I and countless versions of myself simultaneously travel through time.

Ye Yan continued to flip through the book list, and one by one, the names of the newly arrived supplies were called and they walked up to him.

Ye Yan's gaze swept over every face, some filled with fear, some with numbness, some with confusion, and some with feigned composure.

His hand gently swept across the book list, and with each stroke, a vibrant life was marked as "consumable".

They await being sent to the Alchemy Hall, Treasure Refining Hall, and Beast Taming Hall to be squeezed dry of their last bit of value.

"Next, Zhang Demao." Swipe away.

"Li Sixi." Swipe away.

"Wang Ergou." Swipe away.

Ye Yan's pen tip made a soft scratching sound on the paper, like the footsteps of death.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had taken away most of the dozen or so new disciples. The remaining few were either of decent talent or had relatively strong luck, and thus escaped this calamity for the time being.

Looking at the crossed-out names on the book list, Ye Yan couldn't help but sigh, "These people are truly talented. My Holy Sect is indeed a righteous sect."

Of course, the only thing that can be used as consumables is human resources.

After dealing with these trivial matters, Ye Yan led Lü Yang toward the four outer halls.

Liu Xin followed, and the three walked side by side through long corridors paved with bluestone.

Ye Yan glanced at Lü Yang, calculating the return on this investment in his mind.

Lü Yang is too important to him. As long as Lü Yang is strong in each life, he can choose one treasure from that life and share it with himself.

Cultivation techniques, supernatural powers, magical treasures, elixirs—anything goes. The stronger Lü Yang becomes, the more choices he has; the further Lü Yang goes, the higher his potential becomes.

This is a sure-fire deal; the only risk is that Lü Yang might fail halfway through.

"Junior brother, these four outer halls are the foundation of the Holy Sect." Ye Yan pointed to the four majestic halls ahead, his tone as enthusiastic as if he were selling real estate. "The Treasure Refining Hall, the Alchemy Hall, the Beast Taming Hall, and the Joyful Union Hall—each hall has formal disciples, and the resources are more abundant than you can imagine. With diligent cultivation, you will surely become a talent of the Holy Sect in the future!"

Lü Yang listened attentively, nodding occasionally, silently noting down every detail.

Ye Yan has invested heavily in Lü Yang this time.

Lü Yang's first life is of utmost importance. At this time, Lü Yang has not yet experienced the trials of countless restarts, and he does not have as much scheming and calculation. He is relatively simple and relatively easy to win over.

Investing in him now offers the best value. More importantly, each time Lü Yang reopens his life, he retains memories of his past life. Lü Yang will remember the enthusiasm, help, and kindness he shows him now. Even if their positions differ in a future life, this bond will not completely disappear.

"Some opportunities might be different," Ye Yan silently added in his mind. "But as long as he remembers me, that's enough. Besides, I can restart an unlimited number of times. Marking True Monarch Lü Yang and Dao Lord Lü Yang means I can cultivate while lying down!"

Liu Xin followed behind the two, and the more he listened, the more he felt something was wrong. Ye Yan was being far too enthusiastic towards this new disciple.

In places like the Holy Sect, it's the norm for the strong to oppress the weak and for the old to harm the new.

Damn it!

Is he being so enthusiastic out of kindness?!

How is that possible!

People like Ye Yan, who take the initiative to show newcomers around, introduce the sect, and plan for the future, are rarer than giant pandas.

Liu Xin frowned, feeling that Ye Yan was up to something.

"The four peaks of the inner sect and the four halls of the outer sect have similar structures, but their levels are completely different," Ye Yan continued. "The Holy Sect focuses on the inner sect, while the outer sect is just a sieve to filter out the stones and keep the jade. Only those who can enter the inner sect are true disciples of the Holy Sect."

Lu Yang carefully memorized every word; this was intelligence he had obtained at the cost of his life.

If he dies.

Restart!

We've arrived at the Hehuan Palace.

The palace doors opened, and a rich, perfumed scent wafted out. The interior was ornately decorated, with sheer curtains hanging low. Several alluring female priests reclined languidly on soft couches, immediately striking their most seductive poses upon seeing someone enter.

Ye Yan's gaze swept around the hall and locked onto a figure: Yu Suzhen.

This woman had a voluptuous figure and a slender waist. Her buttocks were particularly large, swaying as she walked, which drew the attention of the other disciples in the hall.

But when they saw Ye Yan, they immediately looked away, lowered their heads, and pretended to be busy with their own things.

Ye Yan stepped forward and slapped Yu Suzhen hard on the buttocks.

The texture was so bouncy, like patting freshly cooked tofu, the sound crisp and clear, echoing throughout the hall.

Yu Suzhen gave a coquettish laugh, turned her head, and saw that it was Ye Yan. Her expression changed from annoyance to flattery.

"Senior Brother Ye~" Her voice was sickeningly sweet.

Ye Yan simply followed the original plot and proactively improved Lü Yang's strength.

He took out two porcelain bottles from his bosom. One of them was engraved with "Longyang Bone Strengthening Pill". This was a virility-enhancing pill that he had specially made. After taking it, one would have abundant yang energy and vigorous vitality, and could go seven days and seven nights without sleep.

