READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 3
Chapter 003: The Poison of Heaven’s Stiffness:
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Yue Hongling clutched her slender neck, which was the epitome of an elegant swan’s neck.
Her long, straight legs were perfectly proportioned, her arms were agile and fair, and her neck was smooth and round.
But now, a glaring purple-red handprint stood out on her neck, a shocking sight.
Gasping for air like a fish out of water, she struggled to breathe.
It took a full minute or two before she finally caught her breath.
Tears, like pearls, rolled down her cheeks. She had stormed in to confront Lu Ye, only to receive such treatment.
How could she bear this?
In the past, when she kicked his door, Lu Ye’s punishment would have been nothing more than making her help fix it.
But now…
Why did he treat her like this?
Wasn’t it just a door?
Besides, she was his junior sister, and in their previous life, she had even been his Dao companion, his lover.
Even if she had wronged him, did that mean all feelings between them were erased?
She resolved not to fix the door. Surely, he wouldn’t—
But, the cold, murderous glint in Lu Ye’s eyes flashed in her mind.
“Hmph, fine! I’ll fix it!”
Seething with anger, Yue Hongling began repairing the door.
…
Meanwhile, Lu Ye made his way to a secluded spot—a serene place he had discovered by chance. Though the spiritual energy here was mediocre, its beauty and tranquility uplifted his mood, speeding up his cultivation.
However, a woman in a flowing white dress, her hair immaculately styled, was already waiting for him.
The breeze stirred her dress, accentuating her astonishing figure.
Lu Ye froze.
Damn it. Too familiar. He really couldn’t stay in the Grand Dao Sect any longer. It was time to find an opportunity to leave.
But since they’d already crossed paths…
“Greetings, Master,” Lu Ye said respectfully, bowing and composing himself.
This was his master, Bai Qiulan.
Well… yes, he’d been a bit of a beast. She was another entanglement.
Bai Qiulan turned to look at him. “Why do you have only one life left?”
She asked the same question as the others.
“Master, it’s because your disciple lacked proficiency. During cultivation, I merged my nine lives into one in pursuit of a breakthrough,” Lu Ye replied with a smile.
A flicker of realization crossed Bai Qiulan’s eyes.
So that’s how it was.
Everything made sense now.
“I’ve found a way to suppress the chaotic lunar power,” Bai Qiulan said coldly. “What happened in the past life should be treated as a dream. Such transgressions must not occur again. If you harbor any improper thoughts, I will not hesitate to expel you.”
“Disciple understands!”
With that, Bai Qiulan left, her graceful figure vanishing into the distance. Her skin was as radiant as snow, and her gaze carried an autumn-like depth.
The chaotic lunar power was extremely cold, and its toxic effects brought excruciating pain.
But for women, it could enhance their beauty and grace to unimaginable levels.
‘Still, Master, are you sure you’ve really found a way to suppress it?’
‘If not for me using the Yin-Yang Transfer Technique to absorb the poison into myself, could you truly have endured it?’
Now, of the three women in the sect tied to him, two were dealt with. As for Yue Hongling, ignoring her would suffice.
Finally, Lu Ye could focus on cultivating.
He sat down at his usual spot and began.
“Old friend, still there?”
[Ding! I’m here!]
A familiar interface appeared in Lu Ye’s mind. It was his auxiliary cultivation system with only three options:
Cultivate.
Simulate.
Comprehend the Dao.
“What, no energy required anymore?” Lu Ye asked curiously.
[Ding! I’ve become the Heavenly Dao itself. Why would I need energy?]
The system retorted.
“Fair point. But creating the Eternal Tribulation just to push me? Was that really necessary?” Lu Ye laughed.
[Ding! Absolutely necessary! You’re my host; I must arrange only the strongest for you!]
“Well, thank you!”
[Ding! You’re welcome!]
Lu Ye chuckled to himself. After all this time, he still had this system accompanying him.
“Let’s start cultivating!”
[Ding! Initiating cultivation!]
The cultivation technique remained the Nine-Lives Undying Heavenly Sutra, created by the unparalleled Nine-Lives Emperor. Lu Ye, however, had elevated it beyond its original scope, surpassing the Great Emperor Realm and reaching the level of Heavenly Sovereign.
The first layer of the heavens was the weakest world, with cultivation stages divided into Postnatal, Innate, Qi Gathering, Foundation Establishment, Nascent Soul, Void Refinement, and Dao Integration.
The first two were mortal stages. Entry-level sect disciples typically started from Qi Gathering, especially in top-tier sects like the Grand Dao Sect.
In the Grand Dao Sect, reaching the peak of Qi Gathering in three months marked a prodigy. Achieving it in six months was merely average.
The sect’s abundant spiritual energy was so potent that even a pig could eventually become a spirit pig.
By current calculations, Lu Ye had been in the sect for just a month and had already reached the 5th stage Qi Gathering Realm.
And now?
Time passed, stars moved, and day turned to night.
In two days, he broke through to the 6th stage Qi Gathering Realm.
In five days, he reached the 7th stage.
In eleven days, the 8th stage.
By the fifteenth day, he attained the 9th stage Qi Gathering Realm.
His true energy was robust and refined, his foundation solid—much stronger than in his previous life.
In his last life, it had taken him two months and four days to perfect his Qi Gathering Realm cultivation. The sect had been astounded, deeming him a prodigy worthy of priority training.
They had planned to have him apprentice under a Grand Elder, but Lu Ye had declined.
Soon, he perfected Qi Gathering once again.
He could have broken through to the tenth, eleventh, or even twelfth levels of Qi Gathering.
In his last life, Lu Ye had pushed himself to the eighteenth level before using a Primordial Pill to condense his Heaven-grade Foundation.
The tiers of Foundation were ranked from one to nine stars, followed by Earth-grade, Heaven-grade, and Sacred-grade.
The competitive spirit of each era had driven these classifications.
Lu Ye could have condensed a Sacred-grade Foundation but had chosen to help Yue Hongling instead, giving her the only Perfect Primordial Pill.
Now, he continued cultivating, his talent and knowledge from a previous life rendering pills unnecessary.
“Gather!”
The embryonic form of his Foundation began to take shape within him.
Suddenly, half of his true energy froze, leaving only the other half to condense the Foundation.
Startled, Lu Ye decisively halted the process.
“Pfft!”
He spat out blood, his breath weakening.
“What’s going on?” he muttered, frowning.
[Ding! Heaven’s Stiffness Poison.]
The system answered.
“Heaven’s Stiffness Poison…”
Lu Ye’s lips twitched. Great. Another attempt to kill him.
He could scarcely imagine what would have happened if, during the Eternal Tribulation, his strength had suddenly halved.
It was undoubtedly the work of those women.
Now, it made sense why they were so curious about why he only had one life left. They had intended to kill him nine times.
How deep was their grudge?
“Simulate!”
[Ding! Simulation initiated!]
Heaven’s Stiffness originated from a powerful Heavenly Sovereign who failed to live a second life and transformed into an immortal stiff corpse.
The poison was a one-time, rule-based affliction that rendered half of the victim’s energy permanently rigid.
Though there were ways to counter it, they were beyond Lu Ye’s current capabilities.
Fortunately, he was still in the Qi Gathering Realm.
Half his energy might be blocked, but it wasn’t entirely necessary yet.
After simulating a viable solution, Lu Ye reviewed it, frowning.
Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage would restructure his true energy, transforming it into true essence and naturally resolving the poison.
However, with only half his energy functional, his Foundation would barely reach Earth-grade.
Wait…
He had an idea! He could use the Perfect Primordial Pill!