Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 455: Chapter 455: Life Always Needs a Little Spice

In the boundless darkness, Lü Yang’s consciousness floated on the surface of an abyss.

’I’ve restarted again...’

Lü Yang sighed and began to reflect on the failure of his previous life. ’Cultivation... this hurdle is probably even more ridiculous than I imagined.’

Seeking Gold allows for no shortcuts!

’If the Heavenly God hadn’t interfered back then, and I had cultivated step-by-step with my Immortal Spirit Body, my Cultivation toward the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood might have actually met the standard for Seeking Gold.’

However, due to the Heavenly God’s interference, he was forced to abandon his training in the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood and seek other paths. As a result, his later attempt at Seeking Gold was based entirely on insights from the Immortal Spirit Upper Chapter, which ended up backfiring. Otherwise, given his state at the time, he had a high chance of attaining a Fruit.

’The key is Abilities.’

’Innate Ability, Innate Divine Technique... every single Ability must be one’s own, honed through personal effort. Relying on external forces may seem powerful, but it results in a weak foundation...’

In comparison, the Outer Dao Fruit Positions didn’t have such harsh requirements.

The Exquisite Heart, Holding True Qi, Huiyuan Skill, Heavenly Order, With the World... Lü Yang hadn’t cultivated a single one of them step-by-step.

They were all quick fixes.

Yet, if he had sought the Seven Luminaries Heaven, he would have almost certainly succeeded. This showed that the strict Cultivation requirement was unique to the Fruit Positions of this specific Heaven and Earth.

’But perhaps this is one reason why Outer Dao Fruit Positions are inferior to native ones. Although they have fewer restrictions, they probably also have less potential.’

Just as Lü Yang was pondering, the Centome moved.

[Enable ’Golden Talent: Innate Immortal Spirit’?]

”...No!”

Seeing this, Lü Yang cursed. ’You useless Talent Skill! You’re the one who screwed me over this life. If I hadn’t been so clever, I would’ve fucking restarted ages ago!’

The Centome, of course, paid no heed to Lü Yang’s complaints. New words quickly appeared:

[Please select a restart anchor point.]

”First anchor point.”

Lü Yang sighed. At the second anchor point, he had already established the Dao Foundation corresponding to the Fruit of Rampart Earth. He had been too reckless at the time, and now it was a dead end.

He had been too young back then, not realizing just how treacherous this broken place was. He had even once dreamed up a plan to snatch chestnuts from the fire, right from under the Pure Land’s nose, to attain the Fruit of Rampart Earth. Looking back now, it was all fucking bullshit. A single Fruit of Rampart Earth was enough to provoke the Bhagavat himself into action!

’Shameless...’

Lü Yang shook his head. As he confirmed his choice, the darkness before him began to ripple like the turning of a page, and a fine, dense white light emerged.

Like sunlight piercing the night.

It felt like an ordinary opening of the eyes. When Lü Yang came to his senses, he was faced with a scene he had almost forgotten.

........

[Your unexpected failure to attain the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood stunned a certain Master of Dao who had great faith in you. He pondered for ten days, unable to understand why you would attempt to attain the Fruit when you lacked both confidence and sufficient Cultivation. Ultimately, he was forced to abandon his original plan to contact you.]

[Remaining pages in the Centome: 90]

[Restarting a new life, you may choose one of the following rewards from your previous life:

One: Artifacts.

Two: Cultivation.

Three: Lifespan.

Four: Forgo all rewards and awaken a random Talent Skill based on your previous life’s experiences.]

”Those whose names are called, step forward.”

Familiar people, familiar events. On the stage, Liu Xin’s voice—which Lü Yang once found chilling—now sent him into a daze.

’How many years has it been...?’

Lü Yang looked at his own hands. The drastic drop in his Position felt like falling from a mountaintop back to the ground, leaving him disoriented for a moment.

After all, at this first anchor point, he had not even reached Foundation Establishment. At most, he had mastered a few Legendary Techniques. This long-lost weakness, however, helped Lü Yang rediscover some of his original purpose. He no longer had to ponder the secrets of Heaven and Earth or the schemes of the Masters of Dao, but could instead focus on the petty squabbles right in front of him.

’Ignorance is bliss.’

