Chapter 28: Who Was It?
More than three years quietly slipped away.
The Lu Family continued prospering, several younger generation talents emerging one after another, yet none could compare to the brilliance of the Rising Sun.
The Twin Stars had finally stepped into the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm last year one after another.
The death of the External Affairs Grand Elder had gradually faded into memory.
Everything seemed to be moving forward.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang had entered seclusion, and this seclusion lasted over an entire month.
The moment he did so, everyone understood that Lu Yang had finally reached the final bottleneck of the Body Tempering Realm, thus no one dared to disturb him at this critical juncture.
The Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, the realm that represented the absolute pinnacle beneath Spirit Awakening.
...
Deep in his courtyard, inside a cultivation chamber reinforced countless times over the years.
Dense crimson gold Blood Qi filled every corner within several feet at the center where Lu Yang sat, his eyes remaining tightly shut.
The Golden Vajra Body Tempering Qi and Blood Method circulated continuously, Blood Qi flowing throughout his entire body, across every meridian and blood vessel, resembling a raging river constantly tempering his muscles and bones.
Every drop of blood within his body emitted terrifying vitality, his bones faintly glowed with golden radiance, and his muscles seemed forged from divine iron.
Even his breathing carried an invisible pressure capable of making ordinary Body Tempering cultivators instinctively retreat.
For more than a month, he had remained motionless, having only consumed a Fasting Pill at the beginning.
Now, finally, the accumulation of this past month was about to burst forth.
*Bam!*
A faint sound echoed from deep within his body.
The next moment, the entire cultivation chamber seemed to shake faintly.
The blackstone floor instantly shattered beneath him as countless cracks spread across the flooring of the chamber, an overwhelming Blood Qi pressure erupting outward.
Several nearby servants immediately fell onto the ground in shock.
"What happened?!"
"You-Young Master!"
Inside the chamber, however, Lu Yang remained perfectly calm.
His Blood Qi continued transforming, every strand became purer and denser.
Several minutes passed by in silence, with only the sound of roaring Blood Qi echoing throughout the cultivation chamber.
Eventually, the raging Blood Qi gradually returned to calmness.
Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes, a golden crimson light flashing across his pupils.
The pressure surrounding him vanished completely and returned to normal, as though everything moments ago had merely been an illusion.
Finally, the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.
A faint smile appeared on Lu Yang’s face.
After nineteen years of cultivation in this life combined with a full lifetime of accumulation and the enhanced talent and comprehension, he had finally once again stepped into the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.
This was the same realm where his previous life ultimately reached its peak, standing only one step away from Spirit Awakening.
The difference was, in his previous life, he had reached this level after more than forty years of cultivation, but now, he was only twenty-four.
A twenty-four year old Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator, throughout the entire Wuyuan Province, very few could compare to him.
The Golden Vajra Body Tempering Qi and Blood Method had also reached complete perfection, making his foundation even more unprecedented.
At this moment, Lu Yang possessed absolute confidence in himself.
If his current self fought the strongest version of his previous life, the one previously recorded on the Character Card, that same version standing at the ultimate pinnacle of Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm...
Undoubtedly, he would win.
The current him was stronger in every aspect, from foundation, talent, and comprehension to cultivation techniques, resources, and combat arts, not to mention the combat experience and knowledge.
He had finally surpassed the strongest version of himself, a goal he had pursued since reincarnating.
But strangely enough, Lu Yang felt no excitement, perhaps because he knew very well that the road ahead would only become more difficult.
Spirit Awakening Realm, that was entirely new territory even for him, a level his previous life had never entered, where all his past experiences would become useless.
But he wasn’t afraid.
From the beginning until now, in all three of his lives, whether in the modern world as an ordinary person or a struggling disciple of a sect, he had never feared hardship.
Never.
...
One day later.
After slightly stabilizing his cultivation, Lu Yang finally walked out of the cultivation chamber.
The courtyard appeared exactly as before, and everything seemed normal at first glance.
Yet, how powerful was Lu Yang’s perception?
Almost immediately, he noticed something was off and frowned, the smile fading from his lips.
The atmosphere felt strange, extremely strange.
The servants lowered their heads, none daring to meet his eyes.
Several appeared nervous and the others looked pale.
The moment they noticed him emerge, fear flashed across their faces.
He had never treated them unkindly before, but from the current situation, it seemed as if they were afraid of him.
