Elder Lu Has a Sharp Eye for People

Courtyard, main hall.

"Elder Lu."

Lin Chang'an respectfully cupped his hands toward Elder Lu, who sat in the seat of honor. He could not help but secretly groan. What was this man doing here? His business had not even begun yet. By all reason, such trifling profits should not have caught his eye.

Elder Lu revealed an amiable smile.

"Little friend Chang'an, have you grown accustomed to things lately?"

Upon hearing the question, Lin Chang'an immediately put on a solemn expression.

"Elder Lu, you do not know the hardships of being a Rogue Cultivator. Every day, I lived in fear, terrified that I would not be able to open my eyes the next morning. How could that compare to now? The sect has a Foundation Establishment Ancestor standing guard. These past days have been the most at ease I have ever felt. This place is my second home. Even if Elder Lu told me to leave now, I would shamelessly cling on and stay..."

Lin Chang'an first spoke of all his past bitterness, then emotionally described this place as a home. Elder Lu's eyelid twitched as he watched, but the next moment, he stroked his short beard and burst into laughter.

"Haha, this old man likes clever people like you."

Laughing, Elder Lu waved his hand. "Little friend Lin is already an alchemist at such a young age. It is only natural that you would not fancy such common rouge and powder. But what if she were a female cultivator with a High-grade Spirit Root?"

Lin Chang'an was utterly stunned. He hurriedly waved his hands. "Elder Lu, you know this. It is not that I do not want to, but I cultivate the Pure Yang Five Elements Cultivation Method. I..."

As he spoke, Lin Chang'an's face filled with regret. He truly regretted it. If he had been given a choice, he would never have cultivated this technique.

Were mature beauties not fragrant? Since he had come here anyway, after finishing the sect's daily tasks, he could earn a little extra cultivation resources, then return at night, hold a pretty young lady in his arms, and lie against a mature beauty's chest. Was that not fragrant?

You said it was cowardly? He had no chance of escaping for the time being anyway. Was holding a mature beauty not also a way of lying low?

If he worried about leaving behind entanglements, that was easy. Swallow one Pellet, and the thing below would surely still work without leaving any entanglements behind.

"How could this old man not know little friend Lin's concerns?"

Elder Lu wore a broad smile, having already understood in his heart. This kid had such a greedy nature—it seemed he had been pent up to this extent.

The Cultivation World had no shortage of elders who, in order to prevent younger generations from becoming obsessed with women and losing their Dao hearts, made them cultivate such techniques. Only after reaching great accomplishment in late Qi Condensation could they do otherwise.

"What does little friend Lin think of that girl Murong Yue?"

Elder Lu's single sentence left Lin Chang'an dumbfounded. Somewhat bewildered, he said, "Elder Lin, did Murong Yue not find herself a mature beauty? Cough, cough! Was she not already, well... you know?"

Lin Chang'an spoke awkwardly, while Elder Lu remained all smiles.

"Murong Yue cultivates the same technique as you. She cannot break her cultivation before reaching great accomplishment either. But with your talents, I believe it will not take many years. Moreover, the higher one's cultivation, the better the aptitude of the children born."

Good heavens. Lin Chang'an stared wide-eyed, finally understanding this old fellow's intentions. As always, he wanted them to have children.

For the Great Sword Sect's growth and prosperity, they truly spared no effort. Yet Lin Chang'an also understood the importance to the sect's future of children with good Spirit Roots who had been raised from childhood.

"Elder Lu, it is not that I am unwilling. There are two problems right now. One is resources. No matter how good my talent is, without resources, I would have no confidence even if you gave me twenty more years. The other is that Murong Yue likes women. You know that, Elder."

As he spoke, Lin Chang'an scratched his head awkwardly and lowered his voice. A High-grade Spirit Root, and it was his turn? What a huge pie they were drawing for him. Tsk, tsk.

"I have studied the Dao of alchemy since childhood, so I naturally understand some things. Dual cultivation between male and female cultivators only has a chance of producing descendants with better aptitudes when both soul and body reach profound bliss together. Murong Yue does not like men. Even if medicine is used, at most her body would reach profound bliss. The effect would be at least halved."

Clap, clap, clap!

Elder Lu clapped his hands in satisfaction and smiled approvingly. "Not bad. Little friend Lin is indeed quite good."

As Lin Chang'an's ominous premonition grew stronger, Elder Lu slowly took out a jade slip and said with a smile, "little friend Lin, with this technique, I believe it will not be a problem given your aptitude."

Lowering his head to look at the jade slip, Lin Chang'an's expression changed drastically. Cold sweat streamed down his face. With wide eyes, even his voice trembled.

"E-Elder Lu, women cannot bear children with women!"

The jade slip recorded an ordinary high-grade technique, the Ice Muscle Jade Bone Art, a technique popular among female cultivators in the Cultivation World.

It was an auxiliary cultivation method and did not conflict with most techniques. After cultivating it, one's skin became lustrous and smooth, like ice and jade. It could even extend one's lifespan, increase bodily flexibility, and preserve one's youthful appearance.

