n

n

n

n

"This was quite the experience, wasn't it?

" Xun Junyao sighed, her body relaxing as the tension dissipated. This experience was unique, not only because it was her first time attacking a Paragon's Dao Imprint, but because of Wang Wei's presence. They were perfectly in sync, like two peas from the same pod. Xun Junyao understood why he was her fated lover, or maybe they fit so well because of that.

nOf course, her perfect harmony with Wang Wei was not the most memorable aspect of this experience. In the past 3 million years, she has made rapid progress regarding the application of True Wills, and her understanding of Dao Imprints reached a higher level. This experience will drastically reduce the time she needs to adapt to battles at the Paragon Level.

n

"Indeed,

" Wang Wei replied. However, upon closer observation, Xun Junyao realized he was slightly distracted, and that's because Wang Wei had discovered something. His karmic connection with Xun Junyao had drastically increased in the past millions of years, and that somehow made it easier for him to cut off their fate line.

n'What is this? Does Fate want to entice me to deepen my relationship with her before deciding to cut off all connections? Does it think I won't be able to resist the temptation?' Wang Wei wanted to roll his eyes but resisted the urge.

n

"Is everything alright?

" Xun Junyao asked.

n

"Sorry about that, I was lost in my thoughts,

" Wang Wei apologized.

n

"I can tell. Care to share what's on your mind?

"

n

"Nothing of importance,

" Wang Wei replied before looking at the tea cups and set. Even after so long, they remained intact — including the tea. However, it was no longer hot, so he waved his hand to heat it.

n

"If you say so,

" Xun Junyao nodded. Since he did not want to talk about it, she would not insist. She sipped her hot tea. The ambiance suddenly became awkward due to the silence. Xun Junyao could tell Wang Wei had this rejection against her. Although he tried to hide it, she noticed it.

n'Well, he cultivates Fate Dao and pursues absolute freedom, so, understandably, he would reject a fated companion,' Xun Junyao thought. 'It's fine if he doesn't want to associate with me, but I still need to confirm whether he can help me.'

n

"Now that I think about it,

" she said.

"I owe you more than one favor.

"

n

"Are you talking about Xiao Tiandi? If so, I don't think I did anything,

" Wang Wei replied.

n

"Without you giving him such a wake-up call, I doubt he would ever have the desire to change,

" Xun Junyao replied. She had been quite stressed about what to do with her disciple, trying countless methods to enlighten him. Luckily for her, Old Man Tianji gave a message that there might be an opportunity in the lower dimension, so she used all her connections to secure a spot for him.

n

"Maybe you're right,

" Wang Wei nodded. Xun Junyao frowned at his response.

n

"You seem guarded,

" she said.

"This is unlike you.

"

n

"And you presume to know me?

"

n

"No, but I know enough to know this is not how you normally behave,

" Xun Junyao responded calmly. Her words made Wang Wei ponder.

n'She's right. There is no point in being reserved or alienating her. I don't need to be influenced by the events of my alternate self, nor care about what Fate is planning, and I especially do not need to worry about how Wu Hong would feel based on my relationship with her. In fact, I should act above board instead of being suspicious.'

n

"My apology,

" Wang Wei said.

"It seems I've been overthinking a lot.

"

n

"I understand. After all, overthinking is one of the few foibles of the wise,

" Xu Junyao.

"How about we play one Civilization Chess match? It's a great way to appease the mood and get to know each other.

"

n

"Good idea.

"

nXun Junyao waved her hand, and the tea sets on the table disappeared. She then summoned her Grandmist Qi to create a transparent cube on the table. This was not an ordinary cube but one that contained an entire universe with vast lands, forests, mountains, oceans, and stars.

n

"Ladies first,

" Wang Wei said, and Xun Junyao did not act courteously with him. She pondered for a few seconds before choosing the Fiendgod Race. With a thought, she created countless members of this race. To be precise, she made 129,600 of them. They were tall, mighty, primarily humanoid, and the heavens and earth cheered for their sheer existence.

n

"Starting with the most powerful race, huh? That's an interesting choice,

" Wang Wei commented.

