You were crushed to death by a single finger from the Heaven Mending Peak Master. Remaining pages in the Book of a Hundred Lives: 95 Starting a new life, you may choose one of the following rewards from your previous life: One: Treasures. Two: Cultivation level.
Three: Lifespan.
Four: Forfeit all rewards and awaken a random talent based on your previous life's experiences.
"Those whose names are called, come before me."
Liu Xin's voice came from the stage, but Lu Yang remained dazed for a long time, his mind seemingly still lingering on the anger-fueled sword strike from his past life.
"An ant trying to shake a great tree... that's not wrong."
Lu Yang let out a deep breath. Despite having witnessed the gap between himself and a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master, he was not discouraged. On the contrary, his fighting spirit grew even stronger.
Possessing the Book of a Hundred Lives, whatever doesn't kill him will only make him stronger. It was nothing more than starting over. Thinking of this, Lu Yang looked at the Book of a Hundred Lives interface again.
In his previous life, he had focused solely on bitter cultivation, gaining nothing besides his cultivation level at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm. However, he could not choose the cultivation level.
After all, as long as the hidden danger of the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art remained, he could not practice this cultivation technique, or it would be like carrying a ticking time bomb with him.
"I choose talent."
Calculating your experiences from the previous life... After your death, the tale of you drawing your sword to strike a Foundation Establishment cultivator spread. Countless people mocked you for overestimating your abilities, but they did not know that you were not entirely without achievement.
Although you still failed to harm the Foundation Establishment Daoist Master in the slightest, in the instant before you were crushed to death, you miraculously broke through a bottleneck in your sword arts, forcing the Heaven Mending Peak Master to use a bit more strength to kill you.
Afterward, he remarked that although you were just an ant, you still had a trick or two up your sleeve. You have awakened the Purple Talent · Got a Trick or Two.
Got a Trick or Two: No matter how terrifying the attack you face, as long as it is within the limits of your ability, you can handle it with ease for two moves.
"What kind of talent is this?"
Lu Yang frowned. At first glance, it seemed like a divine skill of absolute defense, but the "within the limits of your ability" in the talent's description somewhat diminished its value. But he quickly stopped dwelling on it.
After all, he had only chosen the talent to avoid the hidden dangers of practicing the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art in his previous life. If the talent was strong, that was for the best; if it was weak, it didn't matter.
Compared to this, Lu Yang was more concerned about whether there was a way to avoid the Heaven Mending Peak Master's divination.
"If it really doesn't work, my only choice is to give up on the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art."
"Lu Yang."
"... Here!"
Liu Xin's voice from the stage brought Lu Yang back to his senses. He hurriedly walked up to the high platform, and just as in his previous lives, Liu Xin assigned him to the Joyful Union Hall. In the next second, Lu Yang was suddenly stunned.
"Wait... I remember, it seems Liu Xin refined a powerful figure into my Myriad Spirits Banner, very likely a True Disciple of the Saint Sect."
This wasn't right. Just by practicing a cultivation technique, the Heaven Mending Peak Master was able to deduce my karma and track me down, yet Liu Xin killed a True Disciple. How was he still alive?
At this thought, Lu Yang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he stared intently at Liu Xin on the stage.
"That's it, the only explanation is that he has a wondrous treasure in his possession that can obscure karma, making it impossible for a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master to deduce any information about him!"
In an instant, Lu Yang's mind raced with possibilities. Immediately after, he changed his plan and replicated his actions from the first life, directly killing Yu Suzhen in public, successfully attracting Liu Xin's attention. He obtained half of the Innate Dao Scripture from Liu Xin.
He entered secluded cultivation. Then, just as he expected, on a dark and windy night, a well-prepared Liu Xin came to the entrance of his cave residence, humming a little tune.
"Junior Brother Lu, are you there?"
Lu Yang did not speak. Seeing this, Liu Xin was not surprised. Instead, a cold sneer appeared on his face.
