Chapter 548: Differences between people

Facing the tide-like Savage Beasts below, this time the city encountered was smaller, its defensive capabilities weaker, but the Beast Tide was even larger.

"There's a Beast Tide down there too, be careful. I'll steer the ship to the base first; there should be support inside. You need to pay attention," Zhang You cautioned.

Li Shiwei still didn't seem to care much, very relaxed, even saying with a smile, "Don't worry, there are only six Rank Eight Savage Beasts down there... and none are as strong as the very first one we met. Although the scale is large, it's not as bad as that time. The numbers only pose a big threat to these natives; it makes no difference to me~."

After speaking, she patted Zhang You, "Don't worry, I'm going down to teach these Savage Beasts a lesson right now."

"It's not about the Savage Beasts. I'm telling you to pay attention to... casualties. The Beast Tide isn't dangerous to you, but it's very dangerous to the Hunter Sea World people below. Savage Beasts are mindless and unthinking, just a natural phenomenon of this world, but the people below... are alive," Zhang You couldn't help but say.

"Huh? Of course I know they're alive. Otherwise, why would I go save them?" Li Shiwei tilted her head, her expression puzzled, looking quite adorable.

However, she then stretched, saying, "Alright, it's already a mess down there. I'm going to save people now, hero descending!"

She playfully struck a pose, then jumped directly from the flying boat.

Zhang You watched her receding figure and sighed.

She could feel that Li Shiwei still hadn't considered those people to be 'alive.'

In Zhang You's opinion, Li Shiwei probably thought these people were all NPCs, right? She probably thought they were just a game, mere passersby on her path to achieving her goals.

Li Shiwei didn't care about their lives, nor did she care about their opinions. Li Shiwei just wanted to do what she wanted to do and enjoy a sense of accomplishment for the time being.

But what could she say?

She didn't dare to go down and fight. Her strength was only slightly better than those Rank Eight Savage Beasts, far inferior to Li Shiwei.

Zhang You was a very timid person. Although she understood many things in her heart, almost all her actions were based on self-preservation. She actually preferred to stay on the ship, living a daily life, rather than being dragged by Li Shiwei to do this kind of mission.

She knew those people were alive... so what?

Knowing but not acting is equivalent to not knowing.

This was what her grandfather had told Zhang You.

It's just that... her grandfather cultivated martial Dao. When he was young, he was brave and combative, daring to fight even a Rank Seven, so he accumulated many hidden injuries. In his old age, his Qi and blood rapidly declined, and he failed to Breakthrough to Rank Seven at the Peak of Rank Eight, severing his Dao path, and eventually died of old age.

It was watching her grandfather's decaying appearance in his old age that made her unwilling to practice martial arts, instead turning to cultivate Daoist cultivation methods, and she utterly detested combat and dangerous living.

However, looking at the battle below, seeing those soldiers, she still felt... a little unbearable.

If it's unbearable, then so be it. What else could she do? She could handle one Rank Eight Savage Beast, two with difficulty, and three would put her at a disadvantage.

Unlike Li Shiwei, it was only a matter of time before she cleared out all the Savage Beasts below; these Beast Tides couldn't harm her at all.

Zhang You looked down, sighed deeply, and piloted the flying boat towards the base within the city.

No matter what, she still didn't want to... no, that's not right.

She was afraid.

In contrast to Li Shiwei's utter lack of reverence, she feared all conflict.

The two young people each had their own characteristics, but each made their own choices.

The flying boat flew over the battlefield, and the two friends made different choices, thus, passing each other by.

Li Shiwei landed below. In her view, although somewhat disgusting, whether it was severed limbs or Savage Beast corpses, they all... lacked any real sense of reality.

To be honest, it was quite disgusting, but it didn't look real, so she didn't feel any psychological pressure.

For the Little rabbit, there was no actual feeling.

How to put it... it's like, you hear that a small country on the other side of the Pacific Ocean had an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, with countless dead and injured.

Perhaps you'd sigh, perhaps you'd use it as conversation fodder, but... would anyone truly feel that such a thing is terrifying, that those who died and were injured are truly pitiful?

It can even be said that even if you feel those people are pitiful... so what? Can you conjure the face of any single disaster victim in your mind? Do you know their stories? If you feel pity, then what exactly are you pitying?

Is it those disaster victims 'imagined' in your mind, or are you truly pitying every single specific person who was actually injured or died?

