After studying the system interface for a short while, Lu Qing controlled his spirit form and floated outside.
He had closed himself in for 50 years and had not heard anything about the outside world. He now desperately wanted to know the current situation of his clan.
A population of 106? The Lu Clan did not have so many people when he went into closed-door training back then. Were his children that fertile?
Furthermore, as a Golden Core Patriarch, his abode, the Yuyan Mountain, was a Level Four spirit vein in the past!
Why did it become Level Two in 50 years?
The annual income of the clan was only 750 Spirit Stones? Was that a joke? "I, Elder Lu, spent more than that amount on a meal!"
Something grave must have happened to the clan in the 50 years that he had not been around!
He had to head out to see what exactly was going on. Did the clan produce a wastrel, or was there an external threat?
The possibility of a wastrel was low. He had raised his children himself. Even though their talent for cultivation was only average, all of them had good character. They would not destroy the clan to such an extent in the 50 years that he had not been around.
Then was it an external enemy? "Which insolent fool dared to offend me, Elder Lu Qing?! I was a Golden Core cultivator. Even the greatest sect in the Feiyun State of the Anling Prefecture, the Qingfeng Sect, had to show me some respect!"
Lu Qing's closed-door training room was built on the back side of the Yuyan Mountain. The area had originally been a cave. He made use of the cave and built a magnificent-looking building. The members of the Lu Clan knew that their grand elder was engaged in closed-door training in the area. The clan clearly instructed that no one was to approach the area so they won't disturb him.
Lu Qing saw two of his clansmen standing guard outside when he floated out of the sealed cave.
These two people looked like they were about 30 years old. Lu Qing did not recognize them, but he felt a sense of familiarity through his blood.
This confirmed that they were members of the Lu Clan. They might be in the same generation as his grandsons. These two young men might not have been born yet when he closed himself in back then.
The two young men did not notice anything when he floated past them.
Lu Qing felt a little strange. These two people should be cultivators who have reached the Qi Refining Stage. Even if they hadn't focused on cultivating abilities to detect soul forms or spirit forms, as cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage, they would have a little reaction when a spirit form passed them by at a relatively close distance.
His heart sank. He had an unpleasant thought.
He started trying to activate his Soul Power.
As a Golden Core cultivator, even though he could not separate his soul from his body, he did dabble in abilities related to the soul and the mind. He had grasped a few decent Mind Magic.
Logically, Mind Magic did not rely on the physical body. He would be able to release it through his Soul Power.
But…he realized that he could not do it after trying to activate it.
"I… Not only did my physical body die, but also my soul is dead? What's left behind is just my consciousness?"
He had a terrifying conjecture.
His spirit form stood under the sun for quite some time. He then had no choice but to admit that his conjecture must have been right.
He was truly dead, from his physical body to his soul. All that was left was his consciousness.
The reason his consciousness was able to persist must be related to the "Clan Development System." In other words, his consciousness was now tagged onto the system.
And this system was tagged onto the Lu Clan. If the Lu Clan were to one day be exterminated and if the system were destroyed, then Lu Qing's consciousness would also completely vanish.
That was "soul-shattering" in every sense of the word.
He was dazed despite being in his spirit form.
However, he quickly remembered the "Clan Development System."
"There were many things in the 'Exchange' tab. Would there be a chance for me to find a revival option in the future?"
It was a small glimmer of hope.
The conversation of his two descendants woke Lu Qing up from his daze.
"Brother Mingsi, you'll have a break after you finish standing guard for today, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm so envious. I've to stand guard till the start of next month… The people from the Qingfeng Sect must have arrived. Your Weiwen is three this year. She's been intelligent since she was young. She must have a decent Spiritual Root and would definitely be able to train in the sect."
The man called Lu Mingsi looked in the direction of the Yuyan Mountain's front hall and said, "I hope so."
Lu Qing felt displeased when he heard that.
Did the Lu Clan have to send their best clansmen to the Qingfeng Sect for nurturing?
He controlled his spirit form and continued floating outward.
Lu Qing, as an elder, had to see for himself how the Qingfeng Sect chose their disciples. He floated toward the main hall of the Yuyan Mountain.
On his way there, he observed the Yuyan Mountain closely.
Yuyan Mountain was still the same. However, the surroundings felt a little dispirited.
Lu Qing had occupied the area 150 years ago and developed it slowly after. This place had grown from merely a place for his cultivation to a gathering spot for the Lu Clan. With a Golden Core cultivator defending the place, the Lu Clan became famous within the Feiyun State. Even though they were counted as a subordinate clan of the Qingfeng Sect, they felt more like collaborators instead of subordinates.
After all, there were no Nascent Soul cultivators in the Feiyun State. There were only four Golden Core cultivators in the state. There were three from the Qingfeng Sect and one unaffiliated cultivator, Lu Qing.
The Qingfeng Sect was naturally more respectful to the Lu Clan because they had a Golden Core cultivator defending them.
It was for that reason that even though the Lu Clan had not been set up for long, they developed well within a span of a few dozen years.
As a rising family, they were full of life. That, coupled with the fact that they all had blood relations, made the members incredibly bonded.
Logically, what followed next should have been the rapid development of the clan.
However, because Lu Qing had been gravely injured and had no choice but to go into seclusion, the clan lost the protection of a Golden Core cultivator. Coupled with the fact that he purchased a large number of healing treasures before he secluded himself, it created a massive hole in the clan's savings.
All of these factors influenced the subsequent development of the clan.
However, no matter what the situation was, the clan should not have been reduced to such a state in a mere 50 years.
The family still had four to five Foundation Building cultivators, even without Lu Qing. Even though it did not mean much in the context of the Feiyun State, that still counted as a remarkable faction within the small region, the Anling Prefecture.
It was fine if the clan encountered some trouble. However, Lu Qing saw that every member of the clan had an aura of dejection. All of them had knitted brows and suppressed emotions. This was what Lu Qing was most worried about.
******
While he was pondering these thoughts, Lu Qing had arrived at the main hall of Yuyan Mountain.
This was the place where the clan hosted events and received important guests. This was the front of the clan.
The main hall had been built under Lu Qing's supervision. Overall, it looked grand and generous.
Four clansmen stood sentinel, guarding the door of the main hall.
Lu Qing floated past them and entered the hall.
Compared to the majestic exterior of the main hall, the decoration and equipment inside looked comparatively shabbier.
It was not like this 50 years ago.
At this moment, more than 30 members of the Lu Clan were gathered in the main hall. They had brought along a dozen children. These children looked like they were three to four years old. Most of them had the generation name "Wen." A small number of them were extremely young children with the generation name "Ming."
Aside from them, there were also five people dressed in green robes. They stood in the middle of the hall with stoic expressions.