‘I can’t catch up,’ she thought.

……

「Ten days later.」

Ten days passed, yet the talk surrounding Lu Zi showed no signs of stopping. Subtly, almost imperceptibly, his power and prestige grew more substantial.

In fact, many small towns had even begun spontaneously erecting statues and building temples in his honor.

“This is a living Saint! Confucius’s teacher!”

That was the official reason, but the most fundamental one was the desire to be rewarded by Lu Zi in the future.

Discerning people had noticed that Lu Zi’s first rewards had all gone to those closest to him. What did that mean? It was the classic case of “when one person achieves Enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven”!

Even if future rewards were to be based purely on merit, what if one could establish even a slight connection with Lu Zi, or perhaps even get to know him…

‘With Lu Zi’s vast Divine Techniques, surely he could hear them chanting his name every day, right?’

This idea spread among more and more people.

Eventually, some of the populace who had spent their days chanting “Infinite Celestial Venerable” or “Amitabha Buddha” actually began chanting phrases like “Infinite Lu Zi” and “Lu Zi of Great Virtue”…

More and more temples were built and statues cast for Lu Zi. Some of the wealthy even spent fortunes, using pure gold to create his likeness.

By the twentieth day, the number of Lu Zi statues in the world had exceeded one million.

During this time, the Thoughts of All Living Beings also continued to converge. Ancestor Star had a population numbering in the quadrillions, and even though the vast majority of these thoughts were impure and convoluted…

…the sheer volume was immense!

By the thirtieth day, the amount of Thoughts of All Living Beings gathered each day had become nearly comparable to the thoughts amassed from the hundreds of millions of devout followers within the Peach Blossom Spring!

If all the worship in the Human World were ten bushels, the Immortals and Buddhas of old would share it amongst themselves. But now, Lu Zi alone claimed eight.

Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard in Langya Province.

Wu Datong sighed softly.

“I’m afraid I can’t call you Xiaoxuan anymore. I’ll have to call you Lu Zi…”

Beside him, Old Yan also smiled and nodded.

“Indeed. The power Lu Zi has amassed is now on a scale that seems to be Covering the Sky and Sun…”

Lu Xuan, who had just emerged from a full month of seclusion, gave a resigned chuckle.

“Uncle Yan, Uncle Wu, there’s no need for that, is there? You should still call me Xiaoxuan. Otherwise, it just feels a little awkward…”

“It’s fine!” Yan Jiangxue, who was beside them, beamed, her eyes curving into crescents. “I’ll still call you Xiaolu!”

Everyone laughed heartily.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaoxu, who was off to the side, shrank back, his thoughts wandering as he marveled inwardly.

‘Everyone sitting in this small courtyard is a true powerhouse, standing at the very pinnacle of the current world…’

‘From Brother Xuan… I mean, Lu Zi… to my own dad, then the chairman of Longque Technology, the Speaker of the Federation, and the Federation’s very first marshal… The only one I don’t know is that chubby old man.’

Just as Wu Xiaoxu’s thoughts were running wild,

Li Yutong spoke in a steady voice.

“Lu Zi, you must have gained much from this period of seclusion, I imagine?”

Everyone stopped talking.

Lu Xuan smiled calmly and nodded.

“It went alright. The main thing is that the Sword and Spear Calamity is hard to endure. The second round starts tomorrow… But it’s fine. I should have a chance to break through to the next realm soon. The troublesome parts are the last two tribulations.”

In the Earth Immortal Realm, the seventh, eighth, and ninth of the Nine Tribulations were the Sword and Spear Calamity, which lasted for seven days each month; the Plague Calamity, which lasted for seven months each year; and the Famine Calamity, which lasted for seven years each decade.

Wu Xiaoxu and Yan Jiangxue didn’t understand any of this and were a little confused.

But Yan Huang, Li Yutong, and that hot-tempered old marshal, Li Chengtian, all grew solemn.

Li Yutong said softly,

“Indeed. These three tribulations are unavoidable. The Sword and Spear Calamity and the Plague Calamity are manageable, but the Famine Calamity is the real problem. Even if you accumulate enough power to break through after the first round of the Famine Calamity, that first round alone lasts for seven years…”

Yan Huang and Li Chengtian’s expressions also grew grim. Seven years…

In seven years, the Immortal Gods would likely have begun to return!

But Lu Xuan just chuckled softly and said,

“That won’t be a problem. Although I have no way to avoid these three calamities, I have some understanding of the profound principles of Time. For every day that passes in the outside world, I can experience ten, or even a hundred days.”

Everyone was stunned. One day in the outside world was a hundred days for him??

Zhu Wuneng’s expression shifted slightly, while Yan Huang said with pleasant surprise,

“In that case, Lu Zi… Xiaoxuan, doesn’t that mean you can complete a full round of the calamity within a single month? And with your accumulation, you could probably break through after just one round…”

Lu Xuan nodded slightly and said,

“This is why I’ve gathered you all here today. I might disappear for a while, probably for a month or two. By the time I return, I should have passed through all the tribulations.”

Spreading his teachings throughout the world in Ancient Times was no simple task; it was normal for such an undertaking to last several years, or even decades. Even with the Bronze Fragment to control the flow of time, a month or two was still likely to pass in the Current World.

Lu Xuan then added,

“I just heard Speaker Li mention the martial arts tournament for the prodigies of the two races in three months, as well as several Super Conglomerates that have been making moves recently… I will deal with all of these matters when I return. I only hope that all of you can focus on maintaining stability for the next two months.”

As he spoke, he waved his hand lightly. Mist and clouds billowed out, evolving into a vision of the great world, slowly rising and falling.

Lu Xuan exhaled a breath of turbid air and continued speaking at an unhurried pace.

“My appearance before the world this time has caused the undercurrents to surge more violently. Eight hundred streams of the Human Dao Trend have now gathered within me, allowing me to vaguely sense the greater trend of the world and perceive that there are disturbances stirring in the East, South, West, and North.”

Yan Jiangxue and Wu Xiaoxu still looked somewhat lost, but the other few True Immortals and Grand Grades, including Zhu Wuneng, all had their expressions turn solemn.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep