by Imperfection
Walking into the Scripture Pavilion, Lü Yang was greeted by the sight of an elderly man in his sixties, lounging idly in a rocking chair. He basked in the sunlight, carefully leafing through a Dao scripture.
The moment Lü Yang stepped through the door, the old man glanced over.
"Another newcomer."
The old man spoke flatly. "Go on in and pick for yourself. Remember, follow the rules written inside. If you die because you didn't, don't blame me for not warning you."
"Thank you for the guidance, Senior."
Lü Yang cupped his hands, then made his way toward the bookshelves.
Sure enough, the moment he drew close, the disciple token at his waist seemed to sense something. A faint glow surfaced, then transformed into lines of text that leapt into the air before him.
"Lü Yang, disciple of Heaven-Mending Peak.
"Eligible to receive Heaven-Mending Peak's secret cultivation technique free of charge. Additionally, as a first-time exchange, you may acquire one technique through a zero-down-payment loan."
Lü Yang did not hesitate. He claimed it immediately.
The next instant, the contents of the technique materialized on his disciple token. Lü Yang's mind quickly became absorbed in them. A long while passed before he returned to his senses.
This technique... why is it also split into an upper and lower half, just like the Innate Dao Scripture?
Recalling his previous life's fate, Lü Yang's expression soured. The Ode to the Great Bliss of Yin and Yang in the Mating of the Dragon and Tiger. At perfection, it refines a strand of Yin-Yang Dragon-Tiger Qi, a fifth-grade qi. In theory, it's a technique that points directly toward Foundation Establishment...
But what they gave me is only the Qi Refinement chapter!
Burned by his previous life, Lü Yang was deeply wary of any technique that cut off halfway. He even briefly considered abandoning the technique altogether.
But after long deliberation, he sighed. I still have to cultivate it.
Cultivating it might bring hidden dangers in the future.
Not cultivating it, and there might not be a future at all!
Moreover, this demonic art was truly profound. Not only could it drain a target's vitality, it could also extract the target's knowledge!
Techniques, divine abilities, experience. He could extract all of them!
Beyond that, any cultivator subjected to this art would gradually have their mind controlled by the practitioner. They would become utterly devoted, unable to free themselves, until they were reduced to the practitioner's puppet, willing to die for them. Truly a demonic art; sinister to the extreme...
Lü Yang studied the technique, silently comprehending it.
Half an hour passed before he attempted to circulate his energy. Two wisps of True Qi flowed at his fingertips, weaving together into the form of a dragon and tiger, on the verge of coalescing into a new strand of True Qi...
"Ngh!"
The next instant, Lü Yang's face went pale and the True Qi at his fingertips dissipated.
Failed? That's fair. Although I've already grasped the theory, I haven't had any practical experience yet. A dual cultivation technique isn't meant to be practiced by one person, after all.
Lü Yang was not discouraged. He turned his attention instead to the dazzling array of bookshelves before him.
According to the Scripture Pavilion's rules, as a newly inducted official disciple, he still had one opportunity to acquire a technique or divine ability through a zero-down-payment loan.
What surprised Lü Yang was that the Scripture Pavilion did not contain only demonic techniques.
There were also many techniques that clearly originated from renowned Righteous Path Sects. The range of fields was remarkably broad: divination, sword arts, Five Elements techniques. It had everything.
The Lesser Heaven-Intercepting Art, the Supreme Taiyi Five Elements Orthodox Method, the True Explanation of Longevity, the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art...
Lü Yang browsed for a long while before finally making his choice.
"Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art. Price: 1,000 Contribution Points."
"First-time exchange detected. Eligible for zero-down-payment loan at thirty-six percent annual interest, to be repaid over ten years. Do you wish to proceed?"
How much??
Lü Yang nearly swore aloud. Thirty-six percent annual interest meant he would owe 460 Contribution Points each year in principal and interest combined. Over ten years, that came to 4,600 points!
Borrow 1,000, repay 4,600?
