"Junior Brother Xiao truly possesses extraordinary bearing."
Lü Yang patted Xiao Shiye's shoulder as he spoke, "I am Lü Yang. We should have entered the sect in the same cohort, so there's no need to call me senior brother."
"The same cohort?" Xiao Shiye was surprised upon hearing this, then his face showed admiration, "In that case, Brother Lü's talent must be outstanding—otherwise, it would be difficult to achieve such cultivation."
"I don't deserve such praise."
Lü Yang waved his hand. He knew his own talent was definitely not remarkable. He usually relied on elixirs for cultivation, and breaking through bottlenecks was entirely achieved through unorthodox methods.
If he cultivated step by step, he'd probably still be stuck at the third layer of Qi Refining.
Learning that Lü Yang was of the same generation, Xiao Shiye's initial reserve vanished, and he quickly grew familiar with Lü Yang. After chatting for a while, Lü Yang tentatively asked, "I've just broken through and plan to return to my cave to consolidate my cultivation. Where does Brother Xiao plan to go next?"
"To be honest, Brother Lü, I plan to go to the Merit Pool," Xiao Shiye smiled. "I've heard the Merit Pool is the ultimate test of luck. I've had some good fortune recently, so I'd like to seize the opportunity to try my luck."
"The Merit Pool?"
Lü Yang's heart stirred slightly, and he suddenly had an inspiration. "In that case, why don't we go together?"
He had already tried the numbers Xiao Shiye won in his previous life, so he was very curious about how Xiao Shiye would choose in this life and whether there was truly any behind-the-scenes manipulation.
Meanwhile, outside Wanbao Peak, above the sea of clouds,
over a dozen figures stood silently. The leader was a handsome young man dressed in white, appearing dashing and elegant, shrouded in clouds and mist.
Just then, one of them suddenly beamed with joy:
"Senior Brother Liu, that guy surnamed Xiao has come out!"
Before he finished speaking, the handsome young man also seemed to awaken from his meditation. The mist dispersed, revealing a face Lü Yang would never forget.
It was Liu Xin!
At this moment, Liu Xin had also broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining. As a major cultivator of the "Innate Dao Scripture," he possessed a more refined and transcendent aura than ordinary cultivators.
"Finally out," Liu Xin smiled. At first glance, he didn't have the ferocity of a demonic cultivator at all; instead, he gave off a friendly and approachable vibe. However, when he activated his true energy and used the Qi Observation Technique to look toward Xiao Shiye's direction, his smile suddenly froze.
"...Late-stage Qi Refining?"
Liu Xin frowned slightly, clearly not expecting Xiao Shiye to be accompanied by a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. This was a variable that could change his plans.
Just then, a soft exclamation suddenly came from beside Liu Xin.
Liu Xin turned in response, smiling gently, "What is it, Qingchen? Do you perhaps know that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator?"
Upon hearing this, the alluring woman standing behind Liu Xin immediately pursed her red lips, "To be honest, Senior Brother Liu, I do indeed know that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator."
Then, in a tone tinged with jealousy, she said, "His name is Lü Yang. He's a disciple who entered the sect a few months ago. During the previous incident with the substitute Yin Puppet, he left early and made a fortune—at least tens of thousands of contribution points! It seems he broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining thanks to that huge sum."
The alluring woman was none other than Fairy Qingchen, who had served Zhao Xuhe in her previous life. However, unlike before, this Fairy Qingchen had long severed ties with Zhao Xuhe and was now in a relationship with Liu Xin.
The reason for the breakup was simple: Zhao Xuhe had dragged her into trading the substitute Yin Puppet.
Zhao Xuhe went bankrupt, and Fairy Qingchen naturally followed suit.
Incidentally, Liu Xin also went bankrupt.
Because the impact of the substitute puppet in this life was far greater than in the previous one, the losses suffered by the two after its collapse were also far more severe.
Not only were they on the verge of bankruptcy, but they also incurred massive debts.
As a result, they were forced to resort to robbing fellow disciples—something they hadn't done in their previous life—to recoup the losses from trading the substitute puppet. Over time, they even formed a team composed of disciples with some background and influence within the sect who had gone bankrupt due to the substitute puppet trading. Their targets were ordinary disciples who had little capital, left early, and made a fortune.
Xiao Shiye was their latest target.
Now, hearing about Lü Yang's exploits from Fairy Qingchen, Liu Xin's eyes grew even brighter—clearly, he also considered Lü Yang a target.
"Without further delay, let's move!"
With Liu Xin's command, everyone present sneered, then each took flight in their own escape lights, heading straight for Lü Yang and Xiao Shiye.
Having just left Wanbao Peak and traveled some distance over the sea of clouds, Lü Yang suddenly frowned. The sword pellet between his brows pulsed as if issuing a warning.
Looking in the direction the pellet indicated, Lü Yang's frown deepened.
He saw that, centered on him and Xiao Shiye, streaks of light were flying in from all directions, like a large net closing in on their location.
Not long after, a voice came from behind.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"
Lü Yang's face darkened upon hearing this.
Even saying something like that—the visitor is clearly hostile!
Without turning his head, ignoring the sounds behind him, Lü Yang frantically channeled his magic power. His sword light enveloped Xiao Shiye as he fled rapidly toward the Merit Pool.
However, his opponents were clearly prepared. Lü Yang stopped short of reaching the pool. Looking around, he saw the surrounding sea of clouds had inexplicably thinned, replaced by a vast, bizarre mirage that firmly trapped him and Xiao Shiye at its center!
"Such an undeserved calamity."
Lü Yang's expression was grim. He used his Qi Observation Technique to observe from afar and gritted his teeth: "One late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and seven mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. The odds of winning are at most thirty percent."
What to do?
Just as Lü Yang was pondering countermeasures, Xiao Shiye beside him suddenly spoke up: "Brother Lü, if there are no surprises, these people are all after me."
At this point, Xiao Shiye looked regretful: "It was my oversight. These people are probably after my magic treasures and contribution points. I thought that after several months, they had given up. I didn't expect them to be so persistent. Now, let's split up and escape."
"Split up and escape?"
Lü Yang shook his head: "They've already covered this area of the sea of clouds. It seems they used some powerful magic treasure. I'm afraid we can't escape now."
"It's alright, I have a way to deal with it."
Xiao Shiye said in a low voice: "I have two 'Treasure-Breaking Cones.' As long as I use them, I can open a path. I'm willing to give one to Brother Lü."
"Brother Lü, you go first. I'll cover the rear."
After saying that, he directly handed one of the treasure cones to Lü Yang.
Lü Yang held the artifact, channeled his magical power, and immediately understood that Xiao Shiye's words were true—this magical treasure indeed had a high chance of breaking through the surrounding mirage.
"Are you sure you want me to go first?" Lü Yang's expression was inscrutable.
"Brother Lü, the mountains are high and the roads long—we shall meet again."
Xiao Shiye cupped his hands in salute, a relieved smile on his face, then turned directly to face the approaching enemies, clearly prepared to fight to the death.
Lü Yang fell into deep thought upon seeing this.
He had been in seclusion for three months and had never made any enemies. The person coming couldn't possibly be targeting him—especially since Xiao Shiye was clearly a much more valuable prey.
Therefore, Xiao Shiye's words were correct.
As long as he abandoned him, he would most likely be able to escape.
Should he do that?
Above the sea of clouds, watching Xiao Shiye's unwavering figure, seemingly disregarding life and death, Lü Yang felt a warning from the sword pellet between his brows, his expression uncertain.