Eternal Life through Drawing Lots

The ball of light representing his ’Seek Fortune, Avoid Misfortune’ talent flickered once more.

It immediately captured Fang Yang’s attention.

’Seeking a partner on my path, visiting her home, the focus of everyone’s attention...’

’This must be referring to my own actions and the reactions of the Sen Clan elders.’

Judging by the fortune, the powerhouses of the Sen Clan weren’t too opposed to his relationship with Sen Hui.

They weren’t coming to oppose him the same way they had opposed Sen Yuanyuan and Fang Nian.

’In this regard, I’m already miles ahead of Fang Nian.’

Of course, beating Fang Nian wasn’t exactly a joyous occasion, so Fang Yang’s thoughts continued to wander.

This particular fortune had two parts, the lesser of which was still moderately auspicious.

And the place where this fortune would manifest was none other than the Sen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion.

’"Study with a calm heart in the Sen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion. Be patient, let nature take its course, and on the fifth floor, a Tier Four opportunity can be obtained..."’ Fang Yang recited silently.

A smile touched his lips. He turned to Sen Hui and said, "Go to the Scripture Pavilion this afternoon? Sure, that sounds good."

He hadn’t come to the Sen Clan’s estate just to find Sen Hui and deepen their relationship.

He had a much more important goal: the Sen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion!

The Sen Clan was a major, dominant branch of the Changkong race, and they were exceptionally prosperous.

The collection of Daoist canons, True Scriptures, and ancient texts in their Scripture Pavilion was bound to be far superior to that of the Fang Clan’s.

Conveniently, to better develop his ’Profound Realm,’ he needed to accumulate a vast wealth of knowledge and a solid foundation.

Thus, for this trip to the Sen Clan’s territory, he had set several major goals for himself:

First, to study as many books as possible in the Sen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion.

Second, to advance the *Little Whale Swallowing Skill* from a Tier Four skill to Tier Five.

Third, to improve his three Lifebound Skills—the *Flame Skill*, the *Thunderous Strike Skill*, and the *Thunderfire Wings*—one by one.

’I won’t follow Fang Nian’s old path. I will forge a path that’s right for me!’

For this very reason, despite feeling a flicker of joy at this opportunity, Fang Yang wasn’t overly excited.

...

The Sen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion stood nine stories tall, built atop a snowy peak. It soared into the clouds, its summit hidden from view.

Following Sen Hui, Fang Yang arrived before the Sen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion.

The ground, paved with the finest white jade, glowed with a soft luster. In the distance, ethereal palaces were shrouded in swirling Immortal Mist, their forms indistinct.

Phoenixes carved from ancient agarwood poised for flight on the upswept eaves. The latticed windows were sculpted from cyan tiles, and the walls were stacked with blocks of jade.

In front of the palace stood a massive, dragon-carved pillar that seemed to pierce the heavens, vying to soar alongside the phoenixes on the roof.

"SKREEE—" A water-blue phoenix seemed to take flight, its majestic power blanketing the world.

"ROAR—" A Crimson True Dragon seemed to coil in the heavens, its cry shaking the cosmos.

Fang Yang stopped in his tracks, his robes whipping in the wind.

He looked up at the Sen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion, a profound sense of awe washing over him.

Compared to this, the Fang Clan’s Scripture Pavilion was a mud hut with bamboo walls next to a divine celestial palace.

The difference between them was simply immense!

’’So this is the Sen Clan, which has produced nine successive generations of Great Saints...’’ Fang Yang marveled to himself.

He was once again struck by the sheer power of the Sen Clan.

And that was precisely why he wasn’t bothered that Sen Yue and Sen Wei were ahead of him.

With such an extraordinary family background, it was only natural for Sen Yue and Sen Wei to have a head start.

But he also had his own unique talent—’Seek Fortune, Avoid Misfortune!’

’Once my cultivation realm rises, I can turn all those past ’Poor’ and ’Terrible’ fortunes into ’Good,’ or even ’Excellent’ ones, and reap even greater rewards.’

Fang Yang then strode forward, entering the Scripture Pavilion alongside Sen Hui.

WHOOSH...

As if passing through a wall of water, Fang Yang suddenly felt that he had entered another world.

This was the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion!

Upon entering the first floor, Fang Yang found the atmosphere was just like a library from his past life—utterly silent.

Everyone was minding their own business, careful not to disturb anyone else.

However, the moment he appeared, the crowd of Sen Clan disciples glanced over, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Fang Yang?"

"What’s he doing here?"

"Oh, I see... one of our clan’s young ladies is with him."

Reputations precede people.

Fang Yang’s appearance immediately set the Sen Clan disciples whispering amongst themselves.

But when they noticed Sen Hui’s presence, the strange looks and surprised whispers gradually died down.

Still, their gazes would occasionally drift back to Fang Yang.

As for Fang Yang, his expression remained perfectly calm.

Fang Yang faced their scrutinizing gazes as if they were a gentle breeze, paying them no mind.

’"To remain so composed under such pressure, not even batting an eye."’

The hidden Elder Hua praised admiringly, "It seems Fang Yang was truly forged on the battlefield."

The Scripture Pavilion was vast, filled with shifting light and shadows. All manner of skills and techniques were sorted into categories.

For now, Fang Yang reined in his excitement and, with Sen Hui, went to browse the collection of books on the Dao of the Alchemist Doctor.

