Chapter 326

Chapter 326: Seeking the Soul

Lou Yun nodded repeatedly, his excitement palpable. At this moment, he couldn’t yet grasp the true importance of perceiving the soul’s presence for his cultivation. His excitement stemmed solely from the feeling that the long-cherished wish was finally becoming a reality.

"Ahem… actually, your soul had already surfaced just now. It’s only that you didn’t notice it. Now, think back carefully!"

Lou Yun froze. When had his soul shown itself? He hadn’t felt it at all. But since his Master asked him to think, it must mean Master had his intentions. So, Lou Yun didn’t argue with him. Instead, he lowered his head and began contemplating earnestly.

Strangely enough, Mr. Commoner—who had just been stressing the limited time—now acted unexpectedly. He made no move to urge Lou Yun on. Instead, he stood smiling gently, his eyes filled with kindness as he watched Lou Yun. It seemed he was giving Lou Yun ample time to find the answer.

Lou Yun, utterly oblivious to his Master’s abnormal behavior, poured all his focus into recalling if his soul had indeed manifested earlier.

The answer wasn’t too hard to discover. Previously, Lou Yun had been in an unconscious state, completely unaware of anything. When he regained consciousness, his Master’s face was already before him. So, the answer certainly lay after meeting his Master.

After seeing his Master, had anything unusual occurred?

Lou Yun meticulously combed through every memory, even the smallest details, but concluded that nothing particularly strange had happened.

Could it have been before meeting his Master?

Yet before seeing his Master, he had been utterly unconscious…

Suddenly, a streak of light flashed in Lou Yun’s mind. It came to him!

An instant before seeing his Master, a wisp of golden light just like this had lit up in his mind!

That wisp’s appearance was like a bolt of lightning tearing through a boundless sea of darkness born of confused stupor, allowing him to awaken!

Could that wisp of golden light be… his soul?

Lou Yun’s head snapped up as he looked toward his Master. And his Master—as if reading his mind—nodded with a smile and said: "Indeed, that wisp of golden light was your soul!"

Even though he guessed correctly, no flush of delight appeared on Lou Yun’s face. Instead, it was still clouded by deep doubt and seriousness—because, right at this moment, he saw no trace of that golden light within his mind!

Mr. Commoner’s voice echoed softly in Lou Yun’s consciousness: "Child, think back carefully. Under what conditions did that wisp of golden light appear? As long as you grasp that state of being, you’ll genuinely perceive your soul!"

"Conditions?"

Lou Yun murmured the word almost unconsciously. Gradually, he sank into another state altogether. His entire spirit immersed itself within the boundless expanse of pitch darkness within his mind.

In this moment, an incredibly strange sensation arose within Lou Yun—a fleeting sense that he seemed both utterly vanished… yet somehow omnipresent!

But this feeling vanished as quickly as it came. His focus remained locked onto recalling the state that allowed the soul to appear.

Surveying the surrounding darkness, Lou Yun felt profoundly calm—so serene that even becoming lost forever within these depths didn’t frighten him.

Back then, he had been submerged in a mindless stupor, hovering on the precipice of awareness. That blackness, just like now, was an endless, seemingly boundless sea whose limits lay beyond all mortal sight!

This darkness was akin to the deep quietude just before dawn—the darkest moment of a day’s deepest hour. Or perhaps the gloom that gathers when storm clouds press hungrily toward the earth, moments before a deluge breaks free.

These two forms of blackness share a single essential quality: they will both inevitably be ripped apart soon, torn asunder by sudden, brilliant light!

For blackness that lingers near the dawn: the sun’s first warmth shall scatter it. For gloom that heralds a tempest’s fury: lightning’s fierce glare shall slash it apart!

Darkness. Light. Darkness. Light!

"I understand!"

The shout ripped forth like the roar of a dragon breaking through the waves. From deep within Lou Yun’s eyes, a dazzling radiance bloomed! Within his consciousness that same light flared forth, utterly vaporizing that endless night encircling him, revealing instead a world awash with luminous clarity!

The radiance within his pupils flared brightly, then vanished like a flash—fleeting as night-blooming petals. But the light filling his mind, though shrinking at breathtaking speed, gradually coalesced into something small and solid. Once its furious contraction ceased, there remained a radiant diamond-shaped crystal no larger than a clenched fist.

Darker shadows crowded toward the edges where the light fled. But that crystalline core burned steadily at the very center of the void. Suspended like a miniature sun floating through midnight skies, it cast a constant, gentle glow—lightly illuminating the eternal darkness encircling it, a light that would never fade!

This tiny crystal was Lou Yun’s soul!

