As soon as Sang Mei realized that she was being indecent, she stopped talking. Ye Guan fell into deep thought. Sang Mei's words made him realize certain things. As she said, staying in one's comfort zone is undoubtedly the most comfortable. There was no need to improve, study, or work hard. One could just muddle through each day. And right now, Ye Guan could do exactly that. As long as he returned to the Guanxuan Universe and released his aunt's sword energy there, who could possibly do anything to him? In the Guanxuan Universe, he was invincible. He wouldn't have to fear being bullied or being ganged up on. That would undoubtedly be a very comfortable lifestyle. Would he be able to grow from it, though? Without a doubt, it was unlikely. While the outside world had stronger enemies, it was also filled with opportunities and challenges. If he could endure them, he would surely grow. Since he had chosen to venture out, he ought to carve out his own place, rather than living in comfort and accomplishing nothing. Ye Guan had to admit that he missed the Great Daoist Brush Master. Without him and his adversaries pushing him forward, life was becoming a bit too dull. Thinking about that, Ye Guan chuckled. He turned to look at Sang Mei beside him and saw that she had returned to normal. Ye Guan smiled and said, "I remember the first time we met, you were inside a coffin. What happened to you?" Sang Mei's smile faded and she sighed. "I was sick." "I was careless and fell sick." "Was it serious?" asked Ye Guan. Sang Mei shook her head slightly, feeling a little depressed. "It doesn't really matter whether it was serious or not. What I care about is that I fell out with a very close sister. Sigh..." Ye Guan thought for a moment, then said, "My aunt is amazing. She's all-rounded. When you meet her, I can ask her to check up on you." Sang Mei turned to Ye Guan and Sang Mei smiled. "Thank you for your kindness. But,even your aunt would not be able to cure this illness." "Let's not talk about this anymore. Come, I'll take you somewhere." The two quickened their pace. Suddenly, Ye Guan asked, "Will we become enemies?" Sang Mei turned to him, smiling. "I don't think so." "The world isn't purely black or white," she answered seriously. "There needs to be more possibilities, more voices." Ye Guan nodded thoughtfully. "Would you want to be my enemy?" Sang Mei asked cheekily. "No," Ye Guan answered immediately, "I want to be your friend." Sang Mei patted his shoulder. "Little swordsman, aren't we already friends?" "Since we're friends, does that mean you'll forgive the money that I owe you." Ye Guan's smile instantly froze. "Let's separate business from friendship." Sang Mei rolled her eyes. "You're so stingy." Ye Guan hastily changed the subject. "Are we almost there yet?" After wandering deeper into the outskirts, he realized they were far from the city. This area was filled with shabby, crumbling stone houses and had a foul stench of decay. Ye Guan was shocked. He hadn't expected such a place to exist within the opulent Temple of Gods City. Sang Mei led him forward without saying a word. As they continued inward, he noticed more dilapidated dwellings and ragged residents who looked like refugees. Then, he realized they were refugees. "Sister Sang!" A voice called. A girl about thirteen dashed forward. She was about to hug Sang Mei, but she hesitated, wary of dirtying her clothes. She nervously clutched her clothes, feeling both excited and anxious. Sang Mei squatted down and gently held her dirty hands. "Little Ran..." The girl beamed. "Sister Sang! Daddy's healed. Come..." With that, she pulled Sang Mei away. Ye Guan followed them to a small, dilapidated stone house. In front sat a man who was about forty and wearing what looked like a bunch of rags. He had only one leg. "Dad!" Little Ran ran over and said excitedly, "Sister Sang Mei is here." The man used a crutch to stand. He seemed a little reserved. "Lady Sang Mei, please have a seat." Little Ran quickly fetched a chair from the side. She vigorously wiped it with her sleeves and placed it in front of Sang Mei. "Little Ran, get a chair for this young man, too." Little Ran ran into the house and brought out another chair. She wiped it just as hard and placed it in front of Ye Guan. "Please take a seat." "Thank