Third Qi Refining Layer!

Time flew, and more than three months passed in the blink of an eye.

During those three months, Lu Changsheng's eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth children were born.

None of those three children had a spiritual root either.

By now, Lu Changsheng had come to terms with this. He knew it was not something he could force.

But he did not stop making babies just because of those odds.

After all, having more children and more blessings was the true path forward.

As long as he kept having children and their numbers grew, one of them would eventually have a spiritual root.

Besides, as the number of children increased, the system would also give him rewards.

During those three months, two more of Lu Changsheng's concubines became pregnant with their second children.

In three years, with three wives and six concubines, he had fathered thirteen children.

With another three on the way, he had truly made a name for himself in the Lu Lineage's Green Bamboo Valley.

Everyone knew that the Lu Lineage had recruited a son-in-law with extraordinary talent in Talisman Making, but a fondness for women and making babies.

During this time, Lu Yuanding also came to chat with Lu Changsheng once.

He offered some advice, hoping Lu Changsheng would not indulge too deeply in women and would focus more on cultivation and the Talisman Way instead, lest he squander his entire life.

Naturally, Lu Changsheng nodded and agreed when offered such advice.

But he also explained that his spiritual root was too poor and he had no great ambitions in life. He was satisfied with his current life and only wanted a house full of children and grandchildren in the future.

If he could have a few children with spiritual roots, he would devote himself wholeheartedly to raising them.

Hearing this, Lu Yuanding did not know how to respond for a moment, so he told Lu Changsheng something.

The Lu Lineage had a rule: any child who still showed no spiritual root after turning six had to be sent to the mortal world.

Even if they were granted an extension, they would still have to be sent to the mortal world once they reached their early teens.

They would not be allowed to stay on Green Bamboo Mountain forever.

Without spiritual roots, these children could not cultivate immortality. If they stayed on Green Bamboo Mountain, they could only do odd jobs.

A young eagle would one day have to soar into the sky and face fierce winds and towering waves.

Keeping children without spiritual roots by his side would only hold them back.

The Lu Lineage also had a lineage branch and properties in the mortal world, which could ensure that these children lived in wealth and comfort, never lacking food or clothing.

If Lu Changsheng wished, his children could also be placed with the Mortal Lu Lineage in the future.

After hearing Lu Yuanding's words, Lu Changsheng had felt rather heavyhearted.

Even after three years, he had not fully adapted to the rules of this world.

He found it hard to accept sending his children into the mortal world when they were only six.

After all, he now had thirteen children in total, and only one had a spiritual root.

But he also understood that Lu Yuanding was right.

If his children had no spiritual roots, keeping them by his side forever would not necessarily be good for them.

As a parent, he needed to let go and allow them to grow.

And so.

Lu Changsheng planned to wait until his children were as old as possible before sending them to the mortal world.

He would let them venture out on their own and see this world for themselves.

Before that, as he had considered before, he would ask Li Feiyu to teach his children martial arts.

Not only would it strengthen their bodies, but it would also give them some ability to protect themselves if they encountered danger in the mortal world.

After all, the cultivation world was not the only dangerous place. The mortal world also had plenty of conflicts among martial artists, and he could not watch over his children at all times.

Of course, he could not deny that he had his own selfish motives.

He hoped that his children practicing martial arts would also improve his own strength.

And once his children put down roots and established themselves in the mortal world, they could spread their branches and leaves, founding a Lu Lineage of his own-a Martial Aristocratic Clan.

If descendants with spiritual roots appeared in that lineage, they could be sent to him for instruction.

This was also how most cultivation lineages operated nowadays, blossoming in both the mortal and cultivation worlds.

That day.

As Lu Changsheng sat cultivating in the training room, a surge of energy coursed through his body, making his robes flutter without any wind.

"Chain Qi Third Layer!"

"I finally broke through before it was time to meet up!"

A moment later, his aura settled. Lu Changsheng opened his eyes, his face filled with delight.

It had taken him a year and four months to advance from the first to the Chain Qi Second Layer.

But advancing from the Chain Qi Second Layer to the Chain Qi Third Layer had taken only ten months.

This considerable improvement came not only from Green Bamboo Valley's second-rank spirit vein, but also from the spiritual root talent boost provided by his seventh son, Lu Xianzhi, and his improved cultivation resources.

He now received ten spirit stones, thirty jin of spirit rice, and a bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills every month.

His children were still young and cost little to raise, and there was not much he needed to spend on his wives either.

Thus, he could spend almost all these spirit stones on himself to increase his cultivation speed.

Although his talent was poor and it would be difficult to achieve much through his own cultivation, he could not afford to grow idle.

