The Soul King's Purpose
(I have some family matters to attend to recently, so I may have to take a break from updating for a while)
The Soul King's voice rang in Liu Hao's ears once more, this time carrying a deeper, more essential inquiry. "I want to know, what is your view of this world?"
Liu Hao stood there, looking up at the Soul King within the crystal, his face expressionless. After a moment of silence, Liu Hao spoke, "This world is an incomplete existence."
The moment those words were uttered, the entire hall seemed to tremble. The Soul King within the crystal, its four eyes simultaneously shifting and focusing on Liu Hao, its gaze carrying an indescribable complexity—surprise? confusion? contemplation? or something else entirely?
The Soul King's voice rang out again, this time carrying a clear sense of bewilderment, a genuine confusion. "You say this world is incomplete? Why do you feel this way?"
Liu Hao remained silent for a moment, his gaze shifting from the Soul King to the distance, to the countless points of light floating in the void. His eyes became somewhat unfocused, as if he were recalling something, and his lips parted slightly. "In my original world, there was a place called the Underworld. Its function was similar to the Soul Society now, dealing with the reincarnation of the dead."
Liu Hao's voice echoed in the hall, each word like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. He was not telling a fictional story, nor a hearsay legend, but rather a cultural understanding of the world he came from, an imagination of the afterlife, and an understanding of the cycle of life.
The Soul King did not interrupt Liu Hao, nor did he interject or ask any questions; he simply listened quietly. His four eyes were fixed on Liu Hao with a focused, earnest, and devout gaze, as if listening to some important revelation.
The light within the crystal flickered slightly, as if it were pulsating in sync with Liu Hao's words, as if the entire world was listening to this young man from another world recount his ideal vision of the world.
When Liu Hao mentioned Soul Society, he paused, his gaze shifting from the distance back to the Soul King: "However, in this world, although Soul Society's function is similar to that of the Underworld —both dealing with the final resting place of the dead—its operating methods are something I cannot accept."
What is the final destination of those who cannot be reincarnated due to excessively high Reishi concentration, and those souls who, after dying in this World of the Living, are too powerful to be guided by ordinary Soul Reapers? Hell.
That place, clearly meant for exiling the most heinous criminals, that should have been a place to punish evil and uphold justice, was instead used to exile many people who shouldn't have been there, simply because of an excessively high concentration of Reishi —a reason unrelated to good or evil.
Liu Hao's voice carried an undisguised indignation, a protest against injustice, and a questioning of the system.
"Captain-level figures in Soul Society, heroes who fought to protect Soul Society and maintain the balance of the Three Worlds, warriors who risked their lives to protect countless lives—after their deaths, they were exiled to Hell because of their high concentration of Reishi, their overwhelming power, and their inability to integrate into the normal reincarnation system."
This is unacceptable, unacceptable, and incomprehensible to me. What are their sins? What is their evil? What did they do that deserves to be exiled to Hell?
No. Nothing at all. It's simply because they are too strong, simply because their Reishi concentration is too high, simply because the rules of this world are imperfect.
Liu Hao's voice echoed in the hall, revealing the inherent flaws of this world while also expressing a longing for a better future. His words were like a sharp scalpel, precisely dissecting the world's deepest wounds and exposing the problems hidden beneath the surface to the light.
The Soul King remained silent for a long time. That silence was not ordinary quiet, but a silence filled with thought and reflection, a silence filled with shock and insight, a silence filled with questioning of his own existence and a re-examination of the essence of the world.
The light within the crystal flickered faintly, its brightness shifting like a reflection of the turmoil within the Soul King's heart. The Soul King's four eyes moved slowly, their gazes carrying a complex light.
After a long silence, the Soul King's voice rang out again. "It seems this is the world you yearn for. A fair, orderly world where every soul can find its rightful place. A world where strength is not punished. A world where heroes are not wronged for their protection."
However, Liu Hao shook his head. His voice rang out, calm and clear, carrying a correction to the Soul King's understanding and a clarification of his own position. "It's not that I yearn for that kind of world. In fact, no one can verify whether that kind of world exists."
The Underworld, reincarnation—these are merely legends, existing only in people's imaginations, and in their beautiful hopes for the afterlife. No one has ever truly been there, no one has ever truly seen what it looks like, and no one truly understands its rules. It is just a legend, a story, an illusion used to comfort the living's fear of death.
