I stood in the center of the Star-God Realm's main plaza, Lian Hua watching me with a mixture of skepticism and genuine concern. Behind her, the elders of the Eternal Frost Sect were whispering about "the madman from the lower world."
"You have one hour until my father's scouts report back," Lian Hua whispered, her icy breath tickling my ear. "If your disciples are still at the Core Formation realm, he won't just reject you—he'll erase your mountain from the star charts."
"One hour?" I grinned, cracking my knuckles. "In my sect, we call that a 'long lunch.' System, I've got 3,000 points and a dream. Open the Time-Dilation overclock."
[Ding! Accessing 'Chronos-Forge' Mode. Cost: 2,500 Points. Effect: 1 hour outside = 100 years inside the Resonance Array. Warning: Disciples may experience extreme grumpiness.]
"Do it," I commanded.
I slammed my palms onto the crystalline ground. A massive, golden dome—far more intricate than the one we used against the Alliance—shimmered into existence, swallowing all 10,000 disciples. From the outside, they looked like frozen statues. Inside, they were living through a century of concentrated spiritual evolution.
I turned to Lian Hua, who was staring at the dome in horror. "Tell your father I'll be at his palace in exactly two years. I have some... housekeeping to do first. Consider this our long-distance phase."
Before she could protest, I stepped into the dome.
One Hour (A Century) Later
The dome shattered like glass.
The pressure that rolled out was so immense that the nearby floating islands drifted three miles backward. Lian Hua fell to her knees, not out of weakness, but because the sheer density of the Qi in the air made it hard to move.
10,000 men and women stood up. They weren't just soldiers anymore; they looked like young gods. Their eyes glowed with the wisdom of a hundred years of meditation. The azure armor had evolved, now pulsing with a deep violet light.
[Ding! Mission Accomplished: 10,000 Nascent Soul Realm Disciples Created.]
[Note: They are all very hungry. Like, 'eat-a-planet' hungry.]
"Master," Xuan Lu stepped forward. He looked older, his gaze sharper, and his dragon, Burny, was now the size of a mountain range, resting its chin on a neighboring continent. "We are ready. Where is the next forge?"
I looked at Lian Hua, who was speechless. "See you in two years, Snowflake. Don't let anyone else marry you—I've already paid the deposit in sweat."
With a wave of my hand, we vanished back through the World-Gate.
Two Years of Quiet Grinding
For the next two years, the Mountain of Iron became a ghost town. No visitors, no battles, no "audits."
I pushed them. We didn't stop at Nascent Soul. I used the Divine Spiritual Vein to its absolute limit, feeding them spirit-herbs that I grew using the System's "Instant-Gro" fertilizer. We practiced formations that could split moons. We forged weapons that whispered the names of their enemies.
I spent my nights staring at the stars, thinking of Lian Hua. I wasn't just building an army; I was building a dowry the universe couldn't ignore.
The Wedding Crashers
Two years to the second, the World-Gate reopened above the Eternal Frost Capital.
The Star-God Emperor, a man whose presence literally caused blizzards to form in space, sat on his throne. Beside him sat Lian Hua, looking miserable in a wedding gown made of frozen starlight. Across from her was a "suitable" suitor—some prince from a Flame-God galaxy who looked like he spent too much time in a tanning bed.
"The ceremony begins," the Emperor declared, his voice shaking the pillars of the palace.
"I OBJECT!"
The roof of the palace didn't just break; it evaporated.
I descended from the sky, sitting atop Burny's head. But I wasn't alone. Behind me, 10,000 streaks of violet light descended like falling stars.
Each of my 10,000 disciples hit the ground in a perfect grid around the palace. The moment their feet touched the floor, they released their auras.
10,000 Nascent Soul peaks. The combined pressure caused the Star-God Emperor's throne to crack. The "Flame Prince" actually fainted, his tan turning a pale shade of "I-want-my-mommy."
I walked down Burny's snout and stepped onto the red carpet, tossing a bag of 50,000 high-grade Star-God stones at the Emperor's feet.
"I'm here for the girl," I said, ignoring the thousands of Frost Guards who were currently pointing spears at me with trembling hands. "And I brought 10,000 witnesses to make sure the 'Yes' is loud enough."
Lian Hua stood up, a brilliant, defiant smile breaking across her face. "You're late, idiot."
"I had to make sure the boys looked sharp for the father-in-law," I grinned, looking at the Emperor. "So, do we do this the easy way, or do I have my disciples 'redecorate' your galaxy?"
The Star-God Emperor looked at me, then at the 10,000 Nascent Soul monsters standing in his garden, then back at his cracked throne. He sighed, leaning back.
"Fine," the Emperor grumbled. "But you're paying for the roof."