Chapter 1708: Improvement of Lord Talent!

Chapter 1708: The Ascension of the Lord Talent!

The first to voice a doubt was Zhou Shiliu, ruler of the Sacred Sun Divine Kingdom.

"This advancement requirement cannot be right, can it?"

Zhou Shiliu murmured, lines of perplexity etching his brow. "I have clashed with high-tier Supreme Sacred Kingdoms myself. It is a rare feat if the number of Supreme Will realm powerhouses within their borders even approaches a hundred. As for high-tier Supreme Will powerhouses, while a few certainly exist, there are at most two or three. How could there possibly be as many as ten?"

"Exactly," Zhou Shiwu chimed in, stepping forward to interject. "I also find these advancement requirements utterly preposterous."

Zhou Zhou pondered for a moment, finding himself in silent agreement.

As his gaze swept over the parameters for the territory’s ascension, he too felt the demands bordered on the excessive.

What manner of peak Supreme Sacred Kingdom could ever boast a legion of over six hundred Supreme Will realm powerhouses?

His clone had spent a considerable tenure roaming the vast expanses of the Ultimate Void Cosmos, bearing witness to a myriad of civilizations, yet never had he encountered a Supreme Kingdom possessing such formidable strength.

"Allow me to consult the Supreme Will," Zhou Zhou murmured.

Neither Zhou Shiwu nor Zhou Shiliu offered any objection.

With a focused breath, Zhou Zhou began to invoke the presence of the Supreme Will.

Moments later, a response resonated.

"What troubles you?" the entity inquired with stark brevity.

"Reporting to Teacher, I..."

Without delay, Zhou Zhou imparted his confusion to the Supreme Will.

Upon hearing the details, even the Supreme Will was struck with profound astonishment.

"To possess five hundred low-tier Supreme Will realm powerhouses, one hundred mid-tier Supreme Will realm powerhouses, and ten high-tier Supreme Will realm powerhouses?"

"How can this be?"

"The sheer volume of Supreme Will realm powerhouses demanded here nearly rivals the martial strength of a lesser Will Transcendence level Lord faction."

"This... I am also at a loss."

"Of late, the mysteries shrouding your existence have grown increasingly opaque to my sight," the Supreme Will remarked, a faint sigh of wonder rippling through the air.

To be graced with a successor of such caliber was, in itself, a blissful sort of tribulation.

"Very well, I apologize for the imposition, Teacher," Zhou Zhou said upon hearing this.

"I have provided no aid, so there is no imposition to speak of."

The Supreme Will shook its head gently before continuing, "However, as preposterous as these demands appear, given your current capacity to forge Supreme Will realm powerhouses, they may not prove entirely insurmountable."

"Take things in due stride. With the velocity of your ascension, what seems an impossible hurdle today may well pose no challenge to the version of you that awaits in the future."

"I find myself in complete agreement with your counsel, Teacher," Zhou Zhou replied, a bright, unreserved smile gracing his features.

"..."

The Supreme Will fell momentarily silent, caught off guard by the lack of modesty, yet well aware that Zhou Zhou possessed the raw power and latent potential to manifest such a reality. Thus, no further reprimand was offered.

With that, the Supreme Will withdrew its voice.

Peering through the eyes of Zhou Zhan, Zhou Zhou discerned that the Supreme Will was currently consumed by the grueling task of repelling the next offensive wave from the Illusory Clan. That it had spared even this brief moment to address his inquiries was a testament to its favor.

He turned the matter over in his mind.

In truth, a suspicion had already begun to take root within his heart.

The reason his territory's advancement requirements were so staggering likely remained inextricably linked to his Lord Talent, the Supreme Lord of the Heavens.

"I suspect this is yet another trial devised for me by one of those esteemed figures residing within the Hall of Immortality," Zhou Zhou thought, shaking his head slightly.

A deep, intuitive certainty whispered that his assumption was correct.

And when such a premonition arose within him, it was seldom wide of the mark.

"Are those fellows in the Hall of Immortality truly so bereft of occupation?"

"Why must they fixate their schemes upon me day in and day out?"

Zhou Zhou mused, a touch of helpless amusement coloring his thoughts.

Yet, the vexation was fleeting.

He dismissed the concern almost immediately.

