23 Chapter 23: Qi Refinement Level 3!_1

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Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, more than three months had passed.

In those three months, Lu Changsheng's eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth children were all born.

However, all three of these children also lacked a Spiritual Root.

Regarding this, Lu Changsheng had already completely let go, knowing that it couldn't be forced.

But he did not stop having children because of this probability.

After all, having many children is considered the true path to happiness and good fortune.

As long as he kept at it, and the base number of children increased, there would eventually be a child with a Spiritual Root.

Moreover, as the number of children grew, the system would also provide rewards.

In these three months, two more of Lu Changsheng's concubines became pregnant with their second child.

In three years, with three wives and six concubines, he had fathered thirteen children.

And with three more on the way, he had made quite a name for himself in the Lu Family's Qingzhu Valley.

Everyone knew that the Lu Family had taken a son-in-law who was exceptionally talented in Talisman Making but also fond of female company and having children.

During this time, Lu Yuanding also visited Lu Changsheng to chat.

His words were of admonishment, hoping Lu Changsheng would not indulge too much in pleasures of the flesh and should focus more on cultivation and the Talisman Path, lest he waste his life away.

Faced with such advice, Lu Changsheng naturally nodded in agreement.

But he also expressed that his Spiritual Root was too poor and that he had little ambition in life; he was content with his current life and only wished for his descendants to fill his home in the future.

If he could have a few children with Spiritual Roots, he would then devote all his energy to nurturing them.

Hearing this, Lu Yuanding was momentarily at a loss for words and brought up a matter with Lu Changsheng.

The Lu Family had a rule that all children who had not yet shown a Spiritual Root by the age of six should be sent to the secular world.

Even if the time could be extended, they would definitely have to be sent to the secular world by their teenage years.

They couldn't stay in Qingzhu Mountain indefinitely.

Because these children lacked Spiritual Roots and were unable to cultivate, staying on Qingzhu Mountain would mean they could only perform menial tasks.

Eaglets must one day soar into the sky, facing the strong winds and tempests.

Without a Spiritual Root, keeping children by one's side only hinders them.

Moreover, the Lu Family had its own clan and industries in the secular world, ensuring these children a life of wealth, clothing, and food without worry.

If Lu Changsheng agreed, his children could also be placed within the Lu Family of the secular world in the future.

After hearing Lu Yuanding's words, Lu Changsheng felt a bit heavy-hearted.

In three years, he had not completely adapted to the rules of this world.

He found it difficult to accept the idea of sending his children into the secular world at the age of six.

Considering he now had a total of thirteen children, and only one with a Spiritual Root.

But he also understood that Lu Yuanding was right.

If the children lacked Spiritual Roots, keeping them by his side was not beneficial for the children.

As parents, one must let go and allow them to grow.

So.

Lu Changsheng planned in his heart to wait until the children were a bit older before sending them to the secular world.

To let the children go out, explore, and see the world for themselves.

Before that, as he had thought before, he would find Li Feiyu to teach his children martial arts.

Not only to strengthen their bodies but to give them some ability to protect themselves if they encountered dangers in the secular world in the future.

After all, not only is the Cultivation World dangerous, but there are also many conflicts and disputes in the secular world, and he couldn't possibly watch over all these children at all times.

Of course, he couldn't deny his own ulterior motive.

He hoped that training his children in martial arts would bring some improvement to his own strength.

And in the future, if his children took root and established themselves in the secular world, they could also spread out and form a Lu Family of their own, a martial household.

If there were descendants with Spiritual Roots in the family, he could send them to his side for guidance.

This was also the current model for many Cultivation families, flourishing in both the secular and Cultivation worlds.

...

On this day.

Sitting in the practice room and cultivating, Lu Changsheng's body surged with a wave of energy, causing his vestment robe to flutter without wind.

"Third Level Energy Refinement!"

"Finally, I've made a breakthrough before the meeting!"

After a moment, his breath settled, and Lu Changsheng opened his eyes, his face full of joy.

It took him one year and four months to break through from the First Level Energy Refinement to the Second Level.

But to break through from the Second Level to the Third took only ten months.

The significant improvement was due not only to Qingzhu Valley's Second Grade Spiritual Vein but also to the Spiritual Root Talent of his seventh son, Lu Xianzhi, and the enhancement of his cultivation resources.

He now had ten Spirit Stones, thirty jin of Spirit Rice, and a bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir every month.

Since the children were still young and had no expenses, and his wives had no need to spend money.

So most of these Spirit Stones could be used on himself to improve his cultivation speed.

Though his talent was lacking, and it was difficult to achieve much on his own, he could not afford to slack.

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After all, to soar on the success of a child, the child must first grow up.

