Chapter 50: Facial Recognition

“Fortunately, the portrait on the Talented Youths Register shows me as I was at fifteen,” Lu Sheng thought with relief as he gazed at his likeness on the board. His rapid physical development and advancement to Martial Master had occurred only after he entered the Serpent Lair; other than the now-dead Wan Gu Xiao, Ma Buting, and Ma Buti, no one else knew this. Moreover, after being reborn inside the Dragon Whale and awakening the finest aspects of his body, Lu Sheng’s appearance had changed dramatically—even those on Blackstone Island who had watched him grow up might not recognize him now. Not to mention, to conceal his age, Lu Sheng had already made himself appear more mature and ordinary before entering Snow Eagle City. Thus, his physique and features were already vastly different from the fifteen-year-old portrait on the register; it was no wonder Guan Yingfan hadn’t suspected he might be Lu Sheng.

“How did Spring and Autumn Pavilion learn about Lu Sheng?” Lu Sheng pondered, then asked aloud.

The matters of the second-tier Mind Control Gu, the blue-striped coral snake, and the struggle over the flood dragon’s corpse with Wan Gu Xiao, Ma Buting, and Ma Buti were known only to himself, Si Mingyue, and Lei Xier. “Could it be that one of them leaked the information? What would their motives be?” Lu Sheng wondered.

Ordinary people of the martial world might never have learned of this. However, Guan Yingfan was from the Four Seas Trading Company, and his family was one of its inner clans, so he knew a bit: “This was revealed by the Venerable Mingyue during negotiations over Haizhou affairs with the Four Seas Trading Company. At that time, she not only disclosed everything, but also used the three legacy stones of the Lu clan of Bingzhou—including the one left by Emperor Jing—to strike a deal with the company. Only then did we pass the information to Spring and Autumn Pavilion.”

It turned out that after the Dragon Whale swallowed Lu Sheng and he escaped, Si Mingyue had not left immediately; she investigated Lu Sheng’s background. With the deliberate investigation of a grandmaster, the secrets of the Lu family on Blackstone Island were laid bare. Moreover, Mingyue, possessing the Silver Moon Eyes that could see through things, followed the family’s secret path all the way to their inheritance within the Serpent Lair, and even found the legacy stones Lu Sheng had left behind.

Though the contents of these three stones were not particularly valuable to the Lu clan of Dajing, the one imbued with the true intent of Emperor Jing was the symbol of the Lu clan’s main line in Bingzhou—the only one lost to the outside world. Using these three stones as bargaining chips, Venerable Mingyue and the Thunder Lord, representing Haizhou, reached an agreement with the Four Seas Trading Company and the Dajing Lu clan behind it. It was then that Si Mingyue revealed Lu Sheng’s information.

Some within the Dajing Lu clan, coveting the flood dragon’s corpse and embroiled in internal conflict, used the appearance of the Bingzhou Lu clan’s main heir as an excuse to pass Lu Sheng’s information to Spring and Autumn Pavilion, where it was published on the Talented Youths Register, mobilizing the world to search for him. This was how Lu Sheng’s name ended up on the register—otherwise, why would a youth of unknown martial ability, uncertain achievements, and even uncertain life or death be listed so easily?

Guan Yingfan knew much of this through family channels, but did not intend to tell everything to the man before him. Looking at Lu Sheng with a trace of sympathy, Guan Yingfan said, “Your branch, like the Lu family of Blackstone Island, must be the medicine keepers left by Lu Hunqun. Unfortunately, the legacy stone representing the main line of the Lu clan was left by Lu Hunqun on Blackstone Island—so they are the rightful heirs of the Bingzhou Lu clan’s main line!”

Although the Dajing Lu clan had not formally recognized the Blackstone Island branch—citing the lack of bloodline verification and disputes among other branches over the three legacy stones—in the eyes of most, as long as their bloodline was confirmed, the Lu family of Blackstone Island, who possessed the legacy stone left by Emperor Jing and had passed it down through generations, were the unquestioned heirs of the main line. Other descendants, even if their blood was verified, would only be distant collateral branches.

