The Proper Use of a Cheat

"A predecessor's cave estate?"

After hearing Zhao Xuhe's proposal, Lu Yang shook his head. "Senior Brother has kindly invited me, but my divine abilities are lacking. Right now, I only wish to devote myself wholeheartedly to cultivation."

"Oh?" Zhao Xuhe narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that Junior Brother does not trust me?"

"Senior Brother is overthinking it. It is merely that I have yet to learn any divine abilities and possess no skill in magical combat. Even if I went out with Senior Brother, I would only hold you back."

Lu Yang's reasoning was perfectly sound.

After all, not long after joining the sect, he had begun speculating on Death Substitute Puppets. He had even taken out a Cultivation Manual Loan from the Library Pavilion and used it as collateral. Zhao Xuhe knew all this as well.

"...Then forget it."

Zhao Xuhe shook his head, his expression turning cold.

At this very moment, killing intent had already arisen in his heart. He had practically lost even the pants off his backside, yet Lu Yang had still managed to make money and leave the market early.

How could he possibly accept that?

More importantly, the Contribution Points Lu Yang had earned had been funded by capital borrowed from him. Round it up, and that money should have been his!

"Fine. I'll let you hold it for now."

Zhao Xuhe sneered inwardly. "All he knows is cultivation, and he does not bother learning magical combat or divine abilities. Does he think he is in one of those righteous great sects, where he can cultivate in peace? Once I settle matters on Coiling Dragon Island, I'll find a chance to sneak into his cave estate in the dead of night and kill him. Those Contribution Points will still be mine!"

"Unless something unexpected happens, Zhao is probably already thinking about how to deal with me."

After leaving Zhao Xuhe's cave estate, Lu Yang swaggered toward the Library Pavilion. He had already guessed Zhao Xuhe's thoughts, yet he was not the least bit flustered.

After all, he had not spent the past few days idly.

While everyone else was speculating on Death Substitute Puppets with blazing fervor, he had shut his ears to everything beyond the window, bought a large quantity of spiritual pills, and gone straight into secluded cultivation.

Qi Refining Fourth Layer through Qi Refining Sixth Layer all belonged to the middle stage. There were no bottlenecks; as long as one spent money and swallowed pills, one could break through.

And Lu Yang, who had made a bloody profit of ten thousand Contribution Points, naturally was not stingy. By now, he had already broken through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, reaching the peak of the middle stage.

Incidentally, he had also exchanged Contribution Points for a Dust-Cleansing Pill and cured the venereal disease left behind by the original owner of this body.

The truth proved that the greatest incurable disease in a person's life was poverty.

The reason Yu Suzhen of the first life had been killed by her venereal disease was, in the final analysis, that she had no money.

As for the middle-stage bottleneck, he had originally wanted to see whether he could use Primordial Breath to break through it. Unfortunately, perhaps because the quantity was insufficient, the effect was barely worth mentioning.

From this, it could be seen that Liu Xin had likely scammed more than just him to death back then.

As for not having learned divine abilities, that had naturally been a lie to fool Zhao Xuhe.

In his previous life, he had relied on setting up an array and launching a sneak attack to barely suppress Zhao Xuhe when the latter's qi was depleted and his strength exhausted. In this life, however, he would not need to go through so much trouble.

Even in a direct confrontation, he was confident he could escape!

"Senior Brother Wang, have you been well lately?"

Arriving at the Library Pavilion, Lu Yang skillfully took out a wine gourd and smiled. "Fine Drunken Flower Brew. I specially got this for Senior Brother."

"...You brat again."

At the entrance to the Library Pavilion, the elderly-looking Wang Borong's eye twitched slightly. Then he sighed. "A single gourd of Drunken Flower Brew costs fifty Contribution Points."

"You really struck it rich, brat."

In this life, Lu Yang had made a point of cultivating a good relationship with Wang Borong.

At first, Wang Borong had barely given him the time of day. But ever since the Death Substitute Puppet market had exploded, this senior brother of the Library Pavilion had treated him much better.

The reason was simple.

Before the Death Substitute Puppets blew up, Lu Yang had persuaded Wang Borong to sell off part of the goods he had stockpiled, allowing him to avoid the fate of losing everything.

From that day on, Wang Borong had been immensely grateful to him.

