The Murong Clan

The Lu Clan naturally did not announce Ancestor Xuanzhen's emergence to the outside world.

Even Ancestor Tianyan had not appeared before the world.

As far as the world knew, the Lu Clan had only one Sage King Realm expert: Ancestor Danyang.

Even so, a steady stream of factions still came to visit the Lu Clan every day.

Most of them wanted to establish friendly relations with the Lu Clan in the hope that Ancestor Danyang would refine pills for them.

Looking at the gifts piled as high as mountains in the Lu Clan's treasury, Lu Qingshan had grown somewhat numb.

He had underestimated the influence of a ninth-grade alchemist.

"Patriarch, the Alchemy Pavilion is nearly complete, and there are quite a few youngsters in the clan with some talent for alchemy."

Lu Guangyao reported to Lu Qingshan in the patriarch's residence.

Hearing this, Lu Qingshan nodded slightly. "I've heard a few things myself. I hear there's a youngster named Lu Xiangyang whom even Ancestor Danyang praised."

From what Lu Qingshan had learned, Lu Xiangyang was an utterly ordinary young man in the Lu Clan, with average cultivation talent. Even though the clan was so wealthy and had no shortage of resources, he was already eighteen and had only just reached the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Just how poor was that? When Lu Qingshan was young, the clan had been so poor, yet he had already reached the Spirit Control Realm at eighteen.

And that was before the clan's bloodline had awakened.

It could be said that Lu Xiangyang could not have been more ordinary.

Lu Xiangyang's parents were likewise two unremarkable members of the Lu Clan.

But now, Lu Xiangyang's circumstances had changed.

He had displayed tremendous talent for alchemy, and of the entire Lu Clan, Ancestor Danyang had praised him alone.

What did that signify?

Lu Guangyao said, "Patriarch, the Alchemy Pavilion has already begun allocating more resources to Xiangyang. That elder from the Alchemists' Guild also said he was willing to take Xiangyang as his disciple."

Take him as a disciple?

Lu Qingshan considered it briefly. There did not seem to be anything wrong with that.

"What does Xiangyang think?"

Lu Qingshan asked.

In the end, they had to respect the youngster's own wishes.

Lu Guangyao smiled. "Xiangyang isn't interested in that. The youngster looks quite honest, but he's stubborn to the bone."

Lu Qingshan was somewhat surprised to hear that, but he smiled and said, "In that case, let him have his way."

"As for the Alchemy Pavilion's resources, don't worry about what the other clansmen think. Give more resources to whoever has the talent."

The Lu Clan might have been wealthy and powerful, but no matter where one was, obtaining more resources still depended on one's own value.

Inside the Alchemy Pavilion.

A thin, frail figure collected his alchemy resources for the month under countless envious gazes.

He had received as much as ten times what others did. How could they not be envious?

This was Lu Xiangyang.

There's so much. It looks like the clan has noticed me and is preparing to nurture me.

Lu Xiangyang's heart stirred, and he quickly realized as much.

At the same time, he could not help feeling a little delighted.

He had thought he would be ordinary all his life, never expecting to have such a gift for the Dao of Alchemy.

When the Alchemy Pavilion opened this time, many Lu clansmen who had never tried alchemy in their lives gave it a try, but most of them had no head for it at all.

Only a few had some talent, and Lu Xiangyang stood out among them, far ahead of the rest.

In the Lu Clan, although the clansmen were all treated quite well, far better than those in outside factions, people's desires went far beyond that.

Only those with talent and ability could obtain more resources in the Lu Clan.

To that end, every clansman worked hard. Those who lacked ability themselves took more wives and had more children, hoping to produce a gifted child.

That was exactly what Lu Xiangyang's father had in mind.

Previously, Lu Xiangyang had shown no particular talent, so the clan had not paid him much attention.

Now, however, things were different.

As Lu Xiangyang's talent for alchemy came to light, his entire branch of the family saw a marked improvement in their treatment.

Lu Xiangyang's father in particular could hold his head high.

Those were the benefits talent brought.

Such things were a common sight in the Lu Clan.

It was true of the Alchemy Pavilion, and it was just as true of the martial stage overseen by Lu Chen, the Lu Clan's third elder.

Not long afterward.