After all, even if he wanted to lie back and soar on his children's coattails, they had to grow up first.

Besides, of his thirteen children, only the seventh had a spiritual root, and it was merely a low-grade one.

For now, he still had to rely on his own efforts as their father.

"It's been three years. I'm finally going out for once."

Lu Changsheng stood up and straightened his cultivation robe.

He walked over to the bronze mirror and examined his appearance.

His once plain, unremarkable face had gained more defined contours, and his somewhat dark skin had become fair and smooth, making him look much more handsome and refined.

As the saying went, clothes made the man, just as a saddle dressed the horse.

His blue-green cultivation robe fit perfectly, as though tailored for him, setting off his tall, slender figure.

His gentle, refined features, upright bearing, and calm, unhurried confidence gave him an inexplicable air of nobility.

Compared with his appearance and demeanor three years ago, the change was as vast as heaven and earth overturned.

This was not only due to the enhancing effects of cultivating the Immortal Bearing Art.

It also came from his physical maturation, his comfortable life, and the changes in his state of mind after awakening his past-life memories and activating the system.

The Immortal Bearing Art alone would not have produced such obvious results.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Lu Changsheng chuckled, then went out to tell his wives that he would be traveling some distance to visit the mortal world.

He had already discussed this with his wives and applied to the Lu Lineage for permission.

The Lu Lineage had readily agreed, even asking whether he needed someone to accompany him.

In the half year since moving into Green Bamboo Valley, Lu Changsheng had completed all the Lu Lineage's talisman-crafting assignments flawlessly. His excellent performance had made them value him even more.

In response,

Lu Changsheng explained that he was merely meeting some friends and visiting home to settle his ties there, so he did not need anyone to accompany him.

Although an escort would make the journey safer, it would also tie his hands and feet, making things inconvenient.

The Lu Lineage did not insist. They gave him a message talisman and told him to take care on the road.

Tucking his already-packed Storage Bag inside his robe, Lu Changsheng went to Green Bamboo Manor and knocked on Li Feiyu's door.

"I thought something had come up and you weren't going anymore."

Holding his child, Li Feiyu opened the courtyard gate and smiled when he saw Lu Changsheng.

His child, a girl, had been born just three months ago.

"I was just a little short of a breakthrough, so I put it off until now."

Lu Changsheng explained.

"You've broken through to the Chain Qi Third Layer?!"

Li Feiyu looked surprised.

During this time, Lu Changsheng had not stopped practicing spells.

He had mastered all the beginner spells, including the Fireball Technique, Wind-Riding Technique, Object-Control Technique, Qi-Concealment Technique, Spirit Eye Technique, and Voice Transmission Technique.

Spells were like talisman crafting: once he got through the door, what followed became relatively easier.

At the moment, Lu Changsheng was using the Qi-Concealment Technique to rein in his spiritual energy slightly, so Li Feiyu had not noticed that he had just broken through to the Chain Qi Third Layer.

"That's right. I came over as soon as I broke through."

Lu Changsheng nodded.

"Tsk, tsk. Already at the Chain Qi Third Layer. At this rate, you're almost keeping pace with someone who has a mid-grade spiritual root, aren't you?"

Li Feiyu could not help shaking his head, clicking his tongue in amazement.

He had reached both the first and second qi refining layers far ahead of Lu Changsheng.

But now, while he was still at the peak of the second qi refining layer, Lu Changsheng had overtaken him on the bend, breaking through to the third qi refining layer a step ahead of him.

This left him filled with emotion and a little envy.

"Ah, it was all thanks to outside resources. Breaking through from the Chain Qi Third Layer to the Chain Qi Fourth Layer will be much harder."

Lu Changsheng waved a hand.

He knew his own circumstances best.

Without a bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills every month, and without spending all his spirit stones on spirit vegetables, Spirit Tea, and demon beast meat, how could he possibly have broken through so quickly?

He would have needed at least another six months to a year of cultivation.

Besides, of the nine Chain Qi layers, the first three would come naturally as long as one put in enough time. There was little difficulty involved.

But breaking through from the Chain Qi Third Layer to the fourth was difficult.

It meant advancing from early-stage to middle-stage Chain Qi, and there was a bottleneck.

The poorer one's spiritual root, the harder it was to break through that bottleneck.

"I'm sure it won't be much of a problem for you."

"Are we leaving now?"

Li Feiyu did not dwell on the subject and asked directly.

"It's up to you. I can leave whenever you're ready. Do you still have anything to prepare?"

Lu Changsheng asked.

"I packed everything ages ago too. Let's go, then."

Li Feiyu carried his child into the rear courtyard and handed her to the concubine he had recently taken, then left with Lu Changsheng.