation Establishment True Person might slap him dead from eight hundred miles away.
The moment he returned to the sect, Lü Yang immediately retreated into his cave dwelling.
He then deployed the Heaven-Slashing Blood River Sword Formation outside, plastered the cave with talismans inside and out, and sealed it completely, cutting off all external interference.
"For the next thirty years, I won't step outside!"
Moreover, with misfortune clinging to him like a shadow, even cultivation was a luxury. Forget advancing his cultivation—the only possible outcome was qi deviation.
Fortunately, he had already reached peak Qi Refining, so further cultivation wasn't strictly necessary.
Lü Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion and retrieved a jade slip from his storage pouch. Unlike ordinary jade slips, this one shimmered with a brilliant golden hue.
This was the "Bright Dao Jade Slip."
As a substitute for Foundation Establishment treasures, True Person Yinshan had bestowed this upon him. As Lü Yang had hoped, it was a secret treasure capable of aiding comprehension of the Dao.
Whenever he encountered difficulties in cultivation, he could simply imprint his questions into the jade slip, and it would provide answers. Within the Qi Refining realm, its accuracy was flawless—almost equivalent to having a Foundation Establishment True Person personally deduce divine abilities for him. For Lü Yang, this was a godsend in his time of need.
"In my current state, comprehending divine abilities is hopeless."
"With my luck, I'd undoubtedly fail to grasp the correct path—or worse, veer onto a crooked one. But this Bright Dao Jade Slip is different!"
"True Person Yinshan said this treasure faintly touches the threshold of Foundation Establishment, so its answers won't be affected by my misfortune."
Despite this, Lü Yang wasn't in a hurry to use it to comprehend the Taiwei Decree Pardon Treasure Scripture. Though his grand divine ability, the Great Yin Molting Corpse Dissolution True Method, only lacked this final component, he was far more interested in another harvest from Skeleton Mountain: the Taiyi Golden Radiance Pill Book!
Of course, he hadn't obtained the complete Taiyi Golden Radiance Pill Book.
Since he wasn't a true disciple of Mending Heaven Peak, the grade of his dual cultivation technique was limited. Even after nearly draining Fairy Miaozhen dry, he couldn't extract the full text.
He had only obtained one-third—a divine ability called Taiyi Primordial Essence Jade Radiance.
As the name suggested, once mastered, this divine ability could condense a jade-colored "Essence Light" that, when infused into the physical body, rendered it indestructible like diamond.
Moreover, it also had the effect of repairing bodily injuries—something critically important for Lü Yang in his current state. With his misfortune, his body was practically falling apart, severely damaged in every way.
"Once my injuries and fortune recover, I might need to find a body-refining technique to cultivate."
With this thought, Lü Yang immediately took out his disciple token and contacted Luo Wuya, the second senior brother of the Three Rivers Association, intending to inquire about suitable techniques.
As a peak Qi Refining cultivator, he now had the standing to speak with Luo Wuya as an equal.
Soon, Luo Wuya replied:
"There is indeed a technique well-suited for you, Junior Brother, but it cannot be cultivated at present. Why not wait a few years? Once matters are settled, I will notify you."
Lü Yang naturally agreed readily before entering seclusion.
......
Several years later, a spirited young man arrived outside Lü Yang's cave dwelling.
The youth, named Wang Song, had just joined the sect a few days prior. Introduced by his grandfather, Wang Bairong, he had also joined the Three Rivers Association and accepted Luo Wuya's commission.
"Senior Brother Luo and Senior Brother Lü had an agreement concerning a body-refining technique. However, Senior Brother Luo has been embroiled in bloody battles with the Divine Martial Gate for years and has achieved great merit. Rewarded with a Foundation Establishment treasure by a True Person, he is now preparing to attempt his breakthrough and cannot come personally. Thus, he specially tasked me with delivering the technique..."
"But now Senior Brother Lü is also in seclusion... What should I do?"
Wang Song frowned in distress before finally settling on staying near Lü Yang's cave dwelling. After all, he was young—he had time to wait for Lü Yang to emerge.
