The Demon Sect, Initial Sacred Sect.
Amidst heavy clouds and turbulent waves, mountains of all shapes and sizes stood like islands in the sea of clouds, arranged like pieces on a chessboard.
At the outermost edge of this chessboard, there was a mountain peak noticeably shorter than the others, as though someone had sliced off its summit, leaving only a flat expanse at its peak. On this flat summit, flying boats rose and fell, and the newly enrolled disciples stood in a row.
Lü Yang was one of them.
He had just crossed over. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself here. The residual memories in his body indicated that his current situation was rather grim.
According to the memories of his former self, the Initial Sacred Sect governed a nation called "Chen."
Every three years, the Kingdom of Chen would send a batch of nominal disciples to the Initial Sacred Sect, and in exchange, the Sect would guarantee good weather and stability for the royal family of Chen.
At first glance, this sounded like a great opportunity to join a sect and achieve immortality.
However, the reality was different. None of the high-ranking officials in the Kingdom of Chen were willing to come. The only people sent as "blood sacrifices" were impoverished individuals like Lü Yang.
Although every three years, thousands of nominal disciples were sent to the Initial Sacred Sect, the number of formal disciples had never increased, while the nominal disciples vanished one by one, as though they were sent to a bottomless abyss rather than a holy land of cultivation.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.
"No wonder I feel so weak, like my body is hollowed out."
Lü Yang pinched his arm; it was soft, with no muscle at all. It felt even worse when he tried to get up, as a sharp pain suddenly shot through his chest.
"The original body seems to have some kind of illness. This illness is... damn it!"
Lü Yang cursed, realizing this wasn't just weakness—it was a serious illness. It seemed like he wouldn't last much longer.
Just as Lü Yang was feeling hopeless, on the verge of dying shortly after crossing over, a small light appeared before his eyes, expanding rapidly in the wind. It grew at an observable speed and transformed into a screen!
[Name: Lü Yang]
[Lifespan: 18]
[Cultivation: None]
[Talent: None]
[Techniques: None]
[Divine Powers: None]
[Treasures: None]
At that moment, as Lü Yang looked at the system interface before him, he felt like crying. Hadn't he heard that "heaven never closes all doors"? As long as he wanted to walk, the path would be beneath his feet!
"System, give me some points!"
But then, Lü Yang was dumbfounded.
Because no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find the "+" sign he so desperately wanted in the skills section—not even a "-" sign.
"What the hell, system? Where's my points?"
After searching for a long time, Lü Yang had to admit in despair that the personal panel before him seemed to have no function for adding points.
In other words, if he wanted to improve, he would have to rely on his own efforts.
Lü Yang: "..."
"F**k it! Before I awakened the system, you told me to try hard. Now that I have the system, you still want me to try hard? Is this system a complete waste?"
"System, f**k off—"
[Current Pages Remaining in the Hundred Lives Book: 100]
[Hundred Lives Book: After death, you can return to the initial time point and start over.]
[After restarting, you can choose one of the following from your previous life's treasures, cultivation, or lifespan, or you can forgo all rewards from your previous life to awaken a talent.]
Suddenly, Lü Yang became excited.
A hundred reincarnations? This was an enormous treasure! As long as he used it well, it could help him soar to the top!
Just then, a black-robed man holding a roster and carrying a candle appeared before the crowd.
"Those whose names I call, step forward."
"Drop blood into the lamp beside me, ignite your life fire, and you will be a nominal disciple of the Initial Sacred Sect from now on."
Upon hearing this, no one showed joy.
This was because those sent here, for the most part, had heard of the Initial Sacred Sect's notorious reputation and knew that being a nominal disciple was not a blessing, but a curse.
However, the black-robed man ignored the thoughts of the crowd and simply called names.
"Chen Liang."
"Here!"
When the black-robed man called the name, a little Daoist boy with rosy lips and white teeth stood up and skipped forward, his face full of youthful energy.
The boy was extremely handsome, with large bright eyes that seemed to speak, and his facial features were sharp and intelligent. If he were in the mortal realm, he would be the kind of scholar sought after by every major academy.
Sure enough, when the black-robed man saw him, his eyes lit up in admiration.
"Such a natural spirit child!"
