Chapter 948: Switching Paths, Stirring Ripples

“A legendary grand cultivator, the Tianyuan True Lord?”

Lu Shouzheng’s cultivation was still shallow; he’d never heard the name.

But the words “legendary grand cultivator” alone told him how weighty that title was.

Only the top experts who roamed the cultivation world—Nascent Soul True Lords—could be called legendary.

His own parents had actually obtained the legacy of such a figure?

Seeing the faint expectation in his mother’s eyes, Lu Shouzheng answered in a low voice, “Your son is willing to try.”

“Back then your mother and I bonded in the Tianyuan Secret Realm and obtained this legacy. Maybe fate meant it for you.”

Lu Changsheng smiled and handed over the jade slip.

Talk of fate and fortune sounds airy, but cultivators take it seriously.

For example, if a cultivator gets a chance, a legacy, or a treasure he can’t use, they call it ‘fate not yet arrived.’

And if you seize someone else’s chance or treasure, you can always say, ‘this thing is fated for me.’

“Tianyuan Secret Realm?”

Lu Shouzheng had always wondered why his mother would be with his father without asking for status.

But on that matter he had no way to know.

He couldn’t question his mother either, so he kept the doubt to himself.

Hearing Lu Changsheng mention it now, he etched “Tianyuan Secret Realm” into his mind, planning to inquire later.

Then he solemnly accepted the legacy jade slip, pressed it to his brow, and probed it with his divine sense.

Tianyuan Sutra, Tianyuan Sword Manual, Nirvana Golden Body.

Just as his father said, the legacy was profound and vast, like an ocean that accepts all rivers.

Beyond the core method, the Tianyuan Sutra, there were body-refining arts, soul arts, and a whole series of divine techniques.

Lu Shouzheng looked to the core Tianyuan Sutra.

The scripture was abstruse and dense, yet he could barely make out the introductory Qi Refining chapter.

“This method outstrips the Seven Luminary Sword Manual I’m cultivating now!”

In just a moment he realized the Tianyuan Sutra was more profound than his Seven Luminary Sword Manual.

He sank into the Qi Refining chapter for a long time. When he finally came back to himself, he breathed, “Worthy of a legendary True Lord’s legacy.”

He’d reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining and already birthed divine sense.

Even so, just the entry section of the Tianyuan Sutra refused to yield at a glance.

If it were a mortal who hadn’t even started cultivating, how hard would it be to get started?

Lu Shouzheng felt no discouragement.

In fact a streak of competitiveness rose—he wanted to try cultivating it to completion.

“Well?” Lu Changsheng asked with a smile when his son woke from immersion.

“The Tianyuan Sutra is incredibly profound. I need some time to comprehend before I can even enter the door.”

Lu Shouzheng said so honestly.

He could have asked Lu Changsheng directly.

But because of his mother, he held a grudge against the man before him and didn’t want to ask favors.

“I’m asking how it compares with the Seven Luminary Sword Manual. Is it a better fit for you?”

Lu Changsheng knew this son had opinions about him, but he didn’t mind.

“That… I don’t know,” Lu Shouzheng shook his head.

He could only feel that the Tianyuan Sutra surpassed the Seven Luminary Sword Manual.

Whether it suited him better, he couldn’t tell.

“Come on then.”

Lu Changsheng lifted his hand. An oval bronze mirror and a faceless crystal-clear puppet appeared.

They were the Dongxuan Treasure Mirror and the Faceless Homunculus.

He’d gone back to Bihu Mountain for the jade slips and brought these two teaching artifacts along.

“What’s that?”

Lu Shouzheng recognized the Dongxuan Treasure Mirror.

Lu Ping’an had used it to test his cultivation state before.

But the Faceless Homunculus he didn’t know.

Not just him—Chu Qingyi at his side also looked at the puppet in surprise.

“This is called a Faceless Homunculus.” Lu Changsheng gave a simple explanation of its effects and uses.

The two of them were astonished.

Especially Chu Qingyi.

As a sect cultivator she instantly realized how much this puppet could help disciples train.

If the Azure Cloud Sect could have more of these, the overall quality of its disciples would rise a level.

Lu Changsheng didn’t elaborate.

He used the Dongxuan Treasure Mirror to reflect Lu Shouzheng’s body and cultivation.

Then he fed the data and the Seven Luminary Sword Manual into the Faceless Homunculus.

As the puppet simulated cultivation and ran the method, it showed Lu Shouzheng had no issues with the Seven Luminary Sword Manual and even trained faster than most.

After the puppet simulated him breaking the Seven Luminary Sword Manual to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, Lu Changsheng swapped in the Tianyuan Sutra and continued the simulation.

Though Lu Changsheng hadn’t cultivated this method himself,

and hadn’t spent time studying it,

at his current realm and with his insight, a single look let him fully grasp the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment chapters.

