Meaning of life?

At high noon a few days later, sunlight filtered through the hall's glass dome, casting mottled shadows across the polished alloy floor.

Tang Ping sat at the long table, which was laden with over twenty meticulously prepared dishes. A glistening, roasted whole lamb still steamed, while sweet and sour preserved fruits were piled beside a crispy suckling pig. Even the soup served with the meal was a rich broth boiled from interstellar spirit birds.

Yet, his hand holding the chopsticks felt listless. He poked at the tender meat on the lamb leg, but even when he chewed it, he couldn't taste the usual savory flavor; it felt like chewing wax. He slumped over the table, looking completely dispirited.

During this period, he had followed the doctor's orders to reduce his cultivation time, spending only four hours a day polishing his secret techniques. While the symptoms of his mental distraction had indeed lessened, the hollow, restless feeling deep in his heart remained impossible to shake.

The "Special Health Care Card" given by the Luo Family was still in his pocket, and the club featuring beauties and song-and-dance performances from a hundred clans was just around the corner, yet he had never dared to step inside.

In his past life, he was a law-abiding, ordinary person. Although he had become a cultivator in this life, the "honesty" in his bones had not changed. Whenever he thought of those decadent, neon-lit places, his heart would race. He was afraid of being a misfit and making a fool of himself, but even more afraid of doing something embarrassing.

"Sigh!" A long sigh echoed through the empty hall. Tang Ping grabbed the "Fat Happy Water" at the corner of the table—a drink he had specifically asked his butler to import from Earth—and pulled the tab to take a few gulps.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp~" The icy liquid slid down his throat, but it didn't dispel even a fraction of the gloom in his heart.

"Why do you look so listless? Is there a problem at the mining area? Or did your investments crash?" A crisp female voice came from the stairs. Luo Xiaoyu had just finished training; she was still wearing a form-fitting training suit that outlined her slender yet powerful figure.

Her pretty face was flushed, fine beads of sweat hung on her temples, and a few damp strands of hair clung to her cheeks, adding a touch of charming brilliance, like a rose covered in morning dew.

Tang Ping lifted his eyelids but didn't speak. He simply tapped his light computer, syncing the diagnosis issued by the psychiatrist to her terminal.

Luo Xiaoyu took the light computer and swiped across the screen. Her originally smiling face gradually sank, and the atmosphere in the hall grew quiet.

After a long while, she walked gently to Tang Ping's side and sat down next to him. Her warm body pressed against him, carrying a faint scent of sweat and a girl's delicate fragrance.

After another moment of silence, she spoke in a low voice, her tone filled with hesitation: "Actually... my state recently seems to be about the same as yours."

"Hm?" Tang Ping turned his head abruptly, his eyes full of surprise.

Luo Xiaoyu had always been the standout of the younger generation of the Luo Family, with smooth cultivation and a cold personality. How could she have the same problem?

Luo Xiaoyu felt embarrassed under his gaze; her cheeks turned even redder, and even her earlobes were stained with pink.

She bit her lower lip as if she had made up her mind. She looked up to meet Tang Ping's gaze, her eyebrows curved but her expression serious: "And I heard from my cousin that there is a method that can greatly alleviate, or even completely solve, this mental condition."

"What method? Tell me quickly!" Tang Ping instantly perked up. He leaned forward, his eyes filled with eagerness.

He was determined to become an immortal powerhouse, someone who would gather the talents of all clans in the divine kingdom and contribute to the reproduction of humanity in the future. How could he be trapped by this little "mental problem"?

Luo Xiaoyu's eyes suddenly turned sharp, and her originally gentle temperament instantly became a bit aggressive.

Before Tang Ping could react, she grabbed his wrist. Using the strength she had honed through training, she gave a light tug, flipped her body, and actually pinned Tang Ping beneath her. Her soft body pressed against his chest, and her warm breath brushed against his neck, causing a ticklish sensation.

Tang Ping was stunned by this sudden move. Lying on the cold tabletop, looking at the pretty face so close to his own, he felt bewildered yet couldn't help but feel his heart tighten. He hurriedly asked, "What on earth is the method? Just tell me!"

Luo Xiaoyu's cheeks were red enough to bleed, but her eyes grew increasingly firm. Her hands didn't stop; her fingertips hooked the button of Tang Ping's collar and gave a light pull. With a "pop," the button fell to the floor.

"Husband, it is time for us to retire." Her voice trembled slightly, but it was exceptionally clear.

