Star Odyssey

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Chapter 1928: Great Wisdom Hidden Behind Stupidity*

Xia Meng's words caught Lu Yin off guard. There were very few people in the Neoverse who cared about the lives and deaths of the people of the Outerverse, and there were even quite a few who actually did not know about the Outerverse's existence. Many people believed that the Innerverse and Outerverse were the same thing and that such places had nothing to do with experts whose power levels approached a million. Despite that, this woman who was a renowned beauty actually cared.

Not all cultivators were cold-blooded.

After leaving the Xia family's mainland, the Second Nightking took Lu Yin to Nature's Manifestation. How could Lu Yin visit the Seven Courts without paying a visit to Brother Hui Kong?

After the two arrived at the mountain range, Hui Kong's hearty laughter rang out before the Second Nightking could even "knock."

"Brother Lu, I've been waiting a long time for you, hahahaha!"

Lu Yin looked up in surprise, and he immediately saw a large, bald head. He hurried forward. "Brother, I've finally come to visit your home."

Hui Kong patted his chest. "This Nature's Manifestation is also your home, Brother."

Lu Yin laughed.

Hui Kong had not stepped out to greet Lu Yin alone, as he had brought out many people with him.

"Come, let me introduce you around! This kid here is Hui Zhi, the current Hui patriarch," Hui Kong said as he pointed to an elegant-looking man behind him.

Lu Yin smiled. "Patriarch Hui Zhi, we meet again."

When Lu Yin had exited Progenitor Chen's Mausoleum, he had met all of the leaders of the Court of Seven Names, and Hui Zhi had been one of them.

The patriarch chuckled, but he was interrupted by Hui Kong just when he was just about to say something. "That kid's Hui Chi, a family elder."

Lu Yin had noticed that Hui Zhi had tried to speak up right when Hui Kong had started introducing the family's elders, and Lu Yin did not know how to react.

Hui Zhi had no choice but to interrupt. "Alliance Leader Lu, Elder Hui Chi had been very curious about you."

Lu Yin was surprised by this comment, and he turned to Hui Chi. "What about me has piqued the elder's curiosity?"

Hui Chi was an old man, and although his appearance was just as dignified as Hui Zhi's, his advanced age gave him a warmer appearance. "I'm the old man responsible for growing the Roots of Intelligence here in Nature's Manifestation. I've heard of your interest in them, Alliance Leader Lu, and so I wanted to ask if you have ever had a true Root of Intelligence."

The Roots of Intelligence were considered the Hui family's greatest treasures, so not only was Hui Chi curious about this matter, but rather all of the members of the family.

Lu Yin hid nothing at all. "I did consume one, and more than once even."

Hui Kong was taken aback, and he patted a hand on Lu Yin's shoulder. "Brother, I knew that you'd had a Root of Intelligence before, but you never mentioned that you'd done so more than once."

Lu Yin spread his hands in a helpless manner. "Brother Hui, you never really pursued the matter, and I forgot to mention it."

Hui Kong just laughed. "Still, Brother Lu, the fact that you've had more than one opportunity to have a Root of Intelligence shows that I was right about you—you really are talented!"

Hui Zhi was left speechless; what did luck have to do with talent?

Hui Chi quickly asked, "Alliance Leader Lu, where did you get your Roots of Intelligence?"

"I got one from opening a sourcebox, and another from another place from someone named Xiao Can." He kept the fact that he had received one from Mister Mu a secret, as there was no way for him to clearly explain just who Mister Mu was.

Hui Zhi was stunned. "Another place? Xiao Can? What was his surname?"

Lu Yin shrugged. "I know that you're wondering if he's a descendant of Progenitor Hui from that place, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out."

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Hui Zhi found this to be quite a pity.

"Alright, that's enough chit chat. Let's go, Brother Lu! I'm going to show you around Nature's Manifestation!" Hui Kong instantly put a hand on Lu Yin's shoulder and dragged him towards the nearby mountain range.

The two left behind Hui Santong and an entire group of people who were left utterly speechless. Was their ancestor not going to introduce them? Then why the hell had he dragged them all out to greet Lu Yin?

Hui Santong in particular felt quite put out, as he was one of the few people present from the same generation as Lu Yin.

The mountain range that was Nature's Manifestation was massive. Although Nature's Manifestation was supposed to refer to the mountain range, the name had most likely been chosen because of the Hui family's secret technique.

