Chapter 57: Years Are Unknown in Cultivation

Chusheng Sect, where clouds and sea meet the sky.

When Lu Yang returned to Senior Butian Peak, there was hardly a whole piece of flesh on his entire body; his injuries were even more severe than those sustained during the great battle at Skeleton Mountain.

While traveling back to the sect by flying boat, he was ambushed by orthodox sects; a Qi Refining expert at Great Perfection used a divine ability to slice the flesh from his left hand until only bone remained, while his face was covered in scars left by a surprise attack from the tail stinger of a scorpion demon beast as they passed through a mountain forest.

These were merely the visible injuries.

Beneath this physical form, his meridians, acupoints, and dantian purple palace all suffered varying degrees of damage, inflicted by people weaker than himself.

"This is what happens when fortune departs; even a hero cannot act freely."

Lu Yang wore an expression of helplessness; the luck destined for his next thirty years had been exhausted in advance by Daoist Yinshan's fishing scheme, and now entangled by misfortune, naturally nothing he did went smoothly.

At first, Lu Yang still attempted to fight back.

However, whenever he engaged someone in combat, all sorts of accidents would befall him, such as old injuries flaring up, exerting too much force, or suffering backlash from his divine abilities.

In the end, he could do nothing but keep fleeing.

Nevertheless, as a Qi Refining expert at Great Perfection, even without luck, his life force was tough enough that he still managed to survive until returning to the sect.

As for the sect-annihilating war against Shenwu Sect launched by Sheng Sect after the affairs at Skeleton Mountain concluded, Lu Yang dared not participate; given his current state where he could fall into a latrine just by using the toilet, he feared that if he truly went to Shenwu Sect, a Foundation Establishment True Person might slap him to death from eight hundred li away.

Upon returning to Sheng Sect, Lu Yang immediately hid himself within his own cave dwelling.

He then placed the Blood-Washing Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram outside, plastered talismans all over the interior and exterior of the cave dwelling, completely sealed it off, and isolated himself from all external disturbances.

"For the next thirty years, I will not step out!"

Moreover, while entangled by misfortune, even cultivation was a luxury; let alone improving his cultivation base, the only result would be qi deviation.

Fortunately, he had already reached Great Perfection in Qi Refining, so there was no need to continue cultivating anyway.

Lu Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, then took out a jade slip from his storage bag; however, this slip differed from ordinary ones, as it shimmered with a brilliant golden hue.

This item was named the "Mingdao Jade Slip."

As a substitute for a Foundation Establishment rare treasure, Daoist Yinshan had bestowed it upon him; as he had wished, this was a secret treasure capable of helping one comprehend the Dao and laws.

Whenever encountering any difficulties during cultivation, one only needed to inject the question into the jade slip, and it would provide an answer; within the Qi Refining realm, the accuracy rate was one hundred percent, its effect nearly equivalent to having a Foundation Establishment True Person deducing divine abilities for you, which for Lu Yang was truly a solution to an urgent problem.

"Given my current state, there is no path forward for comprehending divine abilities on my own."

"After all, with my terrible luck, I certainly cannot comprehend the correct methods, and might even stray onto a wrong path, but this Mingdao Jade Slip is different!"

"That Daoist Yinshan said this rare treasure has vaguely touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment, so the answers it provides will not be affected by my misfortune."

Despite saying this, Lu Yang did not rush to use it to comprehend the Taiwei Imperial Edict Treasure Register; although his great divine ability, the "Taiyin Metamorphosis Corpse-Release True Method," had only this final technique remaining, compared to that, he valued another gain from this trip to Skeleton Mountain even more: the "Taiyi Golden Splendor Elixir Manual!"

Of course, he had not obtained the complete "Taiyi Golden Splendor Elixir Manual."

After all, he was not a true disciple of Senior Butian Peak, and the grade of his dual cultivation technique was limited, so even though he had nearly exhausted Yun Yun Miaozhen to death, he still failed to dual cultivate the entire volume.

He had only obtained one-third of it, a divine ability named "Taiyi Primordial Essence Jade Splendor."

As the name suggests, once this divine ability was refined, it could condense a jade-colored "essential light," and when applied to the physical body, it could render the flesh indestructible like vajra.

Besides that, it also possessed the function of repairing injuries to the physical body.

This point was especially important for Lu Yang right now, since due to his misfortune, he was currently lacking parts and his physical body was severely damaged.

"Once my injuries and luck recover, I might need to find a body-refining technique to cultivate."

Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately took out his disciple token, contacted Second Senior Brother Luo Wuya of the Sanhe Society, and planned to ask if there were any suitable techniques.

As a Qi Refining expert at Great Perfection, he now qualified to speak with Luo Wuya as an equal.

Soon, Luo Wuya sent a reply:

"There is indeed a technique very suitable for Junior Brother, but it cannot be cultivated yet; why don't you wait a few years first, and I will notify you once the matter is settled."

Lu Yang naturally agreed with pleasure, then entered meditation to begin his secluded cultivation.

Several years later, a spirited young man arrived outside Lu Yang's cave dwelling.

