Chapter 59 Use Whatever Awakens

Lu Qingyun truly shone brilliantly this time, to the extent that no one quite like him existed across the entire continent.

The descent of night brought a lively and bustling atmosphere to the massive vessel.

One must remember that they had been drifting across the sea for half a month. Throughout this fortnight-long journey, they had naturally harvested a tremendous amount.

Not only had they tasted the flesh of sea-king beasts, but they had also laid eyes on sea-king beasts that they would normally never even dream of seeing.

The most astonishing part was not this, however, but rather witnessing the birth of a genius.

The innate talent displayed by Lu Qingyun, along with everything about him, was an existence that defied the heavens.

It could be said that no one across the entire continent had ever witnessed an individual possessing such prodigious talent.

Judging by his pace of cultivation, reaching the absolute pinnacle of the entire continent would be an incomparably simple task for him.

At this moment, Lu Qingyun and his companions were seated at the bow of the ship, drinking the wine they had brought along and eating the meat of the sea-emperor beast slain by Lu Qingyun.

Since this fierce beast had been killed by him—regardless of the methods he had employed—the fact remained that he slew it, so naturally, it belonged to him.

Previously, however, he had been entirely preoccupied with his cultivation and simply had no time to savor such a worldly delicacy.

Although the three-headed serpent looked somewhat grotesque and appeared immensely ferocious, its taste upon consumption was remarkably exquisite, tasting even better than some highly renowned varieties of fish.

Furthermore, upon this great ship were exceptionally skilled chefs; for them, having the opportunity to prepare such ingredients was an honor in its own right.

Lu Qingyun and the others had long since reassured them, so everyone stopped dwelling on the matter.

As Lu Qingyun gazed into the sea breeze, the location of Vast Sea City could already be faintly seen in the distance.

Illuminated by bright lights, it was undoubtedly a massive city.

Lu Qingyun felt a deep yearning for that place, even though the current situation was highly unusual and he had a mission to complete.

Yet, amidst what should have been a thoroughly ordinary journey, a massive upheaval had occurred.

Meng Tianhai looked at them and said with a smile, "Once we arrive there, someone will definitely meet and receive us. You truly do not need to worry too much. Even though I no longer command the prestige I once had, they are still interested in the items I hold in my hands. Moreover, I believe someone aboard this large vessel will still lend a hand, and besides, didn't you and Elder Hong formulate some plans beforehand?"

Lu Qingyun was not overly worried about these matters; rather, his thoughts had drifted elsewhere.

He slowly shook his head and said, "Our original plan was to keep as low a profile as possible and avoid attracting anyone's attention. Yet things constantly go contrary to our wishes, and I am genuinely concerned about how we will resolve what lies ahead. Our primary task is not merely about staying alive; aside from assisting the city lord, there are two other matters we must accomplish. Even if I am reluctant to agree, we have no choice but to carry them through..."

Lu Qingyun always tended to consider matters with exceptional thoroughness, and the current situation was precisely like that.

Originally, they had come here to execute a mission, but after unforeseen events transpired, their mindset naturally shifted, and the objective they were supposed to fulfill had unexpectedly changed into simply surviving.

The mood among the group was not particularly high-spirited, because until they reached their destination, everything remained empty talk.

Looking at them, Lu Qingyun could sense that they were also feeling deeply distressed.

He had originally not wanted to infect them with such gloomy emotions, but if these matters were not pondered, what kind of consequences might ensue?

Therefore, Lu Qingyun had to make them aware of their current predicament; even the slightest accident was unacceptable.

Yet, before reaching that destination, there were simply too many variables, and no one dared to guarantee what would happen next.

They had no concrete plan whatsoever, and even if they were to formulate a flawless strategy, it would be of no use.

Right now, all they could do was take it one step at a time, and everything could only be concluded once they actually arrived there.

Xu Feng had not spoken much throughout the journey. Perhaps due to having consumed some wine this evening, he slowly opened his mouth to speak.

