The Patriarch's Sacrifice

"But without the Purple Sun Jade, Elder Brother will pass away in thirty years," Lu Tianyi said.

"Then I pass away. It's no great matter." Speaking of death, Lu Tianming remained calm, as though he were discussing some utterly ordinary trifle. "Who in this world can avoid death? Even Nascent Soul Ancestors will turn to yellow earth after a few thousand years. Cultivators do not fear death; they fear dying without value, dying stifled and aggrieved. To die for the prosperity of the clan seems rather good as well."

"To me, living two hundred years more or two hundred years less is all the same."

"For the sake of two pieces of Purple Sun Jade, for the sake of letting this old man live another two hundred years, to sacrifice the Lu Clan's future—I cannot do it."

"Elder Brother, you..."

Lu Tianyi said. At times, he wished his elder brother could be a little more selfish.

Yet it was precisely because his elder brother was selfless that he had become the clan patriarch.

Lu Tianming continued, "Xuanji, what do you think?"

"Patriarch, First Elder, this is what I think," Lu Xuanji said. "There are some matters we can decide, but there are others we cannot—for example, the future of someone with a Heavenly Spirit Root is not ours to decide. Better to wait ten years and let her make her own choice: remain in the clan or join the Danyang Sect."

"We have no right to make the choice for a cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root. In ten years, she will have grown up and gained the right to choose."

Patriarch Lu Tianming nodded. "That is true. I was being selfish. In many cases, forcibly keeping a Heavenly Spirit Root may not be a good thing. After all, when it comes to resources and everything else, our Lu Clan cannot compare to the Danyang Sect. Keeping her in the Lu Clan would itself be holding her back."

"She is already thirteen. I can still wait ten years."

"Thank you for your understanding, Patriarch."

Lu Xuanji said.

"However, you must hurry as well. If Er Ya joins the Lu Clan, she will also become your Dao companion," the patriarch warned. "Over these five years, the two of you can cultivate your feelings for one another. That way, whether she joins the Danyang Sect or remains in the Lu Clan, it will be beneficial to you."

"In the Cultivation World, connections are very important."

The patriarch continued advising him, speaking of various matters.

Lu Xuanji listened and nodded repeatedly.

Not long afterward, Lu Xuanji left and began serving as a teacher, instructing thirty-two little ones.

The youngest was only six, while the oldest was already thirteen.

First, he had them take Marrow Cleansing Pills to cleanse their marrow and purge their bones, improving their aptitudes. Then he taught them a set of mortal-world boxing techniques to help them temper their bodies. After that, he instructed them in knowledge of meridians and acupoints, as well as common cultivation knowledge and the basics of alchemy and artifact refinement.

He did not expect them to master everything, but they at least needed to know the basics.

Only after they had familiarized themselves with these things did he teach them meditation, guiding the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into their bodies, refining the first wisp of spiritual energy, sending it into their acupoints and through their meridians, before settling it in their dantians and turning it into true qi.

So long as they completed the refinement of the first wisp of spiritual energy, they would be considered to have entered the initial stage of Qi Refining.

During the process of refining that first wisp of spiritual energy, the quality of one's spirit root became apparent.

Without a spirit root, one was destined to be unable to complete this process.

Only those with spirit roots could take the first step.

Five Spirit Roots required six months, or even longer, to refine the first wisp of spiritual energy. Quadruple Spirit Roots required two months; Triple Spirit Roots required only one month.

As for Dual Spirit Roots and Heavenly Spirit Roots, Lu Xuanji did not know.

Back then, it had taken him Ten Days to refine his first wisp of spiritual energy.

But when it came to Er Ya, she had refined her first wisp of spiritual energy in a single day.

Then, in only two years, she entered Qi Refining First Layer.

By the time she graduated after three years, she had already reached the peak of the middle stage of Qi Refining First Layer.

Er Ya was no longer called Er Ya. Her name was Ye Feixue.

Over the years, his mother often came to visit Lu Xuanji and Ye Feixue, speaking warmly to them, bringing clothes and snacks and such. She had already treated Ye Feixue as her daughter-in-law.

Whenever Ye Feixue looked at him, a faint blush and tenderness often flickered through her eyes.

In the eyes of the clan's cultivators, they were both Triple Spirit Roots, a match made by heaven.

After completing her three years of studies, Ye Feixue also remained on Ziyang Mountain.

She possessed the Fire attribute and was suited to artifact refinement. She often pored over books and began crafting little "trinkets."

Most of the time, she cultivated in seclusion on the mountain, her Cave Mansion close to Lu Xuanji's.

She also helped Lu Xuanji tend the Spirit Field. They spoke intimate words to one another and exchanged insights on cultivation.

Time flowed on, and In the Blink of an Eye, ten years had passed.

Within the Cave Dwelling, Lu Xuanji opened his eyes. The aura around him shifted, and after a long while, it withdrew. He had reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

He was thirty-six years old now.

"Qi Refining Seventh Layer. According to the clan's rules, I can now go outside and carry out some missions," Lu Xuanji mused.

The moment he stepped out of the Cave Mansion, he encountered a woman. She had a lovely face, long black hair, and a graceful figure, dressed in white robes. Every frown and smile carried an indescribable charm. It was Ye Feixue.

The Er Ya of old had been sallow-faced and scrawny, like a little bean sprout.

But now, she stood slender and elegant, beautiful beyond words.

"Brother, you've come out of seclusion."

"I have. This seclusion brought great gains—I've already reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer," Lu Xuanji said. "According to clan rules, once one reaches Qi Refining Seventh Layer, one must go elsewhere to carry out missions."

"Brother, I want to go with you too."

Ye Feixue said, "I'm already at Qi Refining Layer 5. I won't be a burden to you."

Looking at the high-spirited woman, Lu Xuanji smiled bitterly inwardly.

Among the students of the same cohort, ten years had passed, yet many with Five Spirit Roots were still at Qi Refining First Layer. A small number with Quadruple Spirit Roots and Triple Spirit Roots had entered Qi Refining Layer 2, but Ye Feixue had already reached Qi Refining Layer 5.

She had advanced one layer every two or three years on average.

At this rate, she might catch up to him soon, or even surpass him.

Ancient books had once described the terrifying cultivation speed of Heavenly Spirit Roots, but only when he truly faced it did he feel a faint sense of awe and fear.

To have a friend with a Heavenly Spirit Root was truly fortunate;

But to have a Heavenly Spirit Root as an enemy was simply a nightmare.

"Feixue, you are already twenty-three. You are a grown woman now. There are some things I did not wish to say in the past, but today I must tell you a little," Lu Xuanji said. "Ten years ago, the Patriarch and First Elder faced a choice: send you to the Danyang Sect, or keep you in the Lu Clan?"

"Now that you are an adult, it is time for you to make your choice."