Several days later.
Inside his Immortal Cave, Lü Yang sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his right hand forming a Cultivation Technique sign. A point of spiritual light condensed at his fingertips, eventually transforming into a Flying Sword of white bone, thin as a cicada's wing.
The sword was a greenish-white, and when it vibrated, it resounded with thunder.
"Go!"
Lü Yang flicked his finger, and the white bone Flying Sword immediately transformed into a magnificent, several-zhang-long streak of light, soaring forth. The sword light whistled, like heavenly thunder rolling across the sky!
"What a sword art!"
Upon seeing this, a look of joy immediately appeared on Lü Yang's face. He then changed his sword art, and the white bone Flying Sword instantly split into two in mid-air.
The next second, Lü Yang's figure vanished from its original spot, as if teleporting, appearing directly where one of the sword lights was. As the sword art in Lü Yang's hand changed, his figure seemed to transform into a bolt of lightning, moving freely between the two sword lights.
After a long while, Lü Yang finally stopped, his face filled with excitement.
"Good! What a Divine Firmament Thunder Sword True Art!"
This sword art was actually very simple. After a Cultivator mastered it, he could split off sword light and then instantly move into the split sword light.
The higher one's magic power, the farther the moving distance.
If the Sect Master of the Sword Pavilion were to personally act, he could even sit in the Sword Pavilion and teleport thousands of miles with a single sword, effortlessly taking an enemy's head in a casual conversation.
This was even just the Elementary variation of the sword art.
It was said that further up, one could truly manifest the power of Divine Firmament Thunder in the sword light, but unfortunately, that part of the Cultivation Technique was beyond Lü Yang's reach.
It wasn't that he couldn't obtain it through his Demonic Technique, but rather that Yun Miaooqing herself didn't know it.
However, this was normal. After all, if it were the complete "Divine Firmament Thunder Sword True Art," a mere 1000 contribution points would certainly not be enough to buy it; 10000 points would be closer.
"Hmph, utterly foolish!"
A cold sneer came from behind. Lü Yang turned his head, only to see the woman from the Sword Pavilion looking at him with disgust, disdain, and contempt.
After several days of interaction, Lü Yang had gained a deeper understanding of her.
The woman's name was Yun Miaooqing, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Sword Pavilion, a Disciple of Immortal Master Divine Firmament, primarily Cultivating the Divine Firmament Thunder Sword True Art, and once had a Qi Refining sixth-layer Cultivation.
Lü Yang looked at Yun Miaooqing and asked curiously, "Did I use the sword art incorrectly?"
Yun Miaooqing turned her head away upon hearing this: "Do you think I would tell you? Devil Head, even if you steal my sword art, you're just imitating it poorly!"
"Why bother?"
Lü Yang shook his head, walked up to Yun Miaooqing, and said helplessly, "Are you sure you're not going to tell me? Or are you going to force me to use that again?"
"That."
A blush immediately appeared on Yun Miaooqing's delicate face, her beautiful eyes momentarily hazy, then she quickly sobered up, staring at Lü Yang with hatred.
"Isn't it just that Demonic Technique? Do you think I will yield?"
"Although you say that, you've already yielded once, haven't you?" Lü Yang pointed to the emblem on Yun Miaooqing's chest and said, "You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Looking at the mark on her body, Yun Miaooqing pursed her lips in humiliation: "That time, you just took advantage of my weakness!"
After speaking, she tightened her grip on the pendant around her neck.
It was an exquisitely crafted small white jade sword, a magic sword that only Sword Pavilion Disciples could possess, functioning similarly to Lü Yang's Disciple token.
"I am a Disciple of the Sword Pavilion, and I am irreconcilable with the Demonic Path. This will never change!"
"No matter how powerful your Demonic Technique is, people's hearts will not be swayed by the enticement of these evil Demonic Dao Gu."
"My loyalty to the Sword Pavilion will also never waver."
"I swear by my magic sword!"
As her voice fell, Yun Miaooqing bit her silver teeth, looking at Lü Yang with determined eyes, like a pure lotus deeply mired in mud yet unstained.
Another day passed.
Inside the Immortal Cave, Lü Yang sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, with all five centers of his body facing upwards.
After a long while, Lü Yang finally let out a heavy breath of turbid Qi, and at the same time, Yun Miaooqing raised her swan-like pale neck, letting out a long sigh.
"You've actually mastered the Divine Firmament Thunder Sword True Art quite well; there aren't any major problems. If there are any, they lie in external objects."
Yun Miaooqing said, her face flushed and her voice weak.
Under Lü Yang's "severe interrogation," she eventually pleaded for mercy. When Lü Yang asked her again, she just snorted coldly, then obediently said:
"Our Sword Pavilion Disciples, as soon as they enter the Qi Refining realm, will use a secret Sect technique to extract essence of gold, supplemented by various external medicines, to refine a sword pellet. All sword techniques in the Sword Pavilion require the assistance of a sword pellet to unleash their full power. The higher the quality of the sword pellet, the greater the power of the sword technique."
After Yun Miaooqing's explanation, Lü Yang finally understood.
Currently, when he Cultivated the Divine Firmament Thunder Sword True Art, he could only split off two sword lights, and the effect was limited to teleportation. While his speed was fast, his attack power was insufficient.
However, once a sword pellet was added, the number of sword lights Lü Yang could split off would at least double.
At the same time, he could merge his body with the sword pellet, unleashing astonishing slashes while moving within the sword light. With this, he would undoubtedly gain the upper hand in a fight against others.
In a direct confrontation, Lü Yang would only need to control the sword pellet, then split sword lights in all directions. The opponent, surrounded by sword lights, would be like a fish in his net.
After that, no matter what methods the opponent used, he could easily avoid them and then attack from another direction, making them struggle to parry. After several rounds of such attrition, the opponent would naturally expose a fatal flaw. At that point, he would strike with full force, and the opponent would basically be doomed.
"That's why our Sword Pavilion Disciples are the best at fighting in Jiangnan!"
At this point, a look of arrogance immediately appeared on Yun Miaooqing's face.
However, the next second, as Lü Yang moved forcefully, the arrogant look on her face immediately vanished, replaced by a blush, and she couldn't help but let out a nasal sound.
Yun Miaooqing's beautiful eyes were tightly closed. After waiting silently for a moment, she realized Lü Yang wasn't moving again. She wiggled restlessly, then opened her eyes again:
"Devil Head, you…"
Lü Yang stood up and changed his clothes: "So the problem was the sword pellet. I also know the refining method now. Hmm, you're done. You can go rest."
Yun Miaooqing: "??? "
Suddenly separated, the only emotion remaining on Yun Miaooqing's face was bewilderment.
He's lying, right? Is it over already?
What about the Demonic Technique?
The next second, she suddenly came back to her senses, instinctively clutching the magic sword around her neck: "No, this is good. I am a Disciple of the Sword Pavilion…"
"Time to earn money."
Walking out of his Immortal Cave, Lü Yang began to ponder the future.
"I only have 50 contribution points now. This month's Immortal Cave rent will deduct 30 points. If I don't earn more, next month I'll have to move back to the Joyful Union Hall."
In the First Saint Sect, there were many ways to earn contribution points.
These included, but were not limited to, salaries for various positions within the Sect, selling personal items, rewards for completing bounties, and Sect missions, among others.
"But for a 'three-no' Disciple like me—no backing, no assets, no strength—there's no way to get a Sect position, most personal items aren't valuable, and I can't complete high-value bounties. I can only choose Sect missions, working for the Sect to barely maintain my livelihood…"
The more Lü Yang thought about it, the angrier he became.
I'm already Cultivating Immortality, and I still have to work?