Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Since it's just a reputation, as Zhu Xianxun said, who would risk their lives? That "flashlight" might be cumbersome to use and consumes a lot of power, but using it to kill people is as easy as chopping melons and vegetables. If Shangluo really waved it blindly, others would be unlikely to risk their lives.

Ultimately, relying on a martial arts competition to determine the ranking of the Thirteen Guardians is inherently unfair. Each sect specializes in their own specific areas of cultivation, while sword cultivators specialize in killing. With this kind of competition, sword cultivators are naturally more likely to come out on top.

Next is the Thunder Cultivation. Thunder Cultivation is powerful because its practitioners undergo a screening process upon entry. If sword cultivation is about killing, then thunder cultivation is about "cultivation," a straightforward "cultivation." Lightning itself is a manifestation of the power of creation, and the Daoist Ancestor himself is the Great Immortal of the Five Thunders. Thunder Cultivation is also the method closest to the Daoist Ancestor.

Shangluo didn't ask what Qi Liuxiu was up to. He seemed unremarkable, unimpressed. Han Wu, watching the back door from downstairs in Yuxi Palace, was even more baffling, lying there with his head tilted back in a deep sleep. They all seemed to be at peace with the world, merely earning a salary from the court. There was no reason to risk their lives for a duel.

When lunch time comes, Shangluo still occasionally thinks about this problem.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Qi Yuan opposite.

"Hey, squad leader, let me ask you something. What did your father practice?"

"My father practices the Dao of Alchemy and makes pills."

"Who is the Dan Shou?"

"Well, I think it's Zhu Qi. His last name is Zhu, and Dan Dao is ranked seventh among the Thirteen Protectors, so his code name is Zhu Qi, but I've never met him. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

There is one more chapter to go, it will be ready soon. In addition, there will be five chapters updated tomorrow, so there will still be an update at 12 o'clock tonight.

Chapter 122 Xuan Xiu

"I want to ask about the Thirteen Protectors' martial arts competition. Has your father ever participated in a martial arts competition?"

"Hmm," Qi Yuan thought for a moment, "I haven't heard him say that. I don't even know who Zhu Qi is. But asking an alchemist to compete with others is a bit unreasonable. In my opinion, the seventh place in the alchemy world is right in the middle. I'm afraid that the other fellow disciples don't want to offend the alchemists, so they put them right in the middle."

That's true. Why's that saying, "You can't offend anyone but the cook?" For cultivators, the alchemist is the cook. Elixirs require alchemists to develop and refine. While crucial foundation-building pills require personal luck, alchemists can still provide considerable assistance.

"So, is Zhu Qi any good?"

"Very impressive! I heard he graduated from Nanjing University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and has been practicing alchemy since childhood. He achieved the title of the top alchemist at a young age, and is particularly adept at using chemical processes to create semi-finished products for other elixirs, which greatly increased the output of the inner elixir recipes. My father said it was like pre-preparing meals. He replaced many simple and repetitive tasks with reactors, and only the final critical process required the alchemist to refine it himself. Although he rarely mentioned it, my father always praised him highly. He also praised his 'supreme virtue', saying that even though he had a stutter, he never forgot others."

"."

Shangluo was stunned. It seemed like he had just met this person this morning and had breakfast with him. Although he was still fasting, the two of them still ate radish soup together.

He opened the chat group directory for the Thirteen Imperial Guardians and found the seventh person. Sure enough, although his name was Zhu Qi, his profile picture was a "default profile picture" wearing sunglasses.

It turns out that the seventh of the Thirteen Guardians is actually the emperor himself

But considering that this was someone from the Zhu family, it didn't seem unusual. It wasn't unheard of for someone to wear a vest and receive a salary from the court, and the salary they received was that of a "mighty general."

"You seem to know him?"

"No, no, no, I don't know him." Shangluo shook his head. "I don't know him."

"So we know each other. Powerful people always have some secrets, that's normal. By the way, did you really only drink carrot soup for lunch?"

"I'm fasting, and can only eat these. I think it's almost over, today. I can eat meat tomorrow."

Anyway, if you really can't stand it, there is still glucose, so it's not a big problem.

Although he couldn't eat, he still went to the cafeteria. Because the Zhezhi team included his teammate Han Xingzhi, he wouldn't be in the convoy until the afternoon. Since he had nothing to do at noon anyway, he decided to wait until Qi Yuan finished eating before going.

"By the way, why do I feel like you're different from the past two days?"

"Really? I've lost weight? I do look thinner after being hungry for two days."

"No. I always feel that you look very happy. I always felt that you seemed to be in a hurry to do something, and I always felt that you were anxious."