For just as the Supreme Will had articulated, while the requirements appeared daunting, to a being such as himself, it was merely a matter of a few days' effort.

There was no virtue in harboring anxiety at this present hour.

Stepping forward, he halted before the Gate of Summoning. Dispensing forty thousand Zi units of basic material resources alongside three Mid-Tier Will Source Cores, he initiated the ascension of the gate to the Mid-Tier Supreme rank.

A cascade of glowing text manifested before his eyes.

[Congratulations! Your Gate of Summoning has successfully ascended to a Mid-Tier Supreme Architecture!]

[The number of subjects you can summon daily has increased by 1 Gai!]

[Among the subjects summoned each day, 500 billion Professionals are guaranteed to appear!]

[Notice: Influenced by the Unique Racial Title 'Glory of the Pioneer XV', the number of subjects you can summon daily has reached 25 trillion 223 billion 789 million 482 thousand 500 individuals!]

[Among the subjects summoned each day, 7 trillion 500 billion and 16 Professionals are guaranteed to appear!]

Having scanned the prompt, Zhou Zhou nodded in quiet satisfaction.

At the Mid-Tier Supreme Will rank, the foundational summoning capacity of the Gate of Summoning stood at 1 Gai 681 billion 585 million 965 thousand 500 individuals.

Fortified by the Glory of the Pioneer XV, that figure was magnified fifteen-fold, culminating in an astronomical 25 trillion 223 billion 789 million 482 thousand 500 individuals.

Furthermore, this harvest guaranteed the arrival of sixteen Mid-Tier Supreme Will realm powerhouses.

A subtle, knowing smile played upon his lips.

His gaze drifted toward the requirements for the next architectural ascension.

[Architectural Advancement: 100,000 Zi units of Timber, 100,000 Zi units of Fine Sand, 100,000 Zi units of Metal, 100,000 Zi units of Stone, 3 High-Tier Will Source Cores, and the Territory Rank must be elevated to a High-Tier Supreme Territory!]

He withdrew his gaze, letting the glowing text fade into the air.

Turning to his attendants, he commanded that Zheng Fugui and the others be summoned to his presence.

A moment later.

The trio stepped into the divine palace, coming to a halt before Zhou Zhou.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Zheng Fugui, Mu Gu, and Carol Moira spoke in unison, their voices steeped in reverence.

"Our territory has just surged through three consecutive levels, leaping all at once from a Tier 3 Supreme Territory to a Mid-Tier Paragon Territory. Did it catch you by surprise? Tell me about your respective advancements."

Zhou Zhou looked down at them with a faint smile.

Upon hearing this, Mu Gu was the first to step forward, bowing deeply as he addressed his sovereign.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crimson Primal Broodmother where your servant resides has officially ascended from a Tier 3 Supreme God-tier structure to a Mid-Tier Paragon structure."

"The three crimson broodmothers derived from this Mid-Tier Paragon Crimson Primal Broodmother can now each produce one hundred billion Mist Mothers, a monumental leap from the original ten billion."

"Furthermore, the Mist Mother World within each individual Mist Mother can now nurture one hundred gai mist monsters."

"One hundred billion Mist Mothers means a collective total of ten gou mist monsters can be bred."

"Across all three crimson broodmothers, that amounts to thirty gou mist monsters."

"Beyond this, the quality and efficiency with which your servant breeds high-tier crimson progeny has also been vastly enhanced."

"As of now, your servant can nurture one hundred crimson willpower powerhouses at the Mid-Tier Paragon Willpower Realm, or one thousand powerhouses at the Lower-Tier Paragon Willpower Realm, all within a single day."

Mu Gu concluded his report.

Zhou Zhou lapsed into a profound silence as the words settled.

Nurturing thirty gou Paragon Willpower Realm powerhouses in a single day?

What kind of concept was that?

Ten thousand gai made a zi! Ten thousand zi made a rang! Ten thousand rang made a gou!

An output of thirty gou mist monsters every single day!

This was not just growth; it was an utterly absurd explosion of numbers.

If he were to use all thirty gou mist monsters to train troop classes, under the amplification of Lord Talents and titles like the Supreme Master of the Heavens, he would harvest sixty gou copies of the Primordial Saint Recruitment Book, sixty gou Primordial Saint Class Change Certificates, sixty gou Supreme God-Fiend Recruitment Books, and sixty gou Supreme God-Fiend Class Change Certificates in just one day!

