After hanging up the call, Feng Qi closed his notebook and stood up from his desk.
His next step was to head to the Crimson Research Institute once more to discuss the details of approaching Yin Ling with Wei Wei and Li Qianfeng, the director of the Strategic Department at the institute.
As for executing the future timeline, he wasn't in a rush.
Negative emotions needed time to recover. Continuous exposure to high-intensity emotional strain could easily lead to a complete loss of control.
By the time Feng Qi arrived at the school gates, the Crimson Research Institute's specialized vehicle was already parked there.
A burly man wearing a tactical vest and sunglasses stood beside the car, waiting.
Upon spotting Feng Qi, the man immediately opened the door.
After exchanging greetings, Feng Qi stepped into the vehicle, and they departed for the Crimson Research Institute.
As the car moved through the streets, Feng Qi pondered Wei Wei's proposal over the phone.
While the idea was somewhat awkward, he didn't see any real issue with it.
As long as he could get close to Yin Ling, any method was a good method.
Looking back on the countless timelines he had experienced, he had lived in the shadows, followed Old Mist as a villain, and even waged war… He had endured too much pain. Compared to all that, approaching an enemy under the pretense of a matchmaking event to extract intelligence was nothing.
After all, it wasn't like he was actually looking for a romantic relationship.
When the time came, he wouldn't hesitate to kill.
At that moment, the narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
[Imagine this: Just as Yin Ling finishes revealing all her secrets, your body suddenly expands, your skin shrouded in a crimson mist. In the blink of an eye, you become a towering blood giant, grinning viciously as you say—'Little sister, wanna arm wrestle?']
Feng Qi: …
[But honestly, knowing you, you'll probably just eliminate her in one swift move. No hesitation. Just like you did with Old Mist in the last war timeline… Hesitation is defeat.]
[I have to say, I admire you. I know you cared about Old Mist, yet your stance never wavered. Even when he sacrificed himself to save you, you didn't let emotions cloud your judgment. When the time came, you struck without hesitation.]
"I believe that if the situation were reversed, Old Mist would've done the same."
[True. In many ways, he's just like you. You both carry the burden of your people, driven by ideals that transcend personal emotions.]
As they conversed, the vehicle smoothly entered the Crimson Research Institute's premises.
After stepping out of the car and nodding to the driver, Feng Qi walked straight into the main building of the institute.
Currently, the security system of the Crimson Research Institute had been fully adjusted to grant him unrestricted access, so he no longer needed an escort to enter.
Moments later, he arrived at the Strategic Department's conference room.
Wei Wei and Li Qianfeng were already waiting inside.
Feng Qi pulled out a chair beside Wei Wei, sat down, and looked at them.
"Wei-jie, Uncle Li, tell me your plan."
Li Qianfeng chuckled at the question.
"Xiao Qi, we've already provided you with a solid approach. Although the matchmaking is just a means to get close to Yin Ling and establish initial contact, you need to be fully invested in the act."
"Fully invested?" Feng Qi raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. Even if you don't actually care, you need to act as if you do. You must be proactive, give Yin Ling the impression that you're serious. Even if she rejects you, you need to persist. That way, we can set up the next phase of the plan."
"That basically makes me a simp."
Hearing this, Wei Wei stifled a laugh and chimed in:
"For the sake of protecting Star City from the Silvermoon Clan's invasion… for the sake of Little Suction Cup's healthy growth… what's wrong with being a simp? Is it that hard?"
[Hahaha! The next future timeline should be named 'The Simp Route'.]
Feng Qi: …
Thinking it through, Feng Qi understood the reasoning behind this strategy.
If he remained indifferent, Yin Ling could simply refuse him, and he would lose any opportunity to engage further.
To ensure that this "simp—cough—savior timeline" could continue unfolding, he had to maintain an active and persistent stance. Even if Yin Ling rejected him, he needed a reason to keep approaching her.
After all, a true simp never gets discouraged.
A simp never lets the target's opinion affect their actions.
As long as he persisted, as long as he was shameless enough, nothing could stop him.
