Wedding Day

The day of the War God Festival soon arrived, and Jie Ning and Arannis's wedding was held as scheduled.

Guests from every direction came in an endless stream. Many of those attending the wedding were people Jie Ning had never even met.

Of course, there was nothing to be done about that. By now, news that Jie Ning had become a Saint Realm expert had spread throughout Duke Darut's Territory.

Naturally, the members of the enormous Dalut Family would not pass up such an opportunity to befriend a newly risen Saint Realm expert from their own family.

During this period, letters from nobles across the territory flowed constantly in and out of Tieling Town, all for the chance to attend Jie Ning's wedding banquet.

So, after painstakingly filtering out some nobles who truly had no connection to them, Chris asked for Jie Ning's opinion. Gritting his teeth, Chris still invited most of them and sent out invitations.

This is such a boost to our prestige, Chris thought.

At the same time, besides the invitations, a piece of "unofficial" news began spreading rapidly throughout Duke Darut's Territory: supposedly, Lord Jie Ning was collecting all kinds of magic incantations...

Jie Ning stood at the entrance to the venue, welcoming guests as one familiar or unfamiliar figure after another appeared.

"Jie Ning, congratulations on your wedding..." Wilt and the other two descended from the sky.

"Hahaha, Jie Ning, I've come to beg a cup of wedding wine..." That was Gersell.

"Hm?" At that moment, Jie Ning seemed to sense something and swiftly looked westward. More than a dozen figures were flying rapidly in this direction.

Very soon, the group arrived before Jie Ning. At their head was a "young man," yet his gaze was deep and tranquil, like a bottomless lake rippling with faint light. Still, Jie Ning always felt that the man's true nature was somewhat at odds with the image he presented.

Seeing the man approach, Chris, who had been receiving guests beside Jie Ning, first found him somewhat familiar. Then his eyes abruptly widened. He seemed unable to believe it, and his expression became intensely excited.

The newcomer, however, did not seem surprised by Chris's reaction. Instead, he looked directly at Jie Ning. "I never imagined that such a genius would emerge among my descendants."

Jie Ning's heart stirred. He vaguely guessed the other party's identity. Was it that man?

"...May I ask if you are Duke Darut?" Chris cautiously asked at that moment, somewhat nervous. He carefully chose the safest form of address.

"That's right. I am Darut." Darut first nodded at Chris, acknowledging his identity.

"There's no need to be so nervous. You are all my descendants; just relax." He also soothed Chris's emotions in passing.

"Duke Darut, may I ask the purpose of your visit this time..." Jie Ning asked tentatively from the side.

"Hahaha, after all, another Saint Realm expert has emerged from the family. Both sentiment and reason dictate that I should come offer my congratulations—especially when it is your wedding." Darut looked at Jie Ning with satisfaction.

"And these are all Saint Realm experts from our Dalut Family as well. This is Kovo, the youngest Saint Realm expert in our family before you. That is Diling..." As he spoke, Darut naturally began introducing the people behind him.

"Hello, Jie Ning." One after another, the people behind Darut greeted Jie Ning.

For the moment, Jie Ning could only return polite smiles.

"You could say that, aside from a few who are traveling abroad and some who have been in seclusion for years, all the other Saint Realm experts of the family are here."

"After all, everyone was curious what kind of monster could break through to the Saint Realm at nineteen." Darut's personality truly did not match his earlier profound appearance at all. He was very familiar and easygoing as he joked with Jie Ning.

Jie Ning reluctantly accepted that this overly familiar fellow before him counted as his ancestor.

However, after the introductions, Jie Ning was finally at ease and made a small joke as well. "Unfortunately, I've disappointed you all. I neither have an extra head nor three eyes."

Watching Jie Ning converse naturally with Darut's group, Chris knowingly moved away to receive the other guests. After all, sometimes strength was the prerequisite for communication.

After the group chatted for a while, they became more familiar with one another.

Then Darut suddenly tossed a ring to Jie Ning. "Here, this is the gift we've prepared for you—a meeting gift and a wedding gift."

