Douluo: Unlocking the Great Secrets of the Human Body, Becoming a Heavenly Demon

The driver confided, "Life has improved now. Although most of the money is in the hands of Lord Soul Masters, at least ordinary people at the bottom of society receive a few more subsidies. Life is better than it used to be."

"Uncle, how much can you make driving a taxi in a month?"

"Well, over ten thousand on a good month, a few thousand Federal Coins on a bad one. Although there's more money now, this is Shrek City, and expenses are high too. I still can't save much."

Na'er's lips twitched beneath her mask. To them, ten thousand was not even pocket change—just a little spending money.

Still, her family had been quite poor when she was little. She remembered that her brother had struggled to save enough money from blacksmithing to buy his first soul spirit.

"It can't be helped. This world belongs to you Lord Soul Masters, after all. Little people like us can't get involved. We only hope to live out our lives in peace."

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. Na'er could not help frowning as she looked out the window.

The driver saw things clearly. The world was controlled by Soul Masters. Ordinary people without Soul Power had no voice, and no one had ever thought to improve their treatment, because everyone was busy trying to become a Soul Master.

Bai Xu did not respond either, merely looking out the window. There was nothing he could do about their circumstances. A world where great power belonged to the individual could no longer be measured by common sense.

He only felt that it was somewhat familiar. Every time he rode in a vehicle, he was reminded of his previous life. Those memories had not faded; instead, they had grown increasingly vivid with his cultivation.

Sometimes, he even had the illusion: Could this all be a dream?

In the end, it would all come to nothing.

After several minutes of silence, the driver changed the subject again. The two chatted, and forty minutes passed quickly. The car had arrived at the entrance of the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

"We're getting off. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Lord Soul Masters! I'm very happy that you spoke with me. Today has been the happiest day since I started driving."

Na'er watched the car disappear into the distance and sighed. "The fate of little people will never be in their own hands."

But Bai Xu smiled. "Little people have their own persistence and joys. Our lives are no nobler than theirs. We are all merely passersby in this mortal world."

Bai Xu did not offer the man any help. They had merely chatted, and Bai Xu had mostly listened.

Watching Bai Xu's back, Na'er murmured, "Passersby in the mortal world... Heh, that's right. Why should someone like me, with no future, look down on another person from above?"

Thanks to "Shang Ling" for the generous reward. Thank you all for your support!

As soon as they entered the Spirit Pagoda, a Spirit Transmitter took the initiative to approach them. "Hello, you two. Are you Spirit Transmitter Bai Xu?"

"Yes, I'm Bai Xu."

"Hello. Spirit Transmitter Gu Yue asked me to deliver these items to you. The Storage Soul Tool contains temporary identification for you and this young lady, as well as a small amount of money." The Spirit Transmitter was very respectful as he presented it to Bai Xu with both hands.

The status of a direct disciple of the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo was far too prestigious within the Spirit Pagoda. Only the Qian Gu Family identity of the current Tower Master could firmly suppress her.

"Thank you."

"Hmm?" After accepting the Storage Soul Tool, Bai Xu noticed someone's gaze upon him. The other party had just stepped out of the elevator in the main hall, dressed in a luxurious uniform that displayed his extravagance. There was an unfamiliar emblem on his cuffs and shoulders, like a seal used to display status.

Several secretaries in uniform followed behind him, staying one step back and respectfully trailing him.

Bai Xu met his eyes for a moment, then left calmly.

Na'er, wearing a mask and cap, followed behind Bai Xu. The two left the headquarters one after the other.

The man asked with some curiosity, "He can enter and leave freely without wearing a Spirit Pagoda Uniform. That young man is...?"

As soon as he spoke, a secretary stepped forward and replied, "Sir, he is fresh blood recruited by the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo from Eastsea City into the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. His name is Bai Xu. Before Shrek Academy began, he was brought to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters and went to the floor where the Deputy Tower Master is located."

"Hmph! Is he also a direct disciple of that Heavenly Phoenix Douluo?" The man snorted, his attitude full of disdain.

"No. He merely knows Her Excellency Heavenly Phoenix's disciple. His teacher is Leng Jiuming, the Spirit Messenger of the East Sea Spirit Transmission Tower."

"Oh? In other words, Leng Yaozhu has not completely won him over yet. Keep an eye on him. Shrek's promising talents cannot keep joining the Qian Gu Family's faction, or else this Spirit Pagoda really will belong solely to the Qian Gu Family in the future!"

"Yes. I will investigate his background and send the detailed information to your desk."

"Mm."

The conversation ended there, and the man hurried away.

Power struggles were everywhere across the world. Major factions such as the Tang Sect and Spirit Pagoda were rivals, but competition within those factions was equally intense.

The Qian Gu Family was far too powerful now. The current Tower Master, Qian Gu Dongfeng, had a grandson—Qiangu Zhangting—who was still exceptionally talented. If all went smoothly, he would likely become a Limit Douluo and inherit the position of the next Tower Master.

This was simply a devastating blow to the other families behind the Spirit Pagoda. They had already endured two Tower Masters from the Qian Gu Family. Nearly a century of rule had caused their authority and prestige within the Spirit Pagoda to weaken sharply. If Qiangu Zhangting became Tower Master as well, they almost suspected that they would be swept out like trash.

Therefore, they had to make changes. The little authority left in their hands was merely bait Qian Gu Dongfeng had left behind to keep them from being driven to desperate measures. Everyone understood the principle of boiling a frog in warm water.

