Life-Killing for Life-Protection, What a Bowl of Life-Taking Thirteen Porridge

"No, that's not it."

Su Chen did not agree with the answer God of Evil had supplied for him.

"Oh? It isn't? Lying isn't something a good child should do."

"Stop scaring the child. If you've got nothing better to do, go stand somewhere else."

God of Goodness stopped God of Evil from "bullying" the youngster.

"Am I wrong? If you didn't prefer the Life-Killing Spear, why did you cultivate this Martial Soul first? Life-killing and life-protection, one good and one evil—you made your choice instinctively."

The real reason was, of course, that the Life-Killing Spear was an offensive Martial Soul, while the Life-Protecting Shield was a defensive weapon.

Su Chen wanted to gain combat ability as quickly as possible, so naturally he had cultivated the Life-Killing Spear first.

But he obviously could not state such a plain and utilitarian reason outright. It would have lacked all sophistication.

When facing the cryptic test of such senior figures, he needed to demonstrate the appropriate level of skill as well.

"No."

Su Chen still expressed his disagreement.

God of Goodness beat God of Evil to the question.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I neither made an instinctive choice, nor do I believe that life-killing and life-protection require choosing only one."

"Oh?"

God of Evil was intrigued.

"So you did give it careful thought? Since that is the case, you chose life-killing. Don't you think that contradicts life-protection?"

"Of course it doesn't." Su Chen spoke each word distinctly.

"Life-killing is for the sake of life-protection. They are fundamentally one—where is the contradiction?"

"Life-killing for life-protection? Life-killing for life-protection! Hahaha, good boy, you really did find yourself an excuse."

God of Evil laughed heartily.

They had wanted to speak with Su Chen in person, but they had not expected him to perform especially brilliantly.

Su Chen's calmness, confidence, and proper bearing—his refusal to blindly follow God of Evil's words merely because he was a god—had already earned his approval.

But Su Chen's answer made God of Evil feel that this child absolutely could not be given up.

Even if he had to fall out with God of Destruction, he was determined to have this successor.

Even if he could not make his and God of Goodness's powers fuse perfectly within Su Chen and find an opportunity for a breakthrough, finding such a successor was already the greatest gain possible.

After laughing, God of Evil did not forget to wiggle his eyebrows at God of Goodness.

"Did you hear that? Life-killing is for life-protection. That means I'm the one protecting you."

Sometimes, he and God of Goodness were inseparable; other times, they argued endlessly over trivial matters. They were a pair of tangled rivals.

Su Chen's answer had not favored either side, but God of Evil's interpretation made it sound as if he had gotten the better of God of Goodness.

God of Goodness rolled her eyes at God of Evil, though she did not argue with him over it.

Like God of Evil, she felt that Su Chen's answer had already been good enough.

Unexpectedly, Su Chen continued.

"Life-killing for life-protection does not mean life-protection is inferior to life-killing."

"Oh? So in your view, life-killing and life-protection are equal, and good and evil are equal as well? You really do keep things balanced."

God of Goodness gave God of Evil a light smack and walked over to Su Chen.

"Don't mind him. He just likes to argue. No matter what you say, he likes to raise objections."

Su Chen was not flustered.

"Truth cannot be made clear without debate. Since this senior enjoys arguing, he must be pursuing truth as well."

"You certainly know how to talk. You say truth cannot be made clear without debate, so explain the reasoning behind what you said."

Su Chen had figured it out.

God of Goodness and God of Evil were playing good cop and bad cop. They seemed to be at each other's throats, but they were actually working together.

Good grief, they were using such tactics against a little Soul Master who had only just begun his path. Was this what one should expect from God Kings?

"Su Chen, tell him. It would be best if you argued him into defeat."

God of Goodness did not stop God of Evil's questioning. Instead, she encouraged Su Chen to refute him, further confirming Su Chen's suspicion.

Still, this way of talking sounded a lot like coaxing a child.

"Yin and yang together are called the Dao; good and evil together are called emotion. A lone yin cannot give birth, a lone yang cannot grow. Pure goodness cannot endure, and evil alone cannot survive. Yin and yang generate one another; good and evil depend on one another."

"Life-killing and life-protection differ only by a single thought. Which is greater, killing one person or saving one person? I fear it would be difficult to decide."

