Chapter 279: Young Master Baili (1/2)

Xue Wei took a long glance at Yuan Bailong as he caught up, and a smile spread across his lips. Xue Wei understood the other man’s thoughts, and he understood that the other man had suddenly had an epiphany.

There was no doubt about it.. This was a disaster for the entire academy; in fact, it was a disaster for the entire continent, but it was also an opportunity for those who had improved their Qi levels, such as the Yuan and Gu families, to rise above the masses.

With this new opportunity at the forefront of his mind, Yuan Bailong was able to remain calm despite this worrying situation. He was curious about what had happened to the Soul Tower, but it was no longer a necessity to do all in his power to fix it.

It was not only him who thought like this. While Yuan Bailong had needed Xue Wei to make him realize it, the majority of the Yuan and the Gu family had already understood this part, and they were all looking exceptionally laid back amongst those in front of the Soul Tower.

“Are you okay?” Xue Wei worriedly asked the small girl in his arms. The closer he got to the Soul Tower, the more uncomfortable she became, visibly starting to squirm in his arms and beginning to look spooked as they got closer.

“There is something there that I do not like,” the girl whined in his arms. “It is calling for me, but it is also scaring me,” she continued, as Xue Wei nodded his head. It seemed that the Soul Tower’s issues actually had something to do with Luoluo.

But what about the bloodied marks then? Xue Wei was still confused. “During these years you have never left the forbidden area?” he asked Luoluo gently.

“Never,” she answered straightforwardly and with determination.

Xue Wei nodded his head but considered it was possible for her to have encountered the Soul Tower before she was locked up within the forbidden area.

Currently, the Soul Tower was closed. No one could enter it apart from elders of the academy, who were all busy trying to figure out what was happening with the tower and its lack of soul power.

Xue Wei, Xue Luoluo and Yuan Bailong stood next to each other at the edge of the square, right in front of the Soul Tower. The entire square was filled with anguished people who were brimming with worry and despair.

The Soul Tower was the reason behind the high cultivation base within Yan Dalu. Although they still had the great support of their bloodline, without the aid of the Soul Tower, their cultivation base would not be able to advance nearly as rapidly as it had previously.

If they no longer had the support of the Soul Tower, their spiritual energy cultivators would no longer be able to dominate the continent. In fact, many Primordial Beasts would be able to challenge them due to their Qi cultivation—even some normal humans who had a talent for Qi cultivation would be equal to the spiritual energy cultivators.

Xue Wei glanced at the petrified students and could not help but chuckle slightly. He always believed that, although there were methods and external aids to help increase one’s cultivation, it was not a good thing to become too reliant on them. Being too dependant on such outside factors meant that one could easily fall into despair when they were no longer available.

Nothing can last forever; the only thing that one could fully trust was one’s strength that was gained through one’s own hard work. Although the Soul Tower was able to assist them, it had become a crutch in the end, one that became a major pillar for their entire society. Only those experts that went to the Garden of Shadow, and therefore had access to the Soul Tower, were capable of becoming something in Yan Dalu’s society.

It seemed that Yuan Bailong also understood this at the current point in time, and he patted his chest, feeling much more at ease with himself, content in the knowledge that if this pillar had truly crumbled, his family wouldn’t fall with it.

Xue Wei stayed for some time at the square and observed everything around him. He saw how the other experts either turned lifeless or got so worked up that they could barely stand still.

“What is everyone waiting for?” Xue Wei asked a person by his side.

The one who was standing there gave a small glance at Xue Wei before answering curtly, “The principal is inside the Soul Tower right now. We are waiting for him to give us an answer regarding what is happening.”

Xue Wei nodded his head and began contemplating what the answer might be. He turned to look at Luoluo in his arms, seeing she was still feeling rather uncomfortable, restlessly moving around in his arms, and clearly not at all happy with the current situation.

Looking at her anguished little face, Xue Wei did not need to spend much longer to consider what to do. Since he had welcomed her as his little sister, there was no doubt she would become his family in the future, so when she was uncomfortable, he did not need to waste more time thinking. He just had to get them out of here so that she could calm down, and he could always return later when he was alone.

With his mind made up, Xue Wei returned to their courtyard, an ever-present smile adorning his lips as he carried the small child away in his embrace.

He just could not help but feel that she was adorable, like a small figure who depended on him to protect her. Although he was unsure of what she was really like, her mind was currently that of a child, and in her mental state, she needed someone to protect her, to cherish her, and to keep her company.

In a way, it did not feel as if he had just picked up any small child, or even gained a little sister figure; it was more like he had gotten himself a daughter.

When he was a child, Xue Wei had always felt loved. He had been deeply cherished and looked after by his father in the years before his death. After losing his memories, Xue Wei had been cared for by Xiao Lei, and although many looked down upon him and hated him due to his inability to cultivate, he had never felt unloved by those close to him.