Chapter 176 - 119: Commander Bai’s Secret

Chapter 176: Chapter 119: Commander Bai’s Secret

Lu Huaiqian immediately repeated the three questions Lu Jing’an had raised.

Mr. Xu listened quietly, the gentle smile on his face unwavering. He adjusted his glasses, his gaze falling back onto Lu Jing’an.

"Lu Xiaoyou, you’ve considered things thoroughly. However, before I answer these questions, I’d like to ask you something first." Mr. Xu paused briefly before slowly asking, "Have you ever heard of... the Longevity Skill?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the study seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lu Huaiqian and the other two men looked confused.

Only Lu Jing’an’s eyes flickered slightly. He didn’t interrupt, quietly waiting for Mr. Xu to continue.

Seeing that Lu Jing’an didn’t answer, Mr. Xu continued on his own. His voice was steady, yet it carried a strange magnetism that captivated everyone’s attention.

"Lu Xiaoyou, you should already know about the Spirit Nests," Mr. Xu said, his gaze sweeping over the Lu Family members. Seeing them nod, he continued, "However, you might not be fully aware of a Spirit Nest’s true purpose.

"A Spirit Nest is the hub where the Earth’s Spirit Veins converge; it is the place where Earth Qi and vitality are the most concentrated and abundant. According to ancient legends, there was a Secret Skill from antiquity. It could steal the vast vitality within a Spirit Nest, defying the natural order to reconstruct the foundation of one’s Flesh Body. It could restore a dying, elderly body to its youth. It could even... grant the opportunity for true Longevity.

"Such records are scattered throughout various Ancient Texts and anecdotes. However, most of them are vague or dismissed as absurd myths. The specific Technique for this has long been lost to time."

Hearing this, Lu Jing’an interjected, "So, you fabricated one of these Ancient Texts containing the specific Technique and let Bai Ting ’coincidentally’ discover it?"

His tone carried a hint of inquiry, along with an imperceptible sharpness.

Mr. Xu shook his head, the smile on his lips deepening. "No, no. Lu Xiaoyou, if we used a fake Ancient Text to lure him, with Bai Ting’s paranoia and extensive knowledge, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to fool him. Only the real thing could tempt him enough to make him cast aside all caution.

"The ancient scroll Bai Ting obtained is real. The Longevity Skill recorded on it, which uses the vitality of a Spirit Nest to shed mortality, is also real."

Lu Jing’an furrowed his brows slightly. "If that’s the case, how could you be so certain he would believe it without a shadow of a doubt and come here personally? He could have easily dispatched his trusted experts to retrieve the treasure. Why would he risk his own life?"

Mr. Xu leaned forward slightly, his eyes flashing behind his glasses with a gleam of worldly Insight. "That relates to Bai Ting’s own secret. Even though you haven’t met him in person, I’m sure you’ve seen his photograph, right? In your opinion, how old is the man in that picture?"

The photograph he had seen countless times immediately surfaced in Lu Jing’an’s mind. The man in the picture wore a crisp military uniform. His face was stern, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s. He looked no older than his early thirties, right in his prime.

But since Mr. Xu was asking this...

Lu Jing’an spoke slowly, "Are you trying to tell me that Bai Ting’s actual age is nearing seventy?"

This was already the most outrageous guess he could imagine.

Mr. Xu let out a soft chuckle and shook his head, holding up two fingers. "Seventy? Too young. Bai Ting... is already past eighty. To be exact, he is one hundred and three years old this year."

"What?!" Lu Huaisan couldn’t help but exclaim in a low voice. Lu Huaiqian and Lu Huaichuan’s pupils contracted sharply, shock written all over their faces.

Though Lu Jing’an felt an equally violent jolt in his heart, he controlled his expression perfectly. Only his eyes suddenly grew profound. He wondered how Bai Ting could be a centenarian when the photograph showed otherwise.

"He’s a Cultivator?" Lu Jing’an instantly grasped the crux of the matter.

This explanation was the only one that made sense.

Mr. Xu gave Lu Jing’an an approving look. "You have sharp reflexes. Indeed, Bai Ting is a Cultivator. Furthermore, he didn’t follow the orthodox path of our Central Earth’s Qi Cultivation and Truth Cultivation." He paused, lowering his voice. "He follows the path of a Void World Evil Cultivator, specializing in the Blood Dao."

Lu Jing’an almost blurted out, "A Vampire?!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Mr. Xu’s eyes. "Oh? Lu Xiaoyou actually knows about Void Blood Cultivators?" He scrutinized Lu Jing’an, as if trying to read something from the young man’s face.

Lu Jing’an’s heart skipped a beat, realizing he had overreacted. This was an instinctive response based on his knowledge from his past life. But in this world, such secrets of the Void World were absolutely not something an ordinary person would know.

His expression remained unchanged as he casually covered it up, "I read a lot of miscellaneous books when I was younger. Some of the Void World’s supernatural legends seem to mention these kinds of strange people who live on blood. I wonder if they are the Blood Cultivators you are speaking of?"

Hearing this, Mr. Xu didn’t press him on whether it was true or not, simply following his lead. "I see. The miscellaneous books you’ve read are quite all-encompassing. However, Void Blood Cultivators do share some similarities with what’s described in those supernatural legends, but they are far more treacherous and dangerous."

Pausing for a moment, Mr. Xu continued to explain, "Bai Ting practices exactly this path. This is the secret to how he maintains his youthful appearance and unwithering physique."

His tone then turned solemn. "However, while this Blood Cultivator’s method can extend one’s lifespan and preserve one’s youth, it has several fatal flaws. Like an unshakeable curse, it torments the practitioner at all times.

"Firstly, a Blood Cultivator must constantly consume fresh Blood Food—especially blood that contains the essence of living creatures—in order to keep their Flesh Body from rotting and their vitality from fading. Moreover, as their Cultivation progresses over time and their Cultivation base deepens, their requirements for Blood Food will become increasingly high and demanding. According to what we know, ordinary human blood is already useless to the current Bai Ting. Every day, he must drink the heart’s Essence Blood of at least one Martial Cultivator with a ’Broken Blood Barrier’ just to suppress the deep-seated thirst and decay within his body."