This is a very interesting point.

Would anyone truly... develop a 'real sense' for these people?

People might feel a sense of death, a suffocating feeling, when they see their parents or grandparents die of old age, but seeing tens of thousands of people die far away on the news might not even cause a ripple.

Li Shiwei was like this.

She had no real sense for the Hunter Sea World natives below.

Now, she really enjoyed this feeling of being a hero.

— — — — — — — — — —

Meanwhile, on Li Qi's side, he continued his daily life as usual, doing what he needed to do every day.

However, he had one more thing to do these past few years.

That was, every year, the merchant association would compile a report on Li Shiwei's activities and inform him.

Li Qi would not interfere with Li Shiwei's choices, but he was still very curious to see what kind of reputation this Little rabbit could make for herself out there.

He knew very well that Li Shiwei was not some heaven-sent Genius, a peerless Prodigy.

He, Li Qi, was not considered a peerless Prodigy in the world. His children were only slightly stronger than ordinary people. Li Shiwei, whether in Heart-Nature, intelligence, or Aptitude, was actually of High Grade in the world, but still very far from a true Genius.

Of course, this 'very far' is in comparison to the likes of the Wushan Divine Maiden Yao Ji, or the Demonic Prince, the Little Celestial Master, and Liu Junyi, who are on that Rank of formidable individuals.

These people have excellent Heart-Nature, profound foundations, Comprehension Ability that seems like cheating, and Aptitude that is beyond description. Li Qi estimates that he can only compare his Comprehension Ability and Aptitude with them, and he might not even be able to surpass them.

As for foundation and Heart-Nature... Li Qi is far inferior to them.

Speaking of Heart-Nature alone, Li Qi is still troubled by 'courage' to this day, unsure how to become firm, but the Demonic Prince and the Little Celestial Master have not wasted any time on this at all. These true super Geniuses have Perfection in Heart-Nature, are wise and brave, and are completely untroubled by such matters.

But no matter what, Li Shiwei is far stronger than most people in the world, and even most worlds outside the domain, and her starting point is much higher.

The Little rabbit actually has a very fiery temper, no patience, and while enthusiastic, she is also very impetuous.

I remember the stone from back then, the jade body was locked within the rock, and it was because he mocked Li Shiwei that she, in a fit of rage, kicked him flying, shattering him, which allowed him to break out of the stone.

Although it was a blessing in disguise, it was enough to show Li Shiwei's disposition.

With such a personality, Li Qi was genuinely worried that she might cause some trouble outside. He still needed to inquire thoroughly and analyze the specific situation.

After all, she's his biological child. Although letting her go out and explore is a reasonable thing to do, if something goes wrong, the Rabbit could eat Li Qi alive.

Without even chewing.

Reading Li Shiwei's annual report, Li Qi was somewhat surprised.

This was really quite... uh, how should I put it?

It was quite peaceful.

Li Qi had thought Li Shiwei would cause some kind of ruckus, but instead, she spent her first year very peacefully, which was quite good.

Was it the credit of her friend named Zhang You?

Yes, friends would also influence her. According to the report, Zhang You is a calm person, so perhaps the two complement each other?

Good, good.

"What are you looking at?" At this moment, Rabbit appeared from behind Li Qi, curiously looking at the paper in his hand.

"Shi Wei's situation." Li Qi didn't hide anything. They were an old couple; there was no need to hide anything. Li Qi basically had no secrets from Rabbit, and Rabbit was the same with Li Qi.

Mortal couples living together can achieve tacit understanding in just a few decades. They had already spent twice the time of Mortals together, so naturally, there would be no more awkwardness.

"Shi Wei's situation? Let me see." Rabbit reached out, took the report from Li Qi's hand, and began to read it carefully.

Soon, she finished reading, but her expression wasn't very good.

Shen Shuibi sighed deeply, "Alas, she's still..."

"Isn't she doing quite well? What's wrong? It's only been a year since she left," Li Qi said with a smile.

Yes, it had only been a year.

Li Qi seemed to have grown accustomed to the time concept of long-lived beings. Decades ago, Li Qi was still suffering from the slow passage of time, feeling bored and even fearful of the repetitive work that lasted for decades or even centuries, day after day.

For a Mortal, if you tell him he has to keep moving bricks for seventy years, the Mortal would probably want to kill someone, their sanity might even collapse, and they might rather commit suicide than move bricks.

