When the old doctor led Lu Qing, following the direction of the jade tablet's fluctuations, they searched all the way there.
In a certain area of Qinglong City, inside a tall tower, an old man in black who was meditating and practicing martial arts suddenly changed his expression, opened his eyes, looked at a jade plate in front of him, and revealed a strange look in his eyes.
He calculated with his fingers for a while, and his expression gradually became serious.
After a moment's hesitation, he shook a rope beside him.
A melodious sound of a copper bell rang out, and soon a middle-aged man dressed in gray cloth, holding an abacus, respectfully entered.
"Elder, what are your instructions?"
"We have distinguished guests arriving soon. Please prepare yourselves and come with me to greet them," the old man said softly.
The middle-aged man was taken aback, then quickly replied, "Yes, Elder."
But a sense of curiosity arose in his heart: who was this person who could make the elder, who usually disliked seeing people, take the initiative to go out and greet him?
Could it be that one of the major families in the city, or some important figure from the city lord's mansion, is coming?
Just as the middle-aged man finished making arrangements, the elder in black came down from upstairs.
"Elder..."
The middle-aged man was about to step forward to say something when the elder in black raised his hand to stop him.
"Our distinguished guest has arrived. Please come with me to greet him."
The middle-aged man had no choice but to shut his mouth and follow the elder outside.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw the old doctor and Lu Qing standing there, looking somewhat hesitant.
"Master, are you sure this is the place?"
Lu Qing looked at the tower and found it to be quite ordinary, without even a plaque, and it did not seem to be a stronghold of a major sect.
Only the star pattern engraved on the door seems to hold some mystery.
"It should be right. The anomaly received by the jade tablet originated from this tower," the old doctor said.
Just as Lu Qing was thinking about whether to use his supernatural abilities to investigate, he suddenly saw an old man in black and a middle-aged man holding an abacus walk out of the tower.
"It is truly an honor to have friends coming from afar. You two distinguished guests, I, an old man, greet you."
Before Lu Qing could speak, he saw the old man in black bow to him and his master.
"Old man, what's wrong with you...?"
Lu Qing's heart stirred slightly, and a look of doubt appeared on his face, but he secretly activated his supernatural ability.
"My name is Xuanjizi. I am temporarily in charge of the Tianji Tower branch in Qinglong City. I have come here specifically to welcome you two distinguished guests."
After the old man in black saw Lu Qing and the old doctor's faces clearly, his smile became even more amiable.
Lu Qing used his special ability to identify the two people in front of him and knew that they were not lying.
However, he still looked puzzled: "But old man, how did you know we were coming?"
Could it be that the divination methods of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion are truly so profound that they can even predict his and his master's whereabouts?
“The old man is naturally not skilled enough to predict your movements.”
Xuanjizi seemed to see through Lu Qing's thoughts and smiled, "I knew you two were coming because of the jade tablet your master was holding."
Lu Qing looked at the jade tablet in his master's hand and suddenly realized.
It seems that this jade tablet is bidirectional; not only can they know the location of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, but the other party can also sense their arrival.
No wonder Li Zhirui said that as long as he took the jade token to Zhongzhou, he would understand.
"I see. This is my master, Lu Qing. Greetings, Senior Xuanjizi." Lu Qing bowed.
"As expected, it is Young Master Lu and Doctor Chen Songqing. Please come in." Xuanjizi gestured for them to enter.
Lu Qing and the old doctor exchanged glances, and without refusing, they walked into the tower.
After being seated inside and served tea, Lu Qing took a small sip before saying:
"Senior Xuanjizi, you even know the names of my master and me. Is this information left by Lord Zhirui?"
“Indeed, Junior Nephew Zhi Rui left portraits of the two of you here, saying that you should come here within a year or two. However, I did not expect that you two would only come to Qinglong City now.”
"How is His Excellency Zhi Rui doing lately?" the old doctor asked with some concern.
He quite liked that distinguished young man.
“Nephew Zhi Rui made a breakthrough in his cultivation last year and has already returned to the Central Continent headquarters for secluded cultivation. Judging by the calculations, it should be about time for him to emerge from seclusion.” Xuanjizi was quite frank.
"Oh, Your Excellency Zhi Rui has broken through to the Innate Realm?"
Lu Qing's heart stirred. When he met that person back then, he was already a martial arts grandmaster who had honed his divine soul power, and his ranking on the Hidden Dragon List was higher than his.
If he were to break through again, he would likely only be able to enter the Innate Realm.
“Indeed, Junior Nephew Zhi Rui has been exceptionally talented since childhood. He is one of the most outstanding disciples of our Tianji Tower generation. It is no surprise that he was able to reach the Innate Realm.”
