The next day, Lu Yang left the Refining Arts Secret Realm. As for what happened within the secret realm, he naturally kept his mouth tightly shut. Luo Wuya also remained silent, as if Lu Yang had never been to the secret realm at all.
As for Lu Yang, since Daoist Master Yinshan had already dealt with the soul of the Yun family's Old Ancestor, he was happy to quietly reap the benefits and naturally wouldn't go around gossiping.
To put Daoist Master Yinshan at ease, after leaving the secret realm, he simply decided not to leave, directly carving out a cave residence within Yin Mountain to live in. In the mountains, cultivation knows no years; in the blink of an eye, another ten springs and autumns had passed.
On this day, Lu Yang was startled awake from his seclusion. He opened his eyes to look at the Enlightenment Jade Slip that had not left his hand for ten years, only to find several new cracks on its surface.
"It seems this secret treasure also has its limits."
For the past ten years, he had been activating this secret treasure almost constantly. Thanks to it, his attainments in various fields had made great strides. Formations, talisman arts, and cultivation level.
Most importantly, he had finally deduced a secret art to cultivate the Supreme Yin Corpse-Shedding Form Transformation True Art without triggering the Book of a Hundred Lives. Lu Yang named it the "Yin Ghost Immortal Art". To put it plainly, it was actually a method of feigned death.
By guarding the soul within and keeping one's will focused, upon the body's death, the yin soul would emerge, allowing the soul to remain in the world. Using this secret art, Lu Yang could adjust his own soul to a state similar to that of a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master's soul.
This way, after his physical body died, he wouldn't enter the cycle of reincarnation. This both fulfilled the condition for cultivating the Supreme Yin Corpse-Shedding Form Transformation True Art—undergoing a "transformation after death"—and avoided triggering the Book of a Hundred Lives.
"In the next life, I will make this my goal."
After all, The Sage's Theft alone had already cost him several decades. The Supreme Yin Corpse-Shedding Form Transformation True Art was only stronger, not weaker, in comparison, and the time required would likely be even greater. It was definitely hopeless in this lifetime.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang took out another jade slip. Recorded within was a secret art called 'Stealing Heaven's Secrets', which Zhao Xuhe had traded to him back then, even placing a secrecy restriction on it. If he could master it, his chances of reaching Foundation Establishment would increase by another ten percent!
Lu Yang reached out and tapped it lightly. As he had expected, after eighty years, the restriction on the jade slip had already dissipated, and he could easily see its contents.
"Senior Brother Zhao is truly an honest man. There are no omissions, and he even added annotations."
As Lu Yang firmly committed the art of Stealing Heaven's Secrets to memory, he mused, "Oh right, Senior Brother Zhao still owes me money in this life. I can't forget that in the next life." Another month passed before Lu Yang left his cave residence.
This time, however, he heard a piece of news that greatly surprised him: Luo Wuya, his second senior brother from the Three Rivers Society, had failed in his attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment and had perished.
"How could this be?"
Inside Daoist Master Yinshan's cave residence, Lu Yang let out a long sigh.
"Senior Brother Luo and I were close friends. I thought that after I came out of seclusion this time, we could drink wine and chat happily together."
Hearing this, Daoist Master Yinshan also shook his head.
"Second Brother is a pity. His cultivation technique was the Saint Sect's true inheritance, the 'Heavenly Crafts True Scripture'. The 'Heavenly Crafts Treasured Qi' he refined upon reaching Perfection was third-grade. On top of that, he had also mastered a Great Divine Ability and had a Foundation Establishment Pill. He should have had a thirty percent chance of breaking through."
Reaching Foundation Establishment is difficult, more difficult than ascending to the blue heavens. In this life, Lu Yang was already a hundred years old. Luo Wuya was only older, not younger, than him.
A thirty percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment was already worth risking his life for. It's just a pity that he lost the gamble. Daoist Master Yinshan sighed for a while before looking at Lu Yang.
"Seeing you emerge from seclusion this time, it seems you've made up your mind. Are you planning to assault Foundation Establishment?"
"Senior Brother sees clearly."
Lu Yang cupped his hands, took out the soul of the Yun family's Old Ancestor, and returned it to Daoist Master Yinshan, saying in a deep voice, "After seeing Senior Brother, I plan to enter seclusion."
