Chapter 172: Grabbing Merit, Shifting Blame—Rotten to the Bone

Fengxi lamented the second loss of his integrity, harmed by the high-ranking demons, forced to do things he unwillingly did.

Even so, when issuing counterorders, he remained firm and decisive, ignoring all moral obstacles.

Perhaps this is the breadth of mind of a true leader.

He can take it up and also let it go.

Sleeping on firewood and tasting gall, enduring humiliation and bearing burdens—under the great mission of leading his clan forward, what are his petty personal morals?

Fengxi deeply understood that to defeat opponents who casually cheat with overpowered evolutions, he must break free from moral constraints, discard face and decorum, publicly proclaim fairness while secretly manipulating, lead in cheating, and trample the rules he set.

All of this is so moving and tragic!

Although at this moment, Hougang standing aside had his mouth twitching wildly, his inner confusion and questions almost showed on his face—

Who exactly gave this guy his courage?

Making him think he still had integrity?

King of the Great Treasure Sword, Lord of Charity, Friend of the Female Immortal, Supreme Archbishop of the Reincarnation Divine Sect…

Behind this string of "great achievements," destined to be sung for ages, how can one conscience‑lessly claim "integrity remains"?

Hougang pondered his own past experiences, compared them to Fengxi's, slightly shook his head, feeling a faint urge to admit defeat.

"If…"

"If shamelessness can be a Great Dao, this guy… could reach the Great Luo!"

Hougang's mind swirled with chaotic thoughts.

Of course, on the surface he still silently listened to Fengxi's commands.

"The rules are set by us."

"The matches are arranged for us."

After Fengxi set aside his mental burden and stopped caring about integrity, his eyes shone brightly alarming, his tone calm and composed; one could see his mental state greatly improved, standing in an invincible mindset: "What's a mere super‑evolution? Can it even escape my palm?"

"Hougang, later you'll adjust the groupings for part of the upcoming matches."

"Adjust the groupings…?" Hougang murmured.

"Yes." Fengxi's voice echoed faintly, "Don't forget, our Wu Clan also has many ginseng‑race participants."

"That's also something to be glad about." He sighed, "Back when the august Houtu made her domineering declaration, she told me—she wants it all!"

"It's not just about using the National Games to show tribal superiority and inferiority, to propagandize reincarnation to the utterly crushed low‑level tribes, telling them it's better to contribute to reincarnation than to strive millions of years in this life without ever seeing the heels of the high‑level tribes, so they can be reborn well next life, with the starting line being the unattainable finish of their past existence."

"We must also display the vigor of our Wu Clan youths, cultivate peoples who admire Wu Clan culture, letting their spirits spontaneously take the shape of our Wu Clan…"

"That's why we also have plenty of competition chips."

Fact proves that the ancestral witch Houtu's "want it all" ideology is correct.

At critical moments it works wonders, letting Fengxi save the situation.

The massive workload that had increased because of it instantly turned into hard work paying off.

"Originally, to show the host's magnanimity and give some small tribes a chance to perform early on," Fengxi said faintly, "our members, when grouped, were paired with Kunlun's high‑level tribes—Enlightened Beast Tribe, Azure Bird Tribe, Reverent Origin Tribe, Quail Tribe—both sides tacitly maintained decorum, fully embodying the spirit of friendship first, competition second."

"Now the Starry Sky Demon Race has butted in… huh!" he sneered, "If so, let's just adjust the grouping rules."

"Do the Starry Sky demons want to show off? Want a smooth streak of crushing weaklings? Display their mystery and power? With behind‑the‑scenes public‑relations hype ready?"

"Then in the next match, we'll crush them utterly!"

"Put our Wu Clan youths together with them!" Fengxi said, "Give it our all, trample those Starry Sky demons into the dust!"

"If they shine in one match but collapse in the second, no amount of hype will help—it'll just be half‑effort, driving the demon high‑ups mad."

"That's not easy." Hougang warned, "These mutated Starry Sky demons are also top‑tier tribes, even matching the pure‑blooded elite of their kind at the same realm… the demon high‑ups have invested heavily!"

"So what?" Fengxi smiled lightly, "I told you—this is our home turf!"