The youth was named Wang Song; a few days prior, he had just joined Sheng Sect, and through the recommendation of his grandfather Wang Bairong, he had also joined the Sanhe Society, accepting Luo Wuya's commission.

"Senior Brother Luo and Senior Brother Lu had an agreement regarding a body-refining technique; however, Senior Brother Luo has fought bloody battles against Shenwu Sect for several years, achieving great merit, and was rewarded by a True Person with a Foundation Establishment rare treasure, so he is now preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm and cannot come personally, which is why he specifically sent me to deliver the technique."

"But now Senior Brother Lu is also in secluded cultivation; what should I do?"

Wang Song knitted his brows in bitterness, and in the end, could only find a cave dwelling near Lu Yang's to settle in; after all, he was young and had time to wait for Lu Yang to emerge from seclusion.

Thinking of this, Wang Song glanced at Lu Yang's cave dwelling once more, his eyes filled with hope.

As far as he knew, this Senior Brother Lu seemed to have been an ordinary disciple in the past, yet he had stood out from the crowd to become a Qi Refining expert at Great Perfection, and now Foundation Establishment was within sight.

"If Senior Brother Lu can do it, why can't I!"

"I am now at the First Layer of Qi Condensation; as long as I study diligently and practice hard, striving tirelessly, I will surely become a figure like Senior Brother Luo and Senior Brother Lu in the future!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully a youth for being poor!"

In the world of cultivation, years are hard to count; in the blink of an eye, thirty years had passed.

Chusheng Sect, Library Pavilion.

Now over fifty years old, Wang Song had been stuck at the bottleneck of the Third Layer of Qi Condensation for more than a decade, making progress in his cultivation base nearly impossible, and signs of aging had already appeared between his brows and eyes.

The old man from the Library Pavilion who had originally recommended him to join Sheng Sect, Wang Bairong, had long since passed away, leaving him only an iron rice bowl position as a Library Pavilion steward and a cave dwelling that required another thirty years of loan repayments; fortunately, his luck was decent, and after thirty years of diligent work, he was finally close to paying off the loan.

The sharp edges of his youth had long been worn smooth.

Now, Wang Song's face showed only the numbness of being beaten down by Sheng Sect, and his thoughts had shifted from the initial "do not bully a youth for being poor" to "the dead are greatest."

Just get by.

Looking on the bright side, at least he was nearly finished paying off the loan for the cave dwelling, so when his son joined Sheng Sect, he would have some foundation to leave behind.

Just then, a loud boom suddenly rang out from the distance.

"Hmm?"

Wang Song looked up in bewilderment, only to see that cave dwelling, which he had loved, hated, and felt helpless toward, and which he had once cursed loudly at without it ever opening, suddenly move.

"Emerging from seclusion... has Senior Brother Lu emerged from seclusion!?"

The next second, the cave dwelling opened, and Wang Song immediately saw a handsome youth, spirited and vigorous just like himself thirty years ago, stride out.

Thirty years of time had flowed by, yet they had left not a single trace upon him.

Immediately afterward, as if sensing his gaze, that handsome youth suddenly turned his head, his calm vision seeming able to pierce straight into the human heart.

"You are...?"

Curiosity showed on Lu Yang's face; with a thought, a ring of circular light instantly appeared behind his head, resembling a full moon, within which flowed exceedingly complex register scripts.

The register scripts resembled dragons and phoenixes, giving people an extremely contradictory feeling; at first glance, they were as tiny as mustard seeds, but once one focused their mind to observe them, they would sink into them, as if viewing the vast world of Sumeru; and as time passed, these scripts constantly changed, presenting scenes of all things such as flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

Taiwei Imperial Edict Treasure Register!

The final divine ability of the "Taiyin Metamorphosis Corpse-Release True Method," completely different from the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light and the Profound Yin Form-Seizing Great Method, was not used for combat.

Instead, it was used for divination.

Therefore, the moment Lu Yang's gaze fell upon Wang Song, as the Treasure Register operated, the cause and effect of events ceased to be a secret to him.

Whether it was Wang Song's identity, his ancestors for eighteen generations, the techniques he cultivated, his cultivation base, the divine abilities he excelled at, or even why he was waiting outside the cave dwelling for him, the entire story was fully known to Lu Yang; this feeling that all things in the universe were as clear as the lines on one's palm made Lu Yang unable to help but sigh:

'Perhaps this is what it feels like to be a Foundation Establishment True Person?'

Of course, this was also due to the vast gap in cultivation base between him and Wang Song; if he were divining a Qi Refining expert at Great Perfection, it certainly would not be so effortless.

From this, it was evident that he still had a long way to go before reaching the level of a Foundation Establishment True Person.

On the other side, Wang Song had finally waited decades for the Senior Brother Lu he had thought of day and night, and was stumbling forward to pay his respects, when he heard only a sigh:

"No need to bow; just give me the item."

Wang Song dared not be negligent, and quickly took out a jade slip he had kept warm for thirty years; Lu Yang swept it with his spiritual sense, the slip's restrictions automatically dissolved, and the content appeared.

Luo Wuya had not lied to him; he had indeed sent a body-refining technique, and it was indeed very suitable for him.

Its name was: "The Sage Steals."

(End of Chapter)