Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 351: Never Bully a Poor Youth

The Northern Border, the Yan Family of Yan City.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west! Never bully a boy for being poor!"

In the spacious hall, an eight-year-old boy stood with his head held high and chest puffed out, speaking each word with ringing clarity. Unyielding defiance was written across his face, and his eyes seemed to hold a caged lion.

However, his words were met only with scornful laughter.

Yet despite this attitude, no one in the Yan Family dared to show the slightest dissatisfaction. The visitors’ background was simply too formidable—they were from the sole hegemon of the Northern Border.

The Divine Martial Sect of the Northern Border!

"Cut the useless drivel, Yan Xiao. Your parents are dead, and my young mistress is about to enter the Divine Martial Sect. She has a much brighter future ahead of her."

"Do you really want to hold her back like this?"

"The young mistress is grateful for the resources you provided her over the years, but you two are no longer of the same world. It’s best for everyone if you part ways here."

"Now, hurry up and annul the engagement!"

At these words, the boy’s gaze shifted to the girl standing beside the middle-aged man who had spoken. The once-charming girl now stared back at him with an icy expression.

Once, they had been seen as a golden couple, a perfect match. But everything changed when the Divine Martial Sect took an interest in her. An orphan with no one to rely on, a boy whose only asset was his barely passable talent, was like an ant on the ground compared to her, a star in the sky.

The former could only gaze up at the latter.

At this thought, the girl averted her gaze, no longer looking at the boy. Beside her, the middle-aged man spoke with an impatient scowl:

"Alright, just sign it already."

With that, he pulled a contract from his robes and tossed it in front of the boy. "The young mistress is waiting to begin her cultivation at the Divine Martial Sect. She has no time to waste!"

"..."

Although the boy desperately wanted to throw the contract right back in the man’s face, he ultimately swallowed his grief and bitterness, picking up the paper with trembling hands.

Circumstances were stronger than he was.

’For today’s humiliation, I will repay you a hundredfold!’

The boy vowed silently, signing his name. Then, with tears welling in his eyes, he stared hard at them, desperately clinging to his last shred of dignity.

BANG!

Just then, the main doors to the Yan Family residence were suddenly thrown open. A figure strode in, his aura so calm that he seemed like an ordinary mortal at first glance.

"Who’s there!"

Instantly, everyone present shouted out in anger—everyone except the middle-aged man who had forced the boy to sign the contract. His face turned deathly pale, a look of terror dawning in his eyes.

He had been enveloping the entire Yan Family estate with his Divine Sense. With his cultivation at the Final-phase of Qi Refining, who could possibly walk in so silently without him noticing? At this thought, the middle-aged man didn’t hesitate for a second. He dropped to one knee and said respectfully, "This Lower Cultivator greets this Perfected Person!"

But the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected paid him no mind.

He simply pinched his fingers together in a quick calculation, then his gaze fell upon the unyielding boy with tears in his eyes. His expression softened, and a smile touched his lips.

"Fellow Daoist Lü, it has been a long time."

The boy was taken aback. "You are...?"

"My name is Ye Guangji."

As he spoke, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected reached into his robes and produced a token. "You and I, Fellow Daoist, were connected in a past life. Thus, in this life, I have come to guide you."

He then pressed the token into the boy’s hand.

"From this day forward, you are the sole disciple of me, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, and a Direct Disciple of the Sword Pavilion in the South, the very Leader of the Righteous Path. Come. Return with me to the South and uphold the Righteous Dao."

As his voice fell, a dead silence descended, only to be shattered an instant later by a furious uproar.

"The Sword Pavilion in the South!?"

"The one that rivals the Demon Sect... How is that possible? What right does this failure have?"

"Could it be... the reincarnation of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator!?"

The middle-aged man’s expression froze completely. He was not an ignorant man. He immediately turned to look at the boy, only to see the corners of his mouth still twitching.

One second, the boy was still on the east side of the river.

The next second, he’d already arrived on the west side.

"Pfft..."

Life’s reversals were too swift, and happiness had come too suddenly. The boy hadn’t even had time to hold back his tears, and now he couldn’t suppress a grin.