Besides, among his thirteen children, now only seven have a Spiritual Root, and even then, it's a Lower Grade Spiritual Root.

For now, he still had to rely on his own efforts as a father.

"Three years have passed, I'm finally going to take a trip outside,"

Lu Changsheng stood up and straightened his vestment robe.

He approached the bronze mirror and looked at his reflection.

The once unremarkable and ordinary face had gained more defined contours, and the somewhat dark skin had become fair and delicate, making him appear much more handsome.

It is said that clothes make the man, just as the saddle makes the horse.

Dressed in an azure vestment robe, as if tailored for him, perfectly fitted, it accentuated a tall and slender stance.

A gentle and handsome face, a tall figure exuding an easy and confident air, his whole being radiated an inexplicable nobility.

Compared to his appearance and aura from three years ago, the change was as different as heaven and earth.

This included the effects of cultivating the Immortal Beauty Technique which refined and improved his appearance.

It was also a result of bodily development, living in comfort, as well as the awakening of past life memories and activating the system, which brought changes to his mindset and outlook.

The effect of the Immortal Beauty Technique alone wasn't this pronounced.

Looking at his reflection, Lu Changsheng chuckled softly and went to inform his wife that he was going to venture far and return to the secular world for a while.

This matter had long been discussed with his wife and also applied for through the Lu Family.

The Lu Family agreed readily, even asking Lu Changsheng if he needed someone to accompany him.

During his half-year stay at Qingzhu Valley, Lu Changsheng had perfectly completed all of the Lu Family's Talisman Making tasks, performing very well, hence the Lu Family valued him even more.

For this, Lu Changsheng expressed that he was just having a small gathering with a good friend and would also visit home to handle some affairs, and that he didn't need accompaniment.

Having someone with him was safer, but it was also restrictive and inconvenient.

The Lu Family didn't insist and after giving him a Transmission Talisman, told him to be careful on the way.

Having already packed his belongings in his Storage Bag, he placed it inside his robe and went to Qingzhu Villa, knocking on Li Feiyu's door.

"I thought something came up and you weren't going,"

Li Feiyu, holding his child, opened the door of the courtyard and said with a smile upon seeing Lu Changsheng.

His child had just turned three months old, a little girl.

"I was almost at the point of breaking through, so it ended up being delayed to now,"

Lu Changsheng explained.

"You've broken through to the Third Level of Energy Refinement!?"

Li Feiyu exclaimed with surprise.

During this time, Lu Changsheng had not stopped practicing his spells.

Techniques like the Flame Bullet Technique, Wind Control Skill, Object Manipulating Technique, Aura Concealment Technique, Spiritual Eye Technique, Sound Transmitting Technique, and such— he had mastered all the Primary Level spells.

Spells, like Talisman Making, once you get through the entry stage, everything that follows becomes much simpler.

Currently, Lu Changsheng was using the Aura Concealment Technique to slightly restrain his Spiritual Energy, so Li Feiyu hadn't noticed Lu Changsheng's recent breakthrough to the Third Level of Energy Refinement.

"Yes, so as soon as I made the breakthrough, I came over,"

Lu Changsheng nodded and added.

"Tsk, tsk, just breaking through to the Third Level of Energy Refinement, your cultivation speed might catch up with someone with a Middle Grade Spiritual Root soon,"

Li Feiyu couldn't help but shake his head in admiration.

He had been far ahead of Lu Changsheng during the First and Second Level of Qi Refinement.

But now, while he was still at the peak of the Second Level, Lu Changsheng had overtaken him by a step, breaking through to the Third Level sooner.

This made him feel quite moved and a touch envious.

"Hey, it's all thanks to external resources that I've reached this point. It's going to be hard moving from the Third to the Fourth Level of Energy Refinement,"

Lu Changsheng waved his hand and explained.

A family knows their own affairs.

If it wasn't for a bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir each month and using all his Spirit Stones to buy spiritual vegetables, Spiritual Tea, and demon beast meat, how could he have possibly broken through so fast?

He would have needed at least another year and a half of cultivation.

Moreover, the nine levels of Qi Refinement, the first three levels are straightforward given some time, presenting no particular difficulty.

But breaking through from the Third Level to the Fourth is difficult.

It marks the transition from the Primary Stage to the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement, where bottlenecks exist.

And the lower the Spiritual Root, the harder it is to overcome these bottlenecks.

"I believe this won't be a big problem for you."

"Are we setting off now?"

Li Feiyu didn't dwell on the topic and changed the subject.

"I'm ready to leave at any time, it's up to you whether you still need to prepare anything,"

Lu Changsheng replied.

"I've been ready for a while now, let's go,"

Li Feiyu said. He handed the child to a recently acquired concubine in the backyard, then set out from his home with Lu Changsheng.