Chapter 347

Little Xun, this is Old Man White Bai Pengyi, my childhood friend; we lived in the same courtyard when we were young, and I often beat him up.

Old Master Fu introduced an eighth-realm cultivator to Lu Xun.

Old Fu, you're talking nonsense again; even if you're fiercer in a fight, I'm not much worse than you—at best we're evenly matched.

Old Man White refused.

You old fool, today is my birthday; in front of my grandson-in-law, you can't let me brag a bit?

Old Master Fu blew his beard and glared.

All right, all right, Little Xun, just believe him.

Old Man White decided to give Old Master Fu some face.

Old Master Fu was satisfied now.

Hello, Grandpa White.

Lu Xun behaved very well.

He, however, saw it.

Don't let his age fool you—Old Master Fu still has quite a childlike streak.

Of course, it's rare for ordinary people to see this side of him.

Probably only in front of these old comrades of his does he reveal this side.

Hey, young man, you're really not bad; when I was your age, I was still failing courses in college.

Old Man White's kind response.

Grandpa White, did you go to college in the old era?

Lu Xun asked curiously.

Yeah, when I was in college, the people of Lan Xing were most worried about the East and the lighthouse going to war, triggering World War III; back then, my biggest worry was not finding a job after graduation—who would have thought that right after I graduated, Lan Xing fled the solar system.

As Old Man White spoke of those days, a hint of nostalgia showed.

Lu Xun was genuinely curious about that history, and couldn't help asking a few more questions.

Old Man White, however, was very patient, answering Lu Xun's questions one by one.

Little Xun, since this is our first meeting, I'm giving you this small gift—keep it safe, otherwise Old Master Fu will end up holding it for you; you don't know, Old Master Fu is notorious for liking to seize others' New Year money.

Finally, Old Man White gave Lu Xun a meeting gift.

He also took the chance to tease Old Master Fu a bit.

Old Master Fu, however, was broad-minded, laughed heartily, and didn't mind.

Little Xun, come, let me introduce you again—this is Old Man Wu; the Wu Chancellor of your Rong Cheng is his grandson.

After Old Man White's side was settled, Old Master Fu continued the introductions.

The second old comrade was an acquaintance of Lu Xun's, the grandfather of the Wu Chancellor.

The Wu Chancellor serves as the head of the Martial Manor in Rong Cheng, with strength at the fifth realm.

Who would have thought, his grandfather is actually an eighth-realm powerhouse.

The Wu family appears to be a large clan, it's just that the Wu Chancellor himself isn't that remarkable.

The heads and grand heads of the Martial Manor sound impressive, but they're actually not that talented.

They still have to deal with plenty of trivial matters.

These positions are usually taken by cultivators who have hit a bottleneck or whose cultivation speed has slowed.

This not only yields resources, but also tempers one's mind through 'entering the world,' perhaps even finding a way to break through the bottleneck.

Moreover, in a large clan, resources are not limitlessly supplied.

Take the Fu family, a large clan of several thousand—resources are definitely prioritized for the clan's geniuses.

That's probably why the Wu Chancellor chose to become the head of Rong Cheng.

On one hand to temper himself, on the other to resolve part of the resource issue.

Hello, Grandpa Wu.

Little Xun, I heard Xiao Feng mention you—you're a fine child; the Fu family really hit the jackpot gaining you as a grandson-in-law...

Old Man Wu spoke gently with Lu Xun for a few sentences, and finally also gave him a meeting gift.

The meeting gift was placed in an exquisite spatial pouch; as for what exactly it was, Lu Xun didn't know.

It's like when someone gives you a red envelope—you can't open it in front of them.

Lu Xun certainly couldn't just open it publicly.

If the other party is the generous type, it's fine—after opening, they still have face.

If they're not that generous, merely giving a token gift, opening it publicly would embarrass them.

No matter what they give, the fact that they can give it signifies acknowledgment; even if the meeting gift is ordinary, there's no need to do that.

Lu Xun still understands worldly etiquette.

Thus, Old Master Fu introduced his old comrades to Lu Xun one by one.

These old comrades are basically eighth-realm cultivators, with no seventh-realm among them.

They should all be the batch of cultivators who initially entered the Earth-Core Secret Realm.

Each of them looks somewhat aged.

Could it be that every single one of those original entrants became eighth-realm cultivators?

Lu Xun couldn't help wondering.

Soon after, he felt it was unlikely.

Upon further thought, the lack of sixth- and seventh-realm cultivators might be because over a hundred years have passed, and those cultivators' lifespans have been exhausted—they've long since passed away.

