A Bountiful Harvest

Ancestor Danyang turned to look at Dan Changkong.

After a moment's silence, he smiled faintly. "Your talent isn't lacking either. You simply lack some opportunities. If you received some guidance, you might yet become a ninth-rank alchemist."

At those words, Dan Changkong snapped his head up, his gaze burning.

Becoming a ninth-rank alchemist was the ultimate dream of his life, yet he had spent nearly his entire life without seeing any hope of achieving it.

How could reaching the ninth rank from the eighth be so easy?

But now, Ancestor Danyang's words had rekindled his hope.

"Might I ask, grand supreme elder, is there something you need this junior to do?"

He had not become president of the Alchemists' Guild through his alchemy skills alone, but through his cunning as well.

So he understood perfectly well that this former supreme elder of the Alchemists' Guild wanted to make use of him, but he was willing.

After all, no alchemist could refuse a chance to reach the ninth rank.

And it was precisely because he was president of the Alchemists' Guild that he held some value in Ancestor Danyang's eyes.

Seeing Dan Changkong's excitement mixed with a trace of apprehension, Lu Qingshan felt a stir in his heart.

This was the head of a superpower in Central Province, yet he was so humble before the Lu Clan's own ancestor.

More importantly, this was only the second ancestor of the Lu Clan to awaken. According to Ancestor Tianyan, the ancestors who awakened next would only grow stronger.

He could hardly wait. What legends had the remaining ancestors left behind in history?

Ancestor Danyang was still smiling. He first turned to glance at the endless medicinal fields, then looked back at Dan Changkong.

"Changkong, my request is simple. I only need you to have some of the guild's alchemists accompany me to the Lu Clan. I hope they will not hold back in sharing their knowledge and will train a group of outstanding alchemists for my Lu Clan."

"I imagine these alchemists would not refuse, either."

Follow Ancestor Danyang to the Lu Clan.

If the guild's alchemists learned of it, they would surely be overjoyed.

This was a wonderful chance to get close to a ninth-rank alchemist. They would even have opportunities to ask him for guidance when refining pills themselves.

Who would refuse such a golden opportunity?

It was just that, as a result, the guild might have to go through a period of decline.

Dan Changkong gave it only a little thought before making his decision.

"Lord Supreme Elder, that won't be a problem. This junior will go notify them at once."

Watching Dan Changkong leave, Ancestor Danyang nodded slightly.

"Brilliant, Ancestor! This way, our Lu Clan will soon be able to build up its alchemy foundation."

Lu Qingshan was all smiles.

Although the clan now had a ninth-rank alchemist, Ancestor Danyang was only one man. No matter how much experience he had, he could not possibly refine pills for the clan while also teaching its members alchemy.

The efficiency would be greatly reduced.

But with the Alchemists' Guild's help, they would have no such concerns.

A short while later, Dan Changkong brought a large group of alchemists before the two of them.

Lu Qingshan gave them a rough count. There were about a hundred.

And every one of them was an alchemist.

Most were fifth- and sixth-rank alchemists, and there was even a seventh-rank alchemy elder among them.

Even Lu Qingshan, who had seen much of the world, was breathing rapidly.

If only these people all belonged to the Lu Clan. With Ancestor Danyang there as well, the Lu Clan's alchemy foundation could even catch up to and surpass that of the Alchemists' Guild.

But Lu Qingshan quickly dismissed the thought.

Having alchemists alone was no use. The Lu Clan was penniless now, and it didn't have enough alchemy materials to squander.

Lu Qingshan glanced back without a trace.

If only they could take some of the Alchemists' Guild's medicinal fields with them.

Fortunately, no one present knew what Lu Qingshan was thinking. If they did, they would surely point at him and curse him for his greed.

Taking some of the alchemists wasn't enough; he wanted the medicinal fields too. They might as well hand the whole Alchemists' Guild over to the Lu Clan.

"Lord Supreme Elder, these members are all willing to follow you to the Lu Clan."

Dan Changkong came before Ancestor Danyang, his expression respectful.

The alchemists, meanwhile, stared at Ancestor Danyang with excited, burning gazes.

Heaven knew what a fierce struggle they had just gone through to win these precious spots.

The other alchemists were already beating their chests and stamping their feet, their faces full of regret.

Ancestor Danyang swept his gaze over the alchemists. Seeing no problems, he nodded. "Good. Rest assured, once you join the Lu Clan, we will not treat you unfairly."

"Whenever you encounter difficulties in alchemy, I will also offer you guidance."

"I hope that when you teach my clan members, you too will not hold back in sharing your knowledge."

The alchemists grew even more excited at Ancestor Danyang's words. Wasn't this exactly what they wanted?

