I Can See Through Everything - Chapter 873

Chapter 871 Things Have Changed

Home World.

Lu Qing stared at everything before him, utterly shocked.

From the moment he saw the shattered jade absorb energy and eventually evolve into a small world, he had a vague suspicion.

But now, seeing the evolved world, indeed his home world, still left him deeply shaken.

After all, he had never imagined that his home world was evolved from a shattered jade.

This truth was too shocking, leaving Lu Qing unable to calm down for a long time.

It turned out that all of this originated from a small shattered jade.

That shattered jade was the true core, the true origin of this world.

“Xuanhua… Demon Heaven… Blood Demon…”

Lu Qing murmured to himself, countless questions surging in his mind.

What realm were those people at? Where did that great battle take place?

Did Xuanhua, the owner of the jade ruyi, escape the pursuit?

Too many questions filled Lu Qing’s mind, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.

Just then, the scene before him began to blur.

The vast starry sky, the evolved world, the endless years, all began to fade away.

Finally, everything before him disappeared.

Lu Qing felt a blur before his eyes, and when he could see his surroundings again, he had already withdrawn from the World Origin and returned to the Origin Space.

The vast World Origin still floated before him, its pristine white surface emitting a faint glow, as if nothing had happened.

But Lu Qing knew that everything that had just happened was real.

Those scenes, those sounds, those shocks were all deeply etched in his mind, indelible.

Lu Qing’s divine sense remained still for a long time.

Through his experience, he understood that the essence of that broken jade was beyond his imagination.

Just by absorbing energy, it could evolve into a small world—it was simply unbelievable.

It was hard to imagine what grade the white figure’s jade ruyi magic weapon must have been when it was incomplete.

But what was certain was that it must have far exceeded the category of Dao artifacts.

Such a treasure was impossible for him to grasp with just a wisp of divine sense.

Moreover, he didn’t know what other mysteries were hidden within that broken jade.

Therefore, after pondering for a moment, Lu Qing decided to retreat for the time being.

Gazing intently at the vast primordial energy before him, Lu Qing’s divine sense transformed into a ray of light, swiftly piercing the earth and returning to his body.

In the days that followed, Lu Qing acted as if nothing had happened.

He didn’t mention to anyone what he had seen in the world’s origin, whether it was the origin of the mysterious jade or the truth behind the birth of his home world.

Some things are better left unsaid.

Besides, he hadn’t fully digested that information yet; speaking of it rashly would only cause unnecessary trouble for those around him.

So Lu Qing chose silence.

He continued his daily meditation in the courtyard, occasionally offering guidance to Xiao Yan and Xiao Li on their cultivation, and sometimes visiting his master at the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.

Most of the time, he simply sat quietly under the old locust tree in the courtyard, watching the sunrise and sunset, the clouds drifting by.

He hadn’t enjoyed such peaceful days in a long time.

On this day, Lu Qing took Xiao Yan to pay respects to his parents and Grandpa Zhang.

His parents’ graves were on a sunny hillside behind the mountain, surrounded by lush pine and cypress trees that shielded them from the scorching sun.

A stone tablet stood before the grave, engraved with the names of his parents and an inscription written by Lu Qing himself.

Xiao Yan respectfully kowtowed three times before the grave, then silently stood aside.

Lu Qing stood quietly before the grave, gazing at the stone tablet, speechless for a long time.

He only had scattered memories of his parents from the original owner of this body, and no real connection to them.

It was a pity that the original owner had died young, unable to repay his parents’ kindness in raising him.

Since he had inherited this body, he naturally had to inherit this karma.

After paying respects to his parents, the two went to pay their respects at the graves of Grandpa Zhang and other village elders before returning to the village.

In the following days, Lu Qing saw some old acquaintances.

Wei Zi’an was now a Golden Core cultivator, considered a powerful figure in his hometown world.

However, he had not left Jiuli Village, remaining there to protect this land.

Wei Xinghe, like Wei Shanhai, was stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment, unable to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Both were anxious but helpless. After all, talent plays a significant role in cultivation, and it cannot be forced.

Hu Zezhi’s progress was the most obvious; she was now at the fifth stage of the Golden Core realm, just one step away from the sixth.

However, the occasional hint of sorrow in her gaze towards Lu Qing made him feel somewhat helpless.

