"Is there still hope of bringing my sister back?"
After a long while, Bai Xiaowen took a breath and steadied himself.
Bai Yuantang shook his head. "Once a soul has dispersed, there's no bringing it back."
"Not even the slightest hope?"
Bai Yuantang thought for a moment. "At least, with what I know, I can't find a way to revive her. But the Psychic Energy Era holds too many mysteries. I wouldn't claim to understand them all, especially matters of the soul. That is the domain of gods."
"Dad, these gods you're talking about... could they bring my sister back?"
Bai Yuantang shook his head. "I'm not a god, so I don't know. Only gods understand how to reconstruct a soul."
"Can a mortal become a god?" Bai Xiaowen asked.
"Generally speaking, no," Bai Yuantang said. "But nothing is absolute... Take me, for example. I've already set foot on the path to godhood."
"I'll do everything I can to help you become a god, Dad." Bai Xiaowen seemed to have found a purpose. "Then we'll bring my sister back, and our family will be together again."
Bai Yuantang fell silent for a moment. "Don't act rashly. For now, keep your identity hidden and focus on growing stronger. There's one thing you must pay particular attention to."
Bai Xiaowen looked at his father.
"If a god takes an interest in you and wants to make you a Chosen One... you must refuse."
"Why?"
"Becoming a Chosen One grants you Divine Favor and tremendous power with hardly any effort," Bai Yuantang said. "But it also makes you a servant, forever marked by that god. Remember, power has a price. The easier it is to obtain, the greater the price."
Bai Xiaowen nodded gravely. The Black Soul Stone had already shown him all