A Gift for You

Do you know what this thing is?

Xue Qinghe was equally puzzled upon hearing this. Wasn't it just a somewhat stronger ancient Soul Tool?

What did Wriothesley mean?

She also knew this item's origins. The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud had been picked up by a barbarian tribe in the South Sea, then eventually made its way into the hands of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. However, even the royal family did not know its exact origins, so they merely regarded it as a rather valuable Soul Tool and stored it in the imperial treasury.

But now that Wriothesley had said this, did it have some other origin?

"Please explain in detail, Duke." Xue Qinghe bowed slightly and clasped her hands in salute, a trace of nervous anticipation in her voice.

"This treasure has another name: the Heart of the Sea God." Duke's words rang through the air like clear crystal.

"Rumble!" The sentence struck Xue Qinghe's mind like a bolt of thunder. Her face instantly turned pale, as though the sky before her had suddenly darkened. Poseidon—the name flashed through her mind. Though she did not know much about him, she was overwhelmed by shock. The Sea God... that was a legendary deity who ruled over endless oceans and storms, mysterious and untouchable!

"As long as one gains its recognition, one can embark on a journey to Sea God Island, obtain the Sea God's inheritance, and become the new Sea God." Duke's words swept over her like a gale, stirring her heart beyond control.

"Hiss..." Xue Qinghe involuntarily sucked in a breath. Her expression shifted wildly, waves of emotion surging within her as she stared in disbelief at the faintly glowing Heart of the Sea God in her hands. The Heaven Dou Royal Family actually possessed such a supreme treasure—it was simply unbelievable! And Wriothesley before her... he actually knew about it!

Wait. Since Wriothesley knows this is the Heart of the Sea God, why didn't he simply keep it for himself? Why did he choose to tell me instead? Isn't he afraid I'll claim it for myself? Her heart was filled with doubts. The Heart of the Sea God was an incredible opportunity to walk the path toward godhood!

At that moment, Xue Qinghe's expression became strangely complicated, as if she had suddenly realized something. She took a deep breath, calmed her churning emotions, and slowly said, "Thank you for informing me, Duke."

Duke smiled faintly, profound wisdom gleaming in his eyes. "With Duke's current strength, you have already reached the realm of a Title Douluo. If you can obtain the Heart of the Sea God's aid, perhaps you may break through level one hundred in the future and truly become a god!"

"No. I'm not particularly interested in that." Wriothesley pushed the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud back and shook his head slightly. "I only want to live my own peaceful life. As for everything else, I don't wish to think about it for now."

To him, could the gods of Douluo Continent even be called gods?

Only beings like Liyue's Geo Archon, Fontaine's Neuvillette and Focalors, and Sumeru's Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were true gods.

Wait...

Who was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?

Why had that name suddenly come to mind?

Liyue's Geo Archon had swept away calamities for his people; Mondstadt's wind had purged sin; to break Fontaine's prophecy, Fontaine's god had sacrificed herself and entered the game for five hundred years, even gaining the upper hand over the Heavenly Principles; Natlan had traveled from five hundred years ago to the present without hesitation in order to defeat the Abyss.

In Wriothesley's eyes, feeble beings like the gods of Douluo, who did not care for humanity, were not even worthy of being called trash.

At most, they were...

Uh...

On Pompom's level.

But to Xue Qinghe, it sounded entirely different.

Yet in Xue Qinghe's ears, those words sounded exceptionally unusual. She raised an eyebrow slightly and thought, He doesn't want to become a god? That is truly a thought-provoking thing to say.

Had anyone else said those words, Xue Qinghe would have dismissed them with scorn.

However, the person saying them was not some ordinary disciple or commoner, but this incomparably imposing Duke.

The strength Duke had displayed so far was already at the level of an Ultimate Douluo, only a step away from the realm of gods. With the Heart of the Sea God, he might not need decades—at the very least, he could save more than ten years of effort.

Yet Duke was unwilling...

Yes. Faced with the temptation of godhood, perhaps ninety-nine percent of people would be unable to resist.

Xue Qinghe could not help thinking of herself.

Becoming a god should have been the ultimate goal pursued by every powerhouse, like a star hanging high in the sky, gleaming with endless temptation and brilliance. Her grandfather's friend, her own dream, even that woman—all of them regarded it as their ultimate ideal and struggled to climb toward that unreachable summit. Yet why were there people in this world willing to give all of that up?

Had some unknown secret long been buried in their hearts, or was the true nature of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud Wriothesley spoke of precisely the secret hidden within those people's hearts?

No!

That was an opportunity to become a god!

She would not be so foolish!

Still, Duke's attitude only made Xue Qinghe more confused about him. He did not even wish to become a god, so what exactly was Wriothesley's goal?

Though her thoughts were in turmoil, Xue Qinghe had no choice but to come back to her senses. Some things could be considered slowly after she returned; she could not neglect this Duke.

Besides, she had always had a feeling in her heart.

If she did not give this thing to Wriothesley, there might be serious trouble in the future.

"Whether Duke cares about it or not is no longer important." Xue Qinghe smiled gently, a trace of ease in her eyes, as though she did not care about the treasure in her hands at all.

She made it sound casual, and her attitude was even more carefree.

After all, this was not her family's possession. If she gave it away, she gave it away. There was nothing to dwell on.

Other than the slight heartache.

Rather than taking it back and having Xue Ye—who was not even truly related to her by blood—fuss over giving it to some stranger, it was better to leave it here. That was far more straightforward.

And honestly, even if she gave such a treasure to Wriothesley, it would merely add another item to his collection. It was no big deal. If she were the real Xue Qinghe, she would have already taken the Heart of the Sea God back to the palace, probably worrying every moment that someone might steal it.

But she was not the "real Xue Qinghe" at all. She did not care about the Sea God's inheritance, because she knew that she possessed a unique inheritance of her own, one fully comparable to the Sea God's inheritance.

Wriothesley glanced at Xue Qinghe. Honestly, if he did not know who she was, he would have suspected that Xue Qinghe had hit her head somewhere. She did not even want a god's inheritance.

But even if she did not take it back to the palace, she could have taken it back to Spirit Hall!

Your Spirit Hall worships the Angel God, sure, but having one more inheritance was better than having one less, wasn't it?

But when Wriothesley remembered that the average intelligence on Douluo Continent was low, he felt at ease.

Right. On a continent centered around romance, what would they know about such things?