"Failed?"
Just as Wu Feng was feeling surprised, Gu Tianchen beside him recalled the punishment of "erasure" they received if they failed the trials granted by the Sea God, and thus asked:
"But why did he still become a god in the end?"
"I know this too."
Back when she was the young sect master, Ning Tian's reading volume was massive; she had read all sorts of miscellanies, travelogues, and ancestral records.
"According to the records, it was ultimately the Sea God Tang San who stepped in, allowing Ma Hongjun to swap to a different god position. He didn't inherit the God of Fire."
Saying this, Ning Tian looked at Wu Feng and smiled. "Based on this record, the God of Fire in the Divine Realm most likely still wants to pass down his god position. So if you seek him out, with the Ultimate Fire contained within your Martial Soul, you should be able to gain his approval."
"Alright!"
Wu Feng's spirits lifted!
"Then my next goal is him!"
She then turned her gaze to Gu Tianchen. "When the time comes, we'll become gods together—one God of Space, one God of Fire—and leave behind a legend for the world!"
"Good ambition."
Chen Junting gave a thumbs-up and praised with a smile.
Although his tone sounded a bit like he was coaxing a child, it was obvious that the current Wu Feng ate this up, feeling incredibly smug.
But the next second, Ning Tian poured a bucket of cold water on her.
"But Sister Feng, if you want to gain the God of Fire's approval, there's still a very important prerequisite. That is being able to meet the God of Fire, or like Yuhao, being able to attract a deity's attention."
"You..."
Ning Tian paused, putting on an inquiring, listening expression.
"How do you plan to do it?"
Eh?
The excitement and smugness from just a moment ago came to an abrupt halt, and a look of confusion dominated Wu Feng's eyes as she looked at Ning Tian.
Did the records not mention the location?
Like the Sea God Clan's, for example.
Probably due to their lifelong tacit understanding, Ning Tian read Wu Feng's gaze. She shook her head. "There are no records of that."
With this, the fiery girl instantly calmed down.
So, she looked at Chen Junting with a hopeful gaze.
Obviously, Wu Feng now recalled what Chen Junting had said earlier about "introducing" a deity to each of them. If that was the case, he should have the ability to find the God of Fire. After all, she felt that aside from the God of Fire, no other god was worthy of her.
"So that's what you were thinking?"
"Eh!?"
Hearing Chen Junting's helpless tone so suddenly, Wu Feng, who had zoned out a bit, couldn't help but jump in surprise. "Can you hear my thoughts?"
At the same time, a thought arose in her mind: 'When did this sword bastard learn mind-reading?'
Immediately after, realizing what she was doing, she killed the thought.
This sudden exclamation left the other three at the table feeling a bit speechless. She was a Level 89 Soul Douluo, for crying out loud; was this really necessary? She looked completely like a child who never grew up.
Under her astonished gaze, Chen Junting shook his head.
"I don't have mind-reading."
"You're still denying it?!"
"That's entirely because your expression is too easy to read. Anyone even slightly familiar with you could pretty much guess it, okay?"
Without needing Chen Junting to explain, Gu Tianchen provided the answer. He even extended his index finger and poked Wu Feng's forehead, pushing slightly with a helpless vibe. "As for your first question, you think you were just thinking it? You actually muttered it out loud unconsciously."
Huh? Is that so?
"Cough, cough—"
Wu Feng gave an awkward yet polite cough, her face flushing red. Fortunately, it was hidden under the cover of her tipsiness.
"Idiot."
"Mm, I am not an idiot!"
Ignoring the two's flirtatious bickering, Chen Junting and Ning Tian exchanged a glance, both able to see the trace of amusement in each other's eyes.
"Brother Junting, how do you plan to do it?"
"About them becoming gods?"
"Yeah."
"Tomorrow. Let's gather tomorrow."
"Call everyone?"
Facing this question, Chen Junting pondered for a moment.
"Only the seven who participated in the Sea God's trial."
Because among everyone, presumably only they had the best chance.
And so, on the second day, at Chen Junting's residence.
Under Chen Junting's summons, the members of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect who had participated in the Sea God's trial all gathered together and came to the tea room.
Before everyone could figure out the reason, as Chen Junting took his final seat, he waved his hand. Array patterns instantly spread across the entire tea room, enveloping it and isolating the inside from the outside.
Just as everyone was feeling puzzled, he spoke. "The reason I had Xiao Tian gather everyone today is to discuss our future paths."
