Chapter 43: Second Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm, Events of the Past Life
Time flowed onward relentlessly.
Unknowingly, another two years passed.
The seasons continuously alternated between spring, summer, autumn, and winter as the Lu Family steadily developed with every passing year.
Within these two years, numerous younger generation disciples entered the main family, many older cultivators reached the end of their lives, and several promising descendants gradually began revealing their talents.
Like an enormous ancient tree, the Lu Family continued growing generation after generation.
Among the older generation, another joyous occasion occurred.
Last year, Lu Tianhe officially married the daughter of the high ranking official from the Imperial Capital.
The marriage contract arranged many years ago had finally become reality.
Compared with Lu Yang’s wedding several years earlier, Lu Tianhe’s ceremony appeared somewhat simpler.
Although many cultivation families still attended, the scale naturally could not compare with the marriage alliance between the Lu Family and the Bai Family.
After all, one represented political ties, while the other represented an alliance between two of the strongest Spirit Awakening Realm cultivation clans throughout Canglan Prefecture.
Nevertheless, the ceremony remained exceptionally grand.
Following the wedding, the Family Head gradually began delegating more authority to Lu Tianhe.
After successfully entering the Spirit Awakening Realm, he had officially become one of the pillars of the Lu Family.
Many clan affairs previously handled personally by the Family Head were now slowly entrusted to him.
Numerous older cultivators secretly nodded in approval upon witnessing this. The next generation had finally begun taking over.
At almost the same time, another piece of good news spread throughout the Lu Family.
Lu Qingyu had also successfully crossed the great bottleneck, entering the Spirit Awakening Realm.
The younger of the Twin Stars had finally stepped into the ranks of true experts.
Unlike Lu Tianhe, however, Lu Qingyu’s advancement coincided with another important change within the family’s upper echelons.
The originally vacant position of External Affairs Grand Elder, left empty for well over a decade, finally welcomed a new master.
The Fourth Elder, who had remained at the peak of the Third Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm for many years, successfully broke through to the Fourth Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm.
Upon entering that level, he naturally possessed the qualifications to become the new External Affairs Grand Elder.
Thus, the positions of every elder shifted upward by one.
Lu Yang, originally the Twelfth Elder, became the Eleventh Elder, Lu Tianhe rose from the Thirteenth Elder to become the Twelfth, meanwhile Lu Qingyu officially assumed the position of the Thirteenth Elder.
Looking at the younger generation now occupying three elder positions simultaneously, many elderly cultivators couldn’t help sighing with emotion.
The era belonging to the older generation was gradually coming to an end.
Sooner or later, everything would belong to these youngsters.
At this moment, inside Lu Yang’s secluded cultivation chamber, complete silence reigned.
Lu Yang was seated cross-legged upon the familiar jade platform.
Compared with three years ago, the pressure radiating off his body had become noticeably stronger.
His Divine Sense continuously circulated through every part of his body while the Azure Moon Spirit Water Technique operated invisibly.
Invisible streams of heaven and earth Spirit Qi entered through every pore before gradually refining his Blood Qi.
The entire process appeared slow, yet every circulation strengthened his foundation.
Several breaths later, a powerful fluctuation spread throughout his body.
Unlike breaking through to the Spirit Awakening Realm no astonishing phenomenon or violent pressure erupted.
However, Lu Yang could clearly perceive the transformation occurring inside.
*Boom!*
His Blood Qi surged, the originally crimson gold streams gradually became several tenths denser.
Within that faint spirituality, another subtle transformation quietly completed itself, and every strand of Blood Qi appeared considerably heavier than before.
Simultaneously, his flesh, bones, meridians, and internal organs underwent another tempering.
The entire process lasted for six hours.
Only afterward did everything gradually calm down once more.
Several moments later, Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes.
A faint spiritual radiance flashed across his pupils before disappearing completely.
He subconsciously clenched his fist.
Immediately, powerful Blood Qi silently circulated beneath his skin.
Without releasing even the slightest aura, he could still clearly feel the tremendous increase in strength.
Second Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm!
He had finally broken through once more after nearly five years of cultivation!
Lu Yang slowly extended his Divine Sense outward.
Ten meters, eleven meters, until it finally stabilized around twelve meters with himself at the center.
Although merely increasing by two meters, the amount of improvement represented far more than simple distance.
His perception had become noticeably clearer, and even the Spirit Qi floating throughout the cultivation chamber appeared considerably easier to observe than before.
Lu Yang silently nodded.
The Body Tempering Realm focused primarily on externally tempering the physical body.
Using medicinal baths, medicinal herbs, spirit medicines, cultivation techniques, and countless external resources and methods, one gradually strengthened flesh and blood before producing Blood Qi, going from external to internal.
However, the Spirit Awakening Realm differed completely, emphasizing internal refinement, going from internal to external.
Using the Spirit Qi between heaven and earth, one continuously refined Blood Qi, and as Blood Qi became stronger, it naturally nourished the physical body, feeding back to it.
Divine Sense likewise gradually expanded, and the Blood Qi slowly developed increasingly profound spirituality.
Everything reinforced one another continuously.
This was the true path of the Spirit Awakening Realm.
