After Shiller's explanation, Xi Wana finally understood that firstly, there are very few people in this world who possess magic talent, and secondly, he was lucky not to have any, for if he had truly entered the mainstream magic realm, he would have definitely not survived the last catastrophe.
"You should be thankful for the old man's unimparted grace," Shiller said with a raise of his hand, "If he had chosen you as his heir so early on, and brainwashed you with his foolish thinking over these years, making you believe that the power you possessed was invincible and came with matching responsibilities, then you would have probably died long ago."
Xi Wana's facial expressions were a colorful display, and suddenly he revealed a barely there smile and said, "But now he still has an heir."
Lucky for him, he perfectly avoided the incident of the vampire invasion; not just anyone could play the hero under those chaotic circumstances.
Shiller crossed his fingers and propped his chin on them, then said, "Setting aside the power, do you agree with his philosophy?"
"In fact, I don't know what his philosophy is."
"You know at least one thing: he believes that those who cannot resist the temptation of power are bad people," Shiller pondered for a moment before saying, "Fundamentally, this is a form of bloodline theory."
Xi Wana grew interested and said, "How so?"
"Do you think there are people in this world not tempted by power? Let me put it this way, does being attracted to letter cards in kindergarten count as being tempted by power?"
Xi Wana's brows slightly furrowed.
"You see, kindergarten children can't read, so letter cards represent a formidable power to them because if they learn to read, they can identify a lot of information through words, and the world would appear different in their eyes."
"They can also use words to express themselves, having mastered a new skill, elevating themselves to a new level. Doesn't this count as possessing a new and powerful force?"
"What's more interesting is that children's interest in letter cards does not come from the actual letters, but from the shapes, colors, or even the teacher's movements when handling them. Don't you think this process is very similar to how you were tempted?"
"When you wanted to reach out and touch The Eye of the Seven Deadly Sins, did you truly understand how powerful the Seven Sins were? Did you really foresee how this power would elevate you to a new level, bestowing upon you new skills?"
"Of course not, I knew nothing at the time."
"So then, what tempted you?"
"They kept nagging in my ear, and I felt a bit annoyed," Xi Wana pursed his lips but still voiced his true thoughts, "They always told me to touch it, I just wanted them to shut up, so I thought I'd give it a try."
"Exactly, this process is not called being tempted, but rather being curious. The difference between them is that the former clearly knows what they will gain after obtaining something, while the latter is completely in the unknown, driven by the human race's most instinctual curiosity and desire for exploration to touch something."
"And to delve deeper, curiosity and the desire for exploration fall within the scope of the Self, are subconscious instincts, climbing for survival, acquiring skills, and perspectives necessary for existence in the real world are within the realm of the Superego. Being lured by benefits to the point of disregarding morals is Greed is a manifestation of Superego disbalance."
"And the bloodline theory I mentioned is exactly about confusing them," Shiller tapped his fingertips on the table lightly and said, "They refuse to distinguish whether the actions of inferiors are prompted by the Self's curiosity, the Superego's need for survival, or a true imbalance of the Superego lacking moral control which leads to the desire for new powers."
"Perhaps they deliberately avoid distinguishing these, lumping them all together as moral disregard. Essentially, they don't see those beneath them, particularly those under their authority, as complex sentient beings like themselves, but merely as tools."
"Therefore, they could never put themselves in your shoes to inquire why you stepped into a new level and sought new powers, because in their eyes, they are human and you are not—how could you possibly be like them?"
"If it were they who gained new power, they would start analyzing whether this occurred out of curiosity, necessity for survival, or moral obligation led them to do so."
Xi Wana scoffed and said, "The old man said he sought an heir to prevent the powerful forces he possessed from being lost, wishing others to bear this strength and save the world."
"How come he has moral obligations now?" Shiller said, "How has he never considered whether bringing you to that place by such brute force was ethical?"
"Why is it that when he talks about the world's people, his Superego reacts, but when it comes to you, it doesn't function?"
"Whose world is he trying to save? Is it your world? I think probably not," Shiller shook his head and said, "In his view, you don't exist in this world, for you are not human."
Xi Wana's expression grew increasingly grim.
"This is the terrifying aspect of bloodline theory—if someone with authority believes that all those beneath them have no soul, do not feel pain or joy, should not have desires, then in their eyes, all your efforts to clamber to new levels and obtain new powers are utterly abhorrent."