I, Man Faced Demon Spider, will help you become a God!

"Ask."

Gu Chensha's tone was indifferent, yet it sounded as if he had been waiting for her for a long time.

Having received permission, Zhu Zhuqing shed her hesitation.

This wasn't asking her to strip or do anything shameful or embarrassing; it was merely asking about the doubts buried in her heart.

She asked.

"Teacher, you are a Two-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast from the Star Dou Great Forest. Why do you know so much about the affairs of the human world?"

"Are you... really just a two-hundred-thousand-year soul beast?"

She paused, a trace of imperceptible panic in her tone, and hurriedly added.

"I know I shouldn't doubt you. You saved my life and gave me a new beginning; I should have trusted you unconditionally."

"But these things, I truly cannot fathom."

"I want an answer."

"After holding it in for three days, you finally asked. I thought you would wait until you reached the rank of Soul Elder before you dared to bring this up."

Gu Chensha chuckled softly, his tone devoid of any displeasure, carrying instead a hint of approval.

"You have done nothing wrong, and there is no need to blame yourself."

"Trust has never been about unconditional blind obedience; wanting to know the truth is only right."

"You guessed correctly. These things are not something a native soul beast of the Douluo Continent could possibly know."

His tone gradually deepened, carrying the vicissitudes of five hundred years, yet hiding the arrogance unique to a Demon Emperor.

"What you are about to hear may seem inconceivable, but it is the absolute, unvarnished truth."

"My soul, in fact, comes from Another World."

"...Another World?"

Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes widened slightly.

"That is correct. With the power of that world, I can see the rise and fall of this continent and predict many things that have yet to occur."

"Five hundred years ago, I transmigrated to this world and was reincarnated as a newly hatched Man Faced Demon Spider."

"I have lived for five hundred years, cultivated for two hundred thousand, became what they call the Demon Emperor, and watched the predetermined fate of this continent for five centuries. I have long since grown weary of it."

Zhu Zhuqing's mouth hung slightly open, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Transmigration?

Reincarnation?

These were terms she had never heard of, completely exceeding her understanding of the world.

Yet, the voice within her sea of consciousness was incredibly earnest, with no hint of a joke.

She felt no doubt, only extreme shock.

"As for why I sacrificed myself to you, you can interpret it as a coincidence."

"You happened to stumble into the Star Dou Great Forest and encountered me when I was severely wounded; I had no choice but to sacrifice myself to you."

"That is what you saw, and what Hu Liena has always speculated."

He sneered, "But what I want to tell you is that not everyone is worthy of accepting the sacrifice of Gu Chensha."

"I stayed in the Star Dou Great Forest for five hundred years and saw countless cowards bow to fate, but you alone—even when at the end of your rope, even when every path ahead was a dead end—refused to turn back, refused to accept your fate."

His tone paused, carrying undisguised disgust.

"I would never be willing to sacrifice myself to a theoretical waste like Yu Xiaogang, who has a hollow reputation but cannot even grasp his own destiny."

"If I encountered such a fellow, I would only drag his intestines out, tie them in a knot around his throat, and toss him away like a stinking fly, lest he soil the place where I fell."

He did not elaborate on the details of the other world, merely speaking with a solemn tone.

"As for the matters of the other world, when you are strong enough to stand at the pinnacle of this continent, I will tell you everything."

"For now, you only need to know that I have no ill will toward you. Everything I have given you is so that you may personally take control of your own fate."

His voice carried a power capable of shaking the heart.

"If you are willing, I will... help you Become a God!"

"...Teacher, are you saying... Become a God?"

Zhu Zhuqing's voice could not stop trembling.

Becoming a God...

That was a realm beyond Title Douluo, existing only in legends.

Never mind becoming a god; just becoming a Title Douluo would be enough for her to cast off the fate of the Zhu Family, abolish that damned inheritance system, and make those who once bullied and hunted her pay the price.

She looked at her own hands, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Can I... can I really do it?"

"Of course you can."

Gu Chensha's tone was resolute and decisive.

"You are the one chosen by me, Gu Chensha; you should not harbor even the slightest shred of doubt about yourself!"

"The day I assist you to Become a God, I, too, shall obtain the freedom I desire."

"When that time comes, I shall seek true transcendence and pursue true immortality."

The Demon Emperor's words carried the sharp edge of five hundred years of burning time, as well as a power capable of shaking one's very soul.

Zhu Zhuqing felt a surge of warmth rise from the bottom of her heart.

In the past, she had thought that merely escaping her fate was an extravagant hope for this lifetime.

But now, someone was telling her that she could Become a God and take full control of her own life.

Yet, she suddenly recalled what he had said: after helping her Become a God, he would gain his freedom to seek true transcendence and true immortality.

An indescribable, bitter sensation welled up in her heart.

So... he would only help her until she became a god?

Once she reached that day, would he leave?

What am I thinking about...

Zhu Zhuqing snapped back to reality and shook her head vigorously, suppressing those messy, inappropriate thoughts.

Her cheeks burned slightly, and she quickly changed the subject to hide her loss of composure.

"Teacher, once one Becomes a God... doesn't that mean they have achieved immortality?"

"Becoming a God? That can only be considered a starting point on the long road to true immortality."

Gu Chensha shook his head, not elaborating on the intricacies.

The so-called "gods" of this world were merely prisoners driven by the rules of their own world, locked inside that seemingly sacred and magnificent cage known as the God Realm.

That was far from the transcendence and immortality he had spent five hundred years pursuing; it was not even close.

Moreover, she had not even reached the level of a Soul Elder yet; it was far too early to discuss such things.

"For now, you must keep your feet on the ground."

"I am going to ask you a few questions that concern your future Soul Skill choices, your Martial Soul Evolution, and even the upper limit of your potential."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing immediately gathered her focus and replied earnestly.

"Yes, Teacher."

"First, have you given any thought to your own choice of soul rings?"

"The choice of soul rings..."

Zhu Zhuqing's delicate brows furrowed slightly; she was clearly stumped by the question.

It was not that she had never thought about it, but the "considerations" she had previously deemed comprehensive seemed far too shallow and laughable in the face of the path to godhood her teacher had laid out.

She pondered for a moment, then chose to be completely honest.

"In the education I received, the most mainstream approaches to soul ring combinations are nothing more than 'same-type stacking' and 'attribute complementarity'."

"For example, most Agility-Attack System soul masters choose soul rings from agility-type soul beasts to enhance their speed; that is same-type stacking."