Chapter 529
A Great Opportunity to Showcase Yourself!
Chapter 529 A Great Opportunity to Showcase Yourself!
Rowan's steps were unsteady, and his body felt weak. The battle and the mental confrontation had drained him of a lot of energy; he needed to rest.
After leaving the Valley of the Netherworld, Luo Wen found a relatively safe place to sit down and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
Just then, a sharp headache suddenly struck.
"hiss--"
Luo Wen gasped and pressed his hands to his temples.
The headache came without warning, as if someone were pricking his brain with needles. The pain came in waves, each wave more intense than the last.
At the same time, some strange images began to flash through his mind.
He saw an endless darkness.
He saw a huge figure sleeping in the darkness.
He saw that blood-red eye slowly opening...
"No!"
Rowan suddenly opened his eyes, and the images vanished instantly.
He was panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"This is... the will of an ancient star beast?" His heart sank. "Is it trying to erode my spirit?"
He carefully sensed his own state and discovered a subtle anomaly deep within his consciousness. That anomaly was like a thorn, embedded in his mind; though small, it was impossible to remove.
“This is troublesome,” Rowan said, his brow furrowed. “The cost of that one glance is greater than I imagined.”
He tried to use his genetic energy to remove the thorn, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge. It was as if it had taken root, firmly embedded deep within his consciousness.
"It seems I'll have to take it slow," Rowan thought helplessly. "Hopefully, it won't affect my normal operations."
He stood up and continued walking towards Tianqi City.
Throughout the journey, headaches flared up intermittently, though not as severe as the first time, but still made him very uncomfortable. Each time a headache struck, strange images would flash through his mind, making it impossible for him to concentrate.
"At this rate, I'm afraid I won't be able to cultivate for the time being," Luo Wen thought to himself. "I must find a way to solve this problem first."
He thought of the old man Xuanqing.
That old man was proficient in various secret arts; perhaps he could help him expel this intruding force. Tomorrow, he would go to the Secret Scripture Pavilion to speak with Elder Xuanqing.
Late at night, Rowan finally returned to Apocalypse City.
The city gates were already closed, but that wasn't a problem for him. He leaped lightly over the several-meter-high city wall and landed in a small alley inside the city.
The streets were deserted, save for a few dim lanterns swaying in the wind. A light rain began to fall, pattering softly on the cobblestones.
Rowan pulled up his cloak and strode quickly toward Qingfeng Lane.
The rain was pouring down harder, and it felt cold against his skin. But Rowan didn't quicken his pace; he needed the coolness to stay awake.
His headache flared up several times on the way here. Each time it flared up, the images became clearer, and the voice became more real. He could even feel that the voice was trying to communicate with him, trying to tell him something.
"I can't let it influence me," Rowan told himself. "No matter what it wants to say, I can't listen to it."
He arrived at Qingfeng Lane, pushed open the courtyard gate, and went inside.
The courtyard was pitch black, with only the old locust tree rustling in the wind and rain. Luo Wen didn't light a lamp; he went straight into the house, changed out of his soaked clothes, and lay down on the bed.
He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.
But the thorn kept bothering him, preventing him from falling into a deep sleep. His consciousness oscillated between wakefulness and confusion, the images flashing by, the voice echoing incessantly.
"You saw me..."
"You cannot escape..."
We will meet again eventually...
"Get out!" Rowan roared in his mind, using his mental power to suppress the voice.
The sound disappeared for a moment, but Rowan knew it would reappear.
He barely slept that night.
The next morning, Rowan woke up with dark circles under his eyes.
A sleepless night had left him feeling utterly exhausted, but he had no time to rest. He had to find a solution as soon as possible, or this state would eventually wear him down.
He quickly washed up, then left his residence and headed towards the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau.
The rain had stopped, but the sky remained overcast, without a trace of sunshine. The air was filled with the unique fresh scent of rain, a mixture of earth and grass.
The streets were already bustling with activity, pedestrians coming and going, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filling the air. Rowan weaved through the throng and arrived at the entrance of the Mysterious Bureau headquarters.
The guards saw him and immediately saluted.
"Mr. Luo, you've arrived."
“I want to see Senior Xuanqing,” Luo Wen said. “Is he in the Secret Scripture Pavilion?”
