Chapter 352 : First-Grade True Cultivation Method!?

Chapter 352: First-Grade True Cultivation Method!?

Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, Hall of Reception.

Lü Yang held three long sticks of incense in his hand, with wisps of green smoke curling around him. In an instant, it felt as if he heard the thunderous voices of ten thousand people questioning him in unison:

"Have you ever colluded with the Demonic Path?"

"Do you harbor any malicious intent?"

"Have you awakened memories of a past life?"

Three incense sticks, three questions. With the green smoke swirling around him, this clone of Lü Yang had no room to lie. Unconsciously, he opened his mouth and replied:

"None at all!"

His voice was righteous and confident.

After all, as a clone, he was pure and innocent. He harbored no ill intentions, nor had he awakened memories of a past life. As for colluding with the Demonic Path, that was something the main body did.

What did that have to do with the clone?

The next moment, the clone snapped back to awareness and realized that everything just now had been an illusion. Only the three burning incense sticks remained steadily in his hand.

However, Lü Yang could sense that these incense sticks were by no means ordinary. The only reason he could hold them steadily was that he had just passed the test of the three questions. Had he failed, the incense would have ignited his body and soul, reducing him to a pile of ashes.

With that thought, Lü Yang immediately stepped into the Hall of Reception.

Although he had feigned ignorance in front of the Daoist Dangmo earlier, through the Yun family ancestor, he had already thoroughly investigated the Sword Pavilion inside and out.

‘The Hall of Reception is especially crucial!’

It wasn’t just a place to verify one’s origins—it also determined what kind of inheritance one would receive. The better one performed here, the stronger the inheritance one would obtain!

‘As expected of the Sword Pavilion, truly on par with the Saint Sect.’

In the Saint Sect, profound cultivation methods had to be exchanged for contribution points, which meant becoming someone’s servant—either you rose to power or became a mere tool.

The Sword Pavilion wasn’t much better.

The Hall of Reception only assessed one’s background. The upside was that you didn’t have to be someone’s lackey. The downside was that if your background was lacking, your fate was sealed. Forget about rising up.

One path of cattle, one path of swords.

Each region had its merits—it wasn’t without reason.

Upon entering the Hall of Reception, Lü Yang was surprised to see several other boys and girls. They appeared young, like his clone, but seemed somewhat translucent.

‘There’s more than one Hall of Reception.’

Lü Yang instantly understood that these youths were likely in other halls undergoing their own assessments. Their images had merely been synchronized across the halls.

As expected, some of the youths noticed him as well.

But they merely glanced at Lü Yang before indifferently looking away, continuing to hold their incense and grit their teeth as they walked toward the inner hall.

"I will definitely make it in!"

One of the youths, ordinary in appearance, had a determined expression and blazing eyes. He murmured under his breath: "Within a hundred steps of the divine altar, you’re an outer disciple. Within thirty steps, an inner disciple. Within ten steps, a true disciple. If you can offer incense at the altar, you’re a born Sword Seed!"

With those words, he took a step forward.

"Thud!"

Though there was no visible change, the youth suddenly began to tremble. Every step forward became immensely difficult, and he finally stopped at the eightieth step.

"Not even eighty steps!?"

The youth clenched his jaw. Eighty steps only qualified him as an outer disciple, cultivating methods of seventh grade or lower. His entire life would be limited to the Qi Refining stage—how could he accept that?

"I’ll risk it!"

In the next moment, he steeled his heart and took another step forward. But with that step, countless fissures burst across his body.

In the blink of an eye, he became a man of blood.

"Thump!"

He collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.

Such a bloody scene shocked the other youths, who dared not act recklessly again. If they couldn’t proceed, they gave up without hesitation.

From that moment, their destinies were sealed.

‘It’s not easy cultivating in the Sword Pavilion either…’ Lü Yang thought to himself.

Good thing he had his cheat.