"This old man lived in vain for decades, yet I was not as clear-sighted as a mere brat like you. If you had not awakened me, I would likely have already suffered qi deviation by now."

"How can you say that? Senior Brother must not belittle yourself."

Lu Yang shook his head. "Good words cannot persuade a ghost bound for death. That day, I advised many people, yet only Senior Brother truly listened."

"Senior Brother dared to rein in the horse at the cliff's edge. That, too, is a kind of wisdom."

"Hm."

Wang Borong narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard. Though he knew Lu Yang was deliberately flattering him, the more he listened, the more pleasing the words became.

Soon after, the two set out a table and chairs and began drinking together.

Wang Borong did not stand on ceremony. He directly poured himself a brimming cup of Drunken Flower Brew and drained it in one gulp before slowly speaking. "You brat, what exactly are you after?"

At this moment, that was the only question in Wang Borong's heart.

"You and I are neither kin nor friends. Do you really believe those ghost stories outside, that this old man is some hidden master of the Library Pavilion waiting for a fated person?"

"How could that be?"

As Lu Yang poured wine for Wang Borong, he smiled. "When there is an elder in the household, it is as though there is a treasure. I simply feel that Senior Brother must have some real ability to have lived to such an age in the Sacred Sect. And since you work at the Library Pavilion, perhaps you could offer me some guidance regarding Cultivation Methods and divine abilities."

Lu Yang spoke with utmost sincerity.

Wang Borong neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply continued pouring himself wine. As he drank, he began complaining about the Sacred Sect's shameless act of harvesting its disciples like leeks this time.

"They are simply beasts!"

"By sheer coincidence, they stepped in to suppress the price the moment it climbed to its peak. This was absolutely premeditated. There are bad people among the Sacred Sect's higher-ups!"

Lu Yang poured him more wine and casually echoed his sentiments.

Only after Wang Borong had drunk enough to begin swaying his head back and forth did Lu Yang lower his voice. "Senior Brother, I came this time to choose a Cultivation Method and divine ability."

"Does Senior Brother have any recommendations? The greater the power of the divine ability, the better!"

"I knew you brat wanted something from me!" Wang Borong chuckled smugly. "But asking me means you have asked the right person!"

Lu Yang hurriedly cupped his hands. "Please teach me, Senior Brother."

"First of all, do not even think about truly superior divine abilities. Our Library Pavilion is merely a branch pavilion of Mending Heaven Peak, and the Cultivation Methods and divine abilities here are limited in power."

"The truly formidable divine abilities are all on Sacred Fire Cliff. Only true disciples may learn them!"

"But that is only normal. Disciples like us in the Early Qi Refining Stage and middle stage are the Sacred Sect's oxen and horses. How could we possibly be taught powerful divine abilities?"

After all, what did oxen and horses need to understand so much for? Understanding too much was instead harmful to unity.

As for true disciples, they had truly entered the Sacred Sect's official ranks. They were elites meant to inherit the sect's mantle in the future, so naturally they received entirely different treatment.

"Is there no compromise?" Lu Yang asked quietly.

"Of course there is!"

Wang Borong smiled faintly. He had worked in the Library Pavilion for more than forty years. With such seniority, there was not a single Cultivation Method or divine ability in the Library Pavilion that he did not recognize.

Though he did not know their specific contents, he knew perfectly well what effects they would have once mastered.

"In our Library Pavilion, if we are talking about divine abilities with truly superior power after mastery, there are only three. And every one of them carries serious side effects."

"Side effects?"

At this point, Wang Borong's expression became exceedingly grave. He said in a deep voice, "For instance, I know of a divine ability called the Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light. It sacrifices the body to a treasure, greatly increasing the power of the magic treasure. But after mastering it, not only will it shorten your lifespan, you will also be unable to continue cultivating. It is tantamount to severing your own Immortal path."

"Tell me, are those side effects serious or not?"

Wang Borong had intended to frighten Lu Yang into giving up, but he had not expected that after hearing his advice, Lu Yang would not be disappointed in the slightest. Instead, he grew even more excited.

"Such a divine ability is exactly what I should use!"

The side effects were indeed severe, but no matter how severe they were, they were limited to this life. What did this life's side effects have to do with the me of the next life?

He seemed to have found the proper use of the Hundred Lives Book!