Douluo: Paving Great Secrets of the Human Body, Becoming the Heavenly Demon Chapter 19

Bai Xu glanced at her without answering, eating his meal in silence.

Seeing this, Gu Yue did not ask further, quietly competing with Bai Xu at the dining table.

Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye. Beside the Lake of Life, Bai Xu awoke from meditation; the Wood Element was already perfected, and the Water Element was at its initial stage.

Looking at the table of dishes Gu Yue had prepared, Bai Xu smiled gently and took a seat at the table. The two of them chatted and laughed like old friends.

A year of companionship was enough to change certain thoughts in one's heart. A life peaceful to the extreme could also be very happy; with no outsiders to disturb them, retreating into the mountains and forests seemed quite nice—and of course, the most important thing was being with the right person.

"You woke up a few days later this time. I observe that the vitality within your body is complete. Has the Wood Element reached its end?" Gu Yue asked.

"Mm, I should be leaving soon."

"Where to?"

"Back to Eastsea. Do you remember that small fishing village?"

"I remember."

"I'm going there into seclusion for a year to cultivate the Water Element to perfection," Bai Xu said. "After all, the Water Element is more abundant in the ocean."

"That's true. It seems I can't keep you here."

Hearing Gu Yue's slightly sorrowful words, Bai Xu felt a trace of emotion. "You've accompanied me here in seclusion for the past year, and you've shown me a lot of care in daily life. Although under the guise of surveillance, Gu Yue, this has already crossed the boundary of friendship. You soul beasts act completely differently toward people you care about and people you don't.

Many things have happened over this past year. You often asked me for advice regarding human emotions, and you practiced according to my methods. Although I don't know your final realization, the look in your eyes when you look at me has grown increasingly bright, as if you want to find something from me.

Gu Yue, do you have a favorable impression of me?"

!!!

Plain and direct words are the most capable of breaching a person's inner defenses. Gu Yue's heartbeat accelerated greatly, but she still feigned calm and said, "I have some, but not to the extent of liking you. Don't get the wrong idea; I just think you're very different from others."

A year of companionship was enough to make Gu Yue's intentions clear. Although she was a bit prideful, she indeed held some favorable feelings for Bai Xu.

"If you have a favorable impression, then you do, it's no big deal. But I have some words of caution for you."

Gu Yue was stunned once more, not expecting Bai Xu to be so forthright, but his slightly solemn expression let her know it must be something important.

"Perhaps it's the mystery about me at work, or perhaps it's your benevolent reminder and exchange with soul beasts that has caused you to develop a favorable impression of me. But regarding you soul beasts—Gu Yue, you must be cautious."

Gu Yue paused, seemingly not expecting Bai Xu to admonish her, to advise her to be cautious.

She screened out the sounds of the whole world, listening only as Bai Xu spoke: "Soul beasts are too naive in certain respects, and even you, the Master of Soul Beasts, are no exception. In your entire lives, you will only love one person.

If this favorable impression lacks interference from external factors, it will gradually evolve into the affection of youth, and then become the romance of early adulthood.

When you first enter human society, you seem to understand many relationships, but in reality you understand nothing. When your minds are still simple, you bestow your hearts upon someone prematurely—without considering stances, without considering advantages and disadvantages, without considering gains and losses, appearing to live solely for that person.

Just like that inexplicable possessiveness you previously felt toward Tang Wulin. Because of your bloodline relationship, you initially had a favorable impression of him, and thus looked down upon everyone else.

It was as if everyone else was humble to the point of being in the dust, and in this world, only he and you were special. You often grew anxious and lost your reason because of him.

This is wrong, and your state of mind is still immature. In your position as the Master of Soul Beasts, you must consider much more.

Let me ask you, if we fall in love, and after reaching Titled Douluo we lose the restraint of the Spirit of the Plane, and an inevitable conflict arises between myself and the great cause of soul beast revival, what choice will you make?"

Gu Yue opened her mouth. "I—"

She seemed unable to speak.