As the Faceless Homunculus ran the Tianyuan Sutra, it was clear Lu Shouzheng could cultivate it smoothly.

As for whether it would outperform the Seven Luminary Sword Manual, that was hard to judge.

That was a limitation of the homunculus.

If a method is too profound, it can’t simulate detailed effects.

And cultivation depends on temperament and state of mind, which it can’t model either.

Lu Shouzheng’s current problem was exactly that—Chu Qingyi felt he didn’t truly mesh with the Seven Luminary Sword Manual.

Even so, it was clear he could switch to the Tianyuan Sutra without any issues.

“Looks like it’s quite a good fit for him,” Lu Changsheng said to Chu Qingyi with a smile.

“Mm.”

The Seven Luminary Sword Manual was already a top-tier sword art,

but Chu Qingyi still hoped her son could master the Tianyuan Sutra.

After all, it was the legacy of the legendary Tianyuan True Lord.

If he inherited it, his future would go much farther.

Next, Lu Changsheng used the Dongxuan Treasure Mirror to help Lu Shouzheng get started on the Tianyuan Sutra.

The latter didn’t want to accept too much help from him,

but with Lu Changsheng shoving unasked favors at him, there was no way to refuse.

He could only accept with mixed feelings.

With that, and with the mirror’s help, Lu Shouzheng grasped the Tianyuan Sutra in just a day and began switching over.

Normally, converting all your magical energy into a new attribute wastes a lot of time.

This is where having a good father shines.

Lu Changsheng ran the Yin-Yang Creation Sutra and reversed his son’s Seven Luminary energy into neutral spiritual power.

That made the switch take half the effort.

It would only cost a third, even a fifth, of the usual time.

But there was a drawback.

During the transition, Lu Shouzheng couldn’t run or use the Seven Luminary Sword Manual at all, which crippled his combat power.

“This magical energy…”

As Lu Changsheng used Yin-Yang power to reverse his energy, Lu Shouzheng sensed something off.

His father’s energy didn’t feel like Core Formation power.

Normally a Qi Refining cultivator can’t tell Core Formation from Nascent Soul power.

But Lu Shouzheng had a Core Formation mother,

and he’d met many Core Formation cultivators.

He could vaguely feel that his father’s power far exceeded any Core Formation he’d sensed,

including his mother’s aura.

Wasn’t his mother late Core Formation, stronger than his father?

He was puzzled. Eyes wide, he looked at Lu Changsheng in surprise.

Noticing that look, Lu Changsheng smiled. “What is it, Shouzheng?”

“Nothing,” Lu Shouzheng shook his head softly.

Everyone has their secrets.

Since Lu Changsheng didn’t say, he wouldn’t pry.

Besides, it’s common knowledge by now that his father isn’t as simple as he looks.

Almost every cultivator in the Jiang Kingdom knows the Talisman Lu Family’s Changsheng True Lord has great fortune and deep secrets.

“Heh.” Lu Changsheng shook his head at his son’s stiff manner, finding the boy a bit dull.

Then he said, “You’ll learn about me in time.”

“I understand,” Lu Shouzheng answered in the hall.

Watching the way father and son got along, Chu Qingyi couldn’t help a quiet sigh.

She knew it stemmed from her rushing to the Liang-Yue War back then and leaving her son to be fostered at Bihu Mountain.

She’d spoken to him about it and told him not to blame Lu Changsheng. He’d said he understood.

But he still couldn’t let go of the resentment and be close with Lu Changsheng like Lu Qingshan and Lu Wangshu were.

“It’s fine.” Noticing her mood, Lu Changsheng sent a gentle voice transmission to soothe her.

He knew that when it came to feelings she was soft and tangled. He didn’t want her fretting.

Lu Changsheng didn’t stay long at the Azure Cloud Sect.

After half a month with Chu Qingyi, he said he had other matters.

Someone would be attempting a Nascent Soul breakthrough on Yangming Mountain soon; she could come observe. It would help when she sought her own breakthrough later.

“A Nascent Soul attempt…” Chu Qingyi’s beautiful eyes widened.

She hadn’t expected someone around Lu Changsheng to be aiming for Nascent Soul already.

“Is it Fellow Daoist Li Muwan?” she guessed at once.

“That’s right.” Lu Changsheng nodded with a smile, and told her she could also make her attempt on Yangming Mountain in the future.

Yangming Mountain was the Heavenly Sword Sect’s former dojo, and its spiritual vein suited a sword cultivator like her for a breakthrough.

“Nascent Soul…” Chu Qingyi pressed her red lips together.

She’d reached the seventh layer of Core Formation, but Nascent Soul was still far off. She didn’t feel confident.

“Don’t worry. With me here, my Qingyi will have Nascent Soul in the bag.”

