Chapter 26: Truly Worthy of the Saint Sect

The landscape is like a painting, the setting sun like blood,

Lu Yang stood upon the sea of clouds. After waiting for quite a while without a palm technique descending from the sky to smash him into powder, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was that just now... a Foundation Establishment True Person?"

Lu Yang did not even dare to mutter to himself, thinking only within his heart. His face grew even more grim, for the gap between the two was simply too vast.

Not only was his body, but even his thoughts, frozen until Daoist Hong Yun Dao Ren left before he could react. That feeling was like a mouse caught in a cat's paw; it was no longer merely a difference in strength, but a distinction in level, instantly extinguishing all the arrogance in Lu Yang's heart.

"I am still too weak, I have no power."

Originally, having defeated Liu Xin and others while fighting many with few, Lu Yang had swept away the gloom of his past life, feeling full of spirit and high morale. Now, however, he had once again leveled his mindset.

The path to immortality is long; one must still forge ahead with perseverance.

Lu Yang sighed with emotion, then recalled the matter of Xiao Shiyue. Fear reappeared in his eyes: "Luck, it is actually bestowed by others?"

By now, he also remembered.

Before heading to the Merit Pool, Xiao Shiyue had once said: "Just so happens I have suddenly had some good luck recently, so I wanted to take the opportunity to test my luck."

Had some good luck recently.

At the time, Lu Yang only thought it was the humility of a child of destiny, but now it seemed perhaps that was the truth; he really had only started having good luck recently.

Because of that Daoist Hong Yun Dao Ren!

"The colored fish in the Merit Pool must refer to the Colorful Merit Fish. Did Daoist Hong Yun Dao Ren want to use Xiao Shiyue's hand to fish it out from the Merit Pool?"

"If that is truly the case, then in the previous life he succeeded. However, speaking of which, in the previous life, after Xiao Shiyue fished out the Colorful Merit Fish, he announced to the outside world that he was entering seclusion, and since then has been heard of no more." Lu Yang thought deeply and felt terrified. Fishing, fishing, the fish was caught, so naturally the bait was no longer of use?

Thinking of this, Lu Yang suddenly raised his head.

First Saint Sect, Cloud Sea Touching the Sky.

Perhaps to those Saint Sect elders who show their heads but not their tails, they, the so-called disciples, are just a group of fish raised in a fish pond?

"Truly worthy of the Saint Sect..."

Lu Yang took a deep breath, somewhat understanding why no one had smashed him to death.

A fish, even if it flounders a bit more vigorously, having some unspeakable secrets, what of it? They might even think you are a talent!

"In any case, at least the secret of the 【Book of Hundred Lives】 has not been exposed." Lu Yang felt fortunate in his heart. Moreover, the karma related to the Book of Hundred Lives also seemed to have been hidden from Daoist Hong Yun True Person, to the extent that the other party had no suspicion at all as to why he possessed a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation before even entering the sect.

"There is no time to lose; let us go back to eat first."

It was fortunate that although the 【Innate Dao Scripture】 was taken away by Daoist Hong Yun Dao Ren, before that Lu Yang had already memorized the entire content of the technique.

This was a good habit Lu Yang had cultivated because of the 【Book of Hundred Lives】.

Whenever encountering a good technique or divine ability, one must immediately memorize it, so it can be utilized in the next life, without needing to spend contribution points to exchange for it again.

Moreover, Daoist Hong Yun Dao Ren took the 【Innate Dao Scripture】, but did not take the 【Secret Interpretation of Array Treasures】 of Qingchen Fairy.

"Admittedly, the two are not comparable in the slightest; Qingchen Fairy's things clearly do not meet the eyes of that one, but for me, they are of great use."

Actually, Lu Yang did not value the 【Innate Dao Scripture】 very much, because he had already set his sights on Zhao Xuhe's Zheng San Pin True Art. The 【Innate Dao Scripture】 was optional, whereas the 【Secret Interpretation of Array Treasures】, involving the cultivation arts of array formation and treasure refinement, interested him greatly.

As for the Primordial One Qi Ten Thousand Spirits Banner...

"There will be opportunities; let us speak of it in the next life."

Returning to his cave dwelling, Lu Yang first endured his patience, cultivating peacefully, while pondering the 【Secret Interpretation of Array Treasures】 and slowly repairing the damage sustained by the sword pill.

