Chapter 170: Smooth Progress

Emperor Tomb Village Space.

Library Reading Area.

Tong Xin sat in a corner seat by the window; before him on the desk lay an open, thick book, beside it an open notebook.

His gaze was locked tightly on the pages, while the pen in his hand occasionally jotted down key points in the notebook.

When encountering obscure and difficult passages, he would study them repeatedly, dissecting and digesting every single character, immersing himself in the ocean of knowledge.

The first step of the plan had succeeded.

Through the sensory vision of the Eagle-Headed Demon, while An Sui observed them, they were also observing the changes in An Sui's expression.

He had successfully planted curiosity and shock within An Sui.

But this was merely the first step in establishing faith; next, he still needed to construct a complete faith system.

After staying up late to study until 3 AM, Tong Xin stretched his arms wide and yawned.

Summoning the Star Vein panel, a new Soul Soul composed of golden runes appeared in the fourth Star Vein slot: Divine Spark.

Upon mentally touching the Divine Spark, a detailed Faith panel popped up:

[Divine Spark]:

Believers: 0

Faith Power produced per hour: 0 (Faith Power production is affected by the devotion of the believers and one's own strength; the higher the believer's strength, the more Faith Power produced; the more devout the believer, the more Faith Power produced)

Faith Power possessed: 0

Faith Levels:

Faith Initiates (Level 1): In the boundless ocean of faith, they are like explorers just arriving at the coast, having merely touched the ripples stirred by the power of faith. Their faint light of belief is like a candle flame flickering in the wind, barely outlining the contours of faith. They attempt to follow the vague guidance of the deity, groping for direction amidst a fog of doubt and confusion. Every step is filled with probing and uncertainty, yet that sliver of longing for faith is the only anchor they hold fast to within the chaos.

Devout Believers (Level 2): The seed of faith takes root in their hearts as they join the ranks of the Devout. Their belief has become a roaring bonfire, dispelling many inner confusions and doubts. They possess a deeper understanding of the deity of faith; like travelers who have found clues deep within a maze, every doctrine issued by the deity becomes a key for them to understand the world and themselves.

Martyrs (Level 3): The power of faith is manifested to its utmost extreme. Their belief is like an eternal star that never extinguishes, constituting the very meaning of their lives. They are willing to abandon everything for their faith, even life itself, facing problems with fearless courage and defending the purity and dignity of their faith with blood and sacrifice.

Holy Enlighteners (Level 4): Surpassing the self-sacrifice of Martyrs, they are not only steadfast followers of the deity of faith but also its enlighteners and sublimators. Willing to spread the teachings of the deity of faith, they yearn for its light to sprinkle every corner of the world, guiding living beings toward higher levels of faith through both words and deeds.

Eternal Daoists (Level 5): They merge with faith, existing in harmonious symbiosis like the natural laws of the world.

Divine Spark Abilities:

Faith Connection (Soul Soul Special Ability): Upon release, establishes a mental connection with believers for long-distance communication. When used on a target for the first time, it can build a Faith Bridge; however, if the target possesses no faith, the connection cannot produce Faith Power.

The Divine Spark Soul Soul comes with the special skill "Faith Connection."

This ability is quite similar to the party Cultivation Mode.

After releasing it on an opponent, a mental connection can be established; however, if the other party holds no faith, they can easily break free from this connected state.

Only by connecting with a believer can one continuously draw out the Faith Power catalyzed by time.

In Tong Xin's view, this point was very similar to the "Fighting Soul" rules mastered by the Ancient God Clan.

Fighting Soul produces Fighting Soul Power through the behavioral logic of combat between two parties.

Whereas the Divine Spark Soul Soul obtains continuously produced Faith Power by establishing a Faith Connection with believers.

After reviewing the characteristics and effects of the Divine Spark Soul Soul once more, Tong Xin decided to begin the next phase of his plan: attempting to contact An Sui and telling a good story of faith.

Mystery, anticipation, a sense of security... he would construct a story of faith for An Sui revolving around these three core elements.

But before that, there was one more thing he needed to do.

Previously, he had chatted for a long time with Night Approaches, who believed his current attire was too plain and that his armament needed an upgrade.

Since he was walking the world in the name of a Divine Envoy, he simply had to create some unique features different from other players.

To put it plainly: he needed to have style.

Clothes make the man, and gold makes the Buddha.

During the previous miracle ceremony, An Sui had been very far away from him.

But for close-range contact, he needed to give An Sui a feeling of being dazzled.

Arriving at the Armament Vehicle Factory, he began updating his armament vehicle, replacing low-grade armament modules with high-grade ones.

