The white stone tower stood tall, resembling a field of white radishes from afar, and even more so up close.
He Li sat at the base of the stone tower on a small stone stool. Chong Ming and the others, now in human form, were gathered around him, watching him weave grasshoppers from long blades of grass.
On the parapet above the stone tower, Xia Min'ao rested his chin on his right hand, gazing down at the small group. He wondered what was so fascinating about the little grass creations.
After a long while, He Li finished weaving five grasshoppers, one for Chong Ming, Jia Zhi, Ya Yu, Xiao Lan, and Bai.
He Li grinned, "When I was a child, with nothing to play with, I'd weave grasshoppers from grass blades and fold frogs from scrap paper. A pinch and they'd hop, and that was a great toy."
This young man, with an inner emptiness and a touch of sorrow, was now filled with warm smiles. His eyes, like the warm summer sun, looked at the grasshoppers in Chong Ming's hands and he said softly, "Mine aren't very good. That guy's were much better, with two long whiskers and a pair of small, pointed horns."
In the human world, love is hard to fathom, and loyalty unforgettable. He would always remember the elder brother who was swallowed by the sea for him.
He hated the sea, for it had taken away someone so important to him.
Chong Ming and the others didn't understand, feeling a bit lost. Xia Min'ao, who had been watching from above for a long time, smiled. He could easily see through He Li's reminiscence.
Alas, reminiscence is like a dog; it's better to have none.
Remembering the past is good, but getting lost in it, unable to break free, is akin to being trapped in a prison, only confining oneself.
He Li was such a person. His eyes looked towards the future, but his heart remained in the past.
Xia Min'ao sighed softly, resting his arms on the parapet. He called down to He Li, "He Li, want to go for a stroll?"
"Stroll?" He Li was bewildered. This was a battlefield, not a marketplace. Could one stroll here?
For the past few days, He Li hadn't moved. Although the western battlefield was calm, the divine race's resource-plundering squads had not stopped.
He Li had been guarding the Jing Hai, waiting for the divine race's squads to deliver the Flowing Light Boxes. He only needed to absorb the stellar energy from the stars within the boxes. In a while, he would go out and take some time on the western battlefield to absorb all the celestial stellar energy there.
He estimated that once all the celestial stellar energy on the western battlefield was absorbed, even if he couldn't reach the Divine Lord level of the He Yu realm, he should be at the peak of the Liang Zhou realm, not far from the He Yu realm.
"Go where?" He Li looked up at Xia Min'ao and asked.
"Just around the divine race's camp."
"No."
What was there to stroll around in a field of white radishes?
Xia Min'ao was ruthlessly rejected and felt a bit awkward. He didn't mind, however. He chuckled and flew down, sitting beside He Li. He put his right arm around He Li's shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't be so gloomy. You're not bad-looking. Smile more."
It was better not to mention it. The moment it was brought up, He Li felt a pang of discomfort.
He Li turned to look at Xia Min'ao's handsome face, then thought of the other handsome men and beautiful women of the Imperial Spirit Divine Race, and then looked at himself. There was no need to say more; he was definitely not a true member of the Imperial Spirit Divine Race.
With such an ordinary face, he didn't deserve it.
"These years, the western battlefield has become increasingly deserted. The wars are all minor skirmishes, unlike other battlefields with expeditionary missions. Although we always mobilize the divine race's army to support other battlefields, I'm never part of it. It's quite boring."
Xia Min'ao removed his arm from He Li's shoulder and leaned back against the white wall, crossing his right leg over his left. He idly watched the sky and continued,
"I can't leave. I need to stay here for thousands, even millions, of years until I achieve the Divine Lord status and take over from Divine Lord Jie Yuqiang, continuing to guard this desolate battlefield."
Xia Min'ao showed his garrulous side again. In fact, he was pouring out his heart, but he did so in a complaining manner.
He Li looked at Xia Min'ao from the side and asked, "Around when do you think you'll be promoted to Divine Lord?"
Xia Min'ao shrugged and said, "Still a long way off. Among this generation, my talent is the lowest. Achieving Divine Lord status is certain, but it will still take about eight or nine million years.
I don't have the talent of Xia Ye Qi or Xia Ku Duo."
He Li was stunned for a moment.
Seeing He Li's slight pause, Xia Min'ao immediately laughed, "Surprised? It's not that surprising, is it? With Xia Ku Duo's talent, he should have been promoted to Divine Lord long ago, perhaps already in the middle or even high stage of the He Yu realm.
Others can't see that Xia Ku Duo is hiding his strength, but I can.
Xia Ku Duo is a reserved fellow, not ostentatious, just wanting to live freely and unfettered. Of course, there are probably few in the entire universe who are his match, so why wouldn't he be unfettered?"
"You can tell?" He Li asked.
"Of course."
Xia Min'ao looked directly into He Li's eyes, and his pupils suddenly turned a brilliant gold, flashing for a moment.
"I don't have exceptional talent, but I have these eyes."
He Li stared blankly at Xia Min'ao, speechless for a moment. Why was he becoming more and more illusory? What was so special about his eyes?
Gold?
If he wanted to, his eyes could turn into a seven-colored rainbow, or any color imaginable, just by activating them with divine power. What was so special about it?
Xia Min'ao chuckled softly, a hint of melancholy in his voice, "Children who aren't valued in their families always have to learn to read people's expressions. Xia Ye Qi became famous very early, famous in his youth. It's not a joy, but a sorrow. He has to be the leader, the role model, and because of this, he works exceptionally hard, becoming serious and diligent, and cold.
Xia Ku Duo has extremely high talent. He's willing to hide his strength and be indifferent to everything. While we are working hard to cultivate, he is working hard to suppress himself.
Do you know how I discovered this?"
He Li shook his head.
"Because, starting from the early stage of the Virtual God realm, as long as Xia Fu Ling and I were promoted, he would also be promoted. Virtual God realm middle stage, high stage, peak, then Liang Zhou realm.
He never cultivates. As long as he knows we've been promoted, he'll release a trace of his aura to get promoted himself, keeping pace with us.
Xia Min'ao said with a bitter smile, "He's like a dog, always chasing you from behind, not biting you, nor leaving. No matter how hard you run, he'll follow you at a steady pace.
I've had enough. So, I'm not running anymore. Whatever happens, happens."
He Li felt speechless. This wasn't healthy competition; it was bullying.
With his peerless talent, Xia Ku Duo bullied his fellow tribesmen. What was the difference between that and a student who slept in class, played games at home, and still got first place in exams? He was the kind of infuriating prodigy.
He Li reached out and patted Xia Min'ao's shoulder. "Old friend, you've suffered. But, I'm sorry, I'm going to surpass you too."
Xia Min'ao sighed and turned to look at He Li, his eyes filled with melancholy. "Look how miserable I am. Can you accompany me for a stroll?"
He Li heard this and his expression remained blank. The sliver of sympathy in his heart vanished. For the sake of a dog, he removed his hand from Xia Min'ao's shoulder, wiped it on his trouser leg, and said,
"No."
...