Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: The System of the Cultivation Realm

At that moment, the entire island fell into a dead silence.

Lü Yang hovered in midair, lost in thought and utterly silent. The others didn’t even dare to breathe, and some had fainted from sheer terror.

After all, just moments before, Ancestor Master Qingting—a figure renowned across the surrounding islands—was being dangled by this peerless Fierce Demon like a dead dog. He was a Great Cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm, someone who would be considered mid-tier even in the Immortal Alliance, yet he was no match at all.

What was his Realm?

Refining Spirit? Returning to Void? Harmonization? No one knew, but they all understood that with a single thought, Lü Yang could decide whether they lived or died.

”.....Sigh.”

After a long pause, Lü Yang heaved a deep sigh. The thoughts of the mortals below couldn’t be hidden from him; he saw them all as clear as day.

’It’s so hard to be a good person.’

’I was clearly trying to be a good guy this time, but because of one little mishap, I’m back to being a great Demon who wipes out whole families on a whim.’

At this thought, Lü Yang glanced again at Ancestor Master Qingting, still in his grasp.

’It’s all your fault!’

’My plan was perfect. I’d casually kill a few Qi Refiners to display my power, then have a chat with the Foundation-Stage Cultivator, and we’d all show each other some respect.’

’That way, I could build a reputation for myself Overseas as a charitable and timely benefactor. I’d also save the ”Golden Core Sect,” which would surely bring significant rewards later on. I could have even pulled a self-injury gambit to make the ”Golden Core Sect” owe me a favor, setting things up for the future.’

As for the dead Qi Refiners, Lü Yang had never given them a second thought.

’Are Qi Refiners even considered human?’

But who could have guessed that a misunderstanding over an intimidating Realm name would reduce all those plans to dust? In the blink of an eye, he was a great Demon again!

’Maybe I should just kill them all...’

Lü Yang glanced at the people around him, then shuddered. ’How could I have such a horrifying thought? Would killing them all even conceal what happened?’

’It would be completely pointless!’

’It must be the Stain Sect’s fault. As they say, he who touches pitch will be defiled. I’ve been in the Stain Sect for far too long...’

Lü Yang reflected deeply. Snapping out of it, he turned to the trembling Lady Xiao behind him. ”From this day forward, I am in charge of the Shenxiao Sect.”

”Do you have any objections?”

How could Lady Xiao dare object? She immediately prostrated herself, her delicate frame trembling and sending ripples through her form. ”The Shenxiao Sect awaits your command, Senior.”

Lü Yang, in turn, gave her a profound look. His Dharma Eye burned like a torch, feeling like a searing flame spreading from the core of her being to every limb, causing a deep blush to bloom on her exquisite face. She felt completely exposed before him, as if she had no secrets left.

”Your might is divine, Senior!”

Just then, a figure suddenly rushed out and, without a second thought, knelt before Lü Yang. It was none other than Liu Chi, the very man who had just betrayed the Shenxiao Sect.

”I possess a Mutated Thunder Spirit Root of Top-Grade quality! I am willing to take you as my master, Senior, and serve you with my life, through thick and thin!”

As his voice fell, Liu Chi respectfully kowtowed three times, his forehead thudding against the ground.

Seeing this, Lady Xiao snapped her head up, her face filled with bone-deep hatred. ”You, a disciple who betrayed his master and sect... Do you really think you’ll be allowed to live?”

Liu Chi said nothing, just kept kowtowing.

Lü Yang, however, watched him with great interest. He had to admit, this Liu Chi was quite clever, grasping the situation almost instantly.

’Given my power, he knows he can’t escape, so his only option is to beg for his life. But his Cultivation is pathetic, leaving him with almost no bargaining chips to get my attention. After thinking it over, he must have realized the only things he has to offer are the talent of his Spirit Root and a pledge of loyalty. As for Lady Xiao, her opinion is completely irrelevant.’

’The choice he’s making is the best one available to him.’

Lü Yang offered a slight smile. ”Not bad. A real talent.”

The moment he spoke, a look of wild joy flashed in Liu Chi’s eyes. Then, in the midst of that joy, he dissolved into a puddle of blood and gore.

A fibrous root, crackling with lightning, shot out from the pool of blood and landed in Lü Yang’s hand.

Liu Chi’s judgment hadn’t been wrong. His so-called ”Mutated Thunder Spirit Root” was indeed very useful to Lü Yang. It was just that *only* the Spirit Root was useful.

”You, come inside with me.”

