Elder Lu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Elder Lu (陆长老)
Alias(es)	Steward Lu; Master Lu; Old Ghost Lu
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Sword Sect
Occupation/Role	Elder, sect powerholder, recruiter, and patron of alchemy
Status	Deceased — killed by Lin Chang'an during the battle for the Foundation Establishment Pills 125
First Appearance	Chapter 2 2

Appearance

Elder Lu was an elderly cultivator with a short beard; a projection he left behind later depicted him with gray-and-white hair and an imposing presence. His outward geniality could shift abruptly into an oppressive, predatory demeanor. 4 6 225

• Often smiled warmly while issuing threats or arranging coercive bargains. 4 5 6
• Projected enough pressure to leave newly captured disciples too frightened to meet his eyes. 6

Personality

Elder Lu judged people almost entirely by their usefulness to the Great Sword Sect. He did not object to greed, corruption, or ambition when they produced results; instead, he regarded incompetence and lack of initiative as greater faults. When Zhang Qing confessed to embezzling, Lu rebuked him not for stealing, but for being less daring and capable than Lin Chang'an. 32

His devotion to the sect was genuine but ruthless. He believed a sect's lasting foundation was not spirit stones, pills, or techniques, but generations of cultivators raised to see the sect as their home. This conviction drove him to invest in talented captives, control them through Gu worms and incentives, and even sacrifice his own son when the sect's interests demanded it. 11 18 103

Lu was also pragmatic and farsighted. He restrained the sect from seizing the fallen Liu Family's assets outright, recognizing that preserving an alliance was more valuable than provoking internal conflict and inviting the Beast Taming Zhou Family's interference. 43

Abilities & Skills

Sect Leadership and Political Control

Elder Lu maintained authority through a combination of intimidation, selective rewards, delegated power, and calculated tolerance.

• Recognized Lin Chang'an's value as an alchemist and rapidly elevated him from a captive recruit to a direct disciple and managing steward. 22
• Deliberately allowed Lin to accumulate authority, wealth, and followers, believing status and power would bind the rootless cultivator to the sect. 32
• Appointed Lin as steward of the Patrol Prefecture during a period of growing unrest. 63 64
• Protected the Liu Family's remaining assets rather than immediately annexing them, preserving the alliance against external pressure. 43

Cultivator Appraisal and Recruitment

Lu was highly perceptive about talent, ambition, and the ways people could be controlled.

• Identified Lin's alchemy talent after he refined high-grade Bigu Pills and immediately recruited him for the sect. 3 4
• Considered ambitious cultivators more valuable than obedient but incapable ones. 32
• Invested heavily in young cultivators with mid- and high-grade Spirit Roots to create a generation loyal to the Great Sword Sect. 11
• Used cultivation resources, reduced duties, status, and promises of future advancement to secure cooperation. 11 22 44

Gu Worm Control

Elder Lu used Gu worms to ensure that valuable disciples could not easily defy or abandon the sect.

• Planted a Gu worm in Lin Chang'an while negotiating his duties and future within the sect. 11
• Promised Lin an antidote upon reaching late Qi Condensation, presenting freedom as a reward for continued service. 44

Secret Techniques

Though later represented as a late Qi Condensation cultivator, Elder Lu possessed dangerous hidden methods. 225

• During his final battle with Lin Chang'an, he drove seven golden daggers into his own body to force a dramatic surge in aura and power. 124
• Possessed and distributed portions of the Great Sword Sect's Foundation Establishment Pill inheritance, including a secret refinement technique that carried a lifespan cost for the alchemist. 80 100 115

Equipment / Items

• Seven golden daggers — Used in his final battle to activate a self-harming power-boosting secret technique. 124
• Foundation Establishment Pill recipes and secret technique — Sect inheritance he provided to Lin Chang'an, though the recipe initially proved incomplete. 80 84 100
• Projection stone — Left behind a recorded message concerning the sect's crisis and a suspected Golden Core cultivator's ruins. 225
• Formation-breaking bead — Part of his posthumous arrangements connected to the suspected Golden Core ruins. 225

History

Recruitment of Lin Chang'an

Operating as Steward Lu during the Great Sword Sect's intake of deceived youths, Lu recognized Lin Chang'an's declaration that he could refine pills as an opportunity for the sect. 2 After Lin produced high-grade Bigu Pills, Lu offered him sect resources and advanced alchemy inheritance while making clear that refusal was not a realistic option. Lin accepted membership and received a low-grade alchemy furnace as a reward and tool of service. 4 5

