Chapter 225: Li Haoran's Previous Life

Out of respect for the Phoenix Clan Ancestor and the world's beautiful ideals about phoenixes, Lu Yang felt there was no need to disclose the ancient secret he had just uncovered. He felt he was carrying too much on his shoulders, especially for someone only in the Foundation Establishment stage. Logically, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator armed with numerous ancient secrets should be able to leverage them to acquire various fortuitous opportunities.

For instance, if an ancient race had lost its heritage, Lu Yang could simply smile and casually reveal the location of their legacy, allowing them to reclaim it. In awe of him, they would then offer their saintess as his wife. Alternatively, upon entering an ancient secret realm, while others struggled fiercely through challenges, he, knowing the underlying principles, could leisurely stroll through and claim the ultimate reward, leaving a host of prodigies utterly dumbfounded. Or perhaps at an auction, a neglected treasure might appear, its true purpose unknown to all, nearly going unsold. Only Lu Yang would recognize it as a priceless ancient relic of immense value, acquiring it for a mere pittance.

Yet, Lu Yang had never experienced any of these fantastical encounters. He felt that knowing a mountain of ancient secrets was utterly useless, as he couldn't apply a single one. Lu Yang pondered, had something gone wrong?

The Phoenix Blood Stone incident finally concluded. After a night of commotion, the biggest takeaways were inadvertently thwarting the Nine Nether Cult's sinister plot and Li Haoran discovering that Su Yiren was a body cultivator. When Li's parents awoke, they stared at the man-sized, bottomless pit in their courtyard, lost in thought. Everything had been fine before they went to sleep, so how had such a massive pit appeared overnight?

Su Yiren, concerned that the night's commotion might disturb Li's parents and Qin Yanyan, had set up a sound-insulating formation for them. To be honest, Su Yiren's vigorous hammering of the old phoenix's corpse last night had generated considerable noise; only Li Haoran's family, thanks to the formation, had remained undisturbed. Everyone else in Fallen Phoenix Commandery had heard it. The Commandery Governor publicly stated that the noise was due to nighttime underground construction work where the force wasn't properly controlled, causing inconvenience, and requested everyone's understanding. He certainly couldn't admit that he, as the Commandery Governor, was incompetent, that the Nine Nether Cult had exploited a loophole, and that without Su Yiren's intervention, everyone would have been doomed. Such an admission would undoubtedly spell the end of his tenure as Commandery Governor.

"There was a slight incident last night," Lu Yang explained simply, "some villains secretly infiltrated, but fortunately, Senior Su intervened." He conveniently omitted any mention of the Phoenix Blood Stone, the Commandery Governor, the Mo family head, the Nine Nether Cult, or the old phoenix. In essence, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred last night.

Qin Yanyan rolled her eyes at Lu Yang's fabricated story. For her mother to have intervened, and for such a massive pit to have been hammered out, whatever happened last night must have been significant. However, she found it inconvenient to question him in front of Li's parents, so she let Lu Yang continue his rambling. Li's parents nodded, appearing to grasp the situation, and after Lu Yang promised to fill the large pit, they did not press the issue further.

The pit was shrouded in darkness, but if one could pierce through it, they would see an old phoenix lying at its bottom. According to Jiang Shan, this deceased elder phoenix had voluntarily chosen to be buried here. As for the hidden reasons behind it, he was unaware.

"Senior Su, I believe..."

"Just call me Yiren," Su Yiren finally found an opportunity to correct Li Haoran's address. Her tone was so gentle, like a sweet, seductive whisper capable of ensnaring heroes, that no one could possibly connect her with the fierce body cultivator from the previous night. Although Su Yiren was a body cultivator, her physique was not defined by the explosive, muscular power seen in someone like the Third Elder. Her body lines were well-proportioned and aesthetically pleasing, more akin to a fitness enthusiast from Lu Yang's previous life.

"Yi... Yiren..." Li Haoran stammered.

"Yes?" Su Yiren smiled.

"I don't think we might..."

Just before the words "not suitable" could escape his lips, Su Yiren gently pressed her index finger against Li Haoran's mouth. "Haoran," she said, "I understand you might not be able to accept this truth right away. We are both cultivators with long lifespans. Let's try to get to know each other and slowly adapt. If it truly doesn't work out, then you can suggest we part ways. How does that sound?"

Unable to voice a refusal, Li Haoran gently nodded. Su Yiren smiled and released her hand, while Qin Yanyan, watching nearby, stomped her foot in frustration. Su Yiren's index finger appeared to rest lightly on Li Haoran's lips, but only Li Haoran truly knew the immense strength behind it, rendering him utterly unable to open his mouth. Nevertheless, even if Su Yiren hadn't silenced him, he had already been considering giving things a try with her.

Having achieved her objective for this trip, Su Yiren did not linger. She worried that being overly enthusiastic might make Li Haoran uncomfortable, so she decided it was better to create some distance and give them both space. Su Yiren stayed with Qin Yanyan for the entire day, and after dinner, she departed directly. Before leaving, she discreetly arranged various beneficial formations for Li's parents and waved goodbye to Li Haoran, saying, "I'll come find you when I have time."

The next day, Li Haoran, as usual, demonstrated his cultivation practice to his parents, engaging in both martial arts and meditation. However, as he cultivated, he began to notice something unusual: spiritual energy surged within him, wave after wave, causing his fingers and toes to involuntarily stretch and curl – a clear sign of overflowing spiritual power.

"Am I about to advance?" he wondered. "That makes sense; it's about time for a breakthrough." This wasn't the first time Li Haoran had experienced such a sensation; similar occurrences had happened during his Qi Cultivation stage. He was currently in the early Foundation Establishment stage, having been delayed by over a month compared to Lu Yang and the other three due to his prolonged immersion in lava. Among the top five cultivators of their generation, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had just entered the late Foundation Establishment stage, while Tao Yaoye and Mang Gu had been in the middle Foundation Establishment stage for some time. Li Haoran was the slowest to progress. Now, he was finally catching up to the progress of the other four.

Li Haoran sent a telepathic message, requesting Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to guard him during his breakthrough. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, who had been awake for some time but were still lounging in bed, quickly got up without even bothering to wash when they heard their good friend was about to advance. They rushed to the courtyard to protect Li Haoran.

Li Haoran sat cross-legged and took two deep breaths. A small vortex formed above his head, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy. Cracking sounds resonated within his body as he tempered it using artifact refining methods, hardening his blood vessels, meridians, acupoints, and organs. His skin turned crimson, like a glowing piece of iron, as sweat was expelled to the surface, emitting a sizzling sound. The fine beads of sweat quickly vaporized into a mist. Fortunately, this transformation didn't last long. He let out a muffled groan, and his aura surged dramatically as a full Grand Cycle completed, signifying his successful entry into the middle Foundation Establishment stage.

As he advanced to the middle Foundation Establishment stage, a flood of unfamiliar yet intensely familiar memories surged into his mind, as if he had personally experienced them.

"Hmm?" He slowly opened his eyes, his expression clouded with confusion.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yang asked with concern, thinking his cultivation had gone awry.

"My past life... I think I was the Nine Nether Cult Master." Li Haoran's voice was tinged with uncertainty.

"What?!"