Chapter 1454
Chapter 1454 - 1450: Raise the Stakes
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9 min read
Even at the highest tiers, the evaluation of Lu Ping’an as a young talent was extremely high.
Initially, many people assumed he was some sort of Big Cat in a new guise, that it was her attempt at a backdoor listing after her own path had stalled, a rebirth by Nirvana... They were more astounded by Chris’s decisiveness and luck than they were with the growth miracle that Lu Ping’an had crafted.
But no one thought that way after seeing "Chris in her young girl form" again.
"...So young."
Strongmen had seen countless young talents, but until potential was realized, it was always just that—potential.
Especially in the career of professionals, innate talent was not as valuable as good fortune... Often, life or death truly doesn’t determine whether you are capable or hardworking; in a fated predicament, death would come no matter what.
But if a young person did truly enter the club of top combat powers, they would naturally receive a lot of extra attention.
This was not just because he had proven his potential... Youth meant change, it meant vibrancy, and it often meant they were not content with the status quo, continuously stirring up trouble and bringing about new situations before stability was reached.
Most of the Big Shots tended to prefer stable investments, and even in direct confrontations, they would stop at making a point... They were not accustomed to grappling to the death with equals; they were more like conservative investors who guaranteed a safe return, simply conforming to the era’s development and doing what was best for themselves.
Changemakers often came from the youth, not because the youngsters had spirit, but because they often lacked everything, were desperate for more, and had the courage to face failure.
They would stir up storms and thirst for more... For the old-school Strongmen who had settled into a balance of power, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Within the high ranks of Lin Nu’s Church, Lu Ping’an’s restlessness was clearly visible, and they were happy to see him stir things up... If it really became stagnant, eventually, they might end up competing internally for the cake. This perspective was why they let Lu Ping’an represent them in talks with the Official side.
Young people will eventually grow old, and if they do not die on their journey, as teenagers constantly acquire, they too will be tied down... by family, power, interests, connections, and so on. In the process of obtaining, they lose much, and if they do not suffer an early demise, they would inevitably become another "conservative faction."
But now, just as King Kui had invited Lu Ping’an to join in all of this, they needed a representative, a troublemaker who would keep stirring things up.
"...Lu Ping’an, are you sure you want to do this, even if it leads to a Divine War?"
When someone raised this concern, Lu Ping’an himself was a bit puzzled; wasn’t he just trying to create a Path? How did it get connected to a Divine War?
"The struggle for Paths is akin to slaughtering someone’s entire family... Lu Ping’an, you cannot shrink back, otherwise many will look down on you."
Lu himself didn’t understand, but Big Cat did.
So, with her guidance, Lu Ping’an directly declared on the communication board.
"Of course, we don’t have much time for hesitation. This wealth, this territory, if we don’t claim it, someone else will soon do so."
"...Okay, I will support you."
"Yes, Little Brother Lu, I support you too."
Looking at the eagerness of several Big Shots, Lu Ping’an himself was a bit unclear about the reasons; did he really need this level of support?
But since Big Cat was smiling and asking him to give thanks, he naturally did so.
"...This is your ’reward.’ To be precise, it’s for the various things you’ve done, for the merits you’ve built for Lin Nu and humanity. They still think highly of you, this kind of support is precious, don’t miss it."
Lu Ping’an stroked his chin, tilted his head, and looked puzzled.
Wasn’t he just trying to create a Path? Why did it seem like he needed the Big Shots’ support?
"In their eyes, you’re not just creating a solitary Path... This is you plainly stating your intention to vie for the role of ’Guardian God’ of the New Kingdom, or even, that of a Proper God. And this time, there certainly won’t be dozens of Proper God positions; perhaps just one Guardian God will suffice."
This left Lu Ping’an feeling quite out of his depth; he had never intended this.
"Paths are exclusive... To be accurate, similar Paths are exclusive. Deities of similar kinds fight the most viciously, because it is both a struggle for the Path and a struggle for life and death."
Lu Ping’an understood then that he had unwittingly brought himself to the brink of a Divine War.
