Chapter 215.2: New Subjects

"What grand gift? As if I'd care!" Thunder scoffed then paused. "Fine. You've begged me three or four times already. You're practically groveling. Since I'm kindhearted, I'll reluctantly agree. Don't think it's because of your lousy gift!"

He seemed oddly proud about it.

Qi Yuan beamed. "So many joyous occasions today."

Until now, Clearwater Village only had one Great Venerable, Qionghua, and she was still at the North Sea Divine Eye. Now, they had Thunder as well.

Thunder snapped. "Don't celebrate too early! You're crazy, wiping out four enemy camps like that. The new gods won't delay the war any longer."

To make matters worse, new gods far outnumbered the ancient gods. If a full-scale war like the Hongtang War broke out, the ancient gods would definitely perish. In fact, they only survived until now because the new gods hadn't bothered to purge them.

The reason was simple. Within the Heavenly Pillar, a Yang Spirit lay dormant, devouring the realm's Heavenly Dao. As the Heavenly Dao grew weaker, Nascent Souls and even True Gods began to feel hunger. Once it was fully consumed, the fate of every ancient god would rest on that Yang Spirit's whim.

Thus, many new gods had little interest in risking their lives. Why bother? Whether in a few decades or a century at most, the ancient gods would all perish eventually.

However, Qi Yuan had already slaughtered the evil gods of the Feng and Lin Empires, then wiped out four enemy camps.

Out of the five continents in the north, four would probably sit back and watch. At most, they would treat it as idle gossip over tea. However, the field marshalArmy Lord of the Qingheng Continent definitely wouldn't sit still. The four fallen camp masters had been his trusted generals. He would have to reclaim his reputation at all costs.

Thunder warned, "It won't take ten or fifteen days before the field marshalArmy Lord sends his top generals here. You'd better prepare yourself! When the time comes, I reckon there'll be at least ten Great Venerables! Even fleeing to the North Sea Divine Eye won't save you."

Qi Yuan merely smiled. "So the game setting is: beat the small ones and the old ones show up? My setting is: beat the small ones then beat the old ones too!"

As if he would allow the enemies to arrive in waves. His style had always been simple. Be the first to strike. Eliminate the enemy while they weren't paying attention.

Thunder rolled his eyes. "I'll just sit back and watch your performance."

Qi Yuan's spirit soared. "I've already found the game's bug. Soon, I'll be able to steamroll the entire Mortal Heart World!"

Unlike in the past, creating powerful figures no longer came with many restrictions. Hence, all he had to do was mass produce them. This game was simply about spawning troops and crushing everything in a straight push. It was even simpler than the Flowing Wind World. Of course, the only problem he had was that powerful Yang Spirit lurking in the shadows.

Qi Yuan's train of thought leapt abruptly. "The Great Venerables of Qingheng aren't even a threat. They are a bunch of EXP packs. Come, come, since you've all become my subjects, let’s gather some information first so I can distribute your benefits. Qi Qi, come here.”

Qi Qi appeared, looking helpless. "Godfather!”

She had been busy.

"How's the basic registration form coming along?" Qi Yuan asked.

When he and Zhu Zhuangshi had left Feiwu City, Qi Yuan had already thought deeply about how to grow stronger. One of the crucial points was finding a path suited to each of his followers, especially Venerables.

What Qi Yuan lacked now was high-end combat power. Take Zhu Zhuangshi, for instance. He had obtained a Mythic-tier art, and had ample resources to improve his strength. And yet, the gap between him and Qionghua—who had received a Legendary-tier art—remained vast. Moreover, in pure potential, Marshal Tianpeng’s path stood on a much higher plane.

Unlike ordinary cultivators, a Venerable could only practice a visualization art aligned with their path, just like Qionghua and the Lady of a Hundred Flowers.

Thus, Qi Yuan's plan was simple. He instructed all his Venerable subjects to document their cultivation paths and intended divine authorities. Then, he would match each of them with a suitable visualization art, allowing their combat power to rise much faster.

Qi Qi waved her hand, and a stack of modern-looking sheets appeared, densely covered in writing. "The forms are ready!"

Qi Yuan scanned them briefly, then swept his hand forward. Instantly, every ancient god found a sheet of paper in their hands.

"Fill them out. I'm off to the feast. When I'm done eating, hand them in together.

Oh

! Be serious. No making things up!"

With that, Qi Yuan bid them farewell and ran off to the banquet.

The ancient gods stared at one another.

Thunder examined his sheet. "What is this nonsense? Is this brat planning to pocket the Divine Domain Immortal Serum?"

Twilight seemed equally baffled. "Age? Name? Personality? Skills mastered? Cultivation techniques practiced? Desired divine authority?"

The contents were strange, so much that Twilight didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If he had once lived on Blue Planet, he would have found it suspiciously similar to a job interview resume.

"Twilight, what does Qiyuann Sovereign intend to do?" Fire Lotus asked.

The others were equally confused. What was the point of filling this out?

Twilight shook his head. "I don't know."

A terrifying speculation briefly surfaced in his mind, but he immediately crushed it.

Impossible.

"Could it be that Lord God intends to tailor visualization arts specifically for each of us?" asked Wang Song, his voice faltering.

All eyes turned toward him. Truthfully, most of them had assumed the same, but it felt far too outrageous.

One of the twin sisters reasoned calmly. "Even if Lord God knows many ancient gods, how can he possibly customize one for each of us?"

"I'd guess that after we fill these out, he'll select one or two of us to visualize some arts."

Since it at least sounded plausible, that explanation won widespread agreement.

Upon hearing this, Wang Song immediately turned to another ancient god. "Li Xiao, weren't you thinking of walking the Physique Dao?"

Li Xiao looked bewildered. "I cultivate Wood Arts. The Physique Dao was just something I mentioned in passing!"

"No, no, you must take the Physique Dao. You can't compete with me on Wood Arts!"

What if there was only one truly powerful ancient god per path? Only Great Venerable-tier arts would be of great use to these Venerables. If two people chose the same path, one of them probably would not receive Qi Yuan's bestowed method.

Li Xiao glanced disdainfully at Wang Song. "It's not even certain, and you're already panicking?

Haa..

. Why do you have to be my neighbor? How embarrassing."

The two began quarreling. Gradually, laughter rippled through the group. The suffocating tension that had weighed upon them earlier finally began to lift.