Chapter 2: Following Heaven Is Easy, Defying Heaven Is Hard

To go or not to go, that was a perplexing question.

However, very soon, Lu Yang was no longer perplexed.

Because he simply had no power to refuse; under the bright sun and clear sky, Yu Suzhen actually reached out directly, stripped off his clothes, and took a bite.

"Hiss!" Lu Yang's teeth chattered as he struggled, saying, "Senior Sister, wait, at least let's change locations."

"No need, right here!"

Lu Yang simply could not refuse, and thinking that he still had the Book of Hundred Lives as a safety net, he simply lay flat and stopped resisting.

In an instant, a fierce battle ensued.

One was a true demoness of the Demonic Sect, the other a transmigrator with a cheat.

After the time it takes to burn one stick of incense.

Yu Suzhen frowned in dissatisfaction:

"Just this?"

"Truly useless trash."

Seeing this, Yu Suzhen scolded in annoyance, "You clearly have such a handsome face, yet you possess so little primordial yang; you failed so quickly."

"Good to look at but useless trash, trash!"

Almost simultaneously, Lu Yang's face turned pale.

Immediately after, he discovered that his meager remaining vital energy was all flowing into Yu Suzhen's body, and his already frail frame became even more withered.

"The Ode of Great Joy of Yin and Yang?"

As the cultivation technique distributed during the assignment flashed through his mind, Lu Yang suddenly gained realization: The so-called trial of the Joyous Union Hall was likely just forcing registered disciples to drain each other via the Ode of Great Joy of Yin and Yang, much like raising gu worms; only those who survived until the end could advance to become formal disciples.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister Yu!"

At the same time, several registered disciples from the surroundings walked over with fawning expressions, saying, "Having drained this last person, Senior Sister should be able to break through to Qi Refining."

"Once one reaches Qi Refining, one is no longer a mortal!"

"Please take care of us in the future, Senior Sister; we are willing to serve you faithfully."

Watching this scene, Lu Yang suddenly laughed.

"Hehe..."

A medicine dreg, completely drained and useless, suddenly laughing immediately drew everyone's attention; Yu Suzhen glanced at Lu Yang and then said indifferently:

"Why is Junior Brother laughing?"

"I am laughing for Senior Sister's sake," Lu Yang said sincerely. "I was originally worried about Senior Sister's health, but now it seems I was borrowing trouble unnecessarily."

"Worried about my health?" Yu Suzhen was stunned.

"Yes." Speaking of this, Lu Yang wore an expression of sighing emotion, "Before I entered the sect, I lingered in the Pleasure Quarters and contracted a venereal disease; just now, Senior Sister was too hasty, and I didn't have time to mention it. But since Senior Sister is about to reach Qi Refining, surely a mere venereal disease poses no problem for you, right?"

Yu Suzhen: "..."

[In a fit of rage, Yu Suzhen beat you to death.]

[Remaining pages of the current Book of Hundred Lives: 99]

[Reopening a new life, you may choose one of the following gains from your previous life:

One: A treasure.

Two: Cultivation base.

Three: Lifespan.

Four: Forfeit all gains to randomly awaken a talent based on your previous life's experiences.]

"Those whose names are called, step forward to me."

Lu Yang opened his eyes and looked at the black-robed Daoist Priest on the platform, only then realizing he had returned to the square for roll call and assignment when he first entered the Initial Sage Sect.

Though the experience just now had been undeniably real, with the taste of the demoness still vivid in his memory, now he was starting over from the beginning; all past events felt like an illusion, and such a huge contrast left Lu Yang stunned for quite a while before he came to his senses, feeling both emotional and secretly delighted that his Book of Hundred Lives was indeed a strange treasure!

Stabilizing his mind, Lu Yang looked down at the options presented by the Book of Hundred Lives.

He skipped the first three options directly; after all, he had been drained to death by Yu Suzhen before he even began formal cultivation, so the only one he could actually choose was the fourth.

[Settling your previous life's experiences for you...]

[After draining you, Yu Suzhen broke through to the Qi Refining realm; however, afflicted with a venereal disease that her true qi could not expel, she remained bedridden for several months before finally dying from the severe illness.]