The other porcelain bottle had no inscription and contained aphrodisiacs. Ye Yan casually tossed the aphrodisiacs to Yu Suzhen.

Yu Suzhen took the porcelain bottle, paused for a moment, and then understood Ye Yan's intention.

She smiled, a sly glint in her eyes.

Ye Yan watched all this with a smile, his smile as gentle as a friendly older brother next door, but the three people present...

Lü Yang, Liu Xin, and Yu Suzhen all felt that there was a knife hidden behind that smile.

Liu Xin was the first to break down.

He knew that the people of the Holy Sect would do some tricks and schemes, but Ye Yan's demeanor clearly indicated that he was going to do something big.

He coughed lightly, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Senior Brother Ye, I suddenly remembered I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

"Junior brother, please wait."

Ye Yan reached out and grabbed Liu Xin's shoulder. The force was not strong, but it made Liu Xin unable to move.

"Perfect timing, I need the first half of the 'Primordial Daoist Book'."

Liu Xin's expression changed.

His smile froze on his face, his lips twitched, and the flesh on his face seemed to be out of control, squeezing out an expression that was even uglier than crying.

From the moment Ye Yan picked up the cultivation manual that the Foundation Establishment True Person had deliberately left behind, he knew that he had been dragged onto a pirate ship by the True Person.

Now that he's on board, he can't just be a passenger. He wants to get his money back and make a fortune.

He was determined to seize the opportunity presented by the Innate Daoist.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his strength was at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. In addition, with the cultivation shared between the mortal Ye Yan and the female Ye Yan, he was also a top-tier existence in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

These opportunities are essentially resources from the cultivation world, and they can be shared without any obstacles.

"Senior Brother Ye, what do you mean by this?" Liu Xin's smile was forced, his face wrinkled like a dried orange peel.

Ye Yan did not answer, but turned to look at Lü Yang with an enthusiastic gaze, as if he were looking at a piece of fat meat.

Lu Yang felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Ye Yan's gaze wasn't directed at a person, but at a rare treasure.

Damn the Demonic Sect!

Moreover, Ye Yan's expression instantly turned innocent, his change of expression was incredibly fast.

"Come on, let's go inside and talk." Ye Yan led the three into Yu Suzhen's room.

The door closed, and Ye Yan took out several array flags from his storage bag. He casually tossed them, and the flags landed in the four corners of the room. With a flash of spiritual light, a transparent light shield enveloped the entire room.

The formation is called the "Causal Severance Formation". It can block all causal calculations and divine sense probing. Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator comes, he will not be able to see what is happening inside the formation.

Liu Xin's face darkened completely as he looked at the formation.

He recognized it; this was no ordinary trapping formation, but an ancient formation that severed cause and effect.

How could Ye Yan, a Qi Refining cultivator, possibly set up an array of this level?

What he didn't know was that Ye Yan had shared his memories from other worlds through the shared space, including alchemy, weapon crafting, fire control, and formations. His comprehensive knowledge had already maxed out his overall strength.

The reason he still maintains his Qi Refining Level 7 cultivation is not because his cultivation is inadequate, but because he is frying fish.

Hehe, fried fish is so satisfying!

In this desolate place called Immortal Pivot, it's common for superiors to bully inferiors; he was simply going with the flow.

This lousy place is great!

"Senior Brother Ye, what are you trying to do?" Liu Xin's voice trembled slightly.

Ye Yan didn't speak, but slowly released his aura. He had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, no, the peak of Great Perfection, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

Liu Xin's eyes widened. He clearly remembered that Ye Yan was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining just two days ago. How could he suddenly be at the Great Perfection?

Ye Yan took out his flying sword, its blade entirely silver-white, radiating a cold, icy light.

His hand holding the sword was steady, and his eyes were calm.

The rules of the Holy Ancestor are never written on paper, but rather the jungle law ingrained in their very being.

The fights between Qi Refining disciples are nothing more than ants fighting in the eyes of the sect, not worth a second glance.

No one will uphold justice for you, no one will seek redress for you.

Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator passes by, they will simply walk around indifferently, not because they can't see it, but because they're too lazy to care.

In the Holy Sect, scheming and backstabbing are the norm. The weak are devoured by the strong, the clever are manipulated by the even cleverer, everyone dances on the edge of a knife, and everyone sharpens their blade in the dark.

The sect's acting leader, Chongguang, was fully aware of this, but never interfered, because this was the game rule they designed to select the most ruthless, cunning, and valuable disciples through brutal competition.

Unless you are a Grand Master, possessing strength and status that even sects fear, once you die, you are dead. No one will remember your name, and no one will care where your remains are disposed of.

This is the Holy Sect, a battlefield built with blood and bones.

"Can...and..."

Liu Xin opened his mouth, as if to say something, but the sword light had already flashed past.

Her head flew off, and blood gushed from her neck, tracing an arc in the air before splattering onto Yu Suzhen's body.

Yu Suzhen screamed, her face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed to the ground, trembling.

