There was a thump as Lu Yin appeared above Xia Jiuyou's head and slammed down with a palm. Xia Jiuyou coughed up blood again; this attack had taken away half of his life.
The Nine Clones Technique had nine lives, and Lu Yin wasn't trying to kill Xia Jiuyou. Killing Xia Jiuyou would be pointless. If he wanted to, he could immediately deal with Xia Jiuyou, but that wasn't his goal.
Xia Jiuyou half-knelt on the ground, his arms trembling. He barely managed to maintain a bit of consciousness, as he knew Lu Yin's goal. Lu Yin wanted to scatter his consciousness so that he could fuse with Xia Luo. He would rather die than fulfill Xia Luo's wish.
"Brother Jiuyou, my hand's broken." Xia Jiuyou was half-conscious, and he saw a child walk over. It was his younger brother, his biological brother. He was so cute, and he looked at him with adoration.
Another child walked over, looking exactly like Xia Jiuyou. It was the younger Xia Jiuyou.
"Your hand's broken?
Let me blow on it for you. "
"Thank you, Brother."
A girl walked up behind Xia Jiuyou, "Brother, let's go out and play. I heard people call us the Three Dark Hands. It's so interesting."
The younger Xia Jiuyou blinked, "The Three Dark Hands?
What does that mean? "
"It means that we're powerful. How about we go bully others?"
"No, Sister, don't bully others."
"Hey, who gave you that kindness?"
"Brother Jiuyou, the Netherrefining Palm is so hard to cultivate."
"Brother Jiuyou, I'm hungry."
"Brother, Sister will spar with you."
"Isn't this Brother Jiuyou?
Brother Jiuyou is so powerful. "
"Brother Jiuyou is amazing."
In the blink of an eye, the scene changed. "Brother Jiuyou, kill me! The Xia family will only allow you to live."
"Brother Jiuyou, I don't want to die, but I want you to live. Farewell."
"Brother, remember to live. You have to live no matter what."
Xia Jiuyou's eyes were bloodshot as scenes from the past flashed through his mind. He was filled with extreme sorrow, and his longing for his brother and sister caused him to collapse. Tears mixed with blood flowed from the corners of his eyes.
Ever since he was sensible, the Xia Family had instilled in him the idea of winning by hook or by crook. For this, Xia Jiuyou had killed his brother, his sister, and everyone he cherished. He had followed his father's orders step by step.
Successfully cultivating the Nine Clones Technique was a necessary step for him to become stronger, but it was also a step for him to split his personality.
His clones walked out one after another, and each of them took away a trace of his kindness. In the end, the only Xia Jiuyou left was ruthlessness, pretense, and … mental exhaustion.
Lu Yin stared blankly at Xia Jiuyou, who was shedding tears of blood. Xia Jiuyou's eyes were unfocused, and his consciousness was blurry. Why was his gaze so sorrowful and unbearable at this moment?
Xia Luo walked over and stood in front of Xia Jiuyou. "Xia Jiuyou is a ruthless and unscrupulous person. He wants to become as strong as Ancestor Chen. In order to become stronger, he can ignore the rules, he can hide himself, he can let people humiliate him. But he's also very tired. Deep in his heart, there's still a trace of a desire to die.
"Fuse with him and replace him as the young master of the Xia family. At the same time, you have to pick up this desire and this pain."
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed as he thought of Ming Yan. The white-haired Ming Yan had completely endured all of Ming Yan's pain and sorrow. Xia Jiuyou's situation was exactly the same as Ming Yan's.
"Actually, you also want to let it go. I've succeeded, and you can be at ease." Xia Luo looked into Xia Jiuyou's eyes and spoke slowly, as if he was trying to hypnotize him, but also as if he was making a promise.
Xia Jiuyou's remaining trace of consciousness completely disappeared.
Lu Yin turned and walked away.
Only Xia Luo and Xia Jiuyou were left behind.
It was only at this moment that Lu Yin finally understood Xia Jiuyou.
Everyone had a side that no one knew about. In the Mountain and Sea Realm, Xia Jiuyou had been defeated the moment he appeared, and he had been ridiculed by everyone. No one knew that all of this had been under his control. He had fused the Nine Clones Technique and reached the highest stage, becoming one of the strongest of the younger generation. He had been dazzling, but he had also ambushed Lu Yin in order to win the Sovereign Tournament.
Xia Jiuyou had many sides, but now it seemed that they were all caused by his inner desires.
Lu Yin thought back to Fu He, Tong Zhan, and other enemies that he had killed. Did they also have sides that no one knew about?
Lu Yin smiled bitterly, looked up, and let out a long sigh. He had been thinking too much. This was how the universe was; as long as there was life, there would be a reason for its existence and an obsession to continue living. Lu Yin was the same. This was competition.
Survival of the fittest. Kindness was the most worthless thing in this universe, and the only thing that could be maintained was a bottom line.
In the distance, Little Xuan and the rest stared blankly at Lu Yin as he walked over. This was Lu Yin's original appearance, which had appeared in their minds countless times. It was the appearance of their idol.
"Lu, Senior Lu!" Little Xuan cried out in surprise.
The rest of the students looked at Lu Yin excitedly. "Senior."
"Lu Jue."
"Sovereign Lu."
