Clearly, the illusionary realm precisely chose a huge cross-section, delving into the weakest point in Ling Yun's heart, and then simulating a bewildering illusion.
In reality, Ling Yun stopped liking Li Lingling because he gained superpowers, which created a psychological gap between them. So, if Ling Yun hadn't gained superpowers by accident and remained an ordinary person, and hadn't experienced the arrogance of a young woman, but instead, faced with Li Lingling's gentle advances, would he still have been able to clearly recognize his true feelings and say no to this beautiful woman?
This is the dilemma that the Delusion Realm has presented to Ling Yun!
If Ling Yun couldn't say no, and was already deeply in love with Li Lingling in the illusion, oblivious to everything else, then he would be a lifeless vegetable, forever imprisoned in the illusory space, repeating the simple life in the illusion day after day.
It seemed like a gentle paradise, but in reality, it was a haven for the dead. He was just one step away from utter destruction. Fortunately, Ling Yun broke free and was not trapped in the illusion.
Dispel illusions!
A voice that seemed to enlighten him suddenly rang in Ling Yun's mind. In an instant, it was as if a clear and transparent stream was flowing through his heart. The colorless and substanceless water flowed through his heart, bringing him unparalleled comfort and a refreshing feeling as if he had opened up a new world.
Ling Yun opened his eyes and abruptly sat up in bed. At that moment, nearly a fifth of his carbonized skin peeled off, and all his wounds healed instantly. All the pain vanished in an instant.
Holding her two crystal-clear, rosy palms, a powerful and uncontrollable surge of new life force was emanating an intense heat from her palms, instantly baking the air above them into a hazy, dreamlike state.
Suddenly, a small white flame appeared out of thin air, burning a few centimeters above the palm of the hand.
Chapter 102 A Hundred Years of Dreams Turn to Dust
Suddenly, Ling Yun's expression changed, and a heavy feeling came from the depths of his heart again. This time, the heavy stone in his heart was about to fall.
Deep in his consciousness, he seemed to hear a voice, both melancholic and endearing: "Xiao Yun..." Whose voice was that? Ling Yun was momentarily stunned, and involuntarily took two steps forward in the bedroom before finally returning to sit on the bed.
Shaking his head, Ling Yun forced himself to calm his extremely frustrated mood. Then he closed his eyes again, and his mental field instantly triggered that familiar mental imprint, and he blinked into the yellow world.
"Teacher..." As usual, as soon as Ling Yun entered the barrier, he saw Yu Xiujie sitting leisurely at a square corner classical octagonal table, sipping fragrant tea with fresh, hot steam.
After escaping from the fifth section of the simulation last time, Ling Yun had been busy protecting Gu Xiaorou's safety and hadn't been to the barrier for several days. He missed his strict teacher quite a bit, so after calling out softly, he obediently sat down in the chair opposite Yu Xiujie.
"Xiaoyun, you've finally arrived." Yu Xiujie put down his teacup, looked up at Ling Yun, and said calmly.
Ling Yun looked up and was immediately shocked. In just a few days, Yu Xiujie had aged considerably. His once refined and solemn face was now covered with numerous vertical wrinkles. He had always had white hair and beard, but his white hair was dazzling and lustrous, unlike the typical graying hair of an aging person. But now, the original luster on both his white hair and eyebrows had dimmed, and some of his hair had even become extremely dry and brittle, resembling the sparse white hair of a frail old man, completely devoid of any former refined and otherworldly air.
“Teacher…” Ling Yun stood up tremblingly. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and a sense of extreme terror rose from his consciousness, shattering the boy’s originally firm heart. He walked a few steps to Yu Xiujie, grabbed the old man’s withered and wrinkled right hand, and said in a trembling voice, “Teacher, how did you become like this? What happened?”
In an instant, Ling Yun understood what the heavy weight on his heart truly represented. The long-standing oppressive feeling finally found its answer. Ling Yun's heart pounded wildly; he dared not think of that terrifying truth. If he could, he wished time would stand still forever at that moment.
Yu Xiujie's aged eyes revealed a loving gaze. He stroked his beloved student's hair with his free left hand and sighed softly, "It's nothing. Life is inherently impermanent. Xiaoyun, I am about to achieve liberation and attain the Great Dao. You should be happy for your teacher."
"Teacher..." Ling Yun could no longer hold back and burst into tears, sobbing on Yu Xiujie's lap. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Ling Yun, who had not cried in the face of life and death, in the face of parting, in the face of receiving, and in the face of joy, cried like a child.
Only in front of Yu Xiujie could he feel like he was back to his most authentic eighteen-year-old self, that carefree and innocent age. Not the strong Ling Yun who silently shouldered the responsibility of protection, constantly growing stronger through killing.
Needless to say, Ling Yun already knew the price he had paid for surviving the heavenly lightning strike. That stern, unsmiling figure; that elder who had always stood behind him, teaching him life's lessons; that teacher who was strict yet caring—who else but Elder Yu could have risked his life to shield him from the wrathful heavenly lightning?
There are no miracles in this world! Miracles are all created by others.
The boy's constant confidence and fearlessness stemmed from the mysterious world within his heart, from the supreme power behind him. It was like an ordinary person gaining a magic stone, thus acquiring confidence.
With Yu Xiujie standing behind him, no words were needed. Just watching him silently was enough for Ling Yun to face any danger without fear. The boy's heart was steadfast; his teacher would always stand behind him. The two didn't exchange many words, but the unspoken understanding between them allowed Ling Yun to empathize with Yu Xiujie. He was both teacher and friend; the loneliness and emptiness of a supreme expert could only be fully understood by his beloved student.