Eighth-realm cultivators have longer lifespans, so they can persist to the present.

Among them, there are also some who look young in appearance.

They should be Immortal Cultivators.

Martial Cultivators spend their whole lives constantly developing their bodies, and their bodily strength far surpasses that of Immortal Cultivators.

Ironically, the lifespan of Martial Cultivators is shorter than that of Immortal Cultivators.

As for the specific reason, opinions vary.

Some say it is precisely because Martial Cultivators overdevelop their bodies, leading to a shorter lifespan.

Some say the Immortal Dao Primordial Spirit, that Immortal Cultivators' souls are stronger, and lifespan is largely determined by the soul, so Immortal Cultivators have extremely long lifespans.

All kinds of theories exist.

"Little Xun, we meet again."

Granny Xue was also there.

This time, Granny Xue likewise gave Lu Xun a meeting gift.

Elders giving juniors a meeting gift is not something done on just any occasion.

Like last time when Fu Xue took Lu Xun to the Tai Xu Secret Realm to use the Reincarnation Mirror, Granny Xue did not give one.

As an Eight Realms cultivator, it's impossible to just casually give a meeting gift to any unrelated cultivator, right?

Now they give it, naturally out of respect for Old Master Fu's face.

They have already regarded Lu Xun as the grandson-in-law of Old Master Fu.

When meeting an old friend's grandson-in-law for the first time, shouldn't one present a meeting gift?

"Old Yang, how is this grandson-in-law of mine?"

After such an introduction, we finally reached Old Yang.

Since Lu Xun appeared, Old Yang has been sizing him up.

Upon hearing this, he nodded: "Indeed not bad, much stronger than we were in our youth; if he can break through to the Seven Realms, he should be able to match my family's Zhong Da."

This remark instantly made Old Master Fu dissatisfied: "What do you mean 'compare'? If you're capable, let your family's Zhong Da go to the Heavenly Dao Battlefield and try to win first place."

"Wait until my family's Zhong Da reaches the peak of the Seven Realms, then see if he can take first place."

Old Yang hates losing to a person but not to a formation.

He and Old Master Fu have enjoyed arguing since childhood, neither yielding to the other, and that's still the case.

"Haven't we not yet reached the Seven Realms Peak? Old Yang, today is Old Fu's birthday, so just let him have his way."

Master Ge stepped in to smooth things over.

"That's right, Old Fu; today I won't argue with you. Little Xun, you're a fine child—accept this Spiritual Bamboo Talisman, which contains my strike and can save your life at a critical moment."

Old Yang turned his head, smiling, and presented the meeting gift.

So‑called Spiritual Bamboo Talismans can be regarded as Spiritual Talismans crafted from high‑grade Spiritual Bamboo.

But they differ greatly from ordinary Spiritual Talismans: they carry a Martial Cultivator's attack, and their production is extremely elaborate, making them hard for ordinary people to craft.

A talisman capable of bearing an Eight Realms cultivator's full‑power strike must be made from Spiritual Bamboo at least a thousand years old.

Such Spiritual Bamboo does not exist on Lan Xing.

It is found only at Ancient Road Nodes, but even there it is extremely rare.

Spiritual Bamboo is good food, yet Star‑Space Alien Species will eat it.

"Thank you, Grandfather Yang."

Lu Xun accepted it openly.

Although Old Master Fu and Old Yang enjoy arguing, they are still old friends of many years.

Both sides merely have this habit; it does not mean their relationship is poor.

Therefore, Lu Xun naturally cannot show any opinion toward Old Yang.

"Not bad, not bad."

Old Yang's praise for Lu Xun grew ever stronger.

He may not admit defeat with his words, but in fact he is quite pleased with Lu Xun; he only regrets that Lu Xun is not his grandson‑in‑law.

With his Eight Realms cultivation, after observing for half a day he still could not fathom Lu Xun's depth, making Old Yang feel that Lu Xun is somewhat extraordinary.

Perhaps he really is the reincarnation of an immortal as rumored abroad.

"Little Xun, come, let me introduce you further—this is the Witch Palace Master of the Clear Void Palace."

Old Master Fu continued the introductions.

"Indeed, the meeting gifts are pouring in so much my hands are full."

Lu Xun felt that coming this time was right.

From the meeting gift Old Yang gave, it seems the meeting gifts from Eight Realms cultivators should all be of similar quality.

When they came before, Fu Yue had said these meeting gifts need not be returned; Lu Xun can keep them for his own use.

In that case, he naturally will not stand on ceremony.