Lu Guangyao

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

• Build and apparent age: Tall, thin, and middle-aged at his introduction 1.
• Expression: Appears listless, but his eyes possess a striking sharpness 1.
• Later demeanor: After five hundred years of intelligence work, he is described as considerably shrewder and more seasoned 17.

Personality

Lu Guangyao initially doubts the usefulness of ancestral worship during an immediate crisis. With the Azure Dragon Gang threatening the clan, he openly criticizes Lu Qingshan for trusting “illusory ancestors.” Once the ancestor’s existence is confirmed, his attitude changes completely: he tidies his hair before their first meeting and kneels respectfully in the shrine 1 2.

He is cautious about responsibilities beyond his experience. When asked to create an intelligence organization, he admits that he does not know where to begin. He also questions whether Lu Qingshan’s pressure on the Azure Feather Dynasty will succeed and worries about offending visiting leaders of powerful factions 6 13 37.

His caution does not prevent him from taking calculated risks on people. He recruits Chi Chen without demanding the Life and Death Contract the latter offers, both trusting his potential and recognizing that coercive recruitment could discourage future recruits 17.

Although proud of his descendants, he does not indulge complacency. After Lu Chong wins the clan competition, Lu Guangyao warns that his cultivation advantage does not guarantee superiority over equally advanced rivals 33.

History

White Cloud City crisis

As First Elder, Lu Guangyao faces the Azure Dragon Gang while Lu Qingshan remains in the ancestral hall. He claims that the patriarch is healing in seclusion and will soon recover, attempting to deter the attackers. After Lu Qingshan returns with restored cultivation and drives the gang away, Lu Guangyao accompanies the other elders to meet the ancestor through the ancestral incense burner 1 2.

He subsequently supports the elders’ plan to declare war on White Cloud City’s three dominant factions. When Lu Fan fears that the decision will destroy the clan, Lu Guangyao assures him that the factions will instead become stepping stones for its rise 3.

Building the intelligence network

During the clan’s reconstruction, Lu Qingshan assigns Lu Guangyao to establish a dedicated intelligence organization and suggests consulting Sage Tianyan. Lu Guangyao also carries out Tianyan’s summons to Lu Fan, addressing him by his previous-life name, Lin Bufan, after learning of his reincarnation 6.

He represents the clan in its first tense encounter with Chi Chen, explaining both the destruction of White Cloud City’s factions and the alliance with the Azure Feather Dynasty. Chi Chen dismisses his account, leaving Lu Guangyao concerned that a misunderstanding could provoke a clash between the allies 9.

After the dynasty falls, Lu Guangyao reports the Supreme Purity Palace’s involvement and its seizure of the Lush Wood Blessed Land. He then recruits Chi Chen into the intelligence organization. Over the following five hundred years, the network takes shape; before the move to Central Province, Chi Chen reports that its agents have infiltrated practically all of Qingzhou. Lu Guangyao approves his proposal to name it the Shadow Division 16 17 20.

Central Province administration

At Qiyun Mountain, Lu Guangyao helps receive the Alchemists’ Guild delegation and directs Lu Fan to arrange its lodgings. He later reports on the Alchemy Pavilion’s construction and Lu Xiangyang’s emerging talent 26 28.

Following the Murong Clan agreement, he proposes awarding its thirty Time Blessed Land places to the top thirty contestants in the clan’s talent competition. Before their departure, he entrusts their safety to Lu Fan 31 33.

When six Saint King experts prepare to attack, Lu Guangyao implements Lu Qingshan’s order to place the clan on level-one alert. Afterward, he proposes establishing an external intelligence organization whose connection to the Lu Clan will remain hidden. Lu Qingshan approves the plan and allocates half the clan treasury to it 35 37.

Recovering the Lush Wood Blessed Land

Having reached Half-Saint, Lu Guangyao visits the Supreme Purity Palace to demand the Lush Wood Blessed Land. He rejects the palace master’s claim that Qing Yun voluntarily presented it, invokes the Azure Feather Dynasty’s ties to the Lu Clan, and emphasizes that Qing Zhe is Lu Qingshan’s adopted son 49 50.

Despite outranking Lu Guangyao personally, the palace master fears retaliation from the Lu Clan’s Quasi-Emperors. He agrees to deliver the blessed land the next day and subsequently hands it over to Lu Qingshan 49 50.

Abilities & Skills

Intelligence Administration

Lu Guangyao oversees the development of the clan’s intelligence apparatus 6 20.

• Recognizes Chi Chen’s suitability for intelligence work and recruits him as a subordinate 17.
• Supervises a network covering practically all of Qingzhou 20.
• Proposes a separate, covert external organization working exclusively for the Lu Clan 37.
• His intelligence network is not all-knowing: he learns of the impending Saint King attack through Lu Qingshan rather than his own agents 35.

Diplomacy and Negotiation

He serves as a representative in dealings with outside powers 9 50.

• Explains the clan’s actions and alliance to Azure Feather Dynasty personnel 9.
• Secures the Supreme Purity Palace’s agreement to surrender the Lush Wood Blessed Land through political pressure rather than combat 50.

Cultivation Concealment

• Uses an ancestor’s means to prevent Chi Chen from discerning his cultivation during their first encounter 9.
• This concealment does not change the fact that he is only at the Spirit Master Realm at the time 9.

Relationships

• Lu Qingshan — Patriarch and superior. Assigns him responsibility for intelligence gathering and later funds his covert external organization 6 37.
• Sage Tianyan — Clan ancestor. His manifestation overturns Lu Guangyao’s skepticism; Lu Qingshan recommends him as a source of guidance for intelligence work 2 6.
• Chi Chen — Subordinate and key intelligence organizer. Their initially dismissive encounter develops into a productive working relationship after the Azure Feather Dynasty’s destruction 9 17 20.
• Lu Fan / Lin Bufan — A younger clansman Lu Guangyao helped look after following his parents’ deaths. Discovering his reincarnation initially saddens Lu Guangyao, but he later entrusts the clan’s young talents to him 6 33.
• Lu Chong — Great-grandson and winner of the clan’s genius competition. Lu Guangyao celebrates his success while warning him against arrogance 32 33.
• Lu Mutong and Lu Chen — Fellow elders. Together with Lu Qingshan, they form the clan’s early leadership and attend its first meeting with the ancestor 2.

Notable Quotes

“Put your mind at ease. What’s the Azure Dragon Gang? What’s the City Lord’s Manor? In the end, they’re just stepping stones for our Lu Clan.” 3

“This time, you had the advantage in cultivation. Once you’ve all reached the peak of the Spirit Concentration Realm, that’s when your true abilities will be tested.” 33