Chapter 144: Five Years, Seventh Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm

Five years went by unnoticed.

The unrest that had occurred at the border province gradually became a distant memory for most people.

The Imperial Court had dealt with the aftermath, the various involved forces were either suppressed or reorganized, and the dynasty gradually returned to its former tranquility.

At least, that was how things appeared on the surface.

The Emperor continued consolidating his authority, while the noble families and aristocratic clans adapted to the changing political circumstances.

Some lost their foundations, some managed to preserve some of their influence, and a few even benefited from the changes.

Great Qian was as prosperous as ever, but the underlying problems had not disappeared.

For Lu Yang, these five years passed in a very mundane way.

He was now thirty-three years old, and his cultivation had officially reached the Seventh Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm.

At this rate, reaching the Essence Gathering Realm before fifty was basically confirmed.

Nevertheless, Lu Yang did not become complacent because of it.

The difference between the Spirit Awakening Realm and the Essence Gathering Realm was vast, and a breakthrough was much harder than from the Body Tempering Realm to the Spirit Awakening Realm.

There was even a chance of death when attempting the breakthrough.

Lu Yang had already begun preparing for it, but his preparations were still incomplete.

On the surface, he displayed the cultivation of someone who had reached the absolute pinnacle of Ninth Stage Body Tempering Realm, seemingly only lacking an opportunity to achieve Spirit Awakening.

His family had also experienced several changes during these five years.

Lu Shishui had successfully been promoted to Prefect of Canglan Prefecture.

After serving another term as Vice-Prefect and accumulating sufficient achievements, he finally obtained the appointment.

Although Chen Yuruo’s father had previously provided considerable assistance through his connections in the Imperial Capital, that support was no longer as significant as before.

After all, both Lu Shishui and his father-in-law were now officials of the same rank.

Although their relationship remained cordial, Lu Shishui also no longer needed to rely on his father-in-law as much as he once had.

Lu Hanqing was also twenty-five years old now.

Chen Yuruo had arranged a marriage for him with the young lady of a prominent cultivation clan in Canglan Prefecture who also didn’t possess cultivation talent.

The marriage was expected to take place this year.

Lu Yang had heard about the arrangement during their previous visit to the Imperial Capital.

Although his younger brother lacked cultivation aptitude, marrying someone from a respectable family would provide him with a stable future as his fiancée’s family possessed considerable influence in the prefecture.

As long as both parties were satisfied, there was no reason to oppose the arrangement.

Lu Shishui and Chen Yuruo had also attempted to persuade Lu Yang to consider marriage several times over the years.

Their efforts, however, produced the same result every time: Lu Yang refusing.

Eventually, they stopped bringing up the matter.

There were also some changes among Lu Yang’s acquaintances in the Imperial Capital.

Old Sun had passed away last year.

He was already quite old when Lu Yang first met him, and his cultivation was also not particularly impressive.

Even so, he had served in the Imperial Prison for decades and was respected by many of its guards.

When Lu Yang received the news, he personally attended the funeral.

It was a very simple affair. Old Sun had lived an ordinary life, and his passing did not cause much commotion beyond the people who knew him.

Lu Hai’s condition had also begun to deteriorate, and the old man was now nearing the end of his lifespan.

Even after retiring, he occasionally visited the Imperial Prison, although his visits had become increasingly infrequent.

Lu Yang knew that his grandfather probably had only a few more years left.

He had considered whether to obtain some life extending treasures, but suitable opportunities were difficult to find, and they would only extend life by at most one or two years.

Moreover, ordinary life extending medicines were not very effective for someone who had reached the absolute pinnacle of the Body Tempering Realm.

Unless Lu Hai encountered an extraordinary opportunity, his remaining lifespan was unlikely to change significantly.

Lu Yang did not dwell on this matter, just making sure to visit his grandfather whenever possible.

On the other hand, Zheng Hui’s business continued developing.

His commercial network had become considerably more established, and his influence in Luoyun Prefecture was no longer as insignificant as before.

Although he still could not compare to the major merchant families, he had accumulated enough wealth and connections to maintain a stable business.

The most important thing for Lu Yang was that his information network had improved greatly via Zheng Hui.

Through his various businesses and connections, he occasionally managed to obtain middle stage Spirit Awakening Realm cultivation methods and martial techniques.

Unfortunately, such opportunities were relatively rare.

Most of the items he collected were still suited to Body Tempering cultivators or the early stages of Spirit Awakening.

However, Lu Yang was not disappointed. He had already accumulated a sizeable collection over the years, and the occasional acquisition of a middle stage Spirit Awakening Realm cultivation techniques and martial arts was just an additional benefit.

He had also saved several thousand taels of silver.

His annual visits to Wuyuan Province had become less frequent as well, usually going once every two or three years.

There was little reason to travel there every year now that Zheng Hui’s business had become stable and his family was safe.

Besides, Lu Yang’s responsibilities as one of the four Prison Wardens had increased.

He could no longer spend as much time away from the Imperial Capital as he had when he was younger.

This year, however, he intended to visit Wuyuan Province again.

There was something he wanted to investigate, which was, the Moonlight Pavilion.

More accurately, the missing Essence Gathering Realm Chapter of the Azure Moon Spirit Control Art.

Lu Yang had suspected for many years that the Moonlight Pavilion might possess some connection to that inheritance.

However, he had never obtained sufficient evidence to confirm his suspicion.

Now that Zheng Hui’s information network had developed so far, perhaps he could learn something more.

After all, if Lu Yang wanted to reach the Essence Gathering Realm, obtaining a suitable cultivation method was extremely important.

Although there was a high chance he could succeed even if he tried without a cultivation technique of that level, he still wanted to make as many preparations as possible.

The breakthrough to the Essence Gathering Realm was a life or death matter, and carelessness could lead to the end of this life.