Chapter 13

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Chapter 13: Intensified Cultivation

Lou Yun had just sliced through three Giant Fire Wolves with a single sword strike. His clean and decisive movements left Lou Qian, hidden in the shadows, utterly stunned. Even Lou Tianzhi\’s face was filled with disbelief!

Though the classification of demon beasts\’ strength on the Spirit Weapon Star differs somewhat from humans, the combined assault force of three beginner one-star Giant Fire Wolves was comparable to two beginner one-star magical weapons masters! Yet Lou Yun had effortlessly eliminated them with merely one stroke. His power was likely beyond even Lou Qian\’s own self-assessment.

The Stone Sword slid back into its sheath. Lou Yun walked towards the three beast souls spinning on the ground, his face brimming with delight. \"What an unexpected windfall! The earlier one didn\’t have a beast soul, but all three of these did. Three in total, the mission\’s accomplished!\"

Lou Tianzhi finally revealed a relieved smile, gently pulling Lou Qian\’s shoulder as he said, \"We can leave now.\"

Lou Qian felt even more exhilarated than Lou Yun right now. She was itching to rush down immediately and grill him—how had he cultivated to this level in just four short months?

Lou Tianzhi seemed to know her thoughts and whispered, \"Consider everything you saw today unseen. Do not question Yun\’er, and never tell a soul.\"

Though she couldn\’t fathom her father\’s reasoning, Lou Qian dared not disobey. Swallowing her swirling confusion, she silently followed him away.

Lou Tianming, waiting outside the forest, appeared outwardly calm, but anxiety churned within him like a wildfire. Even knowing Lou Qian was secretly providing protection, he still fretted over his son\’s safety.

Suddenly, a soft rustle sounded nearby. Lou Tianzhi landed lightly beside him, offering a faint smile as he whispered, \"Elder Brother, your prodigy son has returned!\"

Upon hearing this, Lou Tianming froze momentarily, clearly not grasping his younger brother\’s meaning.

Half an hour later, Lou Chong emerged from the forest first. He deliberately tossed a single beast soul up and down in his hand. He tried hard to project indifference, but the faint tremor at the corner of his mouth betrayed his inner elation. However, without Lou Fei\’s covert aid, obtaining this beast soul would have demanded a much steeper price.

Following him, the other four youths emerged one by one. Besides one who returned empty-handed, the other three had also acquired a beast soul each.

Now, only Lou Yun remained.

The fact that three others had succeeded somewhat annoyed Lou Chong. Seizing this waiting moment as a chance, he deliberately curled his lip and called out loudly to his own elder brother, \"Elder brother, you should go in and check on Lou Yun. Bet he ended up as demon beast chow.\"

Lou Fei also wore an expression of contempt, glancing dismissively at the composed Lou Qian nearby. \"Relax. He hasn\’t kicked the bucket!\"

Just then, a figure caked in grime, barely covered by a few tattered scraps of cloth, appeared within everyone\’s line of sight.

\"Pfft!\"

Lou Chong burst out laughing first. \"Holy smokes, Elder Brother, look! The kid actually made it out alive! But looking at that sorry state, no way he got a beast soul. Hahaha!\"

Indeed, everyone saw Lou Yun\’s disheveled, barely clothed appearance, and most faces onlookers contorted into sneers.

Lou Tianming hadn\’t expected his son to emerge looking so wretched either. After a brief moment of shock, he bellowed, \"Yun\’er!\" Wrenching off his own outer robe, he charged forward.

\"Father!\"

Lou Yun gave a wide, toothy grin, raising his hand towards his father. Clutched within it, three beast souls pulsed with a soft, radiant glow that instantly lit up the eyes of every single person present.

Every facial expression froze solid in that instant. It was as if a universal paralysis spell had been cast, leaving everyone motionless, utterly dumbstruck.

Lou Tianming skidded to a halt mid-charge, his own eyes locking onto the three beast souls gleaming in his son\’s palm.

The normally stern and authoritative Lou Tianming found his eyes growing slightly moist at this moment. He murmured softly, \"Yun\’er… you truly did it!\"

Thus, the hunt concluded. Out of the six youths of the Lou Family, five had successfully completed their respective hunts, save for one failure. However, the standout was the nearly universally dismissed \’waste,\’ Lou Yun. He had surprisingly returned with three beast souls, instantly reclaiming his position as the focal point of discussion and intense scrutiny within the Lou Family.

Since no one besides Lou Tianzhi and his daughter had witnessed Lou Yun\’s exploits within the forest—and Lou Qian had emerged early to avoid impropriety—wild theories abounded to explain how \"that waste\" could possibly have procured three beast souls.

\"Impossible! How could he get three beast souls? Does that mean he killed three demon beasts?\"

\"Don\’t kid yourself! Three demon beasts? That\’s comparable to at least two magical weapons masters! How could one waste like him, not even possessing a magical weapon, deal with three demon beasts?\"

\"Maybe some expert passed through the forest earlier, killed three demon beasts, didn\’t bother taking the beast souls, and he just happened to stumble upon a fluke?\"

\"Hmm… very plausible. That must be it.\"

The murmurs of the surrounding crowd clearly reached the ears of Lou Yun and Lou Tianming.

