WHOOSH!

As the sword-wielding youth's body disintegrated, a fiery light within it exploded, scattering sparks and embers. Amidst the chaos, a golden gleam attempted to flee.

But would Lü Yang, who had been eyeing it covetously, ever give it the chance?

"Get over here!"

Almost simultaneously, an Ability descended upon the Quiet Chamber. It was as if the void had opened a great, bloody maw, madly devouring everything within the room.

[Holding True Qi]!

This Ability could even draw out the Essence of Heaven and Earth from the Seven Luminaries Heaven. How could a mere wisp of the Gold Attribute resist? It was instantly locked in place by Lü Yang.

Only after doing all this did Lü Yang breathe a sigh of relief and look toward Progenitor Tingyou:

"Congratulations, Progenitor!"

He had to provide the proper emotional payoff. That was why Lü Yang had let Progenitor Tingyou deliver the final blow to the sword-wielding youth—a gesture of kindness toward the Banner Spirit.

On the other side, Progenitor Tingyou was clearly very pleased by this. He turned to face Lü Yang and, without another word, gave a deep bow. "Though it was only an incarnation, it has resolved a matter that has weighed on my heart for ages. Thank you, Daoist, for your wholehearted assistance. Tingyou is endlessly grateful!"

These words came straight from the heart.

For Progenitor Tingyou, the greatest regret and pain was the annihilation of the Wu Ghost Sect by a single sword stroke all those years ago. He never even had the chance to fight.

Now, Lü Yang had fulfilled his wish.

Strictly speaking, he wasn't a match for the sword-wielding youth in their one-on-one fight just now, but so what? 'Back in the day, you were a Perfected Lord!'

'I just fought two-on-one. That's far more honorable than you ever were!'

"Progenitor, you speak too seriously."

Lü Yang quickly helped Progenitor Tingyou up and said with heartfelt sincerity, "I am also a disciple of the Wu Ghost Sect. This was simply my duty. There's no need for such formality!"

"Look, when I'm ordering you around, do I stand on ceremony?"

"This..."

Progenitor Tingyou was taken aback for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his face. "...True enough. In that case, you should order me around more in the future. Don't hesitate at all."

"Definitely!"

This was the very sentence Lü Yang had been waiting for from Progenitor Tingyou. He nodded, satisfied, and then sent the newly advanced Progenitor Tingyou off to meditate and stabilize his condition.

Only now did he turn his attention to the Gold Attribute captured by [Holding True Qi].

'A second True Monarch Gold Attribute... Although the Ye Family's treasury is far inferior to the Dragon Palace's in terms of resources, this Gold Attribute alone is comparable to a Supreme Treasure!'

He snatched it and instantly began the Refining process!

[Calculating experience for "Zhengde"...]

[You were once the most outstanding disciple in the history of the Ye Family. After four lifetimes of arduous cultivation, you finally reached Foundation Establishment Perfection and attained the Golden Position, but it left you with a lifelong shadow.]

Densely packed lines of text appeared.

'True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde, original name Ye Zhongliang, the fourth Perfected Lord of the Sword Pavilion. He was trapped on Zenith Cliff by a Heart Demon, stagnating for a thousand years without making any progress...'

Soon, the full history of True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde unfolded before his eyes.

Just as with Fortune, it included a massive volume of insights regarding the [Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth]. Lü Yang compiled them, planning to give the collection to Progenitor Tingyou later.

Next were the trump cards he had prepared for his reincarnation.

An incarnation, a True Treasure, and a Secret Technique for Sensing a Fruit Position. Now that the incarnation was destroyed, the True Treasure and Secret Technique naturally fell into Lü Yang's hands.

Beyond that, there was also an unexpected gain.

Within the memories of True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde, Lü Yang discovered a crucial piece of intelligence: the true origin of Demon-Vanquishing Perfected!

'Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, Ye Guangji, was the Ye Family's greatest genius after True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde. In his first life, he cultivated the [Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth], but suffered a major setback at his peak, forcing him to become a Sword Cultivator in his second life. He reached Foundation Establishment in thirty years, comprehended Sword Intent, and from then on, step by step, made a name for himself as the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected.'

'However, in the Sword Pavilion, do prodigies ever appear without a reason?'

'The vast majority of the Sword Pavilion's chosen geniuses are reincarnated cultivators... Demon-Vanquishing Perfected is no exception. Strictly speaking, his origins are not inferior to even a Perfected Lord!'

