[You were crushed to death by the Heaven-Mending Peak Master's finger.]
[Current remaining pages of the Hundred Lifetimes Book: 95]
[Reborn, you can choose one of the following gains from your previous life:]
Treasures.
Cultivation.
Lifespan.
Abandon all gains and randomly awaken a talent based on your previous life experiences.
"The person whose name is called, come before me."
Liu Xin's voice echoed from the stage. This time, Lü Yang took a moment to return to the present, his mind still echoing with the furious sword slash of his past life.
An ant shaking a tree… it's true.
He exhaled deeply. Witnessing the chasm between himself and a Foundation Establishment expert hadn't crushed him—it had ignited his resolve. With the [Hundred Lifetimes Book], death was just a reset. What didn't kill him would make him stronger.
Time to start over.
He looked at the book's interface again. His last life was spent in secluded cultivation, reaching only the sixth level of Qi Refining. He couldn't choose that cultivation level—not with the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique still a hidden bomb inside him.
"I choose talent."
[Settling your past life experiences…]
[After your death, the tale of you slashing at a Foundation Establishment cultivator spread. Many mocked your overreach, unaware you had achieved something.]
[Though you could not harm the expert, in your final moment, you miraculously broke through a swordsmanship bottleneck, forcing the Heaven-Mending Peak Master to exert a fraction more power to crush you. He later remarked, 'For an ant, it had some skill.']
[You have awakened the Purple Talent: Some Skill.]
[Some Skill: No matter how terrifying the attack, if it is within the absolute limit of what you can withstand, you will handle it with ease.]
What kind of talent is this? Lü Yang frowned. Sounded like an absolute defense, but the "within your limits" clause made it seem unreliable. Still, he'd chosen talent to avoid the Dragon Technique's pitfalls. A strong talent was a bonus; a weak one didn't matter. The real question was: how to escape the Heaven-Mending Peak Master's calculations?
If all else fails, I'll just abandon the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique.
"Lü Yang."
"Here!"
Liu Xin's call snapped him back. He walked to the platform. Just like before, Liu Xin assigned him to the Joyful Union Hall.
Then, Lü Yang froze.
Wait… I remember. In my first life, Liu Xin refined a powerful figure into his Myriad Spirits Banner—likely a true disciple of the Holy Sect.
That didn't make sense.
He, Lü Yang, had merely cultivated one technique, and the Peak Master had traced his karma. Liu Xin had killed a true disciple. How was he still alive?
Lü Yang's eyes sharpened, locking onto Liu Xin on the stage.
That's it! He must possess a rare treasure that obscures karma, shielding him from a Foundation Establishment expert's divination!
His mind raced. He changed his plan, replicating his actions from his very first life: publicly killing Yu Suzhen, successfully drawing Liu Xin's attention.
He obtained the first half of the Innate Daoist Scripture from Liu Xin and entered seclusion.
As expected, on a dark and windy night, Liu Xin arrived at his cave, humming a tune.
"Junior Brother Lü, are you in?"
Lü Yang remained silent.
Liu Xin smirked, patiently taking out array flags from his storage bag, setting up soundproofing and illusion formations around the cave. He'd done this many times before. No one ever connected the disappearances to him. Even if someone tried to trace karma…
He patted a hidden pocket in his robes, smiling confidently. Won't work.
Once the formation was complete, Liu Xin stopped pretending. With a surge of true energy, he cleaved open the cave entrance with a sword strike and strode inside.
"Junior Brother Lü, no more hiding! I need someone like—"
His voice cut off.
Inside, Lü Yang sat upright on a futon, looking at him with a half-smile—completely unlike someone who had just cultivated a half-complete, mind-altering scripture.
"...No!"
Liu Xin's pupils shrank. A banner materialized in his hand.
Too late.
A flash of crimson light. Liu Xin felt his true energy and flesh being violently drained. He staggered, collapsing to the ground.
Blood Washing Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram.
Lü Yang had set the formation at the cave entrance long ago. Liu Xin's forced entry was walking straight into a trap.
"Senior Brother," Lü Yang said coolly, looking down at the man on the ground. "I've been waiting for you."
Recalling how he'd been tricked and killed by this man in his first life, a cold sneer touched his lips. The tables have turned. Now you'll learn what true cruelty is.
"Who… who are you?!" Liu Xin lay powerless, utterly bewildered. Tricked? By a new disciple? Impossible!
"Are you a spy from a righteous sect?! Wait—don't kill me! I'm useful! I have a supreme Daoist scripture that can help you reach Foundation Establishment! I also have a magic treasure containing a true disciple of the Holy Sect! He knows all their secrets—no, the Primordial Saint Demonic Sect's secrets! Let me go, and it's all yours!"
Before he could finish, Lü Yang activated the Blood Transformation Divine Light, reducing him to a desiccated husk.
"Fool. Kill you, and it's still all mine."
He reached out, grabbing the Primordial Qi Myriad Spirits Banner. A shake of the banner swept over Liu Xin's corpse.
Having read the Innate Daoist Scripture in a past life, he naturally knew how to activate this treasure.
Liu Xin's corpse vaporized into primal qi, absorbed by the banner. After a moment, Lü Yang shook it again.
Liu Xin reappeared—but now as a banner spirit. His memories remained intact. Revived, he stared at Lü Yang in disbelief.
"Junior Brother Lü… impossible! How do you know how to activate the Myriad Spirits Banner?!"
"What did you call me?" Lü Yang sneered. "Do you need me to teach a banner spirit how to address its master? Or should I scatter your soul right now?"
"My lord, spare me! Liu Xin pays respects to my lord!"
Liu Xin's legs gave way, and he knelt. Though he remembered everything, he felt not a shred of hatred for the man who killed him—only absolute loyalty.
Such was the tyrannical nature of the Myriad Spirits Banner. The spirit seemed autonomous, but its mind was completely subjugated.
Lü Yang looked at the kneeling figure, then at the powerful banner in his hand. A tool to obscure karma… and an army of spirits waiting to be filled.
Finally, he thought, a cold smile forming. I have the means to fight back.