Ling Yun indeed paid the heaviest price. The boy was overwhelmed with grief. He had never been so heartbroken in his life. His heart felt as if it had been struck by a hammer, and the pain was so intense that it was convulsing. If he had a choice, Ling Yun would never let his teacher suffer in his place.
"Stop crying, stand up!" Yu Xiujie's voice was as authoritative as ever. With a swift movement, he pushed Ling Yun away.
“Teacher…” Ling Yun dared not disobey his master’s orders, so he could only stand aside with his hands clasped, stopping his sobbing, but glistening tears still clung to the corners of his eyes.
"The strong become stronger. I taught you those four words, didn't I? Tell me what they mean," Yu Xiujie said coldly.
"Yes, teacher." Ling Yun wiped his wet eyes with the back of his hand, trying to calm himself down. "The strong are those who rely on their inner strength to strive for self-improvement, who are not elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses, who are not deterred by dangers or defeated by hardships, and who truly climb to the peak with their own hands and hearts. Only such people will never fall down and are the true strong ones."
"Do you think you are?" Yu Xiujie asked coldly.
"No... I've just always lived in the shadow of the teacher... I still see myself as a child. I'm sorry, teacher, I've let you down," Ling Yun said softly. Suddenly, a wave of sorrow washed over her again, and she trembled, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.
Yu Xiujie sighed softly, realizing he had been too harsh. He gently beckoned Ling Yun over, his eyes fixed intently on him: "Xiao Yun, you are an ability user, not a child. Although you are still a child in terms of age, the world will no longer consider you a child. Do you know why, since you entered the Duanlie simulation, I have never taken the initiative to teach you, but instead let you learn, cultivate, and comprehend on your own?"
Ling Yun stared wide-eyed at Yu Xiujie, and in a daze, he seemed to understand something.
“I just want you to grow on your own, to be able to stand on your own two feet, instead of just living off the teacher’s halo. Of course, you’ve done very well, Xiaoyun. Actually, I know everything you’ve been through, and I’m very happy to have such an outstanding student as you.” Yu Xiujie said with satisfaction, “You’ve had one amazing encounter after another, even gaining a copying ability and a superpower of breaking down and rebuilding from the simulation that I haven’t learned. This is something I never imagined. Your potential is like a giant whale in the deep sea, with only a very small part of it surfacing.”
“Don’t be sad, child. You have already learned to be independent and strong. You are already a true strong person.” Yu Xiujie continued, “Although you have overcome your emotional weakness after breaking through the illusion, there was an element of luck involved. Your weakness is still your emotions, and this is probably hard to change. But if you had changed it, you wouldn’t be so sad today, right? Emotions are very complicated. It’s hard to say whether they are your weakness or your strength. So you must learn to go with the flow, and then you will be invincible.”
"Teacher, thank you." Ling Yun looked at Yu Xiujie gratefully. With just a few words, Yu Xiujie had thoroughly and clearly analyzed his weakest point and personality issues.
“I have used my last bit of energy to infuse the barrier into your spiritual body, merging your telekinetic power with the barrier. As long as you live, the barrier will never disappear. Once my time is up, you will be the true master of the barrier and will naturally understand its true purpose. As long as it helps your cultivation, then your teacher's efforts will not have been in vain,” Yu Xiujie said calmly.
His figure suddenly began to fade, and fine gold dust kept flying off his body. Ling Yun's pupils suddenly contracted. Under the Eye of Illusion, he could see clearly that Yu Xiujie's mental energy field was constantly decomposing.
"Teacher, tell me, how can I bring you back to life?" Ling Yun suddenly calmed down, and in the blink of an eye, the strong boy returned to his body. Rather than futile sorrow, he decided to ask some useful questions. Perhaps a miracle would happen in the future!
“Foolish child…” Yu Xiujie gently stroked his hair, “When you are fortunate enough to comprehend the seventh layer of the barrier, you will naturally understand everything.”
"With unwavering loyalty, I roar to the heavens; a hundred-year dream turns to nothing but dust..." Yu Xiujie chanted slowly, his body rapidly fading away, countless golden dust drifting into the barrier and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
In the barely discernible afterimage, a pair of ethereal eyes suddenly shone with a captivating light: "I understand now, so this is fate..."
A silvery light, carrying immense information, surged into Ling Yun's mind, which was frozen in place and completely unaware of what was happening outside.
Chapter 103 I Won't Take Advantage of You
Even with Ling Yun's current incredibly powerful memory capacity, it seemed insignificant in the face of this overwhelming flood of information. He struggled back several steps and slumped into a chair. His face was flushed an unnatural red, all his thoughts suspended as he focused entirely on processing the memories and insights that Yu Xiujie had transmitted to him before his disappearance.
This contains the essence of Yu Xiujie's lifelong cultivation and information on his control over the barrier. In addition, there are vast and chaotic fragments of vague and ethereal information about the Heavenly Dao, human affairs, and philosophy. Ling Yun couldn't comprehend most of it, regardless of the specific part. He could only swallow it whole and store the information in his brain's permanent memory, ready to retrieve it whenever needed in the future.
The ability to copy automatically organizes the messy information and memories in the brain. This is a new ability that Lingyun has developed since he started using copying. The ability to copy is like a treasure trove, often producing unexpected surprises for him.