Hearing Su Cheng's words, the Blue Silver King, who had previously been calm, seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected praise.
It deeply respected and was grateful to Su Cheng, and in the past, even had a faint sense of fear toward him.
Of course, that fear had diminished greatly by now.
Aside from the influence of the relationship between Su Cheng and Ah Yin, the most important factor was the change in Su Cheng's aura.
In the past, the deepest impression Su Cheng had left on the Blue Silver King was when he first came here and unintentionally released a will of destruction after condensing his fifth soul ring.
That feeling of annihilating everything, of the world collapsing, was truly terrifying.
The concepts of death and life can be considered natural enemies, and plant-type soul beasts inherently possess some life attributes, making them naturally averse to death.
However, the aura that Su Cheng emitted at that time was not merely the intent of death but a sense of annihilation that far exceeded its imagination.
If the world no longer existed, how could life or death matter?
Under the impact of such an aura, the Blue Silver King's animal instincts constantly issued frenzied warnings.
As for Su Cheng bringing Zhu Zhuqing, with whom he clearly had a deep connection, to the Blue Silver Grass Forest to condense a soul ring, the Blue Silver King didn't really mind.
Just like it had said to Ah Yin earlier, it had seen too many different types of human relationships, so it didn't consider it a problem.
Not only did it find Su Cheng's behavior acceptable, but it also wouldn't see any issue if Ah Yin wanted to interact with many men simultaneously.
Human understanding of ethics is always evolving. When you look at it from a long-term perspective, Su Cheng's situation isn't particularly special. In fact, in more ancient times, there was even a matriarchal society.
But this was just its objective viewpoint.
As for how the individuals involved perceived their relationships and how they chose to handle and respond to them, the Blue Silver King, with its wisdom, certainly wouldn't make blind assumptions.
"Thank you for your praise," the Blue Silver King said humbly. "But what exactly did you mean by 'the power of the earth' that you mentioned earlier?"
"Hmm, it's just a metaphor. I haven't seen any examples that fully match this situation yet, so how should I describe it..."
Su Cheng glanced at Ah Yin, who was sitting not far away, silently watching him, and furrowed his brows in thought.
During their time together, it wasn't just about intimacy; they also conducted serious physical examinations. Su Cheng often studied Ah Yin's energy attributes during these sessions.
He was surprised to discover that her attributes weren't the so-called "natural power" he had imagined.
Although Su Cheng had never truly seen what natural power was, he had seen the existence of this energy in simulated rewards.
With his current knowledge, he could speculate a bit.
It was nothing more than a special power that balanced ecosystems and controlled nature, granting the wielder a broader life force and even some degree of immortality.
Taking it a step further, one might be able to harness various natural environments to fight, essentially possessing an immensely powerful domain.
This trait indeed aligned with Ah Yin's situation and was very close to her original development path.
But there was more to it than that.
As Su Cheng delved deeper, especially when he used his true power to probe Ah Yin's energy changes, he discovered that her energy wasn't just extraordinarily resilient but also gave him a sense of an unfathomable nourishing ability. It could accelerate the generation and destruction of Su Cheng's true power and speed up the fusion of his soul and body.
This was quite strange.
If it were merely vigorous vitality, it should manifest in nourishing the physical body. How could it possibly affect his true power?
Moreover, the regenerative ability of this energy, aside from its wood attributes, reminded Su Cheng of his first earth attribute soul skill.
That first soul ring, taken from a soul beast with the bloodline of the Earth Dragon King, granted him a powerful soul skill.
After using it, not only could it enhance his strength, endurance, and resilience, but whenever he stood on the ground, he would faintly feel as if he was connected to the bloodline of the earth, with a gentle stream of energy constantly flowing into his body from beneath his feet.
Similarly, Su Cheng felt a heavy, earth-like presence in Ah Yin, as if she could bear the weight of all things.
This wasn't just any ordinary wood or earth attribute; it even had the essence of the Five Elements Domain after complete evolution.
However, unlike his balanced Five Elements, Ah Yin's power leaned more towards growth and nurturing.
"You can think of it as the earth beneath our feet being, to her, like an expanded version of the Blue Silver Grass Forest. As long as she stands on this planet, she can fight using the power of the world," Su Cheng explained.
He then glanced at the Blue Silver King in front of him. "Hmm, just like how you can draw strength from the Blue Silver Grass Forest. Of course, the amplification between you and her is worlds apart."
"Has Her Majesty become that powerful?" The Blue Silver King was astonished.
It understood very well what Su Cheng's words implied.
As an eighty-thousand-year-old soul beast, the Blue Silver King was still far from reaching the hundred-thousand-year mark. The bottleneck that troubled it was not just time but also bloodline.