"You, you are truly a talent. You should have been cultivating in the Saint Sect."
Daoist Master Yinshan stroked his beard and smiled.
"Thinking about it now, I rather regret tampering with your fortune back at Skull Mountain. It made you waste thirty years for nothing. Otherwise, if you were thirty years younger, your chances of breaking through to Foundation Establishment would be much higher."
Lu Yang shook his head.
"Senior Brother praises me too highly."
"I never speak falsely."
Daoist Master Yinshan shook his head. Then, with a wave of his hand, a jade token landed in front of Lu Yang. On it were written two large characters: Ascension.
"This is the Ascension Token I didn't give you at Skull Mountain back then. You exchanged it for the Enlightenment Jade Slip. Second Brother had no use for it, and Third Brother died early on the battlefield between the righteous and demonic paths."
"Take it."
Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hands.
"Senior Brother, your kindness is too great. I cannot accept this."
"Cut the nonsense."
Daoist Master Yinshan looked impatient.
"If I tell you to take it, then take it. If you can truly reach Foundation Establishment, it can be considered forming a good karmic connection."
Hearing this, Lu Yang had no choice but to accept the Ascension Token. A sliver of anticipation suddenly rose in his heart: his intention in assaulting Foundation Establishment this time was merely to accumulate experience for the next life.
But now, with his third-grade True Qi and The Sage's Theft, if he added this Ascension Token, could he really have a thirty percent chance? There isn't some kind of conspiracy, is there? At this thought, Lu Yang found it a bit amusing.
It couldn't be helped; there were too many talented people in the Saint Sect. Help for no reason at all really made him uneasy. 'But even if there is a conspiracy, I'll accept it.'
'Anyway, even if I die in this lifetime, I plan to die on the path to Foundation Establishment. If I don't succeed, I will die trying. Whether there's a conspiracy or not doesn't matter.'
'If there really is some conspiracy, at worst, I'll just be more careful in my next life.' Thinking this, Lu Yang no longer dwelled on it. He stood up, respectfully bowed to Daoist Master Yinshan, and then turned and left directly.
Little did he know that after he left, another figure appeared beside Daoist Master Yinshan. The newcomer was a middle-aged man with a dignified bearing. Between his brows was a soaring, sharp aura, as if nothing in the world could stump him.
Daoist Master Yinshan was the first to speak: "What do you think?"
"... No good."
The newcomer shook his head.
"The best age to break through to Foundation Establishment should be between seventy and eighty. This person is already over a hundred years old. His hope of breaking through is minuscule."
"It's a pity. Although he has cultivated the Supreme Yin Corpse-Shedding Form Transformation True Art, he hasn't completed the final transformation to attain the status of a 'Corpse-Shedding Immortal'. Otherwise, his chances would increase by another ten percent... It's just that without the help of another Foundation Establishment Daoist Master, I'm afraid the two of us won't be able to break into that place."
"Let's hope he can succeed."
"If not, our only choice is to risk inviting an outsider to help."
Daoist Master Yinshan had a helpless expression.
"Senior Brother Chongguang, you have already reached the Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and you are also the reincarnation of the 'Overturning Lantern Flame' master. This is an opportunity that must not be missed."
"Correct. At this point, our only option is to take the risk."
Daoist Master Chongguang's expression was resolute as he said, "If I succeed, it is my fortune. If I fail, it is my fate. Besides, the thousand-year great tribulation is approaching.
If I don't become a True Monarch, how can I be one of the players?"
"It's merely the difference between dying sooner and dying later!"
"At least dying in the attempt to break through is far better than having one's mind clouded by the tribulation when it arrives, becoming someone else's pawn, and ultimately dying in ignorance."
"You and I have both attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment. We should understand this principle."
"What Senior Brother says is very true."
Daoist Master Yinshan nodded, seemingly recalling various things from the past. He then sighed, "Qi Refining cannot grant transcendence, and even at Foundation Establishment, it is difficult to seek true freedom."
"That's just how the world is."
Daoist Master Chongguang's tone was cold.
"Otherwise, why would there be talk of Daoist Masters and True Monarchs?"
"A Qi Refining cultivator, no matter how stunning, is just 'material' that can be expended at any time."
"Only by breaking through to Foundation Establishment will one be regarded as a person. And only by achieving the Golden Core can one be considered a lofty ruler who governs thousands!"