"Brother Lu, I told you before that when I left my family, there was still an old ancestor living here. That old man was actually from the same generation as Xia Ji, and he almost managed to become a Semi-Progenitor, but unfortunately, he died. Right now, your brother is the top person in the entire Hui family.

"Unfortunately, the Hui family has really fallen to a disgraceful level. The current patriarch isn't even an Envoy while our most powerful elder is only a three-tribulation Envoy who can't even stand up to you. Pathetic!

"Brother Lu, just look at our Roots of Intelligence. They're terrible!"

…

Lu Yin followed Hui Kong around Nature's Manifestation, and wherever they went, all of the Hui family's cultivators would bow to both of them. As a junior, receiving such treatment was quite embarrassing for Lu Yin.

Still, his greatest interest in the Hui family centered on the Roots of Intelligence.

An enormous stretch of land was dedicated to raising the Roots of Intelligence, but nothing could be seen at a casual glance, as the roots were growing underground. If not for Hui Kong pointing out the location, Lu Yin would never have known what was planted in those fields.

"My Hui family sells a lot of roots every year, but they're really not worth too much. You've used them yourself, and you should have noticed how they're not really useful for much aside from entering a meditative state. Fortunately, there are some cultivators who are unable to calm themselves down, or else my Hui family would have no source of income. We're not like the Mavis family who have star crystal toilets." Hui Kong looked disgusted.

"Brother Kong, is the only way to absorb stellular energy really from the true universe?" Lu Yin suddenly asked as he stared at the impressive fields of Roots of Intelligence.

Hui Kong nodded. "Yeah."

He then turned to look at Lu Yin. "Right, I heard that you had a monstrous stellular tribulation and that even a manifestation of Progenitor Chen showed up?"

Lu Yin smiled wryly and then proceeded to share the details of his tribulation. Naturally, he hid the fact that he had formed four stellular energy vortices, but this was not because Lu Yin did not trust Hui Kong. Instead, it was because there were certain matters that could not be spoken of, and there was also no reason to share such information.

"That sounds like a tribulation powerful enough to scare even a Progenitor. Brother Lu, you're not going to have an easy time of things in the future." Hui Kong let out a sigh.

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "There's no other choice but to slowly move forward."

Hui Kong shrugged. "I can't help you with this, but luckily, you're already very powerful. You were able to handle someone like Hui Chi when you were still an Enlighter, and I'm guessing you should be able to put up a fight against Envoys with power levels of more than 800,000 now, Brother Lu."

"Just about."

Hui Kong smiled. "That's enough. The only truth that your brother's managed to learn over all these years is to be content with the current situation. Don't try to force or chase after things, but rather take them as they come. Fate is destined, and who knows if the path forward will be shrouded in darkness or not. Everything will eventually turn out alright."

Lu Yin gave Hui Kong an odd look. "Brother Hui, your words are very strange."

Hui Kong looked upwards and grew more emotional as he continued. "When I first started cultivating, I thought that Explorers were the most powerful people, but after becoming one myself, I realized that Envoys existed. Eventually, the day when I became an Envoy myself came, and I understood more clearly than ever how far I was from the realm of Progenitors. Who knows, could there even be something beyond the Progenitor realm?

"It's good enough to live a single lifetime if you can be happy with it. Why try to force things? Are Progenitors happy? Can they live forever? Then why did the Progenitor of Secret Arts betray humanity? Where are Progenitor Chen, the Rune Progenitor, and Progenitor Hui? The longer you cultivate, the more difficult it becomes to see through the depths of the universe. Since that's how things are, I simply abandoned the whole game."

Every member of the Hui family was highly intelligent, but Hui Kong lived a carefree life free of all worries and responsibilities. The truth was that he lived according to a different sort of wisdom. If one was both intelligent and carefree, they would be able to see the truth of their entire lives.

Despite being an expert with a power level of a million, Hui Kong had accepted Lu Yin as his younger brother after meeting him. The powerhouse had broken free from the shackles of social convention. The man did not care about status, seniority, age, or even cultivation strength at all. Hui Kong only cared about a heart-to-heart connection. This was what Hui Kong held to be important.

He may not end up living the longest, but he was determined to live the happiest.

He was someone who had managed to find peace and enjoy himself even in the depths of the Technocracy.

