Chapter 348: First-Rank True Technique!?

Yushu Jiange, Reception Hall.

Lu Yang held three long incense sticks; faint green smoke swirled around him. In an instant, a thunderous voice of ten thousand people questioning seemed to ring in his ears:

"Have you colluded with the demonic path?"

"Do you harbor treacherous intentions?"

"Have you awakened your past life?"

Three incense sticks, three questions. Under the swirling green smoke, this avatar of Lu Yang had absolutely no room to lie. He spoke involuntarily:

"None!"

His voice was righteous and open.

After all, as an avatar, he was clean and innocent; he had no treacherous intentions to begin with, nor had he awakened a past life. As for colluding with the demonic path, that was the main body's doing.

What did it have to do with the avatar?

The next second, the avatar came to his senses, realizing that everything just now was an illusion. Only those three burning incense sticks remained firmly in his grasp.

However, Lu Yang could sense that these three burning incense sticks were likely no ordinary objects. The reason he could hold them steady was that he had just passed the trial of those three questions. Had he failed, those three incense sticks would likely have instantly ignited his body and soul, burning him into a handful of ash.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately walked into the Reception Hall.

Although he had deliberately acted ignorant when facing the True Person of Demonic Purification, through the Clan Elder of the Yun family, he had already thoroughly scouted the inside and outside of the Yushu Jiange.

'The Reception Hall is especially critical!'

This place is not only used to test one's roots, but also to determine one's inheritance. The better one performs here, the stronger the inheritance one receives!

'No wonder it is the Yushu Jiange; it truly matches the Holy Sect.'

In the Holy Sect, profound techniques must be exchanged for contribution points. In other words, one must work like cattle and horses for others; either stage a counterattack or become a talent.

The Yushu Jiange is no better.

The Reception Hall looks only at roots and origins. The benefit is that one need not work like cattle and horses; the drawback is that if one's roots are insufficient, one's life is set for this lifetime. Forget about counterattacks.

One can only say, one beast, one sword.

North and South each have their merits; there is a reason for this.

After entering the Reception Hall, Lu Yang was surprised to find several young men and women inside. They looked young, like the avatar, yet appeared slightly illusory.

'There is more than one Reception Hall.'

Lu Yang understood in his heart: these young men and women must currently be undergoing testing in other Reception Halls, with their images synchronized to this one.

Sure enough, at this moment, several young men and women also noticed him.

However, they merely glanced at Lu Yang, then casually withdrew their gaze, continuing to hold their burning incense sticks firmly and gritting their teeth as they walked deeper into the Reception Hall.

"I will definitely make it inside!"

Among them was a boy of ordinary appearance, with a determined expression and eyes burning like torches, muttering to himself: "Approaching the shrine within a hundred steps makes one an Outer Sect disciple; within thirty steps, an Inner Sect disciple; within ten steps, a True Disciple; offering incense to the Ancestral Master makes one a Heaven-Born Sword Seed!"

Having spoken, he took his steps.

"Thud!"

Though nothing strange appeared, that boy suddenly began to tremble. Every step was incredibly difficult, and finally, he stopped at eighty steps.

"Not eighty steps!?"

The boy gritted his teeth. Eighty steps meant only an Outer Sect disciple, cultivating techniques below the Seventh Grade, with his life capped at Qi Refinement. How could he be content?

"I'll risk it!"

The next second, the boy made a desperate resolve and took another step forward. Yet the moment that step was taken, countless cracks burst forth all over his body.

In the blink of an eye, he turned into a man of blood.

"Splash!"

The boy fell face-first to the ground, losing consciousness immediately.

Such a bloody scene terrified the other young people. Afterwards, when entering the Reception Hall, they dared not act recklessly; if they could not proceed, they decisively gave up.

Their lives were decided from this very moment.

'Cultivating in the Yushu Jiange is not easy either,' Lu Yang sighed in his heart.

Fortunately, he had a cheat.

'【Fortune-Seeing Draw】, draw for me!'

The fortune accumulated by the avatar through eight years of suffering exploded at this moment, finally manifesting as a golden, radiant lot.

