Chapter 1: [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]

The Demonic Path, the Primordial Saint Sect.

Layers of clouds surged like an angry sea. Countless majestic peaks rose like islands amidst this ocean of clouds, scattered like stars in the sky or pieces upon a chessboard.

However, on the outermost periphery of this chessboard stood a peak that was noticeably shorter than the rest. It looked as though the tip had been sheared off by some giant blade, leaving behind a flat plateau. On this plateau, flying vessels ascended and descended, and a line of newly inducted honorary disciples stood in a row.

Lu Yang was one of them.

He had just transmigrated. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself here. The residual memories in this body told him that his current situation was far from optimistic.

According to the original host’s memories, the Primordial Saint Sect ruled over a nation known as the “Kingdom of Chen.”

Every three years, the Kingdom of Chen would send a batch of honorary disciples to the Primordial Saint Sect. In exchange, the Sect ensured the kingdom enjoyed favorable weather and the imperial family remained as stable as Mount Tai.

Upon first hearing this, it sounded like a heavenly opportunity to join a celestial sect and seek the path of immortality.

In reality, however, not a single dignitary or noble of the Kingdom of Chen was willing to come. The ones sent here as “Blood Tribute” were only impoverished commoners like Lu Yang.

After all, thousands of honorary disciples were sent into the Primordial Saint Sect every three years, yet the number of formal disciples in the sect never seemed to increase. The honorary disciples simply vanished one after another, fading into silence. It was as if they hadn’t gone to a holy land of cultivation, but had walked into a bottomless abyss.

Just thinking about it was enough to make one shudder.

“No wonder I feel so weak… it feels like my body has been completely hollowed out…”

Lu Yang pinched his own arm. It was all soft flesh without a hint of muscle. To make matters worse, as he tried to straighten his back, a sharp pain shot through his chest.

“The original host seems to be sick, and this illness is… fuck!”

Lu Yang cursed inwardly. This wasn’t just a matter of weakness; he was terminally ill. It looked like he didn’t have many days left to live.

Just as Lu Yang was sinking into despair, feeling like he was about to speed-run his death right after transmigrating, a tiny speck of light suddenly appeared before his eyes. It expanded rapidly against the wind, transforming into a screen visible only to him.

[Name: Lu Yang] [Age: 18] [Cultivation: None] [Talent: None] [Technique: None] [Divine Ability: None] [Treasure: None]

At that moment, looking at the system interface before him, Lu Yang felt the urge to cry tears of joy. Had he not heard that Heaven never seals off all paths? As long as I want to walk, the road is beneath my feet!

System, add points for me!

And then, Lu Yang was dumbfounded.

He looked left and right, searched up and down, but he couldn’t find the beloved “plus sign” next to his skills. There wasn’t even a minus sign.

“Wait, System… where is the ‘add points’ feature?”

After searching for a long time, Lu Yang had to despairingly admit a fact that the personal status panel before him did not seem to have a function to increase his stats.

In other words, if he wanted to improve, he had to rely on his own hard work.

Lu Yang: “…”

Screw you! Before I awakened the system, I had to work hard. Now that I’ve awakened the system, you still want me to work hard? Then didn’t I awaken this system for nothing?!

System, screw y—

[Current Residual Pages of The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes: 100]

[The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes: After death, you may return to the initial point in time and restart a life.]

[After restarting, you may choose one attribute to carry over from your past life: a Treasure, your Cultivation Base, or your Lifespan. Alternatively, you may forfeit all gains from the previous life to awaken a Talent.]

Dad, it’s all good now.

Lu Yang suddenly became excited. A hundred cycles of reincarnation—what kind of immense wealth was this? As long as he utilized it well, it could absolutely help him soar into the heavens!

“Those whose names are called, step forward.”

Just then, a black-robed Daoist appeared before the crowd. He held a register in his hand, a floating candlestick hovered beside him, and his expression was grim and sinister.

“Drip a drop of blood into the Life Lamp beside me to ignite your Life Fire. From this moment on, you are honorary disciples of my Primordial Saint Sect.”

Hearing these words, no one present showed any joy.

Most of those sent here had heard of the Primordial Saint Sect’s fierce and bloody reputation. They knew that becoming a so-called “honorary disciple” was a curse, not a blessing.

The black-robed Daoist ignored the crowd’s thoughts and simply began the roll call.

“Chen Liang.”

“Here!”

As the Daoist called the name, a young Daoist boy with red lips and white teeth stood up beside Lu Yang and skipped innocently toward the Daoist.

This little boy was born with exceptional looks; his large, bright eyes seemed to speak. Most importantly, there was an aura of spiritual intelligence between his brows that even a mortal could perceive. Judging by his demeanor, he was precocious and clever—a seed of wisdom that any great academy in the mortal world would fight to recruit.

Sure enough, the black-robed Daoist revealed a look of amazement upon seeing him.

“What a natural-born Spirit Child!”

“Daoist brother flatters me,” the little boy bowed respectfully. Coupled with his tender, childish voice, it was impossible not to feel fond of him.

The black-robed Daoist laughed even more heartily.

“Good, very good. My Primordial Saint Sect needs talents exactly like you!”

The voice fell.