Lu established the sect's hierarchy before the new recruits through fear: those with value could sit among insiders, while those without value were excluded. He also confirmed that Lin's relatives had traded him to the sect in exchange for their own departure. 6

Building a Sect Foundation

Lu sought to transform the Great Sword Sect from a force reliant on expendable captives into one supported by cultivators who had roots in the sect. He arranged for Lin and Murong Yue—both talented cultivators—to cultivate toward having children, offering Lin reduced sect duties and additional spirit stones in exchange. 11

His long-term plan centered on raising talented disciples from childhood, teaching them that the sect was their home, and turning them into a durable foundation during future crises. He explained this philosophy to his son, Lu Chang'an, while preparing the latter to compete for the future position of Sect Master. 11

Patronage of Lin Chang'an

After Lin demonstrated exceptional pill-refining ability, Lu made him a direct disciple and committed the sect's resources to cultivating him as an advanced alchemist capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills. 22 Lin received a market residence, regular Golden Marrow Pills and spirit stones, and freedom to prioritize alchemy over routine sect industry work. 23

Lu knowingly tolerated Lin's growing greed, embezzlement, and faction-building. He believed that granting Lin power and status would make departure less appealing, so long as Lin remained useful to the sect. 32

Internal Crisis and External Threats

As the Great Sword Sect faced mounting instability, Lu continued to empower Lin, appointing him steward of the Patrol Prefecture and relying on him to manage important sect affairs. 63 64 When Lu's residence was destroyed and the former Sect Master escaped from the underground dungeon, Lu suspected an internal mole and warned Lin against entanglement with rival elders. 80 84

Lu expended major sect resources to support both Lin's alchemy and his son Lu Chang'an's Foundation Establishment attempt. He provided spirit herbs, secret techniques, a Longevity Pill, and even redeemed sect magic items that Lin had mortgaged at auction. 100 120

When Tianxuan Palace's representatives targeted Lin and Lu Chang'an, Elder Lu chose to send both his disciple and his son to them rather than openly resist, placing the sect's survival above family. 103

Downfall and Death

The Great Sword Sect was eventually attacked amid internal conflict, the former Sect Master's return, and pressure from the Beast Taming Zhou Family. Elder Lu planned to use Foundation Establishment Pills to produce defenders for the sect. 122

While Lin refined three Foundation Establishment Pills, Lu confronted him inside the Pill Room. Lu activated his seven-dagger secret technique, but Lin used the formation-filled battlefield and a Heavenly Thunder Talisman to counter him. 124 Lin ultimately pierced Elder Lu with the Cold Moon Blade, killing the man who had spent years cultivating him as the sect's greatest asset. 125

Relationships

• Lin Chang'an — Direct disciple and the alchemist Lu invested in most heavily; their relationship was built on mutual exploitation, rewards, threats, and deception. 11 22 84 125
• Lu Chang'an — His son and chosen candidate for future Sect Master; Lu groomed him for power but ultimately sacrificed his safety for the sect. 11 71 103
• Zhang Qing — Long-serving subordinate whom Lu considered steady but limited; Lu contrasted Zhang Qing's caution unfavorably with Lin's ambition. 18 32
• Murong Yue — A high-grade Spirit Root cultivator whom Lu paired with Lin as part of his plan to produce stronger future sect disciples. 11
• Li Wei, Li Tong, and Li Jian — Sect-raised disciples whom Lu regarded as part of the Great Sword Sect's future foundation. 95
• Former Sect Master — Imprisoned enemy who escaped from Lu's underground dungeon and later returned to reclaim the Great Sword Sect. 80 120 122
• Lu An — A later inheritor of Lu's posthumous arrangements, including information about the suspected Golden Core ruins and contact with two hidden Foundation Establishment loyalists. 224 225

Legacy

Elder Lu's death did not end his influence over the sect. He had secretly given two Foundation Establishment Pills to loyal cultivators, who survived in hiding and later contacted Lu An with plans connected to reviving the Great Sword Sect. 224

His projection stone and formation-breaking bead also preserved information on a suspected Golden Core cultivator's ruins, creating a bargaining chip that Lu An used in seeking control of the sect. 225 Even years after Lu's death, former disciple Zhang Qing credited him with laying the sect's enduring foundation by raising generations of cultivators who viewed it as their home. 227

Notable Quotes

“I'm not afraid of him having ambition, nor am I afraid of him being greedy; I'm only afraid of him not having the corresponding ability.” 32

“It all comes down to foundation—and that foundation isn't Spirit Stones, nor Pellets, nor even techniques. It's people!” 11