It was not until half a month later that he emerged from seclusion once more.

This time, he sought out Zhao Xuhe.

And when he arrived at Zhao Xuhe's cave dwelling, he saw Zhao Xuhe arguing with a youth wearing the Enforcement Hall uniform, with a dignified appearance.

"Senior Brother, believe me, do you not understand my Zhao Xuhe's reputation? For over ten years it has been very good. Is it not just 1000 contribution points? I will definitely repay it... What? Interest!? You... good, problem, Senior Brother, grant me a few more days, I will definitely repay both principal and interest..."

After the two entangled for a moment, that Enforcement Hall disciple left with a cold sneer.

Zhao Xuhe stood in place with a gloomy face, his aura fluctuating and surging. Seeing the timing was good, Lu Yang immediately revealed himself and walked over.

"Senior Brother Zhao, it has been a long time."

Zhao Xuhe responded and raised his head, immediately sensing Lu Yang's unmasked aura. His pupils suddenly contracted: "Junior Brother Lu, you have broken through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining!?"

"By luck, by luck."

Lu Yang smiled slightly and said: "My talent is dull. I secluded myself for several months and spent quite a few contribution points to break through by luck, making a joke of myself before Senior Brother."

Hearing this, Zhao Xuhe's expression grew even more stiff, even vaguely distorted. After all, both had cooked substitute death yin puppets; he had cooked until his family was ruined and his capital lost, even his mistress ran off with someone else, while Lu Yang had earned a fortune, even relying on the earned contribution points to break through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

What made him even angrier was that he might not even be Lu Yang's match now!

"Although I obtained the opportunity of Panlong True Person, it was because my luck was insufficient and my merit inadequate, so I only obtained half of that Zheng Third Grade True Art..."

For this, he had specially inquired of his master once.

His master deduced the karma and concluded that it was because he cooked substitute death yin puppets, exhausting the merit accumulated over three lives in advance, which led to failure at the last moment.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe's teeth were almost ground to dust.

Half of a Zheng San Pin True Art, containing only the Qi Refining realm 【Nine Transformations Dragon Art】, but missing the Foundation Establishment realm technique, was of no use to him at all!

Not to mention he now owed external debts, and even dared not disperse his cultivation to switch paths, fearing that during the switching period, debt collectors would come knocking. Seeing him unable to resist after dispersing his cultivation, they would simply transform into bandits, rob him clean, and then kill him to silence him. That would truly be a bitterness with no words to express.

"Junior Brother seeks me, is there something you need?"

"It is a long story." Lu Yang sighed: "Not to hide it from Senior Brother, I have come to ask Senior Brother for guidance. Junior Brother has recently encountered trouble."

"Trouble?" Zhao Xuhe's eyes lit up.

Hearing this, Lu Yang sighed: "Previously, I focused solely on cultivation, only learning of the issue of true energy grades after breaking through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining. My heart is full of regret."

Hearing Lu Yang say this, Zhao Xuhe suddenly felt much better.

"So it is the true energy grades."

Zhao Xuhe hypocritically comforted him a few words: "Most disciples of the Saint Sect actually do not realize this point, so it is normal for Junior Brother not to know..."

"Alas, the world is unpredictable." Lu Yang helplessly shook his head: "So this time I came to find Senior Brother, wanting to ask if there is any method to improve true energy grades. If there is a superior technique, that would be even better. As for the price, Senior Brother need not worry; I can afford one or two thousand contribution points."

"... Oh?"

Hearing Lu Yang say this, Zhao Xuhe's mind immediately became active; one or two thousand contribution points were exactly the sum he urgently needed right now.

In a flash, Zhao Xuhe's thoughts raced, and then he suddenly said:

"Junior Brother Lu, if you put it that way, I actually do have a cultivation technique suitable for you. As long as you cultivate it, it will absolutely elevate the grade of your True Qi."

"Really?" Hearing this, Lu Yang's face immediately showed an expression of anticipation: "What technique is it?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xuhe hesitated somewhat; for some reason, he felt a strange sensation, but then he thought again that this technique was only half a set and was already useless.

Rather than keeping it, it was better to make use of the waste and use it to pay off his own debts.

Thinking this, Zhao Xuhe immediately gritted his teeth, directly took out from his chest the Nine Transformations Dragon Art he had obtained from Panlong Island, and handed it to Lu Yang.

(End of this chapter)