But within this forest, its combat power could rival that of a peak Douluo, which showed how much external environment amplification could enhance its strength.
If Ah Yin had the entire earth, the whole planet, as her backing, her power would be unimaginable.
"She's still far from that," Su Cheng said with a wry smile, seeing through the Blue Silver King's thoughts.
"Right now, it's just in its infancy. She doesn't even fully understand how to use this power, let alone employ it in combat. It will take a lot of time to accumulate.
"Think about it—how long did it take you from birth to gradually mastering the entire Blue Silver Grass Forest? And her situation is much more complicated than yours.
"Even though Ah Yin's potential is astounding, reaching that point will take more time than you can imagine."
As he said this, a thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes, and he mused, "But that doesn't mean it's useless in battle. At least it could place her in an undefeated position.
"If in the past, her claim of 'immortality' as the Blue Silver Emperor was a bit exaggerated, then now, on this planet, no one can truly kill her.
"Only extremely powerful and specific divine powers might have a chance to harm her. As for erasing her completely, that would likely require the power of gods like the God of Asura or the God of Destruction."
Hearing this, the Blue Silver King's expression grew more astonished. "Did you just mention divine power? Has Her Majesty's bloodline reached that level?"
Although the Blue Silver King was knowledgeable, its understanding of deities was limited.
It only knew that gods were beings far beyond ordinary creatures.
There had been a "God of Angels" who appeared on this continent ten thousand years ago, a being stronger than a titled Douluo.
But it had only heard of this being.
As for how powerful the God of Angels truly was, it had no chance to witness it firsthand.
"The key isn't in the bloodline," Su Cheng casually explained. "The Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline is just one factor, serving as a foundation. But her evolution to this point is the result of many fortuitous encounters.
"In the end, it's just a special type of soul power. To truly transcend the limitations of a soul master requires other opportunities."
He glanced at Ah Yin in the distance with a faint smile on his face. "Don't worry, I'll help her."
The technique Su Cheng practiced, known as the 'Innate Technique,' had unique effects on individuals with special qualities. This was both due to the characteristics of the technique and the nature of this world.
Just like the profession of 'soul master,' there was no fixed path for development.
Because different soul masters awaken different martial souls, which are closely connected to their souls, it naturally leads to many variations.
For example, Qian Renxue's breakthrough was primarily due to her unique soul and martial soul, supplemented by her practice of the Innate Technique and deeper insights into the technique, allowing her to succeed.
With this precedent, Su Cheng had enough confidence that he could also help Ah Yin take the next step.
In fact, her current unique form might be the true developmental path that the Blue Silver Emperor should choose.
The path might be different, but the destination would be similar.
After all, she was the only monarch nurtured by the bloodline of an entire species. How could she be as ordinary as other soul beasts?
For any creature, the exceptional members of the species often had extraordinary traits, sometimes even bearing special missions. This was known as the species' destiny.
Of course, it wasn't necessarily the Blue Silver Emperor who could achieve such a feat. Other soul beasts with thriving bloodlines, whether plant-type or animal-type, might also have similar opportunities.
But choosing the right path wasn't easy.
For these soul beasts, their beastly instincts have determined that during their development and evolution, they mostly follow established patterns—either transforming into human form or continuing to grow with age, with little room for innovation.
But regardless of the path they choose, they are unlikely to easily abandon the physical body they painstakingly cultivated and go through the trouble of creating a new one.
Of course, without any prior experience, it's indeed challenging to reach such a level.
At least, given Ah Yin's intellect, Su Cheng doubted that even if she acquired a wealth of knowledge, she'd have no chance of doing so...
"What's with that look?"
Just as Su Cheng was silently mocking her in his heart, Ah Yin seemed to detect the faint disdain and certain malicious intent hidden deep in his eyes.
She immediately sensed something and questioned him aloud.
"Hm? I just think you're remarkable—a true queen of the Blue Silver Grass Clan, quite extraordinary."
"…"
Ah Yin looked skeptical.
But for the moment, she couldn't ask much more. She pressed her lips together and fell back into silence.
Seeing this, Su Cheng chuckled softly, turning to the Blue Silver King. "Speaking of which, why didn't you teach her some common sense before she left the Blue Silver Grass Forest? She seems so easily deceived."
"That was my oversight. I just thought Her Majesty also needed to grow on her own, and her bloodline powers were already sufficient to ensure her safety. It was Her Majesty's own decision to enter human society, and I had no right to interfere. However, I did tell her about many human things. Perhaps that's why Her Majesty chose the path of transformation back then," the Blue Silver King sighed.
