Protect Our Patriarch

……

Among the crowd, only Wang Luo Qiu had never considered vying for the position of the Lingyun Holy Master from the beginning.

She had no choice; the internal competition within the Wang's Clan was too intense, with all sorts of prodigies and geniuses emerging one after another.

Since joining the academy, Wang Luo Qiu had participated in numerous exchange activities with other peaks and veins, as well as exchanges between Longzuo Academy and other academies. Her performance had always been outstanding, occasionally even taking first place.

Her reputation within the academy and the Holy Land was largely built through these achievements.

As she continued to excel, she became the senior sister of her generation in the Glazed King Hall.

Outsiders assumed she was incredibly domineering and enjoyed endless glory. Even the new core disciples in the Glazed King Hall often looked at her with admiration and reverence. But only she knew that her achievements were nothing within the Wang's Clan.

With those few prodigies around, no matter how confident she was, thinking she could eventually become an empress, she felt it was more prudent to seek another path.

Especially with the Holy Son Struggle, her fourth brother was behind the scenes stirring things up.

He was the ancestor of all prodigies. Among the clan, in terms of being extraordinary, her fourth brother was definitely in the top three.

In comparison, what could she, a seemingly ordinary future empress, amount to?

While Wang Luo Qiu was filled with emotions, on the other side, the current Holy Master Jiang Zhencang's previously proud expression had been completely replaced by shock and disbelief.

Four peerless prodigies of this generation?

This was too outrageous. Those who knew understood this was a struggle for the Lingxu Codex. Those who didn't might think it was the legendary struggle for the Immortal Seed~

Jiang Zhencang rarely felt a bit lost and at a loss, and his original tenfold confidence instantly dropped to twofold.

After all, there was also Wang Liyao, who was hiding even deeper.

At the bloodline level of an innate spiritual body (peerless prodigy), every small step forward in aptitude would result in a huge advantage.

This was because at the level of a peerless prodigy, once the codex was inherited, it was impossible to stop at the early Lingxu Realm. Otherwise, such excellent aptitude would be wasted.

And for a country or a Holy Land, nurturing someone at the early Lingxu Realm already required massive resources. If one wanted to advance to the mid or late Lingxu Realm, the resources needed would be terrifying.

In this situation, every small increase in bloodline aptitude meant saving a lot of resources or progressing faster and further.

"Yingxuan, Lici, Lu Wei, Yaoyao, your aptitudes amaze me."

The Spirit Artifact Lingyun's gaze swept over the faces of the four peerless candidates, swallowing hard, feeling a bit reluctant.

Really wanted to embrace each and every one of them~ But the codex inheritance had always been one carrot, one pit. Even if she wanted to take more, she couldn't~

In the end, Lingyun's gaze fell on Wang Liyao: "The codex favors those with excellent bloodlines! Yaoyao's bloodline aptitude is the highest, according to the standards of the Holy Son Struggle, she gets one hundred bloodline points."

"Yingxuan, Lici, and Lu Wei, all peerless prodigies, each get eighty bloodline points."

After speaking, Lingyun looked at the other three and kindly comforted them: "Don't be discouraged, although there's a twenty-point gap, the next assessments will cover leadership, martial prowess, charm, wisdom, and opportunity, each with a maximum score of twenty. You still have a chance to overtake."

"Is the gap that big?" Yunyang Daoist said discontentedly, "The other five items only add up to a hundred points? Doesn't that mean Wang Liyao has an extra full score item out of thin air?"

"What's so strange about that?" Tianhe Daoist became proud all of a sudden, "At the peerless level, every small increase in bloodline is a breakthrough. Our Yaoyao has the highest bloodline, so of course, she should have a leading advantage."

"What about us?" Bao Bucheng from Xuandan Pavilion and Shi Maotian from Kunyuanshan, both great prodigies of the upper tier, were a bit anxious and asked, "How many bloodline points can we get?"

"Twenty points in advance, no more." The Spirit Artifact Lingyun glanced at them with some sympathy.

If it were in previous generations, encountering such two, the final Holy Son would basically be one of them, and the Spirit Artifact Lingyun would happily accept them as the new master.

But this generation was filled with peerless prodigies, and a mere upper tier was not appealing at all.

"Only twenty points? The gap is so big..." Bao Bucheng and Shi Maotian, who were originally full of confidence, suddenly felt the deep malice from the inheritance codex.

Originally exuding an aura of invincibility, Du Gu Feihong was now dispirited, yet still mustered the courage to raise his hand and ask: "What about us three in the middle tier?"

He originally thought that with middle-tier aptitude, this round of the Holy Son Struggle was a sure win.

The result, however, left him utterly defeated. He wasn't even considered average.

"Ten points." Lingyun's attitude towards Du Gu Feihong was much more indifferent, and her voice returned to the initial nonchalance, "The scoring is to differentiate the tiers, and the rules weren't set by me. I suggest you don't ask too much, the middle-tier reward is ten points."

