novelraw Chapter 363: If You Don’t Want to Be My Junior Brother, I’ll Call You Senior Brother
Chapter 363: If You Don’t Want to Be My Junior Brother, I’ll Call You Senior Brother
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation.
“Junior Brother, I know my name sounds wonderful, but there’s no need to feel inferior! As long as you practice diligently, one day, the world will focus on your achievements and forget your name entirely!”
Lou Yu Shan gave Ji Han Zhou a hearty slap on the shoulder, his words filled with encouragement.
Ji Han Zhou: …
“Alright, Junior Brother, don’t worry about having no companions on your path. There’s always a silver lining around the corner. Senior Brother has to leave now; we’ll meet again if fate allows!”
As Lou Yu Shan spoke, his legs unconsciously moved toward the exit.
Ji Han Zhou’s focus wasn’t diverted by this nonsense. He unsheathed his flying sword and blocked Lou Yu Shan’s path, his smile devoid of warmth. “Senior Brother?”
“Ahem!” Lou Yu Shan cleared his throat and lightly pushed the sword with a finger.
The sword didn’t budge.
Retracting his hand awkwardly, he offered, “If you don’t want to be the Junior Brother, I can call you Senior Brother instead.”Ji Han Zhou frowned slightly. Had Lou Yu Shan been trapped in the barrier for so long that he lost his sanity? Why else would he be spouting such madness?
“Senior Brother Lou, I won’t stop you if you want to leave, but shouldn’t you explain yourself first?”
Lou Yu Shan let out a long sigh. “Junior Brother, do you know how many years I’ve been trapped here?”
Without waiting for a response, he bellowed out a string of numbers.
“Two hundred and sixty-three years! Exactly two hundred and sixty-three years! Ninety-five thousand nine hundred and ninety-five days! Do you know what I’ve been through all these years?”
The more Lou Yu Shan spoke, the more agitated he became. In the end, he covered his face, sobbing uncontrollably.
He had been imprisoned in the barrier for so long that reality and illusion blurred together, leaving him teetering on the edge of madness.
No—perhaps he was already mad. Otherwise, why would he behave so ridiculously, crying before a stranger?
Ji Han Zhou’s gaze lowered slightly as he pressed his lips together. “Senior Brother Lou, you’ve suffered greatly.”
“Heh, Junior Brother, there’s no need to pity me because soon, it’ll be your turn!” Lou Yu Shan abruptly raised his tear-streaked face, his eyes gleaming with malicious glee.
Ji Han Zhou: …
How does one take back what they’ve just said?
“Junior Brother, since you care so much about me, let me tell you what lies ahead. Pay close attention.”
Lou Yu Shan’s mood swung unpredictably. Moments ago, he gloated over Ji Han Zhou’s misfortune; now, he appeared eager to share survival tips.
Ji Han Zhou nodded heavily, pretending to listen intently.
“Since you made it here, it means you’ve gained our Master’s approval. Master Xuan Yuan, the War God himself! From here, you’ll face a series of trials designed by Master. Only by passing them can you move to the next stage. Once all trials are completed, you’ll be free. Sounds simple, right?”
Ji Han Zhou stared at him, expressionless.
Awkwardly, Lou Yu Shan wiped off his grin, adopting a serious tone. “There are a total of eighty-one trials, and each one is twice as difficult as the last. I’ve spent two hundred and sixty-three years here and only reached the sixty-fourth trial. The remaining challenges are beyond my strength. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t progress further.”
When Lou Yu Shan first began the trials, he thought of himself as a sword prodigy favored by destiny. His respect for Master Xuan Yuan was genuine. But as the trials became increasingly grueling, his frustration grew, turning into resentment—toward himself and Xuan Yuan.
At his lowest point, he believed Xuan Yuan didn’t want disciples at all, only a random scapegoat to torment for amusement.
He was that scapegoat.
But with Ji Han Zhou’s arrival, his nightmare seemed to have finally ended.
Ji Han Zhou’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. He couldn’t discern Lou Yu Shan’s cultivation level, which meant Lou Yu Shan was at least at the Nascent Soul stage. If someone at that level couldn’t pass the sixty-fourth trial, completing all eighty-one would likely require Divine Transformation-level strength.
Did Xuan Yuan assume the chosen individual would naturally ascend to Divine Transformation?
The logic seemed off.
Glancing at Lou Yu Shan’s oscillating demeanor—wild one moment, mournful the next—a vague suspicion surfaced in Ji Han Zhou’s mind. But he hesitated to voice it.
Suddenly, Lou Yu Shan burst into laughter. “Hahaha! My suffering is finally over! Junior Brother, good luck to you!”
This time, Ji Han Zhou didn’t stop him. Instead, he watched Lou Yu Shan dash toward the exit.
When Lou Yu Shan reached the stone door, he didn’t push it open. Instead, he hurled himself at it, his eyes sparkling with hope for freedom.
Bang!
The door repelled him forcefully.
Staggering back, he sat on the ground, staring at the closed door in disbelief. “Why? Why won’t it open? Someone new has entered—why hasn’t he released me yet?”
“Senior Brother Lou…”
“No! I must leave today! No one can stop me!” Lou Yu Shan leapt up, recklessly ramming into the stone door.
The room echoed with the sound of his frantic collisions.
“Senior Brother Lou! Senior Brother Lou!” Ji Han Zhou tried calling out to him, but Lou Yu Shan seemed deaf to everything around him. Like a trapped beast, he howled in despair.
Ji Han Zhou’s eyes turned icy. Without hesitation, he swung his sword toward Lou Yu Shan.
The sword light streaked through the air like lightning.
Buzz!
At the last moment, a flying sword materialized, shimmering coldly. The sword light dissipated in an instant.
Hearing the commotion, Lou Yu Shan slowly turned, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Ji Han Zhou.
Before he could lose control again, Ji Han Zhou spoke quickly, “Senior Brother Lou, I know how to get out of here.”
Lou Yu Shan’s dull eyes flickered.
“I can help you leave this place and return to the Five Elements Dao Sect.”
At these words, Lou Yu Shan’s eyes trembled even more violently. His hoarse voice asked, “You can free me?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I be—” Lou Yu Shan’s expression softened briefly before twisting again. “—lieve you’re lying! You’re deceiving me! I’ve been here for two hundred and sixty-three years without finding a way out. How could you possibly know?”
“No, wait. I only told you my name. How do you know I’m from the Five Elements Dao Sect? I see now—you’re one of Xuan Yuan’s puppets, sent to torment me! Aren’t you?”
“You give me hope, then drag me into despair. Watching me shatter amuses you, doesn’t it? That’s all I am—a tool for your entertainment! A puppet! You’re trying to drive me to death!”
As Lou Yu Shan roared, his aura turned chaotic. The flying sword circling him began to hum violently.
Ji Han Zhou realized the situation was dire.
Lou Yu Shan was showing signs of Qi deviation!
“Lou Yu Shan! I am indeed here for you, but I came on someone’s request! They sent me to the Desert of Lost Souls to find you. Do you remember your friend, Fan Yin?”
Fan Yin was Elder Gu’s courtesy name.
“Fan Yin?”
Hearing the name, Lou Yu Shan froze. Miraculously, his raging aura calmed.
Ji Han Zhou exhaled deeply.
He had narrowly averted a tragedy.
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