"In that case, I'll choose the 'weakest' race?

" Wang Wei chose the human race. However, he did not choose randomly. Instead, he created 129,600 Innate Humans, born from heaven and earth and in harmony with the Dao. They were not born strong but with supreme talents. Meanwhile, the rest, with a population of 1 billion, were regular and Acquired Humans.

n'That's a smart move,' Xun Junyao thought. According to the rules, the human race can have a starting population of 10 billion. Wang Wei sacrificed most of that to give birth to these Innate Humans with unparalleled talent.

nXun Junyao looked at her Fiendgods; they had all become eggs floating in this world's version of Primordial Chaos. She was not surprised by this sudden transformation. According to the rules, since she chose a race with such a high starting place and Wang Wei chose the opposite, she must abide by several restrictions, one of which was the small population and the fact her creatures must start from being born from Primordial Chaos.

nShe looked at one of the eggs, who was technically the first creature ever born in this world. Xun Junyao's next move was based on that. She used that status as the First Born to accelerate the birth of that egg. Cracks appeared on the egg, but it was not born yet.

nFor his second move, Wang Wei created a living environment for the human race. The Innate Humans can survive by absorbing the spiritual qi between Heaven and Earth, but the others cannot. So, Wang Wei had to build an ecosystem for the others, with animals, plants, insects, drinkable water, and so on.

nXun Junyao's move was the same, accelerating the birth of the First Fiendgod. Meanwhile, Wang Wei chose two Innate Humans and endowed them with unique talents. The first one, called Sheng, gained the ability of Innate Wisdom. By observing nature, he learned about things like making fire, hunting, making clothes, building houses, organization, and even herding. Sheng quickly divided the humans into tribes and elected leaders to better manage them. Then, he taught everybody what he had learned.

nThe second person Wang Wei chose was named Fusi, and he was granted a Warrior's Heart. Fusi was fierce, always the first to rush to fight against beasts to protect his fellow humans. He soon became the best hunter in the entire human race.

nDespite his fierce ways, Fusi was a meticulous person with a heart of gold. He lamented how weak his fellow Acquired Humans were and wondered whether there was a way for them to increase their strength. However, he could not think of a way.

nXun Junyao looked at the human race, which had already established a primitive civilization. As she glanced at Fusi, he predicted what Wang Wei's next move was and thus became a little worried. So, for her next move, she sacrificed some of his luck to ensure Pan — the first Fiengod — would be born early. Such an act ruined Pan's origin and lessened his talent, but she would make it up to him later.

nWang Wei already had a plan, so all he needed to do was execute it. So, one day, while hunting, Fusi found two tigers fighting over a spiritual herb. As he observed them, he suddenly entered a trance in which his mind had absolute clarity. He saw every minute detail of the tigers' muscles, breathing, how they exert force and even the fierceness of their spirit.

nWithout realizing it, Fusi started mimicking the tiger's breathing and movements. At first, he looked stupid, but with each passing second, he mimicked these movements before changing them to fit the human physique without losing the effect.

nBoom!

nA vast amount of spiritual qi rushed into his body. His aura increased dramatically, but Fusi was unaware. He continued to punch and breathe with a specific rhythm. A terrifying heat emanated from his body, forming a red cloud.

nBoom!

nFusi punched forward, releasing a shockwave that destroyed a dozen trees in the forest. He looked at this devastation in shock.

"I did this?

" He asked his fellow hunters, and they nodded. These hunters knew Innate Humans were stronger than them, but it was not so exaggerated. They sighed and looked at Fusi with awe and envy.

n

"Hahaha, there is no need to envy me since you'll also have such strength,

" Fusi declared with a grand smile.

n

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