What Is the Meaning of Being Alive?

A few days later, at noon, sunlight streamed through the hall's glass dome, casting dappled shadows across the polished alloy floor.

Tang Ping sat beside a long table laden with more than twenty carefully prepared dishes. A glistening roast whole lamb was still steaming, and candied fruit was piled beside a golden, crispy roast suckling pig. Even the soup served with the meal was a rich broth made from interstellar spirit birds.

But his hand, gripping the chopsticks, felt limp and lifeless. He prodded the tender meat on a lamb shank and chewed, yet couldn't taste its usual savory richness. It was like chewing wax. He slumped over the table, utterly listless.

Lately, he had followed the doctor's instructions and cut back on his cultivation time, spending only four hours a day honing his secret techniques. The symptoms of mental disorientation had eased somewhat, but the hollow agitation in his heart still wouldn't go away.

The "special health care card" from the Luo Family was still in his pocket. The entertainment clubs featuring beauties and dance from a hundred races listed on it were just around the corner, yet he still hadn't dared set foot inside.

In his previous life, he'd been an ordinary, straight-laced person. Though he'd become a cultivator in this life, he still had that same "honest" streak deep down. Just thinking about those places of bright lights and revelry made his heart race. He was afraid he wouldn't fit in and would make a fool of himself, and even more afraid he might do something embarrassing.

"Phew!" A long sigh echoed through the spacious hall. Tang Ping grabbed the "chubby nerd's happiness water" at the corner of the table, a drink he'd specifically asked the butler to buy from Earth, popped the tab, and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Glug, glug, glug~" The cold liquid slid down his throat, but did nothing to dispel the gloom in his heart.

"Why do you look so listless? Is something wrong at the mining site? Or did your investments blow up?" A clear female voice came from the stairs. Luo Xiaoyu had just finished training and was still wearing her form-fitting practice clothes, which outlined her slender yet powerful figure.

Her pretty face was flushed, and fine beads of sweat dotted her temples. A few damp strands of hair clung to her cheeks, lending her bright, charming beauty a touch of bashfulness. She was like a rose beaded with morning dew.

Tang Ping raised his eyelids but said nothing. He simply tapped his Optical Computer, syncing the diagnosis from his psychiatrist to her terminal.

Luo Xiaoyu took the Optical Computer and scrolled across the screen. The smile on her face gradually faded, and the atmosphere in the hall grew quiet.

After a long while, she walked over to Tang Ping and sat beside him, her warm body pressing against his, carrying a faint scent of sweat and a delicate feminine fragrance.

She stayed silent for a moment longer before speaking softly, her voice tinged with hesitation. "Actually... I think I've been feeling a lot like you lately."

"Hm?" Tang Ping turned sharply to look at her, his eyes full of surprise.

Luo Xiaoyu had always been one of the most outstanding members of the Luo Family's younger generation. Her cultivation had progressed smoothly, and she was cold by nature. How could she have the same problem?

Luo Xiaoyu seemed a little embarrassed by his gaze. Her cheeks reddened further, pink spreading all the way to her ears.

She bit her lower lip as if making up her mind, then lifted her head to meet Tang Ping's gaze. Her eyes curved into a smile, but her expression was serious. "And my older cousin told me there's a way to greatly relieve this condition—or even cure it completely."

"What way? Tell me!" Tang Ping perked up at once, leaning toward her, his eyes full of urgency.

He was determined to become an Immortal Expert. One day, he would gather the talented of every race in his God Kingdom and contribute to the propagation of humanity. How could he let a little "mental problem" hold him back?

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Luo Xiaoyu's eyes. Her gentle demeanor took on an assertive edge.

Before Tang Ping could react, she grabbed his wrist and gave it a light tug with the strength she'd built up in training. Turning with the motion, she wound up pinning him beneath her. Her soft body pressed against his chest, and her warm breath brushed his neck, making it tingle.

Caught off guard, Tang Ping found himself lying on the cold tabletop, staring at her lovely face so close to his. He was bewildered, yet couldn't help feeling nervous. He hurriedly asked, "What's the way? Come on, tell me!"

Luo Xiaoyu's cheeks were red enough to bleed, but her gaze only grew more determined. She kept moving, hooking a finger beneath a button on Tang Ping's collar and tugging lightly. With a sharp snap, the button fell to the floor.

"Husband, it's time for bed." Her voice trembled slightly, but her words were perfectly clear.