“Is he so certain I am a descendant of Lu Hunqun?” Lu Sheng, puzzled, could not help but ask. He could not imagine how anyone could identify his lineage based solely on appearance.

“It seems your inheritance is quite limited—you haven’t even learned facial recognition,” Guan Yingfan replied. He summoned several portraits and, pointing at them, continued, “These likenesses were drawn from memory by martial masters who had seen Lu Hunqun, Lu Shan, Lu Hai, and Lu Sheng, capturing their facial features. Look closely at the shape of their faces and details of eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and brows—especially pupils, ear patterns, lips, nose, and brows. Now, compare them to yourself. Don’t you notice certain similarities? Surely these are not mere coincidence?”

“I underestimated the people of this world,” Lu Sheng thought, scrutinizing the portraits. If not for his transformation in the womb and the subtle changes to his features, his current appearance would be indistinguishable from the portrait of Lu Sheng. In that case, his true identity would have been revealed to Guan Yingfan at a single glance.

“Iris recognition, ear pattern recognition—these are advanced techniques even in my previous life! Who would have thought that in such a seemingly primitive world, martial masters, through their spiritual power and generations of experience, would have mastered these arts! Truly astonishing!” Suppressing his surprise, Lu Sheng resolved to address this flaw in his transformations in the future. Having cultivated the Innate Wishful Dao Body, mastery over the shape of his body was now instinctive. As long as he could imagine it, he could change anything—not just the shape of his face or nose, but also pupils, ear patterns, pores, palm prints, and so forth.

Compared to the common disguise methods in the martial world, which mostly alter muscles and bones, his was far superior. This, clearly, would bring some surprises to the world.

Having learned his lesson, Lu Sheng looked again at his great-grandfather’s portrait. “My great-grandfather Lu Quan, or rather Lu Hunqun, or Murong Qun—his features were truly striking! No wonder, after strengthening my innate essence and revealing the best genes, my features have grown ever more similar to his. That’s why Murong Yu saw the resemblance at a glance!” He now understood why Murong Yu had suspected his identity and sent a message. “She didn’t confirm on the spot—perhaps she’s still uncertain. But once the elders of the Murong clan arrive, they’ll surely recognize me as a descendant of Lu Hunqun!”

Though uncertain of the Murong clan’s true strength, Lu Sheng couldn’t help but worry. “My current strength is superficially that of a mid-stage Martial Master, but with three dantians cultivating at once, my mysterious energy rivals the peak of an early Grand Martial Master. Moreover, since cultivating the Innate Wishful Dao Body, with nine spiritual apertures open, my mental cultivation has also progressed. Combined with consuming the flesh of the flood dragon, my essence has improved as well. By now, my overall strength is definitely comparable to the peak of a Grand Martial Master—perhaps, with triple amplification through the Three Treasures Wishful Technique, I could match a Martial Lord in some aspects.”

Such was the power Lu Sheng possessed, two years after being swallowed by the Dragon Whale. “However, because none of my dantians have reached the limit and my cultivation remains at the physical level, my mysterious energy cannot yet be projected outward, nor can I sense the world’s primordial energy to form an aura. My true strength still lags far behind a Martial Lord. I don’t know if the Murong clan has a Martial Lord, but judging by Murong Yu’s status in the Fire God Sect, her position is not low. If she targets me, it will surely bring trouble. It seems I’ll need to rely on the Four Seas Trading Company for now.”

Snow Eagle City was a small town with less than ten thousand inhabitants. Here, a Martial Master was exceptionally rare, and even altering one’s appearance might not escape scrutiny. “Once the news of the sixth-grade snow lotus spreads, martial artists from the Western Regions will soon gather here. By then, with my ability to transform, I’ll truly be like a fish in water! For now, I’ll have to deal with the Four Seas Trading Company with superficial courtesy.”