Finally, the council divided the regions of the Earth Source Continent and assigned each true god family a reconnaissance range, along with specified timelines and methods of action. This topic was accordingly concluded. After all, no matter how angry they were, this was something they had to do afterward. Everyone could only issue alerts to the younger generations of their families during the recess, advising them not to leave the family residence in the coming years to avoid problems.
At this point, the second agenda item began.
Hailora, who had previously notified the three main speakers, stepped forward.
"Due to the Life Goddess's friendly visit to the Ancient Continent, I will host this topic on her behalf. Does anyone have any objections?"
After the routine inquiry, Hailora paused for a moment and began to elaborate on the content of the second agenda item.
"When the Life Goddess was conducting inspections and exchanges outside, she discovered that many civilizations hold various competitions to promote their own development. After observing multiple samples, it was found that this method plays a significant role in the overall cohesion of civilizations. Not only does it enhance the sense of honour among individuals of the civilization, but it also boosts their enthusiasm. It has a positive effect on the growth of strength within the civilization. Therefore, the second agenda item of this Earth Source Conference is to hold competitions on the Earth Source Continent to promote civilization development. Now, you may discuss among yourselves. If there are any objections, you can raise them afterward."
"A competition across the entire Earth Source Continent? Are we talking about a format similar to the Ten School Alliance competitions?"
Competitions were not absent on the Earth Source Continent. There were contests and assessments within various families, as well as larger competitions like those among the Ten Schools Alliance. However, the Life Goddess proposed a competition of unprecedented scale that would encompass the entire Earth Source Continent. It seemed that she intended for this to be a long-term event.
"It's possible. I've seen the Ten School Alliance competitions, and they indeed have a tremendous impact on their students. I was just thinking of organizing something similar within our family, and it turns out the Life Goddess has already brought it up."
"Organizing such a large competition is not easy. The Ten School Alliance, with its vast power, often takes years to prepare for each competition, and various issues frequently arise. If we expand the event to the entire Earth Source Continent, we can only imagine the problems that will ensue."
"That depends on the determination of the speakers. As long as they commit to this, everything else will be minor issues."
After the discussion, no one raised any objections. Hailora began to convey the specific proposal from the Life Goddess.
The Earth Source Council decided to establish the first Divine Competition on the Earth Source Continent. The competition would be divided into two divisions: the Demigod Group (nine groups) and the True God Group (nine groups). Competitors of the same rank would first compete within their groups to determine winners. The top three from each group would then challenge higher ranks. Finally, the winners from the Demigod and True God divisions would be allowed to select any treasure from the Life Goddess's treasury. The first place in each group would also be able to choose a treasure from the Council's treasury.
This meant that only two individuals would have the opportunity to select treasures from the Life Goddess's treasury, while sixteen could choose from the Council's treasury. The top three in each group would receive fixed rewards.
"What? The Life Goddess's treasury?" The crowd was astonished. As one of the three strongest 9th-tier True Gods on the Earth Source Continent and a leader among life-type deities, her treasury had accumulated treasures over thousands of years.
"Just a sprinkle of dust from it could make one ecstatic. The chance to choose a treasure from there is no longer just enticing; it's downright maddening."
"Alright, today's agenda is concluded. Does anyone have any other topics for discussion?"
After waiting for a moment and seeing that no one spoke, Gulador took the stage to announce the end of the meeting.
Everyone had busy tasks and many affairs to attend to. After the meeting was adjourned, they quickly returned home to begin executing the 'Cleanse Operation' as planned. They also started inspecting the younger generations.
It could be said that the two agenda items submitted in this meeting were like a drop of water into hot oil, causing the entire Earth Source Continent to boil over.
As soon as the meeting concluded, the 'Cleanse Operation' was launched with lightning speed. The Light Race had infiltrators in some families, but before they could even send out messages, they were exterminated. These families were shocked to discover they had spies among them. After all, no one wanted a wolf watching them all the time.
An investigation into past forced divine wars also uncovered more Light Race infiltrators hidden within various factions. Most of them had certain talents, and whenever an opportunity arose, they would enter higher-level academies or families to work, effectively using their backgrounds to mitigate the impact of initiating forced divine wars against lower-tier gods. They also bribed low-ranking officials to achieve their underhanded goals, leading to the direct execution of a batch of negligent individuals.
Some individuals known for their warmth and willingness to help in the top ten academies were arrested. They would be personally interrogated by high-ranking True Gods, temporarily cutting off any curses that the divine lords had placed upon them.
After this planned, comprehensive cleansing, all infiltrators on the Earth Source Continent were eradicated. Moreover, the Earth Source Council obtained most details of the divine lord's plans.
