Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 140

Volume 5 Chapter 140: Past Events (Part 2)

Looking at Xu Qingfan’s shocked expression, Mr. Liu slowly said, "That’s right, the Liu Huaxiang who has been with you daily and treated you like a teacher is one of your ancestors, Li Xuhan."

As he spoke, a strange look appeared in Mr. Liu’s eyes, and he said, "I thought you might have some doubts, but seeing your expression now, I realize you never even considered this. You are now a golden core cultivator. Haven’t you found anything strange during this time? When you were still at the Fake Golden Core Stage, it was understandable that you couldn’t sense it, but at this moment, haven’t you noticed that Liu Huaxiang’s actions, presence, and understanding far exceed what a Golden Core Stage cultivator should be capable of?"

After hearing Mr. Liu’s words, Xu Qingfan realized that whether it was Liu Huaxiang explaining the Heavenly Way to him, using a secret method to transform his body, or the cultivation methods Liu Huaxiang created, they indeed exceeded the capabilities of the Golden Core Stage, and even among Mahayana Stage masters, such insight is rare.

However, due to his preconceived notions, Xu Qingfan had never thought about these things and always regarded Liu Huaxiang as a dying but respected Golden Core Stage master.

"What on earth is going on?"

Xu Qingfan asked, his tone somewhat weak. Liu Huaxiang was one of the most important people to him, and his influence was profound and comprehensive. Xu Qingfan saw him as a master, yet he suddenly discovered that this person he considered a master had another identity. The shock of realizing someone he thought he knew had so many secrets he was unaware of was immense.

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, Mr. Liu first sat down on the ground and gestured for Xu Qingfan to sit with him, then began to recount the story to Xu Qingfan in a dreamy tone.

"The Liu family is a prominent clan of cultivators, but it began to gradually decline two thousand years ago. Not only has there not been a Condensed Core Stage master for hundreds of years, but in my generation, only Liu Xiang and I remain. I was a gifted child, showing great talent for cultivation from a young age, valued by the family elders, while Liu Xiang was a hidden talent. Although he started slowly in his cultivation, he was very steady, and the talent he showed later was even greater. Unfortunately, the people in the family at that time did not realize this and did not value him. Not only were the supplies of spirit herbs and magical tools very limited, but even the more advanced cultivation methods were not passed down to him."

"Unlike me, Liu Xiang is a very proud person, even though he is usually calm. After realizing he could not practice advanced cultivation methods in our family, he secretly left and joined Jiuhua Gate. There, he became an Elder Martial Brother in the ‘Xu’ generation. By doing this, he betrayed his family, so after joining Jiuhua, he no longer used his real name but took the name Li Han."

"At first, I did not know that Li Xuhan was my younger brother Liu Xiang. I only heard of him as a remarkable person who was very popular in Jiuhua, second only to Zhang Xusheng, who had not yet left Jiuhua at that time. Because Liu Xiang is so steady, he was even held in higher regard by the elders of Jiuhua than Zhang Xusheng. This went on for hundreds of years as Liu Xiang and I cultivated separately on different paths, both eventually reaching the Great Ascension stage."

Speaking of this, Mr. Liu paused, a hint of a self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he continued:

"Later, a highly respected master invited all the masters of the cultivation world to a conference. Liu Xiang and I both attended, and that was when I discovered that the famous Li Xuhan from Jiuhua was actually my long-lost younger brother Liu Xiang. At that time, I placed great importance on family loyalty and accused him of betraying our family, but he remained silent as I scolded him. Eventually, I challenged him to a duel, and he agreed, putting in all his effort. I suppose he wanted to prove himself after feeling neglected by the family while I was valued. In a surprising turn of events, we ended up in a tie. Keep in mind, I had been practicing for over twenty years before him and had far surpassed him in skill before he left the family. His hidden wisdom was extraordinary; he truly improved rapidly as time went on, surpassing many practitioners who were once above him."

