Chapter 332

Chapter 332: Self-Reflection

Although he had already seen from his vantage point high in the air that this island was enormous, now that he was actually standing upon it, Lou Yun was even more struck by its vastness as he gazed out at the overlapping mountains and layers upon layers of vegetation stretched before him.

However, Lou Yun’s purpose here was merely to rest briefly. He did not plan to linger for long, so this slight feeling of awe passed fleetingly through his heart. Choosing a relatively quiet spot, he sat down cross-legged and began circulating his energy to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

With the assistance of the two Heavenly Fires—Fusang Fire and Thunderstorm Fire—especially the Fusang Tree which existed in its complete, tree-like form within his body—his absorption rate of spiritual energy was extremely fast. In fact, in just half a day, the spiritual energy within Lou Yun had returned to a state of fullness.

Opening his eyes, Lou Yun stretched his body and then used Spirit Vision to scan his surroundings once more. Confirming that there was still no one around, he finally relaxed. He tilted his head back to look up at the sky, preparing to wait and see if Gui You Quan might catch up.

Of course, Lou Yun himself held little hope. Logically speaking, almost a full day and night had passed since leaving the Huangfu Family. With Gui You Quan’s strength, he should have long broken free and found his way here—if he indeed intended to find him. But Lou Yun’s escape route had been far too complicated. Without some special tracking method, it would likely be very difficult to trace.

Lou Yun decided to take advantage of this time to properly sort out his thoughts and decide on his next course of action!

The purpose of his journey to the Huangfu Family of Ghost Sea could be considered a complete failure. Even though neither side had openly resorted to hostility, any chance of resolving the bloody feud between their families was out of the question. Since they couldn’t be friends, they could only be enemies!

Long before reaching Ghost Sea, Lou Yun had already prepared himself and made a firm decision: if the situation proved beyond help, if the Nine Families still refused to spare his Lou Family, then to protect his family, he would have no choice but to choose that path he most detested—a path he must nevertheless set upon.

Although his resolve was firm, this path was no grand, open highway. It was instead overgrown with thorns and brambles; traversing it successfully would require immense effort and exact a heavy price.

The most immediate and critical problem Lou Yun urgently needed to address was his own strength!

He had already seen a glimpse of the Huangfu Family’s power. Setting aside Huangfu Ao, that super expert who did not originate from Spirit Weapon Star, even those natives like Huangfu Xuanlan possessed strength far beyond what Lou Yun could currently contend with.

And this was merely the strength of one among the Nine Families!

Although Lou Yun hadn’t had deeper contact or understanding of the other eight families, he strongly believed that their power, even if not surpassing the Huangfu Family’s, would at the very least be comparable.

Thinking this, Lou Yun let out a long sigh. Only upon truly attaining a level equivalent to Gui You Quan would he possess the capability to stand against the Nine Families!

Gui You Quan – a true Weapon Emperor Realm expert, a peak-level master just one step away from heavenly punishment!

And himself?

Lou Yun began a formal and thorough assessment of his own capabilities.

From the time he officially began cultivating until now, this was actually the first instance Lou Yun examined his own situation so meticulously and seriously.

Thanks to the aid of the two Heavenly Fires within his body, especially the complete Fusang Tree residing within him, his cultivation process essentially required no conscious effort from him. Even if he completely ignored it, his body would perpetually remain in a state of cultivation—spiritual energy continuously streamed into the area around his dantian where the magical weapon Dream Emperor Sword resided, constantly tempering it.

With such assistance, Lou Yun’s magical weapon realm had automatically risen to mysterious three-star!

"Mysterious three-star!" Lou Yun laughed bitterly to himself. "After Mystery Rank comes Human level, then Earth level, Heavenly level, king rank, emperor rank, and finally the ultimate realm—Weapon Emperor. Hmph, not too much of a gap then… just a mere six major realm levels separating me…"

His words, of course, did not stem from surging confidence, but were instead heavy with self-mockery.

Advancing one’s magical weapon realm by six major realms required centuries of unwavering perseverance and resilience. Moreover, reaching the pinnacle wasn’t just about persistence; luck played an absolutely crucial role.

Even if Lou Yun had confidence he could eventually become a Weapon Emperor, he could not guarantee that during this lengthy process, the members of the Nine Families would simply stay quietly in their secluded homelands, not disturbing the lives of the Lou Family or seeking trouble with him.

What should he do?

Faced with such a stark and daunting problem, Lou Yun felt perplexed and discouraged. Though subtle, this negative mood was detected by Chang Xiang.

Chang Xiang’s heart stirred. Apart from the years Lou Yun was considered useless, he hadn’t shown this sort of negativity again. If such negative emotions weren’t resolved successfully, they would become a major hindrance to Lou Yun’s cultivation progress, potentially bringing it to a standstill!

"Boy, what’s the matter?" Chang Xiang, who usually refrained from excessive interference in Lou Yun’s cultivation, knew he had to speak up at this moment.