Jie Ning caught the ring, his heart stirring slightly. "A Space Ring?"

Darut smiled and nodded. "That's right. But the ring itself is only part of my gift to you. The rest of my gift, along with their gifts, is inside the ring." As he spoke, he pointed at the others.

"Quick, bind it and take a look," Darut urged.

Jie Ning bound the Space Ring as its owner and sent his spiritual force into it. Aside from armor, heavy swords, and the like, he saw a great number of exquisitely bound books inside.

With a cursory glance, Jie Ning knew these were all books containing various magic incantations and analyses of those incantations, mixed with some Battle Qi manuals.

Looking at the group, Jie Ning said delightedly, "Your gift truly is an enormous surprise."

"I knew it." Darut smiled smugly. "I heard that word had spread that you were seeking magic incantations, so I knew you must know that secret too. We had to give them to you anyway, so using them as a gift for you isn't bad."

"A secret?" Jie Ning was somewhat surprised.

Darut stared at Jie Ning's reaction, initially stunned. Then he seemed to understand something and continued, "True, it isn't much of a secret anymore."

"You've been in contact with the Saint Realm experts of the Kading Family. They knew your surname was Darut, so they probably told you directly."

Jie Ning was still utterly confused.

Fortunately, Darut immediately explained, instantly resolving Jie Ning's doubts. "The magic bestowed by the Overgods conceals the secret to becoming a god. This is a secret War God Highness and Thunder God Highness revealed to the Saint Realm experts under their command after becoming gods."

"War God Highness himself even told me that he and Thunder God Highness comprehended something from those spells, which was how they were able to become gods so smoothly."

Jie Ning understood at once. The so-called secret referred to the traces of profound mysteries hidden within magic.

However, for those two to become gods merely by relying on those traces, their comprehension of Laws and Profound Mysteries must already have reached a considerable height. They had only grasped the proper direction after seeing the magic, allowing them to become gods in a single stroke.

Especially the God of Thunder. The magic left behind by the Overgods clearly contained no lightning-element magic, yet it still allowed him to make a breakthrough in his comprehension of profound mysteries. He could truly be called a genuine genius.

"Indeed. My purpose in collecting magic incantations is to seek out the secret of becoming a god from within them." Since Darut's understanding was not wrong, Jie Ning readily admitted it, merely leaving out the source of his information.

After all, he couldn't exactly say he'd learned it from reading books two lifetimes ago.

An expression of "just as I thought" appeared on Darut's face. Reaching out, he patted Jie Ning on the shoulder and said, "I knew it. Though many people know this secret, they're all from just a few factions. Only the two Highnesses ever told their respective followers about it."

"Hmph, you youngsters who came later are the lucky ones." As he spoke, Darut gave two smug snorts. "When us old fellows first learned this news, we immediately began collecting all the magic spells passed down by the Overlords. That was truly exhausting—we spent several decades on it..."

Hearing this, Jie Ning's eyes instantly lit up. Looking at the Space Ring in his hand, he was suddenly filled with a sense of happiness.

"Grandfather, if I remember correctly, the people who worked so hard weren't supposed to include you, were they?"

"If I remember correctly, after the war ended, you first went off to enjoy yourself across the continent for several decades. When you finally returned, you shamelessly begged Uncle Kading for these texts." At that moment, a figure among the crowd behind Darut, unable to bear listening to his boasting any longer, exposed him.

Darut froze upon hearing the voice, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Damn it, I forgot that brat Gru was here today.

Jie Ning looked at the man curiously.

Gru smiled amicably at Jie Ning. "My name is Gru. I'm the grandson of the Duke Darut standing before you."

Jie Ning returned the greeting.

Darut glared unwillingly at Gru. If I could still beat you, brat, I'd definitely teach you a lesson.

