Yan's Transformation Process (Part 2)

This time, he thought for much longer than before.

In truth, during this questioning, You Chen had cleverly employed a few hypnotic techniques using his formidable spiritual realm.

Of course, he harbored no malicious intentions. He merely wanted Yan to better question his own heart and give an honest answer.

Otherwise, how could Yan truly immerse himself in the scenario You Chen had presented and think deeply under his verbal guidance?

If it had been the usual Yan, he probably would not have thought at all before blurting out, "I choose Nana."

That answer would have had nothing to do with You Chen's question or the scenario he had set up. It would merely have displayed his simp nature.

If not for the changes of the past two months, which had lowered Yan's simp level somewhat, even You Chen would have needed to hypnotize him deeply before Yan could truly think before answering.

But then, the traces left behind would have been far too obvious.

You Chen did not mind lending his student a little help, but never at the cost of causing trouble for himself.

After remaining silent for a full minute, Yan finally gave his answer firmly. "I choose Nana."

Although it was the same answer he would have given in full simp mode, its meaning was completely different.

You Chen watched Yan's changing expression, a faint smile appearing on his face as he continued, "Then let's reverse it. Hu Liena is still your childhood sweetheart, but her talent is exchanged with that girl's. What would your answer be?"

Yan's eyes widened, and a trace of struggle flashed through them.

Nana's talent, becoming the same as that female classmate's...

Under You Chen's guidance, an image quickly surfaced in Yan's mind.

With her talent tier lowered, Hu Liena would, apart from being prettier, merely be one among the many ordinary female classmates who admired him.

No, with Nana's personality, she would still prefer good-looking people. Just like the female classmates I've met over the past two months, quite a few have still been relatively cold toward me. So...

They would gradually drift apart.

He would become one of the next generation's key talents whom Spirit Hall devoted all its resources to cultivating, a core member of the Spirit Hall team. After winning the championship at the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, he would gradually enter Spirit Hall's upper echelons.

As for Hu Liena, she was not particularly enthusiastic about cultivation by nature. With her aptitude tier lowered, cultivation would no longer bring her attention or vanity, and she would gradually lose her motivation to cultivate. After reaching adulthood, she would rely on the strength of a Soul Ancestor to become a Yellow-robed Deacon, with her future limit being no more than the level of a Black-robed Bishop...

But compared to becoming a Black-robed Bishop herself, Hu Liena would prefer becoming the wife of a handsome Black-robed Bishop, living a leisurely and carefree life under her husband's protection.

Once he became a Platinum Bishop, he could use his authority to forcibly take Hu Liena away from that Black-robed Bishop, but... he was not so vile as to disregard Hu Liena's wishes and do such a thing.

He... still liked Hu Liena.

It was just that their childhood feelings had gradually faded with time. Because of the gap between their stations, they had long since drifted apart.

"Mm."

The scene shattered, and Yan came back to his senses.

Yan raised his head, and for an instant, his face bore a steadiness and solemnity that did not match his age. "I think... I would still choose Nana."

But You Chen paid no attention to Yan's resolve. He merely nodded, then shook his head. "You're only eight years old. How could you possess such profound love? You do like Hu Liena now, but to be precise, what you like is a woman who has spent every day with you, someone you gradually developed feelings for over time, who is beautiful and matches your aesthetic preferences. As for everything else—her personality and abilities—they are not completely unimportant, but for you, or rather, for the current you, they are indeed not necessary conditions."

Yan said firmly, "But... that person just happens to be Nana, doesn't she?"

At that moment, Yan's face actually carried a confidence and wisdom entirely at odds with his usual style.

You Chen silently rubbed his forehead, lowered his gaze, and sighed. "In other words, as long as she's pretty, even if she's only an ordinary person, there's a high chance you could develop feelings for her through spending time together. But Yan, have you noticed? No, you should already have noticed. Hu Liena is almost certainly incapable of liking you, but if it were an ordinary girl, or even some female Soul Masters, it would hardly be difficult for you to make her fall for you. And finding one whose looks are comparable to Hu Liena's is not actually difficult. Soul Masters—outstanding Soul Masters—are rare, but the humans in this world... are as countless as ants."

Almost involuntarily, Yan imagined a girl as beautiful as Hu Liena, one without much cultivation talent, but who swiftly fell beneath the charm of his charisma. His breathing immediately grew heavy.

You Chen was right. Did Yan care about Hu Liena's personality? Did he care about Hu Liena's abilities?

Hu Liena was simply beautiful, and her talent happened to be about equal to his. They had spent a long time together, and that was all there was to why he had fallen for her.

"If you simply shift your gaze a little, with the talent that ensures you will become strong, would it be difficult to find an outstanding woman whom you like and who likes you too? At the very least, it would be far easier than cultivating to become a Titled Douluo. In truth, it would make almost no difference to you from choosing Hu Liena. Yet if you limit yourself to Hu Liena, the chance of winning her over is practically zero, while with another girl, it would basically only be a matter of time. And that girl would not have Hu Liena's temper. She would obey you in everything. If you came home troubled, she would fuss over you and care for you, becoming a harbor for your soul."

"Gah! No! Stop talking! Stop talking, Teacher! I don't want to hear it!"

Yan covered his ears and fell to his knees.

He could not withstand such temptation!

He could not deceive himself!

If there were a Nana with a better personality who liked him, he would absolutely want her! He absolutely would!

But if that were the case, would his romance not be an incredibly, incredibly shallow thing!? Wouldn't it make all his persistence seem incredibly, incredibly ridiculous!?

Something he could have obtained simply by taking a detour, yet he had wasted so much time, endured countless cold stares, and even cast aside his dignity as a man!?

Tears streamed down his face!

What the hell had he been doing all this time!?

You Chen looked at him gently and used Sound Transmission to forcibly pry open Yan's ears.

"Yan, you are only eight years old. You have a great chance of becoming a Titled Douluo in the future. If one were to calculate it, the time Hu Liena has spent with you would not even make up 3% of your life. If you enjoy the pain of self-torment that comes from pursuing a girl who is destined not to like you, then pretend I said nothing.

"But if that is not the case, then I believe you have countless choices in the future, countless people who could replace Hu Liena as the one who accompanies you. In fact, at such a young age, your views on choosing a partner can completely change.

"Then your current entanglement, the time you have wasted, is entirely meaningless. What you should truly be doing now is studying hard and cultivating diligently, then searching for the woman of your dreams again from a position of greater ease, isn't it?"

As You Chen spoke, his body seemed to be bathed in a layer of golden Buddhist light. Oh, that was the afterglow of the setting sun.

"Teacher, I understand!"

Yan raised his head, brilliance bursting from his eyes. "Fuck it, women only slow down my cultivation! From now on, I'll cut off all unnecessary distracting thoughts. Once I master my divine arts and become invincible, then I'll go fuck the whole world senseless!"

"...Uh, Yan, you're being a little extreme."