They're sucking the marrow from my bones!
Wait... this doesn't apply to me!
Lü Yang's eyes suddenly lit up. A zero-down-payment loan at such rates might be a huge trap for anyone else, but for him, it meant absolutely nothing.
Worst case, I can just start over. What does a previous life's debt have to do with me?
Which meant that if he wanted, he could take every technique and divine ability in this Scripture Pavilion for free!
Since he had no intention of paying it back, Lü Yang's composure returned at once. He waved his hand without so much as blinking and took out the loan for the Divine Firmament Sword Control Art.
Then something unexpected happened.
When he had received the Ode to the Great Bliss of Yin and Yang in the Mating of the Dragon and Tiger earlier, its contents had been delivered directly. However, this time, Lü Yang only received a message:
"Your technique is being dispatched. Estimated delivery to your cave dwelling within three days.
"Please wait patiently."
Reading the message on his disciple token, Lü Yang was somewhat puzzled. What did they mean, the technique was being dispatched? Was this some unique cultivation technique that hadn't been transcribed?
That said, he trusted that the Primordial Saint Sect would not simply swallow his Contribution Points like that.
Before leaving, he sought out the old man at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion once more.
"Senior..."
The moment Lü Yang bowed, the old man in the rocking chair spoke up. "I'm no senior. I'm also a disciple of the sect, just a bit older than you."
Lü Yang blinked in surprise, then corrected himself. "Senior Brother, do you know whether the sect has cultivation cauldrons available for us to use in our cultivation?"
Being in a Demonic Sect, Lü Yang naturally harbored no delusions about remaining pure as a lotus in muddy water, nor did he have any qualms about dual cultivation. Anything that could make him stronger, he intended to use.
"A cultivation cauldron, eh?"
The old man glanced at Lü Yang and said abruptly, "Did you take out a loan for a technique?"
Lü Yang paused, then nodded.
"Then you have nothing to worry about."
At this, a meaningful smile crept across the old man's face. "That technique loan may be infuriating, but it's not without its benefits..."
"Go back and wait!"
Lü Yang returned to his cave dwelling thoroughly bewildered.
But it was not long before he understood why the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art required time to deliver, and exactly what the old man had meant by "benefits."
Three days later, a crate was delivered to the entrance of Lü Yang's cave dwelling.
Lü Yang carried the crate inside and opened it.
Inside, he found a woman with a striking figure and a pair of sharp, phoenix-like eyes blazing with defiance. Her hands and feet were bound, and she had been stuffed into the center of the crate.
She was not the kind of beauty that toppled kingdoms, but she possessed a natural, unadorned elegance.
Her bare face had no makeup, which only made her exude a transcendent elegance.
And because she had spent too long confined in the stifling crate, beads of crystalline sweat still clung to her skin, rolling one by one down her pale neck and disappearing into her collar.
"Demonic Path scum!"
The woman glared at Lü Yang, her eyes wishing they could cut him into a thousand pieces. At the same time, she seemed to grasp what fate awaited her. Despair crept across her fair features.
Lü Yang frowned. "You're... a disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion?"
"What of it?" The woman shut her eyes. Two lines of tears slid slowly down her pale cheeks. "Just kill me!"
It was then that Lü Yang suddenly understood.
The Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art was the secret divine ability of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, the leader of the Righteous Path in the south. He had been wondering where the Primordial Saint Sect had obtained it.
Now he understood.
The demonic art could extract a target's knowledge and experience. The Primordial Saint Sect had simply procured an actual disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion for him.
In other words, if he wanted the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art, all he had to do was drain her.
Two birds with one stone. They transmit the technique and solve the problem of a disciple needing a cauldron for cultivation, all while maximizing her usefulness...
Squeezing every last drop of value. Truly the Saint Sect's way of doing things.
Compared to the bitter cultivation of renowned Righteous Path sects, training through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, this was the Demonic Sect's way of cultivation.