Coincidentally, an infiltrator from the Star Academy had just received a task from the divine lord, believing he was avenging Sada by continuing to launch forced divine wars against Luo Luo. This information was, of course, intercepted by the Earth Source Council. This made them even more curious about Luo Luo's situation, especially since he was the one the Light Race divine lord had repeatedly tried to eliminate. From Luo Luo's growth history, he had had no contact with the Light Race, meaning that the divine lord did not obtain evidence of Luo Luo's talent from the intelligence system within the Earth Source Continent. So where did he get this information?
It could only be from Apudus. He was recognized across the universe as a great prophet. His prophetic abilities were renowned, and he had helped the Light Race out of peril many times. One could say that the Light Race owed half of its success to Apudus.
Now, the task was quite simple: they needed to confirm Apudus's activity status. After all, prophecies are often contrary to the will of the universe. Each prophecy incurs irreversible losses to Apudus, as he needs to rest for several thousand years before he can perform another prophecy ritual.
From the divine lord's intent to kill Luo Luo, it was evident that the prophecy he made must be a significant secret that posed a great threat to the Light Race. Thus, Apudus must have faced considerable backlash from the will of the universe.
At this moment, in the void above the Three Saints City, three imposing figures sat in a circle. The immense thrones could overshadow the entire Earth Source Continent. This was the method chosen by the three main speakers to discuss matters concerning the Earth Source Continent. All three thrones were of the same treasure—the Void Throne. This was a treasure with properties similar to the Void Gem but of a much higher grade.
Item Name: Void Throne
Level: Cosmic
Effect: A cosmic treasure that can traverse the void and amplify combat power.
Description: A powerful item that enhances strength and is also a symbol of status, forming at the half-step divine lord stage.
After the three True Gods took their seats on the thrones, the God of Death, Gulador, spoke first: "I have sent someone to the Western battlefield to probe. Apudus is not there."
It's important to note that Apudus is not only the great prophet of the Light Race but also the frontline commander in the fight against the Earth Source Continent. He spends most of his time on the front lines overseeing battles.
"Reports from the front indicate that Apudus disappeared about a year ago." A year is a very short time for beings at their level; no one would notice Apudus's disappearance in such a brief period. Most True Gods could lose track of time for hundreds of years with a simple nap. Therefore, the front lines did not report this to the highest council.
Disappearing a year ago would normally be a common occurrence. However, now, if he doesn't show up despite provocations, that's a serious issue.
"War God, are you suggesting that Apudus may no longer be among the living?"
"Yes, exactly. We all know that great prophecy techniques are highly taboo in the universe. Even gods of our level cannot use them at will. Apudus has predicted many crises for the Light Race. The backlash from the universe's consciousness he has faced has accumulated to a significant level. This time, as they discovered the danger posed by Luo Luo, the backlash he faced must have been even greater. With chronic illness plus a sudden outbreak, how many lives can he afford to lose?"
Upon hearing the War God's words, the God of Death, Gulador, lit up with insight. He turned to the Life Goddess and said, "What do you think?"
The Life Goddess pondered for a long while before responding: "I agree with the War God's assessment. Apudus's strength has been declining since the war ten thousand years ago; we can all feel that. Although he has been overseeing battles on the front lines for the past ten thousand years, he hasn't acted because of our agreements. A prophecy made after a ten-thousand-year period of recuperation must be of utmost importance to the Light Race. The actions of the divine lord also confirm this point. Given his condition, it's hard for him to survive the backlash from the universe's will. Even if he isn't dead, I estimate he is gravely injured."
A silence fell in the void as the three main gods pondered the issue.
The War God was the first to snap back to reality. She addressed the God of Death and the Life Goddess: "Let's shift our strategy on the Northern and Eastern battlefields to a defensive posture. What do you think about launching a full-scale war against the Light Race?"
The God of Death was the first to support this: "Although the divine lord is powerful, he has just recently ascended to the divine lord stage. Combined with your and my strengths, we can quickly eliminate their living forces. This would free up a significant amount of combat power on the Western front. Then we can replenish the Northern and Eastern battlefields; the Zerg Race is becoming increasingly unstable, and there are signs of reinforcements coming."
The Life Goddess knew that the God of Death and the War God were eager to engage in battle, but she had to pour cold water on their enthusiasm: "During my long inspections outside, I have seen a series of civilizations aligned directly with our Earth Source Continent facing Zerg invasions. Some civilizations have already been destroyed. The most critical point is that I just received news that the two civilizations closest to the Earth Source Continent have been occupied by the Zerg. Those foul insects are targeting our Earth Source Continent, so now is not the time to declare war on the Light Race. A greater crisis is about to descend."
"Damn it! To miss such a rare opportunity is simply unacceptable!" the War God fumed.
