Li Xiao was overjoyed. "Brother Ye, you came at just the right time! Help me get this damned Shadow Eye out!"
"Why do you insist on taking the Shadow Eye out?"
"Because the strong..."
"Enough, don't say another word." Bai Ye raised a hand to stop him. Suddenly, his expression turned solemn, and his tone sank.
Master Bai, the wasteland PUA expert, had logged on!
"Ahem." A tactical throat-clear.
"Li Xiao, you've become fixated on appearances."
Li Xiao's hand, which had been digging at his eyeball, paused. He looked confused.
Bai Ye continued to fool him. "It's true that the strong do not rely on external things, but that's only the first half. Do you know the second half?"
Li Xiao instantly perked up. Brother Ye was going to teach me the Way of the Strong!?
"Teach me, Brother Ye!"
"Very well. Given your current realm, you're qualified to hear the second half. Lean closer."
Li Xiao hurriedly turned sideways and leaned in, listening with utmost concentration.
Bai Ye smiled faintly. "The strong do not rely on external things; the strongest must rely on external things!"
"Huh?" Li Xiao looked utterly bewildered. He did not understand at all and even felt the two statements severely contradicted each other.
Bai Ye glanced at him and said indifferently, "It's normal that you don't understand. After all, your realm isn't high enough. Now, I'll explain it to you in the simplest, most straightforward, least roundabout, most idiot-proof... way possible. How much you comprehend will depend entirely on your own fortune.
Do you know why the strongest must rely on external things?"
Li Xiao shook his head.
"Take quitting smoking, for example. Throwing away all your cigarettes may seem like firm resolve, but isn't that also a form of avoidance? You're afraid—afraid that when