Caught Off Guard

"A person is formed from Primordial Breath. Qi Refining is the refinement of oneself: purifying one's own being, returning against the current to the primordial state, and forging the wondrous fruition of Primordial Breath, where form and spirit are both perfected."

After a long while, Lu Yang opened his eyes, his face lit with delight.

Compared to the "Yin-Yang Great Joy Ode," the "Primordial Dao Scripture" truly looked somewhat like a complete inheritance.

The entire Dao Scripture began with mortals. Upon entry, one first cultivated a set of Primordial Skills to hammer and temper the physique, and there was even an accompanying martial art called Primordial Great Grappling.

Once the physique had reached completion, the cultivator had to begin "returning against the current to the primordial state": first transforming the five viscera and six bowels, then the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones, until finally shedding the physical form entirely and refining the body into a stream of Primordial True Qi. From then on, it could gather and disperse with the impermanence of clouds, be difficult for Dao arts to harm, and stand undefeated from the outset when fighting spells against others.

Beyond that, the Dao Scripture also recorded many spells that could be used in conjunction with Primordial True Qi.

From Heavenly Net Dust-Diffusing Smoke and the Single-Minded True Qi Sword to the Spirit Breath Qi-Absorption Technique, the sheer variety and versatility of the spells left Lu Yang's eyes wide open.

Yet just then, Lu Yang, who had been reading with utter fascination, suddenly froze.

".Why is there no more?"

Lu Yang instinctively raised his head to look at Liu Xin, only then discovering that the "Primordial Dao Scripture" in his hands had only its first half, its contents ending abruptly.

"Junior Brother, teachings are not lightly bestowed."

Liu Xin chuckled. "The latter half of the 'Primordial Dao Scripture' concerns the secrets of Foundation Establishment. It isn't included among the sect's benefits; you must exchange Contribution Points for it."

Hearing this, Lu Yang shook his head helplessly. "So that's how it is. This junior brother has disgraced himself."

"No matter. Half a Dao Scripture is enough for you to cultivate, Junior Brother."

Liu Xin warmly patted Lu Yang's shoulder. "Come. I'll take you to Mending Heaven Peak to choose a cave residence. Pick a good spot, and we can visit each other more often in the future."

Lu Yang nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Half an hour later, Mending Heaven Peak.

At a secluded cave residence at the foot of the mountain, Lu Yang officially settled down. The furniture and utensils that had originally been inside were swept out like rubbish.

Watching this, countless thoughts churned through Lu Yang's mind.

"Being a formal disciple doesn't seem easy either."

Mending Heaven Peak was not large. The First Saint Sect took in so many nominal disciples every year that even if the chance of advancement was only one in ten thousand, it would still be enough to fill Mending Heaven Peak.

But what was the reality?

Along the way, Lu Yang had found that Mending Heaven Peak was not merely far from overcrowded—it was even somewhat empty. Many cave residences sat vacant, with no disciples living in them.

Where had all those formal disciples gone? It couldn't be that they could not afford to rent a cave residence, could it?

Lu Yang shook his head and did not investigate further. Instead, he took a meditation cushion and sat down, then assumed the five-hearts-facing-heaven posture and began his first cultivation session inside the cave residence.

It would have been one thing if he had not cultivated, but the moment he did, Lu Yang immediately felt nearly twice as much heaven-and-earth Spiritual Qi as in the outer sect rushing toward him. It all poured into his dantian, then circulated through his meridians and throughout his body before gradually merging, from the outside in, into his five viscera and six bowels, skin, flesh, sinews, and bones.

The efficiency was so high that even Lu Yang wore a look of astonishment.

With the same amount of time and the same Cultivation Method, the True Qi that took him an entire day to refine in the outer sect required only one hour of cultivation in an inner sect cave residence.

"No wonder inner sect cave residences have to be rented with money."

It was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury back to frugality. Once one had experienced the speed of cultivating inside a cave residence, it became difficult to endure cultivating anywhere else.

The next day, Lu Yang did not go out. He remained in his cave residence, cultivating while flipping through the Primordial Dao Scripture.

"Although cultivation in this world also depends on talent, there is no such thing as Spiritual Roots. So long as one has the will, anyone can step onto the path of cultivation."

Even so, cultivation did not become much easier because of it.

For although mortals entering the Dao to cultivate were not restricted by Spiritual Roots, the grade of the True Qi they refined could still determine the highest achievements they could attain in the future.

This was the purpose of a "method."

The higher the grade of the Cultivation Method, the higher the grade of the True Qi it refined, and the more likely one was to reach a higher realm in the future. Conversely, one was also more likely to encounter bottlenecks.

True Qi had nine grades and thirty-six tiers. The lower the grade number, the more superior it was; the higher the tier, the more powerful it was.

