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Lu Yang was genuinely elated when he learned that his hard work had earned the approval of his eldest martial sister, even if it was only twenty percent.
It was a rare honor to be affirmed by her, and even a mere twenty percent was a precious achievement—a promising start.
It was a vast improvement over the last time when his work was completely rejected.
All his sleepless nights spent studying in the scripture pavilion for half a month, followed by two days of frantic writing, had not been in vain.
If this time he got twenty percent approval, perhaps next time it would be forty percent. Before long, he might be able to write techniques on par with his eldest martial sister.
The future looked bright indeed!
Just as Lu Yang was about to modestly express his need to work harder, he heard his eldest martial sister continue:
"The remaining twenty percent you got right because you quoted my sentences, so I won't change them."
Lu Yang: "…"
Eldest martial sister, could you please not pant so heavily when you speak next time?
In the spiritual realm, the Immortal Fairy was laughing so hard she was rolling on the bed, tears streaming down her face from laughter.
Seeing her little junior brother's visible disappointment, Yun Zhi spoke up to comfort him: "It's quite good, at least you were able to correctly quote my sentences."
Lu Yang didn't feel comforted at all.
Yun Zhi, realizing she might not be the best at comforting others, recalled the time she defeated all her opponents in the grand competition of the five major immortal sects, claiming the undisputed first place. To humble her and prevent arrogance, the sect leaders decided to "offer guidance" by challenging her.
Needless to say, it was the sect leaders who were taught a lesson, soundly defeated by Yun Zhi.
The sect leaders felt humiliated by a junior and were more frustrated than embarrassed.
Seeing their gloom, Yun Zhi tried to console them by saying, "I'm only at a higher realm than you. If I suppressed my power to your level, I wouldn't be able to defeat you in one move."
Their faces turned even darker.
Bu Yu Taoist, watching the sect leaders' defeat, couldn't help but revel in their misfortune.
As Yun Zhi's master, he was well aware of his outstanding disciple's cultivation level—undefeatable, with no one able to stand against her.
The sect leaders glared at Bu Yu Taoist. If they couldn't beat the disciple, could they not beat the master?
They ganged up on him, giving Bu Yu Taoist a sound thrashing.
In a one-on-one fight, Bu Yu Taoist feared no one, but who would face him alone when they could mob him?
The grand competition of the immortal sects ended with Bu Yu Taoist battered and bruised.
"Your understanding of the technique is not yet profound, so you inevitably imitate others' techniques, and they too lack a deep understanding, thinking they know everything when they are actually still quite ignorant."
"I've said it from the beginning of your cultivation, the theme of 'Clarity of Heart and Nature' was well-chosen by you."
"Cultivators must focus not only on their realm but also on their state of mind. When reaching the Golden Elixir stage, one may encounter the inner demons' tribulation, a significant hurdle for cultivators."
"Demons arise from the heart, and attacking the heart is most effective, unpredictable, and many cultivators are stuck at this stage, their cultivation stagnant."
"Why do inner demons exist? It's because there's no clear standard in one's heart. Faced with a choice, one is torn, and after choosing one path, they wonder about the other."
"The dilemma of saving either your girlfriend or mother from drowning is due to the lack of a clear standard. Once you save your mother and your girlfriend drowns, regret sets in, and that becomes fodder for the inner demons' tribulation."
"Cultivating 'Clarity of Heart and Nature' will help you clarify your true heart and remain untroubled by the inner demons' tribulation."
Previously, Yun Zhi only mentioned that Lu Yang had made a good choice in his technique without explaining why. Now, seeing that Lu Yang's Golden Elixir was formed, a remarkable feat in the outside world, she shared her thoughts with him.
The Immortal Fairy, upon hearing this topic, also began to explain to Lu Yang, putting it succinctly: "Simply put, you need to have a healthy and positive heart."
"If you're heartless, where would the inner demons' tribulation come from?"
Lu Yang silently watched the Immortal Fairy, thinking that she didn't seem like someone who would suffer from inner demons either.
"I'll revise your technique for you and let you know once it's done," the eldest martial sister said, leaving these words behind as she turned and walked into her cave dwelling.
After the eldest martial sister left, a puppet peeked out its head, sizing up Lu Yang with a shake of its head, seemingly dissatisfied with his cultivation progress.
"Hey, it's you again!"
The puppet was an indispensable part of Lu Yang's cultivation journey. From the beginning of his practice, it had been ordered by his eldest martial sister to spur on Lu Yang's progress. Back then, Lu Yang was tormented by the puppet during the day and haunted by nightmares of the Tofu Celestial at night, leading a life of utter misery.
Previously, when Lu Yang was at the Foundation Establishment stage, he was helpless against the puppet. Now that he had reached the Golden Elixir stage and was capable of fighting those at the Elemental Infant stage, he could be revered as a patriarch in the outside world.
Lu Yang knew the puppet could speak; its silence was due to its disdain to converse with him.
"I am not the same as before; today, I will defeat you!"
Lu Yang was brimming with fighting spirit, feeling invincible, and thought the mere puppet could be easily defeated with a backhand!
The puppet provocatively gestured for Lu Yang to come forward.
Just as Lu Yang was about to make his move, the Invincible Pill issued a warning.
"This is an opponent you cannot defeat. To maintain your winning streak, you can choose to flee or commit suicide."
Lu Yang: "…"
"What kind of Invincible Pill are you? Ever since I formed my elixir, I haven't used it to defeat an opponent once!"
Lu Yang's only victory since forming his elixir was in a fight with Tao Yaoye, where the Invincible Pill's advice was to use the Lu Family Arhat Fist.
The Immortal Fairy shrugged: "You can't blame me. In the past, with the help of the Invincible Pill, I could easily fight at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Elixir stages, and no one, including Heavenly Immortals, could beat me."
"Unlike you, who encounters either Body Fusion stage opponents or your own martial brothers and sisters."
Lu Yang felt that being in a super sect wasn't entirely a good thing.
If he were in an ordinary sect, where martial brothers and sisters bullied him for his lack of background and humble origins, he could have, under the watchful eyes of all, defeated Golden Elixir late-stage martial brothers and sisters with his early-stage power, causing a sensation among the sect elders and sect leader, who would then consider making him a core disciple.
But in the Seek Tao Sect, such a scenario was impossible.
The Immortal Fairy didn't tell Lu Yang that it was the Invincible Pill that had given him the confidence to think he could defeat the puppet, and then the Invincible Pill warned him that he couldn't beat the puppet.
The positive and negative effects canceled each other out.
"It's not really a big deal," the Immortal Fairy muttered to herself.
Seeing that Lu Yang didn't respond to the challenge, the puppet took the initiative to attack, and Lu Yang turned to run.
Knowing he couldn't win, only a fool would engage in combat.
It was unclear what level the puppet was at, but its speed was just a bit faster than Lu Yang's, and no matter how desperately he ran, he couldn't outrun the puppet.
Just as Lu Yang was about to give up, the Invincible Pill spun wildly, mobilizing his spiritual power, and Lu Yang's pace quickened further.
"Wait, how come this Invincible Pill is so effective when running away but useless in a fight?"