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…In the magnificent temple of the God Realm.
The light mirror clearly reflected the absurd scene unfolding on the coast of the lower World—Bo Saixi's carefully prepared hint was perfectly interpreted by Xuan Ming as an "interstellar exploration invitation."
The God Kings watched Xuan Ming earnestly discussing the "sea of stars," and Bo Saixi's instantly stiff, almost cracking expression, each with different looks on their faces.
The God of Evil stroked his chin, his eyes full of amusement: "Tsk tsk, this kid… apart from getting stronger and running away, he really doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. Poseidon, your Grand Priest's wink was thrown at a blind man."
Poseidon's face was somewhat dark. Looking at his Grand Priest's dejected appearance in the light mirror, he felt both heartache and helplessness: "Whose fault is that? Who made you all push him so hard in the previous God Tests? He now sees everything as a God Realm conspiracy, thinking we're ready to turn hostile at any moment!"
The God of Destruction's body flickered with faint purple lightning, and his deep voice rang out, carrying a hint of solemnity: "He not only thinks that, but he's already preparing for it. Forcibly breaking through level 100, leaving this star system, and searching for God energy in unknown places… This idea is very dangerous."
A "true god" who had just broken through level 100 and had not yet condensed a God Position, in the vast and unknown universe, was like an infant walking among wolves. The process of condensing a God Position was even more perilous, requiring an absolutely safe environment and massive energy support. Doing it in an unfamiliar star system would result in a minuscule success rate, almost equivalent to gambling his life.
The God of Kindness frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of worry: "He has prepared for the worst. It seems our previous trials indeed made him feel immense pressure and uncertainty, to the extent that he would rather fight for that slim chance of survival than completely entrust his fate to the God Test."
"Hmph, he does have some resolve," the Asura God commented coldly, but there was not much appreciation in the depths of his eyes; instead, there was a hint of doubt.
Xuan Ming's "rather be shattered jade than intact tile" personality meant that if pushed too hard, he might truly do anything.
The God of Evil turned his gaze to Poseidon, his tone carrying obvious skepticism: "Poseidon, see? Your Fourth God Test, which seems easy, might be more ruthless than all our previous God Tests combined! At most, we tempered his will and tested his abilities. But you, you directly challenged his human weakness and messed with his mentality!"
He pointed at Xuan Ming's serious face in the light mirror, like an "interstellar comrade-in-arms," and then pointed at Bo Saixi, who looked utterly despondent: "Does this look like a situation where a romantic relationship can be resolved? This is clearly about tricking the Grand Priest onto a pirate ship to wander the universe together! If this trend continues, let alone making him clarify his feelings, he's probably going to turn everyone who has a slight interest in him into comrades exploring unknown star systems!"
The God of Destruction echoed in a deep voice, purple lightning crackling around him: "Evil is right. This assessment is beyond his difficulty level. If he consistently fails to understand, or gives up completely out of annoyance, choosing that most extreme path… wouldn't our previous investment and observation be in vain? We might even personally force him into becoming a potential powerful enemy, full of resentment towards the God Realm, wandering the universe."
Poseidon was somewhat speechless, and his face also showed some embarrassment.
He had originally just wanted to take the opportunity to set up his Grand Priest and observe Xuan Ming's reaction to romance. Who would have thought this guy wouldn't play by the rules at all!
He could solve so many difficult problems before, but now he couldn't handle this easy one?
"Then… what should we do now?" Poseidon asked with some lack of confidence, "Should we cancel the Fourth God Test?"
The Asura God was silent for a moment, a light flickering in his blood-red eyes, before finally speaking coldly: "No need to cancel."
He looked at Xuan Ming in the light mirror: "Enough pressure has been given. It's time to let him see some hope and leeway. Let him understand that the God Realm doesn't necessarily have to be his enemy; coexistence and cooperation are possible."
"As for this Fourth God Test…" the Asura God paused, "Give him more time and observe the follow-up. If he truly cannot comprehend, there's no need to force it. After all, our primary goal is to resolve the hidden dangers left by the Dragon God, and to observe if he has the ability and temperament to bear it, not to actually force him to deal with these romantic entanglements."
The God of Destruction and the God of Kindness nodded slightly, indicating agreement. Continuing to dwell on this matter might indeed be counterproductive.
"But why wasn't he like this with Bibi Dong's matter?" Poseidon asked, puzzled, "Didn't Xuan Ming handle Bibi Dong's matter quite well before? Why has he suddenly changed completely now? Has his brain suddenly stopped working?"
The God of Evil scoffed at the remark, his eyes full of mockery: "Poseidon, use your brain and think. What was the situation with Bibi Dong? That was a life-or-death crisis where the Rakshasa God Trial was stagnant, divine force conflicted, and she could lose control or even perish at any moment! In Xuan Ming's eyes, that was a genuine, legitimate problem and threat that required the use of power and wisdom to solve!"
He pointed at Xuan Ming in the light mirror, who was still trying to analyze the "pros and cons of interstellar travel" with Bo Saixi, "Now look! Your Grand Priest is dressed to the nines, talking to him about romance, about heartbeats, about watching the sea together… In Xuan Ming's crisis-filled mind, what kind of serious business is that? Can that be compared to life and death?"
The God of Destruction's deep voice rang out, "His thought pattern has solidified due to excessive pressure. In his perception, only cultivation, combat, crisis response, and future planning are clear and definite tasks. Emotional entanglements, especially ambiguous expressions that don't contain direct threats, are completely outside his scope of understanding, and he might even subconsciously categorize them as distractions or invalid information."
The God of Kindness also nodded gently, adding: "Moreover, when dealing with Bibi Dong's problem, he had a clear goal, but now this Fourth God Test requires him to sort out his emotions and clarify relationships… This itself is a vague, subjective problem with no fixed solution, which precisely hits his weakest Domain."
The Asura God's cold gaze swept across the light mirror, finally settling on Xuan Ming's serious but completely off-track face, and he concluded: "Simply put, he can handle how to save a crumbling demigod, but he cannot understand how to respond to a lady's subtle affections."
Poseidon opened his mouth, looking at Xuan Ming in the light mirror who was still eloquently discussing the "dangers of other Worlds," and Bo Saixi next to him, whose eyes were vacant and who had begun to doubt life. In the end, all his words turned into a long, frustrated sigh.
He finally understood.
It wasn't that Xuan Ming's brain had suddenly stopped working; it was that his brain simply wasn't thinking in that direction at all!
This kid had the wrong idea!
The God of Evil looked at Poseidon's crestfallen expression and laughed gleefully: "So, Poseidon, for your Fourth God Test, unless you can find a way to package romance as a life-or-death crisis that he needs to deal with with all his might, otherwise…"
A subtle silence fell over the temple. The God Kings, for the first time facing a mortal, felt a sense of near powerlessness when confronted with that unyielding "stubborn stone" from the lower World.
This guy could pass the most rigorous tests in the most insane ways, but he could also interpret the most gentle hints into the most preposterous exploration plans with the most serious attitude.
His thought process was truly miraculous!