Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 196 - 140: First Layer of Qi Cultivation! Verdict

Chapter 196: Chapter 140: First Layer of Qi Cultivation! Verdict

After that, Hong Yuan, whether out of nostalgia for the past or thinking of his descendants’ futures, returned to officialdom—and won the female emperor’s favor.

The Empress reached out to him some time ago and spoke to him about this matter.

But—

Suddenly, a trace of difficulty appeared on his face.

"Please, Teacher, speak freely."

Hong Yuan sighed, "Her Majesty had wanted to meet you directly, to discuss entering the Spirit Realm. But that idea was shot down by others."

"If not for Senior Yan Yun standing up and arguing your case, I wouldn’t have been able to bring you the news."

Lu Chang’sheng frowned.

So it seems, the appearance of the Spirit Realm has made a few of those Innate Martial Artists around Zhu Qing change their attitudes.

Otherwise, given the current situation—and my ability to stand against evil cultivators—unless the Empress and her circle are complete fools, there’s no reason for them to pick a fight with me at this juncture.

"Were there any conditions from their side?"

Lu Chang’sheng asked.

Hong Yuan nodded.

This was precisely the part troubling him.

These days, the name Lu Chang’sheng rings louder than the Great Yuan imperial clan—even some consider him an Immortal.

Now, to demand that a figure like this personally perform the formal rites of a subject before the Emperor—it’s clearly an insult.

But Lu Chang’sheng just smiled, completely unbothered.

If you’re the one seeking help, naturally you have to play by the rules.

If you want help and still demand to keep up appearances, well, the world doesn’t work like that.

Besides, as for what those Innates are scheming, Lu Chang’sheng sees through it all.

At bottom, they just want to ride the wave from when I cut open the rain curtain to gift General Qi, and use my reputation to prop up Great Yuan’s standing.

"It’s fine. Just a trifling matter. Even if Teacher hadn’t asked, I’d have done it anyway."

Lu Chang’sheng’s easygoing attitude made everyone present visibly relax.

"By the way, Uncle Guan, what’s the situation with old Yu?"

As he was preparing to leave, Lu Chang’sheng asked.

Guan Hongxiu sighed, torn between regret and exasperation. "Hard to believe I brought into the world such a hopeless specimen."

Daoist Ruyi and Hong Yuan both twitched at the corners of their mouths.

They were more inclined to think Guan Hongxiu constantly used Yu Hai to test his medicines, which, quite frankly, made it impossible to have an heir.

Of course, that’s not something you just say out loud.

"Don’t worry. Once we’re in the Spirit Realm, I’ll take care of it myself. No need to bother with that useless fool."

Even Guan Hongxiu was starting to regret things.

If only I’d thought to work both ends, arrange for Yu Hai to take concubines, and do the same myself—wouldn’t be in such a mess now.

"Old Yu’s done his utmost, truly. Why things haven’t worked out, probably comes down to constitution."

Constitution?

Guan Hongxiu and Hong Yuan blanked out for a moment.

What’s infertility got to do with constitution?

Guan Hongxiu muttered under his breath, but didn’t argue with Lu Chang’sheng—instead, said, "I’ve let it go. Better to rely on myself than others. Once we get to the Spirit Realm, if I can perk up a little, I’ll give it a shot."

Watching Guan Hongxiu put on his ’who else but me should enter hell’ routine, Lu Chang’sheng suddenly felt like a piece of untouched serenity in the depths of his heart had cracked.

So, love really does fade, doesn’t it?

Uncle Guan kept up a devoted persona for years—just like that, it’s gone?

"Hmph, shameless old coot!"

No surprise, the only one who’d say that was Daoist Ruyi.

Hong Yuan laughed awkwardly, not sure who she was referring to.

"One more thing. It concerns the evil cultivators."

He quickly changed the subject.

Immediately, everyone perked up.

"Two years back, a great battle broke out in Jinghua Prefecture—so loud, you could hear it for miles. Afterwards, rumors spread that it was a clash of immortals."

Ever since demonic creatures started causing frequent trouble, communications slowed way down. Now, exchanges between prefectures have become abnormally sluggish.

But this degree of delay is rare—seems likely some power is meddling behind the scenes.

"The shift in official stance, perhaps, is thanks to that very power stirring things up from behind."

Lu Chang’sheng mused inwardly; any trace of annoyance melted away.

If the Empress really has an immortal backing her, then lowering my own stance is fair enough.

