Then let them offer their loyalty!

'Could it be... a problem with the disaster recovery mechanism?'

'After all, her strength has improved so rapidly, her path to cataclysm is likely extremely unique....'

Thinking this way, Qiu Tu, though somewhat unable to understand, reluctantly accepted Zhao Ji's explanation.

After all, what Zhao Ji said just now was indeed very sincere, and given Zhao Ji's personality, she would never stoop to lying.

So he glanced at Zhao Ji and didn't press the matter further.

Because... the answers to those questions were already enough for Qiu Tu.

With that in mind, Qiu Tu temporarily put the issue of Zhao Ji's strength out of his mind.

After a moment of contemplation, he said to Zhao Ji, "Your Majesty, since that's the case, I have a favor to ask. How about entrusting the remaining two spots for the 'Trial of the Gods' to me?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhao Ji glanced at him expressionlessly and then coldly said, "Take it if you want."

"Bring them to see me in three days."

Hearing Zhao Ji's words, Qiu Tu smiled and said, "No problem."

He said, "My first choice is the 'reincarnation of a celestial being' that you just met, Zhuwu."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhao Ji gave him a deep look, nodded slightly, and said calmly, "Alright."

After speaking, she looked at Qiu Tu with a cold and aloof air and asked, "And who is the last candidate?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu smiled, looked up at the sky, and said, "Your Highness Qinglan, you must have heard everything that Her Majesty Zhaoji and I said just now, right?"

"Give me a chance. I want to have a deeper conversation with you."

As Qiu Tu spoke, the room fell silent for a moment.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Just when Qiu Tu thought that Qing Lan would ignore him and that he would need to find another way to contact her.

Suddenly, a piece of paper appeared out of thin air in his hand.

Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then raised his hand, unfolded the note, and looked at it. It contained a location and time...

"Tomorrow at 2 PM, at Jiangzi Lake outside Sandu City."

After reading the note, the next second, it spontaneously combusted without any wind, turning into ashes. In just a moment, as if nothing had happened, it vanished without a trace...

However, Qiu Tu knew that his repeated temptations of Qing Lan over the past two days had finally worked.

Whether it succeeds or not depends on tomorrow....

At the same time, Zhao Ji glanced at Qiu Tu expressionlessly, a little puzzled in her heart...

He's been calling me "Your Majesty" since the beginning and hasn't switched back to his previous form of address. Could I have misunderstood?

......

Time flew by, and it was soon the afternoon of the next day.

Last night, as Qiu Tu requested, Zhu Wu and Jackal staged a play, pretending to leave "Qinglan Divine Realm." This fulfilled their promise to Qinglan and also changed Qiu Tu's whereabouts from overt to covert.

So this afternoon, Qiu Tu used the "Substitute Mirror" to simply change his face and then went to the place the two had agreed upon.

The sky, a deep blue like a jewel, stretched overhead, while snow-white clouds floated like cotton candy. The tranquil Crimson Lake, smooth and flawless like a giant mirror, reflected the blue sky and white clouds, as if a similarly magnificent world lay hidden beneath its surface.

On the lake shore, lush aquatic plants swayed gently in the breeze, whispering softly. A girl who looked only twelve or thirteen years old was lying on a deck chair, leisurely fishing.

It must be said that compared to the gray sky of the "real world," the "Boundless Sea of ​​the Heart - Core Area" is more like the world in Qiu Tu's mind.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu stood silently in the distance for a while before walking to the side of the eighth-order Great Evil God "Qing Lan".

Without putting on airs or adopting a overly formal attitude, Qiu Tu plopped down next to Qing Lan and casually said, "Your Highness Qing Lan, you're here early. Are you looking forward to our chat today?"

Qinglan leaned back in her recliner, yawned lazily, and said nonchalantly, "No. It's just that I'm incredibly fast whenever I have a reason not to work."

Qiu Tu smiled upon hearing this. This was indeed very much like the personality he knew Qing Lan to be—want to talk to Qing Lan about personal matters? No problem, come anytime during work hours!

