NOVEL WEB Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Truly Worthy of the Saint Sect
The landscape was picturesque, the setting sun like blood.
Lü Yang stood above the sea of clouds, and after a long while without a palm strike descending from the heavens to pulverize him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That just now... was a Foundation Establishment True Person?"
Lü Yang didn't even dare to speak aloud, only pondering in his heart, his expression turning extremely grim, for the gap between them was simply too vast.
Not only his body but even his thoughts were frozen; it wasn't until Daoist Hong Yun departed that he could react.
That feeling was akin to a mouse caught in a cat's paw—it was no longer a mere difference in strength but a disparity in levels, instantly extinguishing all arrogance in Lü Yang's heart.
"I'm still too weak, without power."
Originally, after defeating Liu Xin and others despite being outnumbered, Lü Yang had swept away the gloom of his previous life and felt invigorated.
Now, however, he had once again tempered his mindset.
The path to immortality was long and required steadfast progress.
Lü Yang sighed, then recalled the matter of Xiao Shiye, fear resurfacing in his eyes: "Fortune... is it actually bestowed by others?"
At this point, he remembered.
Before heading to the Merit Pool, Xiao Shiye had said, "I've been a bit lucky lately, so I want to take the opportunity to try my luck."
"A bit lucky lately."
At the time, Lü Yang thought it was just the modesty of a child of destiny.
But now, it seemed that might have been the truth—he had only recently become fortunate.
Because of that Daoist Hong Yun!
"The colorful fish in the Merit Pool must refer to the colorful merit fish. Did Daoist Hong Yun intend to use Xiao Shiye to fish it out of the Merit Pool?"
"If that's the case, then in the previous life, he succeeded. However, speaking of which, after Xiao Shiye fished out the colorful merit fish, he announced his seclusion and was never heard from again..."
Lü Yang thought deeply and was terrified.
Fishing, fishing—the fish was caught, so the bait naturally became useless?
At this thought, Lü Yang suddenly looked up.
Primordial Saint Sect, Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds.
Perhaps to those elusive high-level figures of the Saint Sect, disciples like them were merely a group of fish raised in a pond?
"Truly worthy of the Saint Sect..."
Lü Yang took a deep breath, somewhat understanding why no one had killed him.
A single fish, even if it flopped around a bit and had some unspeakable secrets—so what?
They might even think you're a talent!
"In any case, at least the secret of the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】 hasn't been exposed."
Lü Yang felt fortunate in his heart.
Not only that, but the karma related to the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes seemed to have been concealed from Daoist Hong Yun, so much so that he didn't suspect why Lü Yang had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining without even entering the sect.
"No time to lose, better go back and eat."
Fortunately, although the 【Innate Dao Book】 was taken away by Daoist Hong Yun, Lü Yang had already memorized the entire content of the cultivation method beforehand.
This was a good habit Lü Yang had developed because of the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】.
Whenever he encountered a good cultivation method or divine ability, he would immediately memorize it, so he could use it in the next life without spending contribution points to exchange for it again.
Moreover, Daoist Hong Yun took away the 【Innate Dao Book】 but didn't take away Qing Chen Fairy's 【Secret Explanation of Array Treasures】.
"Indeed, the two are incomparable; Qing Chen Fairy's item obviously didn't catch his eye—but it's very useful to me."
In fact, Lü Yang didn't value the 【Innate Dao Book】 much, because he had already set his sights on Zhao Xuhe's third-grade true technique.
The 【Innate Dao Book】 was dispensable.
On the contrary, the 【Secret Explanation of Array Treasures】, which involved the arts of array formation and treasure refining in cultivation, piqued his interest.
As for the Innate True Qi Myriad Spirits Banner...
"There will be opportunities; let's talk about it in the next life."
Returning to the cave dwelling, Lü Yang first calmed his mind and focused on cultivation, while studying the 【Secret Explanation of Array Treasures】 and slowly repairing the damage to his sword pill.
It wasn't until half a month later that he emerged from seclusion again.