Feeling the tremendous power flowing throughout his body, Lu Yang couldn’t help comparing himself with several years ago.
His pre-breakthrough self would probably struggle to withstand several dozen exchanges against his current state.
The higher one’s cultivation, the greater the difference between each minor realm, and at the same time, cultivation also became increasingly difficult.
Fortunately, according to his current speed, entering the Third Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm before reaching forty years old shouldn’t present much difficulty.
If everything proceeded smoothly afterward, breaking through to the middle stages of Spirit Awakening Realm before fifty would almost be a certainty.
That was also the benchmark countless Essence Gathering Realm factions used to evaluate their core geniuses.
Thinking this far, another figure suddenly surfaced within Lu Yang’s memories; Luo Tian.
His expression couldn’t help but turn slightly cold at the thought.
During these past several years, after becoming one of the Lu Family’s elders, he possessed considerably greater authority than before.
Naturally, he also secretly investigated many matters regarding the Azure Spirit Sect.
Although separated by an enormous distance, the Lu Family still possessed various information channels.
Piece by piece, combining intelligence gathered throughout these years with memories from his previous life, Lu Yang gradually reconstructed much of the truth.
Just as he had originally known, the Azure Spirit Sect indeed contained two major factions, the Sect Master’s faction and the Grand Elder’s faction.
Both continuously competed with one another, not merely outside the sect, but also internally.
They recruited talented disciples everywhere, and even among outer disciples, competition existed, only that ordinary disciples remained completely unaware.
Thinking carefully, Liao Cheng’s appearance during his previous life suddenly made complete sense.
Back then, he had inexplicably shown great appreciation towards Lu Yang despite his mediocre talent.
Now, everything finally possessed a reasonable explanation.
Liao Cheng wasn’t truly interested in him, rather, he represented the Grand Elder’s faction.
By supporting promising disciples, he naturally tied them closer to his own side, and once those disciples eventually grew stronger, their gratitude naturally strengthened the Grand Elder’s influence.
Originally, Lu Yang had simply been one of those investments.
Unfortunately, the Sect Master’s faction apparently discovered this, thus, those closely connected with the Grand Elder gradually became targets, especially the strongest among the outer disciples, the so-called top ten outer disciples.
Lu Yang slowly closed his eyes.
Thinking back now, his own talent had never deserved such treatment.
Throughout his previous life, he remained trapped forever beneath the Spirit Awakening Realm bottleneck.
Why would someone intentionally assassinate such an insignificant cultivator?
Now he understood; he was merely collateral damage.
It was purely an undeserved disaster.
Soon afterward, another thought surfaced in his mind.
After entering the Spirit Awakening Realm, Gu Changfeng eventually discovered Lu Yang’s murderer.
That person was apparently one of the key geniuses personally cultivated by the Sect Master’s faction.
Without hesitation, Gu Changfeng avenged Lu Yang, unfortunately, that single action completely changed everything.
The Sect Master’s faction naturally demanded justice.
Meanwhile, Luo Tian, possessing the greatest prestige among the Grand Elder faction’s disciples, and also the one who had initially roped in the Gu Family, ultimately abandoned the Gu Family altogether.
Not only that, he personally executed Gu Changfeng alongside the entire family of that key genius of the Sect Master’s faction to take out his anger, pinning all the blame onto Gu Changfeng cultivating a demonic technique to justify his actions.
It wasn’t because Gu Changfeng was wrong, but to preserve the Grand Elder faction’s reputation and give the Sect Master’s faction an explanation. Otherwise, the incident would have long spiraled out of control.
That was the greatest knot within Lu Yang’s heart.
He could accept dying himself; cultivators constantly walked alongside death, after all, and that was his past life already.
However, dragging someone close to him into that struggle, doing such brutal things, ruining Gu Changfeng and the Gu Family’s reputation after killing him and driving the Gu Family to a dead end...
His sworn brother risked his life, dying to get him justice.
That was something he could never truly let go.
Naturally, everything he currently understood remained merely speculation.
No, to be precise, educated deduction would be a more accurate term.
Every conclusion had been pieced together through countless fragments of information gathered throughout these years combined with hindsight from his previous life.
Otherwise, even possessing his current status, there was absolutely no possibility of uncovering such a scandal involving an Essence Gathering Realm force.
Only one question still remained unanswered.
Why?
Why had the Sect Master’s faction and the Grand Elder’s faction competed so fiercely?
It clearly wasn’t because either side coveted the Sect Master position.
If that alone were the objective, such ruthless methods would’ve been unnecessary.
There had to exist something even greater, something capable of making two Essence Gathering powerhouses secretly struggle against one another for decades.
Unfortunately, that mystery exceeded Lu Yang’s current qualifications.
He slowly opened his eyes once more as a faint sigh escaped his lips.
On the surface, the Azure Spirit Sect possessed over a hundred Spirit Awakening Realm inner disciples alone, not to mention the two Essence Gathering Realm powerhouses, one of whom was now Luo Tian himself.
Compared to such a colossal existence, the current Lu Yang was unbelievably weak.
Thinking this far, he quietly suppressed every distracting thought.
The past would eventually be settled, but not today.
Today, he still possessed only one objective: become stronger, as strong as possible.