At this thought, Lü Yang gathered his wits. After Liu Xin called his name, he walked briskly onto the stage, and then he heard that familiar cry:

”Yin-Yang Unity Hall!”

Lü Yang was already very familiar with this routine.

So, as he went through the motions, Lü Yang sighed to himself, ’With every restart, my heart grows colder and more merciless.’

In the past, he might have entertained the idea of getting revenge on Liu Xin.

Now, however, he didn’t care at all. After all, what was the point of revenge? The man would just be resurrected in the next life. He was nothing more than a disposable pawn.

Not even a real person.

’When exactly did I become like this? If this continues, will I become the kind of person I never wanted to be?’

In an instant, Lü Yang was jolted awake.

’Absolutely not!’

He pursued Cultivation for longevity, for freedom, for the power to be his own master. If he was no longer himself, then what was the point of Cultivation?

’I have to find a way to combat this mentality!’

......

「Half an Hour later.」

In Yu Suzhen’s Cave Mansion, Lü Yang pushed aside the jade-white body next to him and let out a long breath, feeling his once-cold heart had warmed up considerably.

’I was just worrying for nothing.’

Lü Yang shook his head and couldn’t help but reflect:

’The world is so beautiful, yet I was so irritable. That’s not good, not good at all... Hmm, I’m still the same old me after all. Haven’t changed one bit!’

After his ”great battle” with Yu Suzhen, Lü Yang came to a profound realization: Cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation, and life needs its diversions. His tense mood had eased considerably. Only then did he leisurely turn his gaze to the Centome and decisively choose the [Artifacts] option.

Heavenly Qian Captures All Phenomena!

This Dharma Body contained all the rewards from Lü Yang’s previous life, and he had brought it all over with him. As for Cultivation, that was unimportant right now.

’If I want, I can restore myself to Foundation Establishment Perfection at any time.’

’All I need to do is reconnect to the Profound City Blessed Land and absorb the Seven Luminaries Heaven one more time... but there’s no point. What I want in this life is a future!’

’Outer Dao Fruit Positions are good, but they aren’t what I’m seeking.’

Lü Yang suspected that if he attained the Seven Luminaries Heaven, he would likely be unable to attain a native Fruit Position ever again. It would be a temporary gain that would lead to endless future trouble.

Of course, this didn’t mean the Seven Luminaries Heaven was useless.

’The most suitable use for it... should be Fake Holding!’

Fake Holding an Outer Dao Fruit Position!

’As long as I use my world-shaking intellect to modify the Yama Hall and enable it to perform a Fake Holding of an Outer Dao Fruit Position, my previous life won’t have been a waste.’

Although a Fake Golden Position is already a cut below the rest, and this would be a fucking Fake Holding of an Outer Dao Fruit, even if I succeed, it’ll probably be the weakest Golden Core in history, the kind that can’t even beat an Outer Dao True Monarch... but even the weakest Golden Core is still a Golden Core. It’ll be more than enough to stomp noobs and beat up Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Just like the Fake Foundation Establishment of the past.

A Fake Holding of an Outer Dao would be enough to create a qualitative gap between Lü Yang and others at the Foundation Establishment level, thereby helping him better pursue a Heaven and Earth Fruit Position.

As for which one to pursue, he already had a plan.

’From a Cultivation perspective, the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire and the Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth are actually the best choices. Unfortunately, at this point in time, both are death traps.’

Attaining them would be suicide.

Besides, having to search for the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches from scratch would be way too troublesome.

’The Fruit of Pomegranate Wood is the same.’

Although with the experience from his previous life his chances of attaining the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood were very high, Lü Yang was no longer satisfied with a mere ordinary Fruit.

’After all, as long as I can achieve a Fake Holding of an Outer Dao this life, my advantage will be practically infinite. It’s like a Perfected Lord competing with Foundation Establishment cultivators for opportunities. In a situation like this, going for the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood... it’s not that I can’t, but the future prospects aren’t grand enough... If I’m going to attain a Fruit, of course I have to go for the very best one!’

Lü Yang’s benchmark was Ang Xiao.

If he was going to attain a Fruit, it had to be an Emperor Fruit!

Of course, he knew his own limits. He knew that the Fruit of Rampart Earth and the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal were definitely unattainable, and the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood was already taken by Ang Xiao.

Therefore, his target was—

’The Fruit of Celestial Fire!’