"In a sense, am I declaring a bid for the vast ’faith’ of the warriors of the New Kingdom?"
"It’s more than that... If you provide a Path and knowledge, there naturally needs to be a corresponding Church, which is inherently exclusive. If you take the warriors’ share, others will have less. And the local authorities, they do not have the nerve to challenge the Proper God Church."
At this point, Lu Ping’an realized that he might have made a bigger deal than expected, and the most outrageous part was that several Quasi-God Big Shots seemed to have already expressed their support, both openly and covertly.
"You don’t take the opportunity, someone else will. If we from Lin Nu’s Church don’t take it, will the Saphire people, the Foreign Gods, or the local New Gods not seize it?"
This might be the reason why Lu Ping’an could gain support.
In the days to come, Lu Ping’an’s list of entities to guard against would likely have to include the local Deities.
Since he’d declared his intent to create a "Path that spans from low-level to Sixth-tier and above Battle-professions," he probably had offended not one or two Deities, but all ambitious ones.
"Why didn’t you warn me?" Lu Ping’an wasn’t complaining but genuinely perplexed. It was natural to make mistakes in his areas of knowledge blindness, but why did Big Cat, whose interests were closely aligned with his, not only refrain from stopping him but actually fueled the fire?
"On one hand, there was no time, and on the other, you would have fought for it anyway... Guan Xinxian."
Lu fell silent for a moment,
"Right, indeed."
After thinking it over for a while, Lu Ping’an responded affirmatively.
Guan Xinxian was determined to Ascend, and his ability was insufficient... To avoid being "devoured by the rules," he needed enough "humanity anchor points," preferably with his Path widespread.
Lu Ping’an was still far from that step, and he guessed that he probably would not Ascend through the normal means. Guan Xinxian had always been the most suitable candidate; Lu Ping’an had even previously recommended him to become the Guardian God of New Kingdom.
And precisely because Lu Ping’an had previously recommended him, when Lu Ping’an spoke of "creating a complete Path for this world," many thought otherwise...
"Eh. In their eyes, haven’t I turned into someone using public interest as a guise, pushing Guan Xinxian as the Guardian God yet again under everyone’s banner?"
"Not bad, they probably understand it that way, to be precise, they all think you are blatantly pushing him."
"Do you need to explain?"
"No, don’t. Since some of them support it, let’s just roll with the mistakes."
"Exactly, as long as the outcome is good, everything is fine."
Big Cat also saw through all this and knew how Lu would choose, so he simply went with the flow, letting Lu Ping’an commit first before proceeding.
"However, it might involve a Divine War..."
"It’s nothing; the Proper Gods on Earth are fighting every day, aren’t they?"
"But over here, there are no Official limits..."
"Over here, there’s no peace as on Earth, with external pressures, Deities don’t have the space to fight to the death."
Lu Ping’an contemplated for a moment... just a moment, then made up his mind.
In this era, the timid starve and the brave burst; everyone had come out to "explore and adventure." It was a time of desperately seeking opportunities and fighting for development chances; he had no reason to give up such a huge benefit.
"Can he do it?"
"Guardianship and Redemption, granting Power is indeed the most fundamental path to Redemption. If his philosophy is sound, how could he fail?"
In the end, Lu Ping’an could only reveal a wry smile.
There’s no turning back after the arrow is shot from the bow. As more and more chips are wagered, the more he gains, it seems he has no choice but to go all in.
"Notify Guan Xinxian to get the Church started. Oh, and tell him to plant more trees; we’re moving onto the next stage of the plan."
"Speak to Lulu, have her provide some Warriors as pioneers for the Path. At the same time, fight for more ’classmates’ support; we need to vie for the title of Proper God..."
"Inform Catherine that the Chamber of Commerce is to start setting up outposts worldwide, and prepare to deal with other competitors..."
This time, whether it be Lu Ping’an or the Rebirth Commerce, the only option was to spread their efforts wide and double down on their bets.
— End of Chapter 1454 —