The God of Death also felt somewhat helpless. The hope that had just been ignited was extinguished, but there was nothing to be done; this was the way of survival. The external pressure faced by the Earth Source Continent was more difficult than they had imagined.
Suddenly, the God of Death recalled the proposal put forth by the Life Goddess at the previous Earth Source Conference. He turned to her and said, "So, you are holding this Divine Competition to accelerate the growth of the younger generations, right?"
"Exactly. The crisis facing the Earth Source Continent should be evident to everyone. Relying solely on the three of us is insufficient to protect everyone. You all know the dangers posed by the Zerg Race, so I hope that through this competition, more younger generations can grow rapidly to defend a portion of the Earth Source Continent."
Upon hearing the Life Goddess's words, the War God and the God of Death were both deeply moved. They exchanged glances and said, "It seems we need to raise the stakes for this competition."
Soon, news spread like wildfire across the Earth Source Continent that the divine competition had undergone changes. Initially, everyone thought the Life Goddess might backtrack, but they soon learned that the treasuries of the God of Death and the War God were also open to the winners, and each stage's top performers would receive rewards, with significantly increased prizes for those ranking higher. This further stimulated various factions to provide special training for their younger generations.
Of course, along with this news came stricter rules for the competition, imposing more stringent limits on the time to become demigods and true gods. Some gods who had lingered too long in certain ranks without promotion would lose their qualifications. This made it clear that the three main speakers primarily aimed to nurture talented younger generations in the Earth Source Continent and did not want long-standing stagnant ranks to receive rewards.
Upon receiving the news, Luo Zhenguo focused his main energy on Luo Luo, as it seemed that Luo Luo had a greater chance of winning the championship. Although other family members were also excellent, on a larger scale across the Earth Source Continent, their talents could only be considered average. There were countless talented individuals in any given era. Only Luo Luo from the entire Luo family could compete with those prodigies.
Luo Zhenguo also knew that Luo Luo did not need those subject cards and other items he deemed particularly useful. He emphasized collecting blank storage stones to the greatest extent possible. Considering this situation, Luo Zhenguo immediately decided to assign this task to the family to complete, allowing Luo Luo to focus on enhancing his strength and strive to make a remarkable showing in the Divine Competition.
Meanwhile, after investigating Luo Luo's basic circumstances, the Star Academy also sent specialized personnel to the Luo family to apologize, compensating with fifty million blank storage stones and several very unique base race subject cards and items.
Luo Luo knew that the attack by Sada had nothing to do with the Star Academy, so he had no intention of holding a grudge against them. After the Star Academy delivered their apology, he gladly accepted the reconciliation.
Initially, Luo Luo was indifferent to the subject cards sent by the Star Academy, but after reviewing their attributes upon returning home, he was directly stunned. He hadn't expected that such subjects existed on the Earth Source Continent.
Race Name: Goblin Scholar (Crown Goblin)
Level: LV1
Physique: 1
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Spirit: 15
Talent: 1. Wise Brain: Increases efficiency when thinking and learning.
Invention and Creation: Randomly generates brilliant ideas during the development of items.
Skills: 1. Contemplation: Significantly enhances the race's wisdom during activation (lasts 1 hour, cooldown 24 hours).
Learning: Increases focus during knowledge acquisition, allowing for faster absorption (passive).
Description: An anomaly among the goblin race, adept at learning but with poor survival ability.
This attribute is peculiar; reaching 15 points is characteristic of a third-tier being, yet this Goblin Scholar race has it at level one. While one cannot say that a higher spirit attribute directly correlates with intelligence, there is still a certain connection. The description accurately states their poor survival ability; any wild beast casually picked up would have at least slightly more strength and agility. An attribute below one signifies an ordinary person in poor health or even on the brink of death. They are just caught on that edge.
Race Name: Pioneer (Eastern Human)
Level: LV1
Physique: 2
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Spirit: 2
Talent: 1. Exercise: The human race can enhance attributes through training.
Robustness: Humans forsake a mystical brain in favour of developing a more powerful body, greatly enhancing the race's growth speed and significantly improving the success rate during biochemical experiments.
Skills: None
Description: A race full of infinite possibilities?
The Pioneers share the same attributes as the Norr Humans, but their talents are entirely opposite. The crucial part to note is the latter portion of the description regarding the Robustness talent; that's the ability that caught Luo Luo's attention.
It's important to understand that the core of technology includes biological-related techniques and some advanced theories. The Earth Source Continent already has abundant biological samples, and Luo Luo intends to delve into related matters. For instance, he plans to establish an organization dedicated to researching these technologies. The prospects for biotechnology are vast, and if high-level battle machines can be artificially mass-produced, it would be an incredibly profitable venture.