In fact, if it weren\’t for Lou Tianzhi\’s earlier words, Lou Tianming would have almost doubted if he had seen wrong.

But now, even though he was no longer the clan head, he absolutely could not tolerate anyone insulting his son like this.

Just as he was about to speak out to stop them, Lou Yun gently tugged at his sleeve and said, \"Dad, don\’t mind them, let them say what they want; one day, they will shut their mouths!\"

Lou Tianming glanced at Lou Yun with slight surprise, discovering that his small, dark face actually bore a calm smile.

His father\’s serious injury and four months of arduous cultivation had not only improved Lou Yun\’s cultivation but also tempered his mind more; now, he had truly grown into an adult!

After returning to the Lou Family, Lou Yun went back alone to his room, and Lou Tianming did not go to ask Lou Yun what exactly had happened to him over those four months, because he trusted his son—if he did not want to say it, there must be a reason; if he wanted to say it, he would naturally tell him.

However, he did plan to ask Lou Tianzhi what exactly Lou Yun had encountered in Tianliang Forest!

In the room, Lou Yun washed up briefly, changed into clean clothes, and sat down cross-legged eagerly at once.

\"Hey, kid, what are you going to do?\" Chang Xiang asked somewhat puzzledly at Lou Yun\’s actions.

\"Cultivating! There are only six months left until the official changing ceremony. Now that Dad has woken up, I have to spend my time wisely!\"

Chang Xiang appeared before Lou Yun, shaking his head with a slight smile and saying, \"Don\’t rush into cultivation. I\’m asking you: how did it feel when you killed those three Giant Fire Wolves just now?\"

Lou Yun extended his thumb at Chang Xiang and said, \"Brother Chang, this Sword Dance of Wind and Thunder you taught me is really powerful! I thought I would need to use all three moves to kill them, but unexpectedly, one move did it.\"

Chang Xiang gave him a sidelong look and said, \"If you already know it\’s that powerful, why are you so eager to cultivate now? Believe me, with your current strength, even if you slept all day, after half a year, you could easily defeat a beginner two-star magical weapon master.\"

After that real battle, although Lou Yun had a basic grasp of his own ability, he couldn\’t quite accept that claim. He shook his head and said, \"I still need to keep cultivating. Who knows if those elders will set tricky obstacles to embarrass me? Stronger power can\’t hurt. Besides, I have to go to Ancient Weapon Academy to figure out how to repair my dad\’s magical weapon soon…\"

At that, a sudden idea flashed in Lou Yun\’s mind. He pointed at Chang Xiang and continued, \"By the way, Brother Chang, you\’re so skilled—you must be at least an earth-level magical weapons master, right? Could you help fix my dad\’s magical weapon first?\"

That request brought a fleeting shadow over Chang Xiang\’s face, but it vanished instantly. He shook his head and said, \"In the past, repairs like that were no problem. But now? I really can\’t help you. Don\’t ask the reason; you\’ll find out in time.\"

Lou Yun noticed that brief darkness on Chang Xiang\’s face and thought, seems Brother Chang has some past he doesn\’t want to revisit!

\"Oh. Fine, I was just wondering.\"

Perhaps that question troubled Chang Xiang\’s mood. He waved his hand offhandedly and said, \"Whatever—you\’re right; you should focus on cultivating. When you can really attend Ancient Weapon Academy, we\’ll talk then!\"

After speaking, he vanished without waiting, his form flickering momentarily.

Lou Yun naturally registered the shift in Chang Xiang\’s demeanor, but knowing no details, he didn\’t dare try to console him.

After blankly spacing out for a moment, Lou Yun suddenly narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp with killing intent, and muttered to himself, \"The enemy that strikes every fifteen years—you must wait for me! Especially the one who badly hurt Dad\’s magical weapon; I will repay that \’favor\’ double!\"

Those emotionless words reached Chang Xiang, making him jerk slightly. He sighed softly and murmured, \"Lou Yun… that direct enemy isn\’t much to fear, but the backers behind them? That\’s something even I avoid messing with…\"

Over the next half year, Lou Yun\’s life returned to a daily routine of cultivation, only more diligent than ever. But with his father near, a smile reemerged on his face.

Now, however, Lou Yun\’s status in the Lou Family changed thanks to his hunt showing and became oddly special. For instance, when Great Uncle Lou Runshui personally asked about his progress, not a useful word left Lou Yun\’s mouth.

Despite this, Lou Yun finally earned a sliver of respect again—the kind unseen for nine years. Of course, many still eyed him doubtfully or scorned him, but he ignored it all and stayed rooted in his practice.

Though weapon techniques were crucial, the vivid memory of himself smashing a Giant Fire Wolf\’s head that one day drove home just how vital his body was. A strong enough physique could let him battle foes unarmed, easily.

Hence, for those six months, Lou Yun didn\’t press Chang Xiang for new weapon techniques; instead, he sank into prolonged body refinement and mastering Sword Dance of Wind and Thunder.

Finally, the next day would bring the Lou Family\’s changing ceremony—one Lou Yun had anticipated for far too long!