The same scene played out again. They had not been able to meet face to face the last time, and this time, Lu Yin felt a little embarrassed. He had just ambushed someone, and he still felt a little melancholy.
"Why are you guys here?
It's dangerous, "Lu Yin said.
Little Xuan was so excited that stars almost appeared in her eyes. "Senior, you're back?
When?
Did you come back to graduate? "
"Senior, I heard that you entered the Rain List back then, right?
It's so difficult. "
"Senior, how does it feel to be lonely as an expert?"
"Senior, what power did you use in the final battle of the Sovereign Tournament?
It was so cool, so mesmerizing. "
Lu Yin's lips curled up, and he looked at the girl who had asked the last question. She was very tasteful. "Ahem, it's very dangerous here. Don't go any further and make the mentors worry."
"Senior, when did you come back?" Little Xuan asked.
"A few days ago."
"We've been guarding the space station, and we haven't seen you before. Ah, I remember now! You're that legendary senior!" Little Xuan exclaimed, giving Lu Yin a fright.
He did not deny it. "I had something to do, but it's not convenient to talk about it."
On the other side, a boy said, "Senior, can you teach us?
How to leave your name on the Rain List?
We've been at the Rain Observatory for a year, and we haven't even seen the Rain List. "
Lu Yin smiled. "When it comes to controlling star energy, you also need to have an understanding of it. That's comprehension. Let me give you a phrase: a world in a single flower."
"A world in a single flower?" The juniors were confused. This phrase was enough to make them ponder it for the rest of their lives.
Actually, Lu Yin was pondering it as well. Although his control of star energy had reached the World Realm, he was still far from being able to compare to Drunkard. Drunkard was an expert who truly understood the meaning of a world in a single flower. A single drop of wine could trap a hundred meridians and prevent them from escaping. She could also absorb the various weapons that Qing Guangshen had created. Her ability to control star energy had reached perfection.
If possible, Lu Yin really wanted to discuss with Drunkard how to reach the Profound Realm of star energy control.
A girl excitedly squeezed in front of Lu Yin, her face flushed red with adoration. "Senior, you challenged one of the top ten in the final battle of the Sovereign Tournament. Why was that power so cool?
What kind of power was that? "
Everyone wanted to know what kind of power it was, and Lu Yin was certain that if it weren't for his own strength, countless people in the universe would have tried to capture him and interrogate him about that power.
Lu Yin's strength had surpassed the Shangqing and the other top ten, and it had been a crushing defeat. That kind of power was too terrifying, and even Lu Yin himself felt that it was very difficult to control.
"I obtained that power by chance, and it's very difficult for me to use it again." Lu Yin did not want to reveal too much.
…
Lu Yin had a lot of fun chatting with these juniors. They were full of vitality and thirst for the universe. Their hearts were filled with an intense desire for adventure, but they had no idea what awaited them the moment they entered the universe.
Even with Lu Yin's innate talent and ability, he had narrowly escaped death several times, and he had even died.
The universe was too cruel, and the competition within the academy and the oppression from powerful families were just the tip of the iceberg. They were nothing in the grand scheme of things.
"Remember Senior's words. No matter what you experience in the future, never give up hope. Even if you're facing an unimaginable monster, there's always a sliver of hope in the universe. You might be able to grasp it, and you might not be able to grasp it. But if you give up, then it'll be the end of your life. Also …" He smiled, "Astral-10 is our home. Never forget home."
"Yes, Senior," everyone replied, looking at Lu Yin with excitement and adoration. Their respect for him had increased by a lot after just a short conversation.
"Alright, go back. Don't go into the ruins again, it's too dangerous." Lu Yin waved his hand.
"Goodbye, Senior." The students firmly believed in Lu Yin's words and resolutely carried out their orders. They left in the blink of an eye, their eyes filled with reluctance.
Soon after, Xia Luo walked out of the flames with a smile on his face.
Lu Yin turned around and met Xia Luo's eyes.
The two did not speak and only looked at each other.
After a while, Xia Luo spoke up, "Brother Lu, why are you hesitating?"
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. "Your gaze is unfamiliar."
Xia Luo spread out his hands. "There's nothing I can do about it. That's how fusing works. Xia Jiuyou didn't disappear, and our consciousnesses fused together. His emotions and stubbornness affected me, but of course, I'm still the dominant one."
"You're the second Xia Jiuyou." Lu Yin smiled.
Xia Luo smiled. "You could say that. Let's go out. Elder Xia Meng is getting impatient."
Lu Yin nodded.
Outside Astral-10, Xia Meng's expression was gloomy as she waited silently.
Ever since the crazy headmaster had appeared, she had not made a move. If she could not break through, then it would be pointless. In the shadows, the expert that the Hall of Honor had sent to protect Xia Jiuyou had not made a move either.
The Trialmaster and the others looked at Xia Meng warily.
Old Cai was anxious, as he did not know how Lu Yin and the others were doing. They were still very worried about Xia Luo. After so many years of being together, Xia Luo was like Big Pao and Little Pao to them, a child. Although he did not say anything, his actions spoke volumes. If not for Xia Luo, they would not have taken the risk to resist Xia Meng.
Fortunately, Xia Meng was too strong and had attracted the crazy headmaster's attention. Otherwise, Xia Meng would have broken through.