[Since ancient times, following Heaven is easy, defying Heaven is hard.]

[Martial arts cannot match divine abilities; the gap between mortals and cultivators is greater than the difference between heaven and earth.]

[Yet you entered the game with your own body, skillfully using the method of dual cultivation to slay a cultivator with a mortal body, worthy of being called winning half a move against Heaven; there is no greater act of defying Heaven than this!]

[You have awakened the White Talent: Dual Cultivation Prodigy.]

[Dual Cultivation Prodigy: Your comprehension of dual cultivation techniques is extremely high; no cultivator of the same realm can drain you, and any attempt to forcibly drain you will only result in them suffering backlash.]

Immediately after, the glowing text on the panel changed again.

[Name: Lu Yang]

[Age: 18]

[Cultivation Base: None]

[Talent: Dual Cultivation Prodigy (White)]

[Technique: Ode of Great Joy of Yin and Yang (Entry Level)]

[Divine Abilities: None]

[Treasures: None]

[Book of Hundred Lives Pages: 99]

Lu Yang exhaled deeply, feeling a surge of blood and qi rush straight to his dantian; instantly his strength was restored, making him vigorous and robust, and his originally weak body gradually recovered.

"The venereal disease... seems not to have healed yet, I can just endure it longer."

Lu Yang carefully contemplated his current state.

Besides the physical recovery granted by his talent, Lu Yang had also gained significant insight into the dual cultivation technique issued by the Joyous Union Hall, the "Yin Yang Great Bliss Ode."

After all, compared to pure theory, practical experience was far more important, especially with the added boost of his talent.

Thereafter, everything unfolded exactly as before.

Thanks to his naturally handsome face, Lu Yang was still assigned to the Joyous Union Hall, where he once again met Yu Suzhen at the entrance and was immediately chosen by her at first sight.

"What a remarkable Yin Yang Great Bliss Ode!"

This evil technique of plundering vitality could not only drain a person's primordial yang and yin, but surprisingly, it could also plunder knowledge; the experience of techniques and divine abilities could all be stolen!

Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately redoubled his efforts.

One day, two days, three days...

As time passed, Yu Suzhen's expression gradually shifted from enjoyment to terror, and her originally flat lower abdomen began to swell.

"Enough, enough! Stop for a moment!"

"I, I can't any—ah!"

"I'm sorry, I was wrong, wait..."

Turning a deaf ear to Yu Suzhen's pleas for mercy, Lu Yang relentlessly circulated the Yin Yang Great Bliss Ode, his mind completely immersed in the joy brought by cultivation.

And in this process, he felt the existence of "Qi" for the very first time.

This strand of "Qi" resided within Yu Suzhen's body; had the two not been so close at this moment, Lu Yang might not have been able to sense its presence at all.

"This thing ought to be mine to use!"

With this thought, Lu Yang hesitated not a moment, immediately circulating the Yin Yang Great Bliss Ode to forcibly extract all the "Qi" from within Yu Suzhen's body.

"No!!!"

Almost simultaneously, Yu Suzhen let out a miserable scream, then her head lolled to the side.

The next second, Lu Yang felt his essence, qi, and spirit merge with that strand of Qi, followed by a sudden, thunderous shock, as if an invisible great door had swung wide open.

Lu Yang instantly realized with sudden enlightenment: "I've broken through!"

When spirit and Qi unite, it is called "Qi Refining"!

As a veteran registered disciple of the Joyous Union Hall, Yu Suzhen had been only one step away from Qi Refining.

In his previous life, she had plundered him to complete that final step and successfully achieve Qi Refining; in this life, however, she was plundered by him instead, and all her accumulated cultivation had become a cheap gift for him.

From this day forward, he was a Qi Refining Level One cultivator!

Breaking through in a single morning to become a formal disciple was a rise in status akin to ascending directly to heaven; though it seemed simple, countless registered disciples had been blocked by this barrier over the ages.

"How delightful. Senior Sister Yu, I suppose I will never forget you for as long as I live."

Lu Yang stood up, looking down at Yu Suzhen, who lay on the ground without a breath, and could not help but sigh with emotion.

(End of Chapter)