Yet Elder Lu only smiled. He smiled until Lin Chang'an's scalp began to tingle. If a man cultivated this technique to great accomplishment, yin and yang would be reversed.

To put it plainly, it was a cultivation technique for the perverse human-demons of the Cultivation World.

Just as Lin Chang'an was miserably preparing to grit his teeth and refuse, Elder Lu spoke.

"Little friend Lin, you are overthinking it. It is enough to cultivate this technique to minor accomplishment. It can even benefit male cultivators."

Damn it, he made it sound so easy! Lin Chang'an stared wide-eyed and said with some difficulty, "Elder Lu, is there not Su Ding as well?"

Among Su Ding's batch were cultivators with High-grade Spirit Roots, and they were only seventeen years old. As the saying went, better a dead fellow Daoist than a dead poor Daoist. Lin Chang'an lowered his head and secretly groaned, feeling no shame at all over selling someone else out.

But Elder Lu sighed faintly and shook his head. "Little friend Lin, your talent is beyond question. Su Ding possesses merely talent in cultivation, but you are different."

Good heavens, what kind of statement was that? What did he mean, merely talent in cultivation? Should cultivators not judge by Spirit Roots? Since when did they also judge by—

Lin Chang'an lowered his head and glanced below, his eyes drifting. He cultivated a pure yang technique and could be considered naturally gifted, born with the Revolving Wheel Art. Unfortunately, all these years, he could only look and never use it. Alas, how tragic!

However, when Elder Lu saw Lin Chang'an's gaze, his eyelid twitched. He coughed twice and shook his head speechlessly. "I am talking about your face!"

His face?

When Lin Chang'an heard that, his face instantly turned green. Staring wide-eyed, he said, "Elder Lu, I am a dignified seven-foot man. How could I—"

"The sect's miscellaneous duties will be reduced by half, and five additional Spirit Stones in cultivation resources will be given every month." Elder Lu took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

Upon hearing this, the troubled look on Lin Chang'an's face instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by a righteous and impassioned expression. He solemnly cupped his hands and shouted, "For the sect, and for Elder Lu's grace in recognizing my worth, this junior will not shrink from duty!"

Good heavens. One moment he had been firmly proclaiming that he was a dignified seven-foot man; the next, he looked ready to march generously toward death. Even Elder Lu, who had seen much of the world, could not help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

If he had not investigated and learned that this brat was greedy by nature and cherished Spirit Stones as dearly as his life, this old man would believe your ghost story!

"Elder Lu, you truly have a sharp eye for people."

At that moment, Lin Chang'an smugly touched his face and smiled. At last, this face of his had not gone to waste.

The Heavenly Sword Sect, whose members all wore white robes and carried longswords, most liked selecting cultivators with outstanding appearances in addition to aptitude.

Who would have thought that the careful grooming he had deliberately done for the examination back then would have such an effect today? Heaven had finally opened its eyes. This talent of his had not been wasted for nothing.

"Little friend Lin, as long as you and Murong Yue break through to the seventh layer of Qi Condensation and reach great accomplishment in cultivation, status and beauty will both be in your hands. This old man can promise that you and your wife will become the sect's honorary elders."

Elder Lu spoke seductively. After saying so much, the key point remained that once the two of them broke their cultivation, it would cause irreversible damage. They might even suffer deviation and perish. That was what truly mattered.

Otherwise, did he really think this place was some benevolent land? Su Ding, who had been so strong-willed, had suddenly seen the light? He had even married five female cultivators in one breath to make children. Lin Chang'an did not believe there was nothing suspicious behind it.

Elder Lu smiled calmly. "Little friend Lin, you are a sensible man. These five Spirit Stones are not for you alone."

Lin Chang'an secretly cursed him for being stingy, but an attentive smile filled his face as he respectfully cupped his hands. "Many thanks for Elder's fulfillment. I will take care of Yue'er in ordinary times."

How shameless! He was already calling her so affectionately.

Elder Lu took a deep breath. He feared that if he stayed here any longer, he would start cursing.

Damn it, what came after was still far away. Anyone who did not earn Spirit Stones now was a fool. Lin Chang'an also wore a beaming smile.

Seeing Lin Chang'an's shameless, greedy face, even Elder Lu, an old fox, could not help twitching his eyelid. Shameless enough, greedy enough!

He even suspected that if he added a few more Spirit Stones, this kid would dare cultivate the technique to great accomplishment to finish the task.

However, when Elder Lu took out a black Pellet, the smile on Lin Chang'an's face instantly froze.

"Gu worm!"

"Little friend, you are a clever man. If you gain something, you must lose something." Beneath Elder Lu's amiable smile, Lin Chang'an felt a chill run through his heart. This old bastard was a smiling tiger!

"Of course, of course!" Lin Chang'an immediately laughed openly. Without the slightest hesitation, he swallowed it right before the other man's eyes, though his face had gone somewhat pale.

Lin Chang'an's face was pale, and a trace of pain showed between his brows. Yet he forced a strained smile and cupped his hands. "Elder Lu, please do not forget about my affairs in the future."

