The First Saint Sect, Heaven Mending Peak.
When Lü Yang returned to Heaven Mending Peak, his body was practically covered in wounds—far worse than the injuries he'd sustained during the battle at Skull Mountain.
On his way back, his flying boat had been ambushed by a righteous sect. A Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator had used a divine ability to slice off his left hand, leaving nothing but bone. His face was crisscrossed with scars—the work of a scorpion demon beast's stinger while passing through a forest.
And those were just the visible wounds.
Beneath the surface, his meridians, acupoints, and dantian had all suffered varying degrees of damage. Every single injury had been inflicted by opponents weaker than him.
So this is what they mean by "when luck runs out, even a hero is powerless," Lü Yang thought helplessly.
His fortune for the next thirty years had been prematurely exhausted by the Hidden Mountain Sage's fishing expedition. Cursed with bad luck, everything he touched turned to disaster.
Initially, Lü Yang had tried to fight back.
But whenever he engaged in combat, something would go wrong: old injuries would flare up, he'd overexert himself, or his own divine abilities would backfire.
In the end, he could only run.
Still, he was now at Qi Refining Great Perfection. His luck might be gone, but his life force was tough enough to get him back to the sect.
As for the war of annihilation the Holy Sect had launched against the Divine Martial Sect after the Skull Mountain incident? Lü Yang dared not participate. In his current state—where he could literally fall into a latrine while using the toilet—he worried that if he set foot near the Divine Martial Sect, some Foundation Establishment True Man might sense him and slap him to death from eight hundred miles away.
Upon returning to the Holy Sect, Lü Yang immediately entered seclusion in his cave dwelling.
He deployed the Blood Washing Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram outside, plastered the cave interior and exterior with talismans, and sealed everything off completely. No external interference would reach him.
"For the next thirty years, I'm not stepping out!"
Not only that—with his current misfortune, even cultivation was a luxury. Forget improving his realm; the only possible outcome was qi deviation.
Fortunately, he'd already reached Qi Refining Great Perfection. There was no need to cultivate further.
Lü Yang sat upright on a futon and retrieved a jade slip from his storage pouch. This one was different from ordinary jade slips—it shimmered with brilliant gold.
It was called an Enlightenment Jade Slip.
As a substitute for a Foundation Establishment treasure, the Hidden Mountain Sage had bestowed this upon him. Just as he'd wished, it was a secret treasure capable of aiding comprehension of the Dao.
Any difficulty encountered during cultivation could be input into the jade slip, and it would provide an answer. Within the Qi Refining realm, the accuracy rate was 100%. It was practically equivalent to having a Foundation Establishment True Man personally deduce divine abilities for you. For Lü Yang, this was a lifeline.
In my current state, there's no way I can comprehend divine abilities on my own.
With my bad luck, I'd definitely go astray. But the Enlightenment Jade Slip is different!
Hidden Mountain Sage said this item has vaguely touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment. Its answers won't be affected by my misfortune.
Even so, Lü Yang wasn't in a rush to use it to comprehend the Taiwei Imperial Edict Talisman. His great divine ability, the Taiyin Metamorphosis Corpse Dissolution True Method, was missing only this final piece—but he valued another gain from Skull Mountain even more: the Taiyi Golden Flower Elixir Book!
Of course, he hadn't obtained the complete manual.
He wasn't a true disciple of Heaven Mending Peak, after all. The quality of his dual cultivation techniques was limited. Even though he'd nearly surpassed Yun Miaozhen, he still couldn't get the full text.
He'd only obtained one-third: a divine ability called "Taiyi Yuanjing Yuhua."
As the name implied, once mastered, this divine ability could condense a jade-colored "essence light." Applied to the physical body, it could make one practically indestructible.
It could also repair physical injuries.
This was especially critical for Lü Yang now. Due to his bad luck, his body was severely weakened and damaged.
Once my injuries heal and my luck recovers, I'll need to find a body-refining technique to cultivate.
Thinking this, Lü Yang immediately took out his disciple token and contacted his second senior brother from the Three Rivers Society, Luo Wuyai. He intended to ask if any suitable techniques were available.
As a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator, he now had the right to speak with Luo Wuyai on equal footing.
Soon, Luo Wuyai replied:
"There is indeed a cultivation technique that suits you, Junior Brother. But you cannot cultivate it yet. Wait a few years. I will inform you when it is ready."
Lü Yang agreed readily and returned to seclusion.
A few years later.
A dashing young man arrived outside Lü Yang's cave dwelling.
His name was Wang Song. He had joined the Holy Sect a few days prior and, through his grandfather Wang Bairong's introduction, entered the Three Rivers Society. He had accepted a commission from Luo Wuyai.
