Chapter 365

Chapter 365: A Troublesome Problem

Leng Cangqiong sat cross-legged in his room when a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Since you’re here, why not come in? The door isn’t locked!"

"Hee hee, Big Brother, your cultivation has improved again! Congratulations!" Lou Yun beamed as he walked in.

Leng Cangqiong opened his eyes and looked at his Third Brother with annoyance. "Third brother, stop mocking me. My cultivation hasn’t improved at all. As for you, you look radiant and full of vigor. Out with it! Did you have some special encounter during this trip?"

Had a third person heard Leng Cangqiong speak like this, they would have doubted their hearing! The famous White-haired God of Death was actually teasing someone!

Of course, throughout the entire world, Lou Yun was the only person whom Leng Cangqiong regarded so highly!

Lou Yun unceremoniously sat down in the chair facing Leng Cangqiong. He poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and smacked his lips twice before grinning. "Big Brother truly has sharp eyes like lightning! I can’t hide anything from you. I did have a minor encounter, but good things shouldn’t be hoarded alone. That’s why I rushed over to discuss it with you!"

As for his achievements and encounters in cultivation, Lou Yun was actually willing to share them with anyone. However, even if he was willing to share, it depended on whether the other person was qualified or capable enough to benefit. For example, his father and his Second Uncle, whose current magical weapon realm was far too low. Even if Lou Yun told them all his insights gained through cultivation, they wouldn’t gain any enlightenment. Instead, unable to understand at all, it might negatively affect their cultivation!

Therefore, Lou Yun could only turn to his big brother. He hoped that with his big brother’s cultivation level and experience in training, he could comprehend these things, gain inspiration, and thereby enhance his own strength.

Thus, Lou Yun spent the following time recounting his insights into the energies of heaven and earth and the soul in great detail, even personally demonstrating.

Leng Cangqiong was like an eager student, listening quietly throughout Lou Yun’s explanation. But one could clearly see flashes of sharp light constantly flickering across his face and in his eyes. Clearly, upon hearing these things, he was indeed able to grasp some insights.

After Lou Yun finished speaking, Leng Cangqiong actively asked about some points he hadn’t understood. Lou Yun tried his best to explain them within the scope of his own understanding. In short, when Lou Yun stood up and quietly left the room, Leng Cangqiong had already entered a meditative state with a joyful expression.

Standing in the courtyard, Lou Yun let out a long sigh. He couldn’t help but recall the very first time he discussed cultivation with his big brother. However, back then it wasn’t really him; it was his ancestor Chang Xiang speaking through him. Now, he could finally explain things to Big Brother properly, face-to-face!

Next, Lou Yun went separately to visit his other good friends individually – like Tie Sha and Wen Hou, Zuo Mingyang and Yi Jin Guan, and so on!

After making the rounds, Lou Yun finally came to a secluded, independent courtyard and stopped walking. Listening to the heavy breathing coming from the dark room before him, an image gradually formed in his mind: Xia Zhilan sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes tightly closed as she struggled to calm herself. Yet, her constantly rising and falling chest proved her efforts were all in vain; her emotions were intensely agitated at this moment.

Lou Yun hesitated for a moment before finally condensing his voice into a thread and sending it directly to Xia Zhilan’s ear: "Little Lan!"

Inside the room, Xia Zhilan instantly jumped from the bed to the floor like a startled rabbit. She stood frozen for a moment before snapping back to reality, her face lighting up with surprise as she rushed to the door and flung it open.

Bathed in the moonlight streaming down, Lou Yun and Xia Zhilan stood there: one outside the door, one inside. Time seemed to freeze as the two remained fixed in place.

Towards Xia Zhilan, Lou Yun felt a sense of guilt in his heart. Although he regarded her as his wife, she hadn’t officially entered his household yet. He hadn’t given her a formal status, nor could he often stay by her side, leaving her to keep a lonely vigil alone.

After a long silence, Lou Yun offered an apologetic smile. "Little Lan, I’m sorry."

Hearing these words, Xia Zhilan’s body trembled slightly. A pool of tears instantly appeared in her beautiful eyes. Lou Yun quickly stepped forward and pulled her close into his embrace.

Although Xia Zhilan wasn’t yet accustomed to such intimate physical contact with Lou Yun, she nestled happily in the arms of her beloved moments later, even wishing time could truly stop and make this moment last forever.

It was true that Lou Yun felt he owed Xia Zhilan, but she also silently blamed herself. As Lou Yun’s fiancée, she naturally knew the heavy burdens he carried. She desperately wanted to help him shoulder some of it. However, she also knew her own level of strength; staying by Lou Yun’s side without causing trouble would be a blessing from the heavens. So, she could only watch him leave time and again, silently praying and offering her blessings for him.

