Chapter 18: Wuyuan Provincial Capital, Ambush
The vast lands outside the Lu Family quietly unfolded before Lu Yang’s eyes afterward.
For the two weeks, the group continuously traveled throughout the entirety of Canglan Prefecture.
County towns, bustling trade cities, remote villages hidden among mountains, wandering cultivators, merchant caravans, escort agencies, rogue Body Tempering Realm experts...
Lu Yang witnessed countless things his previous self in this life had once only vaguely heard about.
Compared to the relatively peaceful atmosphere within the Lu Family estate, the outside cultivation world carried a far more chaotic aura.
Bandits occasionally appeared along remote roads.
Sometimes, wandering cultivators battled one another openly over medicinal herbs or resources.
Fights that had deeper meanings than their trivial reasons on the surface.
And throughout all of this, Lu Yang quietly observed everything calmly.
After all, he had already seen these things too much in his past life.
Occasionally, if he encountered injustice within his ability to handle, he intervened casually.
But if the situation exceeded his capabilities, he simply ignored it and continued traveling.
This was reality.
The cultivation world was cruel from beginning to end.
He could not sacrifice his own life for strangers he did not even know.
That was not kindness, that was stupidity.
Although Lu Yang could theoretically reincarnate infinitely, each life rewarded him with Reincarnation Points, and the longer he lived, the more chances of accumulating Reincarnation Points he would have.
...
During the journey, Lu Yang also never neglected cultivation whatsoever.
Every single day, no matter whether resting inside inns or camping within wilderness forests, he always carved out time to cultivate the Golden Vajra Body Tempering Qi and Blood Method.
At the same time, he began comprehending the two new martial techniques obtained from the Family Grand Competition rewards.
Gentle Breeze Steps and Qi-Breaking Finger.
Compared to Flowing Cloud Steps, Gentle Breeze Steps emphasized concealment and subtlety far more heavily.
Once cultivated deeply, one’s footsteps became almost traceless, movements flowing like drifting wind.
Meanwhile, Qi-Breaking Finger focused entirely upon concentrated penetrative power.
A single strike condensed Blood Qi into one point capable of piercing defensive force directly.
Both techniques complemented Lu Yang’s combat style extremely well.
Naturally, because of his previous life experience and monstrous comprehension ability, his cultivation speed remained terrifying.
After merely one month, both techniques were already at a level where he could use them in combat.
The Qi-Breaking Finger of his was quite powerful. Even a Seventh Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator would lose a layer of skin or even be severely injured if hit accurately.
Even Xu He occasionally revealed stunned expressions witnessing Lu Yang cultivate.
He had originally believed the clan exaggerated Lu Yang’s talent somewhat, but the longer he traveled beside him, the more silent Xu He became.
Such comprehension ability simply exceeded ordinary logic entirely.
...
Soon enough, the group officially left Canglan Prefecture.
This also meant they had completely stepped beyond the sphere of influence of the Lu Family.
The roads gradually became increasingly unkempt afterwards.
Merchant caravans traveled endlessly, and the strength of wandering cultivators visibly fell as well, most rogue cultivators who did not belong to any faction or extremely weak Body Tempering Realm families and clans.
Even finding cultivators at the middle stage of Body Tempering Realm was quite hard.
The outside world wasn’t all prosperous, cultivation itself was an opportunity inaccessible to most people.
It couldn’t be seen when in places under the jurisdiction of powerful forces, but became increasingly apparent the more one traveled the world.
After another month of travel, the group finally arrived at the provincial capital of Wuyuan Province.
Wuyuan City.
The moment the enormous city walls entered his sight, even Lu Yang’s gaze faintly fluctuated.
The city walls towered like ancient mountains, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
Countless cultivators, merchants, nobles, and caravans continuously entered and exited through the enormous gates.
Compared to Canglan City, Wuyuan City completely existed on another level.
This was the true center of Wuyuan Province.
More importantly, this place did not belong to any cultivation clan or sect. Instead, it belonged directly to the Great Qian Imperial Court.
Within the center of Wuyuan City stood the Wuyuan King Mansion.
The Wuyuan King was the younger brother of the current Emperor of Great Qian.
A genuine Qi Sea Realm powerhouse!
Even Lu Yang’s previous life never truly came into contact with existences at that level, only hearing some vague rumors and some superficial things.
Qi Sea Realm...
That was far beyond even the Essence Gathering Realm entirely.
Within the Great Qian Dynasty, there were less than thirty powers possessing Essence Gathering Realm experts unaffiliated with the Imperial Court.
Yet forces possessing Qi Sea Realm cultivators numbered barely five or six, and most of those were directly or indirectly affiliated with the Imperial Court itself, such as ancient noble clans, meritous official families passed down for centuries, imperial organizations, and members of the Imperial Family.