This time, he sought out Zhao Xuhe.
When he arrived at Zhao Xuhe's cave dwelling, he saw Zhao Xuhe arguing with a stern-looking young man wearing the Law Enforcement Hall's attire.
"Senior Brother, you have to believe me. Don't you understand my credibility? Over a decade, it's been quite good. It's just 1,000 contribution points; I'll definitely repay it... What? Interest!? You... Fine, no problem. Senior Brother, please give me a few more days; I'll repay it with interest."
After a moment of entanglement, the Law Enforcement Hall disciple sneered and left.
Zhao Xuhe stood there with a gloomy face, his aura fluctuating.
Seeing the opportunity, Lü Yang immediately revealed himself and walked over.
"Senior Brother Zhao, long time no see."
Zhao Xuhe looked up in response and immediately noticed Lü Yang's undisguised aura, his pupils contracting sharply: "Junior Brother Lü, you've broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining!?"
"Just a fluke, just a fluke."
Lü Yang smiled slightly and said, "I have dull aptitude. After several months of seclusion and spending a lot of contribution points, I was lucky enough to break through. I've made a fool of myself in front of Senior Brother."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuhe's expression became even more rigid, even vaguely twisted.
After all, both of them had speculated on the Substitute Death Yin Puppet.
He had lost everything, even his lover had run off with someone else.
Lü Yang, however, had made a fortune and even used the contribution points earned to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining.
What was more infuriating was that he might not even be Lü Yang's match now!
"Although I obtained the opportunity from True Person Panlong, due to insufficient fortune and merit, I only got half of that third-grade true technique..."
For this, he had even consulted his master.
His master deduced the cause and concluded that it was because he had speculated on the Substitute Death Yin Puppet, prematurely exhausting three lifetimes' worth of accumulated merit, leading to a failed endeavor.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe nearly ground his teeth to pieces.
Half of a third-grade true technique, only a Qi Refining realm part of the 【Ninefold Transforming Dragon Art】, lacking the Foundation Establishment realm's cultivation method—utterly useless to him!
Not to mention, he now owed external debts and didn't even dare to dismantle his cultivation and switch paths, fearing that during the transition, debt collectors would come knocking.
Seeing him powerless after dismantling his cultivation, they might turn into robbers, rob him clean, and then kill him to silence him—that would be truly unspeakable suffering.
"Junior Brother, did you come to see me for something?"
"It's a long story."
Lü Yang sighed, "To be honest, I came to seek guidance from Senior Brother. I've recently encountered some trouble."
"Trouble?" Zhao Xuhe's eyes lit up.
Upon hearing this, Lü Yang sighed, "Previously, I focused solely on cultivation. It wasn't until I broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining that I learned about the issue of true qi grades. I deeply regret it..."
Hearing Lü Yang say this, Zhao Xuhe suddenly felt much better.
"So it's about true qi grades."
Zhao Xuhe feigned concern and comforted him, "Most disciples in the Saint Sect actually aren't aware of this, so it's normal that Junior Brother didn't know."
"Ah, the world is unpredictable."
Lü Yang shook his head helplessly, "So I came to ask Senior Brother if there's any way to improve the grade of true qi. If there's a superior cultivation method, even better. As for the price, Senior Brother needn't worry. I can afford one or two thousand contribution points."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuhe's mind became active.
One or two thousand contribution points—he happened to need such an amount urgently.
In a flash, Zhao Xuhe's thoughts raced, and then he suddenly said:
"Junior Brother Lü, since you put it that way... I do have a cultivation method suitable for you. As long as you cultivate it, you can definitely improve your true qi grade."
"Really?"
Lü Yang's face immediately showed anticipation, "What cultivation method is it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuhe hesitated.
For some reason, he had a strange feeling.
But on second thought, this cultivation method was only half complete—it was already useless.
Rather than keeping it, better to make use of it to repay debts.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe gritted his teeth and directly took out the 【Ninefold Transforming Dragon Art】 he had obtained from Panlong Island and handed it to Lü Yang.