Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

With his pseudo-core-level divine sense covering the river surface, Lu Yuan hadn't done anything unnecessary in the past ten days.

Not only because the person who broke through was of unknown origin, but also because he came here for a demon beast whose bloodline had successfully mutated and returned to the ancestral level, rather than for a high-grade bloodline that had failed to advance.

The latter cannot be said to be worthless, but it is clearly not worth Lu Yuan's great effort.

Therefore, since arriving at Baihe Market, the Lu family has not relied on its control over the market's formation to do anything. Instead, they have tried to minimize any potential interference in the surrounding area, just to wait for this one-in-a-million bloodline to return to its ancestral form.

"We simply look up to observe the spiritual energy and look down to examine the earth's energy."

"Judging from the changes in the Qi on the Bailan River, this monster that broke through should be a powerful wood-type monster located in the lower reaches of the Earth Rank."

"If we understand the fundamental principles, we should start with the Wood element (乙木). Then the Azure Moon Toad can be ruled out."

"As for the Three-Eyed Illusionary Heart Butterfly, its wood element is not as strong. It should belong to the Xun wood category, riding the wind and carrying the clouds."

"Yi Mu... I wonder what kind of monster it is..."

Frowning in thought, he realized that unlike a true elixir, a fake elixir is a "dead" embryo, lacking in spiritual awareness and intelligence, making it difficult to detect fluctuations in the spatial domain.

Therefore, Lu Yuan only sensed the vibration of the Yi Wood Spiritual Mechanism, and no other traces.

In his impression, these wood-type demons were usually average in combat, but they had an exceptionally long lifespan and often had the ability to enhance the growth of spiritual plants, making them highly favored by powerful forces.

For a moment, Lu Yuan was even more tempted.

……

"Qingyi, have all the documents been delivered?"

"It's here, please take a look, Uncle."

Several more days passed quietly.

The commotion at the bottom of the river had long since ceased, and Lu Yuan was certain that the unknown monster's advancement should have been completed.

But for some reason, the other party remained in the cave and showed no intention of leaving.

A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. Seeing this scene, the white-haired middle-aged man was not angry but pleased.

Very well, are you hiding inside and not coming out? This precisely proves that the other party is guilty.

If one comes from a family with a strong academic tradition and a powerful background, they would probably notify their teachers immediately when faced with such a significant event as a spirit beast reverting to its ancestral form.

A thought crossed his mind, but the middle-aged man with white hair remained calm.

He simply took the record from the girl in the yellow dress and checked the information she had registered again.

"Name... Xiao Huohuo?"

"Ugh, what a lousy name."

"Xiao Huohuo, xiao huohuo, why don't you call me Lu Guanguan?"

With a cold laugh, Lu Yuan continued reading.

Young people these days are so careless; they don't even know how to choose a decent pseudonym.

"Opening time...more than half a year ago."

"The tenant's cultivation level is mid-stage first-order body cultivator, and it's possible he's hiding it... He's actually a body cultivator?"

Shaking his head inwardly, Lu Yuan remembered very clearly that in the past hundred years, the Chen Kingdom had never had a powerful figure known throughout the world for his physical cultivation.

Moreover, physical cultivation for longevity is nowhere near as effective as Qi cultivation.

As expected, this was just a lucky rogue cultivator.

"Is everything ready?"

Setting the documents aside, Lu Yuan asked again:

"Ready."

Speaking softly, Lu Qingyi smiled sweetly.

"The non-Clan cultivator who has just successfully established his Foundation Establishment has arrived and is ready to be summoned at any time."

"If this rogue cultivator is unwilling to accept the family's invitation to visit the clan... then Fellow Daoist Yang will 'emerge from seclusion' here and announce that the recent Foundation Establishment phenomenon was caused by his successful Foundation Establishment."

"In Baihe Market, there are never any rogue cultivators or spirit beasts who break through in seclusion."

"As for other effects, Qingyi had already made arrangements. She mobilized the power of the great formation to cover it up the moment she discovered that the weather was not right during the breakthrough."

"Apart from family members, no one knows who the Foundation Establishment cultivator is."

"Whether they are human or demon... it's all up to us to decide."

The arrangements were well-thought-out and logically sound.

According to Lu Qingyi's preparations, the goal can be achieved without damaging the reputation of the Xuanfu Lu Clan, which has lasted for thousands of years.

Even if it arouses some suspicion among the public, it's nothing more than a minor ailment, and no concrete evidence can be presented.

Nodding slowly, Lu Yuan found it difficult to find fault with the arrangements made for this junior member of the clan.

"Well done...it seems the years of training in the market have paid off."

"After this matter, you should return to your family."

"It was just some playful bickering between younger generations; it's all in the past now."

"Looking back on it in the future, it might even be an interesting story."

"what?"

"This...Grand Uncle..."

Her smile froze, and she bit her lip slightly; the girl in the yellow dress hadn't expected such an answer.

Although returning to her family sooner would be a good thing in theory, she really didn't want to go back now.

"Grand Uncle, Qingyi has recently had some premonitions, and is about to establish her foundation. Why not return to the clan after she has achieved this?"

"Um?"

"So fast? I remember you only had a high-grade spiritual root, right?"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan was taken aback, somewhat surprised by Lu Qingyi's cultivation speed, but he didn't investigate further.

After all, as long as one is willing to pay the price, using spiritual items and resources that are of great use to Foundation Establishment cultivators, Qi Refining cultivators can also accelerate their cultivation speed.

Otherwise, the cultivation world wouldn't see so many stories of rogue cultivators seizing opportunities and achieving remarkable success every now and then.

"Since that's the case, you should focus on your cultivation. Why don't you stay here for a few more years?"

"For cultivators, a higher spiritual vein isn't necessarily better."

"With your talent in talismanic arts, you may well receive family support in the future, advance to the Pseudo-Core Realm, and dominate the Chen Kingdom for hundreds of years."

"I'll go ahead and see the true form of this Earth-grade demon beast."

Without further delay, leaving behind a word of encouragement, Lu Yuan flashed onto the Bailan River.

The barrier flickered, and the water surface slowly parted.

Taking three steps at a time, the massive stone gate of the underwater cave was soon in sight.

dong dong——

He knocked gently on the door, which seemed very polite.

As a fake cultivator of the Lu family, Lu Yuan felt he should demonstrate his hospitality and make this rogue cultivator feel at home.

But the stone door didn't react at all in front of him, as if there was no one inside.

"..."

"Um?"

Lu Yuan smiled slightly as he looked at the quietly standing cave dwelling.

In his early years, when he first created the fake elixir, he was full of vigor and traveled to the State of Chen.

He remembered encountering a weak monster called the Bone-Carrying Sparrow at the edge of the Wanze Mountains.

This beast is six or seven feet tall, with hooves like a camel, a very long neck, short wings that prevent it from flying, and powerful legs that allow it to run like a horse.

What's most interesting is that this kind of monster will hide its head when it encounters danger, pretending that nothing has happened, which is quite amusing.

Of course, the reason why this kind of monster has not become extinct is because it has a unique bloodline talent that can reduce its presence and make people subconsciously ignore it.

For human cultivators to do this is simply burying their heads in the sand...

……

P.S.: Ostriches are ancient names for ostriches, but ostriches do not actually play dumb when faced with danger; this is a misconception.

However, given the widespread nature of this misunderstanding, let's just assume it's true.