Strange Phenomenon

Being able to plan ahead was a skill a Lu Family patriarch needed, and it would become even more important as the Lu Family grew!

Otherwise, when the Lu Family needed something, they might find they had no arrangements in place—or that it was already too late. They could be wiped out without even knowing what hit them.

"Father!"

Lu Wanyuan entered the residence, and a chubby, rosy-cheeked toddler came running toward him.

"Lei'er, what are you doing here?"

"I was playing with Mother, and I happened to see you come home!"

"Oh, so that's what happened. Come here, let me hold you!" Lu Wanyuan immediately reached out and picked up the boy.

The boy was his son, Lu Gulei, the second generation of the Lu Family, of the "Gu" generation. He was now almost two years old.

When Lu Gulei was born, they had been badly startled.

An astonishing phenomenon had appeared in the sky. Dark clouds blanketed the sky above the entire Bayberry Market, so thick and heavy they seemed ready to fall at any moment—as if anyone could reach out and pluck them.

It had been a clear, cloudless day, but in an instant, darkness descended. It felt like the dead of night, pitch-black all around.

The entire market was thrown into panic. The market's administrators, especially the high-ranking cultivators, were scared out of their wits.

Dazzling bolts of lightning, like silver serpents, churned through the dense clouds. From time to time, massive bolts crashed down into the market.

Amid the thunderous rumbling, explosions sounded everywhere, and fires kept breaking out!

Faced with such fearsome lightning, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of Bayberry Market trembled and hid in their cultivation chambers, afraid the lightning would find them.

Fortunately, the phenomenon had come as quickly as it went.

An hour later, everything was back to normal.

In response to the strange phenomenon, Mei Wenyuan—the market's de facto administrator and the most powerful Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the region—reported what had happened to Qingyun Sect as soon as it ended.

The sect immediately sent people to investigate Bayberry Market. But the phenomenon had appeared and vanished so quickly that they could not find even the slightest clue connecting it to anything.

So even after the sect sent people to investigate, nothing came of it, and the matter was eventually dropped.

The phenomenon had occurred just as Baili Qiuyue was going into labor.

It had been an ordinary delivery, and the midwife had already arrived.

At first, when they witnessed the world-ending spectacle—especially the thunderbolts raining from the sky and blasting the earth apart—everyone was stunned.

They had never seen anything like it and had no idea how to respond.

But when Lu Wanyuan saw Baili Qiuyue's life hanging by a thread, he immediately ordered the midwife to deliver the baby, disregarding everything else. He was afraid of losing both mother and child.

Strangely enough, the moment the midwife gathered the baby into her arms, the dark clouds vanished in an instant, as if they had never been there.

If the market had not been left battered and strewn with debris, it would have been hard to believe it had looked so different only moments before.

The Lu Family members immediately decided that the phenomenon must have been connected to the baby their sister-in-law had just delivered.

They could hardly believe that such an enormous phenomenon had been caused by a newborn from the Lu Family. They would never have believed it if someone had told them.

But they also knew that if they wanted to survive, they could not let anyone find out that the phenomenon had been caused by one of their own.

They understood, too, that the child born at that moment had boundless potential and had to be protected.

As long as Lu Gulei grew up safely, his potential would gradually reveal itself. All they had to do was wait for the flower to bloom!

So everyone discreetly concealed the connection between the phenomenon and the child. When they noticed people from the market making inquiries everywhere, they realized the matter was no ordinary one and became even more careful to hide the truth.

They kept the secret buried in their hearts, making sure no one discovered it.

Lu Wanyuan was overjoyed that his son was safe and sound. This was his eldest child, and of course he would raise him well.

So Lu Gulei had been given supplements from a young age, all to build a strong foundation for him.

There had also been an unexpected bonus: when his son was born, Lu Wanyuan had obtained new Entries from him.

One Entry was "Fire Control Art," and the other was "Sky Thunder Seed x3."

Of course, he had only used the "Fire Control Art" Entry.

He had immediately obtained a Magic Formula for controlling flames. The flames it referred to were those in the world that had developed sentience.

These flames were the legendary Exotic Fires, or Immortal Fires—peerless treasures such as the Golden Crow Flame and Nether Ghost Fire.

Naturally, treasures like these were beyond the reach of someone like Lu Wanyuan.

He knew his own limitations.

First, such things were extraordinarily hard to come by. They were legendary treasures, and he had learned only a few scattered details about them from books.

Second, even if he did possess an Exotic Fire, it would be a ticking time bomb for him right now.

He lacked the strength to possess one, which meant he had no way to protect it. If word ever got out, it would spell certain death.

He wanted to learn the Fire Control Art mainly so that, after practicing it, he could use what he had learned to see if he could control the flames in the earth's veins. That would surely be a great help with Artifact Refining and Alchemy.

That would be much better than using other burning materials to raise the temperature, which was inefficient and took a great deal of time and effort. If he could draw the fire dragon out of the earth's veins and unleash its power...

Then the Lu Family's costs for Artifact Refining and Alchemy would fall dramatically, making them far more competitive.

Even now, he had yet to master it. It turned out that successfully cultivating the Fire Control Art required an extremely special substance.

That substance was Ice Grass, a second-tier spirit herb that grew in frigid regions.

Of course, a spirit herb like that was not easy to find.

When cultivating the Fire Control Art, especially when dealing with the earth's veins, the fire dragon's flames were incredibly hot. Without proper precautions, he would not only fail to control the fire dragon—he would be reduced to ashes himself.

Ice Grass was the necessary preparation. Before controlling the flames, one had to consume a medicinal liquid brewed from it. Only then could one withstand the fire dragon's heat without being burned to ashes.

He had not used the other Entry yet; he had stored it away. At a glance, it seemed to be an attack method.

It was probably something like a hand grenade, and his mind was the most convenient place to keep it.

"Dear, you're back. How did things go?"

"Pretty well. I'd say we got our money's worth. We spent quite a lot of Spirit Stones, but we gained a great deal too."

"We got their connections, the Artifact Refining Legacy, their experience, and all sorts of things you couldn't buy with Spirit Stones. I've already arranged for Second Brother to oversee things there!"

"That's wonderful. I never expected the first business in the Hundred Arts of Cultivation to be Artifact Refining!"

"I thought it would be Xiao Ting's Alchemy. I heard she's become an alchemist and can refine first-tier low-grade pills. She became an alchemist in barely a year. Her talent is simply incredible."

Baili Qiuyue looked at Lu Wanyuan in surprise as she spoke.

"I thought so at first too, but it seems we were wrong."

"But it does confirm one thing: Xiao Ting is now an alchemist at Myriad Pills Pavilion."

"It probably won't be easy for her to leave Myriad Pills Pavilion in the future. Her talent is simply too strong, and the people there will surely make things difficult for her!"

"That would be a real problem. Our Lu Family is nothing in front of Myriad Pills Pavilion. If there were a conflict, Myriad Pills Pavilion could wipe us out with the blink of an eye."

Lu Wanyuan's expression turned grave. He furrowed his brow as he looked at her, then nodded thoughtfully.