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Chapter 20: Decision to Engage in Closed-Door Training

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lu Mingchao stopped at the back side of the mountain and looked at the two cultivators of the clan guarding the area. She did not reveal herself.

She had wanted to come when her elder brother had told her that her father had woken up some days ago.

However, she controlled herself.

Her father was still recuperating, and she heard that his injuries had not improved. Her father had just woken up and needed to stay in the chamber.

Thus, she felt that she should not have come to disturb him if she had nothing to say.

It was just that the changes to her body just now gave her an intense urge to come here.

However, she became a little hesitant when she arrived.

She paced around for a moment and finally made up her mind.

After greeting her two juniors guarding the area, she entered the gate of the abode and passed through the deep, dark tunnel. She paused in front of the giant steel gate in front of her father’s chamber.

She had not said anything when her father’s voice rang out. “You’re here, Mingchao.”

“Father!” Lu Mingchao’s voice could be considered calm, but she had clearly suppressed her emotion.

She was no longer a little girl and could not do whatever she wished. She could not jump into her father’s embrace just because she wanted to.

“It’s been hard on you all these years.” Lu Qing’s voice rang out again.

“It’s not been hard.” Lu Mingchao fought back her tears. “Father, I felt that something was off when I was training today… The feeling I got from refining spiritual energy was much purer and smoother.”

“Your feeling is right. You are now a cultivator with Water-Metal Double Spiritual Roots.”

Lu Mingchao froze. Her heart was filled with disbelief. Was she hearing things?

Even though she had felt such an exaggerated transformation, she had not dared to think that it had something to do with her Spiritual Roots.

She was not a child. She had walked on the path of cultivation for over 70 years. She had never heard of any method that could enhance a person’s Spiritual Roots.

“Father, this…”

“It is indeed a little unbelievable, but I will not tell you the reason. You should not ask me any further. Don’t announce this matter to the world or tell your two brothers. Just know that your Spiritual Roots have been improved.”

Lu Mingchao collected herself and then knelt in front of the giant steel gate and kowtowed. “Thank you, Father!”

“Go, train well. You are still young. You managed to pass through the hurdle to the Foundation Building Stage even without a Foundation Building Elixir. You will have a good future now that your Spiritual Roots have been enhanced. You reaching the Initial Enlightenment Stage or Golden Core Stage will be the greatest repayment to the clan.”

“I will not let you down!”

“Also, there’s one more thing. There’s a lake 400 miles west of Pingyao County with a group of Water Ghosts hiding inside. Do you know about that?”

“I do,” Lu Mingchao said. “We noticed that something was wrong with the lake ten years ago and sent people to investigate. After that, we realized that there were too many Water Ghosts there that were too powerful. It would be extremely difficult to exterminate all of them. We would have to sacrifice a lot if we were to attack them forcefully. Furthermore, there were not many benefits around the area, and we wouldn’t be able to obtain any rewards. The Water Ghosts also never leave the lake and would not endanger anyone in the outside world. Thus, we stopped caring about the area. It seems to be the case with the Zhao Clan too.”

If they did not find the Yin-element Water Jade under the lake, then the conclusion of “no meaning in clearing the area” would be normal. It did look like an ordinary lake. Under the situation where the Pingyao County was not endangered and that there was no reward to obtain, no one would be so free as to sacrifice a large number of cultivators to attack the Water Ghost Lake.

“We have to conquer that lake,” Lu Qing said. “We have to kill all of the Water Ghosts.”

“But… With the current situation of the clan, too many people would have to die if we attacked the lake.”

“So we have to make a few preparations,” Lu Qing said. “We’ll not attack it now, but the clan has to make that our target. Don’t ask about the reason.”

“Yes.”

“Then tell that to your two brothers. I have to engage in closed-door training. Don’t come and disturb me for the next five years.” 2

“Father, you…”

“Don’t worry. It’s normal.” Lu Qing had to prepare his daughter mentally. “I will wake up from time to time in the future. However, I’ll likely spend most of my time in closed-door training.”

“I understand. I’ll tell Elder Brother and Seventh Brother.”

“Go. I hope that when I finish my closed-door training five years later, you would have prepared the necessary things to deal with the Water Ghosts.”

******

Lu Qing did not reminisce too much after Lu Mingchao left. Instead, he exchanged for another item.

[Family Culture-type, Morale Boost, Level One]

[After exchanging for this item, its effects will be applied immediately. The morale of the clan members will rise drastically. They will become more motivated.]

[Duration: 10 years]

Lu Qing had planned to get this option before.

Out of the three options he had left in the Exchange tab, “Self Defence Spirit” and “Resource Upgrade” were too expensive. He could not get them now. All he could get was “Morale Boost.”

Unlike the previous two options, “Morale Boost” was not a physical thing. However, Lu Qing felt that he needed to obtain it.

Before this, when Lu Qing was floating around in Yuyan Mountain, he observed the status of the clan’s members. Most of them looked dejected and had an indescribable depressing aura.

That was not a mental state that a clan that was focused on progress should have.

Lu Qing knew that he could immediately reverse the trend if news of his awakening were released to the public. The effect of that might be even better than the Level One Family Culture-type option.

However, as a safety precaution, it was not a suitable time to release that information.

Thus, to improve the mental state of the clan members, make them more motivated to do things for the clan, and make them more optimistic, Lu Qing felt that the exchange was worth it.

He had also meant it when he told Lu Mingchao that he was going to engage in closed-door training.

The Clan Development System was powerful. It could even accomplish unbelievable feats like enhancing Spiritual Roots. However, he needed Karma to activate these miraculous functions.

He no longer had many options to exchange for. He could either wait ten years for the system to refresh itself or spend Karma to refresh his options.

However, he had finished spending his current wave of Karma.

Lu Qing could not further improve the clan even though he had the system.

Under such a situation, there was no point in him continuing to observe the clan. He could not do anything even if something happened.

Furthermore, he had spent a lot of Karma and did many things over this period. He had transformed the clan to a certain extent. All the things he did need time to come to fruition.

For example, the group of Water-Spirit Horses, the merchant route after the Cave Foxes had been cleared off, and the preparations needed to deal with the situation in the Water Ghost Lake…

Since that was the case, he might as well engage in closed-door training.

After deliberation, he decided on a period of five years.

The duration was just right. Five years wasn’t enough for something major to occur, but it was enough time for many of his choices to develop and show effects. 1

When that time comes, Lu Qing would have 50 Karma to spend when he opens his eyes. That was a beautiful thought.

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