"Yes," the guard replied. "Senior Xuanqing has been reading in the Secret Scripture Pavilion these past few days and has rarely come out."
Luo Wen nodded and walked towards the Secret Scripture Pavilion.
After passing through several corridors and courtyards, he arrived at the entrance of the Secret Scripture Pavilion.
The door was open, and a faint scent of books wafted from inside. Luo Wen walked in and saw that Elder Xuanqing was indeed sitting behind his desk, intently reading an ancient book.
“Senior Xuanqing,” Luo Wen greeted.
The old man Xuanqing raised his head, glanced at Luo Wen, and frowned slightly.
“You look terrible,” he said. “What happened?”
Luo Wen was silent for a moment, and then briefly recounted what had happened in the Demon Suppression Abyss yesterday.
The old man Xuanqing's expression gradually became solemn.
“You said you saw the thing’s eyes?” he asked.
“Yes,” Rowan nodded, “it was just a moment, but in that instant, its will invaded my mind. Ever since then, I’ve had constant headaches, and strange images keep flashing through my mind.”
The old man Xuanqing remained silent for a long time.
“Do you know what you saw?” he finally asked.
“Ancient star beast,” Rowan replied.
“That’s right,” Elder Xuanqing nodded, “It is a being that has slumbered for billions of years. Its power surpasses our imagination, and its will is incomparably strong. Even just a glance at it will cause one to be corrupted by its will.”
He looked at Rowan with a complex expression in his eyes.
"To be honest, the fact that you could remain conscious under its gaze is beyond my expectations. Most people would probably have gone mad by now."
"Is there any way to dispel its will?" Rowan asked.
The old man Xuanqing shook his head. "No."
Rowan's expression changed slightly.
“At least I don’t know of any way to get rid of it,” Elder Xuanqing continued. “The will of that being is too powerful. Once it sets its sights on you, it’s almost impossible to escape. It will slowly erode your spirit until you are completely controlled by it.”
"Then what should I do?" Rowan's voice was a little hoarse.
The old man Xuanqing was silent for a moment, then took a yellowed ancient book from the bookshelf and handed it to Luo Wen.
“This book records some methods for strengthening mental power,” he said. “While it cannot expel the will of that being, it can help you resist its erosion. As long as your mental power is strong enough, you can suppress its influence to a minimum.”
Luo Wen took the ancient book and looked at the cover.
The Secret to Calming the Mind
"This is one of the most treasured artifacts of the Mysterious Bureau," Elder Xuanqing said. "It's a mental cultivation technique created by the senior Yuan Zhenzi. It helps cultivators strengthen their minds and resist the invasion of external evils. If you cultivate it diligently, it might be of some help."
"Thank you, senior." Luo Wen bowed solemnly.
“No need to thank me,” Elder Xuanqing waved his hand. “You’ve done so much for the Mysterious Bureau; this little favor is nothing. But I must remind you, the will of that being is not so easy to deal with. Even if you cultivate the Mind-Stabilizing Technique, you can only slow down its erosion, not completely eliminate it. You should be prepared.”
Luo Wen nodded and put the ancient book into his pocket.
“By the way,” Elder Xuanqing added, “you’d better not go to the Demon-Suppressing Abyss again recently. You’ve already been targeted by that being, and getting closer will only accelerate its erosion of you.”
"I see."
Luo Wen bid farewell to Elder Xuanqing and left the Secret Scripture Pavilion.
Instead of returning to his residence, he found a quiet corner, took out the book "The Art of Calming the Mind," and began to read it.
The book was far more profound than he had imagined. It explained in detail the nature, operation, and methods of strengthening mental power. It also recorded many mantras and hand gestures for calming the mind, each with different effects.
Luo Wen read it very carefully, trying to understand its meaning word by word.
After reading for about an hour, he had a general understanding of the book.
"The core of the Mind-Calming Technique lies in 'emptiness' and 'stillness,'" he summarized. "Emptiness means having no distracting thoughts in your mind; stillness means having a peaceful state of mind. Only by achieving emptiness and stillness can you resist external disturbances."
He closed his eyes and began to try cultivating according to the methods described in the book.
At first, he couldn't calm himself at all. The thorn kept bothering him, the images kept flashing before his eyes, and the voice kept ringing out. Whenever he tried to calm his mind, that will would suddenly assault his spirit, interrupting his practice.
