The Patriarch of the Lu family produced two spirit fruits, a faint, cool smile touching his grim face.

Lu Yuanhong and Lu Yuanpeng felt the pressure on them lessen considerably. They relaxed slightly and answered honestly, “Your grandsons are inept and unworthy. We do not understand why Ancestor has named us the heirs of the Lu family. We beg Ancestor to enlighten us!”

The heirs of the Lu family were always designated directly by the Ancestor, and no one truly understood the considerations behind his choices. The martial talents of the two brothers were not exceptional; their spiritual roots were not the highest, nor was their wisdom, and as for talent and virtue, there was little to speak of. It would not be an overstatement to call them the wastrels of the Lu clan.

Yet, the Ancestor cared nothing for such things. Naming the two brothers as the successors meant that the current Family Head—the father of the two—was merely a transitional figure, holding little real authority in the Lu family, his status less significant than that of his sons.

Were it not for the full support of the clan providing vast amounts of elixirs, the brothers would never have reached the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm by the age of thirty or forty; they might very well have remained in the Qi Refining stage for life.

Lu Ziyou’s tone softened considerably.

“The reason is quite simple, and it lies within these two spirit fruits. This fruit is called the Water Spirit Fruit. Once refined into a Golden Core Elixir, it can assist a ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator with water spiritual roots to break through the bottleneck to the Golden Core stage. It is truly a supreme treasure in the Central Land’s Immortal Cultivation World. Originally, there were three; I consumed one three hundred years ago, leaving these two preserved until now. Among the hundreds in the Lu family, you two brothers possess the most outstanding potential for water spiritual roots. If even one of you breaks through to the Golden Core stage, our Lu family will have continuity, securing the current status of Lu Family Fort in the Spirit Mist Cultivation World. If both of you reach the Golden Core realm, then our Nanliang Lu family might even become the foremost great family in the Spirit Mist Cultivation World.”

Lu Ziyou was rather proud.

What he held in his hands were merely two consumable spirit fruits. What was truly valuable was the spirit tree within Lu Family Fort—a secret known only to him and no one else. As long as this spirit fruit tree existed, every five hundred years, the Lu family might produce a Golden Core cultivator. That was the very root of the family’s prosperity.

“What?”

“This spirit fruit can break the Golden Core bottleneck?!”

Lu Yuanhong and Lu Yuanpeng stared at the two unremarkable fruits in their Ancestor’s hand, gasping in shock, leaping to their feet. The Golden Core cultivation they had dreamed of was suddenly so close.

“Your current cultivation is only at the fourth or fifth layer of Foundation Establishment, far from the ninth layer. The most pressing matter is to accelerate your cultivation; I will handle the refinement of the elixirs. However, your spiritual root aptitude is not excellent, and advancement in the late Foundation Establishment stage will become increasingly slow. This time, I will personally take charge and arrange for Peng’er to marry the woman from the Wang clan of the Moon Lacking Sect. This is intended to utilize the dual cultivation method to speed up your progress, reaching the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage as quickly as possible. I will do my utmost to aid you, Peng’er, but whether you can survive the Minor Heavenly Tribulation and form a Golden Core will depend on your own fortune. As long as one of you achieves the Core formation, the revitalization of our Lu family for another five hundred years can be anticipated.”

“Yes, Ancestor. Peng’er dares not disappoint the Ancestor’s expectations!” Lu Yuanpeng replied gruffly, his eyes already blazing with intense fervor, fixed tightly on the two Water Spirit Fruits in Lu Ziyou’s hand. This turn of events was entirely unexpected, and his mind was still buzzing.

“Ancestor, what about me?”

Lu Yuanhong grew anxious. Lu Ziyou had only mentioned Lu Yuanpeng’s marriage but not him.

Lu Ziyou pondered for a moment. “Hong’er, I have not yet found a suitable dual cultivation partner for you. Wait a while; we will see if there is a suitable female disciple among the Seven Great Sects.”

