Gu Wei also smiled knowingly.

He waited until Lu Li’s laughter subsided, and then cautiously asked, "There’s something I’m not sure if I should say."

Lu Li said, "Go ahead."

Gu Wei asked back, "Have you really decided not to save the world anymore?"

Lu Li couldn’t contradict himself. Even though he still wanted to solve the energy absorption from the gamma-ray burst, he didn’t reveal a thing.

He pretended to sigh, "The world has treated me this way, and I have publicly declared to everyone that I will definitely not reach out to save the world. A man must keep his word; how can one go back on it?"

Gu Wei nodded gently, saying, "That’s true, but have you thought about it? Even if you can let us, your family and friends, continue to survive in cosmic space, will we really be able to adapt? I just saw your grandmother. She’s probably in her sixties or seventies, right?"

Lu Li replied, "She’s over seventy."

Gu Wei said, "She’s lived her entire life on Earth... or rather, in Gusu, probably without even leaving the city. Do you think she could really adapt to living in cosmic space? Not to mention cosmic space, I just saw her acting very out of place even here, don’t you feel for her?"

Lu Li suddenly fell silent.

He knew Gu Wei was speaking the truth.

Ever since his grandfather passed away early on, his grandmother’s only spiritual support came almost exclusively from her neighbors and acquaintances.

Having someone to chat with every day about the past seemed to satisfy her greatly.

Now, bringing his grandmother to the super base, her discomfort was entirely understandable.

Gu Wei continued speaking slowly, "Not just your grandmother, your parents have lived in Gusu all their lives, your future wife’s entire family has enjoyed a life of luxury on Earth; do they really want to wander in cosmic space with you?"

Lu Li became increasingly silent.

Gu Wei looked deeply into his eyes and said, "I completely understand your reluctance to save the world, but from a friend’s perspective, I still hope you could be this savior."

Lu Li smiled bitterly, "But I’ve already made harsh promises before. If I suddenly step in to save the world, won’t it be like..."

Gu Wei said, "I understand what you mean; a big figure like you, there’s nothing inappropriate in referring to you as the Supreme Emperor of Earth. Naturally, you need to save face. If you go back on your word, it would indeed seem very disgraceful."

Lu Li asked puzzledly, "Then why are you advising me to be this savior?"

Gu Wei blinked and said, "There’s a line in Tsinghua University’s anthem: ’Establish virtue and articulate truth, without asking East and West’—this basically means to heed your own heart’s guidance, bravely pursuit what you truly want, realizing your dreams without any hesitations or reservations, moving forward courageously."

At this, he paused, then spoke with a serious tone, "I believe a figure like you, compared to us ordinary humans, has entirely different pursuits. While the world struggles for money and power, you might already be comprehending the mysteries of the universe and life. Simply put, the level of your ’state of being’ is different from ours. In your eyes, we humans might appear just slightly more powerful than ants. Do humans care about what ants think of them? Since you have your pursuits and things you want to protect, why care about others’ opinions?"

Lu Li understood that Gu Wei was right but just didn’t want to contradict himself.

Gu Wei hinted further, "You brought us, your family and friends, here, surely because you don’t want us to perish with the arrival of the gamma-ray burst, and also hope we can live happily. Since this is what you desire in your heart, why not do it? What the world does is their business. If you are displeased, you easily could obliterate them, as you did with that Island Country and Peninsula, didn’t you?"

As he spoke, he stood up and said something loud and startling, "You don’t have to regard Earth as the Earth of eight billion people; you can see it as your property. Then, isn’t there no inner hesitation in protecting your own property from damage?"

On hearing this, Lu Li suddenly realized!

Yes!

All along, he’s paid too much attention to the world’s opinions.

In fact, having reached this level, there’s no need to care about what ordinary people think.

Is Earth the world of eight billion humans?

No, if I wish, Earth can actually be mine alone!

Or say, Earth, and family and friends, are my mental anchors evolving to this stage.

Lu Li wants to guard his mental anchor, so why care about others’ views?

He gradually began to sort out his thoughts.

Yes!

I can regard Earth as my personal property!

If anyone refuses to accept it like before, I’ll just eradicate them!

Lose face?

I’m about to become the "Star Lord" of this planet, who would dare say I lost face?

At this moment, a bold idea occurred to Lu Li, which was not only to become the "Star Lord" of Earth but to become the "Eternal Star Lord" of the universe, providing family and friends with the happiness they need!

As long as family and friends are happy, then I can boldly and confidently pursue the "Path of Transcendence"!

Lu Li believes he has the strength to become the "Eternal Star Lord", so as long as he wants to put it into action, he can definitely achieve it!

He stood up as well, his tone becoming very determined, "Old Gu, you were right: Earth is not the Earth of eight billion humans; it’s my Earth. Today, I’m here to announce something to you, and that is, I will protect my Earth!"