Chen Junting's gaze was like a torch as it swept over the crowd.
"I presume there isn't a single person here who doesn't want to become a god."
Straight to the point, getting right to the heart of the matter.
This direct question, spoken in a declarative tone, stunned the other four who were unaware, leaving them somewhat in disbelief.
What? Become a god!?
Was the discussion about their future paths today really this massive?
One had to know, among the people present, there were still a few who hadn't even reached the Titled Douluo realm, yet they were already discussing the step of "becoming a god in the future"—some hadn't even thought about this.
Seeing everyone looking at each other in dismay, Chen Junting asked in return with upturned lips, "What? Not a single person wants to become a god?"
"Who says I don't!"
"If we can find an inheritance, becoming a god isn't difficult!"
"..."
Chen Junting's question was like a fuse, instantly "igniting" the few who hadn't received a divine inheritance.
Each was in high spirits, exuding an attitude of "if not me, then who?"
"Chen, tell us, what exactly does it take to become a god?"
Once the atmosphere calmed down, Dugu Xin asked at this moment, with Ji Juechen, Ye Guyi, and Xiao Xiao casting inquiring gazes right after.
"Actually, with everyone's talent, becoming a god is entirely possible. But to become a god, the most indispensable thing is luck. More accurately, it's whether a deity can notice you geniuses. After all, unless your talent is truly stunning enough to actively attract the attention of the deities in the Divine Realm, you can only hope to find a deity's inheritance ground in the lower realm yourself, or be chosen by a deity."
Chen Junting said this while looking at Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao should know that there are numerous planes under the jurisdiction of the Divine Realm. Add the fact that one day in the Divine Realm equals one year in the mortal world, and that deities cannot constantly pay attention to geniuses in the lower realms, so many geniuses end up undiscovered by deities, turning to dust after a century."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao nodded.
Regarding matters of the Divine Realm, he had indeed heard Teacher Rong Nianbing say this before, so Brother Junting's statement was generally correct.
Having received Huo Yuhao's acknowledgment, Chen Junting continued the previous topic. "So now, what I intend to do is make up for this final 'luck' aspect for all of you who possess sufficient talent."
Suddenly, he stood up violently. His gaze was piercing, like a divine sword drawn from its sheath; his arms spread open, as if embracing the vastness of the universe.
"I wish that in the years to come, I can share eternal life with you all!"
The moment his gaze swept over them, even Gu Tianchen and Wu Feng, who were already in the know, had their minds struck by this oath, let alone the others who were "completely unprepared."
So hype! Absolutely thrilling!
...
At this moment, in the Divine Realm.
"Hmm?"
The God of Destruction, who had just seen off the Goddess of Life, raised an eyebrow.
Because he noticed that the youth from the Douluo Plane named "Chen Junting" was contacting him. But how much time had passed? Calculating by the flow of time in the mortal world, it had probably only been a few days. Could it be that in such a short amount of time, he had already discovered the hidden moves Tang San left in the Douluo Plane? That was too fast.
Thus, the God of Destruction immediately connected with his divine sense.
The moment he opened his mouth, he asked a bit impatiently, "Have you already found out what tricks Tang San has played on the Douluo Plane?"
"Ah?"
Hearing this, Chen Junting was first taken aback.
But soon, he realized that the God of Destruction had misunderstood. So he hurriedly explained, "Senior, I'm not that fast. If Tang San really did make some moves in the Douluo Plane, he definitely hid them very deeply. Even with the reminders you gave me earlier, I still need to make more preparations before I can investigate."
'Indeed, I was too anxious.'
Hearing Chen Junting's words, the God of Destruction also realized he had been too anxious just now, leading to the misunderstanding. Upon realizing this, in the blink of an eye, he returned to his calm demeanor. He then asked, "Then what is the matter for you contacting me this time?"
This matter wasn't something to hide, so Chen Junting, who knew the God of Destruction's personality, straightforwardly stated his request, "This time, it's for god positions."
"God positions?"
The God of Destruction frowned.
He almost subconsciously assumed that Chen Junting wanted to inherit a god position. But after reacting, he quickly understood that this probability was very small, so he roughly guessed his intention.
"You're doing this for others."
Under his certain tone, Chen Junting gave a definitive answer, "Exactly. I'm looking for you, Senior, to find a few suitable god positions for my companions, so they can also become gods in the future."