'He was born because the various Perfected Persons of the Sword Pavilion, finding the [Fruit of Sword Dao] difficult to attain, awakened a Spiritual consciousness within the Sword Pavilion Mountain Gate!'

'And the Sword Pavilion Mountain Gate is rumored to be the personal sword left behind by the founder of the Sword Pavilion.'

'The Spiritual nature of Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was born from it. You could say he was born to practice Sword Cultivation! Cultivating the [Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth] in his first life was actually a hindrance to him.'

Thinking of this, Lü Yang also recalled the words of Exorcist Zhenren when he questioned Demon-Vanquishing Perfected: 'He said Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was a heartless person... Looking at it now, that's not without reason. An artificial Sword Spirit, one that embodies the heart of heaven and resonates with the will of the earth, should by nature have a disposition of Supreme Forgetting Emotions.'

For him to be a heartless person was only natural.

In fact, it was more surprising that with such origins, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was still so compassionate, capable of creating a bizarre Sword Intent like [Non-Killing].

'Behind this... there must be a hidden secret!'

Lü Yang pondered. What exactly had happened to Demon-Vanquishing Perfected? And what was the source of his two Sword Intents, [Non-Killing] and [All Slash]?

'Something feels wrong...'

Through the memories of True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde, Lü Yang gained an indirect understanding of Demon-Vanquishing Perfected's life. The entire story could be summed up in one sentence: his life had been too smooth!

'In this Broken Place, is there anyone who's made a name for themselves who isn't being targeted, who hasn't suffered setbacks? Master Chong Guang took a great fall, the Summoner is stuck in a pit, don't even get me started on myself, and then there's Fortune... As the world-renowned number one Sword Cultivator, how could no one be scheming against Demon-Vanquishing Perfected?'

But the result was that Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had had a smooth-sailing life for the most part!

He had never encountered any setbacks; his growth trajectory was incredibly smooth... Although there was nothing overtly suspicious, in Lü Yang's eyes, that was the most suspicious thing of all!

'Either there are no traps.'

'Or the traps are buried very deep and just haven't been sprung yet...'

Just as Lü Yang was contemplating this, the panel of the Centome suddenly erupted in golden light.

[You have obtained the Golden Talent: Cuckoo's Nest!]

[Cuckoo's Nest: Usable once per lifetime. You can forcibly seize another's Fate and make it your own, replacing their existence at the level of karmic links and origin.]

Just like True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde's life.

That lifetime should have been Progenitor Tingyou's chance to rise against the heavens. Instead, he took his place, usurping the Creation that should have belonged to Progenitor Tingyou.

'This Talent Skill... is so sinister!'

Lü Yang's brow furrowed. The effect of [Cuckoo's Nest] was similar to possession, but its Position was higher because the replacement was total! 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

'Once I use this Talent Skill to possess a target, I will inherit everything from them, including their Abilities, memories, Daoist Skills, karmic links... In other words, if the target was in the process of Seeking Gold and was even close to success, if I possessed them, then I could also take their place in Seeking Gold and become a Perfected Lord!'

What an absurd Talent Skill!

Thinking of this, Lü Yang even subconsciously had an extremely wicked thought: what if he used this Talent Skill to possess Progenitor Tingyou...

'...Hmph!'

The next second, Lü Yang's eyes turned cold. His Heart Spirit became like a sword, directly slaying that wicked thought.

'What's the point of possessing Progenitor Tingyou? I wouldn't be able to truly inherit his world-shaking wisdom, only his empty shell. In the end, a person must rely on themselves!'

At this thought, Lü Yang looked at the [Cuckoo's Nest] Talent Skill again, his brow furrowed:

'True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde had a Heart Demon himself, and the Talent Skill calculated from him turns out to be something that easily breeds Heart Demons as well...'

'Even if I were to use it, I could never use it for my cultivation... Cultivation is something you must do yourself. If you don't rise to the Upper Position through your own abilities, even if you succeed by a fluke, the result will only be the same as True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde: trapped for a thousand years, having never truly walked your own Dao!'

One can learn from the successes and failures of others.

'Perhaps this is also the significance behind the Centome's calculated Talent Skills...'

BOOM!

At that very moment, just as the Talent Skill was calculated and True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde's Gold Attribute was completely digested by the Centome—

A clap of thunder suddenly echoed from high in the celestial vault.

Immediately after, a star abruptly lit up in the sky, like an eye opening. It seemed to cast down its starlight in both fury and terror.

Almost simultaneously, Lü Yang raised his head.

It was the [Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth].

The Fruit Position trembled!