But not all of them.

A high-grade armament module required ten mid-grade armament modules to fuse together, and ten mid-grade armament modules required ten low-grade armament modules to fuse together.

The price of a single high-grade armament module was 1,000 points of Sacrificial Power.

The exorbitant price meant he could only replace part of the armament, mainly the areas displayed on the surface.

Regarding the choice of armament template, he had already spent 200 points of Sacrificial Power to have an armament designer on the forum handle it; it was ready to use immediately, and it was explicitly stated that this template would not be shared on the forum, guaranteeing that only he would use it at the current stage.

Spending forty thousand Sacrificial Power, the appearance of the Divine Envoy Armor manifested before Tong Xin.

The main body of this Divine Envoy Armor was a long robe, based on a starry sky color scheme; its texture was light, with a dreamlike halo flowing across its surface, dotted with myriad stars, resembling twinkling stars in the night sky dancing among the folds of the garment.

Embedded around the collar was a circle of pale blue gems condensed from frost and snow, crystal clear and translucent.

The sleeves were as flowing as clouds and mist, with golden cloud patterns embroidered at the cuffs, enhancing the holy and divine aura.

As for accessories, draped over his shoulders was a shawl formed from pure light, resembling two agile wings, emitting a soft glow that added a touch of sacred atmosphere.

Testing the outfit in a simulation scene, a light mirror appeared before him.

In the mirror, his long robe resembled agile starlight, naturally draping down along his body; the collar featured frost-like gems, akin to stars in a cold night, casting a cold brilliance around his neck, while the golden cloud patterns on the cuffs appeared and disappeared with his breath, shimmering with a faint light.

Tong Xin turned slightly; the shawl moved agilely like wings of light, complementing the dreamlike colors flowing across the long robe.

He raised his hand to gently stroke the belt embedded with a vast nebula at his waist, brilliant light dancing at his fingertips.

Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, the corners of Tong Xin's mouth involuntarily curled upward:

"As expected of me, I'm still so handsome!"

After sizing himself up for a long while, Tong Xin nodded in satisfaction.

The initial setting of the template also included a Divine Envoy Crown embedded with several brilliant gems.

Alas, financial resources were limited; the expenditure on high-grade armament modules was truly unaffordable, so he simply canceled some of the more ornate accessories.

Yet this set of Divine Envoy robes could significantly enhance the persona he projected when contacting An Sui.

Next was the time for showing off and storytelling.

He decided to depart immediately for the Colorful Mist Coast region to attempt initial contact with An Sui.

As long as the story was told well, he wouldn't even need to extend an invitation; An Sui would voluntarily defect on his own.

The primary purpose of the story was not to make An Sui think their Player Clan was powerful, but to subtly make An Sui feel that becoming a believer would grant him protection.

During this process, he could not actively extend an invitation.

He even had to increase the difficulty of becoming a believer, designing a series of trials for An Sui.

After all, things obtained too easily are rarely valued.

Only things obtained through struggle, overcoming layer upon layer of obstacles, will be cherished exceptionally.

Secondly, Tong Xin had already made his plans.

If successful, he would return a portion of the Faith Power to be used for the resurrection of Dark Descendant warriors, or even for strengthening their power.

With this stable output of "Divine Blessing," the faith of the Dark Descendant warriors would become increasingly firm.

Before leaving the Emperor Tomb Village Space, Tong Xin rehearsed alone for several hours before finally heading to the Colorful Mist Coast.

Two hours later.

Deep within the dense forests of the Colorful Mist Coast.

Tong Xin walked alone on the path leading to the Evil Moon Domain, waiting for An Sui to make contact proactively.

If he failed to make contact, he would simply walk the path again.

As he advanced slowly, a blood shadow emerged from ahead, surging upward like a fountain before finally condensing into the figure of An Sui.

Tong Xin halted, looking at An Sui with a calm expression, though internally he was ecstatic.

The script had not deviated; An Sui indeed already harbored thoughts of defecting.

But what he hadn't expected was that before he could even express his thoughts, An Sui took the initiative to speak:

"Divine Envoy, I wish to become an affiliated faction of the Player Clan."

Hearing these words, Tong Xin was inwardly stunned, unable to understand why progress had suddenly accelerated.

Nevertheless, he spoke in a cold voice:

"Are you worthy?"

This insulting question did not cause any dissatisfaction in An Sui; with a grave expression, he said:

"I have not yet recovered to my peak, but I am not as weak as your Player Clan imagines. I can prove my value to you."

Just then, a voice came through the voice channel.