【Event: Walk into the Reception Hall, offer incense to the Ancestral Master】

【Minor Auspicious: Your roots are not bad; approach the shrine nine steps, ranking as a True Disciple.】

【Final Auspicious: Although your roots are not bad, you are after all a fragment soul with shallow foundation; only with an unyielding Dao-heart can you approach within three steps of the shrine.】

【Great Auspicious: Your fortune surges; combined with deep roots, this mere Reception Hall is crossed by you as if walking on flat ground, offering incense to the shrine without any obstruction.】

'It must be 【Great Auspicious】!'

The next second, Lu Yang felt a mysterious force surge into his heart, as if heaven and earth joined forces with his timing. Immediately, he took his steps and walked steadily toward the shrine.

A hundred steps, thirty steps, ten steps... three steps!

"Boom!"

At this moment, inside and outside the Yushu Jiange, numerous Reception Halls lit up with light simultaneously, instantly startling the True Person of Demonic Purification outside the hall, who showed surprise in his eyes.

In his view, Lu Yang's past life was after all a Foundation Establishment True Person, and one capable of slaying the Peak Master of Mending Heaven, at the peak of the mid-stage. Approaching within ten steps of the shrine to become a True Disciple was to be expected. However, reaching within three steps... that was extraordinary, indicating an extremely deep understanding of the Yushu Jiange's Dao!

'Could it be, another Sword Seed?'

The True Person of Demonic Purification raised his eyebrows slightly, a look of joy on his face. It had been eight years since the True Lords of the world went into seclusion, and the chaos born from this had gradually subsided.

'Two Foundation Establishment peaks have emerged from the Jiangbei Mo Sect, maintaining the overall situation.'

'The Jiangxi Pure Land remains as peaceful as ever; it is said a Buddha Child has descended.'

'The most significant impact is actually on the Jiangdong Court: the Son of Heaven, Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, and Grand Guardian have all gone into seclusion. The Crown Prince has been ruling the state until now, barely stabilizing the court and the people...'

It can be foreseen that the era of great contention is already near!

'I will surely have to contend in the future as well. If I can cultivate a junior to manage the Yushu Jiange on my behalf before then, it would not be a bad thing.'

True Person of Sweeping Demons' thoughts turned in a hundred directions.

On the other side, inside the Reception Hall, Lu Yang had already walked to the shrine and steadily placed the three burning incense sticks from his hand into it.

The next second, the green smoke surged violently!

Lu Yang felt his vision go black; as he inhaled the green smoke through his mouth and nose, countless characters suddenly appeared in his mind, finally merging into a cultivation method:

'The Sword Lord's Secret Chapter on Discussing the Profound and Wielding Gold'!

'This is...'

After completely digesting the information in his mind, Lu Yang's main body at the Hidden Sword Manor suddenly widened his eyes: 'Is this thing a First-Grade True Art!?'

Before he could react, a sudden change occurred.

"Damn it!"

Lu Yang, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets, viewed his clone through 【Puppet on Strings】, only to see that the luck he had accumulated over eight years, through strict adherence to precepts and patient gathering of strength, was now entirely snatched away by the green smoke in the shrine, circled within the shrine, and then slowly returned to him.

However, what was returned was no longer his luck.

It was 【Yushu Jiange Luck】!

'In other words, from today on, I only have the right to use the luck I worked hard to accumulate? Ownership belongs to the Yushu Jiange, and it can be taken back at any time?'

What the hell is the difference between this and selling oneself into servitude?

Even more outrageous was...

'The flavor of this luck is wrong; this is not my luck!'

This is someone else's luck! It is merely also included within the scope of 【Yushu Jiange Luck】!

In a daze, Lu Yang seemed to see numerous karmic ties and countless evil deeds and debts within that strand of luck, which were now, along with the luck, imposed upon him!

What about his pure luck?

Did it go to some True Person of the Yushu Jiange?

Thinking of this, Lu Yang's hands trembled with rage.

No wonder the Yushu Jiange likes disciples with deep roots; they are perfect scapegoats. Who wouldn't like that?

'Swordsmen!!!'

(End of Chapter)