Chapter 12: Fourth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, Family Grand Competition
Two years quietly passed afterward.
The assassination attempt from before gradually faded from open discussion within the Lu Family.
Although many younger generation descendants still occasionally mentioned the matter in private with lingering shock, no similar incident occurred again.
The entire clan seemed to have returned to calmness once more.
Yet beneath that calmness, countless undercurrents still flowed silently.
...
Lu Yang continued cultivating steadily.
Under Lu Shan’s personal guidance, combined with the monstrous talent and comprehension ability granted by the Script of Reincarnation, his progress far exceeded ordinary understanding.
The bottleneck between the Third and Fourth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, which trapped many cultivators for years, gradually loosened little by little beneath repeated tempering.
Within the quiet courtyard, heavy breathing slowly echoed outward.
Dense Blood Qi continuously circulated beneath Lu Yang’s skin.
Compared to two years ago, his appearance had already changed significantly.
At ten years old, his childishness had mostly faded away. His figure was tall and straight for his age, while the calmness between his brows carried a faint sharpness that ordinary children simply could not possess.
His muscles were not exaggeratedly bulky, yet every inch of his body contained astonishing explosive strength beneath the surface.
At this moment, Lu Yang sat within a large medicinal bath barrel silently.
The medicinal liquid around him had already turned faintly clear from repeated refinement and absorption.
Powerful medicinal effects continuously surged through his flesh, bones, meridians, and blood vessels, the Golden Vajra Body Tempering Qi and Blood Method circulating repeatedly throughout his body.
His Blood Qi grew increasingly violent, like a river approaching the limits of its dam.
Nearby, Lu Shan silently observed everything.
Several moments later, his eyes narrowed slightly.
The next instant, a dull explosive sound suddenly erupted from within Lu Yang’s body.
The surrounding medicinal liquid exploded upward violently, dense crimson Blood Qi surging outward like waves.
A faint bronze luster faintly appeared across Lu Yang’s skin before quickly stabilizing.
The aura surrounding him instantly climbed to an entirely new level.
Fourth Stage of Body Tempering Realm!
Moments later, the violent Blood Qi fluctuations gradually calmed.
Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashed within them briefly before disappearing once more.
He quietly clenched his fist beneath the medicinal liquid.
Compared to before, the power contained within his body had risen dramatically yet again.
The difference between the early and middle stages of Body Tempering Realm truly was enormous.
His physical strength, Blood Qi density, defensive ability, reaction speed, endurance, and all other physical attributes had undergone another transformation completely.
If the current him fought against the Fourth Stage Body Tempering Realm assassin from two years ago again, the battle would likely end within several exchanges.
Meanwhile, Lu Shan’s gaze remained fixed upon Lu Yang silently for several breaths.
Even after personally guiding him for two years, he still occasionally felt slight disbelief inwardly.
A ten years old at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering Realm...
Moreover, not an unstable breakthrough forcefully accumulated through resources, but a foundation so solid it almost appeared terrifying.
Lu Shan had personally inspected Lu Yang’s Blood Qi repeatedly throughout these past two years.
Each time, the result shocked him slightly more.
There was almost no instability whatsoever, as if Lu Yang’s body naturally understood cultivation itself.
Finally, Lu Shan slowly spoke.
"How do you feel?"
Lu Yang calmly stepped out from the medicinal bath before replying quietly, "Much stronger."
As he spoke, he casually pressed his palm against the black stone floor nearby.
*Crack!*
Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread outward.
Lu Shan’s eyelids twitched faintly.
Such casual strength...
Even among ordinary Fifth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators, it was exceptional already.
Lu Yang slowly lowered his gaze.
With his current strength, ordinary Fifth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators likely could not suppress him anymore.
Although crossing realms became increasingly difficult the higher one’s cultivation rose, his advantages were still too overwhelming.
Solid foundation, monstrous comprehension, superior cultivation method, combat instincts accumulated from countless life or death struggles in his previous life...
All these things combined together created an existence completely unreasonable by ordinary standards.
Soon afterward, Lu Shan suddenly tossed another manual toward him.
Lu Yang caught it steadily.
It was a martial technique, Mountain Breaking Fist.
Compared to the Shattering Bone Palm, this combat art focused far more heavily on explosive frontal power.
Lu Shan spoke calmly, "Your Flowing Cloud Steps and Shattering Bone Palm have already reached an extremely high level. Continuing to cultivate them further now will produce limited gains. From today onward, begin cultivating this."
Lu Yang nodded slightly.
Naturally, he understood Lu Shan’s intentions.
A cultivator required more than one combat method, especially once they entered the middle stages of Body Tempering Realm.
