Chapter 231: Li Haoran's Past Life
Chapter 231: Li Haoran's Past Life
Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii
Out of respect for the phoenix ancestor and people's beautiful fantasies about the phoenix, Lu Yang felt there was no need to reveal the ancient secrets he had just learned.
Lu Yang felt burdened by many things, even though he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Normally, knowing many ancient secrets should allow a Foundation Establishment cultivator to gain various opportunities.
For example, an ancient race might have lost their heritage, and Lu Yang, with a slight smile, casually reveals the location of their heritage, allowing them to regain it. They would be astonished by Lu Yang and offer their saintess as his wife.
Or, he might enter an ancient secret realm where others struggle to pass through dangerous trials, while he, knowing the secrets, leisurely obtains the final reward, leaving all the other prodigies dumbfounded.
Alternatively, at an auction, a seemingly useless treasure might appear, almost failing to sell. Only Lu Yang would recognize it as a priceless ancient artifact and win it at a low price.
None of these scenarios had ever happened to Lu Yang.
He felt that knowing a bunch of ancient secrets was utterly useless since he couldn't utilize any of them.
Lu Yang pondered, wondering where things had gone wrong.
...
The matter of the Phoenix Bloodstone came to an end. After a whole night of turmoil, the greatest achievement was unintentionally thwarting the Nine Nether Sect's conspiracy and Li Haoran discovering that Su Yiren was a body cultivator.
When Li Haoran's parents woke up and saw the bottomless pit in their courtyard, they fell into deep thought.
It had been fine before they went to bed, so how did such a large pit appear overnight?
Su Yiren had worried that the noise from the night would wake up Li Haoran's parents and Qin Yanyan, so she set up an array to isolate outside sounds.
To be honest, the commotion last night from Su Yiren hammering the old phoenix's corpse wasn't small. While the Li family didn't hear it, everyone else in Luo Feng County did.
The county governor publicly announced that the noise was due to nighttime underground operations that weren't well controlled and asked for everyone's understanding.
He couldn't possibly admit that he had been incompetent and that the Nine Nether Sect had exploited the situation. Without Su Yiren, everyone would have been doomed.
If he said that, his position as county governor would be over.
"Something unexpected happened last night. Some villains sneaked in, but fortunately, Senior Su was there to handle it," Lu Yang briefly explained last night's events, omitting the details about the Phoenix Bloodstone, the county governor, the Mo patriarch, the Nine Nether Sect, and the old phoenix.
In summary, nothing significant happened last night.
Qin Yanyan rolled her eyes at Lu Yang, knowing he was not telling the whole truth. If it required her mother to intervene and resulted in such a large pit, something big must have happened.
However, she refrained from asking in front of Li Haoran's parents and let Lu Yang continue his tale.
Li Haoran's parents nodded, somewhat understanding. When Lu Yang promised to fill in the pit, they didn't pursue the matter further.
The hole was pitch black inside. If someone could see through the darkness, they would see an old phoenix lying at the bottom.
According to Jiang Shan, the old phoenix senior had willingly buried itself there. As for the hidden details, he didn't know.
"Senior Su, I think..."
"Call me Yiren," Su Yiren finally found an opportunity to correct Li Haoran's way of addressing her. Her tone was gentle, like a tender whisper that could make heroes fall. It was hard for anyone to associate her with the powerful body cultivator from the previous night.
Although Su Yiren was a body cultivator, she didn't have the explosive muscular physique of the third elder. Her body lines were well-proportioned and conformed to popular aesthetics, more like a fitness enthusiast from Lu Yang's past life.
"Yi... Yiren..." Li Haoran stammered.
"Yes?" Su Yiren smiled.
"I think we might not be..."
Before he could say the words "suitable for each other," Su Yiren gently pressed her index finger against his lips.
"Haoran, I know it's hard for you to accept this truth right now. We are both cultivators with long lifespans. Let's try to get to know each other and slowly adapt. If it really doesn't work out, you can break up with me then, okay?"
Li Haoran couldn't bring himself to refuse and nodded slightly.
Su Yiren smiled and released her hand. Watching this, Qin Yanyan stamped her feet in frustration.
Su Yiren's finger seemed to lightly press against Li Haoran's lips, but only he knew how strong that finger was, making it impossible for him to open his mouth.
However, even without Su Yiren pressing his lips, he wanted to give their relationship a try.
Having accomplished her goal, Su Yiren didn't stay any longer. She was worried that being too enthusiastic might make Li Haoran uncomfortable. It was better to keep some distance and give each other space.
Su Yiren and Qin Yanyan stayed the entire day and left after dinner. Before leaving, Su Yiren secretly set up various formations to benefit Li Haoran's parents and waved to Li Haoran, saying, "I'll come to find you when I have time."
Another day passed, and Li Haoran followed his usual routine of demonstrating his cultivation to his parents, practicing both martial arts and meditation.
As he cultivated, he felt something was off. Spiritual energy surged within him, wave after wave. His fingers and toes involuntarily stretched and curled—an indication of overflowing spiritual energy.
"Am I about to advance? That makes sense; it's about time," Li Haoran thought. This wasn't his first time experiencing such a situation. He had encountered something similar during the Qi Refinement stage.
Currently, he was at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Due to spending too much time soaking in lava, he started the Foundation Establishment stage more than a month later than Lu Yang and the others.
Among the top five of their cohort, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had just entered the late Foundation Establishment stage. Peach Blossom Leaf and Barbarian Bone had been in the mid Foundation Establishment stage for some time. Li Haoran was the slowest to progress.
Now, he was finally catching up to the other four.
Li Haoran sent a message to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, asking them to protect him while he advanced.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had already woken up but were still lying in bed. Hearing that their good friend was about to advance, they hurriedly got up and rushed to the courtyard without even washing up, ready to guard Li Haoran.
Li Haoran sat cross-legged, took two deep breaths, and formed a small vortex above his head, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy. His body made crackling sounds as he used a body-refining technique to harden his blood vessels, meridians, acupuncture points, and organs.
His skin turned red, like a piece of heated iron. Sweat seeped out of his body, producing a sizzling sound as it evaporated into steam almost instantly.
Fortunately, this change didn't last long. He let out a muffled groan, his aura surged, and after completing a cycle of Great Heavenly Circulation, he successfully entered the mid Foundation Establishment stage.
As he advanced, an unprecedented memory surfaced in his mind. It felt extraordinarily familiar, as if he had personally experienced it.
"Hmm?"
He slowly opened his eyes, looking confused.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yang asked with concern, fearing that something had gone wrong in his cultivation.
"My past life... seems to be the Sect Leader of the Nine Nether Sect," Li Haoran said uncertainly.
"What?"
(End of the Chapter)