"I Have Baili Du, Truly Heaven-Sent Hero!"

"Your Excellency..." Baili Du feigned a casual tone as he asked, "I recall you mentioning after I entered the God Realm that the positions were full, and no more deities could be accommodated."

"Since it is already full, why not expand?"

Conversation is an art of catering to one's interests, and the God of Destruction would certainly favor the topic of expanding the God Realm.

Never mind what Tang San had claimed back then about the God of Destruction's desire for power blinding him; in truth, if you added up all the deities in the God Realm, they still couldn't compare to Tang San's near-maniacal obsession with controlling power.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the God of Destruction's expression darkened significantly, though he was actually overjoyed inside.

The vast majority of deities in the God Realm were content with the status quo, spending their days in their respective residences indulging in wine and song, living in a drunken stupor. No one thought about how to make the God Realm larger and stronger, or how to restore it to the glory of the former [Divine Dragon Realm].

Except for him, the God of Destruction.

What was this called? Complacency. Long-term complacency would be the death of them!

In the eyes of the God of Destruction, the stance and inclinations of this newcomer, the Necromancy Saint Mage, might just be perfectly aligned with his own side!

"Hmm... there is nothing to hide from you regarding this. You are a half-step God King now, so you can naturally sense the suppression from the rules of the God Realm."

Seeing Baili Du nod, the God of Destruction continued, "Actually, you can consider yourself lucky. If you were an enforcer under the Asura God, they might have even suppressed your cultivation to a first-tier deity before letting you ascend, just like the Emotion God Rong Nianbing back in the day."

Baili Du was clear on this point; the two strongest deities among the first-tier gods of the God Realm were the [Sea God] and the [Emotion God], both of whom were extremely close to being [Supreme Gods].

The Sea God was strong because he possessed the [Super Divine Tool: Sea God Trident] and the [Divine Skill: Boundless Sea Ripples], while the [Emotion God] position itself was inherently that of a [Supreme God]. If the God Realm hadn't been unable to accommodate more, the [Emotion God] might have even had the potential to become the sixth God King.

Of course, that was when the Emotion God position was held by Rong Nianbing. Frankly speaking, the compatibility between this Emotion God position and Huo Yuhao was not actually that high.

Baili Du nodded in realization: "So, Your Excellency, you are trying to tell me that the difficulty in expanding the God Realm lies with that Sea God?"

Upon hearing this, the purple robes on the God of Destruction fluttered without wind, a flash of light crossed his purple eyes, and in an instant, they returned to calm.

The answer was self-evident; no further words were needed.

At this moment, the God of Destruction had recognized this newcomer from the bottom of his heart.

"If we want to accept more geniuses from the mortal realm into the God Realm and control more star systems, expansion is necessary. It is the only path forward. Tang San has been obstructing it, obstructing the development of the entire God Realm." The God of Destruction said coldly, "It seems he has forgotten how many people he brought to the God Realm from the lower realms after he first arrived. Has he ever followed the rules himself? If it were up to me, the God Realm would not be in its current state."

Baili Du narrowed his eyes slightly; his expression remained unchanged, but his aura grew a bit more tyrannical.

Instantly, the God of Destruction sensed an intent to destroy enemies emanating from him.

Baili Du looked at the God of Destruction very earnestly: "Your Excellency, is there anything I can do?"

Baili Du's reaction seemed perfectly normal to the God of Destruction. Cutting off someone's path to wealth was like killing their parents, and blocking someone's future was even worse. Once one could ascend to God King, who would be willing to remain stuck at the half-step God King level?

A cooperative relationship forged by interests was more solid than so-called brotherhood.

"...Very good. I will put this on the agenda for the God Realm Committee as soon as possible, but this matter is of great importance and requires careful deliberation. This Seat promises you that after the expansion of the God Realm is complete, I will have you enter the God Realm Committee."

Very good, the God of Destruction had finally taken the bait.

Baili Du pondered for a moment: "There is no rush for that; I trust you, Your Excellency. However, I feel I need to remind you that this Tang San... although I have not had much contact with him, I have seen many people who appear to be humble gentlemen on the surface but are actually hypocritical and pretentious. I think Tang San is likely one of those people."

"People like that are not easy to deal with... no one knows what kind of underhanded tactics he might use behind the scenes."

"Oh?" The God of Destruction looked at Baili Du with a half-smile, "You have quite a lot of nerve to discuss the ruler of the God Realm like that."

Baili Du shrugged naturally: "Then do you think I am wrong, Your Excellency?"

"..." After a moment of silence, the God of Destruction looked up and said calmly, "Go to my place first."

Douluo Continent, Sea God Island.

Huo Yuhao rubbed his chin: "It's not that there's really no way, perhaps..."

Before he could finish, his stomach let out a long and profound sound of yearning for justice...

"Gurgle..."

"Uh, this..."

Ma Xiaotao covered her mouth and chuckled, patting his head: "That was my oversight. Let's eat first. Do you want to eat at the inner courtyard cafeteria or here?"

Huo Yuhao was surprised: "The inner courtyard cafeteria delivers food?"

Ma Xiaotao said: "Naturally. The treatment for inner courtyard disciples is quite good, and the food in the cafeteria is actually quite delicious."

Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment, considering his rather large appetite: "Uh, well... then I will trouble Sister Xiaotao to show me the ropes."

But Ma Xiaotao didn't speak, just stared straight at Huo Yuhao.

"...Is there something on my face?"

Ma Xiaotao rolled her eyes at him: "Do you want to watch your sister change clothes here? Of course, staying here isn't impossible."

After saying this, she lifted her long leg right in front of Huo Yuhao and began to peel off the silk stocking on her leg, inch by inch, in a rather seductive manner.

By the time Huo Yuhao scrambled out of the secret room in a panic, Ma Xiaotao had already changed into the red school uniform that symbolized the inner courtyard.

A woman dresses for the one she loves; she could look nice for her little puppy, but there was no need for that at other times.

There weren't many people in the cafeteria, and the two of them attracted quite a few gazes when they walked in. Especially since Huo Yuhao was still wearing the white school uniform of a first-year outer courtyard student.

Ma Xiaotao personally brought three large plates of exquisite delicacies to Huo Yuhao; after all, her little puppy was exhausted today, and he needed to be well-nourished.

Just as Ma Xiaotao had said, the food in the Shrek inner courtyard cafeteria was indeed delicious. It wasn't just a large portion; it was tasty. The ravenous Huo Yuhao shoveled the food into his mouth like a whirlwind, and soon, he had wiped out more than half of the three plates of delicacies.

At this moment, a tall male student with short golden hair walked over: "How do you have time to eat in the cafeteria today, Ma Xiaotao? Can you already suppress your evil fire?"

Ma Xiaotao glanced at the newcomer indifferently: "What is it, Dai Yueheng? Are you so afraid that I'll take back your position as captain?"

Huo Yuhao blinked his eyes. Dai Yueheng... he looked a bit like Dai Huabin...

Dai Yueheng only smiled at Ma Xiaotao's words, but his gaze landed on Huo Yuhao. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice carried a hint of detachment: "Who is this little brother? I don't need to remind you that outer courtyard disciples are not allowed to enter Sea God Island casually."