Ding!
[You have obtained the Third-Transmigration Perk: Luck Conversion]
'It's finally here. Let's hope this is actually a perk that's useful in combat!'
Without hesitation, he willed the description of his new perk.
- - -
Luck Conversion: Luck Points (LP), earned passively (18/day) or actively through achievements, can be spent to tilt the scales of fate in your favor. The number of LP required depends on the magnitude and type of favor you wish to influence.
LP: 18 (+180)
- - -
'Is this not basically plot armor? Finally! I can–'
As he was about to think of taking more risks, he recalled his way of life in his first transmigration and that nullified his thought.
'Hmm, I still need to plan like I don't have this perk. The 180? My instincts are telling me it's from the fact that I entered this archive. So that's an achievement.'
With how things were currently unfolding, Wei Liang was very satisfied.
He checked his body's state.
From Early Foundation to Late Foundation in… He glanced at the spirit stones and estimated the passage of time.
Three hours.
Three hours to make a leap that should have taken months—or, for some, years.
He stood, legs steady, body feeling stronger than the original owner had ever possessed.
The archive spread around him.
Hundreds of jade slips he hadn't examined. Formation diagrams he hadn't studied. The weapon technique he hadn't practiced. Resources he hadn't inventoried.
But he had time now.
The platform would take him back up when he stood on it. The altar would seal behind him.
And nobody in the sect would know that the forgotten seventh heir, the unmotivated waste who'd spent three years grieving his mother had just accessed ancient knowledge and jumped from Early Foundation to Late Foundation in a single night.
Wei Liang allowed himself a smile.
'So basically, I have two months to learn this world's swordmanship,' he thought as he picked up the weapon technique manual to study next. 'I wonder what I could achieve with the sword style I obtained in my first transmigration.'
Wei Liang sat back down and opened the Reed Bending Sword Forms manual.
He had time before the patrol's next pass.
He'd use every minute of it.
- - -
Wei Liang was halfway through understanding the 12 basic forms of the Reed Bending Sword when he stopped.
The patrol would reach soon, so he had to move.
Before he left, he reviewed the other items of the archive.
There were manuals of lower-level cultivation, mobility, and combat techniques. There was also a collection of medicinal pills.
There were the Founder's notes on Formation Theory and several prepared formation diagrams.
There were weapons and artifacts with only a few standing out. Then, books and jade slips containing information Wei Liang wasn't opposed to having.
As much as he would love to take them all, it was unnecessary to obtain them all right now.
In addition to the three key finds, he selected:
A body tempering technique and mobility art that were both at the Earth Grade.
Then, the Founder's secondary sword of the Earth Grade, the Verdant Feather Jian. Lastly, a spatial storage ring and a communication artifact.
Interestingly, of all things present, Wei Liang was most intrigued by the communication artifact.
- - - - -
Type: Artifact
Name: Yun Shuangbai's Cloudbed Listener
Grade: Heaven
Info: Yun Shuangbai's personal jade disc that lets her receive messages across realms while lying down.
- - - - -
'As expected of someone who built a clan that had patience as one of its core practices.' Wei Liang found himself developing a measure of respect for the founder.
With a rough plan formulating in his head regarding what he could do with the Cloudbed Listener, he packed up and left the Archive.
'All of a sudden, it feels like the game is rewarding me with necessary items because it only gets harder from here…
'No way I just raised a fucking red flag. Oh, heavens, pity this measly mortal!'
- - - - -
Wei Liang's days had taken on a strange rhythm.
As time passed by, he broke through to Peak Foundation.
Throughout his days, he divided his time between his Reed Bending Sword Forms, the Evergreen Molting Body Art, and the Cloud Drifting Steps.
Evenings belonged to the archive of Yun Shuangbai's personal writings.
Some were dense research notes and technical memos.
Others were more… comedic.
There were complaints about disciples who could not grasp basic sword intent, musings on cloud patterns, or half-formed rants about tea leaves that refused to steep correctly at high altitude.
He devoured all of it, taking notes, cross-referencing, and forming his own interpretations. The lighter writings became a hobby—something to read during brief moments of rest.
If someone had watched him from afar, they would have seen a young man living with an almost reckless enthusiasm.
It would have seemed like he had entirely forgotten the grim knowledge that in two months the world would erupt into chaos, yet every step he took was measured.
He was preparing for what was to come, even as he acted as though it did not yet exist.
"Like Yun Shuangbai would say if she were in my shoes, 'Knowing the future is useless if you rush toward it.'" Wei Liang laughed.
"Hmm… Maybe I like the founder because she helps fuel my copium."
- - - -
Wei Liang spread his interest to books in the Library, reading what it held about the Founder among other texts.
It was this habit that drew attention from the Outer Sect Elder, Nan Boshi. A man whose influence ran deeper than his title suggested.
The Elder was the only one to frequently read Yun Shuangbai's personal writings, and he noticed that someone so young was approaching them with genuine interest.
He once asked Wei Liang what he thought of her.
Wei Liang had pondered, then replied briefly:
"Her philosophy of patience, adaptability, understanding; these, among others, were interesting.
"It's a new perspective—the idea that the highest form of strength is choosing where you do not exist."
That reply seemed to resonate with the Master Elder, giving Wei Liang an inkling of understanding.
'Maybe the Elder had strategically chosen to become the Head of the Outer Sect.'
After that day, subtle support began to appear.
Certain jade slips and notes that usually required permission were quietly left in his study area. Requested texts arrived promptly. Guidance was given without explanation.
Wei Liang threaded carefully, not trusting the Elder entirely.
- - - - -
One month remained before the world changed, and Wei Liang sat cross-legged in his room, medicinal pills laid out like small moons across the table.
He had long prepared for this moment.
Each pill would be taken deliberately, never all at once, never recklessly.
The first pill warmed his meridians, the second stabilized them, and the third compressed his foundation, forcing his qi to circulate faster, denser, and purer.
Pressure built within him like the weight of stone being pressed into his bones, a steady, all-consuming sensation that was neither painful nor violent, but undeniable.
Wei Liang guided it carefully, circulating and compressing, forcing the meridians to form new pathways and the foundation to solidify in a way that would have taken years for ordinary disciples.
Hours passed, though it might have been minutes.
Every cell in his body, every pulse of qi, felt like it was being woven tighter, honed.
When he finally opened his eyes, the world had changed subtly. He felt grounded, unshakable, the flow of his qi steady and complete.
He had reached the Perfect Foundation, a level that even many who spent decades cultivating never attained.
The remaining pills, including the Spirit Condensation Elixir, were carefully stored for the next stage when their effect would be critical, when his body and mind would need them most.
- - - - -
Even after such an intense breakthrough, Wei Liang's routine did not slow.
If anything, he had become more intense.
Nights were devoted to studying the Cloudbed Listener, the Heaven-grade artifact that could transmit both text and images across realms.
Once he was confident in its use, he activated it and projected the name and likeness of a broker he had studied from the novel.
The broker was someone who fought against the Hollow Veil and Villainesses along with the protagonist.
The connection took a few tense moments to establish, but soon the disc warmed with recognition.