······

The Empress hadn’t set a date, so Lu Chang’sheng asked Hong Yuan to send word via Cang Ying, then began his preparations.

The next morning, after saying a word to Lu Chang’an, he quietly set off.

Now, his true qi swelled within him, forming a complete circulation, so he wasn’t the least worried about running out. Pushing forward at high speed, come nightfall, he reached the gates of Black Mountain Prefecture’s Shi Mansion.

"Sorry, Scholar Lu, but I’ll have to trouble you to head to the yamen, and pay your respects according to protocol!"

A minor official hurried over at the sound, wearing a sheepish smile and acting with great care.

Pretending at the gate of a prime ministerial residence was one thing—but the Emperor of Great Yuan herself was inside.

No surprise the gate guards weren’t just your usual hired hands without any official status.

This guy was pretty proud of having the duty of guarding the Empress’s gate—until right now, where regret gnawed at him.

He recalled a few nights ago, when one of the higher-ups had come to personally instruct him—follow the rules to the letter, no exceptions, no matter who it was. Back then, he hadn’t thought much of it, just assumed the volatile times called for extra caution, like the disaster from decades past. Perfectly sensible.

But as soon as he announced Lu Chang’sheng’s arrival to the inner mansion, he got shown the door—’shut out’.

In official circles, it’s a common enough tactic—basically means, "don’t bother coming to me."

Luckily, while he fidgeted, a servant quietly told him, just stick to protocol—the Scholar Lu won’t make trouble for you.

It was then the realization clicked—those earlier instructions all made sense together in a flash.

This was a trap laid for Scholar Lu.

How could he not be nervous, realizing that?

After all, the man was practically called an Earth Immortal.

So, as he made his way back, his heart was unsettled, his face covered by a fawning smile.

"It’s all good, I understand. Oh, would you mind making a pot of tea?"

"Of course, sir! Right away!"

Watching the official hurry off, Lu Chang’sheng smiled, not the least offended.

"He’s surprisingly well-mannered."

From a distant pavilion, an elderly man with a boy’s features and a crane’s hair watched Lu Chang’sheng sit tall and straight, his tense face finally relaxing.

"The old ancestor’s eyes never miss!" Zhu Qing stood alongside, voice soft.

"Too bad—the spirit root is just too poor. Even if he enters Supreme Profound Sect, he won’t get far." The old man’s tone shifted, calm but dismissive.

"I used Spiritual Eye Technique to assess his spirit root talent—quite ordinary. By the usual measures, he’d barely qualify for a D-class rank, bottom tier. With talent like that, you could scoop up a handful anywhere in the Spirit Realm."

"You recommended him to me—and I have to admit, I’m disappointed."

"This—" Zhu Qing hadn’t expected this outcome at all. Given her own spirit root and sharply attuned spiritual sense, she’d noticed something different about Lu Chang’sheng. So, after learning there was a Zhu Family in the Spirit Realm, she naturally wanted to contribute to them.

And, at the same time, build her own power base.

Where there are people, there will always be competition—to pull Lu Chang’sheng over and support each other is a good thing.

"Ancestor, are you sure the Spiritual Eye Technique is accurate?"

Zhu Qing was quite confident in her spiritual sense, so she couldn’t help but ask.

The old man didn’t lose his temper.

Zhu Qing’s talent was solid—given proper cultivation, she’d easily step up as an elder of Zhu Family some day.

After all, to become an elder meant your cultivation had to reach late-stage Qi Cultivation.

So, no need to get upset over some minor issue.

Besides, he didn’t have that level of authority anyway.

The Zhu Family isn’t much of a big clan, but with more than ten thousand members and the backing of Supreme Profound Sect, they at least have a name in their own corner of the world.

And there are plenty of old-timers like him who’ve been put out to pasture!

Which is why, when he discovered this branch of the family carried Zhu blood, already verified to have a C-class, bottom-grade spirit root, he counted it as a personal achievement.

"Spiritual Eye Technique is a kind of observation arts. It’s not 100 percent reliable for judging someone’s talent, but it’s a pretty strong indicator."

"Especially since I’m stronger than him, and I’ve spent years refining this technique, so the odds of being wrong are slim."

"Even if I did miss something, the possible fluctuation in his spirit root talent wouldn’t be much—at best, D-class, mid-tier."

The old man smiled slightly, "D-class mid-tier—there are plenty even in the Spirit Realm. For such as those, reaching third layer Qi Cultivation is about as good as it gets."