Three years quietly passed once more.

In the cultivation world, three years were not considered particularly long.

Many people spent decades trapped within a single bottleneck, while some spent their entire lives unable to advance another step.

Yet, for Lu Yang, these three years had been another period of astonishing growth.

...

Inside a secluded cultivation chamber in a tranquil courtyard.

Dense crimson gold Blood Qi surged throughout the surroundings like a raging river.

The wooden walls trembled faintly, the floor beneath him having already developed numerous faint cracks.

At the center of the chamber, Lu Yang sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Compared to three years ago, he had changed considerably.

The last traces of childishness from his appearance had completely disappeared.

His features had become sharp and handsome, his physique tall and perfectly proportioned, standing over one hundred and eighty centimeters in height; years of cultivation had refined every part of his body.

His shoulders were broad and his posture upright. Even while sitting still, he naturally emitted a faint sense of pressure, with a bearing only found in true geniuses of great clans.

At this moment, however, all of that was secondary.

Inside his body, the major achievement Golden Vajra Body Tempering Qi and Blood Method was circulating at an astonishing speed.

Blood Qi roared through his meridians, every muscle and bone trembling slightly.

The Eighth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, for ordinary cultivators, was already sufficient to become an influential figure throughout numerous counties.

Many cultivators would never reach this realm in their lifetimes.

But now, Lu Yang was on the verge of taking that step.

*Boom!*

A muffled explosion echoed from deep within Lu Yang’s body.

The next instant, overwhelming Blood Qi erupted outward, causing the entire cultivation chamber to shake violently.

Countless cracks spread across the blackstone floor.

The pressure lasted several breaths before gradually stabilizing.

Slowly, Lu Yang opened his eyes, a crimson golden radiance flashing through them before disappearing completely.

Eighth Stage Body Tempering Realm, success!

Lu Yang slowly lowered his gaze toward his hands, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Eighth Stage of Body Tempering Realm at twenty-one years of age...

From the day he first began cultivating at five years old until now, only sixteen years had passed.

Sixteen years, yet he had already reached a level that countless cultivators could only dream of.

He was not far from reaching the same level as his past life self, and that too at a much younger age.

The difference between the two lives was simply too enormous.

Lu Yang shook his head and slowly stood up.

However, the moment his feet touched the ground...

*Crack!*

Spiderweb-like fractures instantly spread across several meters of blackstone flooring.

The corners of Lu Yang’s mouth twitched slightly.

"..."

His cultivation had just broken through, and his control over his strength was still quite unstable; every movement carried tremendous power.

After remaining silent briefly, he helplessly sat back down once more, causing the ground to crack even more.

...

One day later.

The situation had finally improved somewhat.

Although complete stabilization still required around a week, Lu Yang could at least move normally now.

After leaving the cultivation chamber, numerous servants and maids immediately bowed respectfully as soon as they saw him come out, their gazes carrying admiration and reverence.

Over the years, Lu Yang’s reputation had already spread throughout the entire Lu Family.

Everyone knew who he was.

The greatest genius in the history of Lu Family.

A genius with the potential to reach the peak of Spirit Awakening Realm, or possibly go even a step further towards that great realm.

Many younger clan members practically viewed him as a legend.

Just then, a servant hurried over respectfully.

"Young Master, a letter arrived this morning."

Lu Yang accepted the letter from the servant’s hands.

The moment he saw the familiar handwriting, he raised an eyebrow curiously.

It was Fang Chen.

Over the past six years, the two had exchanged numerous letters.

Although they didn’t meet again in person since their last parting, their friendship had never weakened.

Fang Chen had just sent him a letter a few days ago, and before it’s reply had even been delivered, another one arrived today.

It made Lu Yang curious about what was so important.

Opening the envelope, Lu Yang quickly began reading.

Soon afterward, his expression gradually became strange.

"..."

Several moments later, he lowered the letter and rubbed his temples.

For perhaps the first time in years, Lu Yang looked somewhat helpless.

This fellow...

He really knows how to cause trouble.

The contents of the letter were actually quite simple.

Last year, Fang Chen mentioned meeting a young woman during his travels.

She was roughly the same age as him, and her cultivation was similarly impressive, both at the Eighth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.

Most importantly, the two got along extremely well.

At the time, Lu Yang did not think much of it, after all, such things happened frequently.

However...

Over the past year, things apparently developed far faster than expected.

The two had gradually become closer, eventually confirming their feelings for one another.

Originally, this should have been a happy matter.

Unfortunately, several days ago, Fang Chen discovered a small, very small problem.

The young woman was actually one of the two daughters of the Wuyuan King, the youngest princess of Wuyuan Province.