"You think my trump card is only in arranging match groups?"

"Wrong!"

"There's also domain empowerment!"

"It's just not activated yet."

Fengxi flipped his palm, and a jade token appeared, emitting a crystal‑clear glow.

"This… is too dangerous." Hougang said, "If exposed, we'd be very passive."

"Don't worry." Fengxi shook his head, "Am I the kind who cheats with zero technical skill?"

"This domain empowerment isn't a blatant buff laid out openly; it works on the mind!"

Fengxi's face showed a strange smile, "Mindset also affects power manifestation—cultivators are mind‑body one!"

"And mindset is never fixed."

"The cultivators' so‑called heart‑tempering—if Daoist supreme forgetfulness, like Buddhist bodhi nirvana, like demonic path indulgence extreme emotion, or like our Wu Clan forging a resilient battle heart—all aim to raise the lower limit."

"But the upper limit isn't locked, and can't be locked."

"If locked, it's truly useless, with no future or prospects."

"Because the upper limit isn't locked, there will be epiphanies, excitement, persistence, self‑lessness, transcendence… the higher the peak mindset, the more brilliant the spirit, able to break limits, surpass the present self, and burst forth in splendid radiance."

"And I'm the one who's done the work in this regard." Fengxi tossed the token, a ripple spread.

Hougang seriously sensed it, wanting to know the consequences and effects.

However…

He discovered nothing.

"Interesting…" he raised his brows.

"No need to ponder; you won't figure anything out." Fengxi smiled, "Just from this moment on, the arena's light and shade, the color scheme of distance and proximity, the crowd's noise interfering with athletes, the spatiotemporal pattern's slight effect on competitors' sensory organs—all are merely changing."

"Adjusting into an environment most suitable for our Wu Clan's competitors, rather than a harsh, brutal rule‑constant tweak that would be instantly exposed."

"Under such an environment, our Wu Clan's competitors will have their mindset influenced to stay at the peak—various colors and symbols let the spirit stay calm, as if the whole crowd cheers for them and excites their spirit… this most easily lets them transcend normal condition and stand in a special domain."

On the contrary, opponents will be suppressed; color schemes that don't match one's own three‑outlook values and audience cheers that seem like noise… Any single element taken alone poses no problem, but when combined, they make the mindset restless, allowing only the display of ability at the baseline mindset level.

Shading and helping—all done invisibly… Isn't that wonderful?

Fengxi clapped his hands and said, "Actually, in present‑day cultivation, whether it's the orthodox Dao transmission or an unaffiliated cultivator's side path that hasn't amounted to much, the key difference lies right here."

The master leads one through the gate, but cultivation depends on the individual… Although cultivation manuals can be had one per person, the reason the teacher remains indispensable lies precisely in that gate they lead one through.

That is to teach disciples how to maintain, to the greatest extent possible, a mental state beyond the ordinary, to study and comprehend with a peak posture; cultivation efficiency naturally rises.

Most people have ordinary, mediocre talent; being able to cultivate with greater efficiency is therefore crucial.

Geniuses are exempt.

True geniuses, even if they are unaffiliated cultivators, can one day become founders of their own path!

However, the achievements they attain may be high, but that does not mean they will teach disciples.

Teaching according to aptitude has never been easy.

Of course, there are some peak existences; even if they are not skilled at teaching according to aptitude, it is not hard for them to produce good disciples.

After all, they can constantly foresee the future, holding a strategy guide.

But that is too exhausting; it's better to build a power base and play at laissez‑faire… If it's gold, it will eventually shine.

……

"Having done all this… that guy also had a hand in it, right?"

Hougang let out a light sigh.

"Yes." Fengxi nodded, "The painter made a significant contribution here."

"Not only must we pit traps for the audience and stir up love and hate, but we must also indirectly control the competitors… In fact, once we control the competitors' victories and defeats, it naturally becomes easier to control those spectators."

"It must be said, this guy's research on the interaction between psychology and environment is truly at the pinnacle, having reached an extremely high level, making billions of beings dance in his palm without even realizing it."

Fengxi praised, "Now when I speak with him, I have to be extremely careful, pondering whether to give myself a mechanical mind effect… Otherwise, I might get trapped at any moment."

