Without any hesitation, Qi Yuan began fine-tuning the True God Method.
"I need to break through to the True God realm as soon as possible, the earlier the better."
According to the information passed along by the phantom, there were simply too few planes left under Myriad Gods Mountain where faith could be spread.
This time, Pillar Tiankai had sowed hundreds of millions of seeds, yet barely over ten thousand godchildren had been born into the world.
Most had died in the womb.
Qi Yuan's competitors were these ten thousand-odd godchildren.
If he broke through to the True God realm early, he could arrive at Myriad Gods Mountain ahead of them, be allotted his own "territory," gather his own faith, and establish his divine kingdom.
Territory was limited, and faith was limited as well.
"None of that actually matters much, but cultivating fast is always a good thing."
Looking at the modified True God Method, Qi Yuan began cultivating in earnest.
"The crux of a Void God's cultivation is to make believers… and certain people acknowledge you as a True God."
For a Void God, the first step of cultivation was accumulating divine power.
The second step was obtaining the acknowledgment of believers, leading them to believe that you were indeed a True God.
Of course, the early stage still focused on accumulating power.
"There are actually three other godchildren on this plane. Do they count as my competitors too?"
Without dwelling on it further, Qi Yuan set to accumulating power.
Better to cultivate first.
……
Roughly half a month went by.
A girl in golden clothes looked out with a fierce expression. "Did you contact Qi Yuan?"
She was a goddess, endowed with considerable talent.
A burly giant elephant with emerald hair rumbled, "I contacted him. He refused to cooperate with us and cared only about cultivating the True God Method."
The burly giant elephant was also Tiankai's offspring.
In any case, Tiankai's children were of all sorts—some even bore the bloodline of houseflies.
"It seems… only ten days after birth, this little brother's brain isn't working too well," the gold-clad girl said.
For godchildren like them, the difficult part of reaching the True God realm was not accumulating power—that is, cultivating the True God Method. The hard part was the second step: getting believers to acknowledge them as a True God.
The more believers one had, and the deeper their faith, the higher the chance of breaking through.
Of the ten thousand-plus offspring Tiankai had sowed this time, it would be considered impressive if even one percent broke through.
Reaching the True God realm was arduous, and the crux lay in that second step.
As for the plane they currently occupied, most of the faith had long since been claimed by other True Gods.
Though they were godchildren, unless they broke through to become True Gods, Tiankai would not acknowledge them at all.
Nor would those True Gods give them any face.
Thus, the gold-clad girl and the emerald-haired giant elephant had joined forces, secretly controlling mortal factions, establishing their own church, and expanding their flock of believers.
This was a dangerous endeavor, prone to drawing attacks from other churches.
That was why the two had allied in the first place, working in secret to gather followers and strive toward the second step.
"Since he refuses to cooperate, let him spend his entire life rotting in this foul-smelling mortal realm," the giant elephant grumbled in annoyance.
He had long been dissatisfied with their birth plane and yearned for the sweet air of Myriad Gods Mountain.
The gold-clad girl gave a cold snort. "Come, let's go. The holy knights of the Tantou Cult have arrived; we must go protect our believers."
The giant elephant nodded. "Right."
……
On the other side, beside a gushing spring, a bright-eyed little boy was cultivating with utter focus.
The divine power within his body surged continuously.
"Cultivation… is really quite simple."
"At this rate, in another half year, my divine power will reach perfection, and I can consider the second step—obtaining the acknowledgment of believers."
Qi Yuan had not wasted time searching for followers to win their recognition.
He was a True God; was that not plain for all to see?
Could it be that if believers didn't recognize him, he wouldn't be a True God?
Besides, his believers would surely take after his own temperament—possessing the sharp eyes to recognize a True God!
And who were these believers?
All living beings in the world could be his believers.
Just then, Qi Yuan's heart stirred slightly.
He sensed a peculiar fluctuation.
"Is this an inspection of the godchildren's progress?"
Unconcerned, he continued practicing the True God Method.
In the sky above, a phantom True God wrote down the rating "Grade C Upper" on a scroll, and then his figure vanished, reappearing deep within the void.
"Paituo, how is this batch of godchildren?" an old man asked.
Paituo pondered for a moment. "There are three graded Grade A Upper. In just half a month, they have recruited over ten thousand believers. They have promising futures… and may one day attain the rank of Highness, marching to war in other domains."
"Only three? It seems the quality of this batch is rather poor."
"Indeed," Paituo sighed. "In merely half a month, three hundred and seventy-two godchildren have already been slain while trying to absorb believers. Some were so foolishly blind that they truly took themselves for Pillar Tiankai's prized heirs—they actually went to established True Gods, demanding a share of their believers, only to be struck down on the spot!"