At the same time, it was as if some kind of shackle had been broken.

BOOM!

Instantly, a stream of Fortune that only the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected could see erupted from the boy’s destitute body, causing the Perfected Person to nod slightly.

’Fellow Daoist Lü truly has impressive methods...’

........

"It actually worked!"

Lü Yang, who had witnessed the entire process through the [Puppet], said with satisfaction, "This [Fallen Genius] fate has now reached its Perfection!"

Naturally, this was all his doing.

To be precise, eight years ago, he had read the fate of his own avatar, setting for it the Qi and destiny of a "Fallen Genius, one who accumulates power before bursting forth."

To maintain this fate, he had to [Abstain from Extravagance]. In other words, he had to live in poverty, suffer humiliation, and have all his desires thwarted. Only when an external force broke the stalemate could he emerge from his cocoon and burst forth with accumulated power, his past suffering repaid a thousandfold.

"He was a failure for eight years, and his Fortune lay dormant for eight years as well."

"Now that it has awakened, his Fortune is soaring. It’s the perfect time to use the [Divination Lottery]. No matter the issue, the probability of drawing [Great Fortune] is extremely high!"

Lü Yang felt quite pleased with himself at this thought.

After all, this was a fate he had painstakingly woven. Although it required a long period of suffering, an avatar is meant to suffer on behalf of the main body!

’If it doesn’t suffer, how can I enjoy myself?’

’See? Now that the avatar’s suffering has ended, the reward for the main body has arrived.’

"However, this little trick isn’t actually that advanced. The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected probably saw through it... but he must think it’s a contingency I left behind before my reincarnation."

"In any case, the burst of Fortune from the Perfection of this fate, combined with the avatar’s past-life foundation, should be more than enough to earn the Sword Pavilion’s esteem."

Without hesitation, the avatar left directly with the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected.

But just as they were leaving, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected sighed and sent a Magic Formula into the avatar’s Spiritual Space, causing Lü Yang to narrow his eyes.

"It’s a Secret Technique to erase his past life..."

This wasn’t surprising. After all, the avatar was an outsider, not of the Sword Pavilion’s Direct Lineage. Without choosing to abandon his past life, it would be impossible for him to become a Direct Disciple of the Sword Pavilion.

Only by doing so could he earn the Sword Pavilion’s trust.

"...Forget it. As long as I have the [Puppet], the avatar will remain under my control no matter how they try to erase his past life. It has no effect on me."

Lü Yang quickly regained his composure.

Through the [Puppet], he watched as the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected merged with his Sword Light, taking the avatar with him through the void. Before long, they had returned to the lands of the South.

Then, Lü Yang saw the [Sword Pavilion].

Although he had been in the South for a long time, he had always been too cautious to approach the mountain gates of the Celestial Sword Pavilion, fearing discovery. This was his first time seeing it.

What came into view was a perilous peak soaring into the clouds, like a Divine Sword that had erupted from the earth. Its edge pointed Beyond the Heavens, its full, majestic form impossible to take in at a glance.

Setting aside whether everyone in the Sword Pavilion was a Sword Cultivator,

at least from an architectural standpoint, they were certainly committed to the aesthetic.

The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected rode his Sword Light all the way into the Sword Pavilion, then ascended through the clouds until a hall appeared on the edge of a cliff. Only then did he retract his light and descend.

"Greetings, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected!"

Seeing him, the two young disciples in front of the hall hurried forward to bow. The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected responded with a nod before leading Lü Yang inside.

"This place is called the Reception Hall."

The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected explained, "Every Entry-level Disciple must have their foundation tested here. Only those with a profound foundation can receive our sect’s true teachings and become a Direct Disciple."

With that, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected gave Lü Yang a gentle push.

Inside the Reception Hall was a rather narrow walkway, resembling an ancestral shrine. At the head of the hall stood a divine altar, upon which rested a sword and an incense burner.

The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected then handed three lit incense sticks to Lü Yang and said in a solemn voice, "Go. Offer incense to the Ancestral Master."

"From now on, you will be a Direct Disciple of our Sword Pavilion."