Thinking this far, Black Blade could not help but begin to reflect on himself.
He realized that during the time he had spent with Xu Yuan, he truly had gained a lot of growth and insight.
Whether it was in the way he looked at things or in his ability to handle problems, there had been a noticeable improvement.
Thinking back to his previous experience dealing with the situation on Grayfist's side, Black Blade deeply recognized this point.
Back then, all the plans he had made for the Grayfist faction had avoided war as an option, which was why he had been able to come up with such a well-rounded strategy.
But if it had been in the past, Black Blade would have been more inclined to solve things with force, because he had originally been a "military general" by background.
This change in mindset had not happened overnight, but had gradually taken shape through a series of experiences after arriving in the Land of Trials.
Especially after witnessing Xu Yuan's way of doing things and carrying out the tasks Xu Yuan assigned, Black Blade's views had quietly shifted.
Although Xu Yuan had not given Black Blade any special instruction like he had to the Pillager King,
ever since entering the Land of Trials, Black Blade had been almost constantly by Xu Yuan's side, watching every move he made and being deeply influenced by him.
These experiences subtly transformed Black Blade's way of thinking, making him stronger and more reliable.
It was not just Black Blade. Everyone else was the same.
Grayfist, the Blue Demon, the Pillager King, Mustard, Barbecue Sauce, Notch, and so on that Xu Yuan mentioned.
Perhaps at this moment they themselves had not yet realized their own growth and changes, but Black Blade, like a camera, had witnessed their transformations from start to finish.
Grayfist went without saying. Ever since he learned that he had been ruthlessly set up by Black Blade and Steve, he had finally awakened.
Grayfist was already smart to begin with, and after awakening, his rate of growth was downright terrifying.
After coming to the rainforest, he took on two missions, overfulfilled both of them, and was still pushing hard even now.
Moreover, his way of thinking had completely changed. The old him was basically a husky, and a very "purebred" one at that.
The current him, though, had a bit of the feel of a lead wolf.
As for the Blue Demon, the Pillager King, Mustard, and Barbecue Sauce,
just abandoning the hatred between them alone had already changed the course of their lives.
And these people were all leader-level figures. Their talent was far higher than Black Blade's.
After learning Xu Yuan's philosophy and witnessing the rules he had set, they had already made it clear what path they would walk next.
Finally, there was Notch. Although he had spent the least time with Xu Yuan, he was probably the one who had been influenced the most.
Even though Black Blade did not know what Xu Yuan and Notch had talked about, the change in the way Notch looked at Xu Yuan during that time did not escape Black Blade's eyes.
Before Notch first met Xu Yuan, his gaze had always been calm. One could only see a trace of expectation in it, and nothing more.
Later, the way Notch looked at Xu Yuan suddenly became tinged with fear and unease, and there was even a hint of guilt hidden in his eyes.
In the end, the way Notch looked at Xu Yuan became the most complex of all, appreciation, respect, gratitude, and even a bit of admiration.
Even without knowing the content of their conversation, Black Blade could see Notch's change just from his eyes.
Thinking of all this, Black Blade could not help but sigh.
"I never thought that in just one short trial, we would all grow into people who can stand on our own…"
Once he had thought it through, all the worries in Black Blade's heart vanished.
Just as Xu Yuan had said, even if Xu Yuan were to be schemed against and forced to leave the Land of Trials this time, it would not affect the overall situation in the slightest.
Every person from Xu Yuan's faction who remained in the Land of Trials would, no matter what, win the trial.
No matter who won the trial, their way of thinking would not change just because they had obtained great power.
They would still walk the path that Xu Yuan had always walked.
Even if by then their strength was far greater than Xu Yuan's, their attitude toward him would not change in any way.
Even if after the Land of Trials ended, Xu Yuan lost all his power and became just an ordinary, unremarkable person, Black Blade believed, or rather, he was certain, that everyone in the faction would, just like before, respect and love Xu Yuan, and they would still call him "Our King."
This title would not change because of identity, power, or any other external factor. This title belonged only to Xu Yuan as a person, unique and irreplaceable.
Thinking this, Black Blade finally felt relieved. He let out a long breath, looked at Xu Yuan again, and said, "Our King…"
"You truly are a very great person…"
At that, Black Blade paused, shook his head, and corrected himself.
"Actually, from a certain point of view, I feel you have already gone beyond the category of being human."
As he said this, Black Blade was afraid Xu Yuan might misunderstand, so he hurriedly added, "Of course, that's not meant in a negative way… I'm not good with words…"
Seeing Black Blade looking a little flustered, Xu Yuan smiled and said, "All this time, this is the first time you've shown emotion in front of me."
Hearing Xu Yuan's words, Black Blade could not help but be stunned.
Xu Yuan was right. This really was the first time Black Blade had shown emotion in front of him.
Before this, he had not had much interaction with Xu Yuan. He basically just received missions from Xu Yuan, completed them, and reported back. Their interactions were purely work-related.
Black Blade had always seen himself as a subordinate, so he did not have much emotional exchange with Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan's sudden remark made Black Blade feel unexpectedly honored, and for a moment he did not know how to reply.
"I… um…"
Seeing Black Blade at a loss for words, Xu Yuan patted him on the shoulder and took the initiative to speak.
"To me, everyone who stands by my side is my family."
Xu Yuan's words might have seemed a bit off-topic, but in fact they were not.
He knew very well how Black Blade had always positioned himself, but in Xu Yuan's eyes, Black Blade's self-positioning had always been wrong.
To Xu Yuan, Black Blade, Pengpeng, and even those who had only joined after entering the Land of Trials, like the Blue Demon, Mustard, and the Pillager King, were never subordinates or tools.
Xu Yuan had always regarded them as companions and family.
Because long ago, Xu Yuan had already stopped thinking of himself as some lofty king.
After going through so much, Xu Yuan had come to understand what he truly wanted in his heart.
What he wanted now was for the whole world to return to peace, and for him and everyone around him to live well together in this world. That was all.