Lou Yun, unaware of the potential profound impact of his current negativity on his future cultivation, nevertheless answered Chang Xiang honestly, explaining the thoughts that had troubled him.

Chang Xiang remained silent for a long while after listening, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter and materialized before Lou Yun.

Watching Chang Xiang laugh heartily, nearly doubled over, Lou Yun asked, puzzled, "Brother Chang, what are you laughing at?"

Chang Xiang’s laughter gradually subsided only after a few more moments. Then, with a wholly serious expression, he said, "Boy, I laugh because while your assessment isn’t entirely wrong, you fundamentally underestimated yourself!"

"I underestimated myself?"

"Mm. Although your current realm is only mysterious three-star, you possess so many things others can only dream of! Whether it’s the Heavenly Fires, the weapon techniques you possess, or even the vast and profound Chaos Seal… with their aid, you absolutely cannot gauge your real combat strength by comparing yourself to magical weapons masters at the same realm level as you."

Lou Yun scratched his head. "I know that. If I really go all out utilizing everything I possess, I can indeed defeat opponents one level, maybe even two levels, higher than me—like earth-level magical weapons masters. But the Nine Families are my problem, especially that Huangfu Ao! Their realms are probably emperor rank already! Compared to them, the gap is still way too wide!"

"Correct, there is a gap between you and them," Chang Xiang conceded, then his tone suddenly sharpened. "But do not forget this! Right now, you have already acquired the ability to perceive souls! And I assure you, among the Nine Families on Spirit Weapon Star as of this moment, none possess this capability. So, all you need to do is find a method to cultivate your soul. Then, your power will ascend at a speed you currently cannot imagine!"

Lou Yun eyes suddenly lit up. Soul Cultivation! How could he have overlooked that ability?

Seeing Lou Yun’s confidence visibly recovering with his encouragement, Chang Xiang pressed his advantage: "Moreover, practicing both magical and ordinary skills fundamentally requires the simultaneous cultivation of the magical weapon and the common weapon. But ever since you consumed the Stone Sword, you have never seriously used a common weapon again. In fact, one could say you never even truly started cultivating the common weapon. Do you know why it has been neglected?"

After the Stone Sword was consumed during his realm advancement, Lou Yun had occasionally used common weapons, even borrowing Chang Xiang’s Xiang Tian Sword. However, such instances were indeed rare. The reason was simple: mundane common weapons held no appeal for him anymore, and he hadn’t found a suitable replacement. Though Xiang Tian Sword was undoubtedly top-notch, it ultimately belonged to Chang Xiang, so Lou Yun avoided using it unless absolutely necessary.

As for cultivating a common weapon—yes. Lou Yun seriously pondered. Ever since the day he met Chang Xiang, Chang Xiang had stressed the need for practicing both magical and ordinary skills. Yet, from the beginning to the present, he had only ever treated a common weapon as an instrument for attack; he had never actually undertaken its cultivation.

The reason, Lou Yun recalled, Chang Xiang had explained to him: cultivating a common weapon absolutely required refining it with soul fire. In the past, utterly unable to even perceive his soul, let alone comprehend soul fire, cultivating a common weapon had been impossible.

But now, everything was different! Not only could he perceive his soul, but he could even observe its presence at will. Therefore, as long as he could find a method to cultivate his soul, many of the problems currently plaguing him could be resolved!

Lou Yun finally grasped the core meaning behind Chang Xiang’s words. His eyes shone brilliantly with renewed confidence and hope.

Seeing Lou Yun’s transformed expression, Chang Xiang finally breathed an internal sigh of relief. Thank goodness this kid came to his senses! Now, time to fan the flames further.

Chang Xiang rolled his eyes, then immediately adopted a stern expression. "Boy," he said coldly, his face stern, "You have indeed been slacking in your training recently! Moreover, you’ve become excessively reliant on others and those two Heavenly Fires! It’s been quite a while since you reached the Mystery Rank, hasn’t it? When was the last time you actively cultivated? If things continue like this, I fear you will indeed lack the power to oppose the Nine Families!"

Lou Yun flushed crimson, instantly chastened. Chang Xiang was undeniably right. He had stagnated at the Mystery Rank for a significant time and had grown overly dependent on his body’s automatic cultivation. While automatic cultivation yielded some results, its effectiveness paled in comparison to pro-active cultivation.

The reliance on others referred, of course, to Gui You Quan. With such a super expert by his side, Lou Yun rarely needed to act personally. While this ensured his safety, it inevitably dulled his combat instincts and reaction capabilities over time.

"Brother Chang," Lou Yun said with earnest sincerity, "Your criticism is justified. I recognize my fault. Starting now, I will cultivate diligently!"

Chang Xiang waved a hand dismissively, though pleased. "Actually, fault isn’t quite the right word. The important thing is that you’ve recognized it yourself!"

Having said that, Chang Xiang turned his head to survey the surroundings. "This place is nice," he commented. "Rich in spiritual energy, seemingly free from danger. It could make quite a good cultivation spot. Boy, if you have no pressing matters, why not stay here a while? You might just gain something worthwhile."