Lu Yuanhong became distressed. “Ancestor, this cannot be delayed! I think Sister Bing’er from the Huangfu family of the Azure Pill Sect is excellent. I beg you to directly propose marriage to the Huangfu family! If I can marry Huangfu Bing’er, I would willingly sacrifice fifty years of my lifespan.”

Lu Yuanhong pleaded with his eyes fixed on Lu Ziyou.

“Impossible!”

Lu Ziyou vetoed Lu Yuanhong’s plea flatly.

“Why is that?”

Lu Yuanhong was stunned.

Lu Ziyou’s face grew stern, and he snorted coldly, “Do not even consider that girl from the Huangfu family. The Azure Pill Sect harbors immense ambition, having painstakingly accumulated strength for thousands of years, already boasting nine Golden Core cultivators, whereas our Ancient Artifact Sect only has six. The Azure Pill Sect has long been plotting to surpass the Ancient Artifact Sect and the Earthly Palace Sect to become the foremost major immortal cultivation sect in the Spirit Mist Realm, seizing even vaster territories. The Huangfu family, being the foremost family within the Azure Pill Sect, has an old man who is deeply cunning. Why would he agree to marry his daughter to the Lu family of the Ancient Artifact Sect? I arranged for Yuanpeng to ally with the Wang family to forge an alliance between the Ancient Artifact Sect and the Moon Lacking Sect, aiming to suppress the ambitions of the Azure Pill Sect.”

“Furthermore, I have met that girl from the Huangfu family. Although her spiritual roots are quite high, unfortunately, she possesses the extremely clashing Ice-Fire dual spiritual roots. Cultivators with this spiritual root find it extremely difficult to balance the spiritual energy within their bodies and are prone to qi deviation and madness at critical moments. If not for the extraordinary power of the old Huangfu man, she would likely have died young long ago. In my estimation, the old Huangfu man will either summon a son-in-law from within the Azure Pill Sect or seek alliances through other slightly weaker sects. All marriage alliances must prioritize the interests of the sect and the family. Do not bring this matter up again.”

As Lu Ziyou spoke, he fixed his gaze on Lu Yuanhong and shouted menacingly, “I know you enjoy playing petty tricks, but do not lay a hand on her. The Huangfu clan and the Chen clan of the Azure Pill Sect are nearly a hundred years younger than you, and they will live longer than you. If you jeopardize the grand plan of our Lu family, you will not be spared.”

“Yes, Ancestor.”

Lu Yuanhong lowered his head with unconcealed reluctance, his expression desolate, though he dared not harbor any thought of defying the will of the Lu Family Ancestor.

Lu Ziyou waved his hand. “Now, you two go attend to a matter. In a year or two at most, the cultivators from the Sky Dome Plain and Ten Thousand Moon Lake will attack Spirit Mist City. An inevitable bloody war of the Immortal Cultivation World is upon us. The disciples from the major families of the Seven Great Sects are gathering at Lu Family Fort under the guise of celebrating a wedding; in reality, it is to coordinate the interests of the great families within the Spirit Mist. You two will represent our Lu family in negotiations with the other families to coordinate their respective interests following this war.”

“Ancestor, we brothers have absolutely no experience in this area!”

Lu Yuanhong expressed worry.

“It does not matter. None of you younger disciples have much experience, but from now on, you must learn to handle these major affairs. If you encounter a matter where you hesitate, I will be here to make the final decision. Go ahead and act. Moreover, the day after tomorrow, I must visit the Ancestor of the Wang family of the Moon Lacking Sect to see if he can fire the Golden Core Elixir. I will only be gone for two days before returning. During this time, the affairs of the Fort are temporarily entrusted to you two brothers. Be extremely cautious in everything; do not be careless. Should any change occur, summon me using the Ten Thousand Mile Sound Transmission Talisman. You may leave now.”

“Yes, Ancestor!”

“Your grandsons dare not slacken; we will perform our duties diligently!”

The two brothers suppressed the excitement churning in their hearts and retreated from the secret chamber of Lu Family Fort.

...

