57: I'm going to make a karma pill.

When Lu Yuan and Su Qing appeared before the Qingyun Sect mountain gate, they were not met with cheers of triumph.

Instead, there was a palpable sense of panic, almost solidified and visible to the naked eye.

The entire mountain gate resembled a gravely ill old man on the verge of death.

The light screen of the mountain protection array was dim like a flickering candle in the wind, and the Spiritual Qi was so thin that breathing felt astringent.

Disciples hurried about, their faces etched with the confusion and worry of losing their support, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of burning incense and the bloody scent that even medicinal salves couldn't fully conceal.

Lu Yuan had returned.

This news, amidst the extreme despair of the Sect's higher echelons, stirred a ripple of insignificance.

In the Council Hall.

Lu Yuan stepped in calmly.

The gazes of all the Elders converged on him.

Their expressions were extremely complex, a mixture of shock, disbelief, and a faint, morbid hope, like a drowning person clutching at driftwood.

He wasted no words explaining his disappearance.

He began his pronouncement in a factual tone, devoid of all emotion.

"Beneath the Burial God Abyss, an ancient Devil Head is Sealed."

"The so-called Divine Plant you were vying for was not an Opportunity, but one of the nine keys to Seal the Devil Head."

"The Seal loosened, Devilish Qi leaked, drawing the attention of a Senior from the Upper Realm, and the crisis has been temporarily quelled."

Every word struck the fragile nerves of the Elders.

Their faces turned ashen, and cold sweat silently soaked through their elaborate Elder robes.

It turned out that what they had risked their lives and the Sect's Luck to contend for was actually the key to unleashing a world-ending catastrophe.

At this moment, Lu Yuan's prestige within the Sect soared to an unprecedented peak.

He returned alive from the Burial God Abyss.

This fact itself was more powerful than any flowery words.

He was no longer the Guest Elder who needed the Sect's protection.

He was the only savior who had comprehended the terrifying truth and returned safely from the brink of disaster... Night.

The moon was pale, casting its light on Lu Yuan's small courtyard, yet it brought no warmth, instead making the bluestone path gleam with a frosty chill.

He summoned Su Qing alone.

The girl stood straight as a spear, her eyes resolute, but beneath that resolve, there was also a trace of an unshakeable confusion born from that earth-shattering upheaval.

Lu Yuan scrutinized her.

He scrutinized this "high-quality asset" whom he had personally helped out of the mire and who had already shown astonishing returns.

He abandoned pure deception.

For an investment target with such a resolute character and pure heart, simple information manipulation was the lowest form of management for returns.

"Your Lunar Spiritual Physique is not just an ordinary excellent Aptitude," Lu Yuan's voice was flat.

"It is a key."

"A key that can temporarily mend the cracks in the ancient Seal, buying me that most crucial one-ten-thousandth of a moment."

He stripped that thrilling endgame gamble of all complex Karma calculations and financial models, simplifying it into a version Su Qing could understand.

In that version, her Physique was an indispensable core gear in the entire plan.

Su Qing's body trembled uncontrollably.

She had anticipated countless cruel possibilities, even preparing to be used as a pawn and sacrificed at some point.

But she hadn't expected to be met not with the humiliation of being exploited, but with an unprecedented sense of being needed and valued.

This sudden warmth gushed out from the depths of her cold heart like a burst dam, washing away all the anxiety and fear of the past few days.

So, I'm not a burden.

So, I really can help Elder Lu Yuan.

"As long as it can be useful to Elder, Su Qing's life can be taken at any time."

She knelt on one knee, her voice no longer trembling, but instead carrying a tempered resonance, without an iota of hesitation.

Lu Yuan looked at her clear eyes, burning with fervent flames, and fell silent.

In his precisely operating, ice-cold brain, an unprecedented piece of information silently appeared on the interface of the Great Dao Options Exchange:

"Target: Su Qing"

"Asset Type: Loyalty"

"Current Value: Inestimable."

"Transaction Attribute: Untradable."

For the first time, he clearly realized that in this world, there were, after all, things that could not be measured by karma points.

This pure, absolute trust, in itself, was a top-tier asset with potentially infinite returns.

Using it as a one-time consumable was a fatal mistake that only the lowest-level, foolish traders would make.

The initial plan model he had built for Su Qing had a fundamental logical fallacy.

It must be corrected.

He decided to make a true, long-term value investment in this asset.

"Get up."

Lu Yuan's voice brought Su Qing back to her senses, and a Jade Slip silently appeared in his hand, which he handed over.

"This is a Cultivation Technique I have deduced for you, perfectly suited to your Lunar Spiritual Physique, allowing you to reach the Golden Core Stage without any Bottleneck."

Su Qing's hands trembled uncontrollably as she took the Jade Slip; its cold touch now carried an unbearable weight.

"Elder, this..."

"This is your deserved reward," Lu Yuan interrupted her, "Your value is far more than this."

He handed another blank Jade Slip to Su Qing: "Focus your mind and remember what's inside."

Within the Jade Slip was a Cultivation path that he had planned for Su Qing, utilizing the Exchange's [Deep Deduction] function, spanning the entire Golden Core Stage and precise to every minor Realm.

And, a long-term task hidden at the end of the path, requiring her to spend decades to complete.

This was both an investment and a new, stronger set of shackles.

After dealing with Su Qing's matters, Lu Yuan once again summoned the Sect's higher echelons.

With an irrefutable demeanor, he reorganized all major and minor Sect affairs, decentralizing power and assigning responsibility to individuals.

The entire stagnant Sect was forcibly injected with lubricant by him, and with a harsh grinding sound, it began to operate again, efficiently.

Finally, he stood up.

His gaze swept across the hall, and his calm eyes made all the Golden Core Elders present feel an inexplicable tremor in their hearts.

"I was fortunate to gain some insight in the Burial God Abyss; starting today, I will enter a death seclusion."

He paused, allowing the air in the hall to solidify into an iron plate.

Then, he looked at their uncertain faces and, word by word, dropped a true bombshell, enough to overturn the common Cultivation knowledge of this Realm:

"Target: to impact the Golden Core Dao."

"To form a —"

"[karma dao pill] — that has never existed in this world."