They needed the support of an overwhelmingly powerful fighter. If such a person existed, they hoped to overthrow the Qian Gu Family's rule and return to their original positions, even if that meant supporting this person as the new Tower Master.

Thus, they were frantically recruiting talent to expand their strength.

However, the Qian Gu Family and its sphere of influence had too many Titled Douluos. Not to mention Deputy Tower Master Leng Yaozhu, who was firmly part of the Qian Gu Family's faction.

After leaving the Spirit Pagoda, Bai Xu and Na'er took a taxi to the Soul Guidance Train station. With temporary identification and money, they had enough to get through these fifteen days of final exams.

Inside the car.

Bai Xu asked, "Na'er, what do you think of Tang Wulin?"

Na'er paused, but did not question him. She replied, "Brother is very gentle and kind. Before my memories awakened, Brother's family took me in. Although their family was rather poor, his parents still fulfilled every request Brother and I made. That period was very beautiful."

"That couple truly treated you well, and Tang Wulin is indeed kind and gentle. There is no doubt about that. I'm asking what you thought after your memories awakened and you learned that he possessed the Golden Dragon King Bloodline."

Na'er was silent for a while before finally replying, "At first, I was devastated. Why did it have to be my brother who possessed the Golden Dragon King Bloodline? Why did Brother have to be the obstacle in the path Gu Yue and I had to walk?

"At that time, he was almost my entire life. I racked my brains but could not find any solution. With human emotions, I could only make a wager with Gu Yue and bet everything on Gu Yue's unknown feelings. But then... you appeared."

The car fell briefly silent. The two communicated through voice transmission, so the driver heard nothing and quietly drove the Soul Guidance Car toward the train station.

After a while, Bai Xu replied, "Actually, you do not care whether soul beasts live or die, or whether their race continues. You only care about the people you care about, right?"

!!!

Na'er froze, and a rare look of panic appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Bai Xu smiled. "It's nothing. Just admit it openly. We all live behind masks."

"What do you mean?"

Bai Xu said calmly, "For you, who had only just been born back then, although you had gained some human emotions from the Silver Dragon King personality, your essence was still the same. You were still lofty and above all others.

"To be honest, your dragon race judges by bloodline. Di Tian is nothing more than an ant incapable of becoming a god. Even if he became a god, he would only be a slightly larger ant. At your peak, you could easily slap an entire group of them to death.

"The strong naturally disdain ants.

"To put it bluntly, all soul beasts are ants to you. You do not possess Gu Yue's sense of responsibility.

"For you, after living carefree for three years, your memories suddenly awakened. The Silver Dragon King personality seemed to become a later arrival, and a burden that you had no choice but to bear suddenly barged into your original life, demanding that you take responsibility and strive forward.

"But this responsibility required you to get rid of the person closest to you. Naturally, you could not bear it. You stood in the Silver Dragon King's position, yet thought through human emotions. You could not let go of your lofty status, yet could not lower yourself either.

"Caught between Gu Yue and Tang Wulin, unable to advance or retreat, you ultimately chose Tang Wulin. You chose to make a bet with Gu Yue, gambling on the unknown realm of the Silver Dragon King's primary personality in order to protect Brother."

Na'er's body trembled slightly. Bai Xu's words had exposed her heart. She truly had never thought about the soul beasts.

Compared to soul beasts, she was more like a human.

Bai Xu did not stop. "In the end, you have only been human for a few years. Your life has been limited to Tang Wulin's family and Yun Ming and his wife. You have not walked among people or witnessed the misery of soul beasts. All you have experienced is humanity's beauty.

"Do you remember what happened to you before Tang Wulin met you?"

Na'er nodded. "A few human traffickers seemed to want to capture me."

"Then did you ever find out what happened to those they captured?"

Na'er shook her head. Her memories had only awakened three years later. After that, she had been taken away by soul beasts and entered Shrek, becoming the direct disciple of the Pavilion Master. Every day, she was either cultivating or striving forward. How could she have had time to investigate the human traffickers from the beginning of her life?

"You would have been imprisoned, sold, and trampled into the abyss by humanity's malice, never able to climb out again. But it is not too late to learn now. What do you think? Are you willing to experience humanity's evil side?"

Na'er hesitated, seemingly uneasy.

Bai Xu continued, "You only need to take off your cap and mask. I'm here. Nothing unexpected will happen."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"We've arrived at the station. The total is—" The driver had just turned around to collect the fare when he saw Na'er's silver hair and purple eyes in the back seat. He instantly froze.

Bai Xu handed the driver the money and took Na'er out of the car.

Na'er looked back. The driver was still sitting there without starting the car, desire visible in his eyes. After remaining stunned for a long time, his expression turned helpless, and he drove away.

"What do you think he would do if he had enough strength? In this world where strength reigns supreme, without strength, one's fate will not be good. He is merely an appetizer. Once you board the train, that will be the true face of humanity."

Bai Xu suddenly stopped walking, as if he had remembered something. Turning around, he said, "Actually, being weak can be quite interesting too, because you can see life's true face—not only your own, but that of others.

"You can see through the truth beneath other people's masks!"

"..."

From buying tickets to boarding the train, they did not know how many people had turned back to look at Na'er. Some even deliberately stood behind her, wanting to ride in the same carriage as her.

Because Na'er currently had no identity. She wore neither Shrek Academy's uniform nor proof that she was a Spirit Transmitter.

Everyone thought she was a rare ordinary person, perhaps with some Soul Power at most, a fairly average Soul Master. Looking at those who had deliberately followed her, they were dressed splendidly and carried themselves with elegance, their eyes filled with admiration as they sought to approach her.