The next day, Lu Yang waited in his cave residence for the entire day. No one came. It was as if the three black-robed Daoists were not disciples of the Primordial Saint Sect at all.
Their deaths caused not the slightest ripple, and not a single person even came over to check on the situation. Lu Yang sighed again. He had no doubt that the Saint Sect, which possessed the life lamps of all its disciples, had discovered the three's deaths.
Now that he thought about it, perhaps "disciples killing each other" was simply an unwritten rule. As long as it wasn't blown out of proportion and made public knowledge, no one would come to investigate. After all, the Demonic Sect was treacherous and unpredictable, difficult to fathom.
People died.
Perhaps it was to silence them, perhaps for wealth, or perhaps because they knew something they shouldn't have. What if an investigation were to actually uncover something? So it was better not to investigate.
"As expected of the Saint Sect."
After his sigh, Lu Yang put his mind at ease and began to collect his spoils of war. First were the disciple tokens. To Lu Yang's shock, the tokens of the three black-robed Daoists contained a whopping 400 contribution points, an amount that was beyond reason.
"So they were a trio of repeat offenders."
Lu Yang's brow furrowed. He searched through their belongings again, but aside from miscellaneous items, the only thing that truly tempted him was a secret manual titled "Breath-Concealing Art". After all, in Lu Yang's view, these three black-robed Daoists were exceptionally skilled at concealing their True Qi.
If he hadn't just broken through, causing his True Qi and spiritual sense to take a qualitative leap, he likely wouldn't have even detected their infiltration. This spoke to the power of this "Breath-Concealing Art"; it was clearly their most treasured skill.
"More importantly, this has nothing to do with the Saint Sect!"
Saint Sect cultivation techniques were only recorded on disciple tokens, but the "Breath-Concealing Art" was a physical secret manual. This suggested it was a personal fortuitous encounter of the three black-robed Daoists. Therefore, he wouldn't have to worry about the Saint Sect having a counter for it.
"It's like getting a pillow just when you're sleepy. They died at the perfect time!"
Thinking this, Lu Yang genuinely prepared the three bodies for burial, then dug a pit and laid them to rest. It was his way of letting them rest in peace. Then, a thought suddenly struck him: "This 'Breath-Concealing Art' is so profound, and it wasn't passed down by the Saint Sect.
Where did they get it? Could there be an even greater fortuitous opportunity behind this?" Instantly, Lu Yang's mind began to race with possibilities.
But he quickly reined in his greed, his gaze returning to a state of calm.
"No rush, no rush. Perhaps I can befriend these three in the next life."
There will always be a chance! After laying the three to rest, Lu Yang took out his disciple token again and began to look up the materials needed to refine a sword pellet, just as Yun Miaoqing had told him.
"To refine a sword pellet, one must gather three taels of metal essence, three taels of jade marrow, two taels of cinnabar, and two taels of sword qi, for a total of ten taels. Then, using true fire and divine water, it must be forged and cooled to remove impurities."
"After that, it must be slowly tempered with sword arts and a secret art, allowing it to merge with the refiner's essence, qi, and spirit. Only then can it be truly completed."
Lu Yang recalled the method for refining the sword pellet as he browsed the item catalog. The more he looked, the uglier his expression became.
"Metal essence, jade marrow, cinnabar, and sword qi are all uniformly priced at 100 contribution points per tael. Divine water is 500 contribution points a gourd, and true fire is 500 contribution points for a single wisp."
"2000 contribution points!?"
Lu Yang gritted his steel teeth. He had heard Yun Miaoqing say that every disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion received a sword pellet from their masters after breaking through to Qi Refining. But here in the Primordial Saint Sect, it actually cost 2000 contribution points?
An ordinary disciple would have to toil like a beast of burden for the Saint Sect for twenty years, without spending a single point, to possibly collect that many contribution points! Damned Demonic Sect! Such a sky-high price instantly extinguished the pride Lu Yang felt from his small windfall, making him realize once again that he was dirt poor.
"In that case, these 400 contribution points are a bit useless."
According to Lu Yang's plan, he would choose 'cultivation level' when he restarted his next life, so it was impossible to take any items he obtained in this life with him. Therefore, no matter what good things he bought with these 400 contribution points, it would be meaningless to him.
As for his cultivation level, the middle stage of Qi Refining was completely different from the early stage. Even if he spent all 400 contribution points, it would be impossible for him to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.