After a long silence, Bai Xu spoke: "You would let me kill you, using that to extinguish the ambition of soul beasts to subvert humanity, wouldn't you?"

Gu Yue lowered her head, putting herself in that position to think, and finally nodded helplessly. Bai Xu seemed to understand her better than she understood herself.

"Then do you know what kind of situation soul beasts will face next? If ten-thousand-year soul spirits, hundred-thousand-year soul spirits, and even fierce beast soul spirits are successfully researched, soul beasts will very likely be exterminated by humans, kept in captivity by humans for research, and you will be the chief culprit behind all of this."

"The soul beasts recognize you as their master, and fierce beasts like Di Tian have guarded you for tens of thousands of years. By just walking away like this, aren't you being a bit too irresponsible?"

"Just as I said before, you are not living for yourself; you are living for others. Are you truly staying in the position of Master of Soul Beasts of your own free will? Or are you being coerced by your subjects and forced to shoulder it?"

Bai Xu looked at Gu Yue's slightly flushed cheeks and the somewhat perplexed Silver Dragon. Her cold and detached temperament was gone as she pondered.

"Listen, Gu Yue, love is the sinking of free will.

When we fall in love, we often feel that our will is bound or deeply infatuated. Love makes us lose control over ourselves, making us willing to make sacrifices for the other person, and even abandon our original rationality and choices.

Although it brings happiness and joy, we should also retain our independence and free will. Love should be built on the foundation of equality and mutual respect, rather than causing us to sink completely and lose ourselves."

"When you understand these words, liking someone will become relaxed, and you will also understand the weight of responsibility versus emotion. It won't be too late to choose your other half then."

Bai Xu left. He put away that large chunk of Life Gold and walked toward the edge of the core zone. Di Tian was waiting there, and he would send Bai Xu away from Star Dou Fortress.

Bai Xu looked back. Among the various installments of the Douluo series, only Gu Yue Na was portrayed more like an independent personality; the heroines of the other installments undoubtedly all lost themselves, degenerating into appendages—or even worse, splitting their own daughters into two to serve as chains binding the Child of the Plane.

Yet in the end, they all became a joke, and the Silver Dragon King ultimately was not a true dragon.

The greatest Dragon God turned out to be someone with dissociative identity disorder, who went berserk and destroyed the Divine Dragon Realm. Soul beasts being unable to become gods was just a beautiful misunderstanding, and the Silver Dragon King's revenge against the God Realm was nothing more than a joke.

If not for that saber strike from Shura God, the Silver Dragon King could never have even been born.

Everything arose amidst misunderstandings.

Something has come up today, so there is only one chapter. Please forgive me.

Gu Yue sat alone in the core area in deep contemplation for half a month. Every word Bai Xu said was the truth; once soul beasts transformed into human form and entered the world, if they fell in love with someone, their hearts would not change for the rest of their lives.

She murmured softly: "Gradually transforming from the favorable impression of childhood into the affection of youth, and then becoming the true love of a lifetime—"

"Love. Do I understand love?"

"Abandoning the stance of soul beasts to fall in love with a human—would I abandon the soul beasts?"

"Living solely for... others for the rest of my life?"

"What is it that I actually want to do?"

"I want to bring about the revival of soul beasts, to prevent soul beasts from perishing under the iron hooves of humanity; if we do not succeed, we perish. But what about after the soul beasts are revived? Where should I go from there?"

Only then did Gu Yue remember that she had never considered a future for herself. Her long and lonely dragon life had only been accompanied by the darkness deep within the Lake of Life. Ever since her birth, she had constantly tried to chase after the Dragon God, never thinking of simply living on as a Silver Dragon.

"But is the Dragon God even right? If it were right, how could the God Star have perished back then? How could the Dragon race have fallen to this current state?"

All of this needed to be explored one by one, and realized step by step.

Bai Xu was right. If in the future she simply lived as an appendage without self, day in and day out saying Brother Bai, Brother Bai, making herself as dispensable as someone else's sword scabbard, what meaning would there be in that?