Only by becoming a True God and ascending to Myriad Gods Mountain would Tiankai acknowledge an offspring.
Without becoming a True God, they were no different from the ones who died in the womb, or mere weeds by the roadside.
"This time, a number of godchildren also chose a steady route, opting to accumulate divine power first before recruiting believers later. They make up roughly one percent," Paituo remarked.
A playful gleam surfaced in the old man's eyes. "Steady they may be, but their potential… falls short."
For a True God, believers were what mattered most.
The strength that believers provided to a godchild far exceeded what could be gained through standard cultivation.
The more followers one nurtured, and the longer the time spent, the more fanatics would emerge.
The greater the hope of breaking through to the True God realm, and the stronger one's might upon ascension.
Moreover, the earlier one broke through, the greater the advantages.
While anyone who broke through could claim the title of godchild, there was an unspoken rule: those ranked beyond the top hundred in a given batch were destined to remain thoroughly marginalized.
……
"My divine power… is perfected."
"According to the True God Method, all I need to do now is grant a believer's wish, and then… have that believer acknowledge me as a True God, and I can step into the True God realm?"
Qi Yuan murmured to himself.
For other godchildren, completing this step was an immense hassle, requiring wars against other churches to amass followers and secure validation.
For Qi Yuan, it was remarkably simple.
Right at that moment, a sharp voice called out, "Little Brother Qi Yuan, are you still slaving away at your bitter cultivation?"
The gold-clad girl dropped down from above. She looked barely 1.2 meters tall, with an adorable appearance.
Suffering from social anxiety, Qi Yuan did not speak.
The gold-clad girl continued, "I see your cultivation is nearly there. How about working with me to fight against the Tantou Cult? As compensation, I'll give you a tenth of my believers."
By continuously expanding her faith, she now had ten thousand followers.
At the same time, the Tantou Cult's suppression of her had reached unprecedented levels.
That fool of a giant elephant had long since been slain by the cult.
Now, she had come seeking Qi Yuan's aid.
"No," Qi Yuan said, shaking his head.
Hearing this, the girl's expression shifted slightly. "Don't get greedy. A fifth is the absolute most I can offer."
Her current situation was genuinely precarious.
Otherwise, she never would have sought an alliance with this little brother she had always looked down upon.
Qi Yuan shook his head again, then added, "How about you become my believer instead? I'll grant your wish, and then you acknowledge me as a True God so I can ascend on the spot?"
Qi Yuan had his abacus calculated to perfection.
That way, the second step toward godhood would be finished in one stroke.
"You're daydreaming!" the gold-clad girl snapped in fury.
What ambitious godchild would ever place their faith in another godchild?
Doing so meant they could only ever become Qi Yuan's subordinate god or vassal deity in the future.
"Hmph! If you won't cooperate, there's nothing more to say.
"Heh, I hope that when I reach Myriad Gods Mountain, I'll still be able to see my dear little brother."
With those resentful words, the girl took her leave. Although her position was precarious, her chances of breaking through were quite high.
As for this brother… he didn't even have a single follower yet. Even if he somehow fluked his way into becoming a True God, his ranking would be dead last, leaving him with no future.
Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered with her.
After all, he respected the old and cherished the young.
And old people were his white moonlight.
"Time to become a god."
"First step of becoming a god: grant a believer's wish."
"Time to… unleash my superpowers."
Qi Yuan had no believers.
Yet he possessed superpowers.
His ears could hear heart-voices.
His mouth could answer questions.
He might not have followers, but this world had no shortage of troubles.
If he solved those mortals' troubles, wouldn't they become his believers?
Closing his eyes, he began listening to the heart-voices of the living beings on this plane.
"I, Hide, wish to become an emperor throughout the ages!"
"Too much hassle. Excluded."
"Sister-in-law's figure is so supple. I really want to be with her again…"
"Creepy. Excluded."
"I want to become a sword saint. Why won't Sword God Hu Tu accept me as a personal disciple? If I can't become a sword saint, I'll have no choice but to go home and inherit the merchant guild."
"Humblebragging. Excluded."
Fulfilling a believer's wish naturally meant picking the easiest one.
The ones he'd heard so far were either too difficult or too repulsive.
Qi Yuan had no desire to help them; having them become his believers afterward would simply be too humiliating.
Especially that one fellow who wanted to steal the socks of every woman in the city—it was outright absurd.
"This endless rain is making me depressed. When… will I ever see the sun again?"
Just then, a heart-voice drifted into Qi Yuan's ears.
His eyes lit up.
"Depressed, and wants to see the sun? Isn't that simple? Am I not the sun?"
……
Roland Royal City.
Looking out at the endless drizzle, Yu Sanbao felt gloomy—or rather, terrified.
