"An ancient cave dwelling?"
After hearing Zhao Xuhe’s suggestion, Lü Yang shook his head. "Senior Brother, your kind invitation is appreciated, but I lack mastery in divine powers, and for now I only wish to focus wholeheartedly on cultivation."
"Oh?" Zhao Xuhe narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that Junior Brother doesn’t trust me?"
"You overthink, Senior Brother. It's simply that I haven't learned any divine powers yet and have no ability to engage in magical combat. Even if I accompany you, I’d only be a burden."
Lü Yang’s explanation was reasonable.
After all, he had just joined the sect and immediately began speculating with Substitute Death Yin Puppets, even pawning his Library Pavilion cultivation manuals as collateral — Zhao Xuhe was well aware of this.
Zhao Xuhe shook his head, his expression turning cold.
At this moment, murderous intent had already arisen in his heart.
How could he possibly accept that?
What’s more, the contribution points Lü Yang earned had originally been borrowed from him. Rounding it off, that money should have been his!
"Fine, let it sit with you for now."
Zhao Xuhe sneered internally. "Only knows how to cultivate without learning divine arts — does he think this is one of those righteous sects where he can train in peace? Once I settle the matter on Panlong Island, I’ll sneak into his cave dwelling one night and kill him. Those contribution points will still be mine!"
"As expected, that Zhao guy is probably already thinking about how to deal with me."
Leaving Zhao Xuhe’s cave dwelling, Lü Yang swaggered toward the Library Pavilion, already guessing Zhao Xuhe’s thoughts but showing no sign of panic.
After all, he hadn't spent the last few days idly.
While others were frantically flipping Substitute Death Yin Puppets, he had turned a deaf ear to the commotion, bought a massive stash of spirit pills, and gone into seclusion.
Qi Refining Stage from level four to six was considered mid-stage, without a bottleneck. As long as one had money and pills, breakthroughs were guaranteed.
And Lü Yang, who had earned a windfall of ten thousand contribution points, was naturally generous.
At this moment, he had already broken through to Qi Refining Stage level six, reaching the peak of the mid-stage.
By the way, he also used contribution points to exchange for a Dust-Cleansing Pill to cure the venereal disease his original body had.
It proved that the most incurable disease in a person’s life — was poverty.
In his First Lifetime, Yu Suzhen died from a venereal disease, and in the end, it was still due to a lack of money.
As for the mid-stage bottleneck, he had originally hoped the Innate One Qi could help break through, but perhaps due to insufficient quantity, the effect was barely noticeable.
It seemed that Liu Xin hadn’t only harmed him in the past.
As for claiming not to know divine powers — that was just to fool Zhao Xuhe.
In his previous life, he barely managed to suppress Zhao Xuhe in a sneak attack using formations when the latter was exhausted. But this time, it wouldn’t be so troublesome.
Even in a head-on fight, he now had the confidence to escape!
"Senior Brother Wang, have you been well lately?"
Arriving at the Library Pavilion, Lü Yang skillfully pulled out a gourd of wine and smiled. "This is top-quality Drunken Flower Brew — I got it especially for you, Senior Brother."
At the gate of the Library Pavilion, the old-faced Wang Borong twitched his eyelids, then sighed. "Drunken Flower Brew, one gourd costs 50 contribution points."
"You really are rolling in wealth, aren’t you?"
In this life, Lü Yang made sure to forge a strong relationship with Wang Borong.
At first, Wang Borong didn’t care much for him, but ever since the Substitute Death Yin Puppet scheme exploded, this senior of the Library Pavilion had changed his attitude.
The reason was simple.
Before the Substitute Death Yin Puppet fiasco, Lü Yang had persuaded Wang Borong to sell off some of his hoarded goods, thus avoiding financial ruin.
Since then, Wang Borong had been deeply grateful.
"Pitiful that I’ve lived for decades in vain, yet couldn’t see as clearly as a youngster like you. If you hadn’t enlightened me, I might’ve already succumbed to cultivation deviation."
"Not at all, Senior Brother. You mustn’t belittle yourself."
Lü Yang shook his head. "As the saying goes, wise words can’t persuade a ghost who’s determined to die. I advised many that day, but only you truly listened."
"Your ability to rein in your horse before the cliff was a kind of wisdom."
Wang Borong narrowed his eyes, stroking his beard. Though he knew Lü Yang was flattering him, the words still felt pleasant.
Then the two laid out a table and chairs and began to drink.
Wang Borong didn’t hold back, pouring a full cup of Drunken Flower Brew and downing it in one go before slowly saying, "You little rascal, what exactly do you want?"
At this moment, only one question lingered in Wang Borong’s heart.
"You and I have no ties. Do you actually believe the rumors that I’m some master of the Library Pavilion waiting for a destined one?"
Lü Yang poured wine while chuckling. "As the saying goes, having an elder at home is like having a treasure. I just think, Senior Brother, that since you’ve survived in the Primordial Saint Sect this long, you must have some skills. Also, working in the Library Pavilion, perhaps you could give me some pointers on cultivation methods or divine powers."
Lü Yang’s tone was exceedingly sincere.
Wang Borong didn’t respond directly, just kept pouring himself more wine. As he drank, he began to complain about the sect’s shameless behavior in scamming its disciples.
"How coincidental — just when prices peaked, the sect suddenly cracked down. This was clearly premeditated. There are bad eggs in the upper echelons!"
Lü Yang kept pouring wine and casually echoed his sentiments.
When Wang Borong had drunk enough and started nodding off, Lü Yang leaned in and whispered, "Senior Brother, I came this time to select a cultivation method or divine power."
"Any recommendations? The more powerful, the better!"
"I knew you wanted something!" Wang Borong laughed smugly. "But you’re asking the right person!"
Lü Yang quickly clasped his hands in respect. "I humbly seek your guidance."
"First off, don’t even think about true high-grade divine powers. Our Library Pavilion is only a branch under Mending Heaven Peak — the cultivation methods and divine powers here are all limited."
"The truly powerful ones are up on Sacred Fire Cliff — off-limits unless you’re a true disciple!"
"But that’s to be expected. Us low-level disciples in the early or mid-stages of Qi Refining — we’re nothing but cattle and horses to the sect. How could we be taught powerful techniques?"
After all, what’s the use of cattle and horses knowing too much? It’d only cause trouble.
As for true disciples, they’re officially part of the sect’s core and heirs to its legacy — naturally, they enjoy different treatment.
"Is there no middle ground?" Lü Yang asked softly.
"Of course there is!"
Wang Borong smiled faintly. Having worked in the Library Pavilion for over forty years, there wasn’t a single method or divine power he didn’t know.
Though he might not know their full contents, he was clear on their effects after practice.
"In this Library Pavilion, there are only three divine powers with truly outstanding might — and every one of them comes with severe side effects."
At this, Wang Borong’s expression grew solemn. He said in a deep voice, "For example, there’s one called 『Heavenly Demon Blood Transformation Divine Light』. It empowers your magical tool by sacrificing your body — greatly boosting its power. But once mastered, it shortens your lifespan and blocks future cultivation. A total severance from the immortal path."
"Now tell me, isn’t that a huge side effect?"
Wang Borong meant to scare Lü Yang off, but unexpectedly, instead of being disheartened, Lü Yang grew even more excited.
"A divine power — it’s tailor-made for me!"
Though the side effects were severe, they only applied to this lifetime. And what did the side effects of this life matter to his next?
It seemed… he had found the correct way to use the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】!