Douluo: The Throne of Ice

Chapter 27 Humans and Beasts, Decisions and the Future (3)

The only sound in the silent hall was the soft breathing of the crowd. Xu Jiawei lowered his eyes slightly, making it impossible to see the emotions in them or what he was thinking.

No one understood better than him what Shu Yan's words meant, and the statements of the Ice and Snow Emperors shook him to his core. It was a shock and disbelief that came from the very soul. Gods—beings that existed in everyone's understanding yet were incredibly distant—Xu Jiawei felt, for the first time, directly the existence of gods. For an emperor, Shu Yan's proposed path to godhood was incredibly awe-inspiring. But beyond the shock, a flame seemed to ignite in Xu Jiawei's heart. What exactly did gods represent? Xu Jiawei took a deep breath and then said in a deep voice:

"Two questions, Ayan, I hope you can answer me truthfully."

Shu Yan nodded slightly, without refusing.

Xu Jiawei suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and regained his unique imperial calm and wisdom. He said in a deep voice:

"The first question is, are you a 100,000-year-old soul beast in human form, or rather, which aspect are you facing?"

Shu Yan replied without the slightest hesitation:

"I am human. Perhaps I have been different since childhood, but I can guarantee with my martial spirit and my life that I am indeed human and not a soul beast."

Xu Jiawei nodded, let out a soft sigh of relief, and then continued:

"Secondly, I want to know why you told me and Jiu Jiu such an important matter. What you and the two distinguished guests discussed is of great importance. If I were you, I would never casually tell outsiders about it, lest I bring disaster upon myself."

After saying that, Xu Jiawei's gaze fell heavily on Shu Yan, as if waiting for Shu Yan's reason.

Shu Yan chuckled lightly, then said:

"It's very simple. Your Majesty, you and Jiu Jiu are both my family. Whether it was the welfare institution set up by the Star Luo Royal Family that adopted me from childhood, or the free awakening of my Martial Soul later, or the countless precious resources the Royal Family used to raise me to adulthood and teach me cultivation, these are all facts. Without the Empire, perhaps my life would have ended when I was abandoned by the roadside outside Star Luo City. Or perhaps, I would have been picked up by an ordinary person passing by, but because of poverty, I would not have been able to awaken my Martial Soul and would have lived a mediocre life. Although my own talent is partly to blame, the life-saving grace is indeed real. Of course, this is only one of the reasons."

"Secondly, there are many things I cannot say explicitly, but I can tell you, my brother, that it is very difficult to become a god in this era, and the specific reasons lie in the realm of gods and the continent."

"This matter concerns the strongest among the original Shrek Seven Devils. He is now one of the rulers of the God Realm. After tens of thousands of years of changes, Shrek Academy is still powerful, and even has the momentum to become more and more powerful. Many things are related to too many deep things, and the things involved are considered taboo now. It is better not to get involved too early."

"In the near future, the continent will once again usher in a glorious era, just like it was ten thousand years ago. At that time, geniuses will emerge in great numbers, the strong will roam freely, and war, riots, and bloody battles will reappear. Behind this, there will also be tremendous opportunities, but along with these opportunities, there will also be a huge shadow..."

Xu Jiawei slowly raised his eyes, closed them briefly, and spoke again:

"So you've not only paved the way for yourself, but you're also preparing to bring about a massive shift in scale and situation across the entire continent?"

Shu Yan nodded noncommittally and said softly:

"Why not? If the Sun Moon Empire didn't exist, would Shrek Academy still be as important? Star Luo is already the strongest of the three kingdoms on the original continent. Brother, I don't think you don't have any thoughts about unification, or rather, any emperor with a bit of courage would be very interested in it..."

Xu Jiawei's call became more urgent, just as Shu Yan said, a ruler with courage and vision always has a great desire and pursuit for the word "unification".

But Xu Jiawei was well aware of the difficulty of this matter. He suppressed his turbulent emotions and spoke again:

How confident are you?

Shu Yan pondered for a moment, then said:

"If I continue at my current cultivation speed, I am confident that I can break through to the Soul Saint level before I come of age. At that time, with my ultimate attribute and the strength of my own martial soul, I am confident that I can fight against ordinary Title Douluo."

"I am confident that I will break through to the Title Douluo realm before I turn twenty-one. At that time, I will be able to fight against Super Douluos below level ninety-nine. If nothing unexpected happens, my soul power level will reach the level of Super Douluo or even Limit Douluo before I turn twenty-five. At that time, there should be few people on the entire continent who can match me..."

Everyone gasped. Xu Jiawei, seeing the seriousness in Shu Yan's eyes, couldn't help but breathe even more heavily.

"The Sun Moon Empire's national strength and its mastery of soul guidance technology have almost completely suppressed the three kingdoms of the original continent. Shrek Academy has even given birth to a god, and its disciples are almost all over the continent. Ayan, I admit that everything you said has greatly tempted me, but reality is often more cruel than imagined. I am the ruler of a country, and I cannot gamble with the fate of the country at will."

"But as you said, you are already the closest family to me and Jiu Jiu. At present, I cannot give you too many promises or help, but within reasonable limits, the Empire will support all your actions without reservation. When you have enough confidence, no matter what you want to do, the Empire will stand firmly by your side."

"The emperor... is sometimes destined not to be able to only consider personal feelings. With the heavy responsibility of the country on my shoulders, I have to be extremely cautious. If I make a wrong decision, it's not a big deal if it implicates the royal family, but if it implicates the entire empire, then... I'm afraid I can't repay this sin even in the next life..."

Xu Jiawei pondered for a very long time, so long that his hands gripping the armrests of the chair turned white from the force. Finally, he let out a heavy breath and spoke in a deep voice.

Shu Yan smiled silently after hearing this. He had expected Xu Jiawei's attitude. Although his words seemed to carry a hint of rejection, his attitude had already given the answer.

Which emperor could accept that his sister's future husband possessed such profound and terrifying scheming, or that powerful and uncontrollable alien races like the Snow Empress and Ice Empress would remain in his imperial city? Yet Xu Jiawei permitted and accepted both. He even subtly revealed his expectations for Shu Yan and his ambitions in that area. But ultimately, he still needed time to overcome the hurdle in his heart through practical considerations. This was the first collaboration between humans and ferocious beasts to date, and Xu Jiawei was well aware of the risks and consequences involved. Therefore, he had to be extremely cautious…

From Shu Yan's perspective, Xu Jiawei may not be perfect, but he is definitely not an unqualified elder brother or emperor. He possesses a unique spirit and courage that the emperors of the two great empires, Tianhun and Douling, do not have.

……

(End of this chapter)