"Looks like I can only exchange them for cultivation techniques."
After all, unlike treasures, knowledge of cultivation techniques and divine abilities could be carried over to the next life. With this thought, Lu Yang immediately left his cave residence and headed for the Scripture Pavilion.
"Oh, it's you, kid?"
The old man at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion actually remembered Lu Yang, a look of surprise on his face.
"You're here to exchange for a cultivation technique again? Looks like you've come into some wealth."
"I'll take that as a good omen, Senior Brother."
Lu Yang cupped his hands and then walked into the Scripture Pavilion. This time, his purpose was clear: he was looking for a powerful divine ability, one specifically for fighting to the death. Soon, Lu Yang had locked onto his target.
"Life-Killing Curse: 300 contribution points."
This divine ability was very unusual. It was similar to the Buddhist practice of silent meditation, requiring the cultivator to nurture a mouthful of killing qi in their chest, refining it day and night with True Qi and linking it to their own life. Ordinarily, one could speak normally.
But when it was time to use it, one would open their mouth and shout "Kill!" The entire mouthful of killing qi, along with one's very life, would burst forth in an instant, shattering souls and shaking spirits, completely unstoppable. However, once this mouthful of killing qi was fully unleashed, the user would also die.
It was truly a technique for mutual destruction.
"Excellent. It can kill others, and it can be used to kill myself. It's a perfect fit for me!"
Possessing the Book of a Hundred Lives, what Lu Yang truly feared wasn't death, but being unable to die. The Book of a Hundred Lives could not be activated at will; it could only be used upon his death. Therefore, he desperately needed a suicide divine ability.
After exchanging for the technique from the Scripture Pavilion, Lu Yang immediately sat cross-legged and began to comprehend the art.
"Life-Killing Curse, to store qi in the chest. The most crucial part is this mouthful of killing qi."
"The higher the quality of the killing qi, the greater the power of the Life-Killing Curse when it is unleashed."
"It is said that when Heaven unleashes its killing intent, the stars and constellations shift. When Earth unleashes its killing intent, dragons and snakes rise from the land."
"When Man unleashes his killing intent, heaven and earth are overturned. Therefore, the world's killing qi is divided into three types: Heavenly, Earthly, and Human."
"Heavenly and Earthly killing qi are rarely encountered even in a century, while Human killing qi can be found everywhere. Among these, the qi from weapons is considered the finest."
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Lu Yang began the process of refining the killing qi.
"Thankfully, the materials are readily available."
The so-called qi of human killing was mostly extracted from weapons that had been used by those with murderous intent. As it happened, he had kept the weapons from the three black-robed Daoists. Lu Yang directly extracted the killing qi from them, refining it into his body little by little.
Instantly, Lu Yang felt as if a thousand knives were scraping his bones and carving his flesh within his chest. The pain was excruciating, but he kept his lips sealed tight, not daring to open his mouth. This was the critical moment of refinement.
If he opened his mouth and let the qi escape, he would surely die a violent death on the spot! After a long time, Lu Yang finally felt the killing qi in his chest stabilize and completely connect with his own True Qi. It felt ready to burst forth at a mere thought.
"I wonder just how powerful it is."
At this thought, a hint of anticipation appeared on Lu Yang's face. He resolved to use the Life-Killing Curse at least once before he died in this lifetime, just to see its power. When he returned to the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, Lu Yang was surprised to find the old man there, cursing up a storm.
"Son of a bitch, that lucky bastard."
The old man held his disciple token, his wrinkled hands trembling uncontrollably. His old face was contorted with an emotion that was impossible to discern. Lu Yang walked over and asked curiously, "Senior Brother?
What happened?"
"What happened?"
The old man's eyes widened with rage upon hearing him. He slammed his disciple token onto the ground and sneered, "The news is everywhere. See for yourself."
Before the words had even left his mouth, the old man slumped back into his rocking chair, looking as if he was sulking. Lu Yang was completely bewildered. It was only when he took out his own disciple token and saw the latest news that he finally understood what had happened.
"The Merit Pool Grand Prize Finally Has a Winner!"
"The Rainbow Merit Fish was drawn by the newly initiated disciple, Xiao Shiye!"
"A Daoist Master publicly awarded the grand prize of one billion!"
"After claiming his reward, Xiao Shiye went into seclusion, and his whereabouts are unknown!"
(End of Chapter)