A Merchant Association's Visit, the Golden Ancient Tree's Millennial Calamity
Next, they continued discussing the abilities on the talent leaderboard and predictions for the new event in the discussion group.
Clearly, this version preview announcement has piqued everyone's interest.
During this time, Xu Jiayi subtly mentioned the Seven Deadly Sins a couple of times.
However, the discussion only focused on why such a talent exists, and whether the person who awakened this talent committed some kind of crime.
But clearly, Shen Xing and the others didn't know the answer to this question either.
At the same time.
Deep in a primeval forest in Heavenly Star Nation.
There is a huge military base here, surrounded by reinforced concrete walls tens of meters high, and inside are all sorts of strange buildings and instruments.
The largest and most conspicuous item among them is a pot.
A dish with a diameter of over a kilometer, featuring a giant antenna in the middle, resembling a signal receiver.
On the city wall, two figures were slowly pacing.
An elderly man who looked quite healthy, and a young man who seemed weak and listless.
The two walked around the perimeter of the base, one in front of the other.
"Chen, you must be the second-ranked talent on the talent list: the possessor of the 'Seven-Orificed Exquisite Heart'."
The old man suddenly stopped and turned around to ask, "Over the years, I've always felt that you're abnormal, almost inhumanly intelligent."
"Based solely on a few fog samples and data, they deduced the 'Sponge World' theory and the principle of fog intrusion."
"Half of the cutting-edge technologies in the R&D department owe their success to you."
"Furthermore, our research into the mist has even drawn warnings from that terrifying being."
So, is it you?
The young man slowly raised his head, revealing an almost indifferent face and a pair of dead fish eyes.
Then, he shook his head.
"No?" The old man frowned slightly, instinctively showing some doubt.
But years of experience with him have convinced him that young people wouldn't lie to him.
"Then... is that Shen Xing from Jiangcheng?" the old man continued to ask.
The young man shook his head again.
"Shen Xing isn't it either?" the old man wondered, muttering to himself, "But all his performances match, his leveling speed is unbelievably fast, and his combat power is astonishing."
"The higher-ups have already decided to cultivate him as a potential Heavenly Star."
The young man was silent for a moment, then spoke for the first time, "He's too stupid."
The old man paused for a moment, his lips twitching slightly.
The young man named Chen said again, "I've already guessed who holds the Seven-Orificed Exquisite Heart."
"He hid it very well, but I still managed to find a trace of it."
"Oh?" A look of surprise appeared in the old man's eyes, and he asked curiously, "Who is it?"
The young man didn't answer. Instead, he plucked a strand of hair, silently twisted it into a ball, and said, "Uncle Lin, please send me overseas."
"By the way, I'd like to see Shen Xing."
The old man replied, "Sending you overseas is no problem, but what do you want to see Shen Xing for?"
The young man stopped talking, lowered his head again, hunched his back, and silently walked forward.
Watching his departing figure, the old man couldn't help but ask:
"So, Chen, what exactly is your talent?"
The young man paused for a moment, then turned around and said, "Would you believe me if I said I have no talent?"
On the other side, in the desert of a certain Sand Nation.
Here lies a vast and bustling ancient city. Its ancient city walls have withstood a thousand years of wind and rain, and cars and camels travel side by side on its wide streets, creating a unique blend of ancient Civilization and modern technology.
A man dressed in a white robe and wearing a crown sat regally in a magnificent palace, a confident smile on his face.
"Your Majesty, good news!"
A figure also dressed in a long robe strode in and reported excitedly, "Since you announced that you are the holder of the 'King' talent, the five major nations have unanimously approved our application."
"Not only have they given us five spots to enter the Spiral Labyrinth, but they've also invited you to explore the celestial Heavenly Palace Ruins together soon!"
"It is said that there are a great many treasures inside, and anyone who comes out will most likely break through to the Grandmaster Realm. Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
The minister finished speaking in one breath, appearing quite excited.
On the throne, the middle-aged man still wore a confident smile, waved his hand and said, "I understand. Tell them that the Sand Nation thanks everyone for their support. I will go there when the Heavenly Palace Ruins open."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The minister responded respectfully, then quickly left the hall.
After he left, a young man wearing a white headscarf emerged from a quiet room on the side.