Something is wrong.
A bad feeling suddenly surfaced within Lu Yang’s heart, an ominous premonition surging.
His gaze immediately landed upon the main steward of his courtyard, a middle aged man who was only a Third Stage Body Tempering cultivator.
The moment Lu Yang looked at him, the steward felt as though an ancient primordial behemoth had fixed its gaze upon him.
His entire body turned cold and his legs weakened, an instinctive terror emerging from the depths of his soul.
*Thud!*
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees.
"Y-Young Master!"
Lu Yang’s voice became cold.
"What happened?"
The steward’s body trembled violently at the question, and for several moments, he couldn’t even speak until finally stuttering out.
"T-There was an accident..."
Lu Yang’s pupils narrowed.
The steward lowered his head even further, his voice growing smaller and smaller.
"Your... your parents..."
As soon as he heard these words, for the first time in many years, Lu Yang’s heart skipped a beat.
The world seemed to freeze for an instant as his gaze sharpened.
"What do you mean?"
His voice remained calm, but one could hear the faint turmoil beneath that calmness.
The steward nearly suffocated under that cold gaze, "They..."
*Boom!*
Before he could finish his words, Lu Yang vanished from the spot, the wooden floor beneath him exploding from the pressure as a deep crater instantly appeared where he had been standing.
Several servants screamed in alarm, backing away quickly.
At that moment, a figure shot beyond the courtyard like a meteor.
...
The stone roads throughout the Lu Family estate continuously collapsed.
Every step Lu Yang took left behind shattered ground.
Countless clan members looked upward in shock.
"What happened?"
"That’s Young Master Lu Yang!"
"Why is he moving so quickly?"
Many people wanted to ask questions, however, seeing his expression from afar, no one dared to.
For the first time in years, the calmness that normally surrounded Lu Yang had completely disappeared, leaving only urgency.
Several elders noticed the disturbance, but after recognizing Lu Yang’s direction, their expressions immediately changed.
...
Just a few minutes later, the western district of Canglan Prefecture City appeared in Lu Yang’s view, and before long, he arrived at the mortal branch estate of the Lu Family.
Normally, this place remained lively and peaceful, but today, it was crowded.
Hundreds of people had gathered outside, and many main clan members stood nearby, including several older generation cultivators.
The atmosphere was incomparably heavy.
When someone noticed Lu Yang arriving, the crowd immediately parted, like a tide retreating.
Every member of the Lu Family had seen Lu Yang’s portrait.
No one spoke, some not even daring to make any movements.
Many younger clan members lowered their heads while some older generation cultivators sighed quietly, with others shaking their heads in pity.
These cultivators usually would not even bother to look at the mortal branch, yet so many of them were actually gathered here today.
A terrifying sense of foreboding spread through Lu Yang’s heart.
*Step!* *Step!* *Step!*
With each step, his pace gradually slowed, until he finally arrived in the center and saw it.
Two bodies lay silently on the ground, covered by white cloth, with blood stains still visible around its edges.
Nearby stood the family physician, slowly shaking his head towards the Internal Affairs Grand Elder, his expression helpless.
The Internal Affairs Grand Elder’s face appeared incomparably solemn, and the moment he saw Lu Yang, complex emotions surged in his eyes.
At that moment, Lu Yang stopped moving.
His breathing suddenly became slightly unstable as his pupils contracted.
The world around him seemed to have become extremely distant.
Just then, the wind lifted a corner of the white cloth, just slightly, but enough for Lu Yang to see.
It was a familiar face, a face belonging to his father, Lu Yu.
The same man who always smiled proudly whenever others praised his son, who repeatedly told him not to walk too far down a road of no return, always worrying incessantly about him more than anyone else.
Beside him was his mother, Feng Xiaoxiao.
The composed woman who always remained calm in every situation, always trusting him and never asking much, never showing much emotions on the surface but caring deeply inside.
For a moment, everything became silent, the entire courtyard falling deathly still.
The Internal Affairs Grand Elder slowly stepped forward.
"Yang’er..."
Yet, before he could finish his sentence, he stopped halfway.
He didn’t know what to say.
What words could possibly comfort someone at a time like this?
Lu Yang stood there quietly, motionless like a statue, no expression could be seen on his face.
After a whole minute of absolute silence, he finally asked in a chillingly calm tone of voice.
"Who was it?"
