...
The atmosphere in the room was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
Huo Wu looked at Xuan Hao, who was lying on his side on the sofa with an unfathomable look in his eyes, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out from her back.
She originally thought Xuan Hao was just a peerless genius with great strength and a domineering personality.
Only at this moment did she vaguely touch upon the desolate, twisted, and even destructive abyss deep within this man's heart.
He was not a lofty god; he was a wolf who had fought his way out of the mud, harboring hostility and envy towards the whole world.
Seeing Huo Wu's slightly pale and somewhat frightened face, Xuan Hao's dark undercurrents gradually subsided.
He rolled over, sat up again, picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and resumed his previous lazy and casual demeanor.
"Alright, stop with that 'I'm questioning the meaning of life' look on your face."
Xuan Hao put down his water glass and said calmly, "Don't overthink it.
Because no matter how much you think about it, you can't change any established facts. It's useless except for trapping yourself in endless pain and entanglement."
"Instead of wasting so much time on internal conflicts and questioning the meaning of life, why not do something you truly enjoy?"
Xuan Hao looked at her and asked, "From childhood to adulthood, have you been living for the honor of Blazing Fire Academy, for the face of your family, and to live up to the title of genius in other people's mouths?"
Huo Wu remained silent, which was expected.
"Absolutely stupid."
Xuan Hao commented mercilessly, "Don't always live in other people's eyes.
Life is very short. You will grow old and die sooner or later.
When you are about to close your eyes, you will look back at your past self and you will definitely think how stupid you were."
"You've never lived a single day for yourself, never truly enjoyed yourself. You've wasted your life."
Huo Wu opened her mouth, trying to explain:
"But, a person who doesn't plan for the future will have immediate worries. As a Soul Master, if you don't think about the future..."
"Don't try to fob me off with such stale and pretentious words."
Xuanhao interrupted her directly, "Don't always think about the future or tomorrow.
If you can't even live well today, what right do you have to plan for the future?"
"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows are there?"
Xuan Hao sneered, "You're always worrying about what to do tomorrow, whether you can win tomorrow's match, and whether you can break through the bottleneck in the future.
And what's the result? The result is that you're making a mess of every single day!"
"You're feeling troubled today, unable to eat, unable to sleep, and unable to calm your mind during meditation.
And then you go into tomorrow in this terrible state. This chaotic life will only snowball and keep going on and on!"
Huo Wu was completely bewildered by the scolding.
"Listen carefully: living in the moment does not mean being unambitious."
Xuan Hao pointed to the table, "Those people who keep talking about 'for tomorrow' and 'for the future,' do you think they're mature and stable?
Bullshit, those are just excuses they make up for not having a good day today!"
"Only those who live each day well and manage the things in front of them have the right to say they need to plan ahead."
"You've already made a mess of things today, and you're thinking about tomorrow? I don't know what valuable things you can come up with. It'll just add more unnecessary anxiety."
Xuan Hao stared into Huo Wu's eyes, "That's exactly what you're doing now. You're aiming too high, focusing on things that you can't reach right now, making yourself anxious and confused."
Huo Wu lowered her head, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.
She knew Xuan Hao was right. Ever since she was defeated, all she could think about was how to catch up with Xuan Hao and how to prove herself, completely losing the tranquility she used to have when she was cultivating.
"You said you're jealous of Ning Rongrong and the others' good luck."
Xuan Hao continued, "Fine, even if we take a step back and believe that God opens his eyes and you get lucky enough to receive the same benefits as them and become as strong as them, would you be satisfied?"
Huo Wu paused for a moment, instinctively wanting to nod, but then stopped.
"You won't."
Xuanhao answered for her, "Because as long as you keep looking up, you will definitely find that there are people in this world who are luckier and stronger than them. As long as you keep comparing, you will never be satisfied."
"Jealousy and greed are bottomless pits. They can never be filled by external things and the improvement of one's own strength."
The room fell silent again.
Huo Wu remained silent for a long time. Her mind was completely shattered and reassembled by Xuan Hao's barrage of words.
She took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked at Xuan Hao with a complicated expression.
Why...why are you telling me all this?
Huo Wu was somewhat puzzled.
Given Xuan Hao's cold-hearted nature, he could easily have watched her make a fool of herself, or simply thrown her out.
Why waste so much breath trying to wake up this defeated opponent?
"Don't think that I can lecture you like this just because I'm lucky and have a high position now."
Xuan Hao shrugged and said casually, "I'm not that bored, and I don't have the time to be some kind of life coach."
"I just don't want to see someone as confident and proud as you making a mess of yourself with this pointless self-destructive behavior."
Xuan Hao looked at Huo Wu, his eyes no longer showing the coldness they had before.
"I hate those losers who give up and doubt life at the first sign of a setback.
I also don't like seeing others bowing and scraping before me."
"I hope everyone can live confidently. Be proud when you should be proud, and be arrogant when you should be arrogant."
"Especially someone like you, an unlucky bastard whose luck has turned extremely bad since meeting me."
Huo Wu was taken aback at first, then her cheeks flushed red, and she glared at him with some embarrassment.
How can you say such a thing!
"Don't glare at me, I'm just praising you."
Xuan Hao couldn't help but chuckle, stood up, and looked down at her. "Why don't you try to think about it from a different perspective?"
"You're so unlucky today, running into me in the ring. You showed all your cards and I crushed you mercilessly, you almost lost your life."
Xuan Hao reached out and flicked Huo Wu's forehead lightly with his finger.
It didn't take much effort, but it made Huo Wu freeze for a moment.
"But you not only survived, but you're now sitting here perfectly fine, with all your limbs intact, and you even have the mind to discuss the philosophy of life with me."
Xuan Hao put his hands in his pockets, turned around and walked towards the door, waving his hand behind his back.
"That's not the point. The point is that you've experienced this kind of despair from being hit by a dimensional reduction attack, and your brain hasn't broken down. You can still sit here and listen to what I'm saying."
As he reached the door, Xuan Hao stopped and turned to look at her.
"You're so unlucky, yet you've survived unscathed and will continue to live a good life."
"Think about it carefully, isn't this already quite impressive?"
"Alright, the door's unlocked. Go back to sleep. Stop thinking about useless things and get on with your work tomorrow."
After saying that, Xuan Hao pushed open the door and walked out of the room, leaving Huo Wu sitting blankly on the sofa.
Huo Wu covered the spot on her forehead where she had been hit, and looked at the empty doorway.
The mountain that used to weigh on my heart has completely disappeared without me even realizing it.
She recalled Xuan Hao's last words before he left and couldn't help but chuckle.
Who comforts people like that?
It's just a complete bastard bully logic.
But...
Huo Wu stood up, walked to the French windows, looked at the bustling night view of Tian Dou City outside, and took a deep breath of the cool night air.
She feels more relaxed than ever before.
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