"Father, those countries want to use you."
The young man said in a deep voice, "The Heavenly Palace Ruins are very dangerous. Even Master Rank experts cannot guarantee their survival. They want you to go and explore."
"I know." The middle-aged man nodded calmly. "I deliberately revealed my 'King' talent, naturally taking that into consideration."
"But there's nothing we can do about it, because that's the tragedy of small countries."
"Most of the resources and hidden realms on Blue Star are controlled by these five major nations. Only through this method can we gain a chance to enter the game."
"Otherwise, I don't know when I'll ever break through to the Grandmaster level."
The young man fell silent again, then looked up and asked, "Father, won't your claim of being the holder of the 'King' talent bring you a lot of trouble?"
"Trouble? Isn't this exactly what I wanted?" The middle-aged man smiled and shook his head. "It's better for trouble to be on me than for it to find you."
He paused, then said solemnly, "You don't need to worry about these things. What you need to do now is to focus on developing your territory and increasing your strength."
"I will mobilize the entire nation to provide you with assistance."
"One day in the future, I will depart, and you will become a true— King!"
In an unknown sea area, there is an active volcano.
The churning lava resembled boiling sweet potato porridge, bubbling and gurgling.
A few pebbles rolled down from the crater and fell into the lava, instantly sending up a pungent plume of smoke. The terrifying heat seemed capable of melting everything.
Yet, in such an extreme environment, a figure was immersed in it, occasionally darting in and out of the lava like a nimble fish.
A moment later, he seemed to have had his fill of swimming, and he lay sprawled on the lava, gazing at the sky above billowing with thick smoke.
"Envy, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and my Wrath."
"Now, all Seven Deadly Sins have appeared."
A smile appeared on his face, "According to that person, if these seven talents can be concentrated in one person, it will be upgraded to an SSS-level talent: Seed of Original Sin."
"In that case, I'll take the plunge and become the fourth SSS-level talent."
"At that time, with the 'Red Dragon Origin' I inherited, I will surely reach the pinnacle of the world!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up from the lava, and a powerful and terrifying aura rose up from it!
Chapter 199: The Chamber of Commerce's Visit, the Golden Ancient Tree's Millennium Calamity.
Since the talent rankings were released, Pioneer lords around the world have been posting and discussing them enthusiastically on the forums.
Shen Xing also chatted with several friends in the discussion group for a long time.
A moment later, he closed his phone, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Based on our discussions and forum posts, it's speculated that the new expansion will be released soon."
"However, something is unusual. In the past, expansion packs were released once every one or two years, but now it's every two or three months."
"Combined with Zhang Yu's recent 'Sponge World' theory, it is very likely related to changes on Blue Star."
"The day Land of Mist merges with Blue Star may truly be coming soon."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis.
No one knows what will happen on the day the two worlds are completely merged.
Shen Xing is still weak and doesn't have enough strength to deal with all of this, which makes him feel very insecure.
"No, I must become stronger as soon as possible, otherwise I won't be able to eat or sleep properly!"
He made up his mind, then closed his eyes, his consciousness plunging into the Land of Mist.
"Buzz..."
A brighter burst of light illuminated the world before them, and a wave of warmth washed over them.
[Your territory building: Great Bonfire has been upgraded to Lv5 (maximum level)!]
[The lighting range has been greatly improved, and the 'Embers of the Long Night' effect has been upgraded to its maximum level!]
"Oh? The Bonfire has finally reached the maximum level?"
Shen Xing stared at the notification flashing before his eyes, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes.
Then, the view switched to an overhead perspective.
Looking around, the area illuminated by the firelight expanded from a diameter of 900 meters to 1500 meters!
A true explosion in area.
Gazing at the black earth exposed in the firelight, Shen Xing analyzed in a low voice, "My first ring of walls was 100 meters in diameter, and the second ring was 500 meters in diameter..."
"Now, the fire has spread to a diameter of 1,500 meters, and the area outside the city walls is several times larger than inside the city. We can't let it go to waste."
"We need to build another wall to expand the territory's security space, so we can cultivate more fertile land."
"But..."
He changed the subject. "The Great Bonfire reaches its maximum level at level 5, but that range is still not enough; it needs to be upgraded further."