"With my current strength, I'm afraid it won't be easy to kill that little Demon."
The Cloud Family's Old Ancestor had a thoughtful look on his face. After all, he had just been reincarnated into the body of an infant. Aside from a powerful soul and divination abilities, he had no combat strength whatsoever.
"... But it doesn't matter."
The Cloud Family's Old Ancestor was not in a hurry. Lu Yang couldn't possibly discover him, so he could develop slowly. Within ten years, he could recover to Qi Refining Perfection.
"But that boy is as slippery as an eel, and he's temporarily in charge of this Refining Arts Secret Realm. The moment he senses danger, he can withdraw from the secret realm at any time. Even if I recover to Qi Refining Perfection, I'll have to plan carefully if I want to kill him. I must find a way to lure him into a trap so he cannot escape."
As the Cloud Family's Old Ancestor pondered, he continued his divination.
"The three steps of the Martial Dao are to grasp the five elements in the body, open the nine heavenly apertures, and break the profound gate of creation. A martial artist at Great Completion can rival someone in the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm. What a marvelous art."
The Cloud Family's Old Ancestor's face was full of amazement. He had reached Foundation Establishment in two lifetimes and lived for over six hundred years. He had seen countless Demons, some of whom had mastered The Sage's Theft, but few were like Lu Yang.
"One who has not reached Foundation Establishment does not know the will of Heaven. Their divination and deduction abilities are far from the standard needed to create new arts. Even if they manage to force something, it would be like a mud hut, crumbling at the first touch. To have a Great Completion practitioner be comparable to a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator is already considered impressive. To be able to cultivate to a level comparable to the late stage of Qi Refining is simply perfect."
"That Demon actually possesses such talent."
As the Cloud Family's Old Ancestor marveled, the apprehension in his heart grew deeper. He had already resolved that he could not allow Lu Yang to break through to Foundation Establishment and add to the strength of the demonic path. But, how should he do it?
"The Sage's Theft steals the fortune of the world's people and consumes merit. A practitioner at Great Completion is bound to face a tribulation... In that case, my reincarnation this time is likely his tribulation."
The Cloud Family's Old Ancestor saw through the heavenly secrets, and an enlightenment dawned in his heart: "However, I have the 'Heaven-Scrutinizing Instrument' to protect me, so he cannot divine my existence. Yet, I can easily track his movements. This should be a great advantage for me."
"In that case, I can very well create a 'tribulation' for him. This 'tribulation' cannot be too easy to solve, nor can it be too difficult. It must let him see a glimmer of hope for a solution, so that he will act personally. I will use this 'tribulation' to lure him into my trap..."
As the saying goes, a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit. The Cloud Family's Old Ancestor had already been reincarnated once, so he did not carry the airs of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, nor would he underestimate Lu Yang. His plotting and planning were extremely meticulous.
"Then, what shall the 'tribulation' be?"
The Cloud Family's Old Ancestor pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly, having a plan: "For this boy, what worries him most is something going wrong with his cultivation of The Sage's Theft."
"If that's the case, then I shall give him a helping hand!"
"He created the three steps of the Martial Dao, so I will help him create a fourth step. However, this step will no longer be confined to the framework of the system he created..."
Thinking of this, the Cloud Family's Old Ancestor immediately began to push the threads of karma. In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed. In those ten years, heroes rose up all over the land.
The development of the Martial Dao reached its peak, and the three steps of the Martial Dao became widely known and practiced by all. And in this era where martial arts were revered, one late night in Heavenly Capital City, thunder suddenly roared. Dragons and snakes seemed to rise from the land as rain poured down.
Then, the entire city's populace saw a pillar of vast righteous qi shoot straight into the sky, piercing through the rain clouds and reversing the celestial phenomenon. In less than two hours, the clouds parted and the sun shone brightly. The next day, a piece of news shook the world.
The headmaster of the Vast Righteous Academy, the 'Sage Heart Scholar' Wang Boyuan, who possessed a volume of the heavenly scripture, had achieved enlightenment overnight. He had seen through the profound mystery and actually taken the fourth step of the Martial Dao! The first step of the Martial Dao: grasp the five elements in the body.
The heart, lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys. One who perfects the five viscera is a martial artist. The second step of the Martial Dao: open the nine heavenly apertures.
Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, muscles, bones, flesh, blood, and will. One who opens all nine apertures can be called a martial master. The third step of the Martial Dao: break the profound gate of creation.