After Su Chen finished, even God of Evil, who had been constantly picking at his words, fell silent.

After a long while, God of Goodness glanced at God of Destruction.

"I had thought you were merely one step ahead of us. Now it seems you have practically reached an entirely different realm."

God of Evil and God of Goodness believed that the principles Su Chen had spoken of were insights he had gained from God of Destruction's teachings.

Even if he had benefited from God of Destruction's guidance, being able to summarize such principles proved that his comprehension was astonishing enough.

Little did they know that God of Destruction was praising him inwardly as well.

He had known Su Chen would perform well, but he had not expected him to perform this well.

He was no longer worried that God of Evil and God of Goodness would return him. Instead, he felt they were getting an enormous bargain.

"Enough. You've met him, and you've said what needed to be said. It's time for me to send him back."

God of Evil and God of Goodness noticed God of Destruction's reluctance.

They both thought that God of Destruction was unwilling to hand Su Chen over to them so readily.

That made sense.

Although Su Chen's Twin Martial Souls were not especially compatible with God of Destruction's laws, his talent and comprehension could make up for much of that.

If it were them, they would feel they were getting the short end of the stick too.

That Tang San might have Martial Souls with greater compatibility, but he might not suit them as well.

Worried that God of Destruction might change his mind now, they naturally did not object to his decision.

"Su Chen."

God of Goodness and God of Evil each took one of Su Chen's hands.

"Seniors, do you have any other instructions?"

"Nothing. After you return, cultivate diligently. Do not waste your talent."

"Yes, this junior will remember."

The moment Su Chen finished speaking, God of Destruction's hand landed on his shoulder.

Immediately afterward, the sensation of the world spinning around him struck again.

Su Chen abruptly sat up. Before him was already the room inside the wooden cabin by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"Oh? You're awake?"

Just then, Dugu Bo approached carrying a large bowl.

"You hadn't eaten for too long before this. No wonder your body was weak and you fainted. I cooked you some medicinal porridge. Drink it quickly."

Dugu Bo could not find anything wrong with Su Chen, so he could only assume it was malnutrition.

Weak body?

If you knew I had just taken a trip to the God Realm, you would be the one with a weak body.

Su Chen did not explain anything.

His body was not weak, nor was he frail, but he truly was a little hungry.

"Old Poison, thank you."

"Don't, don't be so polite. If you keep being polite with me, I won't even know how to repay you."

Dugu Bo handed the medicinal porridge to Su Chen.

Su Chen had barely taken a sip when his face turned green.

"Urgh, Old Poison, are you sure this is medicinal porridge and not poison porridge?"

Su Chen could swear that he had never eaten porridge this disgusting in his life.

It had smelled perfectly fine. How had it become sour, bitter, astringent, and nauseating the moment it touched his tongue?

Su Chen realized he had misspoken. This definitely was not poison porridge.

If someone made poison porridge taste this awful, even a person without a sense of taste would not drink it.

"Impossible. I used no fewer than thirteen precious medicinal ingredients. It's definitely a highly nourishing medicinal porridge."

"Fine, my weak body can't handle such nourishment. You should slowly nourish yourself with it instead, Elder."

As he spoke, Su Chen had already climbed out of bed.

Sitting on the bed any longer made him feel as though he were Wu Dalang.

If Pan Jinlian's poison had tasted this awful, Wu Dalang probably could not have swallowed it even if she poured it down his throat with a funnel.

"Oh, right. I'll give your medicinal porridge a nice name. How about Life-Taking Thirteen Porridge?"

"Life-Taking Thirteen Porridge? That's exaggerated."

Dugu Bo felt that his cooking could not possibly be that bad.

He had followed the records in the Poison Nerve Scripture, using all kinds of preparation methods. It was absolutely excellent medicinal porridge for replenishing the body's deficiencies.

At most, he had added too many herbs and made it a little bitter. There was no way it could taste that terrible.

Refusing to believe it, he took a viciously large mouthful himself.

"Urgh—"

Su Chen had just stepped out of the wooden cabin when he heard a bout of dry heaving from inside.

"So Old Poison hadn't even tasted the porridge he cooked himself? I thought his tastes were just that unusual because of his age."