The black-robed Daoist lifted his brush and gently crossed out the name [Chen Liang] on the register.

Thud!

In the next second, without any warning, the spirited little boy’s eyes rolled back into his head. He collapsed face-first onto the ground, instantly devoid of breath.

Having done this, the black-robed Daoist casually gave orders:

“Send the blood, skin, and flesh to the [Alchemic Refinement Hall]. Send the bones and soul to the [Artifact Forging Hall]. Send the five viscera and six bowels to the [Beast Taming Hall]. Do not let such excellent material go to waste.”

His few casual sentences left the group of honorary disciples dumbstruck with horror.

Seeing this, the black-robed Daoist let out a strange, jarring laugh, “Jie jie jie… Junior brothers, do not misunderstand.”

” The Saint Sect has always valued ‘Value.’ Therefore, the measure of a disciple’s excellence lies solely in whether they can create sufficient value for the Sect.”

“That Junior Brother just now was a natural-born Spirit Child with robust tendons and bones. He could only create the maximum value for the Saint Sect after death, which is why he had to die.”

“As for you all… your aptitude is mediocre. You can only create value for the Saint Sect by staying alive, so naturally, you need not worry about such things.”

“Next.”

The black-robed Daoist continued the roll call. The crowd below wore expressions of terror, yet they had no choice but to obey, fearing they would follow in the little boy’s footsteps and have their lives crossed out.

“Lu Yang.”

“Here.”

Lu Yang walked out in response, his expression respectful.

The black-robed Daoist’s gaze immediately landed on Lu Yang’s handsome and elegant face. He first showed a look of joy, but after inspecting Lu Yang’s bone structure, he shook his head in disappointment.

Clearly, in his eyes, Lu Yang was useless aside from being handsome.

“Go to the [Joyous Union Hall].”

Lu Yang didn’t dare ask questions and quickly replied, “Yes.”

After the assignment, Lu Yang received a jade tablet. The tablet was almost transparent, carved with his name, and seemed to contain a sealed flame inside.

In addition to this, he was given a cultivation manual.

The manual was titled [Ode of Yin-Yang Great Bliss]. It was the fundamental technique of the [Joyous Union Hall] to which Lu Yang had been assigned, said to allow one to cultivate True Qi and step into the Qi Refining Realm.

The old servant in charge of leading the way spoke casually as he walked, “The flame inside the Life Tablet is your Life Fire. Remember to keep it with you at all times. The formations, Spirit Plants, and Spirit Beasts of the Saint Sect recognize the tablet, not the person. If you forget to bring it when you go out and die within the Sect, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

Before long, the group was led to a palatial hall.

Standing in front of the hall was a voluptuous beauty. She wore a long dress with a slit that reached all the way to the root of her thigh. Her eyes were full of life and charm; she was a woman of a thousand alluring graces.

Gulp…

Lu Yang clearly heard the sound of someone swallowing saliva beside him.

Seeing everyone staring, the beautiful woman was not shy in the slightest. Instead, covering her mouth with a light laugh, her elegant hand reached down and lifted the hem of her skirt at her waist.

Beneath the hem, a jade tablet dangled.

Name on the tablet: Yu Suzhen.

“This is the [Joyous Union Hall]. This little woman is Yu Suzhen, and I can be considered your Senior Sister.”

In the next second, Lu Yang noticed Yu Suzhen’s eyes brighten slightly. Her gaze fell upon him, direct and undisguised.

“This Junior Brother is so handsome; he must be a disciple of my [Joyous Union Hall].”

Yu Suzhen chuckled softly, then twisted her water-snake waist. Her skirt swayed as she walked step by step toward Lu Yang, the flash of her white skin making him dizzy.

“I see you look quite nice. Follow me; I will introduce you to the situation in the [Joyous Union Hall].”

Lu Yang hurriedly cupped his hands: “Many thanks, Senior Sister Yu.”

“Why so polite?”

Yu Suzhen cast a charmingly reproachful glance at Lu Yang, then turned around, swaying her serpentine waist as she walked, igniting a fire in the hearts of the men around her.

Lu Yang, however, didn’t dare to look too much and followed silently.

“Disciples of my Saint Sect are divided into Inner and Outer. The Outer Sect has four halls: [Artifact Forging Hall], [Alchemic Refinement Hall], [Beast Taming Hall], and [Joyous Union Hall]. These are the places for you honorary disciples.”

“Only by passing the tests of the Four Outer Halls can you enter the Inner Sect, receive true teaching, and become a formal disciple.”

“You are lucky to have entered my [Joyous Union Hall]. You won’t have to suffer and endure hardships like those in the other three halls. After all, the test of my hall is much more… relaxing.”

Speaking to this point, Yu Suzhen suddenly leaned in close to Lu Yang.

“Do you want to know what it is?”

In the next instant, Lu Yang felt a breath of hot air blowing against the base of his ear, a fragrant scent swirling around his nose. He turned his head to see an exquisite, beautiful face right before his eyes.

“Please enlighten me, Senior Sister,” Lu Yang said, looking up.

“It is… Dual Cultivation.”

The drippingly sweet voice whispered in his ear, like a lover murmuring soft nothings…

Lu Yang immediately sucked in a breath of cold air.

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