As early as nine hundred years ago, Darut had ceased to be a match for his own grandson, Gru. The strongest expert in Duke Darut's Territory now was Gru Darut. He simply disliked drawing attention to himself, so outsiders naturally believed Duke Darut to be the most formidable figure in Duke Darut's Territory, while Gru remained obscure and unknown.

Since he was no match for Gru, Darut simply ignored the boasting he had just done. It wasn't the first time, after all, and he had experience with this. He directly changed the subject, putting on a mysterious expression as he said to Jie Ning, "Actually, there's another secret. This one really isn't known by many people."

Seeing that Gru and the others behind him all wore expressions of understanding, Jie Ning was filled with doubt. Are you sure what you're about to say is actually a secret?

Naturally, he showed nothing on his face. Instead, Jie Ning went along with Darut and asked with feigned curiosity, "What secret might that be?"

Looks like I managed to bluff my way through. Seeing Jie Ning's curious expression, Darut let out a breath of relief before saying, "This is a secret known only to people of the Korur Empire."

"Actually, magic isn't the only thing concealing the secrets of becoming a god through the Four Rules. Battle Qi conceals them as well."

Jie Ning instinctively wanted to refute him. The circulation of Battle Qi was something simple and natural, not as profound and mysterious as magic...

Then, all at once, he realized it. Weren't Rules supposed to be the simplest and most natural things?

The Four Rules were the fundamental principles governing the entire Panlong World. Naturally, they existed in every facet of the world.

Elements had their own limitations, but Rules did not.

That's right. And since magic of the Four Rules was not widely spread in later generations, where did the Faith Power of those four Overlords come from?

Not to mention that no magic of the Destruction Rule had been passed down at all, while the magic of the other three Rules had only a tiny number of practitioners. How could they possibly provide enough faith for the four Overlords to cultivate?

Everything must have a source. That portion of Faith Power could only come from practitioners of Battle Qi, the counterpart to magic.

There were far more Battle Qi practitioners than mages. Naturally, the Faith Power generated among warriors was far greater than that generated by mages. Only then could it satisfy the appetites of the Rule Gods, who could forcibly suppress the Elemental Overlords.

Seeing Jie Ning's somewhat dazed expression, Darut felt incomparably pleased with himself. If my friendship with Korur hadn't been good enough, why would he have told me this secret after becoming a god for the second time?

Kid, you're still too young.

After his brief exchange with Jie Ning, Darut followed Chris into the arranged venue to rest in high spirits. By then, everyone attending the wedding had more or less arrived.

The wedding began. Jie Ning temporarily cast aside the thoughts crowding his mind, but as he looked at Arannis's flower-like smile before him, he suddenly froze. A strange feeling rose within him.

I seem to have always been somewhat arrogant. Jie Ning suddenly realized that he had always kept himself apart from this world. When facing everything, he had habitually viewed it from the perspective of an observer, without much sense of participation.

Being born, growing up, beginning cultivation, becoming a Saint Realm expert...

These had all been things within the plan. Just like writing a novel, he had merely carried them out naturally, like a program.

He had taken everything for granted, because it had all been planned.

But was that truly the way a real life should be lived—forever drifting beyond the world?

At this moment, he stood at the center of the wedding, and the person opposite him was about to become his wife.

He realized that he seemed incapable of viewing this matter from an observer's perspective anymore. It was as though he stood at the very center of the world, truly participating in something. Was this the meaning of life?

It seemed that he understood something. The Battle Qi within his body began to circulate quietly, as if it had gained new vitality, while his spiritual power unexpectedly increased as well.

But in the eyes of everyone else—

The ordinary guests merely felt as though they might be imagining things.

Arannis felt that Jie Ning across from her had become more vivid, more approachable—and, of course, even more handsome.

As for the Saint Realm experts present, seeing Jie Ning's transformation, they inexplicably shared the same thought. Is this guy really a monster?

Is anyone even reading this? Why does it feel like I'm playing solo?

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Also, thanks to: Muzi Youzi Ming Li, Brother Xiao, Book Friend 20220916180618290, Infinite Sword Demon, for the monthly votes from these four brothers.