The Soul King's voice rang out again. "Then do you wish to transform this world into what you describe? A fair, orderly world where every soul can find its rightful place? A world where no one is punished for being too powerful? A world where heroes can rest in peace and criminals are punished?"
Liu Hao was stunned. His eyes widened slightly, his mouth opened slightly, and his expression changed from calm to surprise, and then to a helpless feeling of being both amused and exasperated.
He looked at the Soul King in the crystal, his gaze carrying a sense of "Are you kidding me?" and a confusion of "Did I hear that right?" He never expected the Soul King to ask such a question.
He thought the Soul King simply wanted to know his opinion, that it was just a philosophical discussion about the nature of the world, and a reflection on the Soul Society's system. But the Soul King's question directly pushed the discussion in a completely new direction that he had not anticipated at all.
"No interest." Liu Hao's voice carried an unwavering refusal. "I just want to live my own life. I don't want power, I don't want status, and I don't want to change the world. The world is what it is. The only things I can change are myself, the people around me, and the small corners I can reach."
Upon hearing Liu Hao's answer, the Soul King fell silent. His four eyes were fixed on Liu Hao, his gaze filled with scrutiny, contemplation, and an exploration of Liu Hao's Inner World.
Then, the Soul King's voice rang out again. "Then are you willing to become the Soul King?"
Liu Hao was taken aback, then a look of bewilderment appeared on his face. He shook his head, a gesture that conveyed a firm refusal, a bewilderment at the absurd proposal, and a confusion about the Soul King's ideas.
His voice rang out, carrying a tone that said, "Are you kidding me?" and an attitude that said, "I absolutely refuse": "Make me the Soul King? Don't be ridiculous. I don't want to."
The Soul King's voice rang out again, carrying a tone of patience, explanation, and bewilderment at Liu Hao's refusal. "If you become the Soul King, you can completely reshape this world according to your own ideas. Aren't you dissatisfied with Hell's exile system?"
"Aren't you upset that Captain-level figures were exiled because of excessive Reishi concentration? If you become the Soul King, you have the power to change these things, the strength to reshape these rules, and the ability to build a fairer, more orderly, and more rational world. I believe that with your benevolent approach to this world, you should be able to make changes that are more beneficial to it."
Upon hearing the Soul King's words, Liu Hao's face showed a helpless expression. He shook his head, a bitter smile appearing on his lips, a smile that contained a self-deprecating "you overestimate me" and a teasing "I really am a good person."
His voice rang out, carrying a hint of helplessness and a touch of disapproval of the Soul King's choice of words. "You just want to say I'm a saint, don't you? But I still refuse."
He paused, his expression becoming more serious and earnest. "Not to mention those so-called nobles of Soul Society who will try every means to control me as the Soul King. Their greed, their ambition, their thirst for power will never be satisfied."
If I truly become the Soul King, they will use every means to approach me, control me, exploit me, and try to turn me into their puppet. Even if I can resist their encroachment, even if I can maintain my independence, the endless struggles, scheming, and games will be enough to exhaust me.
He took a deep breath and continued, "Even the people of the Zero Division might not be able to tolerate a king who just appeared out of nowhere like me. They have been guarding the Soul King Palace for countless years, and their relationship with the Soul King has been forged over a long period of time."
"What will they think if a completely new, unfamiliar Soul King with his own ideas and beliefs suddenly appears? How will they react? Will they think I'm an outsider? Will they think I'm unworthy? Will they secretly hinder my reforms? Although I haven't experienced these things firsthand, I can imagine them."
Liu Hao's words carried a maturity beyond his years, a profound understanding of the power game, and a clear awareness of human nature. It wasn't that he didn't understand politics, power, or human nature; he simply chose not to touch those things, not to wade into that quagmire, and not to let himself get caught up in that complex situation.
The Soul King's voice rang out again, carrying both an acknowledgment of Liu Hao's Liu Hao and a response of concern. "Your current strength is already no weaker than that of the Zero Division. If you become the Soul King, your power will surpass them. Even if they have other ideas, you can easily deal with them. No one can control you, no one can threaten you, and no one can force you to do anything you don't want to do."
"I still don't want to." Liu Hao's voice held a childlike stubbornness, an aversion to trouble, and a longing for freedom. "I don't like doing that kind of thing. It's too much trouble."