On its aged face, made of intertwined bark and vines, a hint of regret and guilt emerged.
"I never expected that something like that would happen, making us almost lose Her Majesty. To us, the Blue Silver Grass Clan, she's like a mother—irreplaceably important. We're truly grateful to you for resurrecting Her Majesty and bringing her back to us."
"No need to say that. Ah Yin is just as significant to me."
"If Her Majesty had transformed later, or if she had met you sooner, she wouldn't have gone through those ordeals, endured prolonged suffering, or sacrificed herself in vain. Without that sacrifice, most human powerhouses wouldn't have had a chance to truly harm Her Majesty, who possesses the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline."
Hearing this from a distance, Ah Yin's body trembled slightly, and her face paled.
She lightly pursed her lips but couldn't find the words to speak.
She didn't understand why the Blue Silver King would bring up these things in front of Su Cheng.
Whenever the past was mentioned—Tang Hao, Tang San, the sacrifice—it always left her feeling a deep unease.
Su Cheng probably wouldn't feel comfortable hearing about it either.
That's normal, though. After all, she wasn't pure. No matter how much he claimed not to care, how could he truly be without a shred of resentment?
What Ah Yin didn't know was that the Blue Silver King was deliberately bringing up these topics.
It understood that Ah Yin was always somewhat concerned about these matters. Over the past year, since returning to the Blue Silver Grass Forest, her behavior had made that clear.
As her family, the Blue Silver King naturally shared similar concerns. After all, Su Cheng was a pure human, and such concerns might be even more serious for him.
However, there's a saying in the human world: "What is habitual becomes natural."
If these matters were constantly avoided and treated as taboo, they would only become more severe over time. They'd fester into a knot that would eventually explode, with potentially disastrous consequences.
Rather than letting that happen, it was better to bring up these topics while their relationship was still strong. The more they talked about it, the more the issue would be downplayed over time.
Compared to Ah Yin's avoidance, the more experienced Blue Silver King understood this much better.
However, Su Cheng's response caught both of them off guard.
He glanced at the Blue Silver King, downed the last mouthful of Hundred Flowers Brew from his wine jug, and calmly said, "You're wrong about that."
"Wrong?" The Blue Silver King asked in surprise.
"Wrong. Completely wrong."
Su Cheng tossed the empty jug aside, leaned back, and used his arm as a pillow under his head.
His eyes seemed to gaze at the dense canopy overhead, yet also through the leaves to the distant sky.
"If I had met her earlier, that would have been nice, but is it too late now? As long as we meet, it's a gift of fate. There's no regret in missing it.
"As for the sacrifice... there's no such thing as a 'wasted' sacrifice. Because it was her choice, and she never regretted it. That's enough. Since Ah Yin chose to live as a human, you shouldn't judge her actions and decisions from the perspective of the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Whether it was out of emotion, impulse, or some belief, being human means there are things more important than life and death. When the time comes to choose, even if you're terrified, you still have to face it."
Su Cheng turned his head, adjusted to a more comfortable position, and sighed.
"Overcoming the instinct to cling to life and the fear of facing death isn't something everyone can do. When the moment comes, you realize just how difficult that choice is."
His mind replayed the scene from Spirit Hall when Qian Renxue thrust her sword forward.
Blocking such a terrifying strike—even he wasn't confident he could survive it unscathed. How could he not feel fear?
But even so, it was better than letting them die because of him.
"Being smart or stupid is a matter of intellect. But bravery or cowardice is a matter of character," Su Cheng said softly.
"Unfortunately, some people don't appreciate this. Even if they survive, they're nothing but walking corpses, forever haunted by guilt and pain, trapped in weakness and indecision, wasting the sacrifices of others.
"But when it comes to your own actions and choices, why care about what others give in return? If you want to do something, then do it. The gains, losses, and worth are for you to know, not for others to judge."
"So that's how you see it," the Blue Silver King sighed. "I think I finally understand why Her Majesty chose to be with you."
"You understand nothing. She didn't choose me because of that," Su Cheng thought to himself, rolling his eyes internally.
At that moment, a large shadow suddenly loomed over him, blocking the sunlight that filtered through the branches and leaves.
At the same time, a faint breeze and a delicate fragrance wafted over.
Su Cheng glanced to the side, lazily waving his hand, "Move your big chest away. You're blocking my sunlight."
"Su! Cheng!"
At those words, Ah Yin's expression instantly shifted from soft and shy to utterly embarrassed and angry.
She could no longer maintain her usual grace and calm demeanor. She lunged forward and covered his mouth with her hand.
Her voice came out through gritted teeth, "Can you be a little more mindful of the occasion when you speak!"