Chapter 238: An Instinctive Sense of Kinship
Though Lu Fenggu didn't know what Lu Xunxian needed to discuss with the Clan Elder in private, he didn't pry.
Before long, only Lu Xunxian and Lu Tianyuan remained on the Dao Vessel's deck.
"Go ahead. What's on your mind?"
Lu Tianyuan fixed Lu Xunxian with those deep, penetrating eyes, as though trying to see right through him.
Lu Xunxian hesitated for a moment, but spoke up nonetheless.
"Clan Elder, last time you said I bore the shadow of an old friend. May I ask who that old friend was?"
Hearing the question, a look of reminiscence passed over Lu Tianyuan's face. After a long silence, he walked to the edge of the deck and gazed out at the flowing expanse beyond, speaking slowly.
"He was a prodigy of the Lu Family. Not from our Desolation Branch, mind you. His name was Lu Daotian."
"And what happened to him?"
For reasons he couldn't explain, the moment Lu Xunxian heard that name, a feeling of familiarity welled up from deep within him.
Lu Tianyuan turned back to face Lu Xunxian and shook his head.
"He's gone. Three hundred years ago, he defected from the Lu Family and was hunted down by the family's experts. In the end, he perished in a sea of blood within the Dao Realm."
A wave of inexplicable sorrow washed through Lu Xunxian's heart.
"And he was the most outstanding prodigy the Lu Family has ever produced. His cultivation path could only be described as legendary."
"Spirit Entry in two hours. Foundation Establishment in half a day. Core Condensation in two days. Shedding Mortality in half a month. Earth Realm in two months. Heaven Realm in half a year. King Realm in one year."
"From there, he surged forward without stopping. Monarch Realm at five. Emperor Realm at ten. Saint King at twenty. Saint Monarch at fifty. Saint Emperor at one hundred."
"Then Immortal Stage at two hundred. True Immortal at three hundred. Immortal King at five hundred. Immortal Venerable at one thousand. Immortal Emperor at two thousand."
"And finally, he attained the Dao Practitioner Realm at the age of ten thousand."
"Tragically, he chose to betray the Lu Family and was ultimately slain by a Dao Venerable patriarch."
As he spoke those final words, a flash of grief crossed Lu Tianyuan's face. Clearly, he and Lu Daotian had shared no small bond.
Though they belonged to different branches, they were of the same clan. Had Lu Daotian been given more time, reaching the Dao Venerable Realm would have been only a matter of when--and he might even have become the Lu Family's second Peak Dao Venerable.
Lu Xunxian fell into deep thought. He had never met Lu Daotian, nor did he know just how closely they resembled each other.
"Clan Elder, do you happen to have a portrait of him?"
Lu Tianyuan's expression turned solemn, and he shook his head.
"No. After Lu Daotian defected, the patriarchs gave the order to erase every trace of him from the Lu Family."
"However, as a Peak Dao Practitioner, I retain my memories of Lu Daotian. If you wish to know what he looked like, I can show you."
"But you must not breathe a word of this to anyone. Otherwise, it could bring a fatal disaster upon you."
"Though three hundred years have passed, this matter remains as taboo within the Lu Family as ever. I cannot even mention it lightly."
Lu Tianyuan hadn't intended to bring it up at all. Yet somehow, upon seeing Lu Xunxian's face--bearing eight-tenths resemblance to Lu Daotian--he couldn't stop himself.
Lu Xunxian readily agreed to the condition.
In the next moment, Lu Tianyuan extended a finger, and the image of Lu Daotian from his memories was transmitted directly into Lu Xunxian's mind.
The instant Lu Xunxian saw Lu Daotian's face, an overwhelming sense of kinship surged up from the very depths of his being--as though he were looking upon someone connected to him by blood.
A bold theory took shape in his mind, and his breathing quickened involuntarily.
Could it be that his father was Lu Daotian?
If Lu Daotian had been the one to send him to the Immortal Realm... if he had abandoned Lu Xunxian as an infant because he was being hunted by the Lu Family's Dao Venerables... then everything would make sense.
But until the full truth was uncovered, he couldn't jump to conclusions.
"Well? You can see the resemblance too, can't you?"
Lu Tianyuan looked at Lu Xunxian as though seeing Lu Daotian's shadow through him.
"The resemblance is certainly striking."
"But his talent wasn't as good as mine."
Lu Tianyuan blinked, then let out a soft laugh.
"That's true enough. He couldn't compare to you."
Toward the end, something seemed to cross his mind, and a look of melancholy settled over Lu Tianyuan's features.
"All right. If you have any more questions, ask now. Otherwise, go get some rest."
"No more questions. Thank you, Clan Elder."
Having obtained the answers he sought, Lu Xunxian cupped his fists in gratitude, then found an empty room to rest.
In fifteen days, they would reach the Ghost Realm, and the Three Hundred Forces Grand Tournament would begin.
What Lu Xunxian failed to notice was that as he walked away, Lu Tianyuan watched his retreating figure with an unreadable gaze, thinking quietly to himself.
"So, Daotian... was this your contingency?"
Perhaps because of the many years he'd spent knowing Lu Daotian, the moment Lu Tianyuan first laid eyes on Lu Xunxian, a theory had begun forming in his mind.
And when he learned that Lu Xunxian had reached the Immortal Emperor at just over two hundred years old, that theory was confirmed.
Only Lu Daotian's offspring could possess this terrifying talent.
But Lu Tianyuan had no intention of exposing Lu Xunxian's identity to the patriarchs.
Lu Daotian's defection had been deeply suspicious. A Dao Practitioner who had been nurtured by the clan for over ten thousand years--why would he betray a force standing at the pinnacle of the Dao Realm, especially when he lacked for nothing?
Lu Tianyuan had always harbored doubts about the affair.
But his status was too low to pursue the matter, leaving the truth forever out of his reach.
Now that Lu Xunxian had come, Lu Tianyuan would naturally do everything in his power to keep him safe. It was the only thing he could still do for his old friend.
The Dao Vessel cut swiftly through the Dao Realm, racing toward the Ghost Realm.
At almost the same time, elders from every major force across the Dao Realm were leading their prodigies toward the Ghost Realm as well.
The Dao Realm's greatest competition was about to begin.
Lu Family, Heaven Branch main territory.
Lu Xuanyuan slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and his gaze brimmed with confidence.
"This time, the Three Hundred Forces Grand Tournament champion will be me!"
His confidence was well-founded. A sixty-thousand-year-old Late Immortal Emperor--even across the entire history of the Lu Family, he was second only to that legendary figure from the past.
And looking at previous iterations of the Three Hundred Forces Grand Tournament, Late Immortal Emperors had been exceedingly rare.
Combined with his last defeat, which had driven his strength to new heights, he was confident that even if he faced the Lu Xunxian of that time again, he'd have the power to put up a real fight.
"Ready? Good, then let's go."
The Heaven Branch's Clan Elder arrived before Lu Xuanyuan, his face full of satisfaction.
This time, the Lu Family's Heaven Branch was counting on Lu Xuanyuan to make a splash!
"Ready. Let's go!"
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