Ye Yan reached out and grabbed Liu Xin's head. He activated his Soul Searching Technique, forcibly extracting Liu Xin's soul and sealing it into a jade slip. He planned to place this jade slip into the soul of Chen Xin'an, the son of Butian Peak, as a special method.

Why should Junior Brother Liu suffer a little? What's wrong with him enjoying some good fortune?

What went wrong?

"Not bad, this treasure is mine now." Ye Yan nodded in satisfaction and put Liu Xin's storage bag into his pocket.

Throughout the entire process, Lü Yang was protected by Ye Yan behind him, and not a single drop of blood splashed on him.

"This guy is actually pretty good," Lu Yang thought to himself.

Ye Yan's movements were so fast that before Lü Yang could react, Liu Xin's head had already flown off.

Yu Suzhen was not so lucky.

She was covered in blood, the aphrodisiac was taking effect, her eyes became glazed, her breathing became rapid, and her body began to writhe uncontrollably.

Ye Yan raised his hand and unleashed a burst of magical power, instantly shattering Yu Suzhen's clothes and revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.

"Junior brother, don't worry about it."

Ye Yan patted Lü Yang on the shoulder, his tone as relaxed as if he were encouraging a junior to take the exam.

Lu Yang's face turned bright red, from his ears all the way to his neck. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Yu Suzhen or Ye Yan, and stammered, unable to speak.

Looking at Lü Yang's flushed face, Ye Yan couldn't help but chuckle: "Junior brother is really cute."

He patted Lü Yang on the shoulder, his tone tinged with approval, "You've already got the style of my Holy Sect. You're quite good at disguising yourself. You clearly want to chop me up inside, but you can still put on this innocent look. You have potential."

In the Holy Sect, feigned innocence and ruthless methods are both genuine.

Every disciple who survives in the Holy Sect wears several masks.

Ye Yan chuckled inwardly at Lü Yang's shy expression.

This kid will end up like him sooner or later.

Was Xiao Xianlu's later nickname just for show?

Ye Yan did not give Lü Yang time to hesitate.

He raised his hand and unleashed a burst of magical power, forcibly controlling Lü Yang's body and forcing him to embrace Yu Suzhen.

Lu Yang tried to struggle, but found that his body was not under his control and he could only watch helplessly as he walked step by step toward Yu Suzhen.

"Senior Brother Ye! It's me!"

"Don't talk, just enjoy it." Ye Yan took out a few more pills and stuffed them into Lü Yang's mouth. "Dragon Yang Bone Strengthening Pills, take some more, it'll be just right for breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining."

Lu Yang felt as if his kidneys were on fire, and a surge of heat flowed from his dantian throughout his body.

Yu Suzhen's aphrodisiac had reached its peak effect; her eyes had completely lost their rationality, leaving only the most primal desire.

Ye Yan stepped aside, opened Liu Xin's storage bag, and counted the spoils inside.

Spirit stones, pills, magical artifacts, talismans—a whole bunch of odds and ends, all of pretty good quality.

As he tallied the items, he would occasionally glance up at Lü Yang's progress, his expression as calm as if he were observing an experiment.

One hour later.

Yu Suzhen's body slumped onto the bed, her breathing weak, her face as pale as paper.

Her life force was rapidly dissipating, eventually turning into a wisp of green smoke and returning to nothingness. Ye Yan grabbed her soul and put it into the Primordial Qi Myriad Spirits Banner.

Lu Yang knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

His eyes were bloodshot, his yang energy was still surging wildly, and his kidneys felt like they were on fire.

He felt he could continue, and even felt it wasn't enough.

Ye Yan raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Oh ho, not bad."

He stood up, opened the door, deactivated the Cause and Effect Severing Array, and took out a large black banner from his storage bag—the Primordial Qi Myriad Spirits Banner.

As the banner unfurled, black mist billowed out, and several passing female cultivators were swept up by the mist and involuntarily entered the room.

Ye Yan then captured more than twenty female cultivators and pushed them all into the room.

"Junior brother, take your time, I'm not in a hurry." Ye Yan stood outside the door and waved to the inside.

The door closed, and the noise inside continued for a long time.

Ye Yan had already left.

He had to deal with Liu Xin's follow-up matters and study the half-volume "Innate Daoist Book," so he didn't have time to waste with Lü Yang.

The next morning, when Ye Yan returned to the room, Lü Yang had already collapsed on the ground, surrounded by more than twenty female cultivators, all barely breathing.

Lu Yang's face was a mixture of pale and ashen, his lips were purple, and he looked completely drained, much like someone who takes off hundreds of times a day.

Even in the park, this is the norm every day, and those who work as male prostitutes will eventually get tired of it.

Before he collapsed, with his last ounce of strength, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "You beast!"

At that moment, Lü Yang remembered deeply that he had no power.

He's still too weak!

No power.

Ye Yan squatted down, patted Lü Yang's face, and said with an innocent expression, "Junior brother, the path of cultivation in the Holy Sect only truly begins today. Don't praise your senior brother. Putting aside the facts, didn't you enjoy it?"

However, Lü Yang was knocked unconscious.

Ye Yan continued to call for female cultivation.

A typical example of a downgraded version is that it works well!

The more Lü Yang did, the more magical power Ye Yan returned.