you," Ye Guan said with a smile. Sang Mei looked at Little Ran's father and smiled. "Zhu Yun, your illness seems fully healed." Sang Me quickly responded, "All thanks to you, miss... Your great kindness—" Sang Mei smiled, "It's a small matter." "Go ahead, let me see if I can help." "Lady Sang Mei, you saved my life. I shouldn't ask for more, but..." Zhu Yun sighed softly. He looked at Little Ran with love and sorrow. "Lady Sang Mei, could you take Little Ran with you? She's obedient and hardworking. You only need to give her enough to eat—" "Dad!" She rushed over and grabbed his hand, shaking her head. "No... I won't go." Zhu Yun sighed, saying, "There's no future for you here." Little Ran lowered her head. "I won't go." Zhu Yun looked at Sang Mei with pleading eyes. He knew what he was asking was too much, but he had no choice. He was crippled. If Little Ran were to stay here, it would be hard for her to survive. Faced with a choice between Little Ran's future and his dignity, he chose Little Ran without hesitation. Sang Mei thought for a moment and said, "I'll think about it, okay?" Seeing that she hadn't refused outright, Zhu Yun quickly said, "Okay, okay..." Sang Mei smiled. "Little Ran, come here." Little Ran walked over. Sang Mei gently wiped the dirt from her face, and then she handed her a bag of food. "Take good care of your dad. My friend and I will visit again in a few days." Little Ran nodded quickly. "Okay!" Ye Guan and Sang Mei stood and left. Behind them, Little Ran whispered, "Dad, I don't want to leave you." Zhu Yun said, "If you stay, you'll never have a future..." "I know," Little Ran said, "But if I leave, you'll die..." Zhu Yun said, "If you can leave this place, I'll be happy even if I die..." Little Ran choked. "I don't want—" Zhu Yun's voice grew stern. "Remember, Sister Sang is no ordinary person. Meeting her is a blessing beyond ten lifetimes. If she's willing to take you, you must go with her..." "Dad, I don't want to become an orphan..." On the dirty and chaotic street outside... Ye Guan looked around, sighing. "I didn't expect there to be such a place in the Temple of Gods City..." Sang Mei glanced around and softly said, "This place is the slums. At least tens of millions live here..." Ye Guan was shocked. "Tens of millions?" "Because of the Temple of the Gods' promotion system, the so-called 'gods' only care about elites and geniuses with potential. Those people are their personal achievements. As for the others, they're deemed worthless and are denied any support." Sang Mei paused and said, "And over time, more 'worthless' people will appear, and they will be left to fend for themselves..." Ye Guan frowned. "The Divinity hasn't intervened yet?" Sang Mei replied coldly, "Heard of the term, 'bottom of the barrel?'" "The people here are too weak. Their faith power is nearly useless to the Main Gods. Simply put, they are worthless to those in power. Even if the current Main Gods are replaced, they'll be treated the same." Ye Guan sighed softly. Sang Mei added, "The power of the gods comes from two sources—the first source is the Divine Will from the Divinity; the second source is the faith power of the people. "The strength of that faith power depends on the people's strength and purity of faith. The stronger the people are, the stronger the god becomes. The purer the faith, the stronger the effect. But..." "Purifying faith takes time. You have to do things that truly benefit the people for them to sincerely worship you and revere you as the Divinity," said Ye Guan, feeling stunned. Sang Mei looked at him with a hint of admiration. She smiled. "Yes. That method is best for the long term. The first method relies on power and fear to forcefully instill faith. The second is voluntary, but it's slow and arduous. "Hence, the Temple of the Gods eventually decided to forget about it..." Ye Guan said softly, "In every age and civilization, those at the bottom of society are rarely valued. "All beings suffer, and suffering befalls all beings..." Sang Mei nodded. She then turned to Ye Guan and smiled. "Little swordsman, how about this? Try changing this place. If you can fundamentally change it and change their fate, I'll give you a gift, a gift beyond your imagination..." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