That night, Aurelia left Wu Ling's home deep in thought.
Earlier, Wu Ling had answered her question about authority and strength like this: 'When you have no personal strength, authority is strength. When you possess personal strength, strength is authority. Of course, that is just my opinion. If anyone has the same idea, they owe me copyright fees.'
Aurelia ignored the phrase copyright fees, which she did not understand, and began carefully considering the words before it.
Wu Ling's meaning was actually very simple. When a person lacked individual strength, authority within a group became strength. But when a person possessed individual strength, authority was merely a path to gaining strength, or the result of strength itself.
In his previous life, people often used Homelander as an example. The idea was that when an ordinary person suddenly gained abnormal strength, that person's desires would be magnified without limit.
Unlike Wu Ling, Aurelia interpreted his words as a comparison between ordinary people and Spirit Masters. After all, on Soul Land, even a Spirit Master with only a ten-year Spirit Ring held a far higher status than ordinary people.
Once a Spirit Master cultivated to a higher level, especially after surpassing Spirit Adept and entering Spirit Elite, registration with Spirit Hall could directly grant a noble title from the state. The lowest title was baron, and the stronger the Spirit Master, the higher the title.
Although Aurelia agreed with Wu Ling's view, she nodded first, then shook her head. 'I agree with you, but to commoners, they recognize authority more than strength. For example, a Titled Sage is certainly stronger than an imperial emperor. But if both spoke at the same time, most commoners would absolutely obey the emperor.'
'Strength also cannot solve everything. The reason I disguised myself as Xue Qinghe was not only to prove myself. I also wanted to take Polaris without bloodshed, so war would not break out and throw the common people into misery.'
Wu Ling gave a mysterious smile at Aurelia's thoughts. 'Strength may not solve everything, but absolute strength can solve most things. If the strength of a Titled Sage is not enough, then use a god.'
Wu Ling's words shook Aurelia's heart. Even so, she still stubbornly shook her head. 'No. Even if a god's strength could do it, ancestral rules state that gods cannot interfere with the development of the lower world.'
After saying that, Aurelia suddenly noticed that Wu Ling's smile looked a little... odd.
'Why are you smiling?'
'Cough. I thought of something happy.'
Aurelia frowned slightly. Letting one's mind wander while talking to someone was clearly disrespectful. More than that, Wu Ling's perfunctory attitude irritated her. From childhood until now, regardless of what identity she used, no one had dared brush her off. She pressed the question. 'What happy thing?'
'The novel I follow updated.'
Aurelia had just been about to ask what a novel was, but Wu Ling changed the subject first.
'That is why I truly do not understand the thinking of family members like you. Rules are made to be broken. Why do you obey ancestral rules? Because your ancestor became a god, while you are still human. But when you become a god and stand on the same level, you will also possess the power to make ancestral rules.'
'(It is like scoring 700 points on the college entrance exam and having your elders decide the family genealogy starts from you.)'
'At that point, whether you interfere or not is up to you. Even if you can only stay in the lower world briefly, killing a few people as a god should still be very easy.'
'After all, this world is shallow. One glance and you can see the bottom. If I had gone to Lord of Mysteries, Dao of the Bizarre Immortal, or Reverend Insanity instead, I would definitely, without a second word... first kowtow to every named ancestor in my family genealogy. Though I cannot rule out being tricked by my ancestors either.'
Listening to Wu Ling express thoughts so out of place in this world, Aurelia did not fly into a rage this time.
The original Aurelia Cross was already someone who placed interests first. As long as someone brought enough benefit, she could abandon even a Titled Sage Elder who had faithfully served her family's faction. For example, in order to win over Tang San, she had once said she could consider handing Chrysanthemum Sage and Ghost Sage over to him. If Tang San had not also wanted to destroy Spirit Hall, Aurelia might truly have done it.
The current Aurelia was only fifteen, but her personality had already begun to show the shadow of that future self. Her anger last time had mostly come from the unwillingness she felt after losing to Wu Ling.
Wu Ling's words had indeed moved her somewhat. But compared to a simple result, she had not forgotten her other goal: to prove herself. To her grandfather, and to that woman.
'I will think about it again.'
After saying that, Aurelia left Wu Ling's home with him seeing her off.
Watching Aurelia depart, Wu Ling was not in a hurry. She still needed more polishing.
It was like his university roommates in his previous life. Some people had seemed close while they were in school, but after leaving, they never contacted one another again. The ones who truly stayed in touch were those who could quarrel, get angry, reconcile afterward, and still understand each other's bottom line. Only friends who had crossed that kind of emotional threshold could last.
Under the power of Made in Heaven, cross that out, time began to accelerate. Aurelia said one thing and did another, coming over every day to cultivate and chat with Wu Ling.
Half a month later, after dinner one night, Aurelia began saying goodbye.
'It has been half a month. I should go back. Otherwise, I will not be able to keep dragging out the excuse.'
'Mm. I know.'
'This is Xue Qinghe's token. With it, you can move freely through most places in Polaris and come see me. Use it if there is anything you need help with.'
'Leave it there.'
Seeing Wu Ling's flat expression, Aurelia wanted to splash the tea in his face. They had spent half a month together. She was leaving now. Could he not show at least a little emotion?
But Aurelia stared at him for a long time, and Wu Ling kept drinking tea without changing his expression.
'What, do you want to spend the night here before leaving?'
'...Hmph.'
In the end, Aurelia still did not spend the night at Wu Ling's place. To Wu Ling, the current Aurelia remained unimportant. Even when she left the next day, Wu Ling did not interrupt his cultivation plan to see her off. As far as he was concerned, seeing someone off was not part of the plan.
One month after Aurelia left, the annual Martial Soul awakening began once again.