After a brief silence, Tong Xin raised his right hand toward An Sui. Seeing this, An Sui subconsciously took a step back, but ultimately returned to his original spot, wondering in his heart what this Divine Envoy of the Player Clan intended to do.

At this moment, the Blood Reflection ability activated, covering Tong Xin's body surface with a layer of blood color.

"What is this?" An Sui couldn't help but ask curiously.

Tong Xin merely smiled and shook his head:

"Dark Descendant Legion, Reincarnation System—life can be reshaped by injecting consciousness. You are a branch legion commander of the Dark Descendant Legion; is this the value you wish to convey to me?"

Hearing Tong Xin calmly reveal his secrets regarding the Dark Descendant Legion, An Sui instantly stood stunned like a wooden chicken.

"You... how do you know?"

"Before me, there are no secrets. Although I am currently merely a projection of my true self, I can read the information of all things through the ability bestowed by the Emperor Omen Deity."

Speaking thus, Tong Xin reached out and grabbed toward the front, as if seizing something:

"This is a timeline connected to you; all information from your birth until now is recorded upon it. Before me, you have no secrets."

As he spoke, the divine envoy robes on Tong Xin shimmered with a faint light, making him appear exceptionally sacred.

At this moment, the players in the livestream room, as well as those providing off-site support, had all burst out laughing:

"Next, let the livestream judges reveal their scores."

"I give full marks; he's truly willing to spend money. This set of armed gear with high-grade module plating must have cost tens of thousands."

"Hahaha, I also give full marks. This isn't showing off; this is pretending to be a god. He even patched up his own weakness. This is a divine projection, not his true body."

"Full marks. It's obvious he prepared in advance and definitely consulted the Guidance extensively about An Sui. This isn't showing off; this is an artistic feast. Good to watch, love watching, goes well with rice."

"I'm eating spiritual food on the beach and just spit it out laughing. Looking at An Sui's expression, he's clearly stunned; he probably wants to kneel down inside."

In fact, things unfolded exactly as the netizens in the livestream room had predicted.

Tong Xin, with a relaxed and composed demeanor, spoke of the Dark-Blood Legion and the secrets on his person, plunging An Sui into unbelievable shock.

The secret of the Death Reincarnation was something impossible for outsiders to know, except for Dark-Blood warriors.

The first innate ability every Dark-Blood warrior chooses is one that can seal memories, capable of scrambling those memories when interfered with by external forces not applied by oneself.

Secondly, each Dark-Blood warrior requires ten years to reincarnate and resurrect; by then, the outside world has already changed drastically, and even the enemies may have changed.

Under these multiple restrictions, the secrets of the Dark-Blood Legion had never been exposed.

Yet this secret was easily mastered by the divine envoy of the Player Clan.

Infinite resurrection, information reading... what kind of powerful abilities are these?

At this moment, the image of the divine envoy in An Sui's eyes soared infinitely, and a strong desire arose within his heart accordingly.

If he could become an affiliated force of the Player Clan and establish a subordinate relationship with this divine envoy, then the development of the Dark-Blood Legion would be guaranteed.

He must seize this opportunity!

"So, do you have any other value unknown to me?" Tong Xin asked with a smile; although there was no contempt in his eyes, his words revealed a disdain for An Sui.

An Sui opened and closed his mouth, his Iron Face turning red from holding back, yet he did not know what to say.

Originally, he thought the Player Clan's disdain for him stemmed from his weak strength at the current stage.

But currently, he was merely in a weakened state and had not yet recovered his peak strength; as long as he explained his growth potential, the Player Clan's view of him would change.

If even this failed to gain the Player Clan's recognition, he had even planned to reveal the secret of his ability to reincarnate.

An Xing had already made it very clear: in the Monster World, powerful clans stand like a forest; the reincarnation ability that the Dark-Blood Clan once took pride in showed a huge gap when placed before the rules mastered by super powers like the Black Black Tide.

Even many super powers played their cards openly, relying on overwhelming strength.

Therefore, he had planned to use this secret as a bargaining chip to increase his value in the eyes of the Player Clan.

But now Tong Xin had spoken his secret one step ahead; he suddenly realized he did not know what to say anymore.

"I... I want to lead my clansmen to receive the protection of the Player Clan," An Sui said, his Iron Face flushed red; at this moment, apart from sincerity, he realized he had no bargaining chips to raise the price.

Tong Xin nodded indifferently:

"My clansmen informed me that recently you have been helping them hunt; I can see that you very much wish to obtain our protection."

"Yes, after coming to this world, I encountered a series of predicaments; currently, I am at a dead end, so I wish to pledge allegiance to a powerful clan with deep foundations to receive protection."

This time, An Sui did not hide anything, stating his inner thoughts very directly.

