Chapter 250

Chapter 250: Deterrence Successful

Without using his magical weapon, Lou Yun used his fist alone to make the surrounding air condense into a vortex. Though everyone knew he was utilizing spiritual energy, this way of fighting still left them utterly bewildered. They couldn’t help but widen their eyes in unison, eager to see what Lou Yun planned to do next.

Boom!

Lou Yun suddenly raised his fist and smashed it fiercely into the giant boulder before him!

The extreme speed of his punch, combined with the vortex of air driven out as his fist extended, compressed the surrounding air to its limit. Before Lou Yun’s fist even reached the boulder, this air struck it first, causing several cracks to appear on its surface. Lou Yun’s fist followed immediately with even greater impact force, hitting precisely those cracks.

Instantly, with a boom, stone fragments flew everywhere. A massive hole roughly four meters in diameter appeared in the center of the more than ten-meter-high boulder. When people peered into the hole, they realized they could see right through to the other side. In other words, Lou Yun’s single punch had completely pierced through the enormous rock!

Relying purely on the raw power of his physical fist to cause such massive destruction left not only the many magical weapons masters on the Divine Weapon Island dumbstruck, but even Leng Cangqiong, Wen Hou, and Tie Sha showed subtle shifts in their expressions. From their very first day of cultivation, they had specialized solely in cultivating magical weapons; none had ever specifically trained their physical bodies. Now, Lou Yun’s strike offered all of them some insight, profound or small.

Honestly, even Lou Yun himself was startled by the power of his own punch. On the way to Biko Island, he had focused intently on training his physical body and successfully endured the Ten Refinements of the Body, refording the muscles all over his body. However, facing Helian Kuang on Biko Island, he hadn’t gotten the chance to utilize his physical strength. Therefore, he hadn’t known that relying solely on his body now, he could unleash such a devastatingly powerful attack.

This strike filled Lou Yun with confidence. It had merely displayed the power of the body to the crowd. Next, he intended to demonstrate the power achievable with a common weapon.

The Xiang Tian Sword appeared in his hand, naturally prompting another wave of gasps from the magical weapons masters on the island. Each quickly closed their mouth however, watching Lou Yun with anticipation, wondering what shock he would bring them this time.

Gripping the Xiang Tian Sword with one hand, he slowly raised it diagonally, pointing it towards the east. Simultaneously, Lou Yun slowly closed his eyes. Gradually, his entire being began to radiate a wild, untamed aura, substantial enough to stir swirling currents of air. It was even visible to the naked eye; these currents swirled around Lou Yun’s body, particularly raging violently around the Xinag Tian Sword’s blade, as if caught in a frenzy, straining on the verge of breaking free and surging forward without restraint.

"This… what’s going on? A common weapon can produce such immense energy fluctuations?"

Many magical weapons masters couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves. They weren’t unfamiliar with common weapon masters, but they had truly never seen one capable of making a common weapon exhibit such a state!

Swish!

Lou Yun’s Xiang Tian Sword descended seemingly very casually from its raised position. Yet, the countless air currents followed its descent, converging into a single, immense force that slammed explosively towards the giant boulder.

Boom!

A tremendous boom echoed. Everyone felt the very earth shake and the mountains tremble; it seemed the entire Divine Weapon Island itself shook with the impact. The massive boulder was now cracked perfectly down the middle. Moreover, this crack ran straight through the large hole Lou Yun had previously punched, splitting the rock from top to bottom.

As it split apart, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept through. Half of the giant boulder astonishingly crumbled into fine dust, vanishing without a trace carried away by the wind!

While everyone stood dumbstruck again, a look of joy appeared on Lou Yun’s face. The technique he had just performed with the Xiang Tian Sword was the Fierce Sword. Now, having gained some understanding of the sword’s "intention" as well as having his body’s strength increased several fold, he had managed to unleash the Fierce Sword technique’s greatest potential power! Naturally, this result also greatly satisfied Lou Yun himself.

Putting away the Xiang Tian Sword, Lou Yun turned slowly to face the crowd. "This," he said, "is the result of my cultivation of both body and common weapon. You’ve just witnessed it. So now you understand why I said your fighting methods are flawed? Ultimately, the root lies in your incorrect cultivation methods!"

Had they not just witnessed the power Lou Yun demonstrated using his body and a common weapon, his words would naturally have fallen flat. But now, things were different. After a moment of exchanging bewildered looks, expressions of excitement lit up everyone’s faces. Clearly, they had gained immensely from Lou Yun, enough to begin overturning deep-seated cultivation practices they had adhered to for years. At the very least, they were now willing to try his approach.

In short, this display of strength not only won Lou Yun the respect of the numerous magical weapons masters on the Divine Weapon Island, cementing his position as island master, but it also caused these previously scattered, individualistic magical weapons masters to gradually begin unifying into a cohesive group. Ultimately, they would become one of the most crucial forces at his side.

