Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

Hearing the mocking remarks of the evil god, Poseidon's previously gloomy eyes suddenly lit up!

To package romance as a life-or-death crisis?
He has a plan!
A brilliant idea instantly formed in his mind, making him almost applaud his own ingenuity.

He suddenly looked up, his face regaining its radiance, his tone filled with excitement and eagerness: "That's it! How come I didn't think of that! Package it as a life-or-death crisis! I'm an expert at that!"

The gazes of the other god-kings instantly focused on him, filled with doubt and a sense of foreboding.

The god of evil raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What terrible idea do you have?"

Ignoring the "bad idea" label, Poseidon excitedly explained his plan: "It's simple! Just accidentally reveal to Xuanming that Poseidon has accepted the hidden test, and slightly modify the consequences of failing the test—tell her that if she can't obtain the Heart of Xuanming within the specified time, she will suffer a backlash from the power of the Sea God due to the test failure, and her soul will be destroyed, leaving her certain death!"

The more he talked, the more he thought the plan was brilliant. He gestured with his hands and said, "Given Xuanming's loyal and righteous nature, and his extreme responsibility towards those he trusts, once he knows that Poseidon is facing a life-or-death crisis because of him, how could he sit idly by? He will definitely do everything he can to help Poseidon complete the test!"

Poseidon seemed to have already envisioned a bright future, his tone filled with anticipation: "At that time, in order to save Poseidon's life, Xuanming will have to find a way to make himself fall in love with her, or at least win her heart? In the process, the two of them will spend every day together, face difficulties together, and their true feelings will be revealed in times of trouble... Won't their feelings naturally develop? This will solve the test and also bring about a happy marriage, killing two birds with one stone!"

He felt he was a genius; this plan perfectly exploited Xuanming's personality weaknesses and blind spots in thinking, guiding him in the right direction!
However, as soon as he finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the temple.

The mocking expression on the face of the evil god froze, replaced by a look as if he were looking at a fool.

The purple lightning crackled around the God of Destruction, seemingly expressing his speechless state of mind.

The goddess of life gently touched her forehead, her emerald eyes filled with helplessness.

Even the usually cold-blooded Asura God's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

“Poseidon…” the god of goodness couldn’t help but speak, his voice tinged with weakness, “Are you… sure this is a good idea?”

The evil god finally couldn't hold back and sneered, "Poseidon, have you been driven mad by your high priest? You call this packaging a life-or-death crisis? You're creating a false crisis and engaging in emotional blackmail!"

He pointed at Xuanming, who was still seriously analyzing the problem in the mirror: "Believe it or not, if you really did that, with that kid's brain, the first thing he would think of is definitely not how I should fall in love with her, but how to forcibly break through this test, how to find the source of the backlash and destroy it, and how to save Poseidon's life by other means! He might even think that the God Realm is playing with him, and then he would just go crazy and run away!"

“Uh…” Poseidon’s expression froze.

"Makes sense."

Xuanming's crazy actions in the first test show that this kid's thinking becomes extremely extreme when under great pressure! With Xuanming's linear thinking and strong action, his first reaction after knowing about the "crisis" would definitely be to solve the "crisis" itself, rather than developing the relationship as he expected.

“However, if we set aside the emotional issues and simply say that Poseidon wants to obtain the Heart of the Sea God from him in order to gain the qualification to inherit the position of the Sea God, then this matter… should be feasible.” The cold voice of the God of Asura broke the silence.

The gazes of the several god-kings once again focused on him.

The Asura God continued his analysis, "The succession to godhood is inherently extremely demanding, and the divine trial is a mix of danger and opportunity. Poseidon coveted the position of sea god and thus voluntarily accepted this test. Within Xuanming's absolutely rational framework, this is a reasonable and understandable motivation. After all, who would willingly give up a clear opportunity to become a god?"

He looked at Xuanming in the mirror of light: "For him, helping his ally obtain the qualifications to become a god is far clearer and more definite than responding to ambiguous feelings. This is a deal or challenge that he can understand and may be willing to participate in."

The God of Evil stroked his chin, his eyes regaining interest: "Interesting. Strip away the convoluted emotional hints and directly state the core demand: the need for the Heart of the Sea God to become a god. This might actually strike a chord with Xuanming's simple-minded thinking."

The Goddess of Life nodded slightly: "In this way, Xuanming will not need to understand those emotional signals that he cannot comprehend. He can simply regard them as a practical problem concerning power and inheritance that needs to be solved. This may allow them to build a more effective communication bridge."

The gentle voice of the God of Kindness rang out: "In fact, if we look back at the development of the relationship between Xuanming and Bibi Dong, and even with Gu Yuena, it seems that it was all based on solid real-world issues."

Her words attracted the attention of the other god-kings.

The God of Kindness continued to explain: "Based on the information we have obtained from Xuanming and the girls around him, the root cause of Xuanming's initial close connection with Bibi Dong lies in the defect of his own martial soul."

It was Bibi Dong who came to his rescue in his time of crisis, resolving this fatal problem. It was precisely based on this life-saving grace and the shared practical problems they faced that a more complex and profound emotional entanglement gradually developed between them.

Her gaze shifted to Xuanming's figure in the mirror, her tone carrying a hint of understanding: "And the same goes for his relationship with Gu Yuena. The Silver Dragon King and the future of the dragon race—this is a heavy reality concerning the survival and destiny of the race. Gu Yuena has poured everything into Xuanming, betting the last hope of the dragon race. The foundation of this bond is a shared goal, the real predicament, and mutual need, rather than lighthearted romance."

The God of Kindness summarized, his voice clear and certain: "In other words, Xuanming's feelings need to be built on a solid foundation of shared experiences, mutual support, and solving practical problems. What he cannot understand, or rather, finds difficult to resonate with, are those feelings that lack a realistic basis and are simply based on physical attraction or empty romantic expressions. His emotional pattern is closer to a kind of trust and bond that naturally settles after sharing life and death and having a common goal."

The God of Destruction echoed in a low voice: "Indeed. His emotional logic is pragmatic and profound."

A hint of agreement flashed in the cold eyes of the Asura God: "In this light, using Poseidon's question of becoming a god as a link to get them to interact and cooperate around the clear and important real goal of the Heart of the Sea God and the succession of the divine position is exactly in line with Xuanming's emotional development model. This is far more effective than any subtle hints or romantic pursuits."

Poseidon was overjoyed and nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly it!"

Although this was far from his initial vision of a romantic "flowery night under the moon," what did it matter if the process was pragmatic as long as it could effectively promote the development of the relationship?
Perhaps this kind of "comrade-in-arms" bond is stronger than ordinary love!
The atmosphere inside the temple was completely transformed.

The several god-kings finally discovered the key to effectively "communicating" with Xuanming, this "celestial meteorite," on an emotional level—bypassing romance and directly addressing the core of reality. (End of Chapter)