Chapter 137 - 107: Spirit Vein, Dragon Vein

Chapter 137: Chapter 107: Spirit Vein, Dragon Vein

At this moment, Lu Jing’an was completely unaware of the Bai Family’s plot.

Even if he did know, he likely wouldn’t be able to stop it in his current predicament.

This world was like a cotton robe soaked in ice water. On the surface, it seemed capable of keeping one warm.

But in truth, it clung heavily to the flesh, every wisp of cold drilling straight to the bone.

By the time he left the training hall, the sky had grown completely dark.

The cold wind was like a thin blade, slipping down his collar.

The lanterns hanging beneath the eaves swayed unsteadily in the wind, their dim yellow halos trembling on the bluestone ground.

Lu Jing’an wrapped his outer robe tighter. Crossing the courtyard, he saw that the old plum tree in the corner had already produced a smattering of buds, standing silently in the light and shadows.

Its branches were covered in a thin layer of frost, condensed from the night’s dew.

He stopped and reached out to touch the lowest bud.

It was hard and cool to the touch, but within it held the strength to break through the winter’s chill.

After watching for a moment, he turned back to his room. His footsteps were especially clear in the quiet night.

The current situation was indeed perilous for the Lu Family.

But no matter how difficult things were, he still had to sleep.

Even for someone like him, who had crossed the threshold of a Martial Cultivator, going without rest for long would cause his body to collapse.

That night, Lu Jing’an slept soundly.

He woke naturally the next day, before the first light of dawn.

Outside the window, the world was still a shade of raven blue.

He threw on a robe and rose, his bare feet touching the ice-cold floor. Walking to the window, he pushed it open a crack.

A WHOOSH of cold air rushed in, but Lu Jing’an was long since impervious to heat and cold. The chill meant nothing to him.

He closed the window and turned to get dressed.

The courtyard was still shrouded in a thin morning mist, like a layer of translucent gauze.

Lu Jing’an walked to the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard.

This was where he practiced his Posture Stance every day.

The bluestone slabs beneath his feet were dark with dew, and patches of unmelted snow from the previous day lingered in the cracks.

He sank his waist and hips, assuming his stance.

His hands formed a loose circle before his abdomen, his eyelids were half-closed, and his breathing gradually deepened and slowed.

Once his Posture Stance was complete, he began his fist forms.

It was still the Six Harmonies Fist.

He cycled through the four sets of the Fist Skill.

Practicing Boxing concluded.

A servant had already prepared a medicinal bath.

After his medicinal bath, Lu Jing’an dressed with the help of Orchid.

Once dressed, Lu Jing’an told Orchid to invite Chen Xuan to eat with him.

"Have the kitchen make a pot of millet porridge, steam two baskets of vegetarian buns, and slice a dish of pickled vegetables."

He instructed, fastening the knotted buttons on his long robe.

"Master prefers simple food, so don’t make anything greasy."

The dining table was set in the Warm Pavilion of the east wing.

The charcoal brazier burned brightly, and a kettle of water simmered on its wire cover, bubbling softly and releasing tiny bubbles.

The table held only simple porridge, side dishes, and a few pastries, but everything was arranged with precision.

The millet porridge in the blue-and-white porcelain bowl was a thick, golden yellow. The pickled vegetables on the white porcelain dish were sliced as thin as hair.

The steamed buns were plump and snow-white, each marked on top with a dot of rouge-red.

Lu Jing’an drank half a bowl of porridge to warm his stomach and picked up a bun before finally looking up at Chen Xuan, who sat across from him.

"Master, have you ever heard of ’Spirit Veins’?"

The hand Chen Xuan was using to hold his chopsticks paused slightly.

After the incident with the Water Monkey, there were some things between master and disciple that no longer needed to be spelled out.

Chen Xuan could see that Lu Jing’an had come across a great opportunity.

As expected, Chen Xuan didn’t hide anything. He said directly, "The concept of Spirit Veins has existed since ancient times."

His voice was level, as if recounting a story sealed away by dust. Every word carried weight.

"The very existence of Cultivators is inextricably linked to Spirit Veins."

"Many believe that without Spirit Veins, there can be no Cultivators."

"When Spirit Veins are strong, Cultivators emerge in great numbers. Their Divine Techniques are immense; moving mountains and filling seas is no empty boast."

"When Spirit Veins weaken, the path of cultivation becomes like rowing a boat upstream—a monumental struggle."

"Even a peerless genius cannot resist the grand tides of the world."

He looked up at Lu Jing’an, his gaze profound.

"They are like the tides. They rise, and they fall."

"When they rise, all things flourish, and the Immortal Dao thrives."

"When they fall, Spiritual Qi is depleted, and the Dao Lineage withers."

He paused, then suddenly asked, "How do you think the Cultivators of the previous dynasty compare to those of today?"

Lu Jing’an answered without hesitation, "I’ve never seen them, of course, but all signs indicate that the Cultivators of the previous dynasty were far more powerful than those of today."

Chen Xuan nodded. "The Cultivators of the previous dynasty were indeed stronger. However, according to the records, that era was actually the nadir of the Spirit Vein tides."

Lu Jing’an’s expression shifted upon hearing this. ’The Cultivators of the previous dynasty were that strong, and it was still considered a low point?’

Chen Xuan continued, nodding again. "If it hadn’t been a low point, that Emperor from the previous dynasty—the one who neglected his court to pursue immortality—wouldn’t have resorted to trying to make a blood sacrifice of the entire world to become an Immortal."

"A blood sacrifice of the world!"

Lu Jing’an recalled his last conversation with Chen Xuan, when they had discussed whether the Ascension Platform could truly help an Emperor become an Immortal.

At the time, Chen Xuan’s answer had been that no one knew for sure.

"Master, what do you mean by a blood sacrifice of the world?"

Lu Jing’an couldn’t help but be curious about those words.

Anyone would have been curious about such a phrase.

"It is merely a rumor, one not recorded in the official histories."

Chen Xuan’s tone had returned to normal, but the content of his words was still shocking.

He took a sip of tea, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed, before he continued.

"It is said that a great formation was laid out in those days, stretching from the Southern Border to the Northern Desert, with one hundred and eight altars."

"When the Curse Ceremony was about to begin, it would have required the blood of tens of millions as a sacrifice."

"The goal was to draw out the Earth Vein Dragon Qi, making it surge to the heavens and forcibly break the locks between heaven and earth."

He paused, his voice growing heavier. "Fortunately, several reclusive Great Cultivators joined forces to intervene. At the same time, a frontier general raised an army to ’cleanse the sovereign’s side,’ and only then was the Emperor’s plan thwarted."

"But even so, the Spirit Veins were shaken, and the natural order of their tides was thrown into disarray."

"This directly led to the collapse of the previous dynasty’s fortunes and threw the world into chaos."

"The famines and wars that followed all stemmed from this."

Lu Jing’an did not for a moment believe that this unrecorded rumor was false.