After concealing himself for a day, Lu Xuanji let out a sigh of relief when the pursuers dispersed.
They continued on their journey.
After walking for ten days, they finally arrived at Changyuan Mountain.
The market city of the Lu Clan in the past had now become the place where the Lu Clan was being rebuilt.
"Greetings to the Great Elder."
Lu Xuanji met the Great Elder once again, and Lu Xuanji almost could not recognize him.
In the past, the Great Elder was 150 years old, but he had black hair. He looked extremely young, like a young man full of vigor.
However, now, the Great Elder's head was full of white hair, and there were wrinkles on his face. He seemed to be very tired. He no longer had the vigor and vitality of the past.
The destruction of the Lu Clan had almost crushed this old man.
"Not bad, not bad. Xuanji, you are still alive. As long as you are alive, there is hope." Lu Tianyi looked at this junior, a hint of joy flashed through his eyes. "We are all old, and our potential has been exhausted. Only you have the greatest hope. Unfortunately, the Lu Clan has declined, and is unable to give you too much."
His words contained a sense of decline.
"Great Elder, you are only 150 years old, but you are already at the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment stage. There is hope for you to become a Zifu disciple in the future."
Lu Xuanji cupped his hands.
The Great Elder was extremely talented. Amongst the older generation, he was the most talented.
Even the Clan Leader's talent was inferior to the Great Elder's.
It was because of this that many elders were able to hold back Patriarch Flaming Sun, leaving him with the chance to escape.
"Stepping into the Zifu stage is a very, very difficult task. I have the confidence to reach the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of 180. As for how to become a Zifu disciple, that will depend on luck." The Great Elder said calmly, "Hey, you are actually at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement stage. You are only 40 years old. Not bad, not bad."
"I have the hope of reaching the ninth level of the Qi Refinement stage at the age of 45. After that, I will continuously hone my foundation for five years, and before the age of 50, I will attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."
Sensing the changes in Lu Xuanji, the Great Elder was very satisfied.
The Lu Clan now had a successor.
The Lu Clan still had three more Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they were all very old. The Great Elder, Lu Tianyi, was 153 years old. The Fourth Elder, Lu Mianwen, was 170 years old, and the Seventh Elder, Lu Jinxiu, was 200 years old. They did not have much time left.
Before they passed away, they had to nurture some fresh blood for the Lu Clan to support the clan's situation.
"Not only that, Ye Feixue is already at the seventh level of the Qi Refinement stage," Lu Xuanji said.
"How old is she?" Great Elder asked.
"27 years old."
"27 years old..." When Great Elder heard this number, he subconsciously frowned, and a trace of jealousy and melancholy flashed through his eyes.
The difference between some people was too great.
27 years old, seventh level of the Qi Refinement, and her Heavenly Spiritual Root was so terrifying.
This was because the Lu Clan had dragged down her cultivation speed. If she were to be in the Dan Yang Sect, her cultivation speed would have been even faster.
"Forget it, this is your Dao companion. I can't persuade her. I can only say that she should try to keep a low profile," the Great Elder said. "Suppress information about her for as long as you can. Otherwise, the Lu Clan won't be able to hold on."
"Yes." Lu Xuanji nodded.
To cultivate to the ninth level of Qi cultivating stage, it would take 10 to 20 years for the Heavenly Spiritual Root, 20 to 30 years for the Two Spiritual Roots, 40 to 50 years for the Three Spiritual Roots, and 80 to 100 years for the Four Spiritual Root. It would take at least 200 years for the Five Spiritual Roots.
The cultivation speed of the Heavenly Spiritual Root was terrifyingly fast.
"The Heavenly Spirit Root must enter the Golden Core stage, but it is also under the condition that the foundation is solid. If the foundation is not solid, accidents may happen," the Great Elder said.
"Consolidate and build a good foundation. Don't rush to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. She doesn't lack time, so she needs more time to polish her foundation. If there aren't any major events, then she shouldn't wander about. Safety first."
Lu Xuanji nodded, then asked the Great Elder a few more questions.
"We can't go back to Mount Ziyang. We have to give up some of our businesses as well. We can only give up some things and gain the support of the Ye Clan, the Wu Clan, and the Dan Yang Sect." The Great Elder sighed as he spoke about the structure of the Lu Clan.
In the past, a Zifu Patriarch oversaw the Lu Clan, and the clan occupied more than half of Qingshui Prefecture's territory. It would not be too much of a problem for the various major and minor clans to become their vassals.
Unfortunately, they first encountered the death of the Zifu Patriarch, and then they encountered the attack of the Flaming Sun Patriarch. Only three Foundation Establishment cultivators remained. Not only was it impossible for them to reclaim the businesses of the past, but it was also dangerous to do so. It would be like a child holding a lump of gold while walking in the middle of a busy market street.
For the sake of safety, they could only give some benefits to the Ye Clan and the Wu Clan.
They had to give up some spirit mines, spirit veins, orchards, medicinal gardens, and most of the population to these two clans. Although the most valuable mountain, Mount Ziyang, had been plundered by the cultivators, there were still medicinal gardens, spirit fields, and tier-3 spirit veins underground. These were all enormous assets that were eventually given to the Ye Clan.
The other three marketplaces were directly given to the Dan Yang Sect.
As the saying goes, the fall of one whale could bring prosperity to all living things.
When the Lu Clan fell, the other clans stood to benefit.
The clans took the initiative to return a portion of the benefits to the Lu Clan, so as to give them some face.
"Can the Lu Clan gain some breathing space by giving up these benefits?" Lu Xuanji asked, "When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. When a drum breaks, 10,000 people hammer it. Everyone likes to add insult to injury and take advantage of those who have lost their homes. Will they let go of the weak Lu Clan? Will they give the Lu Clan some time to catch their breath?"
The Great Elder fell silent and said, "They will let go of the Lu Clan, but they will not let go either."
"What does this mean?" Lu Xuanji asked.
"They will let go because those clans have just divided some of the Lu Clan's properties. They will give us some face, and they will not attack us for the time being. They can't appear so shameless as to attack us after taking our property," the Great Elder said. "However, some unaffiliated cultivators and small clans won't get any benefits, and they will attack our Lu Clan. It is still full of dangers out there for the Lu Clan."
"Then who are the main enemies of the Lu Clan?" Lu Xuanji asked.
"I don't know." The Great Elder said, "When you are strong, there are very few, or even no enemies. However, when you are weak, you will find enemies everywhere."
Lu Xuanji asked again.
Since the reconstruction of the Lu Clan, more than 100 cultivators had come to Changyuan Mountain, and there were three Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although they could not be compared to the top forces, they could still protect themselves.
On Changyuan Mountain, there was a tier-2 spirit vein, which was enough for five Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than 200 Qi Refinement cultivators to cultivate.
The Lu Clan had suffered great losses during that battle. Their current goal was no longer to expand, but to recuperate and recover.