There is a god three feet above one's head. By using the five viscera to circulate the body's essence qi and the nine heavenly apertures to draw upon the power of heaven and earth, uniting the internal and external, one can break the profound gate atop the head and see the 'god'.
Everyone in the world believed that the Martial Dao ended here, that this was the level of a grandmaster, with no further path forward. However, with the breakthrough of the 'Sage Heart Scholar' Wang Boyuan, all martial artists in the world were invigorated. Wang Boyuan, with his great sense of righteousness, did not keep his insights to himself.
"The fourth step of the Martial Dao is called 'Scrutinizing the Changes between Heaven and Man'!"
"To achieve this art, one must break free from the shackles of the Martial Dao, no longer clinging to the Martial Dao itself, but walking one's own path, thereby achieving the transformation between heaven and man!"
The Sage Heart Scholar had seen through this point. He was no longer confined by the Martial Dao, but instead created his own "Fortune Gazing Art." With it, he could know the will of heaven, gaze upon heavenly fortune, and even alter heavenly secrets.
It was all because his heart was devoted to the nation. He wished to use the Qi Gazing Art to extend the national fortune of the Great Zhou, to build an impregnable nation and usher in ten thousand generations of peace. And with the Sage Heart Scholar's breakthrough, karma shifted, and the world changed dramatically.
The second person to break through was the contemporary walker of the Heavenly Master Mansion on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, the 'Barefoot Daoist' Chang Qingjing, who had a sudden enlightenment while practicing medicine. The third was the 'Calamity-Crossing Divine Monk' Xuanku of the Hanging Temple, who had a sudden enlightenment during a morning lesson. The fourth... the fifth... the sixth...
In just ten short years, seven Martial Dao Celestials had appeared in the world, proving the viability of this path and completely shattering the martial arts framework that Lu Yang had initially established!
"Hmm?"
In the far west of the Refining Arts Secret Realm, amidst the dense mountain forests, within the Bloodwash Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram surrounded by countless talismans, Lu Yang suddenly opened his eyes. All he could see were dark clouds blanketing everything, with no sign of the blue sky or white sun.
In the next second, a round light shone brightly behind Lu Yang's head. The Supreme Empyrean Treasured Record began to operate, and the many changes of the past ten years immediately flowed into his mind, fully grasped by him.
"The fourth step of the Martial Dao, Scrutinizing the Changes between Heaven and Man... so fast!"
At this moment, Lu Yang was both pleasantly surprised and suspicious. He was happy that the Martial Dao had changed so much in such a short time, yet that was also the source of his suspicion. How could it be so fast?
However, the cause and effect he divined were perfectly seamless, without a single flaw to be found.
"The Martial Dao I created can rival the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm at the third step. Now that the people in the secret realm have taken a fourth step, by a rough estimate, these so-called Martial Dao Celestials are probably quite formidable, perhaps even comparable to Qi Refining Perfection... but if that's the case, it's no longer the Martial Dao!"
Thinking of this, Lu Yang's expression gradually turned serious. There was no problem with the events he divined... There was no problem with the shift in karma...
Everything was reasonable, with only one issue: the Martial Dao was out of control, and The Sage's Theft was about to fail. Only by taking action personally could he possibly correct its course.
"... This is not right!"
Alarm bells instantly rang in Lu Yang's mind. He naturally couldn't see through the Cloud Family's Old Ancestor's scheme, nor could he sense the Old Ancestor's actions in pushing the threads of karma. He only knew one thing: "No one is going to make me leave this place!"
Here, he had countless talismans at his disposal and the protection of a formation. Even if a dozen Qi Refining Perfection cultivators came, he would not be afraid. He was truly sitting pretty.
But once he left this place, it would be a different story. Moreover, he was now the one playing the game of chess, transcendent and detached. If he chose to enter the world and become widely known, it would be tantamount to placing himself as a piece on the chessboard.
One careless move, and the whole game could be lost. Thinking of this, Lu Yang instantly calmed down. Although the appearance of the Martial Dao Celestials could sabotage his Sage's Theft, it would also take a certain amount of time.
"I'll send a clone to scout things out first..."
With a thought from Lu Yang, the Myriad Spirits Banner appeared in his palm. Then, a wisp of white Qi emerged at his fingertip. It was a pure strand of 'Innate Primordial Qi'.
This was what he had condensed after refining himself during his second life. Once, this strand of 'Innate Primordial Qi' was remarkably effective, even helping him break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining in his third life. Unfortunately, in his subsequent lives, it gradually became useless.
"Now is a good time to put this waste to use..."
(End of this chapter)