As for independent Qi Sea Realm cultivators, there were almost none.
At least, none ordinary cultivators knew about.
The Qi Sea Realm represented genuine high level power within Great Qian, each one having a status comparable to Third Rank Officials at the very least.
A lifespan exceeding two hundred years, these were existences capable of influencing entire provinces.
Even Lu Yang currently lacked the qualifications to understand what such power truly meant.
The gap between him and those existences was simply too enormous.
...
Inside Wuyuan City, Lu Yang quietly experienced the atmosphere of the true cultivation world for the first time.
Spirit Awakening Realm cultivators occasionally appeared openly within restaurants and streets.
Some rode enormous demon beasts through the city skies, and others possessed terrifying Blood Qi fluctuations hidden beneath calm appearances.
The prosperity here completely surpassed Canglan Prefecture.
Martial pavilions, medicinal halls, auction houses, cultivation markets, escort agencies...
Everything flourished incomparably.
Even Guard Zhou occasionally revealed astonishment inwardly.
As for Xu He, he remained calm outwardly but clearly became more cautious.
After all, within Wuyuan City, offending the wrong person could easily lead to death.
Here, the Lu Family’s influence meant very little.
...
After several days, the group departed once more.
Months quietly flowed onward afterward.
Lu Yang continuously traveled throughout various regions of Wuyuan Province.
His experience gradually increased further, and so did his cultivation.
Although he still remained at Sixth Stage Body Tempering Realm, his foundation became increasingly terrifying, his control over Blood Qi reaching another level entirely.
If the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering Realm was divided into early, middle, late, and peak levels, then the current Lu Yang would be considered at the middle level.
At the same time, his Gentle Breeze Steps and Qi-Breaking Finger also improved rapidly.
Especially Qi-Breaking Finger, its concentrated explosive penetrative force perfectly suited Lu Yang’s monstrous Blood Qi density.
By this point, even ordinary Seventh Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators likely could not withstand one direct strike.
...
Eventually, several months later, Lu Yang finally made a decision.
Luoyun Prefecture.
He would go there first.
Afterward, with approximately seven months remaining before the end of the clan journey, he intended traveling toward the Imperial Capital directly.
The memories buried deep within his previous life gradually surfaced repeatedly during this period.
Although Lu Yang currently possessed no intention of approaching the Azure Spirit Sect directly, merely entering Luoyun Prefecture already carried special meaning to him.
That was where his previous life had truly begun after transmigration.
...
One night, the group quietly traveled through a desolate forest road beneath moonlight.
The surroundings remained deathly silent, only the sound of horses and rustling leaves echoing softly.
Guard Zhou suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly.
Xu He’s expression also changed subtly at almost the same moment.
A faint killing intent suddenly seeped into the air.
The atmosphere immediately became strange.
The next moment, three figures silently appeared atop nearby trees.
Dense Blood Qi pressure erupted outward immediately, causing the horses to instantly became restless.
Guard Zhou’s expression changed drastically.
Xu He directly stepped forward instinctively, Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm Blood Qi surging violently outward.
Lu Yang’s gaze quietly landed upon the three figures, his pupils faintly contracting.
There were two men and one woman.
And the moment he saw their faces clearly, Lu Yang instantly recognized them.
They were personal maid and two servants constantly accompanying the Twin Stars’ mother within the Lu Family estate.
Usually, they remained extremely lowkey, with almost no one paying attention to them.
Yet now, dense oppressive pressure radiated from all three bodies.
The female maid stood at the Eighth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, while both male servants were genuine Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators.
Xu He’s expression turned extremely ugly.
The pressure radiating from those two men was not ordinary Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm pressure whatsoever; they were clearly experts personally sent from the Marquis Household behind the Twin Stars’ mother for her protection, far stronger than ordinary cultivators at the same realm.
These three could almost be considered the entire foundation of the Twin Stars’ mother in the Lu Family, a great favor her maternal family had done for a mortal daughter that virtually held no value whatsoever, yet she actually sent them here to kill Lu Yang.
Even Lu Yang himself was faintly chilled by this ruthlessness.
At this moment, one of the men slowly spoke coldly.
"Young Master Lu Yang."
His voice carried no politeness whatsoever.
"You’ve truly caused our mistress great trouble these past years."
Guard Zhou’s face instantly turned pale slightly.
He finally understood completely.
This was no ordinary ambush; this was a killing operation planned long ago!
Xu He slowly moved half a step forward afterward, blocking before Lu Yang silently.
Dense Blood Qi surged violently throughout his body.
However, inwardly, his heart had already sunk heavily.
One Eighth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator and two Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators.
Such a lineup...
Even with him present, survival itself would already be extremely difficult tonight.