"Daoist Brother, you flatter me." The little Daoist boy respectfully bowed, his childish voice making everyone around him feel endearing.
The black-robed man smiled more widely.
"Very good, very good! My Initial Sacred Sect needs people like you!"
With that, the black-robed man wrote the name "Chen Liang" on the roster with a stroke of his pen.
Thud!
In the next moment, without warning, the previously energetic little Daoist boy's eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, dead without a sound.
After completing this, the black-robed man casually ordered:
"Send his blood and flesh to the Alchemy Hall, his bones and soul to the Artifact Refining Hall, and his internal organs to the Beast Control Hall. Don't let such a talented person go to waste."
The crowd of nominal disciples stood in shock and disbelief.
The black-robed man saw their expressions and sneered.
"Don't misunderstand, fellow disciples."
"Our sect values 'value.' Therefore, the excellence of a disciple is measured by how much value they can bring to the sect."
"That disciple, with his natural talent and strong physique, could only bring the greatest value to the sect after death, which is why he had to die."
"As for you, fellow disciples, your talents are mediocre, and you will create value for the sect while alive. So, there's no need to worry."
"Next."
The black-robed man continued calling names. The other nominal disciples were terrified but had no choice but to comply, afraid they would suffer the same fate as the little Daoist boy.
"Lü Yang."
"Here."
Lü Yang stepped forward, showing a respectful expression.
The black-robed man immediately fixed his gaze on Lü Yang's handsome face, first showing a smile, then inspecting his physique.
But soon, he shook his head in disappointment.
Clearly, he thought Lü Yang was good-looking, but otherwise, had no merit.
"Go to the Hehuan Hall."
Lü Yang didn't dare to question him and quickly responded, "Yes."
After the distribution, Lü Yang received a jade token. The jade token was almost transparent, engraved with his name, and appeared to seal a flame inside it.
In addition, he received a cultivation method.
The cultivation technique was called Yin Yang Great Joy Rhapsody, a method associated with the Hehuan Hall, which was said to allow one to cultivate true energy and step into the Qi Refining stage.
The old servant who was leading the way casually said, "The life fire inside your life token must be carried with you at all times. Remember, the sect's formations and spirit plants/spirit beasts recognize the token, not the person. If you forget to bring it one day, don't blame me if you die in the sect."
Before long, they arrived at a hall.
In front of the hall stood a beautiful, voluptuous woman in a long skirt, the slit reaching to the top of her thighs. As she moved, her figure exuded charm and allure.
"Gulp."
Lü Yang clearly heard someone beside him swallow.
The woman's name was Yu Su Zhen.
"This is the Hehuan Hall. I am Yu Su Zhen, your senior sister."
The moment she said that, Lü Yang noticed her eyes glisten as she stared at him intently, without any concealment.
"This junior brother is so handsome, you must be a disciple of my Hehuan Hall."
Yu Su Zhen smiled lightly, then gracefully approached Lü Yang, her hips swaying with every step, making Lü Yang dizzy.
"I think you look good. Follow me, I'll introduce you to the Hehuan Hall."
Lü Yang quickly cupped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Sister Yu."
"Don't be so polite," she said with a flirtatious look, turning her back to him and walking ahead with a seductive sway. The onlookers couldn't help but feel their desire grow.
Lü Yang dared not look too much and silently followed behind.
"My sect disciples are divided into inner and outer divisions. The four outer halls are Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Beast Control, and Hehuan, where all of you nominal disciples will be."
"Only after passing the tests of the four outer halls will you enter the inner sect and receive the true teachings, becoming formal disciples."
"You're lucky to have entered my Hehuan Hall. You won't have to suffer as much as those in the other three halls. After all, the tests in Hehuan Hall are much easier."
At this point, Yu Su Zhen suddenly leaned toward Lü Yang.
"Do you want to know what it is?"
Lü Yang only felt warm breath on his ear, the scent of her perfume filling the air as her face appeared before him.
"Please, Senior Sister, enlighten me," Lü Yang said as he raised his head.
She whispered, "It's dual cultivation."
Her soft voice was like a lover's sweet whisper, and before the words even left her lips, her delicate hand rested on Lü Yang's head.
In that moment, Lü Yang gasped.