After giving this command to Lady Xiao, Lü Yang transformed into a streak of Flying Light and flew into the Shenxiao Sect’s grounds. Not daring to hesitate, Lady Xiao hurried after him.

Fortunately, Lü Yang was currently acting through the body of Su Nu, and his appearance was that of a stunningly beautiful woman.

Otherwise, Lady Xiao would definitely have become suspicious, wondering if he was interested in her body.

Of course, Lü Yang was indeed interested in Lady Xiao’s body... or to be more precise, he was interested in the Top-grade Water Spirit Root inside her.

Very suitable for in-depth research.

After all, the so-called ”Spirit Roots” are a product exclusive to the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm. To understand the truth of this place, one must start with the Spirit Roots.

.......

「One day later.」

As the shaken Cultivators gradually departed, news about Lü Yang spread like wildfire, striking terror into the Sects on the surrounding islands.

”He casually grabbed Ancestor Master Qingting and left him unable to resist?”

”He must be a Refining God Realm Cultivator!”

”But shouldn’t Refining God Realm Cultivators all be within the Immortal Alliance? Why would one be here with us? Could it be a secret mission from the Immortal Alliance? Did Qingting break some taboo...?”

All sorts of rumors flew about.

But Lü Yang, currently at the Shenxiao Sect, had no mind to pay attention to these things. Instead, he had Lady Xiao bring him all the books and scriptures from the Shenxiao Sect’s collection.

Most of them were junk.

Only one Dao Scripture was somewhat interesting and was picked out by Lü Yang. It was the Shenxiao Sect’s foundational Cultivation Technique, named ”Ren and Gui Combined Shenxiao True Skill.”

’So that’s how it is...’

Lü Yang’s brows were tightly knitted as he finished reading the entire Daoist Scripture. In the meantime, he had also conveniently summoned Lady Xiao into his seclusion chamber, performed a direct Soul Searching, and gave her knowledge a thorough ”spot check.” Lady Xiao was, after all, a sect’s matriarch. Through her, Lü Yang finally obtained a complete picture of the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm.

’In this Cultivation Realm, only those who possess a Spirit Root can practice Cultivation!’

’However, Spirit Roots are not innate. Instead, after a baby is born, one descends from the heavens and merges into the infant’s body based on their Fate and Fortune.’

’Thus, there has always been a conspiracy theory that Spirit Roots are a method used by the Immortal Alliance to control the number of Cultivators.’

’And as for this true but irresponsible rumor, the Immortal Alliance issues official denials on one hand, while on the other, it organizes task forces to crack down on it severely...’

Only with a Spirit Root could one embark on the path of cultivation.

As for the path of cultivation thereafter, it involved using the Spirit Root to constantly absorb and release Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, refining and purifying one’s own True Qi. It was roughly divided into seven Realms.

’Ancestor Master Qingting said he was Nascent Soul, but in reality, this ’Nascent Soul’ is just an unofficial term not recognized by the Immortal Alliance. According to the Immortal Alliance’s official classification, the seven Realms should be Qi Cultivation, Foundation Building, Core Formation, Nascent Soul Formation, Refining Spirit, Returning to Void, and Harmonization...’

This sounded much more reasonable.

He had previously thought that the so-called Qi Cultivation, Foundation Building, and Core Formation were Overseas terms. Now, it seemed they were likely names deliberately changed to avoid offending a Venerable.

After all, a Golden Core Perfected Lord could survey all of Heaven and Earth.

’What if one day, such a being surveyed the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm, discovered that mere Qi Refiners dared to call themselves ”Golden Core,” and, in a fit of pique, decided to slaughter the entire realm?’

’What gives you the right to call yourself Golden Core, the same as me?’

The more Lü Yang studied the system of the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm, the more something felt wrong. ’Why don’t the cultivation methods here increase one’s Position at all?’

Above Nascent Soul Formation was what was called Refining Spirit.

He had thought that Nascent Soul Formation was equivalent to the Final-phase of Qi Refining. So, Lü Yang had assumed the next stage, Refining Spirit, must be comparable to Foundation Establishment, which made him feel a little wary.

However, the Shenxiao Sect had produced a Refining God Great Cultivator in the past, and the *Ren and Gui Combined Shenxiao True Skill* also described Cultivators at the Refining Spirit and even Returning to Void realms. But after looking into it, Lü Yang discovered that both Refining Spirit and Returning to Void were essentially just further purifications of True Qi, not an increase in Position.

In other words, there was no qualitative change.

In the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm, even the strongest Great Cultivator of Unity was still at the Final-phase of Qi Refining! Their Position wasn’t high enough; Lü Yang could kill them all with a single breath!