"To show your sincerity, regular gifts are a must. Don't worry, the Crimson Research Institute will reimburse you. Also, for your first meeting, we'll officially back you up to make it seem more legitimate. Dress properly, don't look too casual… Oh, and be sure to get Yin Ling's contact info immediately. That'll be your first move in establishing a connection."
Although reluctant, Feng Qi nodded in agreement.
Then, the narrator's voice sounded again in his mind:
[I, Feng Qi, will simp my way to a brighter future for humanity!]
"Shut up, you dumb system."
After shutting down the narrator's nonsense, Feng Qi turned back to Wei Wei and Li Qianfeng.
"If I manage to get close to her, what's the next step?"
"That part is simple. Once initial contact is made, we'll start feeding you relationship-building scenarios. These scripted events will help you increase your standing in Yin Ling's eyes…"
After several hours of discussion, Feng Qi gained a clearer understanding of Li Qianfeng's plan.
The full script wasn't finalized yet, but the general framework was set.
Just as the discussion about Yin Ling was wrapping up, Feng Qi was about to take his leave when Wei Wei brought up a new topic:
"Qi, I remember you mentioning that your mental sea is filled with an abundance of faith energy?"
"Yeah, all that faith energy came from you guys and the people of Star City in the last war timeline."
"Do you know how to use that faith energy?"
"Why? Wei-jie, do you have an idea?" Feng Qi was momentarily stunned.
Flipping through the intelligence records from previous sacrifice timelines, Feng Qi realized that faith energy was the key to creating the Dark God. This led him to consider whether he could harness faith energy to create a divine power of his own.
Hearing Wei Wei's explanation, Feng Qi was momentarily stunned.
He had never really thought about this before.
But after a brief moment of contemplation, he found Wei Wei's suggestion entirely feasible.
If the Dark God Clan could use faith energy to forge a Dark God, why couldn't he use faith energy to become a god himself?
With that thought, he turned to Wei Wei and said, "Should I give it a try?"
"Go ahead," Wei Wei immediately affirmed.
After leaving the conference room, Feng Qi, who had initially planned to return to Star City Academy, instead made his way to his personal training room within the Crimson Research Institute.
Experimenting with faith energy was not something he could entrust to a sacrifice timeline.
After all, in the sacrifice timeline, he was merely a believer who could provide faith energy to the main timeline but had no ability to manipulate it.
If he wanted to learn how to wield faith energy, he had to figure it out himself in the main timeline.
Arriving at the functional area on the right side of the training room, he sat down in front of his jade statue and closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank into his mental sea.
A golden ocean stretched out before him.
The turbulent golden liquid was a manifestation of his spiritual power within his mental sea. Floating above this golden ocean was a golden-red origin pearl, with various talent orbs of different colors revolving around it in a set trajectory.
Compared to before, his mental sea now had an additional layer of dense golden mist above it.
This golden mist was the faith energy he had accumulated from the war timeline.
The majority of it came from the people of Star City, followed by the Crimson Research Institute.
Originally, he could have gathered even more faith energy.
However, the people of Star City had only begun to develop faith in him for less than two years before the city completely fell.
After that, only the Crimson Research Institute's comrades continued to believe in him day after day.
Moreover, due to the lack of a medium like a jade statue, the actual amount of faith energy he could absorb from the people of Star City was relatively limited.
Even so, the sheer scale of the entire city's faith energy was massive, forming the majority of what he had now.
This was precisely why the Dark God Clan had established Dark God Temples and statues in every city—to efficiently collect faith energy.
Faith absorption required a medium; otherwise, the efficiency would be significantly reduced.
Under the guidance of his consciousness, the faith energy mist rippled, thickening into a viscous liquid.
But Feng Qi had no clue how to use faith energy to create divine power or even form a divine core.
Like an artist painting on a blank canvas, he manipulated the golden mist, lost in thought.
At that moment, the narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
[Why not take inspiration from Blood Source? Blood Source is one of the six foundational faith origins of the Dark God Clan. It could serve as a useful reference for shaping your own divine power.]
"That makes sense."
Without hesitation, he floated toward the talent track.
