Spring gave way to autumn, winter and summer cycled past, and before he knew it, Lu Changsheng had been on Green Bamboo Mountain for over a year.
In all that time, he had never taken so much as a step outside Green Bamboo Manor. His life had been utterly uneventful and dull.
Still, between cultivating, making talismans, and spending time with his wives and concubines every day, his days were fairly full.
As for making babies, things had slowed down for now.
Lu Lanshu, Lu Zi'er, and Lu Qing'er had all recently given birth and needed time to recover their strength.
The two maids he had taken as concubines were both pregnant, too, with a few months left before they gave birth.
As for the two maids Uncle Fu had sent over afterward, Lu Changsheng had been busy making talismans these past few months. With only so much energy to spare, he had yet to get them pregnant.
After all, he was just a weakling at the first level of Chain Qi.
His physical strength and energy were limited.
Besides, Lu Changsheng did not see his wives and concubines merely as breeding machines.
He also spent time nurturing their feelings and smoothing their relationships.
The Lu Lineage treated him as breeding stock, but he would not treat himself as nothing more than a tool for sowing seed.
His wives and concubines all had pleasant temperaments, too.
They were indeed just as Uncle Fu had described back then: well-bred young ladies from the Lu Lineage's secular branches, educated and sensible, dignified and virtuous, without a trace of affectation or pretension.
To Lu Changsheng, a transmigrator, they were almost unbelievably innocent and easy to please.
And since all three wives and four concubines were women of the Lu Lineage, they got along well. His household had always been harmonious.
After finishing his cultivation today and drawing two talismans in his study, Lu Changsheng noticed that the weather outside was pleasant, so he carried his two-month-old daughter into the courtyard to bask in the sun.
Even somewhere like Green Bamboo Mountain, the climate still changed with the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
It was spring now, and the sunlight was gentle and comfortable, perfect for sunbathing.
After half an hour in the sun, Lu Changsheng heard some movement in the neighboring courtyard and carried his daughter over to visit Li Feiyu.
Li Feiyu was practicing martial arts in his little courtyard, his movements radiating an astonishing force.
It was no exaggeration to say that he could take down someone like Lu Changsheng with a single punch.
Although he cultivated immortality, he had not abandoned martial arts.
When he saw Lu Changsheng arrive, Li Feiyu stopped practicing, drew his energy back in, and picked up a towel to wipe off his sweat, asking casually.
"I heard you've been practicing talisman-making lately. How come you have time to visit me?"
"Just keeping myself busy."
Lu Changsheng smiled.
He and Li Feiyu were on good terms, and they lived right next door. His wives also often chatted with Li Feiyu's wife when they had nothing to do.
So it was perfectly normal for Li Feiyu to know he was practicing talisman-making.
"How's it going? I've heard talisman-making burns through money."
Li Feiyu sat down beside the courtyard's stone table, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of brewed tea.
"Not bad. There's some hope."
"I'm not asking for much. As long as I have a craft that can feed my wives and children in the future, that's enough."
Lu Changsheng sat down as well and answered.
Although he and Li Feiyu were close, he naturally could not reveal things concerning his own secrets. He gave everyone the same explanation.
"That's good. With a craft to your name, you'll be able to find your footing wherever you go."
Li Feiyu nodded, lifting the teapot to pour Lu Changsheng a cup as well.
"What about you? What are your plans?"
"The Lu Lineage can't let you carry on like this forever, can they?"
Lu Changsheng accepted the tea and took a small sip.
Of the twelve immortal seedlings who had come to the Lu Lineage together, everyone had had children. Li Feiyu was now the only one who had yet to father a child.
Lu Changsheng had even heard that his wife was still a virgin.
"The Red Sun Heart Method I practice requires me to remain a virgin until I reach the Xiantian realm. I've explained this to Uncle Fu, so the Lu Lineage won't force me for now."
That was Li Feiyu's explanation.
He had a seventh-grade spiritual root, so the Lu Lineage was relatively lenient with him and would not pressure him at this stage.
"What about after you reach the Xiantian realm?"
Lu Changsheng asked.
Li Feiyu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Since I signed the contract and used the Lu Lineage's resources, I will naturally honor my agreement."
"In another year at most, I'll reach the Xiantian realm. Then I'll be able to lock in my vital essence and keep my primal yang from leaking out, using it only to father children."
Li Feiyu said.
Damn, that's impressive!
Hearing this, Lu Changsheng could not help marveling.
He had never expected martial arts to have such a function.
Should I practice them too?
After all, he now had three wives and four concubines, which demanded quite a bit of exertion.
And at present, immortal cultivation at the Chain Qi stage did not improve his body all that much.
He looked at Li Feiyu and asked curiously, "Feiyu, once your martial arts reach the Xiantian realm, how will your strength compare to an immortal cultivator's?"
