Chapter 126 The Beginning's Troubles: The 126th Day of Making a Game...
"Gentlemen, shall we have a game that will overturn everything?"
At the summit of Kunlun Mountain, Yuanshi Tianzun closed his eyes, but those words and fragmented memories continued to linger in his mind.
That day in Zixiao Palace, Yuan Yi, with a faint smile, slowly and deliberately promoted her new game to everyone.
As always, this new game has followed the will of Heaven and received its approval.
It is low-cost, highly controllable, and can also take into account the interests of all parties.
It must be said that Fellow Daoist Yuan Yi has always been very eloquent; every word he uttered struck a chord with these saints.
Although Yuan Yi politely extended an invitation to all the saints present at the end: "This game involves many things, and I cannot possibly manage everything by myself. Therefore, I would like to invite you fellow Daoists to play important guiding roles in the game."
For so many years, everyone has just played games and occasionally been a beta tester. To actually be a part of a game is something that has never been heard of before.
Tongtian and Nuwa immediately became eager to try, while Yuanshi Tianzun subconsciously frowned.
Absurd! Why would a saint act as an NPC in a game? It's beneath his dignity and utterly disgraceful.
Yuanshi Tianzun initially wanted to refuse, and even considered suppressing Tongtian, who was the first to step forward.
The voice unexpectedly rang in the sage's mind, and Yuanshi subconsciously raised his head.
But Yuan Yi remained motionless, his smile unchanged, as he recounted the contents of his invitation.
But unlike the strange gameplay she described, where a conventional person acts as both examiner and NPC, the voice in Yuanshi's mind was quite unconventional.
"The first great calamity severed the lifelines of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans; the second great calamity caused the Wu and Yao clans to vanish from the primordial world; the current third great calamity is the disappearance of the Chan and Jie sects, along with their leaders, from the primordial world; and the fourth great calamity is the demise of the Western Buddhist Kingdom's doctrines..."
The air was filled with the faint fragrance of grass and trees, but Yuanshi seemed to have something choking him, unable to say a word, and could only listen in vain as Yuanyi recounted the calamities ordained by heaven and earth time and time again.
And so, the incomplete fragments of "Investiture of the Gods" and "Journey to the West" were forcibly stuffed into Yuanshi's brain.
How could this be? How could this be!
Yuan Shi felt a ball of fire ignite in his heart, and his mind was shaken so much that he felt his blood and qi flowing backward. Was this fate?!
But in reality, he remained seated on the futon, his expression unchanged, with only the faint fragrance of grass and trees wafting to his nose. A gentle and invisible force held him in place, preventing them from making any impulsive moves and allowing them to pretend nothing was wrong while enjoying the fragrance of the grass and trees.
This subtle restraint went completely unnoticed by Yuan Shi until he made a move. Although he could easily dispel it with a wave of his hand, this buffer allowed Yuan Shi to calm down and think things through again.
At that moment, he looked up and met his master's knowing eyes. Tongtian still had his usual arrogant smile, but Yuanshi could tell that his swaying was more pronounced than before.
It turns out he wasn't the only one who received Fellow Daoist Yuan Yi's instructions.
Yuanshi looked around and saw that all his fellow Daoists were acting strangely. This was mostly hidden in Yuanyi's unhurried narration.
At this moment, Yuanshi's hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly, conforming to the will of Heaven and finding its proper place, so that all things could have a better future.
However, he also had his own selfish motives.
If one truly becomes a saint, free from desires and actions, residing only outside the Nine Heavens and not interfering with anything, then the Investiture of the Gods calamity would naturally not involve so many saints. It is precisely because saints also have attachments that the Investiture of the Gods is bound to be a great calamity.
The calamity arose because of the sage and because of the Way of Heaven, but it was bound to bring disaster to all living beings in the primordial world and also harm those he cared about.
From the moment he learned of this divine mandate, he knew he could not completely follow it and allow everything to develop as ordained by fate.
Since we can't just stand by and do nothing, we might as well cut the Gordian knot and get rid of this troublesome matter.
