Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Grave Danger from a Perfected

’With my current strength, killing that little Demon will be anything but easy...’

The Yun Ancestor’s expression grew thoughtful. He had, after all, just been reincarnated into the body of an infant. Aside from his powerful Soul and Divination abilities, he had no combat strength whatsoever.

’...But it doesn’t matter.’

The Ancestor was in no hurry. After all, it was impossible for Lü Yang to discover him. He could take his time to develop, and within ten years, he would recover to the Final-phase of Qi Refining.

’But that kid is slippery. He’s also temporarily in control of this Simulation Realm. The moment he senses danger, he can withdraw from the Secret Realm at any time. Even if I recover to the Final-phase of Qi Refining, I’ll need a solid plan to kill him. I have to find a way to lure him into my trap and make sure he can’t escape.’

The Ancestor continued his Divination as he pondered.

’The Three Steps of Martial Arts: Mastering Five Elements in the Body, Opening Nine Celestial Acupoints, and Breaking the Creation Mysterious Gate... A Martial Master can rival someone in the Late-phase of Qi Refining. What a marvelous technique.’

The Ancestor’s face filled with amazement.

He had achieved Foundation Establishment in two lifetimes and lived for more than six hundred years. He had seen countless Demons, including some who had cultivated Theft to Sainthood, yet few were anything like Lü Yang.

’Without reaching Foundation Establishment, one cannot know the will of Heaven. Qi refiners’ Divination and deductive abilities are far from the standard required for creating a technique. Even if they somehow manage to create one, it would be as fragile as a mud hut. This kind of techniques can at best open a path to the Mid-phase of Qi Refining, yet Lü’s one can reach the Late-phase of Qi Refining.’

’That Demon... actually possesses such talent?’

As the Yun Family Ancestor’s amazement grew, so did the apprehension in his heart. He was now determined not to let Lü Yang break through to Foundation Establishment and add to the strength of the Demon Dao.

But how to do it? ’Theft to Sainthood steals the Qi of the world’s people and consumes Merit, so a Martial Master will surely face a Tribulation... In that case, I’m afraid my reincarnation is his Tribulation.’

The Yun Family Ancestor perceived a Celestial Secret, and a realization dawned on him.

’However, I am protected by the Prophetic Orrery, so he cannot divine my existence. I, on the other hand, can easily track his movements. This should be a great advantage for me.’

’In that case, I can create another ”Tribulation” for him. This ”Tribulation” can’t be too easy to resolve, nor too difficult. It must give him a glimmer of hope that he can solve it, so he will be forced to act personally. I’ll use this ”Tribulation” to lure him into my trap...’

As the saying goes, a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.

The Yun Family Ancestor had been reincarnated once before, so he didn’t carry the arrogant air of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He certainly wasn’t about to underestimate Lü Yang; his plotting was meticulous to the extreme.

’So, what should the ”Tribulation” be?’

The Yun Family Ancestor pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly as a plan formed. ’For this kid, the greatest worry would be something going wrong with the cultivation of Theft to Sainthood.’

’In that case, I’ll give him a ”helping hand”!’

’He created the Three Steps of Martial Arts, so I will create the Fourth Step of Martial Arts in his stead. However, this step will not be confined to the framework of his original system...’

With this thought, the Yun Family Ancestor immediately began to manipulate the web of karmic links.

.....

In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

Over those ten years, heroes rose up across the land. The development of Martial Arts reached its zenith, and the Three Steps of Martial Arts became widely known, studied by martial artists everywhere.

And it was in this era that revered martial prowess, late one night in the Celestial Capital City, that thunder suddenly roared as if dragons and snakes were rising from the earth. A torrential rain poured down, and then, the entire city’s populace saw a pillar of righteous qi shoot straight into the heavens. It pierced the rain clouds and reversed the weather. In what felt like no time at all, the clouds parted and the sun shone brightly once more!

The next day, a piece of news shook the world.

The head of the Righteous Academy, Wang Boyuan, known as the ”Saint Heart Scholar” and wielder of a volume of Celestial Book, had achieved enlightenment overnight. He had seen through a profound mystery and taken the Fourth Step of Martial Arts!

The First Step of Martial Arts: Mastering Five Elements in the Body.

The heart, lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys—cultivating these five organs to Perfection makes one a Martial Artist.

The Second Step of Martial Arts: Opening Nine Celestial Acupoints.

Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, tendons, bones, flesh, blood, and will... Opening all nine acupoints allows one to be called a Martial Artist.

The Third Step of Martial Arts: Breaking the Creation Mysterious Gate.