He then patiently opened his storage pouch and took out one formation flag after another, setting them up in the surroundings. These were formations used for soundproofing and creating illusions, ensuring that no matter what happened inside, not a single trace would be noticed outside.
Liu Xin had done similar things many times before, and to this day, no one had ever connected them to him. Even if someone were to use karmic divination— Thinking of this, Liu Xin touched the pocket inside his robe and smiled confidently. Even if someone used karmic divination, it would be useless!
Soon, once the formation was set up, Liu Xin no longer hid himself. He erupted with True Qi and split open the entrance to Lu Yang's cave residence with a single sword strike, then sauntered inside.
"Junior Brother Lu, stop hiding. Your senior brother needs a talent just like you...!?"
Liu Xin's voice came to an abrupt halt. Inside the cave residence, Lu Yang was sitting upright on a meditation cushion, looking at him with a faint, mocking smile, showing none of the expected signs of someone who had practiced half of the Innate Dao Scripture!
"... Something's not right!"
In an instant, Liu Xin's pupils shrank, and a flag banner had already appeared in his hand. However, it was too late. The next second, as a red light flashed, Liu Xin felt more than half of the True Qi and fleshly blood in his entire body instantly drained away.
He staggered and fell to the ground! The Bloodwash Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram! Lu Yang had set up the formation diagram at the entrance of his cave residence long ago, so Liu Xin's forceful entry was no different from walking into a trap.
Naturally, he was easily taken down.
"Senior Brother, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Looking at the fallen Liu Xin and recalling how he had been deceived to death in his first life, Lu Yang immediately sneered. You've finally fallen into my hands! If our roles were reversed, I would show you the meaning of cruelty!
"Who on earth are you!?"
Liu Xin lay paralyzed on the ground, unable to muster even a shred of strength. He couldn't comprehend the situation at all. He had been schemed against?
By a new disciple who had just joined the sect?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
"Are you a spy from a righteous sect? Wait, don't kill me, I'm useful to you... I have a superior Dao Scripture that can help you become a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master!"
At this critical moment, Liu Xin couldn't care about anything else and directly revealed his greatest secret.
"Besides that, I also have a magical artifact that contains a True Disciple of the Saint Sect. He knows many secrets of the Saint Sect... no, the Primordial Saint Demonic Sect."
"As long as you let me go, all of this will be yours—" Before Liu Xin could finish his sentence, Lu Yang directly activated the blood-transforming divine light, sucking him completely dry until he was just a sheet of human skin.
"Fool. If I kill you, it's all mine anyway!"
"Even you will be mine!"
Immediately after, Lu Yang made a grasping motion with his hand, pulling the Innate Primordial Qi Myriad Spirits Banner over. He then shook the flag banner, sweeping it across Liu Xin's corpse. In the life before last, he had read the Innate Dao Scripture, so he naturally knew how to activate this treasure.
Liu Xin's corpse fell into the banner and immediately evaporated into Qi. It was refined within the banner for a long time before Lu Yang shook the banner's surface, causing him to manifest again. However, the newly manifested Liu Xin had already become a banner spirit of the Myriad Spirits Banner.
Lu Yang had even deliberately preserved his memories. Therefore, when Liu Xin revived, he looked at Lu Yang in disbelief.
"Junior Brother Lu... impossible! How could you possibly know how to activate the Myriad Spirits Banner?"
"What did you call me?"
Lu Yang sneered.
"Do I need to teach you what kind of attitude a banner spirit should have towards the banner's master? Or do you wish for your soul to be scattered?"
"My lord, spare my life! Liu Xin greets my lord!"
Liu Xin's legs instantly went weak, and he knelt on the ground. Despite still having all the memories from when he was alive, he was unable to feel even the slightest bit of hatred towards Lu Yang, the man who had personally killed him. In every single thought, there was only absolute loyalty.
This was the tyrannical nature of the Myriad Spirits Banner. At first glance, the banner spirits were no different from living people, but in reality, their minds had already been seized, making it impossible for them to be truly independent.