"In your generation, there are many talented individuals, but compared to our time, you still lag a bit behind. Li Fulu, Zizhen, Zhang Xusheng, Liu Xiang, and I are all rarely seen geniuses, but after that fight, I realized that among all these talents, Liu Xiang, the one who was often overlooked, would achieve the greatest success in the future. He might even become the first person in history to reach the complete Unity of Sky and Earth, at least not under Immortal Qingxu or the founders of the Nine Hua Xian schools. This is due to his rapid progress in cultivation and stable demeanor. Speaking of which, after tying with him, I was determined to practice a very dangerous secret technique and luckily succeeded in breaking through to the Soul Splitting Stage later."

As he reached this point, Mr. Liu sighed slowly, a look of regret deepening on his face.

"Unfortunately, not long after, before Liu Xiang could fully reveal his talents, a great disaster struck Jiuhua. He was injured by Zhang Xusheng, who betrayed Jiuhua, hurting him to his core. From then on, he found it difficult to advance further in his skills. He had no feelings for the Liu family but held Jiuhua in high regard. Later, seeing himself unable to improve and aging rapidly due to his injuries, while Zhang Xusheng grew stronger day by day and would eventually return to seek revenge, he pretended to die six hundred years ago, taking the name Liu Huaxiang to lower Zhang Xusheng’s guard and continued to protect Jiuhua. Seventy years ago, he successfully drove Zhang Xusheng away from Jiuhua and cleverly set a trap for him."

"In fact, Liu Xiang taking on the name Liu Huaxiang was almost like admitting who he truly was, recognizing his status as a Liu family descendant. This act implied he acknowledged our shared roots and surrendered to me, but I knew he only did so to invite me to join him against Zhang Xusheng, which I completely ignored. I had no idea that attempting to fend off Zhang Xusheng again would lead to Liu Xiang sustaining severe injuries, ultimately passing away fifty years ago."

"Because of this, people believe that Liu Xiang and I were enemies, as I often mocked him and challenged him to duels. Yet, in recent years, I have looked at you differently because I have always felt guilty towards Liu Xiang. You are his disciple and can be considered my only family in this world."

※※※※

Xu Qingfan listened blankly to Mr. Liu’s story until he finished telling everything, but Xu Qingfan still looked dazed.

"So that’s how it is."

Xu Qingfan murmured.

After hearing Mr. Liu’s account, all of Xu Qingfan’s questions were finally answered: why Zhang Hualing appointed himself as Deacon Elder while the other elders did not oppose him, why some masters looked so strange when they learned he had been taught by Liu Huaxiang for many years, and why Liu Huaxiang had such deep understanding of both cultivation and the many aspects of the human world.

Because Liu Huaxiang was the former sect leader of Jiuhua, the master of his generation, Li Xuhan!

However, in Xu Qingfan’s heart, Liu Huaxiang was just Liu Huaxiang, the old man who always showed signs of weariness and loneliness, the one who cared for him sincerely but thought differently, the presence like a mentor, not the legendary master Li Xuhan that people spoke of, nor Mr. Liu’s brother Liu Xiang.

So even after hearing all this, although Mr. Liu’s explanation was reasonable and there was no reason to deceive him, Xu Qingfan felt a sense of rejection in his heart.

At that moment, Xu Qingfan’s feelings were like those of a child who suddenly learns that his father is not his real father.

At the same time, Xu Qingfan felt a faint sense of regret for Liu Huaxiang. If everything had gone well, how strong would Liu Huaxiang be now?

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s dazed expression, Mr. Liu understood that Xu Qingfan was struggling to accept so many sudden changes all at once. He said nothing more and slowly stood up, flying towards the seven corpses of the demon beasts far in the distance, ready to collect their valuable materials.

"The reason I am telling you this is that there are some things you should know now, and also to let you know that I will not harm you. If you have difficulties in the future, feel free to tell me. After all, I still owe Liu Xiang."

Just when Mr. Liu’s figure turned into a small black dot in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, Mr. Liu’s voice suddenly came again.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan’s expression finally shifted from confusion to clarity. Maybe Liu Huaxiang had many identities, or maybe Liu Huaxiang had been hiding too many secrets from him, but Liu Huaxiang had always treated him well, and that was enough.

Liu Huaxiang is still Liu Huaxiang.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan slowly stood up from the ground and flew towards the distant direction of Mr. Liu and the seven demon beast corpses.