Only then did Tang Ping react belatedly. He followed Luo Xiaoyu's gaze toward the window. The noon sun was fierce, and the sunlight shining through the glass windows made the hall bright.

He swallowed hard, his voice sounding a bit weak: "This... it's broad daylight, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Snap!" Luo Xiaoyu snapped her fingers crisply.

In the next second, the dark curtains hanging around the hall slowly descended, completely blocking out the sunlight. Only the wall lamps emitted a faint, warm light, causing the entire space to gradually grow dim.

Yet, her eyes became increasingly bright in the dimness, like two twinkling stars, staring fixedly at Tang Ping.

Tang Ping looked at the undisguised dominance in her eyes and suddenly remembered that Luo Xiaoyu was already a Planetary Rank level 9, with a base attack power as high as 9 million kilograms. He had no room to resist in front of her.

He couldn't help but shiver and hurriedly begged for mercy: "Go easy... go easy, my brother is afraid of pain."

Hearing this, the corners of Luo Xiaoyu's mouth curled up slightly. She extended a slender, delicate finger to gently lift his chin, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness: "Don't worry, husband, I will be gentle with you."

A day and a night passed quietly.

When the morning light once again shone into the hall through the gaps in the curtains, the battle finally ceased.

Luo Xiaoyu's slender body paused, and her originally slightly weary eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had grasped some key realization.

The next moment, she hurriedly got up, casually grabbed a pack of soft tissues from her storage ring, and tossed it onto Tang Ping's face. Her voice was full of urgency: "Husband, I've found the feeling of breaking through to the Star Rank! Wipe yourself off, I'm going into seclusion first!"

Before her words had even faded, her figure disappeared at the hall entrance like a gust of wind, leaving behind only the lingering warmth in the room and a Tang Ping who hadn't yet reacted.

Tang Ping rose slowly, his eyes calmer than ever before, without a single ripple.

He picked up the soft tissues, wiped his body in a leisurely manner, put on his clothes, and walked to the window to pull the curtains open a crack.

Outside the window, white clouds drifted leisurely with the gentle breeze. Between the rising and falling of the clouds, the ease of heaven and earth was fully displayed. He stood there, without thoughts or desires, as if he had merged into this world.

Suddenly, Tang Ping's body froze in place, and his eyes snapped shut.

An inexplicable realization surged into his heart like a tide. The Spiritual Telekinesis, genetic force, and will within his body seemed to be connected by an invisible thread, beginning to spontaneously merge and gather.

Pale purple energy overflowed from his body, forming a thin energy field around him. It carried the violent aura unique to thunder and lightning; when it brushed against the floor of the hall, even the hard alloy rippled slightly.

Tang Ping could clearly feel that he had established a wonderful connection with the "thunder" around him. He could even move his mind to control the airflow in the training ground, making them transform into tiny thunder arcs according to his will, dancing at his fingertips.

"Thunder Domain!" he whispered in his heart, attempting to release this realization completely.

The pale purple energy field instantly expanded to a range of ten meters. Within this range, every wisp of energy obeyed his command. If there were no corresponding domain to resist, any enemy would be completely helpless before him.

One must know that most Planetary Rank martial artists could not touch the threshold of a domain in their entire lives. Once a domain was mastered, it meant that one was almost invincible within the Planetary Rank realm.

The next moment, a pale blue Wind Domain also unfolded.

Tang Ping focused his mind, and the two domains instantly merged; the agility of the wind and the ferocity of the thunder intertwined to form the even more powerful Wind-Thunder Fusion Domain.

"Hum!" A faint buzzing sound echoed through the air as Tang Ping slowly extended his hand. In this moment, he felt as if the entire world was under his control; within the range covered by the Wind-Thunder Fusion Domain, he was the absolute master.

So strong! he marveled to himself. His current strength had increased by more than double compared to before.

Tang Ping slowly retracted his domain and looked out at the scenery beyond the window once more.

The white clouds still drifted, the breeze still blew gently, and everything between heaven and earth was no different than it had been a moment ago.

Even with such a significant increase in strength, there was still not a ripple in his heart—no sorrow, no joy—as if nothing in the world could stir his emotions any longer.

Suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind without warning:

If human desire is merely an instinctive reaction driven by physiological hormones, then what is the meaning of the power, wealth, and emotions we spend our entire lives pursuing? Where should our future lead?

He stood before the window, gazing at the boundless sky, and could not help but raise two questions in his heart: What exactly are the mysteries of the universe? And how should the meaning of human existence be defined?