But for a long-lived being, let alone seventy years, moving bricks for seven hundred years would be just like that.

For example, Li Qi now, his human body's small world is already extremely complex. Every time he has a new insight and wants to integrate it into the existing operation of his human body's small world, he has to sort through everything from before. This process takes at least ten years, and he has to shut himself in the stone room, dedicating all his time to this task.

To this day, he finally understood that this was the true 'seclusion.' In reality, it was just taking some time to complete the daily work of cultivation, but this 'daily' time would be relatively long.

Long to the point that Mortals would find it inconceivable.

Shen Shuibi finished reading the report, understanding her daughter's demeanor well, and shook her head, "Given Shi Wei's situation, I don't think it will be long before she gets tired of things on the ship. At that time, she will probably go into those worlds to pursue her goals, and danger will surely arise. Should you go to the outer domain? Or should I instruct Yang Ning to keep an eye on her, to avoid any accidents? There are too many powerful beings in the outer domain. You and I are only Rank Five or Rank Six. If we truly provoke some powerful being, there will likely be a lot of trouble."

"No need. She's not stupid. Although she's still young, she's not an arrogant or rude person. She won't provoke others. Besides, if she really offends someone, it only means she deserves a beating. Learning a lesson isn't a bad thing," Li Qi said with a smile, not caring about these matters at all.

Although Li Shiwei was irritable... or rather, lively, she still had manners. Li Qi believed she wouldn't have any arrogant thoughts.

That's enough. Let the child go her own way.

Shen Shuibi frowned but said nothing.

After all, it had only been a year. What could be done in a year? She would wait and see. When the next report arrived, if it was still not good, even if Li Qi didn't go, she would still instruct Yang Ning.

— — — — — — — — — —

Meanwhile, Li Shiwei and Zhang You in the Hunter Sea World successfully completed their mission.

Not only did they complete the mission, but Li Shiwei also gained a lot of fame. She was one of the few merchant association members who were willing to help the Hunter Sea World natives without compensation.

Moreover, even if someone had been willing to offer assistance before, none were as strong as Li Shiwei.

Li Shiwei truly impressed the Hunter Sea World natives with her strength.

Because during this month of performing the mission, perhaps by luck, Li Shiwei actually encountered the legendary Lord of the Beast Tide, a Rank Seven Savage Beast.

The entire Hunter Sea World only had four or five Rank Seven Savage Beasts, and Li Shiwei actually encountered one.

Facing a Rank Seven, even Li Shiwei found it very difficult.

Moreover, the merchant association's attitude towards this Rank Seven Savage Beast was 'don't interfere,' because the Savage Beasts were a continuous source, and the merchant association had a continuous supply of resources. The meaning of the Hunter Sea World's existence was actually these Savage Beasts.

If the Savage Beasts were completely eradicated, then the Hunter Sea World would directly transform from a resource world into an ordinary Rank Seven world, greatly reducing its value and causing significant losses.

A Rank Seven world, even for the merchant association, was a very precious asset, so they even transmitted a message from afar, instructing Li Shiwei not to kill this Savage Beast. Other than that, they did nothing.

This was truly overestimating the Little rabbit; she was almost crippled by the Rank Seven. Fortunately, Zhang You, at that moment, overcame her fear and appeared in time. The two of them teamed up and repelled the Savage Beast.

Savage Beasts, after all, have no intelligence. When they are hurt, they naturally retreat. If not for this, the Hunter Sea World natives would not have been able to sustain themselves for so long without any Rank Seven cultivators.

After that incident, Zhang You was severely injured, but Li Shiwei was unharmed thanks to the protection of the stone. Fortunately, she had plenty of various medicines on her, which prevented Zhang You from suffering any lasting after-effects.

The two best friends truly became companions in life and death.

Moreover, compared to those things, the gains from this unexpected event were even greater: Li Shiwei felt... a certain Rank Seven opportunity.

She seemed to vaguely hear... the cries of a world, a kind of worship directed at her.

Her prestige in the Hunter Sea World reached its Peak.

If she were to refine this worship at this moment and use it as her Dao foundation, she might be able to step into the Divine Dao!

However, Li Shiwei easily crushed this idea, directly severing this worship.

It was meaningless; she didn't want to become a god.

Nevertheless, she still gained something.

That was... she felt that being a hero seemed pretty good. In the next world, she would play it like this too, right?