The Hong Ling Mountain Range, a vast mountain range stretching ten thousand miles from east to west.
Its mountains rose one after another, forming high yet not perilous terrain. The scenery was picturesque, and coupled with the abundant and dense spiritual energy, it was truly a rare and blessed land in the mortal world.
For this reason, numerous powers, great and small, gathered around the Hong Ling Mountain Range, establishing their mountain sects, recruiting disciples, and leaving behind their legacies.
Among them, three prominent names stood out: the Tie Yue Sect in the east, the Lu Family in the center, and finally, the Lan Family in the west.
However, if one were to name the foremost among them, only the Lu Family could be mentioned.
At this moment, countless streaks of rainbow light were converging towards the center of the Hong Ling Mountain Range, which was also the residence of the Lu Family members, Lu City.
Looking down from above, Lu City resembled a giant whirlpool, drawing in streams of various colors towards itself.
Observing more closely, beneath the dense forests, numerous figures were also rapidly running towards Lu City, causing the entire mountain range to subtly tremble, as if a sleeping Earth Dragon might awaken at any moment.
Lu City was a colossal city, spanning over a hundred *li* in length and width. Despite being built on terrain interspersed with mountains and valleys, it maintained an unbelievably regular, square shape.
Its city walls towered over a hundred *zhang* high. Each side featured five gates—four small and one large—heavily guarded by numerous disciples.
Upon entering the one-*li* radius around Lu City, all flying figures successively descended to the ground.
In part, this was an act of respect towards the masters of this place.
The other reason was the extremely powerful restriction above Lu City; a moment of carelessness would lead to the annihilation of both body and spirit.
If even those who could fly had to abide by this, there was no need to remind those who were running.
Everyone automatically slowed their pace, patiently walking behind those who had just descended.
Strength was respected; if one was not as capable as others, one could only accept it. Acting rashly would only invite misfortune.
The closer they got to Lu City, the more crowded and bustling the flow of people became.
With their movement speed slowed, the crowd now had more time to chat with each other, helping them forget the short remaining journey.
People greeted each other warmly, laughter and chatter echoing everywhere, indicating that something joyful was about to happen.
Upon entering Lu City, Lu Family disciples directed people to different gates according to their status.
Once inside the city, this distinction no longer existed, but being able to pass through the large gate still made people feel quite a bit more prestigious.
Over ten thousand people entered at the same time, yet they remained incredibly orderly, a testament to how well-organized the Lu Family's forces were.
Such was the scene outside the city, but inside, it was many times more noisy and bustling.
Along both sides of the main roads, stalls sprang up like mushrooms, offering an even more diverse and unique array of goods.
Weapons, armor, elixirs, talismans, cultivation techniques, treasure maps… it could be said that nothing was missing.
This scene was tolerable for those with a slightly higher cultivation level, but for the low-level cultivators, each and every one felt dizzy and breathless, no different from country folk stepping into a luxurious city for the first time.
Inside the city, the shouts of vendors and the murmuring of bargaining echoed incessantly.
With fair dealings, everyone was happy; even if a transaction couldn't be made, they maintained good relations for future encounters.
However, occasionally, some foolish individuals would still cause trouble, but they were quickly apprehended by the guards.
As night gradually fell, red lanterns were strung up everywhere, and sparkling floating lanterns covered the large and small canals.
In the sky above the center of Lucheng, fireworks began to burst forth in a riot of vibrant colors, accompanied by their booming explosions.
Amidst this bustling atmosphere, perhaps only the perfectly round moon high above was lonely and solitary.
Following the sound of the fireworks, crowds of people gradually streamed towards the center of Lucheng.
Here, an incredibly vast square appeared, in the center of which was a combat stage a thousand *zhang* wide.
However, today there were no cultivation duels, but rather hundreds of female dancers performing to the music.
Their graceful figures, their slender waists, were perhaps even more delicate than the vibrant silk ribbons fluttering in their dance.
Each dancer's face was covered by a layer of white cloth, but their enchanting eyes were enough to capture the souls of wavering men.
On both sides of the combat stage, nearly a thousand people were seated on chairs, in front of each person was a lavish banquet table.
Enjoying the music, admiring the beauties, sipping fine wine and eating fruits, it felt as if they were wandering in a celestial realm.
They were all guests of the Lu family, their lowest cultivation level being early-stage Core Formation.
As for the low-level cultivators, they could only stand outside the square to observe.
However, no one expressed dissatisfaction about this, because being able to come to Lucheng to enjoy the festivities was already an honor for them.
Approximately one *canh giờ* later, the music stopped, and the dancers temporarily retreated.
The atmosphere inside the square gradually grew quiet, and tens of thousands of eyes turned towards the Lu family patriarch, who was also the city lord of Lucheng, and was seated on the highest chair at the far end of the square.