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"Brother Hui, if you don't want to force things, then why have you tried so hard to uncover why Progenitor Hui created the Technocracy?"

"Everyone has their own hobbies! Some people like food and others sex. Brother, I just want to learn the truth of this matter, which is what I enjoy, hahahaha!"

Lu Yin stayed in Nature's Manifestation for several days, and during this time, the nearby Ku family became increasingly anxious.

Ku Lei had been rescued from the Starfall Sea by hiding on Lu Yin's Zenith Mountain. After he returned to his family, he had told them about seeing Lu Yin use Extremes Must Be Reversed, and the news had stunned the entire Ku family.

Others were ignorant about Progenitor Ku, so they naturally would not care about Extremes Must Be Reversed, but the Ku family was well aware of the value of the battle technique.

Still, Patriarch Ku Pu was no idiot. He was already aware of how Lu Yin had gained control of the Wen family by stringing them along, and Ku Pu had no desire to be manipulated like the Wen family. Thus, the Ku family had restrained themselves and held back from reaching out to Lu Yin.

Still, they were not able to endure for very long, and they soon called Lu Yin. There was no avoiding the fact that they were in the inferior position in this transaction, and no matter how long they waited to contact Lu Yin, their position in the following negotiations would not change.

However, the connection had already been made, and Lu Yin was in no hurry to reel the Ku family in. He intended to string them along, just as he had done with the Wen family.

Lu Yin was getting better and better at increasing people's desires.

Knowing that Lu Yin was in Nature's Manifestation and so close to the Voidsoul Region, Ku Pu could not stop himself from calling Lu Yin to invite him to visit the Ku family as well.

When Lu Yin saw the call request from Ku Pu, a smile appeared on his face. He had been waiting for this particular call.

"Patriarch Ku Pu, what can I do for you?" Lu Yin asked as he answered the call.

Ku Pu smiled and put on a show of being relaxed. "Overseer Lu, I heard that you are a guest in Nature's Manifestation, right?"

"That's right. Brother Hui Kong invited me to visit him several times, and I happened to be passing through the southern region, so I stopped by," Lu Yin said.

"My Ku family's Voidsoul Region is rather close to Nature's Manifestation. I'd like to formally invite Overseer Lu to visit my family. I wonder, would you be willing to show us some face?" Ku Pu laughed.

Lu Yin replied, "Of course. How could I possibly refuse an invitation from Patriarch Ku Pu? I will head over as soon as possible."

"In that case, I will await your arrival with a welcoming party. We'll start preparing for it."

Ku Pu then ended the call, and Lu Yin let out a long breath.

"Ku Pu? The Ku family's patriarch?" Hui Kong had overheard the conversation. At the moment, he and Lu Yin were enjoying some tea. Naturally, it was made from the Hui family's Roots of Intelligence.

Lu Yin nodded. "That was him."

"Ku Pu invited you to visit the Voidsoul Region? That's out of character for the Ku family." Hui Kong was quite surprised.

Lu Yin proudly stated, "I have something that they need."

Hui Kong immediately understood. "That makes sense then. While the Ku family has always been rather closed off, they are more than simply arrogant. It's incredibly rare for them to invite anyone to be their guest. Brother Lu, you need to be careful with the Ku family."

"Is there something wrong?" Lu Yin felt rather puzzled.

Hui Kong took a moment to reply. "The Ku family is not as simple as they seem. I remember hearing the old man once say that he heard Progenitor Hui mention Progenitor Ku. It was something along the lines that Progenitor Ku was not simple and that whoever underestimated him would suffer. Something like that… I can't quite remember. What's wrong with me? I've forgotten. Let me think about it for a moment."

Lu Yin was in no hurry. "Have some tea, Brother Hui."

Lu Yin had already known that Progenitor Ku had not been as simple as people understood, but Lu Yin also had not expected to find out that Hui Kong knew something about the Progenitor.

"That's it!" Hui Kong suddenly smacked the table. "I remember now! The old man heard Progenitor Hui comment that anyone could die, but that it would be impossible for Progenitor Ku to die."

Lu Yin stared. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Hui Kong shook his head. "I have no idea—that's all that the old man said. I didn't have any interest in Progenitor Ku back then, so I didn't ask any more questions. If not for you planning to go visit the Ku family, I wouldn't have even remembered that conversation."

* This is a Chinese idiom that literally says "a great hero may appear timid, the wise may appear stupid."