After waiting a moment for the Blood Source talent orb to approach, he reached out and plucked it from the trajectory.
At that moment, a small head poked out from the evolutionary token above.
Feng Qi's heart tightened as he saw Three-Tails's eager expression and immediately warned:
"If you dare eat this talent orb, I swear I'll break your legs and send you back to sleep."
[Looks like Three-Tails doesn't actually dislike eating talent orbs. It's just picky and refuses to eat trash talents. But unfortunately, all you've been feeding it are garbage talents.]
Hearing the warning, Three-Tails's expression turned dull, its excitement fading into disappointment. With a huff, it retracted its head and disappeared.
Feng Qi turned his gaze back to the Blood Source orb in his hand.
Compared to its original form, the Blood Source orb had undergone significant changes.
Its surface was now covered in a layer of burning dark green flames, with symmetrical dark green patterns etched across it. At its core, a crystalline emblem shimmered faintly.
"Ah Bai, scan the internal structure of this talent orb for me."
[Got it!]
Moments later, after completing the scan, the narrator began explaining the intricate structure of the Blood Source talent orb.
Listening carefully, Feng Qi gathered a ball of faith energy and began molding it, using his hands to knead it into a spherical shape. Then, using his consciousness, he started carving its internal structure.
Although the process appeared simple, it was incredibly complex.
The internal structure of a talent orb resembled a microscopic world, with countless energy nodes intertwined in a delicate and intricate framework. The process of creating one was extraordinarily meticulous.
Under the guidance of his consciousness, more and more faith energy converged into the talent orb in his hands, helping to construct its internal framework.
Before long, his spiritual power was completely drained.
Opening his eyes, he immediately walked over to the refrigeration unit, retrieved a bottle of mental soothing agent, and downed it in one gulp before closing his eyes again.
As his spiritual power rapidly replenished, he continued refining the faith-based talent orb.
The process was monotonous—akin to creating an entire world from scratch.
And every time he made a mistake, the narrator scolded him mercilessly.
Day after day, time slipped away as he remained immersed in his creation.
During this period, Wei Wei visited once to check on his progress before leaving in a hurry.
Whenever he got hungry or thirsty, he consumed the spirit materials stored in the refrigeration unit. Whenever he needed to replenish his mental energy, he used mental soothing agents.
Through his relentless efforts, a golden talent orb gradually took shape.
By this point, he had consumed about 60% of the faith energy stored in his mental sea.
Inside his mental sea, Feng Qi stared at the golden talent orb in his hands, his expression conflicted.
He had only completed a portion of the structure. It was still far from perfectly replicating the Blood Source talent.
The good news was that the golden talent orb in his hands had already begun displaying attributes.
[??? (Unnamed Active Talent)]
Ability Description: A talent orb formed from positive faith energy. Its internal structure is highly incomplete. Usage may result in the orb exploding.
Explosion Probability: 95.572%
…
After working tirelessly for several days, he had managed to create... a completely useless talent.
The feeling… was just fantastic.
Just as he was about to break down the talent orb and revert it back into faith energy, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
The Evolution Token had the ability to refine and enhance talents.
The principle behind talent evolution was essentially to aid in the completion and optimization of an existing talent, filling in its flaws.
It was like standing before an unpaved road and evolving a path forward.
[Ah, yes, yes! You've found the right method!]
With a wave of his hand, the 48 remaining talent evolution points appeared before him.
These 48 talent evolution orbs were what remained after upgrading Blood Source and Purple Soul. At present, a single upgrade for Purple Soul required 180 orbs, while Blood Source needed 340.
Originally, he had planned to save these evolution points for future use.
But now, he decided to experiment with them instead.
Feeling a surge of anticipation, he merged the evolution points into the incomplete golden talent orb.
Instantly, the golden orb shimmered with radiant light.
The narrator's voice rang out beside his ear:
[Its internal structure is changing! It's starting to refine itself, and many blocked energy nodes are now connecting on their own. Quickly, pour more faith energy into it so the refinement process can continue!]
Hearing the reminder, Feng Qi decisively guided the remaining faith energy and channeled it all into the evolving talent orb.
