Chapter 743: Cloud Transformation Art

"What is this?"

Just a moment ago, the old man had pulled a piece of animal hide of unknown material from his bosom and solemnly handed it to Shen Yu.

The feeling was as if he were completing some kind of inheritance.

And only after Shen Yu took the animal hide did the old man gently heave a sigh of relief.

"This is the Cloud Transformation Art, the heirloom of my Lu family. This Cultivation Method can convert a person's fortune into inner strength, allowing one to improve continuously!"

"What?"

Flipping through the contents on the animal hide, Shen Yu could not help but feel a sense of astonishment.

The inner strength within a human body is real and tangible, something that can be felt and touched, whereas fortune is ethereal.

To turn fortune into inner strength—that is to turn the void into reality; could there really be such a miraculous Cultivation Method in this world?

"Lord Shen, in truth, this old man is dull of talent; by rights, I should have lived a life of mediocrity. It is only because of this Cultivation Method that I have the strength I possess today."

"In this world, besides myself, the last person to practice the Cloud Transformation Art was Mu Zishan!"

"Mu Zishan also practiced the Cloud Transformation Art?"

"Exactly!" Struggling to answer Shen Yu's question, the old man then said with a touch of nostalgia, "Come to think of it, I did have a brief encounter with Mu Zishan."

"Back then, his momentum was at its peak, and he was already invincible in the martial arts world, yet he still wasn't strong enough."

"If one day the Spiritual Qi Surge were to occur and those old monsters were to awaken, he might not have been able to hold them back."

"That is why my Lu family gifted the Cloud Transformation Art, hoping that Mu Zishan would have enough strength to protect the world!"

Recalling the events of that year, the old man seemed filled with emotion, as if he were full of respect for the man who was willing to endure a century of loneliness to suppress the Forbidden Land for the sake of the world.

"Mu Zishan mastered the Cloud Transformation Art, and from then on, his inner strength progressed by leaps and bounds."

"It is precisely because of this that he was able to use his mortal body to forcibly suppress that surging Spiritual Qi, delaying the Spiritual Qi Surge by a hundred years."

"It is a pity that a hundred years later, the Spiritual Qi Surge has begun again, and while Mu Zishan is no longer in this world, there is still you, Lord Shen Yu!"

As he spoke, the old man gripped Shen Yu's hand tightly, his eyes filled with urgency—it was the plea of a dying man in his final moments.

Faced with such an expression, it is likely that no matter who it was, they would be unable to stop their heart from softening.

"Lord Shen, I am now at my end, and I am the last of the Lu family, so I must find a successor for this Cultivation Method."

"And you, Lord Shen, having achieved your current status in such a short time—your natural talent, aptitude, and fortune are all indispensable; you are absolutely a person favored by fortune."

"My Lu family's Cloud Transformation Art can only exert its immense power in the hands of someone like you, Lord Shen!"

"The Cloud Transformation Art will surely rise into the clouds because of you, Lord Shen, and this will also be the glory of my Lu family."

"Sigh!" With a light sigh, a touch of desolation appeared on the old man's face.

It was not the fear of impending death, but merely a sense of regret.

"My descendants are incompetent; they cannot bring the Cloud Transformation Art to its full potential, nor can they stop those old monsters and protect this world."

"Now that the Spiritual Qi Surge is here, the world will surely face a bloodbath; those old monsters are definitely not something ordinary people can stop."

"Once these old monsters begin their slaughter, not even one in a hundred of the world's people will survive, and the rivers will be awash with blood."

"It is a pity that this old man's withered body can no longer hold on!"

Closing his eyes, the old man seemed to have already seen such a tragic scene, and a look of unbearable pain appeared on his face.

In the blink of an eye, the old man looked at Shen Yu beside him again, his eyes seemingly flickering with light.

"Now, only you, Lord Shen, can stop all of this. Lord Shen, I entrust the Cloud Transformation Art to you, and I entrust this world to you as well."

"I hope my Lu family's Cloud Transformation Art can help you, Lord Shen, ride the wind and rise, and protect this great land well!"

By the time he said this, the old man's voice had become very weak, and his body seemed like a leaf in the wind, liable to be blown over at any moment.

Yet his hands gripped the hilt of his blade firmly, bracing himself so as not to fall.

Lifting his head, the old man took one last look at the green hills, clear waters, and the vast landscape.

"To be able to die for the world, to perish in the struggle to protect the world, rather than dying of old age on a sickbed—this life has already been a great fortune!"

"I have no regrets in this life!"

After these words, the old man completely ceased to breathe.

No matter how much life force Shen Yu injected into his body, he could not revive that extinguished flame of life.

However, even though he was dead, his body remained as upright as it had been just moments ago, and the hand holding the blade looked as if it could draw it again at any time.

"Sigh!" Knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he could not bring him back, Shen Yu withdrew his hand and sighed silently.

People like this are rare in the martial arts world; every time one dies, there is one less!

"Cloud Transformation Art!"

Holding the Cloud Transformation Art gifted by the old man, Shen Yu began to examine it carefully.

It must be said that this Cultivation Method is indeed infinitely profound, capable of converting one's own fortune into a continuous stream of strength.

And the growth of strength would lead to an increase in one's status, and the increase in status would bring about an improvement in fortune; thus, they complement each other, making one stronger and stronger.

If this Cultivation Method were given to someone with deep fortune, their strength would indeed see a rapid increase.

As for Shen Yu himself, to put it bluntly, he owed everything he had today to the system, and he didn't even know if he was the type of person with deep fortune.

Come to think of it, he probably wasn't.

This Cultivation Method is indeed very tempting, but if one's fortune is insufficient to support it, wouldn't practicing it cause one to exhaust all their fortune in a short time?

If a person's fortune were to be exhausted, one really doesn't know what might happen.

Perhaps the reason the old man could not be saved, no matter how much life force was infused, was also because his fortune had been completely consumed.

For a person who has completely lost every bit of fortune, doing anything is difficult, let alone wanting to come back to life when one is about to die.

Otherwise, with Shen Yu's methods, how could it be impossible to save someone?

So, this Cultivation Method looks very attractive; one doesn't even need to work very hard, just burn fortune and one can easily make their inner strength surge.

But Shen Yu still does not intend to practice it; he simply does not dare to gamble.

Besides, a large number of old monsters will soon awaken, and those dear old things will continuously turn into energy to enrich himself.

Why should he abandon the root to pursue the tip and practice a Cultivation Method of unknown depth?

After burying the old man in a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, Shen Yu continued his journey to find old monsters.

As for the Cloud Transformation Art gifted by the old man, it was shelved by him.

He would wait until later to see which person with deep fortune he could gift this Cloud Transformation Art to, which would also count as helping the old man find a successor.

However, what Shen Yu did not know was that just after he left, a figure stood quietly at the place where he had buried the old man, looking in the direction he had departed.

If Shen Yu were to return, he would certainly discover that this person watching the direction of his departure was the very same old man he had buried with his own hands.

At this moment, a satisfied smile appeared on the old man's face as he looked up at the void above, at that white shadow still standing tall.

He then looked into the distance at Shen Yu, who had long since disappeared.

Two great Heavenly Prides at once; it was truly worth all his effort in acting.

Mu Zishan, Shen Yu, hehe, I shall wait for you both!

In the blink of an eye, the old man's figure vanished from the spot, as if he had never appeared at all.

A breeze blew by, swirling up a few leaves to cover the spot where the old man had just been standing.