[Tsk, you've been guessed. You used to have intense anxiety, didn't you? You had nothing to rely on. Now you have a 'flashlight' to rely on, and you can kill anyone who stands in your way. Even if things don't work out, you can still trade one for one.]

“Who wants to trade one for one?”

However, he did agree with the first half of Apollonia's statement. He wasn't worried about whether he could build a foundation, as the recipe was definitely reliable. His concern was whether he would be delayed when breaking the branches.

Now he wasn't worried anymore. Shangluo was confident he could cleave even the Forest King. As long as he had enough bottled Qi Hai, even ten more wouldn't be a problem.

"Ah, I'm full." Qi Yuan drank the last bit of carrot soup. "I always feel that after you came, everything around me has become smoother. Maybe this is the effect of auspicious signs."

"Maybe. By the way, will Han Xingzhi come this afternoon?"

"He's definitely here before me, and he'll definitely come if he's not sick. His biggest hobby is tinkering with that car, and the club activities every afternoon are his ultimate entertainment. He doesn't seem to have any other hobbies besides reading comics. Well, he should be here by now. Do you want to see him for something?"

"It's something."

"Then let's go earlier. Others shouldn't have arrived by then, and you should be able to talk to him alone. So is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Yes"

Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Shangluo himself hasn't figured it out yet. First of all, for Shangluo himself, this is definitely a good thing. After all, the golden branch was given to him to pick. If he picked the golden branch, he would have the medicine to draw the foundation-building pill.

But is it a good thing for others? Wen Yuan was very happy. Lu Liang didn't know, but with such a good thing as the bottled Qi Hai given to her, she probably wouldn't refuse to practice.

But Han Xingzhi and Shangluo weren't very familiar with him—perhaps they would become familiar in the future, but for now they were just teammates on the same team. Would he really be willing to go?

"Maybe it's a good thing." Shangluo guessed, "What is Han Xingzhi practicing?"

"He is a Xuan cultivator, practicing the art of spiritual consciousness. Everyone in his family practices the Tai Su Wen Xuan Jing, and they are very good at studying."

"No! I won't go! No!"

When Shangluo arrived at the garage, he saw Han Xingzhi being dragged out of the garage. He was clinging to a roadside tree and refused to move. The other team members hadn't arrived yet, and he didn't care about keeping it a secret. He hugged the tree and shouted:

"I just won't go! I'm afraid of death! Why would a Xuan cultivator like me get involved with them?"

"You have to go today whether you want to or not! You have to go whether you want to or not! Don't embarrass me!" The person who was speaking was pulling Han Xingzhi's arm down.

As if he noticed the person coming, he glanced towards Shangluo——

"Huh? Isn't this Han Wu Ge who's watching the back door? Wu Ge!"

"Tsk." Han Wu shook off Han Xingzhi and walked towards Shangluo.

"Ah, hahahaha~~" He seemed a little embarrassed because Han Wu looked too "weak".

"Fifth Brother, the weather is nice today. So you're taking a rest today?"

"I don't have any vacation time. I'm guarding the gate every day. I just heard that you were promoted to the Chief Swordsman of the Imperial Palace, so I came to see you. And by the way, have a chat with my nephew - Tsk, he wants to go with you to break branches, right? But this kid refuses to go. I just said I had a briefing this afternoon, but he just wouldn't go."

"I just won't go! Why should I go?" Han Xingzhi was still hugging the tree. "I'm busy. I haven't finished watching the live-action version of 'The Invincible Wang Lingguan', 'Wang Lingguan vs. the Martians'!"

"Is this movie broadcast in the afternoon?" Han Wu asked him.

"No," Qi Yuan replied, "that movie won't be released until next month, and we've made an appointment with the Lu Liang team next door to go see it together."

"What does next month's affairs have to do with you this afternoon? Get out of here!"

"No! I'm afraid if I go there, I won't be able to see the sun for the next month! Breaking branches, right?! I've played those board games released in Rome, and they're dangerous! Really dangerous!"

Chapter 123: Heroes' Tour (Power Up)

After entering, Han Xingzhi searched the cabinets for a while before pulling out a cardboard box. Printed on the box was the title "Hero's Tour Power Up Edition," surrounded by scenes from various mythological sources, including "The Iliad," "The Nibelungen," "The Iliad," and "Beowulf." Below the title were subtitles indicating that the box in front of him contained the "Golden Bough of the Forest King" expansion pack, which added a Lake Nemi chessboard, paintable Forest King chess pieces, and Golden Bough-themed dice and signage.

