I Was Wrong, but I'll Do It Again

"So that's how it is." Lu Yang had once again acquired fresh knowledge he currently had no use for. "Only one Dao fruit can exist for similar rules. In other words, because you exist, Fairy, things like an Undying Dao fruit, an Imperishable Dao fruit, or an Eternal Dao fruit can only remain in a rudimentary state and can never become mature Dao fruits?" "And with Suiyue around, there can only ever be one mature Dao fruit related to time?" "That's the idea." Lu Yang finally understood. No wonder there was competition to attain immortality. It was essentially like a Dao fruit occupying the finish line; everyone wanted to sprint toward that single end point, first come, first served. Any latecomers who wished to achieve immortality had to seek a different finish line. Due to the immense might of an immortal, it was utterly impossible for a half-immortal to rebel against a superior and slay an immortal across cultivation realms. "Back when this immortal was still a half-immortal, there were four or five half-immortals whose Dao fruits were similar to mine—rudimentary Undying Dao fruits, rudimentary Imperishable Dao fruits, you name it." "When they heard this immortal might be a threat, they rounded up a bunch of people and came charging over. They were fiercely aggressive, absolutely terrifying!" "Fortunately, this immortal wasn't someone to be pushed around either. Dealing with that lot was a piece of cake." Lu Yang thought to himself that the Fairy truly was impressive. She might usually enjoy bullying Foundation Establishment cultivators as a Golden Core and having fun beating noobs, but when pitted against opponents of the same rank, she was surely just like him—an invincible existence among peers. Otherwise, she could never have formed an Invincible Core. Generally speaking, the higher the cultivation realm, the harder it was to determine victory or defeat between peers of the same rank. For the Immortal Fairy to take on four opponents at once back when she was a half-immortal, her combat prowess must have been truly heaven-defying. "Fairy, how did you defeat them? By self-destructing?" The Immortal Fairy waved her hand smugly. "Why bother with something so troublesome? I called Immortal Ying Tian and the other three over to fight for me. All four of them were already immortals." Four immortals against four half-immortals—the outcome of that battle needed no explanation. Lu Yang: "..." *Fairy, don't tell me you could still use the Invincible Core tactic even after becoming a half-immortal?* "Speaking of which, Fairy, were you the last to attain immortality?" When the topic of the Immortal Fairy as a half-immortal came up, Lu Yang recalled her once mentioning that she had been the last to achieve immortality. Judging from how the Immortal Fairy, at the Golden Core stage, had condescended to fight the Foundation Establishment Immortal Ying Tian and Immortal Jiuchong, her cultivation progress should have been faster. "Originally, this immortal was supposed to be the first to attain immortality. But back then, Suiyue's words inspired me, so I discarded my original rudimentary Dao fruit, changed course, and condensed a brand-new rudimentary Dao fruit—the rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit. That was why I fell behind and let the four of them overtake me." Just as Lu Yang was lost in thought, Eldest Senior Sister's bone-chilling voice rang by his ear, startling him so violently that a cold shiver ran down his spine. "Senior, are you talking about Dao fruits with Little Junior Brother again?" Only then did Lu Yang realize that while he was talking with the Immortal Fairy, Meng Jingzhou and the others had all departed. The only ones left were his dazed self and Eldest Senior Sister. And Eldest Senior Sister was staring at him with an unfriendly expression. The Immortal Fairy waved her hands frantically, pointing at Lu Yang. "It wasn't me! Lu Yang asked me first!" Regardless of whether it was true or not, clearing herself of blame came first. How could Lu Yang let the Immortal Fairy slander him? "The Fairy brought it up first! She said seeing the Five Elements reminded her of Immortal Jiuchong's Dao fruit, and then she started telling me about it!" Internal strife erupted within the Immortal Lineage. Eldest Senior Sister paused in surprise, then asked, "What is Immortal Jiuchong's Dao fruit?" Eldest Senior Sister's knowledge of antiquity came entirely from ancient texts. Due to immortal characteristics, even when the course of an immortal battle was explicitly recorded, the parts concerning