"To be honest, I was initially fiercely opposed to this trip. I even used my sect as an excuse, hoping to avoid following you here and taking such a massive risk. I am well aware of my own strength, and I know what I am capable of doing. But now, I do not regret it at all. Even if I were to perish because of this matter, I would feel it was entirely worth it!"

All of them were uncertain why Xu Feng had suddenly uttered such words, and then Xu Feng continued, "Although I am the senior-most first disciple of my sect, I never received much respect within it; in fact, they constantly mocked and ridiculed me. But after this journey, when I return, what does it matter if they still look down upon me? I have already witnessed what a true genius is, and seen just how terrifying a single person's power can be!"

Though intoxicated, everything Xu Feng was saying came straight from the bottom of his heart.

Lu Qingyun had initially expected him to bring up some exceedingly solemn topic, never anticipating that he would suddenly pivot his tone and utter such sentiments.

Hearing this, Lu Qingyun felt a slight trace of embarrassment. Fatty Wang, whose personality was exceptionally outgoing, chimed in from the side with a slow, casual tone.

"Hahaha, leave aside yourself, I never in my life imagined I'd have the opportunity to come to Vast Sea City. Back then, I figured that hunting beasts and selling materials just to scrape by was enough of a living. Moreover, on the outskirts of the Wind and Cloud Gorge, people like myself and Han Man are as numerous as the hairs on an ox. We had long since accepted our mediocrity, and given our status, we couldn't even catch a glimpse of any geniuses..."

Listening to their words, Lu Qingyun naturally felt there was a great deal of truth in them. Everyone was speaking freely, and everything they said came entirely from their hearts.

Fatty Wang was certainly not spouting nonsense; he spoke from genuine sincerity.

With a cultivation level like his, or fighting alone as he used to, managing to harvest some materials on the outer fringes was already considered quite fortunate.

Furthermore, he was not familiar with many spiritual herbs, making him truly part of the lowest stratum among practitioners.

Although Han Man's cultivation was slightly higher than his, it was not by a significant margin; their situations were identical.

They were stronger than ordinary mortals, yet looked down upon within the world of cultivators.

Whenever they encountered those with formidable power, they had no choice but to humble themselves and obey commands simply to survive.

Meeting Lu Qingyun had truly brought about a monumental transformation in their destinies...

Meng Li also spoke slowly at this moment.

"You should be content with that. At this point, you are at least able to cultivate with peace of mind and have broken through to your current realm—what a proud achievement that is. I can't even remember how long I've spent drifting outside, nor do I remember the occurrence of many events. All I can remember is how to flee for my life."

Meng Li clearly turned somewhat sentimental as well, and it seemed as though tears were about to well up in her eyes.

Having accompanied her father on their arduous travels for so many years, she had naturally suffered numerous grievances and endured immense torment.

Now, it felt as though she had finally found an outlet, and she felt a thousand words piling up in her heart, longing to pour out her inner grievances.

After all, everything happening right now had truly shattered everything they once knew, and many of their plans had fallen through.

Naturally, the events unfolding before them were not what they had originally desired to see.

Yet, the occurrence of these very events filled them with an unprecedented sense of joy, for they had never imagined they could possess such a life.

Perhaps everything was predestined by fate; otherwise, how could a group of utterly unrelated people have ever gathered together?

Especially Lu Qingyun—everything he had accomplished genuinely inspired a profound sense of awe.

Seeing that everyone had grown somewhat melancholic, Lu Qingyun smiled and said to them, "After the dark clouds disperse, we finally behold the sun and moon. Perhaps everything happening now is something we struggle to accept, something that makes us feel deeply uncomfortable or even plunges us into danger. But I believe these experiences are exceptionally rare treasures in our lifetime. Being able to accomplish so much together fills me with immense gratification. I think there's no need for everyone to feel so sorrowful, right?"

Lu Qingyun knew they were worrying about what might happen next, especially after entering Vast Sea City, where the likelihood of encountering danger was extremely high.

That possibility was immense!