Just as everyone began to disperse, looking like they hadn’t had enough, Lou Yun suddenly pointed at several people. "You, you, you…" he said, "and you – come with me!"

In one go, Lou Yun singled out over ten individuals: among them were Mei Yuanmu, Cheng Kuang, several human-level and profound-level magical weapons masters, and one person who particularly puzzled everyone – Feng Yang, who had barely reached the level of a primary magical weapons master.

The rest naturally dispersed. Lou Yun led the chosen group back into the main hall.

Mei Yuanmu and the others exchanged puzzled glances, unsure why Lou Yun had summoned them. Lou Yun, however, was in no hurry. He sat down slowly in the master seat, a faint smile on his face, his gaze sweeping over each of them – Mei Yuanmu and the others – one by one.

"Gentlemen," Lou Yun asked with a smile, "having heard my words earlier, what thoughts have they stirred within you?"

Naturally, they all expressed profuse praise. Lou Yun waved his hand to stop them. "Since you have thoughts, that’s good. I can tell you with complete responsibility that your cultivation methods truly are incomplete. And it’s not just you all – even on the entire Spirit Weapon Star, the methods used by over ninety-nine percent of magical weapons masters are flawed. This includes…" He paused, just as Leng Cangqiong walked in.

Leng Cangqiong didn’t give Mei Yuanmu and the others a direct glance; he merely nodded slightly at Lou Yun and then walked straight over to a chair and sat down.

In the three days since he’d arrived on the island, Lou Yun hadn’t yet formally introduced Leng Cangqiong’s true identity to Mei Yuanmu and the others.

Naturally, Mei Yuanmu and the others had privately speculated endlessly about Leng Cangqiong’s identity. While they sensed his status was certainly higher than Lou Yun’s, they didn’t know exactly who he was, never imagining he could be the famously reclusive and deadly White-haired God of Death.

Lou Yun smacked his own forehead lightly. "Ah, right! Seems I forgot to properly introduce you all. This," he gestured towards Leng Cangqiong, "is my eldest brother, Leng Cangqiong!"

The moment the name "Leng Cangqiong" was uttered, Mei Yuanmu and his companions were instantly stunned into stone statues!

On Spirit Weapon Star, who hadn’t heard of Leng Cangqiong? His striking appearance usually made him instantly recognizable. Yet, Mei Yuanmu and the others had utterly failed to connect the supremely aloof and chillingly isolated God of Death with the man who had been right in front of them for three whole days!

Leng Cangqiong merely gave a faint hum, not speaking. His companions’ reactions were entirely within his expectations; he was accustomed to it.

Mei Yuanmu and the others remained frozen for quite some time, struggling to snap out of their shock. Before the astonishment could fade from their faces, Lou Yun spoke again. "Last time, I mentioned my second brother to some of you. You’ll surely meet him eventually, and I’ll formally introduce him then."

These words successfully plunged everyone back into their stone-statue state. They now clearly remembered: Lou Yun had said his second brother was Beichen Ming! This was, in fact, one of the primary reasons many were willing to stay and join the Divine Weapon Alliance. What was there to fear with the seventh-grade skilled weapon maker, Beichen Ming, as their backing?

Now, amidst their utter astonishment, they finally pieced together the relationship between Lou Yun and the others. Lou Yun belonged to the Three Brothers: the eldest was Leng Cangqiong, the White-haired God of Death; the second was Beichen Ming, the seventh-grade skilled weapon maker; and Lou Yun himself was the youngest!

Understanding this, Mei Yuanmu was the first to reveal an expression of wild excitement and joyous surprise. The others, reacting slightly slower, soon mirrored his exhilaration. A shared thought ignited in their minds: Having the chance to follow these three figures meant their own futures were truly radiant!

Even ignoring Leng Cangqiong and Beichen Ming, both household names throughout Spirit Weapon Star, famous from the young to the old – just considering the island master Lou Yun: the mere two displays of power he had shown moments ago proved he was unquestionably a top-tier expert. And he was so young! He already possessed so many things most people scarcely dared to dream of. His future potential was absolutely boundless!

Right then and there, Mei Yuanmu and the others became absolutely resolute in their decision to follow Lou Yun unto death!

These words from Lou Yun were actually deliberate. He needed these men to willingly follow him from the depths of their hearts. Only then could he trust them and place them in important positions. Otherwise, they might well end up becoming pawns in someone else’s scheme against him.

Seeing that they finally grasped his meaning, Lou Yun smiled lightly and continued, "I’ve already told you the true cultivation method. In essence: practicing both magical and ordinary skills. However, I realize most of you don’t possess common weapons. So, when you return, conduct a survey. Tell every magical weapons master who wishes to train with a common weapon to provide their cultivation grade and the type of common weapon they desire. I will personally handle the refinement for them."