Free Web NovelChapter 354: Chapter 55: I Am Friendly, Peaceful, and Eager to Communicate
This was also why the Military Saint was wary of the Mimic Dao. During the Era of Severed Spiritual Qi, he had seen plenty of Mimic Dao Cultivators who, with no hope of an Awakening and their heritage on the verge of dying out, committed all sorts of foolish acts for power... But honestly, this was hardly limited to just Mimic Dao Cultivators. The things that the many normal humans in Mysterious Organizations did were just as bad, if not worse.
"But Su Zhou hasn’t," the Daoist Saint replied. He nodded, then continued to look at Su Zhou on the screen. "Thankfully, our world has now entered an era of miracles."
"His wish has been granted."
On the screen, Su Zhou was smiling as he bade the Giant Whale farewell. The young man’s smile was bright and sunny, without the slightest trace of darkness.
Even the Literary Saint, who had been skeptical of Su Zhou before, was now smiling. He took off his glasses and wiped them. "Indeed. Though Su Zhou can be as willful as a child, he has not, to this day, forgotten his original intentions."
The data provided by the Daoist Saint contained records of Su Zhou revealing his power before his Formal Awakening.
He first revealed his Spiritual Power at the age of six, to expel a Cursed Hungry Ghost from the Tang Family that was near his good friend, Shao Qiming. Although there is currently no proof, the downfall of the Tang Family is very likely related to this incident—Zhengguo’s government doesn’t need proof. It’s basically been determined that Su Zhou was responsible, acting in disguise, but there’s no need to state this aloud.
The second time he revealed his Spiritual Power was when he broke a mugger’s hand. It was a case of righting a wrong he’d witnessed on the street; Su Zhou, then just over ten years old, casually picked up a stone and threw it, shattering the mugger’s hand.
The third time he revealed his Spiritual Power was when he used his Extraordinary hearing to detect a child’s cries from inside a van. It was a kidnapping ring. In his rage, Su Zhou nearly killed them, leaving three members of the group severely injured and permanently disabled. The incident was subsequently covered up by his father and the allied Shao Family, who used their influence to suppress it. After that, Su Zhou became much quieter, merely focusing on exploring various Forbidden Lands that were rumored to have Extraordinary phenomena.
On the surface, these all appear to be incidents that skirted the law, but to the members of the Holy Seat, and for a Transcendent, none of this even qualified as ’evil’.
"From his childhood until now, we can see that Su Zhou’s mindset has remained unchanged."
The Daoist Saint then listed Su Zhou’s actions after he had formally revealed his Talent, including his operations in the South Sea and the Kunlun Secret Realm, and the numerous times he cooperated with local Transcendents to exterminate dangerous Spirit Beasts.
The Daoist Saint set the definitive tone: "He uses his Spiritual Power to make the world a better place."
"Su Zhou has not forgotten his original intentions—he is worthy of our trust."
At the same time, Yara was also using Su Zhou’s perspective to observe his every action. It could also access Su Zhou’s past memories and experiences.
And its assessment was starkly different from that of the Saints of the Righteous Country—in fact, it was the complete opposite.
"Su Zhou... you are a born snake—cold-blooded, selfish, and cruel. For you, killing other living beings is as natural as blinking or breathing."
"You are also a born Divine Dragon—arrogant, conceited, and aloof. You even help others in this way, saving them with a condescending air."
It continued with a laugh, "Are you just a contrarian? No, that’s not it. You just enjoy the process of opposing others. You refuse to acknowledge any viewpoint but your own. Even if the entire world were to clash with you, you would still believe that you are right and the world is wrong."
"Since you can see Souls, Souls must therefore exist. If other people can’t see them, that’s their problem—and that’s why you want the Extraordinary Era to come, to prove yourself right."
"You believe the world is a wonderful place, but some people disagree. So you will inevitably take matters into your own hands, to gradually make the world wonderful. You will personally reshape this world to make everyone in it understand the correctness of your views."
At that very moment, as he watched the Flood Dragon lunging toward him, Su Zhou heard Yara’s assessment of his character.
He wasn’t bothered in the slightest. Instead, he replied with a laugh, "So what? I’d wager everyone in the world is just like me. If they haven’t been beaten down by reality, who would ever admit that someone else is right and they are wrong? Even if they do admit it, they’re bound to feel resentful deep down, unwilling to concede defeat."
"If that’s arrogance, then humanity is an arrogant race—and Extraordinary Power is the magnifying glass that amplifies this arrogance."
So saying, he raised his hand and aimed it at the Flood Dragon before him.
"But you’re dead wrong when you say I’m cold-blooded and cruel, that I don’t treat the lives of others as if they matter. I just don’t treat the lives of ’those who don’t value their own lives’ as if they matter."
’Su Zhou never considered himself warlike, bloodthirsty, or someone who sought out conflict. He believed his power existed merely for the sake of better communication. His personality, he felt, was gentle and down-to-earth. He always told things as they were, analyzed situations rationally, never exaggerated, and never fabricated nonsense. He championed amicable communication and would never kill wantonly unless he was absolutely forced to.’
’When others disagreed with him, was his logical and well-reasoned response really ’being a contrarian’? Nonsense! That was ’friendly communication’! When his enemies were stubborn and unrepentant, and he ground their bones to dust and danced on their graves, was that being ’cold and merciless’? No, that was helping them reincarnate for a chance to be a better person! It was re-education!’
’What did being "cold-blooded and cruel" or "arrogant and selfish" have to do with him, Su Zhou, the bright and cheerful model youth? Yara must have been sealed away because of that mouth of its!’
With that thought, Su Zhou stretched his hand toward the Flood Dragon. A Thunder Light was Gathering in his palm, so bright that a direct gaze felt like needles piercing the eyes.
BOOM! A brilliant thunderclap resounded through the deep sea. A furious, cyan-blue Thunderbolt spread through the water as the five submersibles behind him retreated in unison, avoiding the Thunder Domain Su Zhou had unfurled. The ferocious Flood Dragon, which had been bearing down with menacing intent, ready to attack after its dragon-transformation Cultivation was interrupted, also halted its charge in alarm. It hesitated, circling in place with uncertainty.
"Let’s talk this over peacefully, little Flood Dragon. I’m very friendly."
So said the "friendly" Su Zhou, a ferocious Thunder Light—powerful enough to roast a Garuda to a crisp—flashing in his hand. He aimed it at the Flood Dragon, whose scales were standing on end, not daring to advance or retreat. "Of course, this is a threat—though I’ve never believed that power exists just for killing and destruction."
"But then again," he mused, "if I can’t even make other creatures have a proper conversation with me, then what was the point of cultivating all this power in the first place?"