Pure movement techniques and precise strikes alone would no longer be enough against stronger opponents.
Sometimes, absolute frontal suppression was also necessary.
After Lu Shan left, the courtyard gradually fell silent once more.
Lu Yang quietly lowered his gaze toward the manual within his hands.
However, his thoughts slowly drifted elsewhere.
During these past two years, he had not only cultivated continuously.
As his status within the Lu Family increased further, many things previously inaccessible gradually became available to him, including information.
Specifically information regarding the Azure Spirit Sect from Luoyun Prefecture, and...
His past life.
Several moments later, Lu Yang slowly closed his eyes.
Fragments of memories surfaced faintly once more.
Entering the Azure Spirit Sect, struggling as a menial disciple, entering the outer sect, befriending the young master of the Gu Family without knowing his true identity, cultivating bitterly for decades, meeting Liao Cheng, and then...
His own death.
At first, Lu Yang only intended investigating casually since the Fate Trajectory of his past life mentioned that his death caused a small commotion within the Azure Spirit Sect.
Yet the more information he gathered, the colder his heart gradually became.
The Gu Family...
Had nearly been annihilated fifteen years ago.
After his death, Gu Changfeng, his sworn brother, had eventually broken through to the Spirit Awakening Realm.
Then, according to the Script of Reincarnation, after somehow learning about Lu Yang’s death, he completely lost control.
According to outside rumors, he directly slaughtered his way into another Spirit Awakening Realm clan associated with the Azure Spirit Sect, nearly annihilating the entire clan by himself.
More than one Spirit Awakening Realm cultivators perished in that upheaval.
The incident shook the entire Luoyun Prefecture greatly back then.
Eventually, that person personally intervened.
The only personal disciple of a Essence Gathering Realm elder, the one behind Liao Cheng from back then.
Before Lu Yang died, he knew this person as a dazzling star who was already said to have entered the middle stages of Spirit Awakening Realm before fifty years of age.
A genuine monstrous genius of the Azure Spirit Sect, a future Essence Gathering Realm powerhouse.
Luo Tian.
As for what truly happened afterward, no one knew clearly, at least, not people at the Lu Family’s level.
Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes once more.
The emotions within them gradually settled once again.
Fifteen years...
So much time had already passed since his death.
Back then, he was merely a small outer disciple.
Now, even those former figures he once looked up to from afar had likely already become much stronger.
Especially Luo Tian.
A middle stage Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator before fifty years old...
Such talent was enough to place him among the upper echelon geniuses of the entire Wuyuan Province.
Lu Yang quietly clenched his fist.
He still lacked far too much strength.
Only after becoming truly powerful would he possess the qualifications to investigate what really happened back then.
...
Several days later, after stabilizing his cultivation completely, Lu Yang arrived at the clan training grounds once more.
Lu Shan stood nearby with hands behind his back silently.
The moment Lu Yang approached, he slowly spoke.
"It’s about time."
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow slightly.
Lu Shan continued calmly, "The Family Grand Competition will begin again in two months."
Hearing this, Lu Yang’s eyes flickered faintly.
The Family Grand Competition, it was the greatest event among the younger generation within the Lu Family.
Only descendants under sixteen years old were qualified to participate.
The competition was held once every year, with abundant rewards distributed according to ranking.
Medicinal resources, combat arts, weapons, even special cultivation techniques could be obtained.
More importantly, the top ten participants would leave the clan afterward to travel outside for an entire year.
That was true experience of the cultivation world.
Lu Shan calmly looked toward Lu Yang.
"Both Lu Tianhe and Lu Qingyu participated back then before traveling outside afterward. Most younger generation geniuses choose to enter once they possess sufficient confidence."
Lu Yang remained silent briefly, naturally understanding what Lu Shan meant.
With his current talent and strength, if he participated now, entering the top ten would likely not be too difficult already.
But Lu Yang slowly shook his head.
The current him could suppress ordinary younger generation descendants.
But if he truly wished to stand above everyone completely...
Then just entering the top ten was meaningless.
He wanted absolute suppression, complete domination to the point wherever his gaze landed, no one would dare meet his eyes.
He slowly lowered his gaze.
Six years remained before he exceeded the age limit for participation.
And within those six years, he intended to step into at least the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.
A speed even faster than the Twin Stars themselves.
Since the Twin Stars’ mother wanted him dead, he would show her what true talent really meant.
The evening breeze swept across the training grounds softly.
Lu Yang’s robes fluttered lightly beneath the fading sunset.
Far away, countless younger generation descendants still trained tirelessly throughout the various arenas.
He quietly stared at the distant sky, stars already becoming visible under the receding sunlight.
He wanted to suppress those stars underneath his feet.