Seeing her state, Lu Changsheng thought it necessary to put her through more tempering with a heart-demon secret art in the future.

“I wonder if Sumeru, after advancing to fourth rank, will have its mind-cleansing, demon-breaking effects help against the heart demon tribulation?”

He thought of the Spirit-Eye Tree he’d drawn in a lottery. Sumeru was likely to advance soon.

If they attempted Nascent Soul inside Sumeru Cave Heaven, could Sumeru help?

If not, could branches of Sumeru serve as top-grade heart tribulation spirit items?

He didn’t dwell on it. He’d study it once Sumeru advanced to fourth rank.

After returning to Bihu Mountain, Lu Changsheng didn’t delay.

After giving instructions to Lu Miaoge and Lu Ping’an, he took Lu Qingshan and Lu Wangshu to cultivate on Yangming Mountain.

Looking at Yangming Mountain—the former Heavenly Sword Sect—Lu Qingshan felt a surge of emotion.

In his early years he’d visited several times.

But now the former hegemon of the Jiang Kingdom and holy land of the sword had changed hands.

Its spiritual vein and dojo had become their family’s foundation.

How could he not feel moved?

Lu Wangshu felt the same.

“Let’s go.” After taking them into Yangming Mountain, Lu Changsheng directly handed the Nine Calamity Sword to Lu Qingshan for insight.

“???” Lu Qingshan stared at the sword, utterly baffled.

Rumor had it that the Yangming True Lord wielded this blade to end the Liang-Yue War and slay several Nascent Soul cultivators.

And now his father had just handed it to him so casually?

“Father, why does this sword feel alive?”

The moment he gripped it, he sensed a faint breath of life.

He realized it wasn’t the same as the Great Luo Sword Embryo or other flying swords.

“That’s right.” Lu Changsheng explained that the Nine Calamity Sword was originally a single blade of grass.

In the sword state, holding it let him grasp the Nine-Leaf Sword Technique and aided his comprehension.

“Once you’ve mostly grasped the technique, you can observe the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass itself to deepen your insight.”

After saying that to his son, Lu Changsheng left him be.

“…” Lu Qingshan had no words at how offhand his father was.

But sensing the Nine-Leaf Sword Technique flowing from the sword, he stopped asking questions and hurried off to comprehend, thrilled.

“Wangshu, go catch up with Lingxiao.”

Lu Changsheng didn’t rush to help his daughter cultivate divine arts. He planned to see Hong Lian first,

to ask about her timeline for a Nascent Soul breakthrough,

and to use Peach Blossom Dao Rhyme through dual cultivation to buff her before the attempt.

“I can attempt Nascent Soul anytime.”

Hong Lian had long been ready. No need to brew any longer.

“In that case, we’ll start as soon as A’Gui arrives.”

With Lu Changsheng sitting in Yangming Mountain there was no fear of trouble,

but its grand array hadn’t been rebuilt and was only at quasi-fourth-rank strength.

To be safe, he chose to wait for the Turtle Immortal Patriarch to bring Zhenhai Sect cultivators over.

Then, through dual cultivation, Lu Changsheng pushed as much Peach Blossom Dao Rhyme into Hong Lian as he could.

Meanwhile, the news that five Nascent Soul True Lords had provoked the Immortal City of Damengze, with four suppressed and one fleeing, spread from the Jiang Kingdom to neighboring states.

Powers in the Jin, Yue, and Yuan kingdoms all received word at once.

True Lord Yin Lei, True Lord Qingcang, True Lord Jinfeng, Lady Yulan, True Lord Luo Yu…

When the Heaven Corpse Sect Master read the report, he was utterly shocked.

Each of those five was no weaker than he was.

Jinfeng and Luo Yu were even a cut above him.

Yet all five had been crushed by the Yangming True Lord without a chance to fight back.

The lord of Luofu Mountain, a top giant of the Northern Region, had also appeared in the Immortal City, according to the report.

The battle seemed to have been nudged along from the shadows by the lord of Luofu Mountain.

Yan Wujiang pondered for a long time, then sent a message to Ah Youduo to ask if she knew the inside story.

After this long, he’d confirmed that Ah Youduo had a thing with the Yangming True Lord—closer than he could ever be.

At that moment Ah Youduo was already on the road to the Jiang Kingdom after receiving Lu Changsheng’s message. Seeing the Heaven Corpse Sect Master’s inquiry, she replied blankly that she didn’t know and kept hurrying on.

The Five Poisons Sect and the Heaven Corpse Sect were allies, and the two of them had been in alliance for years.

But the uncrowned king of the Jin Kingdom was now Lu Changsheng, the Yangming True Lord.

So her relationship with the Heaven Corpse Sect Master had shifted from old allies to colleagues and competitors.

As for Lu Changsheng messaging her to come to the Jiang Kingdom, she certainly wouldn’t tell him.