In one of the Lu Clan's plazas, a massive martial stage rose from the ground.

It even contained intricate and complex formations.

These were naturally the work of Ancestor Xuanzhen.

With the martial stage officially completed, Lu Chen could finally begin selecting from the Lu Clan's younger generation.

The Lu Clan's ancestors had also given instructions regarding this.

It seemed that before long, Central Province would host a competition involving the younger generation, with interests running very deep.

On this day.

The Lu Clan's plaza was bustling with activity.

Clansmen flocked over: young people eager to show what they could do, elders hoping their children would become dragons, and outsiders who had come to watch the excitement.

On the martial stage, Third Elder Lu Chen stood in high spirits, smiling as he looked at the clansmen below.

"Everyone, the clan's development depends not only on us elders, but also on the strength of the younger generation. You are the clan's future, and what becomes of the clan will be inseparable from you."

Lu Chen's rough voice carried across the plaza.

The clansmen immediately broke into applause, their hands clapping.

Rumble.

Just then, a massive ranking board suddenly rose from the plaza.

At the sight of this marvel, the crowd could not help crying out in surprise.

Patriarch Lu Qingshan was naturally present as well, and a smile appeared on his face as he watched.

This was the work of the clan's ancestors.

Not only did it contain profound and unfathomable formations, but it also had measures left by Ancestor Tianyan, allowing it to detect any act of cheating instantly.

There were no unnecessary, cumbersome formalities.

Lu Chen was a rough-and-ready man himself, so he simply began the competition.

Not many young Lu clansmen had signed up, only a few hundred, all under thirty.

Although cultivators could prolong their lives and many great experts could maintain youthful appearances, the Lu Clan's selection of its younger generation was somewhat strict this time. Only those under thirty were considered young.

Many capable Lu clansmen over thirty were quite disgruntled by this.

Seeing that most of the clansmen were generally around the Spirit Master Realm and relatively few had reached the Void Shattering Realm, Lu Qingshan sighed inwardly and thought of Qing Xu.

Qing Xu had already reached the Spirit Concentration Realm at sixteen. She was no mere genius; she was simply a monster.

After sighing, Lu Qingshan calmed himself again.

The Lu Clan had only just begun to develop, and there would surely be more and more geniuses in the clan in the future.

Now that Qiyun Mountain had become the Lu Clan's base, they naturally could not leave it as it was.

The Lu Clan had already begun making arrangements to place suitable spirit veins within the mountain, thereby changing the environment where Spiritual Qi was thin.

With the clan's supply of pills and the awakening of its bloodline as well, the Lu Clan would surely grow stronger and stronger in the future.

Just then, a piece of news suddenly reached Lu Qingshan's ears.

"The Murong Clan has come to visit?"

Central Province had originally been home to three ancient clans, each possessing the strength of a superpower.

They were the Bai Clan, the Xuan Clan, and the Murong Clan.

With the appearance of the Lu Clan, however, the people of Central Province no longer spoke of three great clans, but four.

The Lu Clan was prominently among them.

There had been no word of opposition from the other three great clans, either.

After all, Ancestor Danyang's reputation as a ninth-grade alchemist was simply too illustrious.

Though they were ancient clans with considerable foundations in alchemy themselves, they were likewise eager for ninth-grade pills.

And now, the Murong Clan, one of the three great clans, had sent someone to visit.

By rights, Lu Qingshan, as patriarch, should have anticipated this long ago.

Yet now, something was very wrong with him.

"Murong, it's been more than five hundred years since we parted."

Lu Qingshan seemed to grow much more haggard in an instant.

"Patriarch, patri... uh, Patriarch?"

When Lu Guangyao saw Lu Qingshan arrive, he was just about to say something, but he noticed Lu Qingshan's distracted expression and was taken aback.

It was the first time he had ever seen Lu Qingshan like this.

"I'm fine. Where are the people from the Murong Clan?"

Lu Qingshan waved a hand slightly before asking.

Lu Guangyao said, "They're already waiting at your residence."

"Then come with me."

"All right."

The two then returned to the patriarch's residence.

As soon as they pushed open the door, they saw a familiar graceful figure standing in the courtyard.

Even though Lu Qingshan had prepared himself thoroughly, his nose still stung at the sight of her.

Scenes from the past came unbidden to his mind.