As the faith energy merged with the evolving orb, it naturally became part of its internal structure.
The advancement process lasted less than a minute before all the faith energy and evolution energy were consumed, bringing the refinement to a halt.
At this point, the attributes of the talent orb had already changed.
[??? (Unnamed Talent)]
Talent Rank: 0
Talent Description: An unnamed divine body. When activated, it grants an almost perfect level of natural affinity and sensory perception. However, maintaining this state continuously consumes mental energy.
Warning: Talent is not fully refined.
…
Clearly, 48 talent evolution orbs were not enough to complete this talent.
But at least the risk of explosion was now gone.
At the very least, this talent was now functional.
With that in mind, Feng Qi placed the golden talent orb onto the running track of his mental sea.
Immediately, the orb trembled slightly before shooting a faint beam of light, connecting itself with the golden-red origin pearl.
A flood of information rushed into Feng Qi's mind, allowing him to understand the nature of this talent and how to use it.
Excitement surged within him as his consciousness withdrew from his mental sea.
The moment he opened his eyes, he wasted no time and activated the newly refined talent.
In an instant, a golden emblem surfaced on his forehead, and dazzling golden light erupted from it, enveloping his entire body.
The sensation was peculiar—Feng Qi felt as if his body was being wrapped in a warm current of energy.
But what happened next caught him completely off guard.
His flesh rapidly disintegrated, replaced by golden energy that adhered to his skeletal frame.
Within seconds, his entire form had transformed into a radiant golden energy entity.
[Holy crap, is that you, Giant of Light?!]
The world before Feng Qi's eyes changed drastically.
Countless fine threads of energy appeared within his vision. Compared to normal sight, he could now perceive far more intricate details.
A strange sense of familiarity arose as he observed the countless threads of various colors.
Raising his right hand, he grasped one of the red energy threads. Instantly, flames ignited in his palm, startling him.
Curious, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed a purple energy thread.
Immediately, arcs of electricity crackled across his left hand, emitting a soft buzzing sound.
Though these natural elements were inherently destructive, they behaved docilely in his grasp.
In disbelief, Feng Qi attempted to merge the red and purple threads together.
As the two elements fused, an energy mass combining both fire and lightning formed before his eyes.
Surprisingly, the expected explosion didn't occur.
Instead, the two energies blended seamlessly.
[Oh my god! Did you just unlock spell programming?! Can you literally create any spell just by rubbing a few energy threads together? What kind of cheat is this?!]
The narrator's voice screamed in astonishment.
As Feng Qi marveled at the divine body's incredible abilities, a sudden sharp pain struck his forehead.
A wave of intense weakness crashed over him.
His expression changed in shock—despite activating the divine body for only 30 seconds, his mental energy had already been completely drained.
The sheer rate of consumption was far beyond his expectations.
His vision blurred as his golden energy form suddenly shattered into countless glowing fragments, dispersing into the air before gradually dimming.
Looking down at his now-exposed skeletal frame, Feng Qi was still in awe of the divine body's capabilities.
The foundation of spellcasting was the process of outlining and constructing a spell.
Yet, in his divine body state, he could directly fuse natural elements and create spells on the spot.
Just now, he had effortlessly combined fire and lightning elements into a completely new spell.
Under normal circumstances, forcefully merging different elemental energies would lead to an uncontrollable explosion, often injuring the caster.
But when he fused lightning and fire, the resulting energy was calm and stable, almost obedient in his hands.
He instantly realized that the "near-perfect natural affinity" mentioned in the talent description was the key to this ability.
The potential growth of this divine body was terrifying.
At that moment, the narrator's voice turned serious:
[I admit, this is insanely powerful… but I still firmly believe this is some forbidden sorcery! I strongly recommend feeding it to Three-Tails. Who knows? Maybe it'll break down into a bunch of talent orbs that we can use to upgrade Blood Source instead. Wouldn't that be much better?]
"I refuse!"
To Feng Qi, this divine body was an invaluable trump card for situations where his blood energy was depleted.
The only major flaw was its massive mental energy consumption—he could barely sustain it for 30 seconds.