Chapter 7

Fengxi mustered troops and summoned manpower, aiming to achieve great ambitions.

That was a brand‑new game he had never played before; when he first tried it, he spent only three minutes and became hopelessly addicted.

Combining education with entertainment, it expounds cultivation principles in the game, arranging ruler, minister, aide… ostensibly it is an emperor governing the state, managing internal affairs and expanding externally; in truth it is the true spirit holding fast, integrating the soul's will to command the inner divine powers and mana, a special means of participating in the Great Dao.

Moreover, by stimulating sensory perception and using subtle means to create a spacetime illusion, it feels like a strange dream, with time distorted thousands or tens of thousands of fold… a day's effort equals dozens or hundreds of years of arduous cultivation.

Adding tens to hundreds of thousands of squads participating, their auras either blend or oppose; each person's mana attributes simulate heaven and earth, evolving the world's furnace, forging each other's true‑spirit Dao nature… gathering in cultivation, they complement and boost each other, efficiency is hundreds of times that of solitary practice!

And if any squad can defeat all opponents and stand out, that extreme tempering, an unstoppable, exhilarating victory, is also a tremendous impetus and elevation of one's mind‑nature!

Thus, after three consecutive days and three successive great victories, Fengxi completely mastered the mana and divine powers bestowed by the ancestral Wu, as if he himself were a true immortal forged through myriad tribulations, with no slightest instability in his foundation.

Now his progress, among his Wu‑clan peers of the same batch, counts as among the finest.

Those comparable to him are no more than a few million at most.

Of course, to achieve such feats, besides his personal sense of inexplicable familiarity while playing this game—as if he once had memories of developing it that were forgotten, yet his instincts retained faint traces, each time at a critical juncture inspiration bursts forth and he turns danger into safety…

Moreover, it is thanks to his teammates' strong support!

This is the most reliable online friendship Fengxi has ever had in his life.

Jun, Boyang, Zixiu, Jiran, Yuchen, Chilu, Qingxuan, Darong, Qionsang—each one is a divine teammate!

Strong forces united, thus they can gallop freely across the battlefield!

The ten figures of wind and cloud swept through Houtu sector 1404, killing whoever they met; for a time they ran rampant, letting the myriad Wu dare to be angry but not speak out.

After Houtu's ancestral Wu learned of this while taking tea after meals, he casually glanced at the ten, lingered his gaze a moment on each, and smiled faintly, "Very good."

"We Wu clan need just such brave and resourceful fine young men… after all, they will go to the battlefield someday."

"However, being so arrogant, looking down on others, is also improper."

"One must know that beyond people there are people, beyond heaven there is heaven."

"One must learn humility and know to advance steadily."

"Then, how should we handle it?" asked the Wu clan's officer, Dayi, his eyes shifting as he sought the leader's guidance.

"First give them some rewards… as victors they ought to be praised." Houtu said offhandedly, "I am quite fair and reasonable."

"Besides ordinary material rewards, I also allow them to come before me… I will lower myself to their level to guide and nurture them."

"Give them a social thrashing… oh no, I mean let them learn the principle 'pride brings loss, humility brings gain'…"

"Let them set aside spiritual arrogance and restlessness, and improve themselves with feet on the ground."

Dayi listened to these words and clicked his tongue slightly.

"What need is there for a few little fellows to trouble your exalted self?" he said, bowing slightly, "You oversee myriad affairs and labor over human matters… such trifles can be left to subordinates."

"You…" Houtu suddenly laughed, shaking his head, "Not very safe."

"I fear that one careless move on your part could capsize in a ditch."

"How could that be?" Dayi exclaimed, "Even if I lower myself to their level, my experience is thousands or tens of thousands times theirs… the perspective I've gained won't change, how could I lose?"

"Only a Daluo could possibly defeat a Daluo…" he suddenly realized, his mouth twitching, "Could it be…?"

His eye twitched incessantly; Dayi lowered his voice, made a slicing gesture at his throat, "Those who come are not kind, the kind do not come. Should I…?"

"No need," Houtu waved his hand, "A Daluo can manifest as countless billions, letting trumpets spread throughout past, present and future… killing one is of no use."

"Moreover, some may be exposed, but those lurking in the dark… who knows how many there are?"

"Furthermore, some are simply pawns, used to mislead our sight."

"For instance, someone who is clearly Zhang Three plays the trumpet under Li Four's name—would you really blame Li Four?"

"Everyone pretends ignorance while knowing the truth… no one has grounds to blame another." Houtu yawned, "Like me, I'm still considering infiltrating the Demon Race's high ranks."

Dayi was speechless.

"When Daluo face off, each harbors secret schemes in his heart."

"Some come as spies to sow discord and specialize in sabotage; others actually hedge their bets, establishing an enterprise within our Wu clan." Houtu, the ancestral Wu, smiled wryly, "If the Demon Race is ruined, they can simply defect, reuse the trumpets they opened in the Wu clan to go back online, and keep enjoying the game."

"This is the game of the Daluo."

"For the former we must suppress; for the latter we should strive as much as possible… to turn these fence‑sitters into mere observers, so they add little hindrance to our great undertaking."

"Of course, regardless of the situation, a bit of admonishment is indispensable."

"Don't let them get too full of themselves!"

"Ancestral Wu, your insight is lofty!" Dayi praised admiringly, "Drawing such a red line and setting rules is enough to warn those with intent."

"Exactly." Houtu accepted the flattery from his subordinates wholesale, "Since their trumpets bear the Wu clan's identity, they ought to fulfill what it means to be Wu."

"They may muddy the waters and reap rewards without effort… but they must never stir up trouble!"

"If they become too arrogant, I will strike directly and destroy their tubas!"

Houtu the ancestral Wu exuded killing intent, bearing an aura that looked down on the world.

This is absolute confidence in his own strength, as if, though the Honghuang is vast, those qualified to be her opponents are exceedingly few.

And Dayi harbors not the slightest doubt about it.

"I'll go make the arrangements." He bowed, "Should their rewards be given wide publicity?"

"Of course." Houtu smiled faintly, "Let the Wu clan's internal network push make them a headline."

"Those who don't know the inside story will envy them and gain fresh motivation."

"And those who do know the inside? That will make them behave honestly and keep a low profile as Wu."

…

"Congratulations, several of you!"

The ten figures of wind and cloud from Houtu sector 1404 received congratulations from a worker of the Wu clan's personnel department.

"Having attracted the ancestral Wu's notice… you will surely rise smoothly to high office!"

"Thank you for the kind words! Thank you for the kind words!" Fengxi's face beamed with joy, a smile blossoming like a flower.

The few people beside him were also laughing, but that smile... was a bit forced.

(End of chapter)