He was quite surprised after just a cursory glance.

The collection on the Alchemist Doctor path here was nearly identical to the scriptures of the Fang Clan!

Sen Hui leaned in and whispered, "When it comes to the Dao of the Alchemist Doctor, your Fang Clan is still superior. Anyone who wishes to walk this path can start here."

At the end, Sen Hui added with a sigh, "Perhaps this is fate. Otherwise, I would never have met you."

’Fate?’

Fang Yang gave a wry smile. He simply picked up a jade slip at random and bent over to examine it.

...

「The night had deepened.」

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, with only a sliver of moonlight spilling into the verdant courtyard.

Fang Yang was staying in a small hut beside the verdant courtyard.

He was currently reflecting on the day’s gains in silence.

Since he was in the Sen Clan’s territory, he didn’t activate his ’Profound Realm’ skill.

He knew, of course, that his Void Acupoint was incredibly profound and was further concealed by the Carp Eagle’s Divine Feather.

Even if he were to activate the ’Profound Realm’ here, there likely wouldn’t be any major issues.

But out of reverence for Saints and Great Saints, he restrained himself.

After all, the Blissful Demon Venerable was infamous. It wouldn’t be good if anyone learned he had obtained a true inheritance from him.

However, his own innate talent and aptitude were already extraordinary.

Even without the ’Profound Realm’ skill, he was still a top-tier young prodigy!

"Fire."

"Fierce Flame, Sea of Fire, Fire Realm, Anomalous Flame..."

At that moment, Fang Yang sat cross-legged on a Daoist mat, silently contemplating the evolution of his *Flame Skill*.

It was true that a Lifebound Skill would strengthen as a Cultivator’s realm increased, but the straightforward *Flame Skill* was ultimately just a Foundation Establishment technique.

Back during the Battle of Xuan Yu, all he needed to do was single-mindedly pursue a higher realm.

Now that the speed of his advancement had slowed, Fang Yang began to entertain the idea of improving his Lifebound Skill.

He hadn’t forgotten the heaven-defying power Sen Yue had displayed when she connected to the Xuan Yu Blessed Land!

HUMMM...

HUMMM... HUMMM...

Ripples of illusory afterimages emanated from Fang Yang’s body, one after another.

These phantoms were composed of layer upon layer of unique flames.

Gradually, these flames formed clearly demarcated domains.

From a distance, one could see that Fang Yang’s body was currently reflecting the Dao-charm of the Saint Fire Divine Realm.

The Saint Fire Divine Realm was a Grotto Heaven of the Fire Dao, a small Grotto Heaven world left behind by a Tier Eight Great Saint.

Within it were eighty-one Fire Domain Wondrous Realms, each one home to countless Fire Beasts.

Now, this phantom of the Fire Realm grew larger and larger, gradually manifesting itself and even surging outside the small hut!

Even if the others respected Sen Hui enough not to spy on Fang Yang’s privacy, a phenomenon of this magnitude was impossible to ignore.

’"This skill... although it’s an evolution of the *Flame Skill*, why does it have the fundamental essence of a Saint’s Skill, or even a Great Sage’s Skill?"’ Sen Wei blinked in astonishment.

Although it was still in its initial stages, if Fang Yang continued to perfect it, it was bound to become an extraordinary Fire Dao Divine Skill!

’"Interesting. Not bad,"’ Sen Yue remarked, her gaze fixed on him as she nodded in satisfaction.

Improving one’s Lifebound Skill was something almost every young prodigy undertook.

This was because no matter how formidable the initial Lifebound Skill, it was still a path forged by predecessors; a successor could never unleash one hundred percent of its power.

Therefore, the form a modified Lifebound Skill took was a reflection of a young prodigy’s potential.

From the looks of it, Fang Yang had the potential of a young Saint, perhaps even touching the level of a young Great Saint!

At this moment, Saint Fan Liu finally understood why everyone tacitly agreed that Fang Yang was worthy of Sen Hui.

Back then, Fang Nian had needed to enter the top ten of the Human Ranking just to prove himself.

But Fang Yang didn’t need to do any of that!

SWOOSH...

With a sound like rippling water, the phantom of the Fire Realm gradually dissipated.

Inside the hut, however, Fang Yang slowly opened his eyes and let out a clear laugh. "The *Fire Domain Skill* is complete."

Within Fang Yang’s Void Acupoint True Essence Sea, the Fierce Flame Pill Cauldron still remained, but its surface was now etched with layer upon layer of Flame Dao Patterns!

Fang Yang had now evolved his *Flame Skill* into the *Fire Domain Skill*.

The *Fire Domain Skill* was a Cultivation Technique capable of containing thousands of Anomalous Flames. The more Anomalous Flames it absorbed, the more powerful it would become.

For now, his *Fire Domain Skill* only had two Fire Domain Illusions: the orange-yellow flame of the White Feathered Eagle and a flame of faint, ghostly light.

However, at the Tier Three realm, the *Fire Domain Skill* could accommodate nine types of Anomalous Flames, meaning he still had plenty of room to grow.

Once the *Fire Domain Skill* reached perfection, it could definitely hope to contend with the peerless Great Divine Technique, the *Cyan Lotus Sword Song*.

In other words, Fang Yang truly had a chance of catching up to Sen Wei.