Lou Yun not only sensed the existence of his soul but also caused it to truly manifest within his own body!

In truth, saying it manifested within his body was inaccurate, because the Lou Yun at that moment was merely his own consciousness; his actual physical body still sat upright on the chair at the dining table, eyes closed, remaining in an unconscious state.

However, this further demonstrated the wonder of the soul; although it was said to exist within the human body, it was actually both everywhere and nowhere at all!

After opening his eyes, Lou Yun wore an expression of ecstatic joy, while opposite him, Mr. Commoner’s face also showed satisfaction and heartfelt relief, as he nodded slightly and said, "Child, you did it!"

Lou Yun, filled with sudden inspiration, hurriedly turned over and bowed to the ground again, striking his head three times loudly as he declared, "Thank you, Master, for enlightening me!"

This time, Mr. Commoner accepted Lou Yun’s bow with a smile, but within the smile, his features gradually grew hazy: "Child, you needn’t thank me; one can only seek the existence of the soul oneself. Remember what I said earlier—once you find your soul, the path ahead requires you to slowly explore on your own. But above all, don’t let your soul lose itself again; if that happens, finding it once more becomes nearly impossible! Take care of yourself, and perhaps one day, master and disciple will truly meet again!"

To show his gratitude and respect for his master, Lou Yun did not raise his head after finishing the bows, but kept it lowered as he listened to his master’s instruction. Only when he sensed something amiss in his master’s words did he hurriedly lift his head!

But Lou Yun was too late, for Mr. Commoner’s face before him had become extremely blurred—all he could see was a pair of smiling eyes—and in an instant, even those eyes vanished…

"Master!" Lou Yun cried out loudly; his whole body tensed suddenly, and he snapped his eyes open wide!

In front of him was still the dining table laden with over a dozen dishes, and around the table, all members of the Huangfu Family stared at him wide-eyed and dumbfounded. Only the Grand Elder’s hands still plucked swiftly at the zither strings, the waves of melodious music echoing through the room, though at that moment, the music abruptly stopped.

At that instant, Lou Yun had no choice but to accept the fact: he had now awoken from the True Dream Realm that Master Mr. Commoner had cast for him a second time!

Though Lou Yun’s heart was filled with reluctance, recalling his master’s parting words that perhaps one day they would truly reunite brought him some comfort and hope.

Facing the Huangfu Family crowd, Lou Yun suddenly had a strange, entirely new sensation, for he clearly heard the rapid beating of every member’s heart, the sound of their gulping, and seemed to glimpse through their eyes the shock and thoughts within their minds.

Furthermore, the fluttering buzz of mosquitoes and the rustling of the night breeze outside clearly reached his ears. Yet this was not so significant, as it only showed that after finding his soul, his innate senses had markedly strengthened again. In the past, if he unleashed spiritual energy to sense his surroundings, he could do the same, so it was not surprising at all.

What truly struck Lou Yun as wondrous was that he could now gradually picture a scene in his mind from these sounds—though it couldn’t be called very distinct, it was at least clear and vivid.

Hundreds of mosquitoes clustered into a cloud, swirling and dancing around a night-blooming jasmine plant; the night breeze swept past, causing the coarse weeds on the ground to sway gently with the wind’s direction.

Previously, when checking with spiritual perception, Lou Yun could achieve this, too, but that was only an imagined scene based on spiritual energy fluctuations. Now it was different; he could be sure that the image in his mind was the true situation outside at that very moment!

Later, Lou Yun understood that this was the true power of spiritual perception, gained after discovering his soul!

For now, Lou Yun had no time to consider all that. After a brief moment of curiosity, he took a deep inward breath, his face returning to a calm, self-assured smile, and he addressed the Grand Elder: "Grand Elder, why have you stopped playing? I was just enjoying it to the fullest!"

All members of the Huangfu Family could confirm that just moments ago, Lou Yun had clearly entered the True Dream Realm. In theory, as long as the music, serving as a medium, continued uninterrupted, he should not have awakened even if someone burned his body outside. How had he managed to wake up now?

Moreover, from Lou Yun’s words and appearance, he did not seem like someone who had just emerged from the True Dream Realm! Though only his consciousness entered it, those who awoke afterward were typically listless, dull-eyed, and utterly exhausted. Yet Lou Yun’s condition did not match this at all—he was energetic, spirited, and full of vitality, with eyes burning bright. Far from seeming like he’d just woken from the True Dream Realm, he looked as if he’d just consumed a powerful restorative pill.

Gui You Quan, who had not entered the True Dream Realm at all from the start and had not helped Lou Yun either, now lifted his head and gave Lou Yun a glance at that moment.