Combined, that was a staggering one hundred and twenty gou troops!

Which meant exactly one hundred and twenty gou deities!

A sudden sense of emptiness washed over Zhou Zhou.

Was this absurd scaling getting a bit too ridiculous?

Should he just lie back and coast through life from now on?

No.

That was completely nonsensical.

What use was a massive horde of low-level troops?

In the presence of a truly supreme powerhouse, wiping out the living beings of an entire world required nothing more than a casual thought.

And more importantly, if he were to actually recruit such a colossal number of deity-level Paragon troops, how much source energy would they have to drain from the grand universes?

Unable to map it out himself, Zhou Zhou simply summoned Zero to run the calculations for him.

Zero arrived at the answer with terrifying speed.

"Reporting to Your Majesty."

"If we were to recruit one hundred and twenty gou Paragon troops with the strength of deities all at once, we would require the total source energy of at least twelve thousand grand universes to sustain it!"

Zhou Zhou remained speechless.

According to the law of conservation of energy, he knew all along that things were never that simple in this world, and one could not just casually summon one hundred and twenty gou deities out of thin air.

If he actually dared to recruit them, every powerhouse in the entire Ultimate Void Grand Universe would probably band together to eradicate him.

The Clan of Illusion only wished to erase existence itself.

But he, on the other hand, would be directly destroying the grand universes and every living soul within them simultaneously!

Even the Clan of Illusion was not as ruthless as he would be!

Zhou Zhou found himself caught in a dilemma.

If he could not recruit and change the classes of all of them, should he just summon a fraction?

But then what would happen to the remaining production capacity?

Would it just go to waste?

The mere thought of it pained his heart.

After a moment of deliberation, Zhou Zhou tossed the dilemma back to Mu Gu.

"Mu Gu, what do you think?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty," Mu Gu replied respectfully, "your servant has two suggestions."

"The first suggestion is to completely halt the production of recruitment books and class change certificates for the Primordial Saints and Supreme God-Fiends, and instead concentrate all crimson energy on nurturing Paragon Willpower Realm powerhouses."

"This aligns perfectly with Your Majesty's current pressing need for Paragon Willpower Realm experts."

"If your servant focuses exclusively on cultivating one thousand Lower-Tier Crimson Paragon Willpower Realm powerhouses, it would only require the total source energy of five grand universes to produce them all at once."

"The second suggestion is for Your Majesty to collaborate with your servant to produce Eternal Immortal-tier troops."

As Mu Gu spoke these words, a brilliant light flickered in his eyes.

"Given Your Majesty's mastery over Lord Talents and your vast foundation of Providence, it is entirely possible to seize upon small probability events to exclusively produce the Root Walker Recruitment Book for the Eternal Immortal Realm troop class-the Root Walkers."

"If we proceed this way, your servant estimates an output of one thousand Root Walker Recruitment Books per day."

"Furthermore, creating the Root Walker Recruitment Book and summoning them through the Gate of Summoning will not consume any source energy from the Ultimate Void Grand Universe."

"Because the energy source of the Root Walkers originates from within that very gate."

As Mu Gu spoke, he gestured subtly toward the sky above.

Zhou Zhou nodded slowly.

He naturally understood that the other party was referring to the gate of the Hall of Immortality.

After pondering for a short while, Zhou Zhou asked, "Why is there such a massive disparity in the energy required for these three methods of cultivation?"

"Because the subjects of cultivation are fundamentally different," Mu Gu stated simply.

Zhou Zhou found himself without a retort to that answer.

"Your Majesty can simply understand it as the 'adaptability' of the Ultimate Void Grand Universe," Mu Gu added after a brief pause. "The Ultimate Void Grand Universe can adapt to the sudden appearance of one thousand Paragon Willpower Realm powerhouses, but it absolutely cannot accommodate the sudden emergence of one hundred and twenty gou Paragon troop deities."

Zhou Zhou remained perplexed.

He sensed that a secret, hidden from his knowledge, lurked beneath it all.

Yet, it no longer mattered to him.

The implementation of the elite cultivation program was acceptable as well.

