"Demon... are you in a bad mood?"
Yun spoke while glancing up at Lü Yang, who was resting with his eyes closed.
"A bit."
Lü sighed and casually recounted the predicament he was facing.
"This is the Demonic Stain Sect, treating disciples as consumables, with no regard for humanity," Yun Miaoqing softly opened her rosy lips.
"Demon... Fellow Daoist Lü, your talent is quite exceptional, and your character is excellent, so why compromise here?" Yun suggested, "If you can lift the Dao restriction on me and help me escape from here, I can recommend you to become a disciple of our Sword Pavilion..."
Yun was seeking death, and he had no interest in accompanying her.
The urgent task is still on how to enhance himself.
After much deliberation, instead of buying the Yin Yang Immortal Flower, Lü Yang decided to spend everything he had on purchasing ten Qi Pills that could enhance cultivation.
"This life has basically reached a dead end."
"After all, I neither plan to repay the loan nor want to waste decades as a sect slave; when the loan term is up, I'll surely be doomed."
"So, I must seize this period and rapidly improve myself!"
Lü Yang had already made up his mind: since he planned to choose cultivation in his next life, he might as well rise as high as he could in this one.
"If my cultivation is too low, Liu Xin might recognize me, so at the very least, I need to elevate to the same realm as he was back then," Lü Yang pondered, "At least to the Mid-phase of Qi Refining, plus a Qi Concealing Technique, would it have a chance to deceive him."
Lü Yang dared to think so because he was confident.
In the Qi Refining Stage, there are ten minor Layers in total, divided into four phases—Early, Mid, Late, and Final.
Within the same phase, there are essentially no bottlenecks: as long as you throw in enough resources, you can push through the levels by sheer accumulation.
The true obstacles lie between phases.
Breaking from Early to Mid, from Mid to Late, and from Late to Final is where the bottlenecks appear.
Each breakthrough grows exponentially more difficult, leaving countless Qi Refiners stuck right before the next phase.
"According to my calculations, ten Qi Pills plus the spirit line of the cave mansion are enough to break through to the Qi Refining Third Layer. In fact, this is also the average cultivation of most disciples within the sect. Their improvement mainly relies on time but not talent, so they would naturally get stuck in the bottleneck of the Early-phase of Qi Refining, becoming the sect slaves of the Stain Sect...."
If nothing unexpected happened, Lü would be one of them as well.
But in this life, he held something that could tilt his fate.
With a thought, a swirling white Qi immediately manifested on Lü's hand, transforming into a sword or dense smoke at his will.
Primal Qi!
"According to Liu Xin, the greatest role of Primal Qi is to help one break through bottlenecks; it must have contributed to his breakthrough to the Late-phase of Qi Refining."
"It definitely can help me break through to the Mid-phase of Qi Refining."
"As long as I break through, this life won't have been wasted. I can start over right away—and with a higher cultivation base, my next life will begin on a much higher rung."
A moment later, a sound came from outside the cave mansion.
His Qi Pills had arrived.
Lü Yang pushed open the door and saw a woman standing outside the cave mansion, dressed in plain clothes, with a beauty comparable to Yun Miaoqing and a more voluptuous body.
"I am Qingchen, greetings Junior Brother Lü." The woman curtsied gracefully and then let out a gentle laugh, a laugh that seemed to have a magical power, causing people to involuntarily develop affections for her: "I've been tasked to deliver the Qi Pills you purchased, Junior Brother, please present your token for verification."
Lü Yang knew the procedure and complied immediately.
During the process, Qingchen softly probed, "Junior Brother, did you perhaps get a windfall to buy so many pills?"
"What are you saying, Senior Sister?"
Lü Yang shook his head with a bitter expression, "I just took out several loans, hoping to improve my cultivation so I can take on some high-reward tasks."
"I see."
Qingchen nodded, showing concern, "Junior Brother, do not belittle yourself. Which of us official disciples doesn't have a few loans?"
"But... forgive Qingchen for being direct, Junior Brother, you still lack flexibility."
"Oh?"
Seeing Lü Yang was interested, Qingchen smiled slightly, "There are only so many sect tasks, it's impossible to pay off those loans just by relying on tasks, isn't it?"
"In the Stain Sect, walking the ordinary path won't make you rich," Qingchen said softly, "Originally, I thought you might have stumbled upon a cave mansion left by a senior brother, and that's why I boldly asked, but it wasn't the case."
"Cave mansion...."
Lü Yang lowered his eyelids, his gaze as calm as a still lake, yet his tone was one of feigned interest: "I am dull-witted, could Senior Sister please explain in detail?"
"Junior Brother, do you know that the Stain Sect was founded upon the Sea of Clouds."
Qingchen said lightly, "Within the Cloud Sea, besides the Inner Sect Four Peaks, there are many other peaks, all established by former Direct Disciples and Elders."
"Still, the road to immortality is long and treacherous, and over the years many have fallen. Their cave mansions, however, remain abandoned rather than reclaimed, scattered throughout the Cloud Sea. Risky, yes, but each one is an opportunity. Even the smallest haul can be traded for a hefty amount of contribution points."
"If you're interested, Junior Brother, I have recently discovered a relatively safe cave mansion....."
Really? I didn't believe it!
Lü Yang sneered inwardly, for Qingchen's persuasive demeanor was too reminiscent of Liu Xin from his previous life who had deceived him into cultivating the Manual of Primal Qi.
This was a trap!
The cave mansion opportunity? Just a bait.
Seeing a newly promoted disciple buy so many Qi Pills, she definitely wanted to trick me into going out to be killed so she could take the pills.
Thinking of this, Lü Yang put on a look of temptation, "I need to think about it."
"No hurry." Hearing this, Qingchen nodded, "The verification procedures have been completed, when you are ready, Junior Brother can contact me...."
"I've made up my mind, not going."
Seeing the procedure done, Lü Yang said nothing more and returned to the cave mansion with the bottle of Qi Pills, leaving only Qingchen standing there.
"???
Moments later, the reacted Qingchen nearly ground her teeth, her graceful face filled with murderous intent: "This Lü Yang... dared to deceive me!"
Turning away, Qingchen quickly arrived at another cave mansion.
And inside, a well-dressed young Daoist awaited, seeing Fairy Qingchen's sullen face, he immediately frowned alongside her:
"Didn't succeed?"
Qingchen shook her head, "This person... is overly cautious."
"And Senior Brother Zhao, he took loans but didn't buy the Yin Yang Immortal Flower, instead he bought pills; I suspect he never intended to repay the money."
"Planning to default? Next life maybe!"
Zhao Xuhe heard this and laughed coldly, "Do you know, every new disciple has been secretly marked with a price by the Stain Sect long ago."
"The loans a disciple can get in the Stain Sect will never exceed his price, so as to ensure that no matter what happens, the sect can recoup its costs. One's flesh, organs, soul..... All these are valuable, and more than enough to pay back the money."
"He wants to improve his cultivation? Let him."
"As long as he remains within the sect, the higher his cultivation, the more valuable he becomes."
Zhao Xuhe let out a sinister smile, a blood-tinged sharpness hidden between his teeth. "By then, we won't just come out even—we might even turn a tidy profit."
"Moreover, he has the money to buy those Qi Pills but might not have the chance to use them, does he?"
"Senior Brother means....."
Zhao Xuhe nodded subtly, hinting: "Many things, as long as they go unnoticed, are rather alright."
Upon these words, Qingchen's eyes brightened with understanding.