Chapter 26: Truly the Holy Sect
Chapter 26: Truly the Holy Sect
The landscape stretched like a painting, the setting sun bleeding crimson across the sky.
Lv Yang stood atop the Cloud Sea, waiting for what felt like an eternity before finally exhaling in relief. No heavenly palm strike had descended to reduce him to dust.
“Was that just now… a Foundation Building Realm practitioner?”
Lv Yang dared not even mutter to himself, his thoughts churning instead. His face darkened—this gap between them was simply too vast.
It wasn’t just his body that had frozen; even his mind had locked up. Only after the Fortune Immortal departed did he regain control. That sensation had been like a mouse trapped beneath a cat’s paw—not just a matter of power, but an entirely different level of existence. In an instant, all of Lv Yang’s arrogance had been crushed.
“I’m still too weak. Without strength…”
After recently defeating Liu Xin and others alone, he’d finally shaken off the shadows of his past life, feeling triumphant. Now, though, his perspective had flattened again.
The immortal path was long, and he still needed to hone himself.
A wave of emotion washed over him before his thoughts returned to Xiao Shiye, his eyes flashing with fear anew: “Was that fortune… granted by someone else?”
Now that he thought about it, he remembered.
Before heading to the Gongde Pool, Xiao Shiye had said, “Coincidentally, I’ve had a streak of luck lately. I wanted to try my fortune while it lasted.”
A streak of luck recently.
At the time, Lv Yang had assumed it was just the humility of a chosen one. But now, perhaps that had been the truth—Xiao Shiye’s fortune had genuinely begun only recently.
Because of the Fortune Immortal!
“The colorful fish in the Gongde Pool must have been referring to the legendary Gongde Fish. Did the Fortune Immortal want Xiao Shiye to fish it out of the pool?”
“If that’s true, then in his previous life, he succeeded. But afterward, after catching the Gongde Fish, Xiao Shiye announced a retreat into seclusion and vanished without a trace…” Lv Yang shuddered. Fishing, fishing—once the fish was caught, what use was the bait anymore?
Suddenly, he lifted his head.
Primordial Sacred Sect, Sky-Connecting Sea of Clouds.
Perhaps to those elusive Holy Sect elders—those dragon-like figures—disciples like them were nothing more than fish in a pond.
“Truly the Holy Sect.”
Lv Yang inhaled deeply, finally understanding why no one had crushed him.
Even if a fish leaped from the water, even if it harbored secrets, what did it matter? The pond’s owner might even find it amusing.
“At the very least, the secret of the Ten Thousand Lives Scroll remains safe,” he thought, relieved. More importantly, the Fortune Immortal hadn’t detected the scroll’s karmic traces, so he hadn’t questioned how Lv Yang had reached Refining Qi Fourth Layer without even joining the sect.
“No time to waste. Time to go eat.”
Thankfully, though the Primordial Dao Treatise had been taken, Lv Yang had memorized its cultivation techniques before the Fortune Immortal took it.
This habit—committing valuable techniques to memory—was one he’d developed because of the Ten Thousand Lives Scroll.
Whenever he encountered a useful technique or ability, he’d memorize it immediately, ensuring it could be applied in his next life without needing to spend Contribution Points again.
The Fortune Immortal had taken the Primordial Dao Treatise but left Qingchen Immortaless’s Formation Treasure Manual behind.
“Certainly, the two aren’t comparable. The latter probably wasn’t even worth that elder’s notice, but for me, it’s invaluable.”
Truthfully, Lv Yang didn’t care much for the Primordial Dao Treatise anymore. His sights were set on Zhao Xuhe’s third-tier true cultivation manual. The Primordial Dao Treatise was expendable. What truly interested him was the Formation Treasure Manual—a cultivation art involving formations and treasure refinement.
As for the Primordial Qi Myriad Spirit Banner…
“There’ll be opportunities eventually. I’ll deal with it in my next life.”
Returning to his cultivation cave, Lv Yang patiently resumed practice, studying the Formation Treasure Manual while slowly repairing his damaged Sword Core.
Half a month later, he emerged and sought out Zhao Xuhe.
When he arrived at Zhao Xuhe’s cave, he found him arguing with a stern-faced young man in the Enforcement Hall’s uniform.
“Brother, believe me! You know my reputation, don’t you? I’ve been reliable for over a decade. It’s just 1,000 Contribution Points! I’ll repay them all—what? Interest!?” The young man’s voice sharpened. “Fine, fine! Just give me a few more days, and I’ll return both principal and interest!”
After a tense exchange, the Enforcement Hall disciple left with a cold laugh.
Zhao Xuhe stood in place, his aura fluctuating wildly. Seeing the perfect moment, Lv Yang stepped forward.
“Senior Zhao, long time no see.”
Zhao Xuhe lifted his head, immediately sensing Lv Yang’s unhidden aura. His pupils contracted. “Lv… you’ve broken through to Refining Qi Late Stage!?”
“Just barely,” Lv Yang smiled. “My talent is lacking. I spent months in seclusion, burning through Contribution Points to scrape by. I’m sure I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you.”
Zhao Xuhe’s expression stiffened, his face twisting faintly. After all, they’d both cultivated the Soul-Stealing Yin Puppet. Yet while Zhao had lost everything—his lover even fleeing to another man—Lv Yang had profited handsomely, even using those points to breakthrough.
Worse still, he might now be outmatched by Lv Yang!
“I did gain the Coiling Dragon Immortal’s fortune, but due to bad luck and insufficient merit, I only obtained half of that third-tier true manual.”
He’d even consulted his master about it.
His master had divined the karmic threads and concluded that Zhao’s cultivation of the Yin Puppet had consumed three lifetimes of merit, leaving him short at the final hurdle.
At this thought, Zhao nearly ground his teeth to dust.
Half a manual—only the Qi Gathering Stage’s Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art, missing the Foundation Building Stage techniques entirely. Useless!
And now, in debt, he couldn’t even dare to abandon his path and switch cultivation methods. What if, during the transition, his creditors came calling? They might see him weakened, turn into bandits, and kill him for his possessions. The injustice would be unbearable.
“Brother, what brings you here?”
“A long story,” Lv Yang sighed. “To be honest, I’ve come seeking your guidance. I’ve encountered some trouble recently.”
“Trouble?” Zhao Xuhe’s eyes lit up.
Lv Yang continued, “I focused solely on cultivation until breaking through to Refining Qi Late Stage, only then learning about the True Qi Rank issue. I regret my ignorance deeply.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xuhe felt a strange comfort.
“So it’s the True Qi Rank.”
Zhao offered a hollow consolation: “Most disciples in the Holy Sect overlook this. It’s natural you wouldn’t know.”
“Alas, fate is unpredictable,” Lv Yang shook his head helplessly. “That’s why I’m here—asking if there’s a way to improve one’s True Qi Rank. If there’s a supreme cultivation technique, even better. As for the price, don’t worry—1,000 to 2,000 Contribution Points is manageable for me.”
“…Oh?”
Zhao Xuhe’s mind raced. 1,000 to 2,000 Contribution Points—exactly the sum he needed. In a flash, he decided:
“Brother Lv, if you’re serious… I do have a technique suited for you. Master it, and your True Qi Rank will surely rise.”
“Really?” Lv Yang’s face lit with hope. “What technique is it?”
Zhao hesitated, a strange unease creeping in. But then—he only had half the manual anyway. It was useless. Better to make use of it now to repay his debts.
Gritting his teeth, Zhao pulled out the Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art he’d obtained from Coiling Dragon Isle and handed it to Lv Yang.
(End of Chapter)
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