On their way to Green Bamboo Mountain, Li Feiyu had been able to swiftly tackle him to the ground when a cultivator from the Chen Lineage attacked with a Wind Blade.
That suggested martial arts experts should be able to exchange a few blows with immortal cultivators.
But Lu Changsheng did not know the specifics.
After all, he had never witnessed a martial arts expert's true strength.
And he had only seen an immortal cultivator in action that one time.
"After reaching the Xiantian realm, the Xiantian True Qi throughout your body should be roughly equivalent to the spiritual power of a Chain Qi Third Layer cultivator."
"So in a fight, it depends on whether you can get close."
"But Chain Qi Third Layer cultivators can control objects and wield magical artifacts. It's far too difficult for a martial artist to close the distance."
As Li Feiyu spoke, a wry smile appeared on his face.
A Xiantian martial artist was already a top-tier expert in the martial world.
He had practiced martial arts since childhood, training through the dog days of summer and the bitterest days of winter. Yet after more than a decade of grueling practice, he was only a first-rate expert.
It was only during this past year or so with the Lu Lineage, eating spirit rice every day and receiving the nourishment of spiritual energy, that his martial cultivation had progressed so quickly, bringing the Xiantian realm within such swift reach.
Yet an immortal cultivator only needed to reach Chain Qi Third Layer to match an Innate Master.
There was simply no comparing the two.
The reason he had not abandoned martial arts and still devoted time to them was that he had already come this far and still harbored a certain attachment.
Lu Changsheng nodded, having roughly understood.
An Innate Master and a Chain Qi Third Layer Immortal Cultivator were essentially a warrior and a mage.
If the warrior could get close, he could still win. If he could not, he would basically be kited to death.
But a moment's thought made it obvious how difficult it would be for an Innate Martial Artist to close in on an immortal cultivator.
After all, beyond magical artifacts, if the Immortal Cultivator also had enchanted robes, talismans, and other tricks, how was a martial artist supposed to fight?
"Are there any realms beyond Xiantian?"
Lu Changsheng glanced at the daughter in his arms and continued.
It suddenly occurred to him that if his children had no spiritual roots, he could send them to learn martial arts.
After all, if only one parent had a spiritual root, the chance of their children having one was very low.
Only one or two percent.
That was also why the Lu Lineage required them to have fifty children.
This world was so dangerous, and his children could not possibly stay on Green Bamboo Mountain their entire lives without ever leaving.
If they practiced martial arts from childhood, not only would they grow strong and healthy, but they would also have some ability to protect themselves when they ventured out into the world.
And there was something else.
Because of the system's second function, Lu Changsheng kept feeling that none of his three children had spiritual roots.
The Many Children, Many Blessings System would add all his children's talent and cultivation to his own.
Children's spiritual roots only manifested at five or six years old, when they could be tested, but that did not mean they had no spiritual roots before then.
Yet after the birth of his three children, Lu Changsheng had felt no stir or change in his own spiritual root.
So he had begun to harbor this suspicion.
Of course, they would only know for certain once the children were old enough to be tested. Lu Changsheng was merely guessing, not sure.
"Beyond Xiantian, there are Xiantian Grandmasters and Xiantian Great Grandmasters."
"But even a Xiantian Great Grandmaster can only contend with cultivators at the fifth or sixth level of Chain Qi."
"As far as I know, there aren't many Xiantian Great Grandmasters in the entire martial world, so the two paths simply can't be mentioned in the same breath."
Li Feiyu shook his head as he spoke.
Lu Changsheng nodded, now having a general understanding of martial arts.
Even cultivated to their limit, they were only comparable to the middle stage of Chain Qi.
Remembering that his children's talent and strength could be added to his own, Lu Changsheng had a thought.
Lu Changsheng couldn't help wondering: if dozens or even hundreds of his children cultivated to the Xiantian Great Grandmaster realm, would their combined bonuses make him comparable to a late-stage Chain Qi cultivator, or even someone at Foundation Establishment?
Once this thought arose, Lu Changsheng felt that in the future, his children with spiritual roots could cultivate immortality, while those without could practice martial arts.
As for practicing martial arts himself, Lu Changsheng only entertained the thought. He had no intention of acting on it.
Cultivation, talisman-making, and his wives and concubines already consumed most of his energy.
He had no spare time or energy to devote to martial arts.
Time flew, and another month or so passed.
Lu Changsheng's fourth child was born.
His fourth concubine gave birth to her, and she was a girl.
Lu Changsheng named her Lu Xile.
It was a name he had decided on from the beginning.
At this point, Lu Changsheng also noticed a problem.
If he kept having children like this, naming them would eventually become enough of a headache to make him tear his hair out.
He thought he could establish generational naming characters for his lineage. That would make choosing names much easier in the future.
As for his other concubine, she would give birth in another two months.
It was worth mentioning that an examination had revealed she was carrying twins.
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