This...

The real people present were dumbfounded. How could ten points from the middle tier compete with Wang Liyao? They would need to score a perfect hundred in the remaining five comprehensive qualities to surpass Wang Liyao!

Wang Liyao, after all, was a peerless prodigy... The remaining five comprehensive assessments wouldn't score zero, right? Even if her performance was subpar, as long as she scored eleven points, she could still wipe out the middle tier.

"Sister Lingyun, what about us great prodigies of the initial tier..." Zhen Shicong, who was always full of strategies, asked with a pale face.

"Calling me sister won't help. Only those with the best bloodlines can win the favor of the codex." The Spirit Artifact Lingyun glanced at him with a look of pity, "In the past, your aptitude would have been considered good. But now, according to the rules, I can only give you zero points."

"Does it have to be so harsh..." At that moment, Zhen Shicong's heart was about to break.

Not long ago, Miss Lingyun's attitude towards him was still kind, with words like "Do your best," "As long as you don't underperform in other areas, you'll most likely be the Holy Son this time," still echoing in his ears.

But now, with better candidates, he wasn't even fit to call her sister. Starting from zero meant that even if he scored full marks in the five comprehensive qualities, he still couldn't compete with Wang Liyao!

I, Zhen Shicong, haven't even begun to showcase my "talent" of being full of strategies, haven't even started to spread my wings, and I'm already grounded?

The intensity of this Holy Son Struggle made Jiang Zhencang sweat profusely.

Having been with Lingyun for thousands of years, he naturally knew Lingyun's "mercenary face." Even the top tier could only score zero. If he were to participate in this Holy Son Struggle as his younger self, he would probably lose his fighting spirit in the first round.

This Holy Son Struggle is truly terrifying~

"Shouzhe, you played a significant role in the intensity of this Holy Son Struggle," Jiang Zhencang glanced at Wang Shouzhe, who was several seats away, with a tone full of resentment, "Even the great prodigies of the top tier can only score zero. How is this different from being eliminated early?"

"Holy Master Jiang, you are mistaken." Wang Shouzhe calmly replied, "The increase in difficulty of the Holy Son Struggle seems to be due to the involvement of our Wang's Clan, but in essence, it stems from the rise in the national power of the Great Qian. Otherwise, how could there suddenly be so many great prodigies of the top tier in each peak and vein? The Imperial Heir Struggle, due to factors like bloodline closeness, doesn't show this clearly. But the Holy Son Struggle is different. Candidates, regardless of their background or bloodline surname, can participate, and the gap becomes apparent."

Jiang Zhencang sighed, "Yes, today's era is not what it used to be. The total resources the Holy Land possesses now are incomparable to the past."

In fact, the only candidate truly pushed by the Wang's Clan was Liyao, and she was jointly nurtured with Tianhe Daoist and the Monan Wang's Clan.

As for Lici, Yingxuan, Lu Wei, they were purely the result of the Holy Land becoming wealthier and self-competing.

However, the extent of this internal competition exceeded everyone's expectations. Each of the Holy Land's nine veins had its own calculations, resulting in a situation where even the worst were great prodigies of the top tier!

"I suggest we forget about those below the peerless level," the Spirit Artifact Lingyun muttered, "Opening the trial world once is costly, and the Holy Land will face significant expenses in nurturing someone in the mid to late Lingxu Realm. We should save where we can."

However, this statement immediately angered the Holy Son candidates.

It was one thing for Lingyun to overly emphasize bloodline advantages, but now she wanted to deprive them of the trial opportunity?!

Their elders from each vein had painstakingly nurtured an elite. They had invested years of resources, even their last reserves.

Even knowing their chances were slim, they couldn't be denied even this last glimmer of hope!

"Sister Lingyun, I think it's good for everyone to participate in the trial," Wang Yingxuan, undeterred by her lower score, confidently surveyed the future "subordinates," "Our generation of Quasi-Holy Sons and Daughters is exceptionally talented. With proper training, they will become outstanding elites capable of taking charge. I heard from my master that the trial process itself is very training. I, Wang Yingxuan, will lead the rise of Lingyun Holy Land, and the more talented people, the better."

Have they become her subordinates already?

"Xuan'er is right," Wang Liyao calmly chimed in, "Since so many high-quality talents have emerged, it proves that our Lingyun Holy Land's rise is unstoppable. Resources aren't saved; they're earned. The more talents we have, the stronger our Holy Land will be, and the more resources we can seize in the future."

Having been influenced by her father since childhood, Wang Liyao naturally absorbed his mindset. She witnessed the Wang's Clan grow from a small ninth-grade clan to its current state, so how could she be easily underestimated?

Soon, Wang Lici and Senior Sister Lu Wei also voiced their agreement.