"Senior Brother Luo and Senior Brother Lü had an agreement about a body-refining technique. But Senior Brother Luo fought against the Divine Martial Sect for years and rendered great service. He was rewarded by a True Man with a Foundation Establishment treasure and is preparing to break through. He cannot come in person, so he sent me to deliver the technique."
"But now Senior Brother Lü is also in seclusion. What do I do?"
Wang Song frowned, then found a cave near Lü Yang's to stay in. He was young—he had time to wait for Lü Yang to emerge.
Thinking this, Wang Song glanced at Lü Yang's cave again, his eyes filled with anticipation.
As far as he knew, this Senior Brother Lü had started as an ordinary disciple, yet he'd risen to become a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator, now on the verge of Foundation Establishment.
If Senior Brother Lü can do it, so can I!
I'm already at the first level of Qi Refining. If I study diligently and persevere, I'm sure I can become someone like Senior Brother Luo or Senior Brother Lü in the future!
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—never underestimate a young man's potential!"
Cultivating immortality makes one forget the years.
In the blink of an eye, thirty years had passed.
At the Heaven Mending Peak library, Wang Song—now over fifty—had been stuck at the bottleneck of the third level of Qi Refining for over a decade. His cultivation had made little progress, and age lines now marked his brow.
The old librarian who had introduced him to the Holy Sect, Wang Bairong, had long since passed away. All Wang Song had left was a stable job as a library steward and a cave dwelling loan he'd need another thirty years to repay.
Fortunately, his luck had held. After thirty years of diligent work, he was almost done paying it off.
The sharp edges of his youth had long been smoothed away.
Now, only the numbness of the Holy Sect's endless grind remained on Wang Song's face. His thoughts had shifted from "never underestimate a young man's potential" to "respect the dead."
He'd just live for the moment.
On the bright side, at least he'd soon finish paying off the cave dwelling. His son would have a foundation after joining the sect.
Just then—BOOM!
A thunderous sound erupted in the distance.
"Huh?" Wang Song looked up blankly.
The cave dwelling he'd both loved and hated for decades—the one he'd cursed at but never seen open—had finally moved.
Out of seclusion. Senior Brother Lü has emerged from seclusion!?
The next second, the cave entrance opened. Wang Song saw a handsome young man walk out—as young and spirited as Wang Song himself had been thirty years ago.
Thirty years had passed, but not a single trace had been left on him.
Then, as if sensing his gaze, the handsome young man suddenly turned. His calm eyes seemed to see straight through to Wang Song's soul.
"You are…?" Lü Yang looked curious. With a thought, a halo of light appeared behind his head, like a full moon, with extremely complex runes flowing within it.
The inscriptions resembled dragons and phoenixes, giving a paradoxical feeling. At first glance, they appeared as tiny as mustard seeds, but upon closer focus, they drew one in—as if witnessing the vast universe. As time passed, these inscriptions shifted and changed, presenting scenes of flowers, birds, fish, insects, and all things in nature.
The Taiwei Imperial Edict Talisman!
The final divine ability of the Taiyin Metamorphosis Corpse Dissolution True Method. Unlike the Heavenly Demon Blood Transformation Divine Light or the Profound Yin Body-Absorbing Great Method, this one wasn't for combat—it was for divination.
The moment Lü Yang's gaze fell upon Wang Song, the treasure talisman activated. The entire story unfolded before him, no longer a secret.
Wang Song's identity. His ancestors for eighteen generations. His cultivation method. His level. His special abilities. Even why he'd been waiting outside the cave—Lü Yang knew everything.
This feeling of having everything as clear as the lines on his palm made Lü Yang exclaim inwardly:
Perhaps this is what it feels like to be a Foundation Establishment True Man?
Of course, this was also due to the vast difference in cultivation levels between him and Wang Song. If he tried divination on another Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator, he certainly wouldn't manage it so effortlessly.
Clearly, he was still far from being a Foundation Establishment True Man.
On the other side, Wang Song finally saw his long-awaited Senior Brother Lü—the man he'd been yearning for for decades. He staggered forward to pay his respects.
But he only heard a sigh:
"No need to bow. Give me the item."
Wang Song dared not delay. He quickly took out the jade slip he'd kept hidden for thirty years.
Lü Yang scanned it with his spiritual sense. The jade slip's restrictions automatically dissolved, revealing its contents.
Luo Wuyai hadn't lied. He'd indeed sent a body-refining technique, and it was indeed very suitable for Lü Yang.
Its name was:
The Sage's Thief