The suffocating, violent fury in the space receded like a tide. The scorching heat remained, but the madness that could burn away reason was gone.
Ye Yu felt exhilarated because the difficulty of this Mystic Realm was so high—meaning the rewards upon clearing it would undoubtedly be generous.
Standing on the scorching reef, Ye Yu panted slightly as his Sulong Form dissipated. His white hair returned to its dark black, and his crimson eyes regained their depth.
In the distance over the Lava Sea, space twisted once more as a new door slowly took shape. The door was an unsettling, sickly shade of green, its surface resembling some kind of semi-solidified, viscous poison. Bubbles continuously formed and burst on its surface, emitting a cold, slippery aura.
At the center of the door was carved a distorted human figure—hunched over, neck stretched forward, eyes fixed intently ahead. One hand clawed at its own chest while the other reached futilely into the void.
Envy!
A chilling sensation attempted to envelop Ye Yu. Yet, when his gaze fell upon the carving of the Gate of Envy, the corners of his lips curled into an unmistakable, almost mocking smile.
"Envy?" Ye Yu's voice was calm, carrying a dismissiveness as if looking down at ants. "For me?"
Ye Yu pushed open the door radiating that eerie green light.
Beyond it, a chaotic stream of consciousness surged forth instantly. Countless fragmented images, distorted sounds, shrill laughter, and stifled sobs merged into a storm, violently assailing Ye Yu's senses. Malicious whispers tried to burrow into his mind:
"Why him?"
"Why does he get the best?"*
"I refuse to accept this! I want it too!"*
"Take it! Take everything from him!"
At the same time, meticulously crafted illusions unfolded before Ye Yu's eyes:
Lin Muxue, wielding Thunderclap, her fleet blotting out the sky as she became the "Pirate Queen," basking in unparalleled glory, her gaze sweeping over Ye Yu with disdain.
Wang Quanshi, transformed into the Azure Dragon, coiled upon the Golden Throne, his influence overwhelming.
Zhou Ge, manipulating time, enigmatic and toying with fate.
These illusions depicted the glorious paths Ye Yu had "never chosen," attempting to amplify any potential "regret" or "loss" he might harbor.
The omnipresent embodiment of Envy, its voice like a serpent's hiss, spoke directly into Ye Yu's heart, dripping with temptation and provocation:
"Look at them! Look at Lin Muxue! She climbed to the throne by stepping on your 'failure'! She's enjoying everything that should have been yours! Her glory, her power… all of it should belong to you! It's what your tenth-level Talent deserves! Look at Wang Quanshi, Zhou Ge! The power they possess—is any of it weaker than the seven you contracted? They command the winds and rains, ruling their domains! And you? You gave up the chance to become a god! You could have stood above all others! Do you envy them, Ye Yu? Do you regret it?!"
"Look at Lin Muxue! She's the true winner! You're just a joke kicked off the ship!"*
The voice of Envy suddenly turned shrill, the illusion of Lin Muxue looking down upon the world magnified infinitely.
Yet, Ye Yu stood where he was, his gaze calm and unruffled, even carrying a hint of… pity? As if watching a clumsy, self-deceiving performance.
He allowed those resentful whispers to clamor in his ears and let those dazzling illusions flicker before his eyes. Yet those voices, like the buzzing of mosquitoes, could not shake his spirit in the slightest; those images, like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon in water, failed to stir even a ripple in his heart.
"Hmph." A scornful chuckle escaped Ye Yu's lips, resonating clearly through the chaotic space, instantly drowning out all the noise.
"Envy?" Ye Yu's voice was not loud, but it carried an absolute confidence that pierced through falsehoods and looked down upon everything. "Are you… trying to make me envy the 'possibilities' you've imagined—possibilities I never chose?"
Ye Yu shook his head slightly, his gaze sharp as a blade as it swept across the emerald chaos, as if staring directly at the invisible embodiment of envy.
"Lin Muxue's fleet? Wang Quanshi's draconic majesty? Zhou Ge's temporal mysteries?" Ye Yu's tone was calm, yet brimming with unparalleled pride. "These are nothing more than the 'glories' you've woven from the narrow perceptions of frogs at the bottom of a well. You have no idea what kind of power I wield, let alone the brilliance of the path I've chosen!"
His gaze seemed to pierce through the illusion, seeing far into the future.
Ye Yu took a step forward, his aura erupting with overwhelming force! Not the fury of a storm, but the depth of the starry sky and the weight of towering mountains—an absolute confidence! Conqueror's Haki flowed naturally, perfectly merging with the auras of the seven Contractors within him, forming an awe-inspiring might capable of suppressing all!
"My goal was never to become some 'Thunder God' or 'Dragon King.' What I seek is to be the strongest!"
"As for Lin Muxue…" The cold indifference in Ye Yu's smirk was palpable. "Her 'glory'? Her fleet? They're just sandcastles built on her shallow understanding. The Rumble Rumble Fruit is powerful, but she isn't worthy of being a stumbling block on my path."
"And you…" Ye Yu's gaze locked onto a certain point in the void—the densest node of envious energy. "This so-called poison of envy is nothing more than a faint breeze to me. Trying to shake my resolve with such shallow illusions? Utterly laughable!"
"Break."
No flashy techniques, no earth-shattering Slashes. Ye Yu merely condensed his indomitable conviction and absolute confidence in his path, uttering a single icy word.
Hum—!
With that word, the intangible will forged from absolute belief and Conqueror's Haki swept through the emerald chaos like the purest light.
Hiss—!
Like melting snow, all the resentful whispers ceased abruptly, and every dazzling illusion shattered into fragments! The pervasive emerald Poison Mist, which sought to corrode the mind, dissolved under the radiance of Ye Yu's pure and overwhelming will, vanishing with a piercing screech as if meeting the scorching sun.
The Gate of Envy, along with all its deceptive illusions and power, crumbled before Ye Yu's unshakable resolve like a fragile soap bubble, popping at the slightest touch.
Ye Yu's figure reappeared on the rocky outcrop of the Lava Sea, the emerald gate behind him vanishing without a trace, as if it had never existed. His breathing remained steady, as though he had merely brushed away a speck of dust.
"A waste of time," Ye Yu remarked indifferently, his eyes showing no emotion.
The trial of jealousy was passed with extreme ease. After all, he knew the Pirate King best—so why would someone as overpowered as him feel envy toward those powerful Ability Users?
Had he been ignorant of the Pirates, those visions might have stirred jealousy in him. But because he understood, he knew that no fantasy could ever compare to having contracted seven of the world's strongest.
In this world, others were the ones who envied him.
(End of Chapter)