While thinking this, Qiu Tu also spoke up, "Your Highness Qinglan heard my conversation with Her Majesty Zhaoji last night, didn't you?"

Qinglan said lazily, "You deliberately let me hear it. How could I not hear it?"

Qiu Tu smiled, not denying it. He said, "Is Your Highness interested in the 'Celestial Rank'? What are your thoughts?"

Qinglan turned to look at Qiu Tu, then asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"That's actually true."

She said dismissively, "All your schemes and plans... just listening to them is exhausting."

She lay on the recliner and said calmly, "Is it worth it to work so hard? So many peak eighth-tier experts will be competing for it. You have almost no chance of winning."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu replied, "Effort doesn't guarantee results. But not trying is definitely more comfortable, right?"

Perhaps not expecting that Qiu Tu, a man of such high standards, would say something that resonated with her, Qing Lan turned and glanced at Qiu Tu curiously.

Qiu Tu met her gaze and then smiled.

Then Qiu Tu said, "What if I said I had a way to guarantee that we would be the winners?"

Upon hearing this, Qinglan frowned and was about to speak.

Qiu Tu added, "Furthermore... what if I told you that if a second 'Celestial God Rank' emerges in this 'Trial of the Gods,' we could let you take over directly?"

Qinglan paused for a moment, and her previously lazy expression slowly disappeared.

But that's not all.

Qiu Tu then added, "What if I said... even without a second 'Celestial God' rank, we wouldn't let you make a wasted trip and would offer you sufficient compensation?"

This time, Qinglan's expression finally changed completely.

--------

Requesting monthly votes.

I recommend a friend's book, "Becoming a Ninja Starting from Naruto".

Chapter 630 Qinglan: I'm with you! (Thanks to "Successor_" for the Alliance Leader)

She was as if she were having a fierce internal struggle, pondering the veracity of Qiu Tu's words.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu did not disturb her. He simply sat to the side, quietly gazing at the pool of spring water, and waited silently.

After a moment, Qinglan finally made a decision.

She slowly sat up from the recliner, then sat cross-legged, her eyes, bright as stars, looking at Qiu Tu, and tentatively asked, "Why...why should I believe you?"

Hearing Qinglan's words, Qiu Tu didn't show it on his face, but he secretly smiled to himself.

After all, if Qinglan really wasn't interested in all of this, she wouldn't have asked this question.

The fact that she asked this question proves that she... is interested, or rather, has taken the bait.

Actually... for the past two days, Qiu Tu has been studying Qing Lan's personality. He's been doing personality analysis and creating a psychological model for her: his intelligence sources include Jackals, Rain Butterflies, and most importantly, "Candle Dance."

Last night, because Zhao Ji suddenly arrived, Qiu Tu had to go pick her up first and didn't have time to listen to "Candle Dance's" investigation report on Qing Lan.

However, he kept this matter in his mind. So after talking with Zhao Ji, he still spent a long time talking with Zhu Wu and listened carefully to Qing Lan's information.

Among these, what Qiu Tu cared about most was one of Zhu Wu's viewpoints.

Zhuwu believes that "Qinglan" is indeed lazy and doesn't like working. But... there are reasons for that.

In the "core area," none of the evil gods are truly free.

From the moment they are born, or from the moment they arrive in the "core area," they become a "resource" for various forces.

In the complex and realistic "core area," all the catastrophic creatures and low-level evil gods are consumables.

Humans burn firewood to light their way, while evil gods burn lower-ranking evil gods.

From the moment these evil gods are born until they grow up and die, their entire lives—from clothing and food to shelter and transportation—are subject to the control of various powerful forces.

Even if they reach the sixth, seventh, or even eighth rank, they are still firmly controlled by various organizations.

Among these evil god organizations, the "Hidden Mist Society" is the most exploitative. As a result, the evil gods living within the "Hidden Mist Society's" territory are prone to developing a mentality of giving up or slacking off.

—Since there's no future no matter how hard I try, I might as well give up. As long as I complete the basic tasks and maintain my current treatment, that's enough.

Qinglan is similar.

Although she has amazing talent, even the most amazing talent still needs to consume resources to cultivate.