immortal methods were automatically erased, leaving Eldest Senior Sister to deduce what she could from mere clues and traces. Naturally, deductions were nowhere near as accurate as words from the mouth of the Immortal Fairy, an eyewitness who had lived through it all. "Immortal Jiuchong's is the Yin-Yang Dao fruit, and Immortal Kirin's is the Survival of the Fittest Dao fruit." Eldest Senior Sister nodded. "It aligns fairly well with my guesses. In other words, among the Five Ancient Celestials, Senior, you wield the Immortal Dao fruit, Immortal Ying Tian wields the Tribulation Responding Dao fruit, Immortal Jiuchong wields the Yin-Yang Dao fruit, Suiyue wields the Suiyue Dao fruit, and Immortal Kirin wields the Survival of the Fittest Dao fruit." For five people to attain immortality in succession within a relatively close period showed just how prosperous that era had been. No wonder people compared the present Golden Age to antiquity now that it had arrived. "Also, mind yourself when speaking with Senior. You're only in the Golden Core stage; knowing too much about Dao fruits prematurely isn't good for you. For now, it's enough that you understand the cultivation methods for the Body Integration and Tribulation Transcendence stages." Lu Yang felt that knowing about the Body Integration and Tribulation Transcendence stages wasn't exactly great either—that wasn't the kind of thing someone at the Golden Core stage was supposed to know at all. ... Two days later, with Meng Jingzhou leading the way and Lu Yang bringing up the rear, the five members of the Dao Seeking Sect's new generation departed for the Five Elements Sect. Considering that the Five Elements Sect was fraught with danger and Old Ma's strength was insufficient, Meng Jingzhou chose not to ride his carriage. Instead, sharing in the common folk's lot, he boarded the flying boat alongside Lu Yang and the others. "I didn't expect to be riding a flying boat again so soon." It had been less than half a month since Lu Yang last took one. "Sorry, sorry, I'm late!" Tao Yaoye was the last to assemble, boarding just before the flying boat took off. Shi Huagu's promotional illusion realm had been finished ahead of schedule. She and the Sixth Elder had visited the main branch of Come Again Barbecue to retrieve the promotional illusion realm and the remaining forty million spirit stones. The spirit stones were hers to keep, while the task of merging the promotional illusion realm with Dream Bubble was entrusted to the Sixth Elder, who had sought out Old Ba and the Eighth Elder to handle it. Going back and forth had nearly made her late. Li Haoran watched this, jealousy gnawing at his heart. Not only did his peers possess higher cultivation and greater talent, but they were also successful in their careers. Even at worst, they had ancestral inheritances, like Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu. In contrast, he was completely penniless. If he reclaimed his past-life identity and became the Cult Master of the Nine Nether Cult... he would probably be even poorer. As his cultivation increased, Li Haoran had unlocked half of Qin Haoran's memories. The more memories he obtained, the more he felt that Qin Haoran hadn't had an easy life. Inevitably, within that half of his memories were the tender, intimate moments between Qin Haoran and Su Yiren... At that point, Li Haoran no longer felt that Qin Haoran had had it rough. Hearing Li Haoran grumble, Lu Yang kindly offered reassurance: "Junior Brother Li, don't belittle yourself. Your potential is not inferior to mine. If you inherit Qin Haoran's identity someday, there is one aspect in which you'll be on equal footing with me." A spark of hope ignited in Li Haoran, and he looked at Lu Yang expectantly. "What is it?" "Your enemies are similar to mine. All of Qin Haoran's enemies are at the Body Integration stage, and whenever I go out, I run into Body Integration stage opponents all the time too." Li Haoran: "..." *Please, no. Senior Brother Lu, vile scoundrels meet their match, and banes live for ten thousand years—you turn misfortune into blessing every single time, but I don't have that kind of ability!* Fortunately, nothing major occurred along the journey, and the five arrived smoothly at the Five Elements Sect. Before they even disembarked, they spotted people from the Five Elements Sect standing before the mountain gate to welcome them. Several in particular, who looked like elders, held dharma treasures with fierce scowls on their faces, staring unblinkingly—or rather, glaring like predatory beasts—at the descending flying boat.