She had to catch up to Bai Xu's pace, follow behind him, and look out toward the future expanse of heaven and earth.

"I am a Silver Dragon! I am Gu Yue Na!"

Perhaps at this very moment, Gu Yue had already made up her mind in her heart. Bai Xu was like a gleam of light in her life, making her want to grasp it, to explore it, so as to illuminate her own life.

Thinking of this, Gu Yue's gaze revealed firmness, her conviction unshakeable: "But if one day you and I stand in opposition, and you endanger the survival of the soul beasts, I will kill you with my own hands to complete the great cause of soul beast revival, and then commit suicide to accompany you in death.

This is my choice as a Silver Dragon, and this is my answer."

Eastsea City, Small Fishing Village

Bai Xu did not go look for Leng Jiuming, nor did he return to the EastSea Spirit Transmission Tower. He assumed a disguise, returned to the outer sea fishing village, and cultivated here with peace of mind. Life was extremely carefree!

From time to time, he went out to sea to catch fish to subsidize some living expenses, which was enough for his short-term spending.

Whenever he wanted to fight, he would head out to the outer sea to find some thousand-year sea soul beasts to serve as opponents; the days were exceptionally unrestrained.

Time was short, however, and a year and a half passed in the blink of an eye.

The Water Element was now perfected, and his soul power cultivation had also reached rank 40. Originally, the Puppet Empress Soul Spirit could have condensed a soul ring for him, but considering his current Spirit Sea Realm middle-stage mental power and the optimal soul ring configuration, he was still rather troubled about how to acquire a fourth soul ring.

However, the awakening of the Spirit of the Plane came as somewhat of a surprise to Bai Xu, and it was actually able to actively generate a soul ring.

A wisp of Mysterious Yellow Qi flew out from Bai Xu's eyes, turning his eyes into heterochromatic ones—one yellow and one black. The flying cluster of Mysterious Yellow Qi was the Spirit of the Plane, which retained the final trace of sentience.

"Lord, congratulations on reaching rank forty!" The joyful voice of the Spirit of the Plane traveled over.

Looking at the mysterious yellow soul ring behind him, Bai Xu dazed and said, "You gave me this ten-thousand-year soul ring?"

"Yes. I know that the path you walk is different, so I prepared a special gift for you. Once you cultivate to Titled Douluo, you will be able to catch a glimpse of the innate destiny grand dao through the destiny of the tiny Douluo Continent. All great daos lead to the same destination by different routes; by then, perhaps you will gain some enlightenment," the Spirit of the Plane explained.

"My fourth soul skill is... Good Luck." The corner of Bai Xu's mouth twitched. It could enhance his own fortune in a short time, helping his luck along.

"A divine skill!" Bai Xu was startled.

"Lord, don't be happy just yet. This fortune cannot be raised too high, otherwise you'll be noticed by Tang Hao. But don't worry, I will control your fourth soul skill for you!"

No ban means open?

"You can be called Da Huang from now on, staying by my side." Bai Xu suddenly felt this fellow was quite cute.

Beep, beep, beep!

The soul guidance communication device vibrated incessantly. As soon as Bai Xu picked it up, he heard the somewhat wistful greeting of the other party: "Where have you run off to these past two and a half years? How is your soul power cultivation?"

"Teacher, I'm already a Soul Ancestor!"

"Good! Not bad!" Leng Jiuming was unsurprised, then continued, "Shrek Academy's enrollment period is about to begin. Your vacation should be over, so come back. I'll take you to register."

"Teacher, I'll be back tomorrow." Having said that, Bai Xu prepared to hang up the call.

"Hey, wait. The money you owe me is well over sixty million. When you pay me back in the future, add the interest. Let's calculate the time—just pay me one hundred million then, and I won't calculate interest for you anymore, let's just make it a round number.

And... once you arrive at Shrek, I won't be subsidizing you anymore. I remember there are work-study students at the academy, so you can go be a work-study student when the time comes. I have to use the remaining money to cultivate my second disciple. Ah~ your teacher is almost being borrowed into poverty by you!"