"Look, that's it! This is marked as high difficulty, and it's recommended that the entire group has at least level 5 characters, that is, all members are 'Transcendents' before entering the game. So I suggest starting with the main game's 'Odyssey' scenario, then bring your already leveled character cards and the equipment you've obtained in Odyssey, and then challenge this difficult 'Golden Bough of the Forest King' expansion pack. This one is super difficult!"

He pointed at the chessboard and showed it to Shangluo:

"Although the winning condition is simply touching the Laurel Branch in the middle, the Forest King's level is variable, starting at level 9 and going up. Bad luck, and the gameplay experience is terrible! However, as soon as you step into the three squares in the middle, the Forest King will enter a berserk state. After the berserk state, the Forest King has both strength and speed, and will also summon four Wellspring Great Spirits, each a level 7 extraordinary creature - nothing fancy, these Wellspring Great Spirits are just used to chop with greatswords, but their sword skills are explosive and their magic resistance is also explosive. Each one is a pure power-up monster. If the tank falls, the team can be wiped out in a single round."

"."

Shangluo was stunned for a long time without saying anything.

"Apollonia, is that so?"

[I don't know, because I haven't been there. Helios has always been working with Rome. But I heard their success rate is very high. However, the Romans are professionals and can resurrect, so their situation may be different from yours.]

He asked Han Xingzhi: "When was this board game released?"

"This thing is practically the ancestor of modern board games. Almost every board game you can think of is derived from the rules of Heroes' Tour. The expansion packs of Heroes' Tour itself also sold very well. Until one day in mysticism class, the professor told us that Heroes' Tour was actually a sympathetic game created by the Romans. It was actually a weak magic prop that maintained a sympathetic link with the Romans at all times."

"What's the use of this thing?"

"It's mainly used to collect data. Since players from all over the world are playing, Rome can analyze their play to find the most successful strategies. For example, on which round should you trigger the Great Spring Spirit, on which round should you attack the Golden Bough, and so on. They will then regularly publish strategy guides in Black Dwarf magazine, and repeatedly iterate on these guides based on player play—so when you said you wanted to play the Golden Bough, of course I refused! The magazine clearly stated that the completion rate for the Golden Bough expansion pack was only 21%, which means that nearly 80% of people can't complete it. And the most important thing is, our class cards are different!"

He took out the purple occupation card:

"Look, this is the Hydra class card. Hydra is an assassin class that can quickly resurrect after death. Each resurrection adds the 'Hydra Mark' to the enemy, and the character itself is strengthened depending on the cause of death. As long as the mana bar is depleted, this character will not truly die."

He took out another yellow one:

"This class card is called 'White Lion.' When the 'White Lion' character enters the battlefield, they can bring with them at least five 'Theban Dragonfang Soldiers' with different attributes. The Dragonfang Soldiers have various upgrade paths, which you need to unlock during previous adventures. For example, there are Dragonfang Silver Shield Assault Soldiers, Dragonfang Phalanx Soldiers, Dragonfang Chariots, and so on. You can also unlock high-level troops like the Theban Sacred Order. As long as the character card itself is not destroyed, these Dragonfang Soldiers can be resurrected infinitely."

He then pulled out a stack of red, green, and purple cards. "There are also character cards here for the Siren, Minotaur, Cyclops, and so on. Without exception, all of these characters possess some kind of immortality trait. Each character has more than one life, and they all have some kind of 'resurrection coin' mechanism. For example, the Hydra can be resurrected as long as it doesn't run out of mana. The Sphinx can be resurrected as long as it can ensure the safety of its main body. The Cyclops gains a certain degree of immortality based on the trait it chooses, and so on."

"Hmm" Shangluo thought about it.

The Hydra character card likely refers to the Hydra Force. However, there are some subtle differences between them. For example, while the Hydra Force also regenerates through constant death, it's six instead of one. As for the "stacked Hydra Mark" mechanic, he hadn't heard Titus mention it.

As for the Sphinx that controlled the Dragon Tooth Soldiers, he had never heard of it.

"Apollonia, isn't the Dragon Fang Soldier a forbidden spell?"

Theoretically, the Blood of the Hydra is also a forbidden spell, but it was used extensively. The use of forbidden spells by the Romans was not uncommon, but it had to be done according to the rules. The White Lion character mentioned here likely refers to the Sphinx Troops. They were allowed to use Dragon Fang Soldiers, with permission, and indeed, no more than five at a time. If there were more than five, the Dragon Fang Soldiers would begin to kill each other to survive. They would destroy all Dragon Fang Soldiers after retirement, but some, especially the Theban Sacred Order, became extremely powerful after iteration. They would be sealed and preserved, and deployed when needed.