Yuanshi's eyelids closed slightly, but when he opened them again, his resolve was unwavering.
He said, "What you say makes a lot of sense, fellow Daoist. I agree to this."
Yuan Yi, who had been interrupted, turned around with great surprise: "Fellow Daoist is willing to accept two Chosen Ones from the main storyline of the game as disciples."
Disciples of the Chosen Ones? Weren't we just talking about the main storyline? The plot is exactly the same as the beginning of "Investiture of the Gods". How did it suddenly jump to taking two Chosen Ones as disciples?
Once a sage has spoken, it cannot be taken back. Besides, since we're already planning to board Fellow Daoist Yuan Yi's ship to overturn the world, Yuan Shi wouldn't mind doing a favor for his ally.
“Agreed.” Yuanshi nodded in agreement, only to find that his own sense of morality had become even more harmonious.
It turns out that he had followed the will of Heaven and formed a master-disciple relationship with the person destined to face the great calamity.
The destined ones, Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao, became disciples of the Primordial Sage of the Three Pure Ones before they were even born, in the Zixiao Palace under the watchful eye of Heaven.
Feeling the emptiness and uncertainty that lay between the master and disciple, and recalling the "outstanding" performances of Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao in "Investiture of the Gods," Yuanshi Tianzun fell silent once again.
If someone is already planning to defy fate, should we really accept such a disciple again?
He felt that the number twelve was good, and his twelve disciples were also quite good. There was no need to add another Jiang Ziya, who was destined to be an immortal, and the glib-tongued Shen Gongbao.
Having agreed to everything, Yuanshi Tianzun could only nod silently with a stern face.
After deciding not to follow fate, they actually found themselves on the predetermined path more smoothly, and their understanding of the Dao became more complete.
This development just doesn't seem right.
Even after many years, Yuanshi Tianzun on Mount Kunlun still could not forget the undercurrents that were secretly rising in the seemingly calm Zixiao Palace.
From that day on, the saints either went into seclusion or prepared to enter the world. They did not contact each other, but the way of Heaven remained unchanged, which meant that everyone had tacitly accepted this game that would overturn the world.
So be it. Since they are his disciples, he will naturally devote himself to teaching them and find them a good future.
Yuanshi's expression was solemn, but his heart remained as firm as ever. He believed that those who emerged from his Chan Sect would all be outstanding individuals, and no matter how they entered, they would all leave Kunlun in an orderly fashion.
He only produces the most outstanding disciples under his command!
In "Three Thousand Guests of the Purple Cloud", two newcomers who had just entered the game both got a gold item on their first try during the tutorial. As the announcements of the two players drawing the [Jade Purity Saint] appeared, the entire game forum exploded.
At this moment, Jiang Ziya was unaware of what the golden light and the solemn-faced Taoist in black robes in front of him represented. He only thought that the immortal was handsome and powerful, and that this game was too cool.
So six-year-old Jiang Ziya grinned, revealing his gaping teeth, and grabbed Yuanshi Tianzun's leg, saying, "Xuan...Xuanren."
Using both hands and feet, Jiang Ziya practically lay on Yuanshi's lap, his saliva even splashing out in his excitement and staining his black robe.
It was dirty and messy, and the words were unclear. When the Primordial One, who had switched perspectives, closed his eyes, he immediately transferred to another spirit.
The precocious Black Panther already understood what it meant to draw the Primordial Celestial Venerable, and in his ecstasy, he couldn't contain his true form.
Overjoyed, they jumped and danced around Yuanshi Tianzun, even rolling around on the grass to express their happiness.
The leopard was happy, the leopard rolled around, the leopard looked at the Primordial Celestial Venerable, and the leopard rubbed against the Primordial Celestial Venerable's fur.
Very good! Yuanshi Tianzun, far away in Kunlun, felt that even his newly changed robes were useless, covered in drool and animal hair. Did neither of them care about their personal image?
Yuanshi, who values lineage and has a bit of a fastidious streak and a fondness for new robes, found his every flaw appealing upon first meeting the new disciple. He felt uncomfortable with everything about him and his entire being felt uneasy.