With the unified opinion of the four peerless prodigies, the Spirit Artifact Lingyun had to seriously consider and said, "Then it's happily decided. I also hope our Lingyun Holy Land can rise soon."

Quickly.

With Jiang Zhencang's authorization, the trial pods were activated one by one.

Everyone, with a mix of nervousness and excitement, lay inside these artifacts from the Shenwu Royal Dynasty.

It's said that activating them consumes a lot of spiritual stones, so they naturally wanted to experience it well.

"Don't be nervous," Jiang Zhencang said, "Once the trial pods close, you'll enter a world between reality and illusion. In that world, all your actions will be recorded by the trial pods and converted into evaluations for the five comprehensive qualities."

"The trial has no standard answers. You can act freely according to your own ideas, but if you fail the task, your score will be significantly reduced."

Meanwhile.

Jiang Zhencang discreetly glanced at Wang Yingxuan and secretly transmitted, "Yingxuan, just follow the experience and techniques your master taught you for the task. The twenty-point gap can easily be closed."

Then, he activated the switch, announcing the start of the trial.

As the trial pods slowly closed, the metal "cocoon pods" quickly became seamless again, and the colorful lights on the pod doors began to flicker. Streams of horizontal light flowed up and down inside the trial pods, casting everything inside in a bizarre glow.

Soon, the large crystal screen in front lit up, displaying lines of text.

"Trial Participant No. 1: Name [Lu Wei], Aptitude [Peerless Prodigy, Grade D Initial Tier], Aptitude Score [Eighty]."

"Trial Participant No. 2: Name [Zhen Shicong]..."

The text was the aptitude scores previously given by the Spirit Artifact Lingyun. Clearly, she wasn't just making things up. Even if someone tried to conceal their aptitude beforehand, once inside the trial pod, their aptitude would be fully exposed.

Moreover, the trial pod's detection results were evidently more precise than their own estimates, detecting even the slightest differences.

And the scoring standard was indeed that harsh.

The real people, upper people, and young people from each vein present immediately focused on watching. Although they couldn't participate in the trial, it's said that the large crystal screen would have live broadcasts, showing every decision made by each trial participant.

Wang Shouzhe also picked up his spirit tea, savoring it as he watched the crystal screen.

This reminded him of distant memories from his past life on Earth. Back then, when he had nothing to do, he also watched game live streams.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the monitoring results of the Quasi-Holy Sons and Daughters quickly cycled through, and the large crystal screen dimmed, suddenly playing scenes seemingly picked from the dust of history.

Accompanying the scenes, lines of subtitles appeared at the bottom, and a heavy, ancient voice sounded simultaneously.

"A long, long time ago, the [Glorious Continent] was a land rich in resources. On the continent, there was a powerful dynasty called the [Senluo Dynasty].

The [Senluo Dynasty] had a long history, a glorious civilization, and a brilliant culture. Countless humans lived and worked in peace, and the brilliance of humanity shone here.

That glorious era was known as the [Era of Light]."

"However, at the end of the [Era of Light], a terrible cold wave swept across the entire [Glorious Continent].

The terrifying cold enveloped the entire continent, and countless plants and animals couldn't withstand the cold wave and fell under the low temperatures. Grain production plummeted, famine began to spread across the continent, and internal strife became frequent, followed by war and plague.

In less than a hundred years, the royal family of the [Senluo Dynasty] completely lost its ruling power.

At the end of the [Era of Light], with the last 'king' of the [Senluo Dynasty] dying in a palace coup, the powerful [Senluo Dynasty] completely disintegrated.

The once incredibly glorious [Era of Light] was thus completely declared over."

"For several hundred years thereafter, humanity fell into a long period of turmoil. The leftover nobles of the Senluo Dynasty established different temporary regimes, all trying to claim the dynasty's legitimacy, constantly waging wars against each other, causing social unrest.

This period was known as the [Sixteen Kingdoms Period]."

"It was during this period that some individuals with special abilities, known as 'Heaven's Favored,' began to appear in human society.

Meanwhile, some surviving beasts that had hidden deep in the mountains gradually adapted to the cold climate and, without humans noticing, began to reproduce and evolve into powerful fierce beasts."

"In the early year 327 of the [Cambrian Era], a once-in-a-century cold wave descended upon the Glorious Continent.

It was also this year that the evolved, powerful fierce beasts, in groups, charged out of the mountains, launching large-scale attacks on human towns, destroying vast farmlands, and demolishing the homes humans had painstakingly rebuilt.

In just a few years, all sixteen kingdoms were wiped out, and humanity completely lost its home.

In their evolution, the powerful fierce beasts, now possessing rudimentary intelligence, took the dominant position, dividing the territories originally belonging to humans and 'raising' humans as reserve food.

Thus, the social structure collapsed, civilization regressed, and humanity fell into an unprecedented crisis.