He was an old man of about seventy, with long, flowing grey hair and beard. Although his face had many wrinkles, his eyes were bright, and his demeanor was majestic, causing all the younger generation who saw him to spontaneously feel a sense of reverence in their hearts.
The Lu family patriarch subtly moved his lips; it was unclear what he said, only that a young woman standing nearby curtsied slightly and then ran off.
He scanned the entire square, but it seemed that even those very far away, as long as they were in Lucheng, could feel his gaze.
Then, he smiled kindly and said:
“Many thanks to all fellow Daoists who have traveled great distances to attend Lucheng's decennial festival…”
Not far southwest of the central square, a colossal structure rose majestically, resembling a miniature fortress, known as Lu Family Stronghold.
According to the Lu family's rules, anyone capable of cultivation could reside within the Lu Family Stronghold.
At this moment, in a courtyard located in the eastern part of the Lu Family Stronghold, Lu Li sat in his room, his hands ceaselessly fiddling with an object.
This object was cylindrical, about half a *span* long, jet-black in color, with a rough surface. If placed on the ground or in the grass, it would look no different from a piece of dog feces.
Of course, this was not dog feces, but an ugly piece of black jade.
Besides emitting an incredibly captivating fragrance, which, when inhaled, could make one's spirit feel at ease, no one knew what other effects this "dog feces" had.
A hundred years ago, Lu Li's father found this black jade while traveling, but couldn't discern its origin or background.
It just couldn't be broken or bitten through; not even the Lu Family's Old Ancestor could refine it with his life-bound true flame. That's why he kept it by his side instead of throwing it away.
Three years ago, Lu Li's mother died from a strange poison. His father gave him the black jade, then left without a trace.
Lu Li thought his father wanted to call him dog poop, so his mood had been gloomy ever since.
Sometimes, he wanted to throw this ugly thing away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
After all, this was a memento left by his father.
"Father!" Lu Li buried his head on the table, pulling the black jade to his nose, his eyes gradually reddening.
"While you were away, I worked very hard on my cultivation. I definitely won't disappoint you."
"Father, where are you?"
"Mother is gone, do you not want me anymore either?"
Unlike the bustling atmosphere outside, Lu Li's room was extremely quiet.
Ever since his mother died and his father left, he was no longer a lively, cheerful child. He seemed to have no contact with anyone all day, his mind solely focused on cultivation.
Originally, Lu Li's talent was extraordinary. Coupled with his frantic cultivation, this made him, at only fifteen years old, the brightest name among the younger generation of the Lu Family.
If nothing changed, the position of Lu Family Patriarch would sooner or later belong to him.
The focus of all eyes, boundless glory—yet Lu Li was not happy at all.
He just wanted to have a father and mother like other siblings.
He felt so wronged that he didn't dare talk to anyone.
However, this made him appear arrogant and haughty in everyone's eyes.
No one understood, and Lu Li didn't want to explain.
He didn't want to be distracted by such trivial matters.
He needed to focus on cultivation, so that one day when they met again, his father wouldn't be disappointed in him.
He wanted to be a source of pride in his father's eyes, not a piece of dog poop.
Bang!
Suddenly, the room door opened, and a clear female voice rang out:
"Xiao Li!"
The person who just arrived was Lu Ling'er, his older cousin sister.
She was a beautiful girl from head to toe, the only thing was that her temperament wasn't gentle; it was a bit too straightforward.
However, it was precisely because of this that she became the person who interacted with Lu Li the most in the Lu Family.
"Sister Ling'er." Lu Li looked up at the girl and smiled.
"You should knock first, Sister."
"Knock your head!" Lu Ling'er refused to be reasonable, even retorting angrily at him.
"You spend all day in your room sniffing dog poop; even if I knocked, you wouldn't hear it."
"What do you need me for, Sister?" Lu Li knew he couldn't reason with this older cousin, so he could only force a smile and let it pass.
"You still ask what's wrong?!" Lu Ling'er stomped her foot, saying angrily.
"Grandfather wants to announce your happy news, and yet you're sitting here sniffing dog poop. How embarrassing!"
"It's black jade!" Lu Li sighed.
He had explained many times that the black jade wasn't dog poop, but he still couldn't change Lu Ling'er's mind about it.
"I don't care if you think it's black jade, some fragrant poop, or some magical poop or whatever." Lu Ling'er said as she ran over, grabbing Lu Li's hand and pulling hard.
"Quickly put that thing away and come with me, Grandfather is waiting."
Pulled like that by Lu Ling'er, Lu Li didn't have time to open his storage pouch to put away the black jade.
He hastily stuffed the item into his shirt, then ran after his older cousin.