"Impressive," Lu Qing praised.
Xuanjizi secretly sized up Lu Qing.
If he remembered correctly, the young man in front of him had also been on the Hidden Dragon List two years ago, which caused quite a stir at the time.
Now, more than two years have passed, and it's unknown what level his cultivation has reached.
However, when Xuanjizi tried to sense Lu Qing's cultivation level, he found that his soul perception was completely unable to detect the situation inside Lu Qing's body.
It was as if a thick fog enveloped Lu Qing, obscuring all his information and making him impossible to see through.
Xuanjizi was slightly startled, knowing that there were generally only two possibilities for this situation.
One possibility is that Lu Qing has cultivated some special secret technique that allows him to perfectly conceal his aura so that it cannot be detected by outsiders.
Another point is that Lu Qing possesses a rare treasure that can shield others from sensing his divine soul power.
He prefers the latter possibility.
After all, Lu Qing is too young. Even if he has mastered the secret technique, his skill level is probably not high enough.
Moreover, according to their Tianji Tower's intelligence, two years ago, Lu Qingcai was only at the Inner Organ Realm.
Even if one's progress is rapid now, at such close range, it shouldn't be possible to hide it from someone who has been at the Innate Realm for many years.
Having made his judgment, Xuanjizi then turned his attention to the old doctor.
Upon seeing this, he was stunned again.
Because he discovered that he also couldn't fathom the old doctor's level of skill.
If Lu Qing is shrouded in mystery, making him impossible to understand...
At this moment, the old doctor was completely calm, just like an ordinary old man, nothing special.
But Xuanjizi knew that the old doctor couldn't be an ordinary old man.
His junior brother Zhi Rui had clearly told him that this old doctor was not only a highly skilled cultivator at the Innate Realm, but also possessed the light of merit, making him far more extraordinary than ordinary Innate Realm martial artists.
"It seems that this person's cultivation has made great progress in the past two years. He truly deserves to be called a virtuous person who possesses the light of merit." Xuanjizi exclaimed in his heart.
Upon meeting him, Lu Qing and the old doctor, this master and apprentice pair, gave him quite a shock.
No wonder Junior Nephew Zhi Rui solemnly instructed him to treat these two people well.
Lu Qing could also sense that Xuanjizi was observing him and his master.
However, he didn't care and instead showed a humble expression: "Senior Xuanjizi, my master and I have come here this time to ask you some questions."
"I wouldn't presume to ask for your guidance. May I ask what you two wish to ask?" Xuanjizi said.
"We want to know what the current situation is like in the world, and what the situation is like in Zhongzhou."
To be honest, we encountered quite a few things on our way here from home.
Some sects even openly defied the sacred decree. One of their elders, a senior cultivator at the Innate Realm, openly set up an evil array to refine the flesh and blood of martial artists as resources for his own cultivation.
However, this act, which angered both heaven and man, did not result in any repercussions from the sacred mountain.
My master and I are quite puzzled by this, and we would appreciate your guidance.
Lu Qing said with a somewhat serious expression.
"What? There are already people at the Innate Realm outside using living people as sacrifices to cultivate evil arts?"
Xuanjizi was taken aback upon hearing this.
"Indeed, the one who committed this evil deed is the Liuyun Sect of Yunzhou. Senior, now there are signs of unrest in the surrounding states. If the Holy Mountain and the major sects of Zhongzhou do not take action, it will be difficult to salvage the situation before long."
Xuanjizi fell silent.
After a while, he sighed deeply: "I didn't expect the situation outside to have reached this point. Unfortunately, even the Holy Mountain is probably powerless to help in this situation."
Lu Qing and his master exchanged a glance, and Lu Qing asked, "Senior, what is the reason for this?"
"Both of you are exceptionally gifted and talented individuals. You should have sensed the nine Daoist sounds that resounded throughout the heavens and earth a while ago, right?"
"We did sense something, and it was because of this that my master and I decided to go to Zhongzhou to find out what was going on."
"The Dao sound resounds nine times, and the great change in heaven and earth officially begins. Spiritual energy is reviving, and evil spirits are reappearing. Do you two know what this means?" Xuanjizi asked.
Lu Qing paused for a moment, then humbly said, "I would like to hear the details."
"In recent years, haven't there been rumors circulating throughout the world that the world is about to undergo a great change?"
This is not a rumor, but a fact.
The recent sounds of the Dao of Heaven and Earth signified that the changes in the world had truly begun, and the legendary spiritual energy was starting to revive.
