Qin Chuan's words seemed to freeze the air in the room.
Night Cherry Tangle's Trial of the Gods was, in everyone's eyes, a grand undertaking worthy of a place in the Yan Country War Zone's history.
Yet Qin Chuan had called it "crude" and followed that judgment with a string of devastating questions that struck at its core.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Everyone present was a formidable figure with no shortage of pride.
Had anyone else made such a judgment, they might not have turned on him then and there, but they certainly would have resented it.
But the person who had spoken was Qin Chuan.
Night Cherry Tangle lowered his eyes and fell silent for several seconds.
He neither argued nor defended himself. He simply stepped forward and bowed slightly to Qin Chuan.
"Guild Master, I understand."
His voice was calm, betraying no emotion.
"I was thinking too small," Night Cherry Tangle admitted.
He had focused on finding the strongest warriors as quickly as possible to face whatever threats might come. In doing so, he had overlooked the ordinary people who made up most of this world.
A nation made up only of soldiers was both warped and fragile.
Qin Chuan looked at him, his expression unchanged.
"The Trial of the Gods isn't just a selection contest. It's the foundation of our future Divine Kingdom."
"I don't want a few hundred heroes standing at the top of a pyramid. I want the hundreds of millions of people in Yan Country, and even across Blue Star, to find their own places, see a path forward, and contribute what they can to the coming New Era."
Qin Chuan's voice lingered in the heart of every god present.
"When everyone has a chance to shine, the shadows will have