Elder Lu shook his head and sighed. "You are a clever man. You should understand this old man's painstaking intentions. This old man fought to secure so much for you. How could the sect easily distribute resources to outsiders? But do not worry."

"This Gu worm normally lies dormant within your body. Once you break through to late Qi Condensation, this old man will personally plead with the Ancestor for you."

Watching Elder Lu's resolute expression, Lin Chang'an endured the pain from swallowing the Gu worm just now and forced a smile as he nodded.

"How could this junior fail to understand Elder Lu's painstaking intentions? Time reveals a person's heart. Elder, just watch me."

At this moment, Lin Chang'an looked as though he were utterly devoted to serving the sect. Elder Lu could not help feeling melancholy and emotional at the sight.

"Worthy nephew, do not blame this old man. This is all to obtain the resources you deserve. But this old man can guarantee you something."

At this point, Elder Lu said gravely, "As long as you break through to late Qi Condensation, this old man will take you as his adopted son."

"Thank you." Cold sweat poured down Lin Chang'an's forehead. The pain of swallowing the Gu worm just now was truly beyond what ordinary people could endure.

Seeing Lin Chang'an's pained and weakened state, Elder Lu could not help showing concern. "Worthy Nephew Lin, rest well first."

"Yes!"

After Elder Lu left the hall, Lin Chang'an could no longer endure the pain. With a thud, he collapsed onto the floor, while bead-sized drops of cold sweat continuously emerged from his forehead.

"Adopted son? Hehe!" Lin Chang'an weakly gazed outside the door and muttered, "Elder Lu, how could I reject your kind intentions? In the future, I must find a magical artifact in the form of a Fang Tian Hua Ji halberd and properly care for you in your old age! Send you a clock!"

"Father."

The moment he stepped out of the gates, a feminine-looking young man approached him. Elder Lu smiled when he saw him.

"An'er, you have emerged from seclusion."

"Father, I have broken through to late Qi Condensation this time."

"Good, good! My son has the aptitude for Foundation Establishment." Elder Lu rarely laughed so heartily. The feminine cultivator who had arrived was his biological son, Lu Chang'an.

It was true that he had a son also named Chang'an. He had not been speaking nonsense.

"Father, why go through so much trouble for these pigs and dogs?"

Lu Chang'an, the feminine cultivator who had just emerged from seclusion, spoke with a disdainful sneer. Elder Lu's expression changed upon hearing this. He sternly drew a long face and reprimanded him coldly.

"What do you understand? The Sect Master Ancestor is already preparing to step down as Sect Master and focus on cultivation, but you are not the only one with the aptitude for Foundation Establishment. Our Great Sword Sect has accumulated enough already. We are only one final step away."

"As long as we take this step and establish a hundred-year foundation for the sect, will you still fear being unable to compete with others in the future? Once you become Sect Master and hold the authority of an entire sect in your hands, you can strive for a share of Foundation Establishment resources. Is that not enough?"

At the start of Elder Lu's words, he had not cared much. But when the struggle for the next generation's Sect Master was mentioned, his expression suddenly changed, and a blazing heat called ambition appeared in his eyes.

"Father, I understand."

Seeing his calm and sensible son, Elder Lu revealed a gratified smile and nodded in satisfaction.

"An'er, there is still much you must learn in the future. Which great sect has never encountered a crisis? Yet why can they all pass through safely? There are even many sects that perish, only to rise again a hundred years later. It all lies in their foundation. And this foundation is not Spirit Stone, nor pills, nor even cultivation techniques. It is people!"

"We have raised these children since they were young. They were born and bred here. The sect is their root. These children will take root and sprout here in the future, generation after generation. That is the foundation for strengthening the sect. That is the most precious wealth."

"When the sect faces a crisis, these people will all step forward to protect it. They may even become the kindling that revives the sect."

As he spoke, Elder Lu looked at his silent son, shook his head, and laughed. "An'er, you need not learn this, but you must understand it. It is enough to let those who understand such things handle them."

"The sect has already passed the stage of accumulating Spirit Stones and wealth. What we must do now is lay an Eternal Foundation for the sect. You have seen the cultivators who were abducted before. Though they were controlled in their numb state, not only was most of their cultivation low, but people often could not endure it and committed suicide."

"Those people have too little value. This time is different. Your father has invested so heavily, and almost everyone in this batch has Mid-grade Spirit Root aptitude. There are even three with High-grade Spirit Roots."

Upon hearing of the High-grade Spirit Roots, the feminine Lu Chang'an licked his lips and revealed a greedy smile. "Father, I heard there is a rather good girl this time."

After father and son exchanged a glance, their eyes coincidentally turned toward the mansion behind them, and strange smiles appeared on their faces.

"An'er, once the sect has completely changed its blood, these stains will no longer be needed. Only these children are the sect's foundation, and they will also be your arms and legs. In the future, we will stand upright and honorable, rather than being the Tooth-trading Sect that everyone mocks now!"

Tooth-trading Sect! Those four words were filled with mockery and contempt, and they were also the hatred in Elder Lu's heart.

Thank you all, fellow Daoists, for your support. Those who have read this, please remember to keep following on Tuesday. My sincere thanks.