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*****
What kind of trauma would cause the Divine Realm to only be capable of self-recovery, rather than using the consolidation of divine positions to promote its expansion?
Su Wen pondered for a moment, and a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.
The baseline capacity of the Divine Realm might still be as high as it used to be, and it could still condense many divine positions, but the Divine Realm itself could not bear the existence of too many deities!
It wasn't that new divine positions couldn't be condensed. Rather, if a new divine position was to be formed, an existing deity would have to relinquish their position, leave the Divine Realm, and seal that divine position away. Otherwise, if the new deities stayed in the Divine Realm alongside the numerous existing deities, it would crush the Divine Realm.
Its baseline capacity was very high, but its structural integrity was fragile; it simply couldn't bear the load.
It was just like Su Wen right now. His realm of comprehension was incredibly high, but his soul power level was low, making him unable to unleash the true strength that his realm should possess.
The strongest state he could burst into now was still predicated on his own soul power. Even when channeling the power of the universe or the power of heaven and earth, it was all unleashed using his soul power as the foundation.
If he were recklessly given a stronger soul power of level 130 to let him channel the power of the universe, his realm would be sufficient for him to accomplish it, but his body wouldn't be able to handle the strain.
So, the reason the Divine Realm was so harsh about deities bringing their families along turned out to be a matter of carrying capacity.
Furthermore, in the original story, the Douluo Divine Realm was able to serve as the core to fuse with numerous other divine realms without them directly destroying one another in the collision. This was likely because the Douluo Divine Realm itself possessed a high realm, allowing it to sustain the physical mass of the fused Great Divine Circle.
"It seems that even if I create my own divine realm, I should still go to the Douluo Divine Realm to take a look and experience it if I get the chance," Su Wen thought to himself.
"The God of Destruction will definitely not allow the Douluo Continent to ascend to the divine rank. Unless it suddenly swallows the entire Abyss to advance, a slow promotion method like yours will inevitably be discovered and stopped by the God of Destruction."
Su Wen was left speechless.
"Only when subordinate planes develop will the overall strength of the Divine Realm grow stronger, right? As for the issue of lifespan, that can actually be put aside. I feel that if an individual can become a god without the help of a divine position or a divine trial, they are already qualified enough to inherit at least a second-class divine position, or even a first-class divine position. As long as the Divine Realm refines the inheritance mechanism of divine positions and establishes regulations on terms of office, a deity can strip away the divine position and pass it down after it helps them complete their personal breakthrough in realm. This shouldn't cause any conflicts."
Even if a subordinate plane broke through to the divine rank, the rate at which it birthed divine-rank experts would be limited.
At most, only one or two divine-rank experts would be born within a thousand years. The Divine Realm only had about a dozen or so first-class deities, but it should have at least thirty or forty second-class deities, right?
Even if worst came to worst, third-class deities were also very strong, much stronger than ordinary divine-rank experts.
For an ordinary, newly ascended divine-rank expert to inherit a first-class divine position and use its power to raise their own power level to the half-step God King rank--the cosmic equivalent of a first-class deity--it would take a few thousand years at most. If they inherited a second-class divine position and used its power to rise to the cosmic equivalent of a Super God rank, it would take a thousand years at most.
Rotating them once every thousand years would be equivalent to having dozens of positions available every millennium.
Never mind the subordinate planes having one divine-rank plane; even if there were ten, they could still handle the rotation.
As for a divine-rank plane developing further to the point where it could sustain True God ranks or even Super God ranks within the plane?
Under normal development, how long would that take?
Over such a vast span of time, relying on the rotation mechanism of divine positions, a large number of Super God ranks or even half-step God Kings would have long been cultivated, right?
Wouldn't that be enough for the Divine Realm to expand its territory?
They would have merely passed on the divine positions, but their own realms would have already reached the corresponding level. If they went to wander the universe or found a planet to retire on, would they cease to be gods of the Douluo Divine Realm?
In the past, it was fine; deities were free after passing on their divine positions.
However, after changing the mechanism, since they enjoyed the benefits of the system, wouldn't it be highly reasonable for them to fulfill a bit of obligation, expand the territory of the Divine Realm, make their due contributions, and only then depart?
