To go up, or not to go up—that was the question.
But very quickly, Lü Yang was no longer conflicted.
Because he didn't have the right to refuse at all.
In broad daylight, under the open sky, Yu Suzhen suddenly made her move. She grabbed his clothes and tore them off, then lowered her head and bit down.
"Ah—!"
Lü Yang's teeth chattered as he trembled and struggled. "Senior Sister, wait! At least let's change locations—"
"No need. Right here is fine!"
Lü Yang couldn't resist. And when he remembered that the Book of a Hundred Lives had his back, he simply gave up struggling and laid down, letting it happen.
In an instant—an intense and ferocious battle began.
A true demoness of the demonic sect...
Versus a transmigrated cheater with a hidden artifact.
One incense stick's time later...
Yu Suzhen frowned in visible dissatisfaction.
"That's it?"
"What a waste."
She scolded coldly, "You've got such a pretty face, but barely any vital essence in your body. You're already done? Pathetic."
"Good-looking but useless trash. Trash!"
At that very moment, Lü Yang's face turned pale.
Then, he felt the last trace of his spiritual energy flow into Yu Suzhen's body. His already thin frame instantly became more shriveled.
"The Yin-Yang Pleasure Scripture?"
Flashes of the technique given at assignment time passed through Lü Yang's mind, and realization hit him.
The so-called test of the Hehuan Hall wasn't some righteous challenge.
It was an inner competition of dual cultivation, harvesting and being harvested, like raising poisonous insects in a jar—the one who lived in the end earned promotion to official disciple status.
---
"Congratulations, Senior Sister Yu!"
At that moment, a few other registered disciples walked over with fawning smiles.
"You've just absorbed the final one. You should be able to break through to the Qi Refining stage now."
"Once you reach Qi Refining, you'll no longer be a mortal!"
"We hope you'll take care of us in the future—we'll serve you loyally!"
Watching this unfold, Lü Yang suddenly laughed.
"Heh heh…"
This laugh from a dried-out corpse of a man startled the others. Yu Suzhen glanced at him and asked indifferently:
"Oh? Why are you laughing, junior brother?"
"I'm laughing for your sake, Senior Sister," Lü Yang said sincerely. "I was worried about your health. But clearly, I was just overthinking."
"My health?" Yu Suzhen blinked.
"Yes." Lü Yang sighed. "Before I joined, I used to frequent the brothels of the Ministry of Music… and I caught venereal disease."
"You were a bit too hasty just now. I didn't get the chance to tell you. But since you're about to break through, I'm sure such a small illness is nothing for you, right?"
Yu Suzhen: "…"
---
> [Yu Suzhen, in a fury, beat you to death.]
> [Remaining pages in the Book of a Hundred Lives: 99]
---
> [Restarting your life. Please select one of the following to carry over from your previous life:]
1: Treasures
2: Cultivation
3: Lifespan
4: Forgo all and awaken a random talent based on your previous life's experience
---
"Step forward when your name is called."
Lü Yang opened his eyes and saw the black-robed Daoist on stage. Only then did he realize—he was back at the square during disciple assignment in the Chu Sheng Sect.
Everything he'd just experienced was real. The demoness's embrace was still fresh in his memory…
But now, it all restarted.
That huge contrast left Lü Yang stunned for quite a while before he finally snapped out of it. Despite the bitter memory, he couldn't help but feel delighted—the Book of a Hundred Lives truly is a divine treasure!
---
He steadied his mind and looked down at the Book's options.
The first three were meaningless—he hadn't formally begun cultivation before being drained to death. So, his only real choice was the fourth one.
> [Calculating your previous life's experience...]
[After harvesting your vital essence, Yu Suzhen broke through to Qi Refining. However, she contracted a venereal disease, her true qi was tainted, and she died of illness months later.]
> [Since ancient times, following Heaven is easy, defying it is hard.]
[Martial arts are no match for divine abilities. The gap between mortals and cultivators is as vast as heaven and earth.]
> [But you stepped into the game with your own body, cleverly used dual cultivation, and with a mortal shell slew a cultivator—this is an act against Heaven itself!]
> [You have awakened a white-grade talent: Dual Cultivation Prodigy.]
> [Dual Cultivation Prodigy: Your comprehension of dual cultivation techniques is extremely high. No cultivator of the same level can drain your essence—instead, they will be reversed and drained by you.]
---
The floating text on the panel changed again:
> Name: Lü Yang
Age: 18
Cultivation: None
Talent: Dual Cultivation Prodigy (White)
Technique: Yin-Yang Pleasure Scripture (Beginner)
Divine Ability: None
Treasure: None
Book of a Hundred Lives pages remaining: 99
---
Lü Yang let out a deep breath. He felt a warm current surge to his lower dantian. His strength was restored in an instant, and his body, once fragile, began rapidly recovering.
"…The STD… still hasn't gone away. But I guess I can hold out a bit longer."
He examined his condition closely.
Aside from the recovery brought by the new talent, he also gained significant understanding of the Yin-Yang Pleasure Scripture, the dual cultivation technique given out by the Hehuan Hall.
After all, nothing teaches like real experience—especially with a cheat talent bonus.
---
From there, events unfolded just as before.
Thanks to his naturally handsome face, Lü Yang was once again assigned to Hehuan Hall. Once again, he met Yu Suzhen at the gate. And once again—she chose him at first sight.
"What a terrifying technique—the Yin-Yang Pleasure Scripture!"
Not only could it absorb one's life essence, it could also draw out knowledge, even experience with techniques and divine abilities!
With this revelation, Lü Yang became even more enthusiastic.
---
One day… two days… three days…
As time passed, Yu Suzhen's expression slowly shifted from enjoyment… to horror. Her once-flat belly began to swell abnormally.
"Enough… enough! Please stop for now!"
"I… I can't… Ah!"
"I was wrong! Please wait, please—!"
Lü Yang ignored her pleas. He kept operating the Yin-Yang Pleasure Scripture, fully immersed in the euphoria of cultivation.
And in that state, he finally sensed—"Qi."
That sliver of Qi was within Yu Suzhen.
If they hadn't been so physically close, he might never have detected it.
"This power… belongs to me!"
Without hesitation, Lü Yang activated the scripture, forcibly drawing all the Qi from Yu Suzhen's body.
---
"NO—!!!"
Yu Suzhen let out a miserable scream. Her head slumped to the side.
In the next second, Lü Yang felt his essence, energy, and spirit fuse with the absorbed Qi. Then—a surge, like a door opening inside him.
Suddenly, understanding dawned on him:
> "I've broken through!"
---
When spirit and Qi combine, it is called Qi Refining.
Yu Suzhen had long been a senior registered disciple in Hehuan Hall. She was only one step away from the Qi Refining stage.
In the last life, she drained Lü Yang and completed that final step.
In this life, he drained her and took all she had.
From this day forth, he was a Qi Refining Stage 1 Cultivator!
A breakthrough meant promotion to official disciple status—a single step to a whole new level. It looked simple, but this barrier had stopped countless registered disciples over the years.
---
"What a satisfying experience. Senior Sister Yu, I'll probably never forget you for the rest of my life."
Lü Yang stood up, looking down at Yu Suzhen's lifeless body, sighing with complex emotion.