32: Chapter 32 Xu Qingran's Questioning

The farce in the Key Class did not leave even the slightest ripple in Jiang Xun's heart.

To him, Brother Feng's clumsy provocations were no different from the barking of a stray dog by the roadside, not even worth a single extra second of his energy. The so-called "elimination of the bottom-ranked" felt more like a signal that a feast was about to begin.

He adjusted his glasses, walked straight out of that oppressive classroom, and headed toward the place in the school he was most familiar with—the library.

Compared to the Key Class, which was filled with arrogance and prejudice, the scent of old book ink and the quiet atmosphere here allowed him to calm his mind, organize the A-grade Thunder Colossus civilization he had plundered from Monitor Zhou Yi, and prepare for the upcoming "hunt."

In a corner of the library, Old Baitou was still dozing off at the table. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting mottled halos of light upon him; everything was just as it always was.

Jiang Xun found a seat by the window, retrieved the Law Model of the Thunder Colossus from his Divine Kingdom, and began to analyze it using his evolved talent.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a very light sound of footsteps stopped in front of him.

Jiang Xun looked up and saw Xu Qingran standing before the table.

The young girl had shed her combat gear for a simple school uniform, losing some of the heroic spirit she displayed in the arena, but gaining a touch of the pure beauty belonging to her age. She seemed to have been standing there for a while, her eyes complex, carrying a sense of struggle and a stubbornness that demanded to be voiced.

"May I sit?" she asked softly.

Jiang Xun nodded and dimmed the screen of his Divine Kingdom terminal.

Xu Qingran sat opposite him, placing her hands on the table, her fingertips unconsciously interlacing, revealing the lack of tranquility in her heart.

There was a moment of silence between the two, with only the occasional sound of page-turning drifting from afar.

Eventually, it was Xu Qingran who spoke first. Her voice was not loud, but every word carried an unavoidable weight.

"Jiang Xun, what exactly is the difference between your plundering and the bullies who recklessly bully the weak and seize the civilizations of others in the wild?"

This question was sharp and direct.

After asking, she stared intently into Jiang Xun's eyes, as if trying to find an answer from the slightest change in his expression. In her mind, the towering figure that had summoned the Human Race Heroic Guardian in the finals clashed violently with the image of the "thief" currently being ostracized by the entire Key Class, causing her great torment.

She needed an answer, an answer that could convince herself.

Jiang Xun's reaction was very calm.

He didn't even show a hint of annoyance at being offended; he simply looked at her quietly. The gaze behind his lenses was as sharp as a scalpel, seemingly able to dissect all her confusion.

"Difference?"

He repeated the word, then leaned forward slightly and asked in return.

"A knife, in the hands of a doctor, can cut open a lesion and save a life. In the hands of a butcher, it can carve meat to feed the hungry. In the hands of a thug, it can take the life of an innocent."

"So tell me, is this knife good or evil?"

Xu Qingran was choked up by this counter-question.

She opened her mouth but found she couldn't answer. A knife is just a tool; good and evil lie with the wielder. This principle is simple, but she had never thought it would one day be used to describe a talent.

Jiang Xun did not wait for her to answer and continued, his voice still calm but carrying an unquestionable logical force.

"My talent is Plunder; it is like that knife, merely a tool. I admit, it is not honorable, and it even carries the scent of blood. But who I use it against is for me to decide."

"When dealing with scum like Monitor Zhou Yi, who colludes with evil gods and betrays the race, my plundering him is ridding the people of a scourge."

"When dealing with bullies like Li Ang, who rely on their power to oppress others and treat human life like blades of grass, my plundering him is an eye for an eye."

"Xu Qingran, the Elf civilization you believe in teaches you creation and protection. You protect the goodness you recognize, and that is not wrong. But when someone wants to destroy that goodness, what do you do? Use your creation to convert them? Use your protection to wait for them to have a change of heart?"

Every one of Jiang Xun's questions was like a heavy hammer striking at Xu Qingran's ingrained concepts.

She came from a privileged background, possessed outstanding talent, and had walked on a sunlit path from childhood, seeing nothing but blooming flowers. She considered herself a successor of the orthodox gods and took it for granted that plundering itself was an original sin.

But Jiang Xun's words unveiled the other side of the world to her.

That side was filled with the wails of ordinary students being bullied at will, the despair of those with D-grade talents like Lin Hao struggling to survive in the wild, and the humiliation of low-level gods who dared not speak out against the children of powerful families.

In those dark corners, conversion and waiting were such ridiculous terms.

"I..." Xu Qingran's lips moved, her face turning slightly pale. She realized that her beliefs, which she had been so proud of, appeared so pale and powerless before the cruel reality Jiang Xun had tempered in the mud of the bottom layer.

Jiang Xun leaned back into his chair, his tone softening a little.

"I never actively create tragedy."

"I am merely a porter. When a bully prepares to impose a tragedy upon an innocent, all I do is stop him, and then 'transport' the tragedy he created with his own hands right back onto him."

"He wants to crush someone else's Divine Kingdom? Then I will crush his. He wants to slaughter someone else's believers? Then I will let his believers be reduced to ashes. This is fair."

Very fair.

These three words made Xu Qingran shudder.

She suddenly realized something.

Jiang Xun's path was not destruction, nor was it simple plundering. His core was order, an iron-blooded order of "stopping killing with killing, stopping aggression with aggression"! He was using the most dishonorable means to protect the most fundamental fairness.

In the distant corner, the book covering the face of the dozing Old Baitou slid open slightly, revealing an eye that looked murky but held a restrained brilliance, before closing silently again.

Watching Xu Qingran, who had fallen into deep thought, Jiang Xun knew that today's conversation was enough.

The seed of his philosophy had been planted; the rest required her to think and witness for herself.

He refocused his attention on his Divine Kingdom terminal; the analysis progress of the Thunder Colossus civilization was already over halfway complete. His Plunder talent was greedily absorbing the essence of this A-grade civilization and converting it into "Lightning Enchantment" and "Berserk Battle Body" abilities better suited for his own believers.

Xu Qingran remained silent for a long time—so long that by the time Jiang Xun was about to complete the preliminary analysis, she spoke again. Her voice held less confusion and more clarity.

"So, did you establish the 'Civilization Mutual Aid Association' to protect this kind of fairness as well?"

"Yes," Jiang Xun did not hide it. "One person cannot move a tragedy that is too large. But a group of people can."

Xu Qingran took a deep breath, as if having made a decision. Her eyes became firm again, even brighter than when she had questioned him earlier.

"I understand."

Jiang Xun looked up and watched her with some surprise.

Xu Qingran looked at him and said solemnly, "I still cannot fully agree with your 'Path.' Creation and nurturing are the true essence of civilization in my heart. However, I acknowledge your 'Reason.'"

"At the very least, in the matter of protecting the weak and opposing injustice, our goals are the same."

Jiang Xun smiled.

He knew that from this moment on, the proud Elf deity before him could truly be considered to be standing by his side.

He stood up, preparing to leave.

When he walked past Xu Qingran, his footsteps paused, though he did not turn back.

"Don't listen to what I say."

"Watch what I do."

After saying this, he strode away, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the bookshelves, leaving Xu Qingran sitting alone by the window, staring blankly in the direction he had left.

Sunlight pierced through the window lattice, casting a play of light and shadow on her beautiful face, intertwined with brightness and darkness, just like her turbulent heart at this moment.

Watch what he does...

She murmured softly, her gaze finally falling outside the window, in the direction of the teaching building where the Key Class was located.

Is next week's monthly assessment the first stage where he will demonstrate his "Path" to everyone?