He knew that before this divine envoy of the Player Clan, he had no secrets to speak of; hiding his thoughts would only make him appear exceptionally foolish.

"You are too weak."

"I can become stronger!" Being called weak again, but this time An Sui's mindset had shifted.

He felt that with the divine envoy's abilities, saying he was weak was simply the truth.

"I believe in the Emperor Omen God, the origin of all things; you are not yet worthy to become a believer of the Emperor Omen God, not even you at your peak period."

Despite being rejected repeatedly, An Sui still had no thought of giving up:

"As long as there is a place where I can be of use, I will go all out, as long as I can obtain the protection of the Player Clan."

Tong Xin did not agree directly but asked curiously:

"How much do you understand about our Player Clan?"

"I do not understand, but I know the Player Clan has deep foundations and possesses power sufficient to confront the terrifying Black Black Tide."

"You do not even understand our Player Clan; merely thinking we are powerful enough, you wish to become our affiliated force. This decision is far too rash; moreover, to our Player Clan, you hold no value whatsoever."

Rejected once again, An Sui felt depressed in his heart.

But at this moment, Tong Xin changed his tone:

"If you wish to become a believer of the Emperor Omen like our Player Clan... you, including the Dark-Blood Legion you belong to, are not qualified; but I might be able to give you a chance to prove yourself. If you can pass my assessment, I can allow your Dark-Blood Clan to become an affiliate of my clan, become my believers, and obtain our protection."

An Sui, who thought all opportunity was completely lost, heard this and a light sparked in his eyes; subsequently, he nodded decisively:

"Divine Envoy, please give your orders; we are willing to become your believers."

Realizing the entry point for storytelling had arrived, Tong Xin this time planned to delay the unfolding of the story.

It was better to establish faith first, then strengthen the faith relationship through stories.

Having finished speaking, Tong Xin raised his hand and released a divine grid characteristic toward An Sui.

An Sui immediately felt a mass of energy surge into his body; subconsciously wanting to expel this external force, he suppressed the thought and allowed the energy to enter his mental sea of consciousness to automatically trace patterns.

Before long, a golden brand appeared in his sea of consciousness.

At the same time, relevant information floated up in Tong Xin's mind.

[An Sui (Dark-Blood Clan)]:

Hunting Level: 74

Faith Level: 0 (Awe)

Faith Power Output Per Hour: 0

From the information provided by the divine grid, it could be seen that currently An Sui merely held a heart of awe toward him but had not yet reached the point of becoming a believer.

This needed to be deepened through subsequent stories and assessments.

Among them, the difficult assessment was meant to make An Sui generate a heart of awe; the more difficult it is, the more it is cherished.

Facing An Sui's inquiry, Tong Xin spoke the first assessment item he had already envisioned:

"The first assessment item is very simple; I need you and your clansmen to provide me with a satisfactory spiritual resource."

Hearing this, An Sui first froze, then asked decisively:

"Divine Envoy, how much spiritual resource would satisfy you?"

"It depends on your sincerity; three days later I will come here; how much you can provide by then depends on your performance."

This first assessment, directly demanding resources, seemed to lower his prestige, but in reality, it was a decision made after deep consideration.

Firstly, the initial cost investment was too high; the sacrificial power spent to receive the Primordial Reward had already been used up, so he needed to recover some costs.

Secondly, in An Sui's eyes, the Player Clan was inherently insatiably greedy for resources; this fit the setting the Player Clan should have.

Just as in many mythological stories where dragons crave wealth, it can be understood as a personality trait, not because wealth itself can create any value.

He must have a setting consistent with the Player Clan's behavior, rather than appearing different from other players in every aspect; this could easily cause An Sui to develop cognitive bias and thus generate doubt.

"Good, I will definitely do my best!" An Sui nodded vigorously at this moment.

Just as Tong Xin had thought, An Sui thought of the Player Clan's greed for resources and wealth.

He felt the divine envoy was obviously very interested in resources as well; this was his chance to prove his own value, and he absolutely could not miss it.

"Divine Envoy, I will go prepare immediately."

Saying this, An Sui raised his head to look at Tong Xin.

"Go."

Tong Xin's voice rang directly in An Sui's mind; while shocking An Sui, it also caused a trace of reverence to float in his eyes.

Although the divine envoy was merely a projection, he could engage in mental dialogue with him across space; indeed, very strong!

After An Sui departed, Tong Xin glanced at the lively livestream room, his expression proud:

"A mere An Sui, handled!"

"What is called exploitation? I'm nearly dead poor; recovering some costs doesn't count as exploitation."

(End of Chapter)