Chapter 1248: The Meaning of Reincarnation

The outside world was bustling with activity, as everyone prepared for the impending unsealing of the world.

Inside Lu Yang's cave dwelling, it was quiet. Lu Yang sat on a straw mat, pondering what kind of Dao Fruit could help his Senior Sister emerge from her state of Dao Assimilation.

"Immortaless, do you have any ideas?" Lu Yang asked, noticing that the Immortaless of Immortality was not troubled like him. She still looked cheerful, as if she already had a plan.

"Of course I have a way."

Lu Yang's eyes lit up. The Immortaless was indeed reliable in critical moments. "What is it?" he asked.

"Once this Immortal advances to the 'Omniscient' realm," she said, "there'll be no answer I don't know. Solving Yun'er's problem will be effortless."

Lu Yang was speechless.

On second thought, the Immortaless wasn't reliable very often. He'd better rely on himself.

If Lu Yang wished, he could instantly condense the proto-form of the Immortal Dao Fruit and become the strongest Half-Immortal.

But the proto-form of the Immortal Dao Fruit was clearly not his path.

As for other existing proto-forms of Dao Fruits, such as the Yin-Yang Dao Fruit or the Space Dao Fruit, he could also condense them with effort, but they still wouldn't solve his Senior Sister's problem.

"Observing different Dao Fruit proto-forms might give me new ideas," Lu Yang mused. New insights often came from extended contemplation and observation.

He was already very familiar with the Immortal Dao Fruit proto-form, so there was no need to observe it. Should he go visit Senior Ao Ling next?

Suddenly, Lu Yang paused. It seemed he still had another Dao Fruit proto-form with him.

He took out the Azure Edge Sword and retrieved the small sapling from the mini-world, along with the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form.

After the Qilin Immortal obtained the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form, the Immortaless of Immortality, out of curiosity, had asked for it. She hadn't yet returned it to the Qilin Immortal when Saint Yao intervened.

The Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form naturally fell into Lu Yang's hands. So many things had happened afterward that Lu Yang had even forgotten he still possessed it.

Was this what was inside Junior Brother Li's body?

With this thought, Lu Yang slowly closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, emptied his mind, and entered a state of self-forgetfulness.

It was as if the world was completely blank, with only the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form, growing on a tree, existing within it.

All sorts of past memories flashed through Lu Yang's mind. His memories continuously receded: from his experiences in the Tribulation Crossing Stage, to the Void Refinement Stage, then to the God Transformation, Nascent Soul, Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Cultivation stages, before he entered the Dao Inquiry Sect... and even his experiences before transmigrating.

Gradually, the blank world gained lines. These lines were chaotic and indistinguishable, but when Lu Yang recalled events from before his transmigration, the chaotic lines began to form a rough outline, taking on Lu Yang's appearance.

The blank world shattered. Lu Yang suddenly opened his eyes and gasped for air, as if he had held his breath through a long run. Now that the run was over, the accumulated exhaustion erupted completely.

"Little Yangzi, are you alright?" asked the Immortaless of Immortality, who had been constantly observing Lu Yang's movements.

Lu Yang waved his hand, signaling the Immortaless not to worry; he was still too tired to speak.

After a while, Lu Yang recovered and recounted his insights: "Not only am I fine, but I even feel a connection with this Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form. With a single thought, it becomes mine."

"This means you can master the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form now," the Immortaless of Immortality said, quite surprised. "Little Yangzi, you've mastered it so quickly!"

Lu Yang analyzed that such rapid mastery couldn't be solely attributed to comprehension. "Perhaps it's related to my experiences outside the Box World," he mused. "Dying once outside the Box World is equivalent to experiencing a reincarnation, which might coincidentally align with the essence of the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form."

"So, do you want to become a Half-Immortal with the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form?"

Lu Yang shook his head. Possessing the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form merely meant he could reincarnate after death, which wasn't the effect he needed.

However, he had a faint premonition that the Reincarnation Dao Fruit proto-form would somehow be connected to his eventual becoming a Half-Immortal.

Ten days passed in a flash. The door to Lu Yang's cave dwelling opened. Between the two large trees at the entrance hung a hammock, where Yun Mengmeng was sound asleep.

As soon as she heard movement from the cave door, Yun Mengmeng swung the hammock, spun once in the air, and landed gracefully in front of Lu Yang.

"Second Boss, have you finished your seclusion?"

Lu Yang shook his head. "No," he said, "I got tired during seclusion, so I came out to rest."

"Huh? You can take breaks during seclusion?" Yun Mengmeng asked, as she had never undergone seclusion and didn't quite understand the practice.

"Sister Mengmeng, would you like to walk around the sect with me?"

"Sure."

As they descended the mountain, Lu Yang found the sect surprisingly deserted compared to usual, which puzzled him.

"Where is everyone in the sect?"

Yun Mengmeng pointed towards the Dao Inquiry Sect's main entrance. "Today is the day for recruiting new disciples," she explained, "so everyone went there to maintain order."

"It's the second day of the second month again," Lu Yang murmured, feeling a little dazed. He remembered when he was still very green, getting on Old Meng's carriage and even discussing how to cheat in front of his Senior Sister. How many years had passed since then?

The two arrived at the sect's entrance. The first test was still a talent assessment, and Senior Brother Dai was still seated at the front, conducting the evaluations.

The only difference from when Lu Yang had participated was the astonishing number of young applicants for the Dao Inquiry Sect, more than twice as many as before.

"Look, isn't that Lu Yang!"

A youth at the front of the line excitedly pointed at Lu Yang.

The reason so many people came to the Dao Inquiry Sect was precisely because of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's reputations.

The two prodigious talents had made a brilliant splash. Though young, their experiences were far richer than those of even seasoned Tribulation Crossing cultivators.

"Where? Where?"

"Over there, at the bamboo grove entrance, look."

"It really is him!"

"Who's that person standing next to Lu Yang? She's so beautiful, how come I've never heard of her?"

"I don't know."

The young boys and girls who had been neatly lined up grew slightly restless. Lu Yang instantly became the center of attention, causing Senior Brother Dai to step forward to maintain order. Before he finished, he didn't forget to glare back at Lu Yang.

Although Lu Yang hadn't done anything wrong, being glared at by Dai Bufan made him feel somewhat guilty, so he retreated into the bamboo grove, out of sight of the young applicants.

"Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother Lu."

"Junior Sister Tao, Junior Brother Li, you're here to organize the entrance test too?" Lu Yang said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Yes," Li Haoran chuckled, "Senior Brother Dai said he lacked reliable helpers, so he called us over to assist."

"Senior Brother Lu, we haven't seen each other in a long time," Tao Yaoyao said, her tone carrying a hint of complaint, especially after seeing Yun Mengmeng standing so close to Lu Yang.

"I've been quite busy lately, truly had no time," Lu Yang said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

During their casual chat, Lu Yang occasionally glanced at the young applicants, checking on how their tests were progressing.

Tao Yaoyao noticed Lu Yang's gaze and remarked, "It's easy to remember when we took the tests, isn't it?"

"Indeed," Li Haoran also sighed with emotion.

They were once obscure nobodies, but in the blink of an eye, so many years had passed, and they had all become widely recognized figures.

Lu Yang paused, startled by their words, and felt as if a mist had cleared. Previously, his understanding of reincarnation had been too narrow; with Li Haoran's example, he had thought only the transmigration of humans counted as reincarnation.

Similar events repeating themselves—couldn't that also be a form of reincarnation?