Only then did Tang Ping finally catch on. He followed Luo Xiaoyu's gaze toward the window. The midday sun was blazing, and its light streamed through the glass, illuminating the hall.

He swallowed, his voice suddenly weak. "Th-this is the middle of the day. Isn't this a little inappropriate?"

"Snap!" Luo Xiaoyu gave a crisp snap of her fingers.

The next second, the dark curtains hanging around the hall slowly descended, shutting out the sunlight completely. Only the wall lamps cast a faint, warm glow, gradually plunging the space into darkness.

But her eyes shone brighter in the dimness, like two twinkling stars fixed on Tang Ping.

Seeing the unapologetically assertive look in her eyes, Tang Ping suddenly remembered that Luo Xiaoyu had reached Planetary Rank Nine. Her basic attack power was as high as nine million kilograms. He had no chance of resisting her.

He shuddered and hastily pleaded, "Easy... take it easy. My little brother's afraid of pain."

At that, Luo Xiaoyu's lips curled slightly. She extended her delicate little finger and lightly lifted his chin, her tone teasing. "Don't worry, husband. I'll be gentle with you."

A day and a night passed in silence.

When the morning light once again shone through a gap in the curtains, the battle finally came to an end.

Luo Xiaoyu's slender body paused. The fatigue in her eyes suddenly gave way to brightness, as if she'd grasped some crucial insight.

The next moment, she scrambled to her feet, fished a packet of soft tissues from her storage ring, and threw it at Tang Ping's face. Her voice brimmed with urgency. "Husband, I've found the feeling I need to break through to Star Rank! Wipe yourself off. I'm going into seclusion!"

Before she'd even finished speaking, she vanished through the hall's entrance like a gust of wind, leaving only the lingering warmth in the room and Tang Ping, still trying to process what had happened.

Tang Ping rose slowly, his expression calmer than ever, completely undisturbed.

He picked up the soft tissues and wiped himself off at a leisurely pace, then got dressed and walked to the window, pulling the curtains open a crack.

Outside, white clouds drifted slowly on the breeze. As they gathered and dispersed, the world seemed filled with unhurried ease. He stood there, free of thought and desire, as if he had become one with the world around him.

Suddenly, Tang Ping froze. His eyes snapped shut.

An inexplicable insight surged through him like a tide. The Spiritual Telekinesis, Gene Force, and willpower inside him seemed to be linked by an invisible thread, spontaneously blending and converging.

A pale purple energy spilled from his body, forming a thin field around him. It carried the distinctive, violent aura of thunder. As it swept across the hall floor, even the hard alloy rippled faintly.

Tang Ping could clearly feel that he had formed some strange connection with the "thunder" around him. With a mere thought, he could even control the airflow in the training grounds, making it transform according to his will into tiny arcs of lightning that danced at his fingertips.

"Thunder Domain!" he murmured inwardly, trying to unleash the insight in full.

The pale purple energy field instantly expanded to a radius of ten meters. Within that range, every thread of energy obeyed his command. Any enemy without a corresponding domain to resist it would be utterly helpless before him.

Most Planetary Rank warriors, after a lifetime of cultivation, couldn't even touch the threshold of a domain. Mastering one meant that, at the Planetary Rank, they could almost be considered invincible.

The next moment, the pale blue Wind Domain unfolded as well.

With a thought from Tang Ping, the two domains instantly merged. The wind's agility intertwined with thunder's ferocity, forming the even more powerful Wind-Thunder Fusion Domain.

"Buzz!" A faint hum echoed through the air. Tang Ping slowly extended his hand. At that moment, he felt as if the entire world were under his control. Within the reach of the Wind-Thunder Fusion Domain, he was the absolute ruler.

"So powerful!" he marveled inwardly. His strength now had more than doubled.

Tang Ping slowly withdrew his domain and looked out the window again.

The white clouds still drifted. The breeze still stirred gently. Nothing in the world around him seemed any different from before.

Even with his strength greatly increased, there was not the slightest stir in his heart. He felt neither joy nor sorrow, as though nothing in the world could move him anymore.

Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind without warning:

If human desires were merely instinctive reactions to physiological hormones, then what meaning did the things we spent our whole lives pursuing—power, wealth, and love—have? Where should our future lead?

Standing before the window and gazing at the boundless sky, he couldn't help wondering: What were the mysteries of the universe? And how should the meaning of being alive be defined?