At the head of the banquet table, Lin En keenly observed his surroundings and pondered, "Why haven't there been any additions to the family's fourth generation in these past ten years?"
During this decade, Lin En occasionally stepped out of his rigorous training, keeping himself updated with the family's affairs. He always took great interest in the growth and expansion of his lineage.
With the resources available to the Lin En family, one of the most privileged in the material realm, their lineage should have been thriving.
Lin En and Serene, being of human descent without any divine beast ancestry, should not have faced any reproductive issues. Yet, reality seemed to defy this expectation.
The third-generation members had matured and established families, but the joy of new life remained elusive. Initially, it was overlooked, but over time, the issue grew concerning.
Serene dabbed her lips with a napkin, sipped her milk, and upon hearing Lin En's thoughts, a look of surprise and realization crossed her face.
The destinies of the Lin En family members were intertwined with his, forming a complicated web.
"This is my first trip to the Monster Mountain Range."
"Could it be the Primordial Chaos?"
"A divine nature!"
During their school days, many boys and girls dreamt of adventures. Yet, few dared to actualize these fantasies, especially the nobles who valued their lives. Venturing alone into the Monster Mountain Range without adequate preparation was akin to courting death.
As time passed, having descendants became an increasingly daunting task for the family, as if under the influence of an unseen force or a curse.
His experience as a transmigrator made it clear this was a real world, and his past life memories were just references, not absolute truths.
Serene's cheerful demeanor and elegant smile, floating effortlessly without any magic or battle spirit, resembled an innate reaction.
"A magical pet bound by contract!"
The world's power system was divided into seven elemental laws and four major rules. High-ranking magicians scorned such frivolous pursuits. They believed in accumulating magical power and learning advanced spells for strength.
Richie and the others were equally thrilled. Achieving sainthood meant no limits to their lifespan, a dream for many rulers and emperors.
Once he ascends as a high god of fate and assimilates the main divine essence, Lin En plans a grand venture into hell. Why worry about the resources? With an abundance at his disposal, helping Serene and others to ascend independently wouldn't be a concern.
Once life reaches the sanctum realm, theoretically, it can survive without eating, as the body automatically supplements itself with the elements of heaven and earth. Thus, even in the desolate and harsh environment of a planar prison, where not even birds defecate, a group of people can survive.
It's no exaggeration to say that with this strength, one would be the top contender in the vast majority of material planes, able to live freely for countless years as long as one doesn't recklessly slaughter ordinary lives and get reported to the main god's legion by the plane's guardians, ending up in the planar prison.
Although there is no concrete evidence, Lin En suspects it's highly probable.
"System, are you involved in this?"
Holding Selena as he falls asleep, Lin En's mind becomes active. The divine entities inside his spatial ring, left unused, are a waste. He has no desire to act like one who buries boxes of silver and gold in his own land. Resources need to be fully mobilized to maximize benefits.
The fate lines between people intertwine, influencing each other. Powerful gods of fate can avoid misfortune and calculate the fate trajectories of mortals, but the effect is minimal on gods.
He has done his best for this family.
Adhering to the principle of fairness, almost every family member, regardless of gender, has shared a trace of the energy of the amethyst crystal.
Seeing this, Lin En decides to improve everyone's mood. He extracts, refines, and carefully preserves a portion of the energy from the amethyst crystal to share with family members.
As they delve deeper...
"Let's forget it then."
Selena, Richie, Cindy, Lila, and others have strengthened their soul power and smoothly entered the sanctum realm, thanks to their previous accumulation.
Selena's desire to become a god diminishes considerably. She trusts that Lin En has his plans. Being intelligent, she would not sacrifice future prospects for short-term benefits.
Lin En switches his fate god avatar to the outside and observes for the first time, quickly furrowing his brows.
In places with fertile land, abundant food, and water sources, powerful monster groups reside. Human adventurers only dare to venture there in teams. A duo like Lin En and Selena, lightly equipped and casual, carrying little food and no weapons, is extremely rare.
Their relaxed atmosphere contrasts starkly with the serious surroundings. As they walk directly into the depths of the forest, people from certain special organizations follow them secretly, eventually deciding to take a risk.
"Don't forget, I mentioned two methods of becoming a god. If you choose to refine a divine entity, it's equivalent to choosing to become a god internally, and you'll only have that one life. And becoming a god independently isn't as exaggerated as you think!"
