Lü Yang didn't dwell on Wang Song. At most, he noted that his friend from past lives—the old man of the Library Pavilion, Wang Bairong—actually had descendants.
Perhaps he'd find an opportunity to help him in a future life. Right now, he had more pressing matters.
Mounting his escape light, Lü Yang left the cave and took out the Mingdao Jade Slip to begin studying the "Sage's Thief."
An ancient saying goes: "As long as sages exist, great thieves will never cease."
This doesn't mean sages themselves are thieves. Rather, it suggests that when sages establish laws to regulate the world, those same laws—while guiding proper conduct—also provide convenient frameworks for thieves to exploit.
That's the orthodox interpretation.
The "Sage's Thief" sees it differently.
The technique's core teaching states: The sage uses his own rules to benefit himself. Those who disobey are labeled thieves. The so-called sage is merely the greatest thief—one who steals from the entire world.
Thus, to cultivate this body-refining technique, one must first establish a cultivation method for the world. When countless others follow this method, the cultivator can then steal the world's destiny to nourish himself. This is the true meaning behind the words: "The sage is the great thief, and the great thief is the Great Dao."
Using the mundane realities of countless lives, one forges a saint's golden body.
Once forged, the cultivator's physique becomes as enduring as "the way of the sage, unchanging for ten thousand generations." Among the Holy Sect's numerous body-refining techniques, this one ranks within the top ten.
Reading this, Lü Yang was utterly astonished.
Turning everyone in the world into cultivation resources... The Holy Sect remains the Holy Sect. Every time I let my guard down, they remind me just how ruthless they can be.
To be honest, ever since encountering Ming Chan, Yun Miaozhen, and others, Lü Yang's impression of the righteous path had plummeted.
Admittedly, sects like the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion treated their own people exceptionally well—meeting every standard of righteousness. But that kindness only extended to "their own people."
And what defined "their own people"?
The righteous path spoke of cause and effect, of past and present lives. If you'd accumulated good karma and merit in a previous existence, you were considered one of their own and could receive their favor.
Conversely, if you'd committed evil deeds in a past life and incurred karmic debt, even if you were completely innocent in this life, you couldn't enter the righteous path. They would use reasoning like "for your own good," "to clear your karma," or "there will be opportunities in the next life" to justify killing you outright. That madwoman Yun Miaozhen was a perfect example.
Comparing the two, Lü Yang finally saw the dividing line between righteous and demonic.
The Holy Sect accepted disciples indiscriminately, teaching without prejudice. Past lives and merits were irrelevant—all disciples were simply talented individuals worth nurturing.
The righteous path, however, emphasized "acting on behalf of Heaven." Reincarnation, karma, and destiny heavily influenced their recruitment decisions.
Both approaches had advantages and disadvantages. The only real difference lay in which felt more... human.
There isn't a single normal sect in this world, Lü Yang thought helplessly. What's wrong with this place? The system must be fundamentally broken.
Lost in thought, Lü Yang had already traveled deep into the sea of clouds.
Soon, a majestic black mountain range came into view—Yinshan itself, headquarters of the Three Rivers Society.
Just then, a hearty laugh rang out.
"Junior Brother Lü! You've finally emerged from seclusion!"
The next second, a figure appeared outside Yinshan—unchanged from thirty years ago. Lü Yang smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Luo."
"Between us, there's no need for formalities." Luo Wuyai smiled and patted Lü Yang's shoulder. He had always held Lü Yang in high regard; otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically sent him the "Sage's Thief" technique.
He also had a pretty good idea why Lü Yang had come.
"Junior Brother, you're here for the 'Sage's Thief,' aren't you?"
Lü Yang nodded. "This technique is indeed profound and unpredictable. Its scope is extremely broad, and the cultivation time required is substantial. I suspect it can't be mastered overnight."
"Hahaha." Luo Wuyai laughed heartily. "Junior Brother, you're not actually thinking of leaving the Holy Sect to cultivate this technique from scratch in the mortal world, are you? The Holy Sect has abundant resources and talented individuals galore. Why go through all that trouble? We already have a complete cultivation method for the 'Sage's Thief' right here."