Over the following two days, core disciples from the great families belonging to the Seven Great Sects arrived sequentially at Lu Family Fort in Nanliang Kingdom, making the place increasingly lively.

On this day, witnessed by the disciples of the great families and the assembled guests, the Second Young Master of the Lu family, Lu Yuanhong, and Wang Hanruo, the female disciple of the Wang family, formally held their grand wedding. The entire Lu Family Fort was enveloped in an atmosphere of joyous celebration.

Ye Qin and Shi Hanyang naturally could not miss the event, arriving together like old friends.

The wedding feast of the cultivation world was not entirely dissimilar to the mortal world: singing and dancing, dazzling neon lights, clinking wine goblets, and a dazzling array of delicacies. The wedding wine was spiritual wine; even cultivators who drank too much could easily become intoxicated.

“Alas, Brother Qin, when I went to offer a toast earlier, why did the Second Young Mistress of the Lu family keep staring at you with such resentment in her eyes, as if she wanted to kill you? Could it be that between you and her…”

Shi Hanyang took a sip of his wine cup, his tone strange and teasing.

“That’s absurd. I have no connection whatsoever with this Second Young Mistress.”

Ye Qin smiled wryly, full of helplessness.

He remembered this woman, Wang Hanruo, the Second Young Mistress of the Lu family. Several years ago, during the trial in the Myriad Withered Ridge Cave, he had encountered several female disciples from the Moon Lacking Sect and injured a few of them. One of the leaders of the Moon Lacking Sect group was this very woman. They had fought briefly within the cave for the benefit of their respective sects. It was quite the coincidence that he should meet her again here, and now she was the Second Young Mistress of the Lu family. Fortunately, it was all old history; the Second Young Mistress likely only held a grudge over the minor losses she sustained back then and wouldn't bring up that old matter at the wedding feast.

Shi Hanyang patted Ye Qin’s shoulder, not dwelling on the matter, but squinting his eyes, looking around the most luxurious banquet hall of Lu Family Fort. He sighed leisurely, “The Lu family truly displays great extravagance. This wedding feast must have cost no less than tens of thousands of spirit stones, gathering distinguished guests from across the Spirit Mist world—over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. I, a mere Sect Master who has managed for nearly a century, still possess less than a tenth of the Lu family's strength. It is truly shameful. Cultivators like us, rogue cultivators, find it so difficult to get by in this Immortal Cultivation World.”

Ye Qin felt somber.

During these past few days within Lu Family Fort, facing the disciples of the great families, he too felt an immense pressure, an invisible sense of urgency.

In terms of spiritual potential, there were certainly many disciples from the great families superior to him.

Even cultivators at the same Foundation Establishment stage had vastly different statuses based on whether they came from a major family or were rogue cultivators. Even Shi Hanyang, a ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, would only be a moderately respected guest at a place like Lu Family Fort without a family background; his treatment would not be exceptional. Rogue cultivators simply could not contend with disciples hailing from such major clans.

Unless one became a Golden Core cultivator, they were considered minor figures, dispensable in the eyes of these great families. He and Shi Hanyang were supposed to split up and search five heavily guarded restricted areas within Lu Family Fort for the whereabouts of the spirit fruits.

Ye Qin scouted two ordinary restricted areas within the Fort, but his diligent labor yielded no trace of anomalous spiritual energy.

His gaze was fixed upon a courtyard situated in the deepest part of Lu Family Fort.

That location was the deepest recess of the Fort. Since his arrival, he had vaguely sensed a faint, imposing aura emanating from there—the most dangerous place in the entire Lu Family Fort, a place no guest dared approach.

He secretly guessed that it was likely the Ancestor’s secluded cultivation ground.

To rashly investigate that area would be no different from seeking death.

However, what surprised Ye Qin greatly was that this evening, that aura suddenly weakened.

In its place, several Foundation Establishment cultivators from Lu Family Fort were posted as guards nearby.

That place must be the most secret location within Lu Family Fort, and it was the only one he hadn't managed to investigate.

This gave Ye Qin pause, wondering whether to risk it.