It is said that divinity resides three feet above one’s head. By using the five viscera to refine the body’s essence qi and the nine acupoints to channel the Power of Heaven and Earth, the internal and external merge. Breaking the Profound Gate above the head allows one to see this ’divinity.’

The world had believed this to be the pinnacle of Martial Arts, the level of a generational grandmaster, with no further path for advancement.

However, with the breakthrough of the Saint Heart Scholar, Wang Boyuan, all the Martial Artists in the world were invigorated. Furthermore, Wang Boyuan was a man of great righteousness and did not keep his insights to himself.

”The Fourth Step of Martial Arts is called ’Investigating the Changes Between Heaven and Man’!”

”To master this step, one must break free from the shackles of Martial Arts. One can no longer be confined by Martial Arts itself, but must walk their own Dao to achieve a celestial transformation!”

The Saint Heart Scholar had understood this very point. No longer confining himself to Martial Arts, he created his own ”Fate-Seeing Technique,” which could perceive the will of Heaven, observe celestial fortune, and even alter Celestial Secrets. His heart was dedicated to his nation, and he wished to use the technique to extend the fortune of the Great Zhou, establish an impregnable dynasty, and usher in ten thousand generations of peace.

And with the Saint Heart Scholar’s breakthrough, the web of karmic links shifted, and the world underwent a drastic change.

The second person to break through was the current representative of the Celestial Master’s Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Daoist Redfoot, Chang Qingjing. He achieved his breakthrough after a sudden enlightenment while practicing medicine.

The third was Du’e Divine Monk, Xuan Ku, of Xuankong Temple, who broke through after a sudden enlightenment during morning prayers.

The fourth... the fifth... the sixth...

In just ten short years, seven Celestial Martial Artists emerged in the world, proving the viability of this new path and completely shattering the Martial Arts framework Lü Yang had originally established!

....

’Hm?’

In the Far West of the Simulation Realm, deep within dense mountains and forests, surrounded by countless Talismans inside the Blood River Sword Formation, Lü Yang suddenly opened his eyes.

All he could see was a canopy of dark clouds, with no sign of the clear sky or sun.

The next second, a halo of light erupted from behind Lü Yang’s head as the Heaven Divination Talisman activated. The many changes of the past ten years immediately flooded his mind, and he understood everything.

’The Fourth Step of Martial Arts, Investigating the Changes Between Heaven and Man... So fast!’

At that moment, Lü Yang was both pleasantly surprised and suspicious. He was pleased that Martial Arts had evolved so much in such a short time, but that was also the very reason for his suspicion.

’How could it be so fast?’

Yet, the cause and effect his Divination revealed fit together seamlessly; he couldn’t find the slightest flaw.

’The Martial Arts I created can rival the Late-phase of Qi Refining at its Third Step. Now, the people in this Secret Realm have taken a Fourth Step. By a rough estimate, these so-called Celestial Martial Artists must be incredibly strong, perhaps even rivaling the Final-phase of Qi Refining... but if that’s the case, it’s not truly Martial Arts anymore!’

Thinking of this, Lü Yang’s expression gradually grew serious.

’The events my Divination showed are fine...’

’The shifts in the karmic links are also fine...’

’Everything is logical and reasonable. There’s just one problem: Martial Arts is spiraling out of control, and Theft to Sainthood is on the verge of failure. It seems the only way to correct its course is for me to intervene personally.’

’...This isn’t right!’

Alarm bells instantly went off in Lü Yang’s mind. He naturally couldn’t see through the Yun Family Ancestor’s scheme, nor could he sense the ancestor’s manipulation of the web of karmic links.

He only knew one thing:

’No one is getting me to leave this place!’

Here, he had countless Talismans at his disposal and was protected by an Array. He wouldn’t even be afraid if a dozen cultivators at the Final-phase of Qi Refining showed up. He was in an unassailable position.

But once he left this place, it would be another matter entirely.

Moreover, he was currently the player of the game, transcendent and detached. If he chose to enter the world and become known, it would be tantamount to turning himself into a chess piece and stepping onto the board.

One careless move, and the entire game could be lost.

At this thought, Lü Yang instantly calmed down. While the emergence of Celestial Martial Artists could ruin his Theft to Sainthood, that would still take time.

’I’ll send out an avatar to scout things out first...’

With a thought, the Myriad-Soul Banner appeared in Lü Yang’s palm. A wisp of White Qi then materialized at his fingertip—it was a pure strand of Primal Qi.

He had condensed this during his second life, after Refining his own body.

This strand of Primal Qi once had an extraordinary effect, even helping him break through to the Mid-phase of Qi Refining in his third life. Unfortunately, it had gradually become useless in his subsequent lives.

’Now’s a good time to put this old thing to use...’