Even though they had made extensive preparations and formulated various countermeasures, it did not guarantee they could resolve the situation entirely.

All these uncertainties kept flickering within their hearts, giving rise to such apprehensive emotions.

Naturally, Lu Qingyun disliked seeing them in this state, and he knew that all of this was the impact he had brought upon them.

Merely relying on a few words of comfort would be insufficient to restore them to their normal composure.

Yet, this was all Lu Qingyun could do at the moment; over-explaining would hold little practical meaning.

Bathed in the sea breeze, sipping wine, and recounting past days of old, the tranquility of the moment brought a deep sense of comfort to their hearts.

They still had no idea what the future held for them, but they cherished every second of the present time.

They almost wished the ship would drift across the ocean forever, so they would never have to face that unknown future.

After finishing the final jar of wine, Lu Qingyun said with a gentle smile, "Everyone, get some rest early. Tomorrow will likely bring a multitude of matters..."

All of them nodded in agreement, and Elder Hong naturally arranged alternative quarters for them to rest.

Sleep evaded Lu Qingyun, however. He made his way to the bow of the ship, embracing the boundless darkness.

Just as he sank into deep contemplation, the sound of footsteps drifted in from behind.

Clearly, the person approaching wanted to make their footsteps heard intentionally.

Lu Qingyun slowly turned his head and caught sight of an elder clad in gray robes.

The elder's skin was creased with numerous wrinkles, making it impossible to gauge his true age.

Lu Qingyun sensed no familiar aura emanating from him. Faced with this inexplicably appearing individual, Lu Qingyun instantly guessed what he intended to do.

Lu Qingyun slowly opened his mouth.

"Are you here to kill me?"

Even though the elder maintained an exceptionally composed demeanor and concealed his killing intent, his dim, aged eyes clearly betrayed his purpose!

Rather than striking immediately, the elder slowly took a seat.

He spoke in a leisurely tone.

"Young man, you are truly clever. Indeed, I cannot spare your life, but before I kill you, I have a question I wish to ask. How did you manage to elevate your cultivation realm to such heights in so short a span of time? Is there some secret technique? Furthermore, the Azure Dragon Martial Soul within your body is undoubtedly of the highest grade. Even top-tier aristocratic families cannot awaken such a martial soul. Which family do you hail from?"

Frowning, Lu Qingyun looked ahead. It seemed that countless people harbored a deep interest in this very question.

He had already explained himself to others on numerous occasions, yet those people simply refused to believe his explanations.

After all, possessing such a formidable martial soul was undeniably a profoundly shocking matter.

Lu Qingyun addressed the elder slowly, "Perhaps nothing I say will make any of you believe me. I merely hail from a very minor family—one that any of you could obliterate with a flick of your fingers. As for why I awakened such a martial soul, I have no idea how it happened either. It awakened, so I use it; what else could I possibly do?"

Lu Qingyun's tone was exceptionally candid, and his entire demeanor remained remarkably calm.

Even when facing a cultivator of such formidable strength before him, he showed not the slightest change in expression.

Even if he wished to avoid facing this elder, what could he do? Since this old fellow had already arrived, evasion was utterly impossible.

Apart from confronting him directly, no other choice remained. Seeing Lu Qingyun's composed state, the elder slowly nodded.

"You are indeed a young man of extraordinary grit—far surpassing any youths I have ever laid eyes on. Yet, aren't you being far too arrogant? Facing me without a shred of tension, do you harbor no fear whatsoever? Do you truly believe you can escape with your life?"

With those words, the elder produced an exceptionally sharp dagger. The moment the blade left its sheath, the surrounding air seemed as though it were being sliced apart.

Witnessing the elder wield such a divine weapon alongside such terrifying strength, Lu Qingyun knew he was dealing with an intensely troublesome adversary.

Yet, without the slightest hesitation, Lu Qingyun calmly replied, "If I feel fear, will you refrain from striking? If I feel fear, will you spare my life? If I feel fear, will you abandon your mission? If I am not mistaken, it was the Cui family that sent you, wasn't it?"