As these words came out, the God of Destruction's eyes couldn't be seen under the cover of his purple cloak. However, although Chen Junting's approach was a bit like nepotism, the God of Destruction didn't actually detest it. Of course, he didn't hold a supportive attitude either.
Even though he disliked the fact that Tang San had brought his companions to become gods together back then, this dislike had a prerequisite: Tang San opposed the expansion of the Divine Realm, making it difficult for some extremely talented new generations to ascend to the Divine Realm and strengthen it.
As long as this prerequisite wasn't violated, the God of Destruction wouldn't pay too much mind to such things. After all, which god didn't have family and friends? So he could understand this sort of thing.
But to come to him for this and ask for his help... Heh—this was a first.
"You want me to help your companions find god positions?"
A rhetorical question, as if trying to interrogate Chen Junting.
But Chen Junting knew the God of Destruction's "itch," so he wasn't stumped by the question. Instead, he leaned his answer in a direction that would earn the God of Destruction's favor. "Senior, you should know about the people who ascended to the Divine Realm with Tang San back then, right? I can guarantee that none of my companions are weaker than them. Even in my opinion, as long as there's a suitable one, they can all inherit First-Class God positions. Even if they are Second-Class Gods, I believe that once they reach the Divine Realm, given some time, they can advance."
He does have confidence.
But if it was really as this kid said, it would be a good thing for the Divine Realm. But more importantly, it was because of replacing people.
This thought had actually been in the God of Destruction's mind for a long time. But First-Class God positions weren't so easy to inherit, which resulted in guys who basically ignored worldly affairs occupying the seats.
One had to know, the proportion of these squatters was large and numerous. Basically, half of the First-Class Gods were in this situation; probably only his subordinate Seven Deadly Sins Gods and the God of Annihilation were better off.
So if there really were geniuses who could inherit those First-Class God positions, it would be a good thing. This way, the new generation might be able to take on some duties and keep them from being so tired.
Furthermore, if this youth named "Chen Junting" really created his own god position... if he became a God King, he would need his own subordinates. Even as a First-Class God, he would need his own network; after all, creating a god position wasn't inheriting one—there was no network of a previous deity to inherit, unless he chose to attach himself to a God King.
Thinking of this, the God of Destruction, who held expectations for Chen Junting and wanted him to create a God King's god position later, still decided to set up a stage for him in the Divine Realm in advance.
As for who could stand on that stage... presumably, his companions were the most suitable.
So, "Tell me about the situation of your people."
Hearing the God of Destruction say this, Chen Junting knew he had agreed. So he informed him of Gu Tianchen and the others' situations one by one, specially emphasizing the domains they were most proficient in.
Just as he finished speaking, in about the time it takes to take a single breath, the God of Destruction, who had lived for who knows how many years in the Divine Realm and handled who knows how many matters, instantly filtered out the god positions suitable for them.
Wu Feng: First-Class God—God of Fire;
Dugu Xin: Second-Class God—God of Poison;
Xiao Xiao: Second-Class God—God of Rhythm;
Gu Tianchen: First-Class God—God of Space;
As for the remaining Ye Guyi and Ji Juechen...
"For the remaining two, the one with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was originally the most suitable for the Angel God's position. It's just a pity that the Angel God's god position is shattered, and your future path can only make way for the Angel God's path of faith, so among the remaining god positions, the one most suited for her is the God of Light, who is also one of the Seven Elemental Gods. As for the one who uses the sword, his talent in the Dao of the Sword is also strong; if he is willing to take the path of creating his own god position, he could condense a God of Swords position himself. However, if he condenses it without using the power of faith, with his ability, he would at most be a Second-Class God. Of course, he could also inherit the position of the God of Attack, who is a Second-Class God."
Obviously, among the group, the God of Destruction appreciated Ji Juechen the most, followed by Dugu Xin. Because the former had the ability to condense a god position; even if it was at most a Second-Class God, it was still adding a new position to the Divine Realm, even if with the Divine Realm's current "capacity," the positions new gods could occupy were already not many.
And the latter had the ability to advance a god position—promoting the Second-Class God of Poison into a Main God.
As for the others... they were just so-so, unable to make the God of Destruction's eyes light up. After all, they couldn't advance a god position or strengthen the Divine Realm's power.
But for Chen Junting, this was enough to make him overjoyed.
"Then I'll trouble you with this, Senior."
"Mm."
The God of Destruction responded, then severed the connection. But deep in his heart, calculations began to turn...
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