This period was known as the [Fierce Beast Domination Period]."

"This..."

Wang Shouzhe watched and listened, a drop of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

What kind of genius from the Shenwu period created this simulated trial? It's just a trial, yet it comes with a backstory...

Moreover, this backstory is filled with a strong sense of a third-rate online game...

The [Fierce Beast Domination Period] was the darkest and most humiliating period in human history, where human confidence and dignity were utterly destroyed.

In the darkest times, humanity finally realized what they had missed and began to consciously cultivate 'Heaven's Favored.'

Until a thousand years later, the human hero [Sima Changkong] rose to prominence, leading the enslaved humans to overthrow the rule of the fierce beasts, driving them out of human territories, and establishing a new unified regime on the ruins of the [Senluo Dynasty]—the [Starshine Alliance].

Only then did humanity finally regain a foothold on this continent.

Under the leadership of the new human leader [Sima Changkong], humanity began to rebuild civilization on the ruins. Although cold waves still occasionally descended, humanity now had the means to resist the fierce beasts.

This period was known as the [Civilization Revival Period].

However, three thousand years later, the [Starshine Alliance], which once made great contributions to humanity's rise, had long since deteriorated.

The comfortable life gradually eroded the minds of the alliance's upper echelons, who became increasingly arrogant, extravagant, and greedy, while ordinary civilians' lives became increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, the terrifying cold wave once again descended upon the world, delivering a heavy blow to the Starshine Alliance.

Subsequently, humanity entered the post-[Cambrian Century], with cold waves erupting more frequently and violently. The alliance's upper echelons, in order to save their own lives and maintain their hedonistic lifestyles, became increasingly greedy and ruthless in their exploitation, leaving ordinary civilians in dire straits.

Your birthplace, Farmstead No. 9326, under the jurisdiction of [Frost City], has just undergone a large-scale tax collection, leaving the farmstead with severe shortages of food and clothing.

However, at this time.

[Winter is Coming].

Great Heaven's Favored, can you and your people survive this even harsher winter?

Great Heaven's Favored, what will you choose?

Will it be death? Or rebirth?

The expansion pack [Winter is Coming] of [Rise of Shenwu] officially begins.

With the "epic" backstory full of "third-rate hibernation pod online game" vibes.

A flash of white light appeared before Wang Yingxuan's eyes, and she found herself in a dilapidated farmstead, surrounded by villagers who were all emaciated. In the biting cold wind, they were barely clothed, shivering from the cold.

"This... is the real virtual world?" Wang Yingxuan felt the realism for a moment, then began to look around.

"Great Heaven's Favored, so you were here?" An old man in tattered clothes approached with small steps, a hint of hope in his withered expression, "That damned Frost City is just a bunch of bandits. Our farmstead has five hundred people, but there's only a hundred units of food left. The fields are producing less and less, and the real winter will come within ten years... Our Farmstead No. 9326 might not survive this winter... Heaven's Favored..."

"Oh, the task my master mentioned has begun." Wang Yingxuan, understanding the situation, interrupted the old man, "I know, each unit of food can sustain one person for a year. Under normal circumstances, we'll run out of food in just over two months."

"With careful rationing, it can last four months..." the old man added.

"First, select a hundred relatively strong young adults from the five hundred people."

"Second, allocate forty units of food as training rations, with three times the food supply for the young adults during training, consuming it over three months."

"Third, allocate sixty units of food for the remaining four hundred people, aiming to sustain them for three months."

"This... this... this..." the old man said in horror, "Great Heaven's Favored, what about our seed grain?"

"This damned weather is getting colder, and we can't grow much grain." Wang Yingxuan said coldly, "You just need to obey. I don't have time to explain. The specific work for those four hundred people is to gather vines to weave baskets and make simple wooden-handled stone spears for throwing, with no limit on quantity."

Iron tools did exist in this world, but the ruling class strictly controlled them.

Under the title of Heaven's Favored, Wang Yingxuan began her first strategic step, rigorously training a hundred relatively strong young adults. With the supplement of three times the food, they grew stronger day by day.

The materials for vine baskets and wooden-handled stone spears were also steadily accumulating.

Meanwhile.

Outside, the onlookers watched this scene on the big screen at double speed.

Jiang Zhencang was initially bewildered. My dear disciple, are you serious? Didn't your master share his experience with you? Just follow the instructions. At the beginning, don't provoke bandits or fierce beasts; you can't beat them!

Stability and caution are the keys. If you fail, it's all over.

Meanwhile, Zhen Shicong's master, Heavenly Fire Master, shouted, "Place your bets, place your bets! We may not qualify for the Holy Son, but in terms of the other five items, we might not lose."

"Anyone dare to bet with me, Heavenly Fire?"

Heavenly Fire Master seemed ready to make a side profit.

……