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As Tang San and Gu Yuena opened the door and prepared to leave, they came face-to-face with Wang Chen, whose face was full of resentment and malice. Without saying much, Tang San simply turned and bid farewell to Xue Qinghe before leaving the inn.
"Why did delivering a late-night snack take you so long?" Xue Qinghe asked Wang Chen after Tang San had left.
"I heard you and Tang San talking and didn't dare to knock," Wang Chen replied in a low voice, head bowed, holding the box of snacks.
Xue Qinghe paused and fell silent.
Just as Wang Chen thought Xue Qinghe might show some concern for him, he instead heard her say, "From now on, you mustn't address him by name. You should refer to him as His Excellency, the Holy Son, or the Earl of Silver Blue. Do you understand?"
Wang Chen was stunned and wanted to cry, but he nodded and said, "I understand, Your Majesty."
"Go and rest."
"Your Majesty, I have one more request."
"What is it?"
"My age still qualifies me to participate in this Continental Elite Tournament. I could bring you honor," Wang Chen said confidently. After five years, his strength had reached the level of a Soul Emperor.
"Are you not ashamed?" Xue Qinghe's expression darkened. "Tang San and the others aren't even participating. Why are you trying to stir up trouble? The core purpose of the Continental Elite Tournament has always been to select talents, not to flaunt power. Although it does have that effect, it's fundamentally meant for the various factions to recruit talent."
"When you compete, no one will look up to you. To outsiders, you're already part of the Tian Dou Empire's royal family. They'll just think I'm trying to win the championship through underhanded means."
"If that happens, the tournament won't be about talent selection but a battleground for the factions to clash against each other."
Wang Chen was left dumbfounded and at a loss for words.
Xue Qinghe, however, shifted to a more comforting tone, saying, "Don't dwell on past failures. Keep an open heart; otherwise, you'll never escape the prison of your own mind."
"Remember—"
"Take a step back, and you'll find the seas and skies vast."
Wang Chen: "..." These words... there's no way Xue Qinghe could come up with something like this... What exactly has Tang San been teaching her?
At this point, all Wang Chen could do was nod and agree.
...
In the blink of an eye, only three days remained before the start of the Continental Elite Tournament. Tang San and Xiao Wu traveled to the Starry Sky Realm, where they encountered the soul of Xiao Wu's mother.
Over the past few years, Xiao Wu's mother's soul had fully recovered.
Today was the day of her resurrection!
But—
"Xiao Wu!" The moment she saw Xiao Wu, the soul of Xiao Wu's mother, who looked almost identical to her, cried out in shock. "Have you died too and come to the world of the dead? And is this your husband standing beside you? Did you die together?"
"...Mom, I'm not dead," Xiao Wu, initially moved by the mother-daughter reunion, suddenly felt calm after hearing her mother's question. When her mother was alive, she was very caring, but also had a lively personality. Xiao Wu clearly inherited that trait!
After Tang San explained the situation, Xiao Wu's mother finally understood and asked, "So, I'm the only one who's dead? Boohoo, Xiao Wu, I'm so sorry for leaving you!"
Xiao Wu nudged her mother's soul, feeling embarrassed by Tang San's amused gaze. Her feelings of affection quickly shifted to frustration, especially when she remembered some embarrassing past events, all triggered by her mother's behavior, leaving her even more exasperated. Forget about the matter of the indestructible true spirit, just her mother's attitude brought up memories Xiao Wu would rather not relive.
"Ahem, Mom, watch it. My man is right here," Xiao Wu finally managed to push her mother away and introduced her to Tang San. "This is my mother, Xiao Rou."
"Hello, handsome young man. How about going on a date?" Xiao Rou, bold as ever, winked at Tang San, even flirting with him right in front of Xiao Wu, showing no signs of embarrassment.
"I've confirmed it—memories are definitely the key to a person's soul!" Xiao Wu's pigtail almost stood on end in frustration. Her mother was exactly the same as in her memories. Back then, she hadn't noticed much, but now it was clear: her mother had barely been responsible, raising her daughter more like a living toy.
At this point, Xiao Rou stopped joking and spoke seriously, "All these years, I've been so grateful for how you've cared for Xiao Wu, and for rescuing a part of my broken soul from that woman..."
"But I also understand, even though I have the same memories, I am not Xiao Wu's original mother."
"I was restored from a fragment of my soul. If any other fragments survived and had the same opportunity, they could become yet another Xiao Rou."
"So, please don't revive me."
Xiao Wu was taken aback. "Mom, you..."
"Xiao Wu, seeing you happy is enough for me," Xiao Rou smiled gently at her daughter. "I'm sorry for teasing you earlier. I couldn't help it when we first met."
Xiao Wu: "..." My emotions were wasted! What a terrible mother!
"Auntie, are you really not considering resurrection?" Tang San asked curiously, having momentarily given up pondering the complexities of souls.
"Matters of life and death should be left alone," Xiao Rou shook her head. "Since I'm already dead, my physical body has likely returned to nature. Even if you were to rebuild one for me, it would still be a different body... Besides, what if I end up competing with Xiao Wu for her man?"
Cough!
At this, Xiao Rou cleared her throat and glanced at Xiao Wu, who was glaring at her with open hostility. "Now that Xiao Wu has grown up and no longer needs my care, and since I'm not even her original mother, there really is no reason to be resurrected... By the way, Xiao Wu, you've reached level 80 now, right? How about I sacrifice myself for you?"
Xiao Wu's soul power level was closely following Tang San's. She had refrained from hunting soul beasts for soul rings and, thanks to Tang San's infusion of eternal and creative energy, she was no longer bound by the Douluo Continent's rules that prevented breakthroughs without soul rings. She had reached level 83 by now.
"Sacrifice? Don't be ridiculous. You're just a soul, without any cultivation. Besides, after resurrection, you'd be human," Xiao Wu dismissed the idea, hoping her mother would stop these absurd thoughts.
"No, I can still sacrifice myself. Since my resurrection would involve creating a new body, as long as it's not at full strength, I can still perform the sacrifice afterward," Xiao Rou explained her naïve plan.
"That actually makes some sense," Xiao Wu agreed, nodding along.
"Uh, have either of you considered my opinion?" Tang San chimed in, only to be met with twin glares from the mother-daughter duo, as if he were intruding on their "conversation."
Helpless, Tang San shrugged, signaling for them to continue.
Resurrection?
Or sacrifice?
If Xiao Rou were the original, Tang San believed resurrection would be ideal. But the indestructible true spirit clearly wasn't the same as the original one, so how could it be the same person?
Memories and soul shells—they can both be replicated!
(End of Chapter)