Lu Xue: Let Me Tell You a Story

Her spirit form gave off a soft, ancient glow, as though opening an epic sealed away beneath the dust of ages.

"Legend says that when the land of Douluo Continent had just been born, when the laws of heaven and earth were still young... a mysterious existence beyond understanding or description descended upon it."

"In that age, Heaven and Earth Origin Energy was so dense it seemed tangible, and Soul Beasts were the undisputed masters of this world. We possessed long lives, great power, and spirits that resonated with heaven and earth."

"Back then, when we died, our souls could return directly to heaven and earth, pass through reincarnation, rebuild our bodies, and come back once more. Not like now..."

Her voice caught, and the edges of her spirit form rippled violently.

Xiao Shenghe's consciousness trembled slightly.

He was not a Soul Beast, but through their Spiritual Sense connection, he felt as though he could sense the grief and unwillingness in Lu Xue's words—feelings that a hundred thousand years had failed to erase.

Lu Yao held her "breath," her emerald eyes fixed unblinkingly on her mother. This was an ancient glory and secret of the Soul Beasts she had never heard of.

Lu Xue steadied herself. Her grief deepened into gravity as she went on, each word seeming to have been dredged from the bottom of time's long river, trailing an icy chill:

"Later,"

"because of the 'change' made by that mysterious existence,"

Her gaze swept over Xiao Shenghe, then returned to Lu Yao, filled with an emotion too complicated to describe.

"When we Soul Beasts died, our souls were no longer free."

"They were imprisoned, transformed,"

She closed her eyes, as though she could not bear to say the last words. In the end, however, she branded them into the depths of both their minds with the heaviest, clearest thought of all:

"turned into something human Soul Masters could absorb to advance."

"Soul Rings."

The moment those last two words fell, the entire void of Spiritual Sense seemed to shudder.

The light of Lu Xue's projected spirit form flickered, betraying the tremendous emotional toll.

She opened her eyes again. Her gaze, like amber weathered by wind and frost, settled on the two who were about to forge a symbiotic contract, and she asked slowly:

"Now do you understand what 'symbiosis' means under the laws of this world, laws that have been 'changed'? What it means within the fate of Soul Beasts?"

So that's how it happened. That's where the Secret of Symbiosis came from. It came from a holy light; after that light appeared, the Clouded Deer instinctively grasped this secret art.

Xiao Shenghe suddenly understood Lu Xue's words.

The Secret of Symbiosis... sharing life, forging a bond that transcends species...

His thoughts surged through his sea of souls.

If that 'mysterious existence' twisted and sealed away the Soul Beasts' path to reincarnation long ago, binding their souls' final destination to human Soul Rings...

Then aren't we trying to establish a reverse bond—an equal, profound symbiosis of life and soul—that strikes at the foundations of this world's laws?

Are we trying to pry loose the chains of fate that were 'changed'?

A slight tremor ran through the depths of his consciousness. It was not fear, but a complex feeling that mingled understanding and solemnity with still fiercer resolve.

Lu Xue's gaze never left the two of them.

She saw the bewilderment in her daughter's eyes and the subtle flickers of light in Xiao Shenghe's consciousness that betrayed the turmoil within him.

The weight in her heart did not ease, but neither of them had been crushed by the brutal truth.

Instead, they seemed to be absorbing it, thinking it through. A faint glimmer, almost too slight to see, flashed deep in her eyes.

"It will affect me, Xuan Zi, and every member of our clan who shares your bloodline and part of the ancient Soul Beasts' primordial contract. That is only the shallowest, most immediate ripple."

Lu Xue spoke again, more calmly than before, yet her words cut deeper into the bone.

"The deeper meaning is this, Yao'er, Shenghe: the path you have chosen may itself be a kind of 'rebellion' against an ordained fate."

She raised a hand. The phantom web of interwoven lines appeared once more in the void, clearer this time.

Between the point of light representing Lu Yao and the one representing Xiao Shenghe, the spiritual band still taking shape gave off an aura both similar to and distinctly different from the surrounding web. It was more equal, more intertwined—not a one-sided dependence or draining.

"Under the laws that govern this continent today,"

Lu Xue continued, brushing a fingertip over the band of light,

"there is almost only one accepted way for Soul Beasts and humans to join deeply: hunt the beast, absorb its Soul Ring, gain power. That is 'permitted,' even 'encouraged.'"

"But what you are attempting is to make the equal sharing of life your foundation and forge a symbiotic contract that nourishes both sides, allowing you to grow together..."

"That alone makes you an anomaly, a test of the existing rules."

She paused, her gaze turning fathomless.

"And 'testing the rules' often brings unpredictable risks, along with... unimaginable opportunities."

"Risks..."

Lu Yao murmured the word and instinctively drew closer to Xiao Shenghe's consciousness, as if seeking support.

"Yes, risks."

Lu Xue nodded. The ripples at the edges of her spirit form showed how hard she was struggling to keep the projection stable. Manifesting like this was clearly taking a heavy toll on her.

"The greatest risk is that this 'changed' world may not recognize your contract. It might even provoke a backlash from the laws themselves."

"Your hope of sharing life could be twisted at some point into another form of bondage or depletion. And furthermore..."

Her gaze turned to Xiao Shenghe with unprecedented seriousness.

"Shenghe, you are human. The essence of your soul and the path of your growth have long borne the deep imprint of this continent after its 'change.' Your very existence is part of this new system of rules."

"To forge a symbiotic bond with Yao'er means willingly taking part of the 'old rules'—the primordial source of the Soul Beast bloodline—into yourself. At the same time, the imprint of the 'new rules' upon you will inevitably affect her. Can the two merge smoothly? Or will they clash beyond reconciliation? No one can guarantee the answer."

The light of Xiao Shenghe's consciousness shone steadily, carrying his clear reply:

"I understand. There is no precedent for this path, and we will bear its risks together. But I believe the depth of the spiritual resonance between Yao'er and me, our shared resolve, and..."

He paused, his thoughts brushing over Lu Xue's fading projection.

"And the warning you brought us today, Clan Leader, together with the weight of that history, will be the foundation beneath our feet, not an obstacle in our way."

His voice was calm and firm as it echoed through the void.

As Lu Yao listened, the bewilderment in her eyes gradually gave way to a steadier light. She reached out with a "hand" formed from her spirit and gently touched the edge of Xiao Shenghe's consciousness, sending him a warm pulse of support.

Watching them, Lu Xue finally showed a trace of feeling through her deep worry—so faint it was almost impossible to see, and almost like relief.

But she soon gathered herself. There was little time left.

"The opportunity,"

she said, picking up where she had left off, her voice carrying a note of distant longing,

"lies in what might happen if you succeed—if this equal Secret of Symbiosis can truly endure and achieve the supreme vision spoken of in legend."

"To share life, and perhaps even glimpse a path to immortality in an age without a God to lead the way,"