"To think that three years have passed in the blink of an eye. Working undercover in Roland Royal City for so long… I live in fear every day, waking from nightmares."
Yu Sanbao hadn't slept well in days.
Just yesterday, word came that the spies sent to Roland from the Bright Moon Kingdom had been rooted out, and their leader had been sawed into three pieces.
He had even gone to witness the execution in person, and afterward, sleep had eluded him even more.
After all, he was the spymaster sent from Dajin to Roland—their chief.
At this moment, he couldn't help but murmur to himself.
Now, not only was he panicking, but the other spies were surely scared out of their wits as well.
Their morale was on the verge of total collapse this very day.
Right then, a voice rang out beside his ear:
"Since you're depressed, you ought to get outside more."
"According to a famous spymaster, when spies feel depressed and unhappy, you can organize a spring outing for them—a nice little field trip."
"Who is it?" Yu Sanbao gasped, terror washing over his face.
He thought his identity as a spymaster had been exposed.
The image of someone being sawed into three pieces instantly flashed through his mind, draining all color from his cheeks.
"I am the True God Qi Yuan. Hearing your heart-voice, I came specially to help resolve your problem."
"So, buddy, go gather your fellow spy colleagues right now and head out for a joyful spring outing together."
Yu Sanbao was utterly shocked, having no idea what trick this Qi Yuan was trying to pull.
"Don't misunderstand. I am a True God—why would I harm you? If I wanted to harm you, why go through so much trouble?
"Besides, your colleagues—the nearest fifteen of them—aren't there one living in the Blue Noble Quarter, and another at…"
Qi Yuan effortlessly reeled off their exact locations.
Yu Sanbao's face turned ashen, frozen in fright.
It seemed the speaker already had every single one of their whereabouts fully mapped out.
It was over.
He was dead.
His family was probably about to kick the bucket too.
"Stop daydreaming and go contact your colleagues for that spring outing.
"By the way, didn't you say you wanted to see the sun? Once you're out on your spring trip, you'll see it."
Qi Yuan's voice faded.
Yu Sanbao's body remained rigid. He couldn't fathom what the owner of that voice was after or what their intentions could be.
Yet now, with everyone's lives clutched in Qi Yuan's palm, he didn't dare disobey.
……
"Why did the boss gather all of us here?"
"Could the boss have defected?"
"How could he? The boss saved my life! If he defects, I'll defect right alongside him."
Having received Yu Sanbao's summons, the spies were gathered together, looks of confusion on their faces.
Of course, they had all disguised themselves and altered their appearances; once they dispersed, it would be almost impossible for anyone to spot them.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and Yu Sanbao stepped inside.
Unlike before, he was not wearing a human-skin mask this time, revealing his true face.
The other spies exchanged glances, one of them visibly tense.
He had seen the boss's true face before.
For the boss to show his real face now—what was going on?
"Boss… did you gather us here for some major operation, or… are there new orders from above?"
The dozen or so men felt their hearts leaping in their throats.
After all, gathering so many spies in one place was inevitably a matter of life and death.
They might well… be dead men any minute.
Yu Sanbao took a deep breath, recalling the mysterious voice's instructions, and spoke slowly: "The rain has been unending lately. Everyone works day in and day out, feeling suffocated and depressed, and you're probably wound up tight. So, I'm taking everyone out for a spring outing to see the sun."
"A spring outing?"
"Depressed?"
"Boss, it's just us here! Why use code words? Just speak plainly!"
"Yeah, don't be a riddler!"
"I'm not. I'm just telling you to pack your things so we can go on a spring outing together," Yu Sanbao said. "A genuine spring outing."
"Boss, I get it. The codename for this mission is 'Spring Outing.'" A middle-aged man wore a knowing grin.
The crowd came to a sudden realization.
And so, the group packed their gear and set off in grand fashion toward the outskirts of the city for their "spring outing."
Meanwhile, an ordinary-looking man standing on the street below watched the group with a strange expression. "What are these spies up to… mobilizing the entire nest?"
"Reporting to the chief: according to the messages we intercepted, they appear to be executing a mission codenamed 'Spring Outing.'"
"Oh? Keep close tabs on them." The ordinary-looking man's gaze grew complicated.
He had originally planned to cast a long line to catch bigger fish.
Now that the whole den of spies had marched out together, something huge was bound to happen.
Roughly half a day later, when he read the report delivered by his subordinates, the ordinary-looking man nearly lost his composure. "They really went on a spring outing?"
The report stated that the spring outing was, quite literally, a spring outing.
"This guy is a genius… If only every enemy nation had geniuses like him," the ordinary-looking man sighed with deep feeling. "It seems this thorn cannot be pulled out just yet."
Chapter 592