"Brother Lou!" Xia Zhilan’s voice murmured softly from within Lou Yun’s embrace. "You haven’t done me any wrong at all. It’s my fault for being too inept to help you share your burdens and solve your difficulties."

These words also startled Lou Yun. With his intelligence, he instantly grasped the implied meaning in her words. Before this, he had never even considered asking others to share his burdens. But now, hearing Xia Zhilan say this, he suddenly realized: he had been so focused on desperately improving his own strength that he had neglected helping Xia Zhilan.

Currently, Xia Zhilan’s magical weapon realm was still only at the intermediate four-star level. Worse still, she cultivated using incorrect methods. If she continued this way, her future cultivation level probably wouldn’t exceed the mystery rank. Consequently, both her constitution and her lifespan would be affected.

In fact, it wasn’t just Xia Zhilan. Most of the people currently around Lou Yun, including the entire Lou Family, were basically in a similar situation to Xia Zhilan. In the future, perhaps no more than three people could cultivate to the level of Weapon King or Weapon Emperor. Though stronger than ordinary people, they too wouldn’t have particularly long lifespans.

Thinking of this, Lou Yun’s mind began to ponder once again: was there any way to help these people? He didn’t expect them to reach the same level as himself, but at least they could be like his Big Brother or Second Brother, cultivating to high-level realms!

He wouldn’t say it was absolutely impossible, but the difficulty was truly immense. For younger people, it might be somewhat easier. They could start practicing both magical and ordinary skills now, even cultivating their physical bodies. After all, their lives had just begun. But for older individuals, like Lou Yun’s father or grandfather, having them start cultivation from scratch wasn’t feasible – time didn’t permit it, and their bodies wouldn’t allow it either!

As for people like Beichen Ming and Leng Cangqiong, the situation was slightly better. Though very old, they possessed extraordinary natural talent and had a far more solid foundation than others. Retraining was still possible.

However, the majority of people Lou Yun knew were middle-aged or elderly. Their current cultivation levels were mediocre. Therefore, Lou Yun now felt a bit at a loss.

Originally, Lou Yun’s purpose in returning this time, besides seeing friends and family, was to help a few specific people, like the Three Brothers of the Lu Family and Tie Sha and Wen Hou, break through their respective bottlenecks and improve their cultivation. But now, hearing Xia Zhilan’s words finally made him realize he had neglected too many people.

However, he couldn’t be blamed for this. The history of cultivation on Spirit Weapon Star spanned countless years. Generation after generation of cultivators included many geniuses, yet no one had ever found such a method until now – let alone him!

But Lou Yun didn’t think this way. Maybe for the truly old, he had no solution. But for his father, uncles, and especially someone like Xia Zhilan, he firmly believed there must be a way to thoroughly resolve this problem!

Lou Yun had come to find Xia Zhilan intending to chat leisurely with her. But now that this troublesome problem had surfaced, his mood was gone. He could only comfort Xia Zhilan with kind words until she smiled through her tears before he finally turned and left.

Walking out of the courtyard where Xia Zhilan lived, Lou Yun began wandering aimlessly throughout Divine Weapon Island. The patrolling disciples who saw him all greeted him with the utmost respect. Despite his young age, his reputation had already spread across the entire Spirit Weapon Star. This was especially true after he rescued the super experts like Ao Wushen from Gui You Quan’s clutches. Those experts had spared no effort in vigorously promoting him, making it impossible for him not to become famous!

When the news of the Nine Clans attacking Divine Weapon Island reached Ao Wushen and the others, they all dispatched their disciples to rush to Divine Weapon Island to offer reinforcements. Though Beichen Ming later chased them away, their actions had made their stance crystal clear to everyone: they were absolutely Lou Yun’s friends!

Thus, the forces backing Lou Yun had grown powerful enough that no one could challenge them!

One could say without exaggeration that on the current Spirit Weapon Star, even if Lou Yun walked sideways, no one would dare step forward to accuse him!

Lou Yun himself, however, had never contemplated this nor paid it any mind. His goal was simple: protect his family and friends from being bullied. He had no interest whatsoever in dominating others or seeking power.

Arriving at the highest protruding reef on Divine Weapon Island, Lou Yun finally stopped. Watching the rolling waves below crashing against this reef that had stood for countless years, this familiar sight naturally carried his mind back inside the volcano where he had undergone his transformation.

Almost instantaneously, Lou Yun entered that profound state of deep meditation. If someone had been standing there, they would have noticed: though Lou Yun stood there physically, he seemed to have vanished. Or rather, he had completely merged into his surroundings. He was the thousand-year-old reef; he was the gently blowing sea breeze; he was the rolling, crashing sea waves!