‘【Fate-Divining Draw Stick】, draw for me!’

The fate accumulated by this clone over the past eight years of hardship now erupted all at once, finally transforming into a radiant golden divination stick that floated forth.

【Event: Enter the Hall of Reception and offer incense to the ancestor】

【Lesser Fortune: Your background is decent. You approach within nine steps of the altar and become a true disciple.】

【Minor Misfortune: Though your background is decent, as a split soul, your foundation is shallow. Only through unwavering determination can you reach within three steps of the altar.】

【Great Fortune: Your fate erupts, and with a profound background, this trifling Hall of Reception becomes a breeze. You offer incense at the altar without obstruction.】

‘It has to be【Great Fortune】!’

In the next second, Lü Yang felt a mysterious force of destiny surge through him, as though the heavens themselves lent their strength. He then steadily stepped forward toward the divine altar.

One hundred steps, thirty steps, ten steps… three steps!

“Boom!”

At that moment, light burst from every Hall of Reception in the Sword Pavilion, startling Daoist Dangmo outside the hall, who showed a look of surprise in his eyes.

From his perspective, since Lü Yang’s past life was that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—one who had even slain the master of Mending Heaven Peak—reaching within ten steps of the altar and becoming a true disciple was expected. But to step within three steps… that was extraordinary, implying deep understanding of the Sword Pavilion’s path!

‘Could it be… another Sword Seed?’

Daoist Dangmo raised his brows with a delighted look. Now that eight years had passed since the True Sovereigns of the world went into seclusion, the ensuing chaos had gradually subsided.

‘The Northern Demon Sect produced two cultivators of complete Foundation Establishment and stabilized the region.’

‘The Pure Land in Jiangxi remains as calm as ever—rumor has it a Buddha Child has descended.’

‘But the greatest impact was in the Eastern Dao Court—where the Son of Heaven, Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, and Grand Protector all went into hiding. The Crown Prince barely stabilized the court after assuming regency…’

It was clear—the era of great conflict was fast approaching!

‘In the future, I too will have to contend for supremacy. If I can cultivate a junior to manage the Sword Pavilion before that, it wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.’

Daoist Dangmo's thoughts churned.

Meanwhile, inside the Hall of Reception, Lü Yang had already reached the divine altar and carefully placed the three sticks of burning incense into it.

In the next instant, the green smoke surged!

Lü Yang suddenly felt darkness before his eyes. As the smoke entered his nose and mouth, countless words emerged in his mind, finally coalescing into a single cultivation method:

《Sword Lord's Mystical Gold-Wielding Secret Chapter》!

‘This is…’

Once he fully digested the information in his mind, Lü Yang’s main body, located in the Hidden Sword Manor, suddenly widened his eyes:

‘This thing… is a first-grade true cultivation method!?’

Before he could even react, an unexpected change occurred.

“Damn it!”

Through the【Puppet Strings】technique, Lü Yang glared at his clone. To his shock, the fate he had painstakingly accumulated over eight years—living cautiously and obeying all rules—was entirely siphoned away by the smoke from the altar. It circled once within the altar before slowly returning to him…

Only it wasn’t his fate anymore.

It had become【Sword Pavilion Fate】!

‘In other words, my hard-earned fate is now under their ownership? I only have the right to use it? They can take it back anytime?’

How was this any different from selling himself!?

What’s worse…

‘This doesn’t even feel like my fate anymore!’

It was someone else’s fate! It had merely been absorbed into the category of【Sword Pavilion Fate】!

In a daze, Lü Yang seemed to see countless causes and effects, endless sins and karmic debts—all imposed onto him along with the fate!

Then what happened to his pure fate?

Could it have been handed over to some Sword Pavilion true cultivator!?

At that thought, Lü Yang trembled with rage.

No wonder the Sword Pavilion preferred disciples with a deep background—perfect scapegoats, who wouldn’t love that?

‘Damn sword freaks!!!’