Zhou Yan surveys his tens of millions of spirit coins—meager for grand plans. White marble floor tiles, at 100 spirit coins per square meter, fit his budget for now.
[Territory Prompt: "Built white marble floor tiles across territory, consumed 1,000,000 spirit coins. Residents gain +1% movement speed."]
[Territory Prompt: "White marble floor tiles evolved, movement speed +10%."]
"Evolving tiles?" Zhou Yan marvels. Faster travel boosts efficiency.
Figures approach the gate—Zhen Mi's team returns.
"Lord!" they cheer. "Job change success!"
"Great work—feast tonight!" Zhou Yan replies.
Prompts flood: their hunt yielded 80,000 soul coins and 30,000 spirit coins—staggering, yet shy of his needs.
Zhen Mi and Si Teng recount their trek, thrilled. They slew a leader but missed a building chest. Zhou Yan shrugs—luck varies.
The women prep dinner, Zhou Yan intent on rewarding the dwarves. He buys wine from the trading hall—altar-sourced, oddly varied.
At the banquet, Zhou Yan takes the head seat, flanked by Zhen Mi and Diao Chan, with Si Teng, Hua Yuerong, and others arrayed beyond.
"To the dwarves, Rick—let's build Heavenly Court!" Zhou Yan toasts.
"For Heavenly Court!" they roar, guzzling wine and meat.
Zhou Yan's 100+ attributes outshine all, but relentless toasts bloat him. He carries a tipsy Diao Chan and Zhen Mi to their rooms. Their beauty stirs him, yet he vows to ensure their joy here.
By the window, he gazes at the stars, Nvdi's memory haunting. Fuxi's promise echoes—they'll reunite. But across universes, millennia apart, where are they?
"I'll find you," he swears, clutching the multicolored divine stone—his sole clue. Ten months with Fuxi's guidance, his human devotion, and Nvdi's teasing warmth burn indelible.
The stone's quest demands level 100 and the divine realm's first tier. At martial dao's fifteenth heaven, he's far from the hundredth. Yet confidence fuels him.
The lord world offers myriad paths—magic, runes, curses—but martial dao fits him. Ten months in the wilds forged his fifteenth heaven; he'd slay a level 20 king beast now.
His Inheritor role, unawakened, promises a strength surge. Inheritors bear civilizations' legacies, spreading ancient cultures. Guiding others through the Primordial Temple trials boosts his power. A faint link to the temple hums—undefined, but real.
"Zhou Yan, you seem troubled," Diao Chan says, awake, catching his starry vigil.
"Just thinking," he smiles. "Tomorrow, take a few to the Primordial Temple. Choose trials suiting you—no rush."
He briefs her on the temple, prepping her hopes.
"I'll rest soon," she says. "You?"
"Practicing first," he replies.
His Yin-Yang Fortune Art, unique, doesn't suit Diao Chan's physique. The temple will yield her path. His art, ever-evolving, needs solo exploration.
Cross-legged, he cultivates. The Aura Bamboo House channels spirit streams, boosting strength. Compared to the wilds' primal aura, it's thin, but his foundation—forged by innate energies—holds firm.
Diao Chan, watching, dreams of temple trials. She craves strength to shield Heavenly Court from ruin.