Chapter 342: Significant Progress

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

Upon learning that his painstaking efforts had resulted in his work being 20% approved by Eldest Senior Sister, Lu Yang was quite happy.

It was rare for Eldest Senior Sister to acknowledge his work, even if it was just 20%. It was a precious achievement and a good start.

This was a vast improvement compared to the last time when his work was completely rejected.

All his sleepless nights spent studying in the Scripture Pavilion for over half a month, followed by two days of scratching his head while writing, hadn’t been in vain.

This time, with 20% of his work being approved by Eldest Senior Sister, maybe next time, it would be 40%. Before long, he might be able to write cultivation techniques on par with Eldest Senior Sister’s level.

The future seemed bright!

Just as Lu Yang was about to modestly express that he still needed to work hard, he heard Eldest Senior Sister continue:

“The remaining 20% consists of sentences you quoted from my writings, so I didn’t change those.”

Lu Yang: “…”

Eldest Senior Sister, could you please not pause for dramatic effect when you speak next time?

In the spiritual space, the Everlasting Fairy was laughing so hard she was rolling on the bed, tears streaming down her face.

Seeing the visible disappointment on her junior brother’s face, Yun Zhi spoke to comfort him: “It’s still quite good. At least you were able to correctly quote my sentences.”

Lu Yang didn’t feel particularly comforted.

Yun Zhi, noticing that her junior brother was still dejected, realized she might not be the best at comforting others.

She recalled when the Five Great Immortal Sects held a competition. She had defeated all her opponents, becoming the undisputed champion. The leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects, in an attempt to keep her from becoming arrogant, decided to spar with her under the guise of giving her some pointers.

The outcome was predictable: it was the sect leaders who ended up being “advised” by Yun Zhi, as she defeated them soundly.

The sect leaders were not only embarrassed at being defeated by a junior but also deeply frustrated.

Yun Zhi, seeing their gloom, tried to comfort them, saying, “It’s only because my cultivation level is higher. If I suppressed my level to match yours, I wouldn’t be able to defeat you in a single move.”

The sect leaders’ expressions turned even darker.

Daoist Non-Speaker, seeing the sect leaders suffer, couldn’t help but gloat on the side.

As Yun Zhi’s master, Daoist Non-Speaker knew well how unbeatable his talented disciple was; no one could win against her.

The sect leaders glared at Daoist Non-Speaker. If they couldn’t beat the disciple, they could at least beat the master, right?

They all teamed up and gave Daoist Non-Speaker a thorough beating.

If it were a one-on-one fight, Daoist Non-Speaker wouldn’t fear anyone, but how could he win against a group beating?

The Immortal Sect Conference concluded with Daoist Non-Speaker nursing serious injuries.

“You still don’t fully understand the essence of cultivation techniques, which is why you inevitably imitate others’ techniques. But the truth is, those others also don’t fully grasp the essence of cultivation techniques. They think they understand everything, but they’re still in a state of half-understanding.”

“When you first started cultivating, I told you that the theme of the ‘Enlightenment of Heart and Nature Technique’ that you came up with was very well chosen.”

“Cultivators must focus not only on their cultivation level but also on their state of mind. When they reach the Golden Core Stage, they might encounter the Heart Demon Tribulation, which is a major hurdle for cultivators.”

“Demons are born from the heart, and mental attacks are the most difficult to guard against. Countless cultivators have been stuck at this stage, unable to progress in their cultivation.”

“Why do heart demons arise? It’s because there’s no clear standard of measurement in the heart. When faced with choices, one is torn. If you choose the left path, you keep wondering what the right path would have been like.”

“When faced with the dilemma of saving either your girlfriend or your mother, the inability to choose stems from the lack of a clear standard. If you save your mother and your girlfriend drowns, you’ll regret it, and this becomes the material for the Heart Demon Tribulation.”

“Cultivating the ‘Enlightenment of Heart and Nature Technique’ will help you clarify your true intentions, preventing the Heart Demon Tribulation from troubling you.”

