Xue Lian's Past

After Xue Lian absorbed the final star, she felt something strange, something she had never experienced before.

"What is this? This feeling is really uncomfortable, like I'm being overstuffed. It seems this is the current limit of my body, and it will be difficult to break through in a short period."

Suddenly, her status appeared before her eyes, and an additional line popped up:

[Level: 1]

"Huh? What is this? Level? It must refer to the floors of the tower, right? I'll sleep first, and ask Azeroth about it tomorrow."

For some reason, she tossed and turned for a while but couldn't fall asleep. Looking up at the sky, she began to recall some things...

Seventeen years ago, in her house, she asked:

"Dad, why is mom weaker than you?"

"Weaker? Not really. It's just that your mother doesn't train. The notion that women are weak and can't do heavy tasks is completely wrong. While men dominate the peak positions more than women, it's not like women can't put up a fight."

Thinking about what his five-year-old daughter had recently done, he asked:

"Before we continue, care to explain why you beat your classmate so badly that his mouth was bleeding and his teeth were knocked out? And now that boy is in the hospital."

Yes, she had fought someone. She beat up a boy in her class during recess at kindergarten. That boy was now lying in a hospital bed.

Her adorable face was innocent, showing no sense of wrongdoing. Well, maybe not entirely innocent—she understood the situation but still didn't feel she had done anything wrong.

"I didn't do anything wrong. He was clearly acting like he was strong, so I challenged him. At first, he smiled and accepted, so I thought he was strong. After that, I kept hitting him until he passed out."

Hearing that, her father helplessly shook his head. He couldn't understand why his daughter turned out like this. With a sigh, he said:

"Sigh, hitting others is wrong. From now on, you can't..."

He hadn't finished speaking when he shuddered, noticing the gaze of a fierce tiger about to tear him apart, directed straight at him.

"Go on, dad, what can't I do from now on?" Xue Lian asked.

Her voice was childish, but her eyes were incredibly dangerous.

But, being her father, he figured it wouldn't escalate. So, he continued:

"From now on, you can't..."

The next few words stuck in his throat. He really didn't dare to say them out loud.

"Hmph, remember this. From the moment a person is born, they fight every day to survive. If you stop fighting, there are only two outcomes: either you achieve immortality, or you're already dead. I didn't kill him only out of respect for the laws of China and for the Chinese Communist Party.

Moreover, he agreed to the fight, which means he was ready to accept any outcome. You people have clearly lived in comfort for so long that your minds are twisted. I can see your foolish arrogance—you're no better than trash, yet you think you're something great. Humanity is too arrogant. One day, I'll kill the entire world, so they understand that their continued existence is nothing but luck." Xue Lian said seriously.

By now, her father was completely unnerved. Though he was a businessman who understood the harsh realities of the commercial world, this was the first time he had encountered something like this.

After thinking about it, he realized there was some truth to it. He really had been arrogant, assuming that his survival was guaranteed, but now it seemed it was all just luck. He was nothing more than a tiny speck of trash.

"Am I really that pathetic? What's the point of my life?"

"You are trash, but not entirely without potential. The day you attain true freedom will be the day you shed your trash status."

"What do you mean by true freedom?"

"Freedom is divided into two parts. True freedom is having both. The first is physical freedom—having an immortal and indestructible body, living eternally, and being able to travel anywhere in the universe by your own power. The second is freedom of thought. This is the easier one—just change your mindset."

Hearing this, he pondered for a moment, then looked back at his daughter. He asked:

"How do you know these things? Who taught you?"

It wasn't a strange question. After all, Xue Lian's words weren't something a five-year-old should know.

"Why do I need someone to teach me? Are your eyes blind? The fundamental truths of the world are everywhere. You just need to look, and you'll understand."

Hearing this, he was at a loss for words. She was right—if your eyes aren't blind, you can observe the world, and if you can observe the world, you can see the truths of all things.

"Ah, I must have achieved the second part of freedom, right?"

He was confident that he had attained freedom of thought, living in a free country, so naturally, he assumed he had the second part down.

Xue Lian glanced at him with one eye, then shook her head, leaving him questioning his entire life.

"Not true? How can that be? How could I not have any freedom?"

"You overestimate yourself. You don't understand a damn thing about freedom. You've only heard others talk about it, but you don't truly get it. Tell me, is a free country important?"

"Important? Of course, it's important."

"No, it's not important at all. Freedom of the mind means that even if you're imprisoned, betrayed, stripped of all your wealth, or your entire family is killed, you wouldn't care. You can like money, fame, or family, but if you lose it all at once, you'd still remain unbothered. At that moment, nothing can bind your spirit. Even if you're imprisoned for endless years, it wouldn't make you uncomfortable. Now, I'll ask you again. Do you have freedom?"

"I... I..."

He fell silent. He really didn't understand what freedom was, having only been fed propaganda.

No, that wasn't quite right. The truth is, most humans, except for a rare few, don't understand what freedom is, yet they always dream of it.

It's quite strange to desire freedom without understanding what it truly is. Is America free and democratic?

Ha, that's laughable. Every country in this world is the same. From leaders to citizens, they are all human, so what's the difference?

Yes, when it comes to societal and economic management, there are differences, but in terms of freedom, there isn't a single country in this world qualified to use the word "freedom."

In fact, even at the individual level, there are very few who have truly achieved the second part of freedom. As for the first part, humanity currently has 0% who have attained it.

Don't harbor the ridiculous idea that freedom comes from a country. That's incredibly foolish because freedom comes from within you.

Remember this well, even in death—freedom originates from within yourself. Never forget that!