"Damn it!" Rowan gritted his teeth and persevered.
He was interrupted time and time again, and started over each time. Time passed little by little, the sun gradually rose higher and then gradually set in the west.
Finally, after countless failures, he successfully entered the "meditation" state described in the Mind-Calming Mantra.
In that state, his mind became incredibly clear. The thorn was still there, but its influence was greatly diminished. The images became blurry, and the sound became distant.
"It works!" Rowan was overjoyed.
He maintained this state, sensing the changes brought about by the Mind-Stabilizing Mantra. He could feel his mental strength slowly but steadily increasing, and the defense against external evils becoming more solid.
After an unknown amount of time, Rowan opened his eyes and exited his meditative state.
It was completely dark when the moon rose in the sky, casting a silvery glow.
"This mind-stabilizing technique is indeed useful," Rowan thought. "As long as I persist in practicing it, I should be able to control the influence of that will within an acceptable range."
He stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and then walked towards his residence.
Back in Qingfeng Lane, Luo Wengang pushed open the courtyard gate and saw two people standing in the courtyard.
It was Lin Feng and Zhao Xue.
"Brother Luo!" Lin Feng greeted him immediately upon seeing him return. "Where have you been all day? We've been looking for you!"
“I have some things to take care of,” Rowan said. “You wanted to see me about something?”
"It's nothing serious," Lin Feng scratched his head, "It's just that you didn't come back last night, and we were a little worried. This morning when we went to your place, we found the door locked and no one answered, so we were even more worried."
Zhao Xue didn't speak, but her eyes showed obvious concern.
A warm feeling welled up in Luo Wen's heart.
“I’m sorry to have worried you,” he said. “I’m fine. I just went to the mountains to take care of some things and came back a little late.”
"What are you dealing with?" Lin Feng asked curiously.
“I’ll tell you later,” Rowan said. “Now is not the time.”
Although Lin Feng was somewhat dissatisfied with the answer, he didn't press further. He knew that Luo Wen wouldn't hide anything from them without a reason; since he said he would tell them later, he definitely would.
“By the way, Brother Luo,” Lin Feng added, “the Mysterious Bureau just released a notice saying they’re holding a large-scale martial arts tournament to select outstanding young members. Would you like to participate?”
"A martial arts tournament?" Rowan was somewhat surprised.
“Yes,” Lin Feng said excitedly, “I heard it’s because of the recent frequent activity of evil spirits. Headquarters wants to assess the strength of the younger generation and select some talents for focused training. The winners will receive generous rewards and have the opportunity to learn some advanced secret techniques.”
"You want to participate?" Rowan asked.
"Yes!" Lin Feng answered without hesitation. "This is a great opportunity to showcase myself, of course I want to participate! Zhao Xue wants to participate too, right, Zhao Xue?"
Zhao Xue nodded.
“Alright, then you guys go ahead and participate,” Rowan said. “It’ll be a good opportunity to test the results of your training.”
"Brother Luo, what about you?" Lin Feng asked. "Aren't you participating?"
Rowan shook his head.
“I won’t participate,” he said. “The martial arts tournament is for young people; why would I want to join in the fun?”
“But you’re very young too…” Lin Feng muttered softly.
Rowan ignored him and turned to go inside.
Lin Feng and Zhao Xue exchanged a glance, both noticing that Luo Wen's condition was off today. His face was pale, and he had obvious dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well for a long time.
"Brother Luo, are you feeling unwell?" Lin Feng asked as he followed him into the house.
"It's nothing, just a little tired," Rowan said. "You guys go back first, let me rest for a bit. We'll continue training tomorrow."
Lin Feng wanted to say something, but Zhao Xue stopped him.
“Mr. Luo needs to rest,” Zhao Xue said. “Let’s go.”
She bowed to Luo Wen, then took Lin Feng's hand and left.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Luo Wen sighed softly.
He knew Lin Feng and Zhao Xue were acting out of concern, but there were some things he couldn't tell them yet. The intrusion of that will was a problem he had to face alone.
He closed the door, lay down on the bed, and began to regulate his breathing and enter a meditative state according to the method of calming the mind.
(End of this chapter)