Madam Hu remained unchanged, her cultivation stagnant, making no progress whatsoever.

However, she had a good attitude, managing the household chores and caring for her husband and children, finding contentment in her daily life.

On the other hand, Ma Gu, who had been traveling, rushed back overnight upon hearing the news of Lu Qing’s return.

Then Lu Qing discovered that this Master Ma had also achieved the Golden Core realm.

His cultivation progress was even faster than Wei Shanhai and Wei Xinghe.

Lu Qing took some time to go out and visit the Holy Mountain and the Cold Water Palace.

However, he did not reveal himself, but only observed from the shadows.

In the Holy Mountain, the three Holy Lords were all doing well, and their cultivation levels had all progressed.

Inside the Cold Water Palace, Han Ling Shuang was in seclusion. Lu Qing sensed her aura; she had already reached the sixth stage of the Golden Core realm, even stronger than Hu Ze Zhi.

Clearly, she had cultivated diligently over the years.

Seeing this, Lu Qing didn’t disturb her and quietly left.

Having gone out and found his old friends well, Lu Qing felt relieved.

He didn’t go out again, remaining in the village.

Unfortunately, this trip took decades to return.

He knew very few people in the village anymore.

The older generation had all passed away.

Those uncles and aunts who had watched him grow up were no longer there.

Of the first group of villagers identified as having cultivation aptitude, only a few are still alive.

However, due to their aptitude, their cultivation levels are low. Although they rely on the elixirs left by Lu Qing to prolong their lives, they cannot withstand the erosion of time and appear somewhat old and frail.

One morning, someone came to see Lu Qing.

The visitor was the current village chief of Jiuli Village, surnamed Zhou, named Zhou Mingde.

Zhou Mingde was also one of the first children identified as having cultivation aptitude. At that time, he was only seven or eight years old, thin and small, standing timidly in the crowd, looking at Lu Qing.

Now, decades later, the child has become an old man with graying temples.

“Zhou Mingde greets Ancestor.”

As soon as Zhou Mingde entered, he respectfully bowed and addressed Lu Qing as “Ancestor.”

Lu Qing was taken aback upon hearing this address, then smiled somewhat helplessly.

The title “Ancestor” always made him feel very old.

Although by age he was indeed several hundred years old, in the eyes of mortals he was definitely an ancestor-level existence.

But deep down, he still felt he was very young.

“Get up, no need for formalities,” Lu Qing waved his hand. “Zhou…Mingde, what brings you here?”

Zhou Mingde straightened up, looking at Lu Qing’s youthful face, which remained unchanged, and felt even more awe.

He remembered clearly that when he was a child, Lu Qing looked exactly like this.

So many years had passed, yet his appearance hadn’t changed at all.

The same was true of Ancestor Xiaoyan; she still looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, as if time had stood still for her.

And he himself, that thin child from back then, now had graying temples and a face full of wrinkles, and it seemed he didn’t have many years left to live.

This was the difference between immortals and mortals.

Zhou Mingde sighed inwardly, but dared not show it on his face, respectfully saying, “Ancestor, tomorrow is the once-in-a-decade day for the village to test the cultivation aptitude of newborn children. Mingde humbly requests that you preside over it.”

“Test aptitude?” Lu Qing was slightly taken aback.

He remembered that he had indeed established this rule before he left.

Every ten years, the village would test the cultivation aptitude of newborn children.

Those with good aptitude would be taught cultivation techniques by senior villagers with high cultivation levels.

This was done to ensure the continuity of Jiuli Village’s lineage and to give more children the opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation.

However, he had forgotten that the testing coincided with his return.

“Alright,” Lu Qing nodded, “I’ll go tomorrow.”

Zhou Mingde was overjoyed and quickly bowed again, “Thank you, Ancestor! Thank you, Ancestor!”

Lu Qing waved his hand, indicating that he didn’t need to be so polite. Zhou

Mingde exchanged a few more pleasantries and then respectfully withdrew.

Early the next morning, Lu Qing prepared to go to the ancestral hall.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Li, having heard about this, also followed with interest.

“Brother, I want to go see too,” Xiao Yan said with a grin, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen such small children.”

Xiao Li didn’t speak, but simply jumped onto Lu Qing’s shoulder.