You two have traveled a long way to reach Zhongzhou; you must have sensed the changes in the world along the way, right?
The old doctor nodded: "There is indeed a very peculiar energy in the world."
"That strange energy is the legendary spiritual energy. It is said that as long as a martial artist with innate talent can refine spiritual energy and make it his own, he can make further progress."
"I ask you both, if this rumor is true, what will happen to those Innate Realm martial artists who have stagnated in their cultivation for many years?"
"In the path of martial arts, one should be courageous and enterprising. Martial artists all pursue their own strength. If such an opportunity truly arises, those experts at the Innate Realm will surely be overjoyed," Lu Qing said.
"That's right. We martial artists, having embarked on the path of cultivation, naturally try our best to enhance ourselves."
In the beginning, spiritual energy reappeared in the world, making many innate realm martial artists in the Central Continent ecstatic.
But after a while, everyone discovered that refining this spiritual energy of heaven and earth was not an easy task.
Only the most ancient and unique methods of cultivation can achieve this, and such ancient methods are not many that have been passed down in the world.
Even in the Central Plains, only a few sects possess it.
This is where the problem arises.
You two should be able to guess why, right?
Lu Qing thought for a moment and said, "It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality. The opportunity to break through is right in front of us, but we are hindered by the lack of cultivation methods. Those sects with ancient cultivation methods will probably become the target of everyone's criticism."
"Indeed, it is not scarcity that is a concern, but inequality. Young Master Lu is truly a man of great talent. With just a few words, he has pointed straight to the root of the problem."
Upon hearing Lu Qing's words, Xuanjizi's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but praise him.
"You flatter me, senior. What happened afterward?"
Lu Qing felt a little embarrassed and asked.
"Just as you said, young master, those Innate Realm experts whose cultivation has stagnated for a long time will naturally not give up now that they have seen an opportunity to break through."
Thus, just as spiritual energy was beginning to recover, sects within the Central Continent began attacking other sects, vying for the ancient cultivation methods.
Even the supreme elders and innate experts of both sects were mobilized for this, resulting in a bloodbath and widespread devastation.
"It's actually this brutal?"
Lu Qing and the old doctor were suddenly shocked, never expecting that such a powerful conflict had broken out in Zhongzhou.
"Originally, if it were just about seizing cultivation methods, those two sects wouldn't have fought to this extent."
Unfortunately, these two sects are sworn enemies, having accumulated grudges between them for hundreds of years.
In the past, under the suppression and mediation of the Holy Mountain, although there were frictions between the two sects, they were still under control.
The experts at the Innate Realm on both sides rarely made a move, so the casualties on both sides were not significant.
But this change in the world and the resurgence of spiritual energy made both sects restless.
Therefore, as the fighting progressed, both sides became increasingly agitated, which led to the tragedy.
"I see." Lu Qing understood.
Since those two sects are sworn enemies, this battle is truly unavoidable.
After all, with the resurgence of spiritual energy, sects with ancient cultivation methods have gained the upper hand.
Once a Supreme Elder in the sect breaks through the bottleneck and enters a completely new realm.
Even the sacred mountain might not be able to suppress it at that time.
The other faction, naturally unwilling to sit idly by and wait for its demise, had no choice but to act decisively and take drastic action.
"Senior Xuanjizi, if that's the case, then isn't the Central Plains already in complete chaos?"
Lu Qing could hardly imagine what the state of Zhongzhou would be like now if all the powerful sects in Zhongzhou were caught up in the chaos of war.
“The situation isn’t that bad yet,” Xuanjizi said.
"After the two major sects fought, the Holy Mountain immediately stepped in and issued a holy decree that all sects must not kill each other anymore."
Therefore, all three Holy Lords descended from their seclusion and visited various major sects, finally bringing the situation under control.
Holy Lord?
Lu Qing pondered the title and knew that those three Holy Lords must be extremely powerful and peerless experts.
Otherwise, how could the various sects that were eager to make a move have been suppressed so easily?
However, Lu Qing did not believe that the Holy Mountain could truly control the situation completely based solely on this.
"But senior, such forceful suppression is ultimately just a temporary solution. Those sects without ancient cultivation methods probably won't give up so easily, will they?"
After the spiritual energy revival, the spiritual energy in the world will become increasingly abundant.
The longer the time drags on, the more advantageous it will be for sects that possess ancient cultivation methods.
Lu Qing didn't believe that other sects would be willing to accept this.
"Young master, you guessed right. Those sects are indeed not so easily satisfied."
Therefore, to reassure these sects, the Holy Mountain made a very important decision.