With this thought, he glanced at Lü Yang's cave dwelling again, his eyes filled with anticipation.
From what he knew, this Senior Brother Lü had once been an ordinary disciple like himself but had risen to become a peak Qi Refining cultivator, now on the verge of Foundation Establishment.
"If Senior Brother Lü could do it, why can't I?"
"I'm already at Qi Refining, first rank. As long as I study diligently, train relentlessly, and never give up, I too can become someone like Senior Brother Luo and Senior Brother Lü!"
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—do not mock the youth for his poverty!"
Cultivation erases the years. In the blink of an eye, thirty years passed.
Mending Heaven Peak, Library Pavilion.
Now over fifty years old, Wang Song had been stuck at the bottleneck of Qi Refining, third rank, for over a decade. His cultivation had stagnated, and traces of age had begun to show on his face.
The old man from the Library Pavilion who had introduced him to the sect, Wang Bairong, had long since passed away, leaving him only an iron rice bowl as a Library Pavilion attendant and a cave dwelling with thirty years of mortgage left. Fortunately, his luck wasn't entirely bad—thirty years of diligent work had nearly paid off the debt.
The edges of his youth had long been worn smooth.
Now, Wang Song's face bore only the numbness of one who had been thoroughly beaten down by the sect. His aspirations had shifted from "do not mock the youth for his poverty" to "let the dead bury the dead."
Might as well take things as they come.
On the bright side, at least he was almost done paying off his cave dwelling mortgage. That way, when his son joined the sect, he would have a foundation to inherit...
Just then, a thunderous boom echoed from afar.
"Hmm?"
Wang Song looked up blankly to see the cave dwelling he had once cursed in frustration—yet which had never opened—suddenly stirring.
"Emerging... Senior Brother Lü is emerging!?"
The next moment, the cave dwelling opened, and Wang Song saw a handsome, spirited young man—looking just as youthful as he himself had thirty years ago—step out leisurely.
Thirty years had flowed by, yet not a trace of time had marked him.
Then, as if sensing his gaze, the young man turned his head abruptly. His calm eyes seemed capable of piercing straight into one's soul.
"You are...?"
Lü Yang looked at him curiously, and with a thought, a halo of light appeared behind his head—round as the full moon, inscribed with intricate talismanic script.
The script resembled dragons and phoenixes, exuding an extremely contradictory aura. At first glance, it appeared as fine as dust, but upon closer inspection, one would lose themselves in it, as if gazing upon a vast universe. Over time, the script continuously transformed, depicting all manner of phenomena—flowers, birds, fish, insects, and more.
Taiwei Decree Pardon Treasure Scripture!
The final divine ability of the Great Yin Molting Corpse Dissolution True Method, entirely different from the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light and the Profound Yin Form-Capturing Grand Art, was not meant for combat.
Rather, it was for divination.
Thus, the moment Lü Yang's gaze fell upon Wang Song, as the scripture activated, the entire chain of events leading to this moment was no longer a mystery to him.
Wang Song's identity, his ancestors eighteen generations back, his cultivation techniques, his realm, his mastered divine abilities, even why he had waited outside the cave dwelling—all of it was laid bare before Lü Yang.
This sensation, as if all things in the world were as clear as lines on his palm, left Lü Yang sighing inwardly:
'Perhaps this is how Foundation Establishment True Persons feel?'
Of course, this was also due to the vast gap between their cultivation realms. If he tried divining a peak Qi Refining cultivator, it wouldn't be nearly as effortless.
Thus, he was still far from reaching the level of a Foundation Establishment True Person.
Meanwhile, Wang Song—who had waited decades for this moment—stumbled forward to pay his respects, only to hear a sigh:
"No need for formalities. Just hand it over."
Not daring to delay, Wang Song hurriedly produced a jade slip he had safeguarded for thirty years. Lü Yang swept it with his divine sense, and the restrictions dissolved, revealing its contents.
Luo Wuya hadn't lied—it was indeed a body-refining technique, and it was indeed well-suited for him.
Its name: Saint's Theft.