And like Hejiu, she wasn't a direct descendant of the "Mist Hidden Society," which resulted in the society providing her with very few resources. This, in turn, caused her cultivation speed to be extremely slow.

At first, she tried her best, like a jackal. But she unfortunately discovered that in the "Hidden Mist Society," relationships and blood ties were the most important things.

If you have no connection to the core group and aren't part of their bloodline, then no matter how hard you try, it's useless. Because from the very beginning, your potential is locked in.

Moreover, the more amazing her talent, the more wary the core leadership became of her. They might occasionally relax their guard around others, but the resources allocated to her were always strictly controlled.

So, after several back-and-forths, Qinglan finally chose to give up.

To put it bluntly, she didn't really want to give up; she just didn't have any better options...

After hearing about Zhuwu's investigation last night, Qiu Tu was shocked: This is just a copy of a jackal!

No wonder Qinglan was willing to support the jackals.

She wasn't supporting herself; she was supporting her former self.

After all... even today, Qiu Tu can't forget the shock he felt when he learned that "the Jackal worked twice as hard and then had his 'illegal gains' confiscated for violating the rules of the Fog Shadow Society."

This is no longer just exploitation; it's treating people like slaves, like disposable resources!

This "Hidden Mist Society" is a fucking cancer!

So, if Qiu Tu were Qing Lan, he would also slack off at work every day.

It was precisely after figuring out Qinglan's reasons for slacking off that Qiu Tu decided to use methods to recruit her and make her the final member of the "Trial Quartet".

After all... if the Hidden Mist Society doesn't cherish it, Qiu Tu will! The conditions the Hidden Mist Society can't offer, Qiu Tu can! The Hidden Mist Society is inhumane, Qiu Tu can be!

Qinglan is a powerful evil god who was rated "90" points by the arrogant Zhao Ji! She has both fighting power and a bright future! It would be a great deal to seduce such a promising talent!

Thinking this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but glance at the beautiful young woman in front of him.

It must be said that almost all the evil gods are handsome men and beautiful women. And Qinglan is the best among them.

Although she looked only twelve or thirteen years old, her small face was as white as snow, with a faint pink hue, like a peach petal just beginning to bloom on a branch in spring.

Her eyes were like two clear springs, crystal clear yet full of life. Her nose was small and pert, and below it were her rosy, cherry-like lips.

What is most striking is the tiny gold star embedded in the center of her smooth forehead.

The Venus shone brightly under the gentle caress of the sunlight, adding to her mystique.

Even disregarding her abilities, her looks alone are enough to make anyone want to be next to her.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he spoke, "Your Highness. I, as a major threat to the 'Mist Shadow Society,' have once again appeared in the area under your control."

"You should have already investigated me thoroughly by now, right?"

"I, Qiu Tu... can't speak for myself in other areas, but I'm absolutely trustworthy with my partners and confidants. My reputation is beyond reproach."

"And even if you think you're not human and believe I won't treat you the same way, you can take a look at the jackals for reference."

"He used to be one of your trusted men, you should know him very well, he wouldn't lie to you, would he?"

"If you don't believe me, you can go and ask him directly now."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qing Lan opened her cherry-like mouth as if to say something, but Qiu Tu raised his hand to interrupt her and said directly,

"If you still don't believe me, then I can swear to the 'Origin of the World.'"

"Although I am not a god and am not bound by the 'Oath of the Gods,' I have already reached the seventh rank. I am a third-class deity recognized by the 'Origin of the World.'"

"If I break the oath, even if I don't perish, my cultivation level will drop, which would be a huge loss."

"I think this can be considered a sign of sincerity."

Perhaps Qiu Tu was too sincere, or perhaps no one had ever proven themselves like this before. Although Qing Lan didn't show it on her face, a flicker of shock and unease flashed in her eyes...

She did not reply to Qiu Tu immediately, but fell silent again.

A moment later, she grinned, her eyes crinkling like two rainbows. "Qiu Tu. Has anyone ever told you that you're exceptionally eloquent?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu smiled and said, "There's more than one."