Lü Yang cupped his hands. "Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."
"Follow me."
Luo Wuyai led Lü Yang to a grand hall within Yinshan. At its center stood a massive crystal sphere.
"This place is called the 'Secret Realm of Technique Refinement.'"
Seeing Lü Yang's puzzled expression, Luo Wuyai pointed to the crystal sphere. "Don't be fooled by its size. This is actually a creation of a Dao Lord!"
"A Dao Lord...?!" Lü Yang was genuinely shocked.
Foundation Establishment cultivators were called True Persons. Golden Core cultivators were True Monarchs. Only Nascent Soul cultivators merited the title of Dao Lord. What kind of being could have created something like this?
"The Secret Realm of Technique Refinement contains one hundred and forty million living beings. Each possesses powerful blood and qi, and pure souls—every one of them equivalent to over a dozen ordinary mortals. Whether used to refine magic treasures or cultivate techniques, they are top-quality materials. Junior Brother, this is perfect for cultivating the Sage's Thief."
Lü Yang gasped. "One hundred and forty million... talented individuals?"
It seemed that breaking through to Qi Refining Great Perfection and joining the Three Rivers Society—a Foundation Establishment faction—had finally qualified him to glimpse the Holy Sect's true foundation.
Just then, the secret realm suddenly blazed with light.
A young man in black robes emerged, his face twisted with rage. "Damn it! A bunch of scoundrels! Failed again!"
He glanced briefly at Luo Wuyai, then strode off without another word.
Lü Yang remained silent until the young man had vanished into the distance. Only then did he look at Luo Wuyai, who wore an expression of barely concealed amusement.
"That was another true disciple of the sect—the only son of True Man Chongguang. His name is Chongming. Ignore him. He failed yet again in his attempt to cultivate the Sage's Thief."
Luo Wuyai's expression grew serious. "I won't hide this from you, Junior Brother. The Sage's Thief technique is not easy to master."
"Don't underestimate the people inside that secret realm. They may be 'talented individuals' in our eyes, but they are not fools."
"As you know, the Sage's Thief requires creating a cultivation method out of thin air for the world to practice. The more advanced the technique, the greater the reward upon success. But we are not Dao Lords. Most of the methods we create are superficial—easily exposed."
"This is why so many fail at the Sage's Thief."
"In the past, there have even been disciples who, while cultivating this technique, were discovered by the secret realm's inhabitants. Those people feigned ignorance, bided their time, and ultimately killed their would-be 'sage.' Those disciples became laughingstocks of the Holy Sect."
"Therefore, Junior Brother, think carefully about how you approach this technique."
With that, Luo Wuyai produced a jade slip and handed it to Lü Yang. "I practiced this technique myself back in the day. These are some of my shallow experiences."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
"It's all for the sake of the Three Rivers Society. I'm still waiting for you to complete your seclusion, Junior Brother. If you truly become a Sage Thief, you'll be considered formidable among the true disciples."
Lü Yang raised an eyebrow, catching Luo Wuyai's unspoken meaning.
Only by becoming a Sage Thief can one be considered strong.
So... I'm not good enough yet?
Lü Yang remained calm. He bowed respectfully before approaching the Secret Realm of Technique Refinement. Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, a flood of information poured into his mind.
It truly lived up to its reputation as a creation of a Dao Lord. This secret realm could actually be configured!
Human history, geography, architecture—all could be shaped according to his ideas. This power to reshape an entire world with a single thought filled Lü Yang with both awe and dread.
Because one thought lingered in his mind.
The secret realm was a creation of a Dao Lord. If a Dao Lord could do such terrifying things within this space... did they possess similar power in the real world?
The inhabitants of the secret realm were merely "talented individuals" to him.
But what were the cultivators of the Holy Sect to a Dao Lord?
Lü Yang dared not think further. He could only sigh helplessly.
Damn. The Holy Sect is truly a land of talent!