Lu Qing smiled, didn’t refuse, and took them out the door.

The ancestral hall, located in the center of the village, was an ancient building with blue bricks and gray tiles, flying eaves and brackets, exuding a solemn and dignified air.

A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance.

Men, women, and children, a dense mass of nearly a thousand people,

were all villagers of Jiuli Village, young and old, men and women, all eagerly awaiting Lu Qing’s arrival.

When Lu Qing appeared at the entrance of the ancestral hall with Xiao Yan and Xiao Li, a commotion immediately arose from the crowd.

“He’s here! He’s here!”

“It really is the ancestor! I saw him once when I was a child, and he looked exactly the same then as he does now!”

“The one next to the ancestor must be Ancestor Xiao Yan, right? I heard she’s also a deity, having lived for hundreds of years!”

“And that little beast, is that the ancestor’s spirit pet? It looks so majestic!”

The crowd discussed animatedly, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity.

Lu Qing ignored these gazes and led Xiao Yan and Xiao Li straight into the ancestral hall.

Inside the ancestral hall was a spacious courtyard.

In the center of the courtyard stood a massive jade tablet.

The tablet was entirely white, about ten feet tall and three feet wide, its surface smooth as a mirror, faintly shimmering with spiritual light.

It was the very jade tablet that Lu Qing had personally crafted years ago to test cultivation aptitude.

Seeing this tablet, Lu Qing felt a pang of nostalgia. Back

then, when he crafted this tablet, he was a young man who had only recently embarked on the path of cultivation.

Grandpa Zhang was still alive, Brother Da Shi was still alive, and all the village elders were still alive.

They surrounded the tablet, curiously examining it, chattering amongst themselves.

Grandpa Zhang stood smiling to the side, watching him set up the array, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Brother Da Shi held his hand, excitedly asking questions, eager to have the entire village tested immediately.

Those scenes seemed like they happened just yesterday.

But now, the jade tablet remained, but those familiar figures were long gone.

Grandpa Zhang was gone, Brother Da Shi was gone, and all the village elders were gone.

Only the jade tablet remained, standing quietly in the courtyard, witnessing the passage of time and the growth of generation after generation.

Things had changed.

A faint sense of melancholy welled up in Lu Qing’s heart.

But as a Dao Integration Realm cultivator, his mind was already as hard as a rock.

This feeling was fleeting, quickly suppressed.

“Let’s begin,” Lu Qing said calmly, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

Zhou Mingde nodded hastily, turning to the children standing in the corner of the courtyard, and called out loudly, “Come here, line up, one by one.”

Hearing this, the children nervously approached.

There were more than thirty children in total, the oldest eight or nine years old, the youngest only two or three.

They wore new clothes, their hair neatly combed, clearly having been carefully groomed by their families.

But facing Lu Qing, the legendary “Ancestor,” and so many adults around, the children were all somewhat timid, heads bowed, afraid to speak.

Several younger children even hid behind the older ones, peeking out curiously to observe Lu Qing.

Lu Qing looked at them, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He recalled his own first time testing Zhou Mingde and the others; he must have been just as timid.

“Who wants to go first?” Lu Qing asked.

The children exchanged glances, none daring to step forward.

Just as Zhou Mingde was about to urge them on, a seven or eight-year-old boy suddenly stepped forward from the crowd.

The boy was robust-looking, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Although somewhat nervous, he mustered his courage, walked up to Lu Qing, and, imitating an adult, respectfully bowed.

“Grandpa, I’ll go first!”

the boy’s voice was childish, but his tone was firm.

A hint of admiration flashed in Lu Qing’s eyes.

This child had good courage.

“Alright, what’s your name?” Lu Qing asked.

“Reporting to Ancestor, my name is Zhou Hu!” the boy shouted.

Lu Qing nodded and pointed to the jade tablet: “Place your hand on it, close your eyes, and don’t think about anything.”

Zhou Hu responded, walked to the jade tablet, took a deep breath, and then placed his hand on it.

Instantly, the jade tablet lit up.

A soft light surged from the jade tablet, enveloping Zhou Hu entirely.

The light was first white, then gradually turned red, and finally settled on a pale gold.

“Golden aptitude?”

Lu Qing’s eyes showed a hint of surprise upon seeing this. (End of Chapter)