Hougang looked at Fengxi, rather speechless.

He clenched one fist, "Never mind the painter, just you… I feel your arrangements are a bit off."

"Right… I get it now!"

"The design of these environmental atmospheres absolutely cannot be thrown together with temporary construction…" Hougang's face turned strange, "Wait——

"Did you, from the very start of building the venue, aim for this cheating goal? Everything revolves around the home field."

"In that case," he counted on his fingers, "you turned on the cheat first, and only then did the demon race's super‑evolution come."

"Then… who exactly is being shameless?"

"Cough cough! How are you saying that?" Fengxi gave a dry cough, "What do you mean by 'I turned on the cheat first'?"

"This is clearly 'one must not lack a guard against people'!"

"Before the demon race's super‑evolution, did I activate these things? No!"

"When I first built these things, it was only to guard against a surprise move… If the demon race competed fairly, I would naturally choose fair competition mode."

"But if the demon race's higher‑ups aren't scrupulous, then neither need I be, and I can play this card."

"And the facts prove I was right! It's foresight!"

"What is this called? This is called divine stratagem!"

"Let's evaluate from another angle……

"Can GM matters be called cheating?"

"That's called balance!"

Fengxi spoke with conviction.

Hougang wasn't the slightest bit cold, just muttering.

"Nonsense divine stratagem, guarding against people… this is rotten to the core, right?"

……

"This competition was a success!"

"The appearance of each super‑evolved being proves the All‑Sports Games' mandate—the correctness of heavenly mandate!"

"We can see that it is precisely because of this event, where myriad races gathered and competition was fierce, that such legendary super‑evolution emerged."

"Their heavenly mandate led them to break the limits of their own race… Let us cheer for them and send blessings!"

Fengxi shouted excitedly.

At this moment, he pushed aside the original broadcaster, rolled up his sleeves, and directly drew a conclusion about this super‑evolution that even ghosts wouldn't believe.

He used his loudest voice, seized the commentary stage from the crowd‑extras below, and actively set the rhythm.

As a great expert in the art of trash‑talk, Fengxi fully understood its principles.

When good things develop, regardless of whether they are because of oneself, one must take credit for them.

When bad things develop, one must instead reverse the operation.

Taking credit and passing the buck… publicity and dealing with subordinates follow similar principles.

Right now, he employs this tactic as always, seizing the initiative to set the tone.

Super‑evolution?

Good!

Evolution is good!

"You evolved on my battlefield during this competition period—doesn't that demonstrate the correctness and greatness of holding this event?"

"Heavenly mandate brings success in all endeavors!"

——In a certain sense, this super‑evolution truly is the heavenly mandate's due, serving as a pawn of heavenly will charging into battle.

Fengxi, with a single utterance, directly "took credit," first avoiding the sharp edge of the world‑destroying super‑evolution, then from the overall situation boasted of his Wu Clan's achievements.

Even if there are perceptive people who know how the game behind this is played, the Wu Clan has suffered a silent loss—but… what does it matter?

As long as the masses are fooled, that's enough.

Real‑world examples prove that, in an instant, more demon spirits have been brainwashed by the Words of Heaven's Mandate.

Seeing the holy fire burn ever more fiercely shows that the idea is penetrating deeper into demon hearts; the shift from half‑belief to firm conviction is already near.

Countless spectators below watched the contestants racing across the arena, each envious to the extreme, wishing they could take their place.

Those extra‑type bystanders, far too many spies in the employ of high‑ranking Demon Race officials, now stare at one another—what should they do?

Only then can the real truth be exposed?

However, before they could react, Fengxi, who had seized the brief initiative, launched a counterattack.

He shouted that the great goal was to make the effect of Heaven's Mandate ever stronger, enabling the greatest number of peoples to elevate and transform their racial talents' potential……

"The previous competition rules will undergo minor adjustments to stimulate greater potential in the contestants."

"The original group matches will disrupt the previous regional rules and enter a chaotic phase."

"The original ranking matches will be converted into group matches."

"Originally…"

"We want to achieve as many competitive matches as possible, changing the original purpose of mere ranking……

(End of chapter)