Selena is greatly surprised, her eyes shining brightly.
As the name suggests, this place is home to most of the monsters of the Violet Continent, with lower-level monsters on the outskirts and higher-level monsters and richer resources closer to the core.
In his view, giving divine entities to Selena and Richie in advance is a huge waste and affects their future potential.
It's not like following the path of a warrior who practices battle aura, constantly fighting, battling with people and monsters, seeking a breakthrough opportunity in life-threatening situations.
Lin En is startled by his thoughts, immediately discarding them and restraining further contemplation. It's too dangerous.
"This is the sanctum realm!"
The longer he observes, the deeper his frown becomes, and his emotions grow more surprised and heavy.
He asks silently in his heart, but receives no response.
Lin En, like a black hole, devoured all the lines of fate, stepping into an unknown realm.
Among them, the most mysterious and unfathomable is the rule of fate, with the fewest practitioners and the most difficult and complex initiation.
Monster Mountain Range.
At first, Selena listened seriously, but later she rolled her eyes, wearing an expression of disbelief as if Lin En was joking.
But Lin En loves eating, considering it a pleasure and a way to relieve the monotony and pressure of cultivation. Therefore, even divine planes are not devoid of hotels and restaurants.
Lin En still has some amethyst crystals left, but he plans not to consume them further, saving them for future needs.
Hearing Lin En's words, Selena smiles wryly: "Indeed, we didn't have the courage or strength to venture into such a dangerous place during our time at Halley Magic Academy."
Amethyst crystals are resources from hell. Even leaking a trace is enough to satiate ordinary lives in the material plane.
Sharing a bed with Selena at night, Lin En reveals a secret.
Others who haven't broken through are both excited and envious, looking forward to their future breakthroughs, as Lin En has said that with enhanced soul potential, their chances of entering the sanctum realm will greatly increase.
Lin En's expression remains calm, unsurprised by this outcome.
Selena strolls leisurely, her tone relaxed but tinged with reminiscence.
Moreover, even if they refine themselves into higher gods, what then?
The next day.
This scene catches the attention of some onlookers, who display cold and mocking expressions, but no one warns them. This place is dog-eat-dog.
Selena's eyes twinkle with nostalgia. The Monster Mountain Range has been described in countless knight novels circulated in academies: the handsome hero ventures into the range to evade his family's enemies, embarking on thrilling adventures, eventually becoming a powerful warrior or mage, taming impressive or cute monster pets, defeating his enemies, and restoring his family's glory, henceforth reaching the pinnacle of life.
Lin En dares to say if he weren't a transmigrator with a unique and complex experience, just an ordinary native, the probability of naturally possessing an affinity for the rule of fate would be minuscule. This is his great fortune.
Indeed, it is so.
The dinner ends in a somewhat peculiar atmosphere.
Breakfast consists of fried eggs, smoked sausages, milk, and oatmeal.
A saying from his previous life rings true: the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. Now, he understands this more deeply. The more he encounters and cultivates the rule of fate, the less he understands it, like a vast, boundless sea where mere ripples don't represent the whole.
The deeper they venture into the forest, the quieter it becomes.
During the meal, Lin En and Selena chat casually, sharing their thoughts on the distribution of divine entities.
The dense trees act like impenetrable curtains, completely blocking the rough mountain winds.
"This is a great idea!"
In the afternoon, Lin En, hand in hand with Selena, transforms into a shooting star with his divine power and disappears from the Blackstone Duke's territory...
Lin En's strongest water-system mid-level god avatar, armed with attacking and defending higher god artifacts and a soul-defending god artifact, matches the strength of a five-star demon.
For many years, he's noticed that the system is a rigid reward mechanism, granting rewards for meeting standards and seeming non-existent otherwise.
Lin En patiently explains: "The inability to become a god in the sanctum realm is mainly due to the low soul cap, which hinders the perception of laws and rules and carrying this information. It's almost impossible in the material plane, but in the supreme and divine planes, solutions exist, like soul-nourishing resources such as soul gold beads and amethyst crystals."
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Four black arrows shoot out from the bushes, aiming at Lin En and Selena's backs, simultaneously blocking escape routes. The experienced and skilled approach is evident.
In the shadowy depths of the forest.
Pairs of sinister eyes gleam with cold murderous intent and excitement, as if envisioning the demise of two lambs and the rewards of looting their corpses.