After all, was his original desire for an abundance of basic soldiers not driven by the hope of nurturing powerhouses from their ranks?

Receiving powerhouses directly now simply bypassed the intermediate process entirely.

"Let us first nurture five hundred Root Walkers and five hundred low-tier Supreme Will Realm powerhouses then,"

He said after a moment of contemplation.

This would both satisfy the advancement requirements and increase the number of Root Walkers.

In truth, Zhou Zhou still preferred to dedicate all his efforts to cultivating Root Walkers.

After all, Root Walkers far surpassed powerhouses of the Supreme Will Realm; they could fearlessly face any existence below the Will Transcendence level, and even a peak Supreme Will Realm powerhouse would be instantly slain by an ordinary Root Walker.

The two were utterly beyond comparison.

Furthermore, Zhou Zhou had discovered something.

As an eternal-immortal class of soldier, the Root Walkers naturally carried the legendary power of immortality within their bodies.

By relying on the ability of the 'King', Zhou Zhou could even forcibly replicate their power and bestow it upon himself.

This provided Zhou Zhou with the most flawlessly accurate reference to comprehend the power of the eternal-immortal level ahead of time.

The more Root Walkers there were, the more convenient and easier it would be for him to comprehend it.

In fact,

Upon obtaining the Root Walkers, Zhou Zhou had immediately ordered one of his clones to specialize in studying the immortal power within their bodies.

He had already reaped bountiful rewards from this!

He had even formed a general concept regarding how to break through to the Will Transcendence level in the future.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"However, I must request that Your Majesty create a clone to lend Your Majesty's power, so that together we may extract the Root Walker recruitment scrolls from the Scarlet Primordial Mother Nest."

Mu Gu said.

"No problem."

Zhou Zhou nodded, then immediately manifested a clone, naming him Zhou Bing, and sent him directly back to the Mu Residence alongside Mu Gu.

Seeing this, Zheng Fugui stepped forward with a chuckle.

"Reporting to Your Majesty."

"Now that our territory has ascended to a mid-tier Supreme Territory, the probability of our Mysterious Chamber of Commerce finding treasures has increased once again. In the future, every time we venture out for trade, we should be able to bring back at least one hundred billion god-tier treasures, with the highest potential of acquiring peak Supreme Will Realm treasures."

"Ever since Your Majesty dispatched a clone, along with several Supreme Will Realm powerhouses and a Will Transcendence level powerhouse to help protect our trade routes last time, we have repelled many petty factions coveting our goods, and everything is progressing in a positive direction."

"Before long, I believe the footprints of our Mysterious Chamber of Commerce will span the entire Ultimate Void Great Universe, becoming the most powerful commercial empire within it!"

Zheng Fugui spoke with boundless ambition.

Zhou Zhou smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Zheng Fugui bowed with a smile and then stepped back.

Carol Moira stepped forward, speaking respectfully:

"Reporting to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, since the territory's elevation to a mid-tier Supreme Territory, our Sacred Vessel of the Other Shore now possesses one hundred quintillion priests, one hundred quintillion fathers, one hundred quintillion nuns, and one thousand quintillion holy paladins of life."

"These clergy members are sufficient to carry out wartime healing and resurrection tasks for forces on the scale of one hundred sextillion."

"Furthermore,"

"Currently, our deity-level high-ranking clergy members of the Sacred Vessel of the Other Shore have reached ten quadrillion!"

"Every single one of them has mastered the Lesser and Greater Resurrection Techniques, allowing them to independently resurrect the enshrined deities of our nation."

"My own strength has also broken through its bottleneck, reaching the mid-tier Supreme Will Realm level. At present, I can resurrect approximately one thousand Supreme Will Realm powerhouses each day, including high-tier Supreme Will Realm powerhouses."

Zhou Zhou nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this.

At the same time, he felt a secret sense of relief in his heart.

Fortunately, he had not chosen to recruit ordinary soldiers, but had instead chosen to recruit a small number of Root Walkers and cultivate Supreme Will Realm powerhouses.

Otherwise, once those ordinary soldiers were summoned, to say nothing of other matters, the sheer logistical nightmare of resurrection alone would be an incredibly difficult problem to solve.

Should an ultra-large-scale war break out, his side would simply be unable to handle the resurrections in time.