"Rest assured, my lord, we will impart everything we know!"

"Yes, yes, everything we know."

Ancestor Danyang nodded slightly, then looked at Dan Changkong.

Dan Changkong was looking at Ancestor Danyang expectantly.

The next moment, a storage ring appeared in Ancestor Danyang's hand.

"Inside are some of the insights and experience I gained in alchemy back then. There isn't much, but it should be enough to help you."

Ancestor Danyang handed the storage ring to Dan Changkong.

Dan Changkong's hands trembled slightly. No one knew better than he did just how valuable its contents were.

In his eyes, it was worth more than a ninth-rank pill.

"Thank you, Supreme Elder!"

Afterward, Ancestor Danyang and Lu Qingshan led the alchemists away from the Alchemists' Guild in a grand procession.

Dan Changkong, meanwhile, immediately announced that he was entering seclusion again.

For a time, the once-bustling and glorious Alchemists' Guild fell briefly silent.

Along the way, Ancestor Danyang made no attempt to conceal his movements, openly exposing himself to the world.

Countless figures followed them covertly.

Some experts had even deduced their destination in advance from the direction Ancestor Danyang and his party were traveling.

And so Qiyun Mountain, the Lu Clan's stronghold in Central Province, was revealed to the province's experts.

"Hmm? So this is where the Lu Clan is located? Since when?"

A concealed presence in the void voiced the question.

"I can say for certain that no force had settled here a short while ago. It was practically a wilderness."

Another presence appeared and spoke while looking down at the Lu Clan below.

"Spiritual Qi is thin here, and almost no one is willing to come, though the surroundings are peaceful enough."

"Hmm? Wait, someone has concealed the heavenly secrets of this place. No wonder we never noticed it. Hiss, it seems to be a method of the Dao of Deduction."

Anyone capable of doing that had to be at least a Sage King Realm expert of the Dao of Deduction.

But as far as they knew, the Cangxuan Continent did not seem to have any Sage King Realm experts of the Dao of Deduction.

At once, the experts grew even more curious about the scale of the Lu Clan's power.

Meanwhile, within the Lu Clan.

The Lu Clan's overall strength was now many times greater than it had been five hundred years ago.

As their cultivation improved, the clan members might not have been able to move mountains and fill seas, but building a home was well within their abilities.

By now, construction was nearly complete.

On Qiyun Mountain, towers stood in rows and houses were neatly arranged. Setting aside the thin Spiritual Qi, it was practically a hidden sacred land.

Deepest within the Lu Clan, in the ancestral hall.

Ancestor Tianyan bowed respectfully before the clan's ancestral tablets.

"Ancestors, after a hundred thousand years, our Lu Clan has finally returned to Central Province."

Ancestor Tianyan's voice trembled slightly.

A hundred thousand years ago, he had personally led the Lu Clan away from Central Province. Heaven knew how much pressure he had borne at the time.

In his eyes, he was the chief culprit behind the Lu Clan's decline.

If he had not persisted in peering into heavenly secrets, causing the Heavenly Dao to hold a grudge against the entire clan, the Lu Clan might still have declined inevitably, but not so rapidly.

Now that the old ancestor had given him a chance to live another life, he naturally had to make up for that mistake.

Now he had finally brought the Lu Clan back to Central Province, giving his heart a small measure of comfort.

Buzz, buzz, buzz~

Just as Ancestor Tianyan was lost in thought, another strange movement came from the mysterious incense burner in the Lu Clan's Ancestral Land.

Seeing this, Ancestor Tianyan was momentarily stunned.

"This..."

An unknown amount of time passed.

Ancestor Danyang and his party finally returned to the Lu Clan.

The clan members immediately lined the path to welcome them, their cries of joy sweeping across the sky and earth.

"Ancestor, Clan Leader, you're back!"

The grand elder, Lu Guangyao, came forward with several core clan members to welcome them.

Lu Qingshan was all smiles. Their gains this time had indeed been great.

"Grand Elder, these are members of the Alchemists' Guild. They have traveled ten thousand li to our Lu Clan to impart their knowledge. Quickly, prepare lodgings for them."

Hearing this, Grand Elder Lu Guangyao looked at the hundred or so people behind Lu Qingshan, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"Good, good, good."

"Lu Fan, go arrange lodgings for our alchemist friends at once."

Hearing this, Lu Fan, who was standing behind him, did not refuse. He then led the alchemists into the Lu Clan.

At that moment, Ancestor Danyang turned to look at the void and said calmly, "Everyone, you have escorted me all the way. Now that I have arrived home, will you fellow Daoists not take your leave?"

As soon as he spoke, the entire void trembled slightly.

The next moment, countless presences vanished.