She thought again:

[In general, some character creation differs slightly from real-world scenarios, likely to ensure player safety and prevent leaks. However, it's a reasonable simulation. However, I haven't observed how they iterate on the "campaign strategy" since it's not done in Delphi. Helios is also responsible for that.]

"Um"

Shangluo pondered for a moment. This seemed more dangerous than he'd imagined. Just from the descriptions of these games, he could already see some issues. The tabletop game "Heroes' Tour" was based on the premise that characters could be resurrected. But everyone present, though powerful, couldn't be resurrected.

After exchanging ideas with Han Xingzhi, the latter nodded immediately:

"You see, this is the danger I was talking about. They have the opportunity to make mistakes. Even if they are wiped out, they can try again. The Forest King will just be stronger after the restart. We don't have the chance to die at all. If we die, we're dead. Isn't this playing with your life?"

"What does the guide say?"

"It's a long story. I didn't bring the strategy guide with me. There are many ways to crack it. For example, the Golden Branch King only fights in single combat according to the rules, so a thick-skinned character can handle it. For another example, the four 'panel monsters', the Spring Elves, can actually be turned against us by completing some prerequisite events. This requires a character with specialized perception to investigate. Why are you looking at me? I'm not going! That's not how Xuan Xiu works! I'm not going! I'm not going!"

Chapter 124 Eight Good People

"It's because you're a Xuan cultivator. We've discussed this with Captain Lu, and you must go."

Han Wu mercilessly pulled his nephew up and said, "You, memorize the strategy guide immediately. After you go in, look for it according to the strategy guide."

Hey, that's the right approach. I can only talk to you, but you can't be with them all the time when you're picking the Golden Bough. Even with a walkie-talkie, you can't give them instructions while you're hitting the goal. So when you go to 'score', there must be someone who knows what to do.

"How long until the ceremony begins?" he asked Han Wu.

"It's early this Sunday morning, so preparations have to start Saturday night. So I want him to memorize the strategy book within three days."

"Can you memorize a book in three days?"

Qi Yuan nodded at the side. "He can. The Han family either doesn't produce any cultivators, or if they do, they're all Xuan cultivators. They can't do anything else except Xuan cultivation. They can blow up their furnaces when refining pills, and their rooms when refining thunder, but they are very good at Xuan cultivation. Specifically, it's the 'Tai Su Wen Xuan Jing' that Lian Da Nei has. In short, that scripture allows you to learn while you're dreaming."

"It's not that simple!" Han Xingzhi answered before Shangluo could ask, "I still have to study in my dreams, and I have to spend all the necessary time. It's just that time passes faster in dreams, and studying doesn't take up my rest time, so I can use all my time when I'm awake to practice."

"That's still very convenient! Can I learn it?"

"Well, I don't recommend it. Because once you learn this method, it's hard to learn with other methods. And you won't be able to learn everything—you'll only learn half, and it will be scattered and disorganized, and you'll have to spend time organizing your notes after waking up. But it's very useful for studying things like the Taoist Canon and the Heart Sutra, because you might not be able to understand these profound texts when you're awake, so it's easier to understand them when you're asleep."

"Is it useful to memorize the strategy book?"

"Not bad. I can only memorize half of it, but I can just spend more time on it while I'm awake. No, you've got me confused! I haven't even agreed to go yet."

"Then let me ask you this." Shangluo sat down at the table, "Mr. Han, under what conditions would you be willing to go?"

"You can't order someone like me around—I have enough carrots, enough money, enough food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Aside from building a career, I don't want anything else. Besides occasionally reading comics and playing board games, the only thing I care about is Formula One racing. Look at my uncle, he's old and his cultivation isn't very good. He spent over a month memorizing a Latin book and still couldn't memorize it. What are you doing? I'm being honest! If you want to do something, you have to do it now. When you get older, your Dao body won't be able to maintain, and everything you do will be a step slower."

"Ah this."

I couldn't agree to that. Whether Formula One won or not wasn't something he could decide; it depended on the competition. Besides, that was three months away, and the branch-breaking trip was this week, so he wouldn't be able to make it.

"Eh???" Han Xingzhi suddenly remembered, "I think I do have an unfulfilled wish. If you can help me fulfill it, I'll go with you."

"What wish?"

"I want a set of 'Shaoping Year One Summer Limited Edition 'Invincible Wang Lingguan' Nendoroid Wang Shan Wang E' combination hidden edition' produced by Eight Good Men. I want it in its original, unopened packaging."

"What the hell?" Shangluo didn't understand the name at all.

"I said, I want the one produced by the Eight Great Good Men"