Chapter 278: Xue Luoluo (2/2)
Having her fears calmed, Luoluo did not waste any more time as she dug into the next of many dishes; the Mapo Tofu, unluckily, being the closest within devouring range but making her yelp in surprise at the sudden spiciness that invaded her mouth. The others also merrily began to dig into the feast too, enjoying the local flavors and their spiritual-energy-enhancing capabilities, as well as giggling whenever Luoluo made comments about how delicious or strange something she tried was.
Before long, Xue Luoluo has sampled everything and devoured plenty, taking particular delight in the most delicious dishes such as the Riluo roasted duck and the chow mein, while the others enjoyed the more power-imbuing foods such as the Spiritual Fruits more. It wasn’t long before every scrap of the food on every plate had been devoured, despite them initially thinking it was too much. All of it was now digesting in their bloated stomachs, and even small Luoluo was rubbing her stomach contentedly, delighted about trying so much delicious food after so long.
As they finished eating, Xue Wei was planning on returning to his room to cultivate and rest to help process all the new energy, when Yuan Bailong appeared at the door.
His face was slightly pale, and his eyes shone with panicked disbelief. Seeing him like this, Xue Wei frowned and instantly invited him inside.
“What has happened that has caused you to become so shocked?” Xue Wei asked tentatively, starting to worry whether or not he should have gone to the square after all.
“There has been a disaster last night.” Yuan Bailong went straight to the problem. “Just before sunrise, the entire academy’s abundant soul power suddenly vanished. Not to mention that the Soul Tower has been without any soul power since. It does not matter how far you head up into the tower. There is no energy at all.”
“No soul power?” Xue Wei frowned. Last night, he had been busy with saving Luoluo, but it seemed that something else had also happened to the academy, something big. Was this a coincidence or did it have something to do with each other?
Xue Wei looked at Luoluo who was happily sitting on her chair and caressing her bloated stomach with happiness, a feeling of contentedness that they had never seen before all over her face.
Xue Wei looked at Yuan Bailong, contemplating his next move. “Luoluo I am going out, do you want to come with me?” he called behind him, and the small girl rushed towards him with a happy face and spread her arms, gesturing for him to pick her up.
Xue Wei chuckled and bent down to carry her. When she settled on his arm, she looked around with shining eyes, her sudden appearance stunning Yuan Bailong. He had not seen this child around them before, where had it come from?
“This is my little sister, Xue Luoluo,” Xue Wei introduced, not worrying about any confusion it might bring. “She has been with us for some time but has been hidden; now there is no reason for her to hide anymore.”
Yuan Bailong was surprised, but he still nodded his head in confusion and then started moving towards the Soul Tower. Although this sudden appearance of a small girl had taken him by surprise, the truth was that there were much more important issues at hand.
Bai Tianyi, Lin Xiao, and Hei Gou were also surprised to find out that the Soul Tower had suddenly lost all power, though they were not inclined to accompany the trio.
It was clear that there was something behind this—something major, but no one knew what exactly it could be. Surely all this couldn’t be because of a small child?
“Has anything like this happened before?” Xue Wei tried asking Yuan Bailong as they walked, but the other man just shook his head.
“If the Soul Tower was unable to work, then it would be an issue all would know about,” he said dejectedly. “The Soul Tower is very important to the entire Yan Dalu. The entire continent is specialized in spiritual energy, and our rapid advancement is definitely because of the support from the Garden of Shadows and the Soul Tower.
“If the Soul Tower has suddenly stopped working, then it is clear that the entire continent will be slowed down when it comes to the speed of cultivation. This will be a tremendous danger for the entire continent, and we might even be invaded by other continents if we are not careful enough.”
Yuan Bailong was truly worried, but Xue Wei just looked around curiously. He had trained hard from beginning to end; although he understood the benefits of the Soul Tower, he also looked at it as a hindrance to the multi-eyed experts if Yuan Bailong’s words were true.
They were so dependant on the tower to enhance their strength that they were not aware of how much they could achieve with their own hard work. They were so used to gaining so much every time they cultivated that they had neglected to work on their cultivation skills.
In fact, Xue Wei could not help but feel that it was indeed important for them to learn how to rely on themselves. “You should be happy,” Xue Wei suddenly said with a shrug, causing Yuan Bailong to halt in surprise.
“Happy?!” he asked, his face full of confusion.
Without stopping to confront him, Xue Wei responded, “If the Soul Tower does not work, that means that every person has to rely on themselves in the future. Since they have to rely on themselves, it also means that Qi cultivation is as viable as spiritual energy, but this is a path only open to you and the Gu family.”
Even thinking about it, Yuan Bailong was still dumbfounded. He had never thought about it like this, but he couldn’t help but be moved when he considered it. If their speed of spiritual energy cultivation had truly slowed down, wouldn’t that mean they were at a great advantage, compared to the rest of the cultivators now?
With this newfound idea, the horrible feeling of dread about not knowing what was happening slowly subsided, and Yuan Bailong continued onwards. However, he no longer ran to the Soul Tower; instead, he walked casually, a faint smile growing on his lips. He was not the one with the most to lose.