However, these two are still young. With proper guidance, they can still be as respectable as the other disciples.
Yuanshi gritted his teeth and pulled out a thick stack of records on the cultivation of the Twelve Golden Immortals from the "Disciple Cultivation Simulator".
This time, he was determined to make his two young disciples exude the refined and cultured temperament of the Chan Sect from head to toe, from the tips of their hair to the soles of their feet.
Their Chan Sect only produces high-level disciples!
At this moment, in a small village.
In a simple mountain village, six-year-old Jiang Ziya was lifted high by his father, while behind him were food and gifts from relatives and friends who had learned of Jiang Ziya's extraordinary adventure.
There were chickens and ducks, fish and meat, and eggs were sold by the basket—it was even more abundant than the Lunar New Year. Many people even brought their children to the front door to touch Jiang Ziya and absorb his divine aura.
The crowd, which was so large that there wasn't enough room for everyone in the courtyard, finally dispersed as night fell.
"My son has a destiny with immortals; our family will produce an immortal in the future!" The strong man was overjoyed.
Look at that round head, it looks intelligent; look at that hair tied into a little bun, so smooth, it will surely have the appearance of an immortal in the future; look at those teeth with holes showing, it has already won the favor of immortals before losing its baby teeth, its future is bound to be limitless.
Anyway, no matter how he looked at it, his son was so amazing. That was the favor of a sage, something that many people would kill for. Yet Jiang Ziya got it as soon as he logged in. That's not what you call fate or destiny.
Jiang Ziya's father was grinning from ear to ear. He tossed Jiang Ziya into the air and caught him again, which made Jiang Ziya laugh heartily, but scared the woman next to him half to death.
She grabbed the man's hand: "Honey, the child is too young to take this kind of hardship."
As she spoke, she snatched Jiang Ziya from the man's hands. However, she was clearly also very happy. After gently placing him on the ground, she rubbed the child's head and said with a smile, "Ziya will definitely have a great future. But let's go eat something first. I'm happy today, so I'll chop some meat for you. Go and wait."
"Yay, time to eat meat!" Jiang Ziya ran happily toward the door, intending to share the day with his good friend.
After the child left, the woman wiped her hands on her waist and turned to discuss with her husband: "Before you came back today, the village chief brought His Majesty's special envoy to our house to send Ziya to study under a master."
"This..." the man paused, "The child is still young."
“You think I’m willing to give up my child’s path? But the Grand Envoy said that one should start cultivating the Tao as early as possible. When Ziya achieves success in his cultivation, he can go to Chaoge to become a high-ranking official. As parents, we can’t delay our child’s progress.”
"That's right. Then hurry up and pack up the things at home, and prepare more food and clothes for Ziya to go up the mountain to cultivate properly."
Meanwhile, Jiang Ziya's entire family and even his neighbors were busily preparing gifts to celebrate his upcoming trip to the immortal mountain to become a disciple.
Meanwhile, Shen Gongbao, after losing a fight with several of his brothers in the leopard's den, packed up some belongings and ran out.
He's now a leopard guided by a sage, completely different from those foolish leopard spirits.
He didn't want to continue stealing a few pieces of meat in this cave; he wanted to cultivate himself into an immortal and become a high and mighty figure.
With this thought in mind, Shen Gongbao set off towards the legendary Kunlun Mountain under the moonlight in the dark of night.
Hmph, fortunes change every thirty years, so don't underestimate Shao Bao's poverty.
When he returns from his cultivation, he will make those stupid leopards spit out all the meat they stole from him.
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Author's Note: Yuanshi Tianzun: I have very high standards for my disciples; those who aren't excellent absolutely won't do. Wait, you said these two dirty little brats will be my disciples?
Since things are already spiraling out of control, maybe we should just stop collecting them? Oh, why are we collecting them again? [Lemon]
What game storyline wouldn't be complete without a main character? Let's follow Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao to advance the main plot! [doge emoji]
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