Chapter 777: The Era of National Esports

At this moment, behind Owner Fang, a group of elves paused while eating their instant noodles, casting their gazes from the Owner Fang depicted within the virtual magical projection to the real Owner Fang who sat comfortably on the sofa, watching his own recorded reflection...

"Pfft—!" It had become genuinely impossible to look at Owner Fang with a straight face anymore.

"Is this even the same person?!"

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, this recent profile had stirred up a tremendous uproar across the Eastern Continent.

"So this is the supreme powerhouse of the Immortal Heritage Continent!"

"The 'Origin' Immortal Hall shall once again write a glorious chapter upon the Immortal Ruin Continent!"

The Sect Master of the Haotian Sect gazed intently at the conclusion of the recording before rising from his seat, his eyes fixed upon Gu Song and his two disciples standing below, all bearing three pairs of deep, dark panda eyes.

"Though it lasted a mere few minutes, it has successfully forged the image of a legendary powerhouse!" The Haotian Sect Master patted Gu Song on the shoulder. "Splendidly done! From this day forth, any petty scoundrel daring to stir up trouble at 'Origin' will have to weigh carefully whether they can afford to provoke this terrifying supreme sovereign of the Immortal Heritage Continent!"

"Indeed..." Gu Song's face twitched violently, to the point where he was practically foaming at the mouth. "If there is nothing else, Sect Master, we shall take our leave to rest..."

This shop owner is truly an absolute slacker...

We were literally worked to the point of sheer exhaustion!

...

Within the new shop of Canglan City.

Owner Fang, wearing an expression of absolute righteousness, explained to the crowd of curious elves who had gathered behind him: "When they first approached me to shoot this... I really refused! Who knew that with a sudden duang..."

"...!!"

...

It was precisely at this moment that Owner Fang received two more tasks.

New Task: The Era of Universal Competition

Task Objective: Competitive games or gameplay modes (including competitive modes within non-competitive games, such as the PVP in DNF) must reach a popularity level of one million.

The attention or following for competitive games or gameplay modes must exceed ten million.

Task Authority: Authority related to competitive tournaments; tournament rewards will be determined by the scale of the hosting and the popularity of the event.

Task Reward: 10 days of cultivation privileges in the cultivation room, a competitive grand gift pack times unknown (the quantity will be determined by the task completion rate and evaluation rank).

New Task: Establishment of a New Shop

Task Description: Open a branch shop within the Immortal Ruin Continent (Eastern Continent), completing the site selection and shop acquisition. Management may be delegated to employees, or handled personally.

Task Reward: Fully system-remastered versions of the television dramas "Wind and Cloud 3" and "The Thunderbolt Divine Continent 1-3", broadcasting 4 episodes each on Mondays and Tuesdays.

(Ah... the one featuring the Abandoned Heavenly Emperor.)

...

Evidently, Owner Fang was about to depart for official business, which meant that for the next few days, he naturally could not live-stream lessons for his slacker students.

Of course, in the days when Teacher Fang was absent, there remained the new instructor Teacher Gu, the hot and passionate Pope Teacher Sha, the muscular hunk Teacher Yu, and various other instructors to keep them company, delivering professional courses akin to three years of college entrance examinations and five years of mock tests. These slacker students would certainly not be lonely.

Every day, they experienced Teacher Fang's profound consideration, moved nearly to the point of tears.

This was perhaps... also the finest gift they had received for Children's Day.

...

"It is utterly impossible for a mortal to transcend."

"The world is like a confining 'wall'; we dwell within the 'Dao', and therefore must follow the 'Dao' ordained by the world."

Beneath the main peak of the Haotian Sect, there lay a forbidden ground guarded with exceptional strictness, sealed by layers upon layers of arrays.

That was the place of secluded cultivation for the supreme figure of the Haotian Sect, the Supreme Elder.

Within that deep and tranquil cave dwelling, he could be seen scrutinizing an ancient golden scroll.

The contents within the golden scroll were clearly written in an ancient language, but with his capabilities, he was still able to translate a fraction of it: "Yet there are exceptions to all things..."

Near the Half-City shop, the Sea of the Yellow Springs, located in the extreme eastern lands of the East, suddenly began to boil.

That eerie realm of the Yellow Springs had always been more silent than death itself, never before displaying such a spectacle.

Within the Cultivation Domain, among the cultivators who had once entered to explore, only a scarce few remained. They were currently within a wondrous and peculiar palace hall, exploring in separate directions...

Suddenly, as if discovering something completely beyond belief, they revealed expressions of absolute terror.

It appeared to be a figure resembling an immortal, bearing a terrifying aura that absolutely did not belong to the power of any contemporary cultivator!

It was as though those entities long rumored to have fallen since ancient times had returned from the primordial eras!

...

And precisely at this time, within an unnamed space located somewhere in the Western Continent.

It was the very same space that Hermaddon, the World Mage, had once visited.

Swain slowly opened both eyes, within which flickered thunder and storms that seemed to hail from the endless void: "The ancient continent shattered into fragments... how many have striven for centuries, millennia, or even countless ages... was it not all for this single chance of a carp leaping through the dragon's gate... but now... I sense its presence..."

At the very apex of the Radiant God Realm, atop the summit of the gods, lay the place rumored to be closest to the divinities. It was the precise location of Saint Heinz's secluded cultivation.

At this moment, Saint Heinz could be seen slowly opening his eyes.

"Duran!"

"Present, revered Lord Saint Heinz." A faint, shimmering projection instantly manifested before him as Saint Duran bowed in respect.

"During the time of my absence, has any major event occurred?" Saint Heinz's gaze was serene, appearing highly confident as though he had received divine revelation, as if nothing in the world was worth his concern anymore. He spoke calmly, "...The matter regarding Luther has also passed for a long time; the various nations should have mostly forgotten it by now, correct? How goes the expansion of our faith? Has it infiltrated the various kingdoms once more?"

"Uh..." Saint Duran's old face froze instantly. "Uh..."

"Why do you hesitate?!" Saint Heinz said at once, displeased. "Is there some piece of good news you are hiding and keeping to yourself to tease me?! Speak the truth quickly!"

"Uh... my Lord..." Saint Duran's withered face twisted almost into the shape of a chrysanthemum as he spoke, "Most of our Judgment Shrines in the other nations have now been completely abolished."

"Aside from our own Radiant God Realm, there is basically no one left who believes in the God of Radiant Judgment..."

"What?!" Saint Heinz's majestic countenance collapsed instantly like a landslide as he raised his voice, "What did you say?! Say it... one more time!"

"There is no need for him to repeat it." Just then, the voice of Princess Isabella echoed within the secret chamber. "Just as Lord Duran said, our Radiant God Realm is no longer what it used to be..."

"..."

Saint Heinz's expression shifted from twisted to ferocious, then to flat neutrality, until finally he took a deep breath and spoke: "I have listened to the divine words of the God; this time, we may have a matter to attend to that is far more critical than spreading the faith."

"More critical than spreading the faith?" Duran asked in wonder. "What business could possibly be of such gravity?"

"Do you know why the continent shattered in ancient times, and why countless powerhouses perished?" Saint Heinz spoke.

"For what...?"

"An opportunity... to take a step further!" He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes brimming with unfathomable light.

For a peak Saint-tier entity like himself, what that further step implied required no explanation at all.