Generally speaking, True Qi below Seventh Grade had no hope of Foundation Establishment. Below Third Grade, forming a Golden Core was difficult. And without First Grade, attempting to condense a Nascent Soul was ten deaths without a single life.

"Rogue Cultivators truly have no way to survive."

Lu Yang could not help sighing. Compared to great sects with complete inheritances, what room did Rogue Cultivators have to choose their Cultivation Methods? They simply cultivated whatever they could get.

Under such circumstances, no matter how great one's talent or comprehension was, one had already lost at the starting line, and could only end up with lifelong regret.

The difficulty of cultivating immortality was plain to see.

At this thought, Lu Yang gradually furrowed his brow.

"The 'Primordial True Qi' refined from the 'Primordial Dao Scripture' ranks at the first tier of Sixth Grade. Its cultivator has hope of Foundation Establishment. Strictly speaking, it is already not weak."

But it still fell short of his expectations.

If he had merely been an ordinary cultivator, that would have been one thing.

But now that he possessed such a miraculous treasure as the Hundred Lives Book, his future could be said to hold boundless promise. A Cultivation Method that stopped at Foundation Establishment could no longer satisfy his ambitions.

"If only I could obtain some supreme true inheritance ranked at First Grade..."

Lu Yang imagined it for a moment, then sighed. "Forget it. I still have to walk the road step by step. If I spread my legs too wide—crack—I'll tear my balls."

"I'll cultivate the Primordial Dao Scripture first and become a great Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Once one's Dao Foundation was established, one could live in the world for three hundred years. That was nearly the equivalent of an entire mortal dynasty, and even in the cultivation world, one could be called a "great cultivator."

Once he had strength, he could seek out a higher inheritance, then Restart immediately after obtaining it.

Repeating that cycle again and again, there would surely come a day when his dreams came true.

As long as he was patient and did not rush ahead recklessly, time would forever be the good friend standing at his side. That was the confidence the Hundred Lives Book gave Lu Yang.

Ten days later, Lu Yang's cave residence.

White Qi steamed and swirled. One moment, it transformed into billowing black smoke; the next, into an invisible qi sword; and finally, into an elegant figure, drifting like an Immortal.

"I did it!"

Though the Primordial Dao Scripture was profound and mysterious, it was not difficult to cultivate. In just ten days, Lu Yang had successfully shed his physical form and refined his body into a stream of True Qi.

Name: Lu Yang

Lifespan: 18

Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 1

Talent: Dual Cultivation Prodigy (White)

Cultivation Method: Yin-Yang Great Joy Ode (Perfected), Primordial Qi Refining and Form-Shedding Art (Perfected)

Divine Ability: None

Treasure: None

Hundred Lives Book Pages: 99

Looking at the updated information in the Hundred Lives Book, Lu Yang trod the empty air, feeling better than ever. Even the venereal disease left behind by the original owner of his body had healed without medicine.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Lu Yang, who had been brimming with satisfaction, frowned and abruptly stopped moving. He looked again at the Hundred Lives Book and fell into inexplicable contemplation.

".No."

It seemed that he had overlooked something.

Lu Yang instinctively began to recall. In this life, he had encountered no difficulties. He had smoothly become a formal disciple and smoothly received the Primordial Dao Scripture.

The next second, Lu Yang finally realized what he had overlooked.

After Yu Suzhen plundered you, she had already broken through the Qi Refining realm. Yet the venereal disease had sunk deep into her bones, and True Qi could not remove it. She lay bedridden for several months before finally dying when her illness became severe.

In his previous life, why had Senior Sister Yu died?

Since she had been a formal disciple, she surely had received the Primordial Dao Scripture as well. As long as she had successfully cultivated it and shed her form into Qi, how could she possibly have died from a venereal disease?

She had not succeeded in cultivating it?

"Impossible!" Lu Yang shook his head.

The Primordial Dao Scripture was not difficult to cultivate. Since Yu Suzhen had been capable of breaking through to the Qi Refining realm, then no matter how poor her aptitude was, she could not possibly have failed to cultivate it after several months.

"Unless what she cultivated was not the Primordial Dao Scripture!"

At that instant, Lu Yang felt as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.

Never had the sound of his heartbeat been so clear. His breathing also quickened, while the excitement on his face rapidly faded away.

"The Primordial Dao Scripture... Liu Xin prepared it specifically for me?"

Lu Yang recalled the scene he had witnessed in the Treasure Refining Hall.

That nominal disciple of the Treasure Refining Hall had believed that his Great Dao had been perfected, only to seek his own death. Not only had he failed to break through, he had instead refined himself into a magical treasure.

Then and there was precisely like here and now?

Just then, a familiar and warm call suddenly came from outside the cave residence.

"Junior Brother Lu, are you in?"