Previously, Yun Zhi had only mentioned that Lu Yang had made a good choice in his cultivation technique without explaining why. Now that Lu Yang had achieved the Golden Core stage, a remarkable accomplishment in the outside world, she decided to share her thoughts with him.

The Everlasting Fairy, upon hearing the topic, provided a concise explanation to Lu Yang: “Simply put, you need to have a healthy and positive mindset.”

“If you are carefree and without worries, how could you possibly have a Heart Demon Tribulation?”

Lu Yang quietly looked at the Everlasting Fairy, thinking to himself that she didn’t seem like someone who would suffer from a Heart Demon.

“I’ll make some revisions to your technique and let you know once I’m done,” Eldest Senior Sister said, leaving this remark before turning and walking into the cave.

After Eldest Senior Sister left, the puppet poked its head out, scrutinizing Lu Yang up and down, shaking its head as if dissatisfied with his cultivation progress.

“Hey, it’s you again!”

The puppet was an indispensable presence on Lu Yang’s cultivation path. Ever since he began cultivating, the puppet had been under Eldest Senior Sister’s orders to push Lu Yang’s progress. During that time, Lu Yang was tormented by the puppet during the day and had nightmares about the Tofu Celestial at night, living a rather miserable life.

In the past, Lu Yang was at the Foundation Building Stage and was powerless against the puppet. Now, he was a powerful Golden Core Stage cultivator, capable of battling Nascent Soul Stage opponents—a revered figure who could be worshiped as a patriarch in the outside world.

Lu Yang knew the puppet could speak but chose not to, likely because it didn’t deem him worthy of conversation.

“I’m not the same as before; watch me defeat you today!”

Filled with fighting spirit, Lu Yang felt invincible, thinking he could easily defeat the mere puppet with a single move!

The puppet beckoned him with a provocative gesture, signaling Lu Yang to come closer.

Just as Lu Yang was about to make his move, the Invincible Core issued a warning.

“This is an opponent you cannot defeat. To maintain your win rate, you may choose to flee or commit suicide.”

Lu Yang: “…”

“Fairy, what kind of Invincible Core is this? Ever since I formed my Golden Core, I haven’t used it to win a single fight!”

The only victory Lu Yang had since forming his Golden Core was during his battle with Peach Blossom Leaf, and even then, the Invincible Core’s advice was to use the Lu Family Arhat Fist.

The Everlasting Fairy shrugged: “You can’t blame me. Back in the day, with the help of the Invincible Core, I could easily defeat anyone during the Foundation Building and Golden Core stages, including Ying Tian Immortal.”

“But you, on the other hand, keep encountering Unity Stage cultivators or your senior brothers and sisters.”

Lu Yang started to think that being in a super large sect might not be entirely advantageous.

In a normal sect, if senior brothers and sisters bullied him, mocking his lack of background and poor origins, Lu Yang could have publicly defeated a late-stage Golden Core senior with his early-stage Golden Core cultivation, shocking the sect elders and master, who would then make him a core disciple.

But in the Dao Seeking Sect, such a thing would never happen.

There was one thing the Everlasting Fairy didn’t tell Lu Yang—just now, it was the confidence brought by the Invincible Core that made him believe he could defeat the puppet, while the Invincible Core simultaneously warned him that he couldn’t win against it.

The positive and negative effects canceled each other out.

“Nothing too serious,” the Everlasting Fairy muttered to herself.

Seeing that Lu Yang wasn’t taking the bait, the puppet attacked first, prompting Lu Yang to turn and run.

Knowing he couldn’t win, only a fool would stay and fight.

The puppet’s speed was just a bit faster than Lu Yang’s, so no matter how hard he tried to escape, he couldn’t outrun it.

Just as Lu Yang was about to give up, the Invincible Core began to spin frantically, channeling his spiritual energy, making him run faster and faster.

“This Invincible Core doesn’t help in battle, but why is it so effective when it comes to running away?”

(End of the chapter)