Lu Yang stared blankly at the letter.

Even after living multiple lives, he found himself speechless.

The Wuyuan King, one of the most powerful figures in the entire Great Qian Dynasty, a member of the Imperial Bloodline and the younger brother of the current Emperor.

He was a terrifying Qi Sea Realm powerhouse, someone whose cultivation surpassed every expert Lu Yang had ever encountered or even qualified to meet right now.

And now, Fang Chen wanted to marry his daughter.

The letter itself practically radiated panic; that usually fearless Fang Chen seemed genuinely nervous.

According to the letter, he feared the Wuyuan King would reject him because of his background, probably beating him up for setting his sights on his precious daughter.

After all, Fang Chen possessed almost nothing, he was just a rogue cultivator who grew up in a small village.

Thus, he wanted Lu Yang’s advice, the "advice" of a great family genius.

After finishing the letter again, Lu Yang slowly shook his head.

Fang Chen was overlooking the most important thing.

His background was indeed insignificant, but his talent wasn’t.

A twenty-four year old Eighth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator without any major backing?

Such talent was terrifying.

Even Lu Yang occasionally felt amazed by Fang Chen’s growth speed.

Without many resources, guidance, or support, he still managed to keep pace with many major clan geniuses, this alone demonstrated extraordinary talent.

Fang Chen absolutely possessed hope of reaching the Spirit Awakening Realm before forty years of age at his current pace.

With proper resources and support, he could even aim for the same height as himself, with a not low probability of success.

Moreover, the true key wasn’t Fang Chen, it was the princess herself, the daughter of the Wuyuan King.

According to rumors, the Wuyuan King genuinely adored his children.

Unlike many nobles, he had only one wife throughout his life.

Because of this, every child was extremely precious to him, especially considering how difficult it was for powerful cultivators to produce descendants.

The stronger the cultivation, the harder it became.

Qi Sea Realm experts often failed to have children despite trying for years.

Thus, each descendant became incredibly valuable.

The Wuyuan King only had three children, a son and two daughters.

If the rumors about him were accurate, and his daughter truly loved Fang Chen, then Lu Yang doubted the Wuyuan King would simply reject him because of his background, at least not immediately.

The more likely obstacle would be convincing the Wuyuan King that Fang Chen possessed sufficient potential.

After all, no father wanted his daughter to suffer in the future.

Thinking this far, Lu Yang finally sat down before a desk.

Taking out paper and ink, he began writing calmly.

The contents were straightforward:

Talk with the princess first, understand her thoughts completely, and only afterward meet the Wuyuan King openly and honestly.

Do not hide anything, attempt any tricks, and most importantly, do not feel too inferior.

Talent itself was a form of wealth, a cultivator’s future potential was often more valuable than current status, especially for someone like Fang Chen.

Even though it wasn’t worth mentioning in front of a Qi Sea Realm powerhouse, it couldn’t be dismissed easily either.

Soon enough, the letter was finished.

Lu Yang sealed it carefully before handing it to a nearby servant.

"Deliver this through the External Affairs Hall."

The servant immediately bowed.

"Yes, Young Master." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

After watching the servant depart, Lu Yang slowly leaned back in his chair.

The courtyard gradually became quiet once more as a faint breeze drifted through the trees.

For some reason, Lu Yang suddenly laughed.

If someone had told him years ago that Fang Chen would one day become involved with a princess, he absolutely would not have believed it, but now it had happened.

Life truly was unpredictable in many ways.

Before long, Lu Yang’s thoughts gradually shifted elsewhere, to the Qi Sea Realm.

The realm of the Wuyuan King.

A realm even Essence Gathering cultivators viewed with awe.

Throughout both of his lives in the cultivation world combined, he had never personally witnessed a Qi Sea Realm expert fight.

Even information regarding that realm remained limited.

In Great Qian, Spirit Awakening Realm cultivators could already dominate counties and establish powerful clans.

Essence Gathering Realm cultivators could found sects and rule entire prefectures.

But Qi Sea Realm...

That was an entirely different level.

The realm where one truly stood among the upper echelons of the dynasty, where one could influence provinces, where countless Spirit Awakening and Essence Gathering cultivators looked upward with reverence.

What kind of power did such a realm possess?

How vast was the difference?

Lu Yang quietly gazed toward the distant horizon as the setting sun gradually dyed the sky crimson.

Then, he gently shook his head.

It wasn’t the time to think about such things.

He was only a Body Tempering Realm cultivator right now, not even at the Spirit Awakening Realm.

The Qi Sea Realm was still too far from him.