After listening to Su Wen's blueprint, the Sea God fell silent.
You really are a capitalist.
The reason cultivators were cultivators was to be free from constraints, and they were unwilling to worry too much about matters related to cost-effectiveness.
Even the God of Destruction, who cared deeply about the development of the Divine Realm, had never harbored such thoughts of drastic reform.
This was because the operation involved too many rules that required strict execution, which would be a challenge for many deities.
When one could stay in the Divine Realm to retire, who would be willing to go through the trouble of searching the universe for a retirement spot on their own?
Why do you think they stayed in the Divine Realm?
They all wanted to retire; who would still want to exert themselves?
"Hand over the communication rights to the God of Destruction, I'll talk to him," Su Wen said.
In the Divine Realm, the Sea God received Su Wen's reply and was momentarily stunned.
Give the phone to the God of Destruction?
Good grief, I've become a messenger?
This was a trial he had set up, and there were no special permissions. To achieve communication between Su Wen and the God of Destruction, it could only be relayed through his verbal dictation.
Absurd.
Utterly absurd.
In all his time cultivating up to now, this was the first time the Sea God had ever done such a thing.
However, he was also quite curious about how Su Wen would convince the God of Destruction.
After a while, Su Wen received the Sea God's reply.
"Alright, you can explain now."
Su Wen focused his mental power, directly sending a strand of intent over.
"The Sea God has already told you about the mechanism I mentioned. You should also know that there is nothing wrong with the mechanism and that it benefits the Divine Realm. As for the details, with your many years of experience, perfecting it yourself shouldn't pose any problem at all. What you are worried about is nothing more than the backlash from the veteran deities. I will solve that. I am a person from the lower realm, and I also pursue greater possibilities. If they won't let me break through, then I will beat them until they do. In this world, strength ultimately reigns supreme."
At the end, Su Wen added another sentence.
"God of Destruction, as a powerful figure, you have already forgotten the true laws of this world. Under your influence, the Divine Realm has become far too peaceful."
He was clearly the God of Destruction, yet he held the rules of the Divine Realm in extreme reverence, wanting to manage the Divine Realm in an orderly, highly disciplined fashion and develop it.
Was this reasonable?
It was completely unreasonable!
There was a reason why Destruction was so weak in the original story.
The Douluo Divine Realm's inaction had caused all sorts of monsters and ghosts within the surrounding cosmic territories to lose their respect for the Divine Realm.
The region outside the Douluo Divine Realm's territory was highly chaotic.
Su Wen didn't know much about it, but he knew of a relatively massive representative: the Crimson Realm. It was famous for its chaos, possessed immense ambition, and had swallowed up too many cosmic territories.
The number of wars going on in the universe was countless.
This was the real universe, the real world--where the weak were prey to the strong, and only the fittest survived.
Yet in the Douluo Divine Realm, it was a picture of peace, and there were even gods who could retire!
The subordinate planes beneath the Divine Realm had even fewer worries. Ignorant of the vastness and perils of the universe, they could still fight among themselves internally, remaining stuck in struggles for power.
It was practically laughable.
The key point was that the one who most fiercely maintained the current order of the Divine Realm was actually the God of Destruction, who carried the title of Destruction!
That was the most hilarious part.
When Su Wen's meaning was conveyed, the Sea God's expression turned a bit strange.
Even though he knew he was just relaying Su Wen's words, saying these things out of his own mouth felt incredibly satisfying!
Hahaha, he could openly curse this bastard Destruction now.
The Sea God was overjoyed inside.
Assuming a serious demeanor and a stiff expression, he conveyed Su Wen's meaning.
The God of Destruction furrowed his brows deeply, anger flaring in his eyes.
But he still held back.
He also knew that what Su Wen said was absolutely correct.
Indeed, as the God of Destruction, his actions were far too divorced from his divine position and the duties corresponding to his authority.
Setting aside destroying the Divine Realm, destroying other planets and destroying other disrespectful neighboring forces should have been well within his purview.
However, under his governance, this Divine Realm had become far too peaceful.
Deities were retiring one after another. Never mind going out to campaign against the chaotic zones of the outside world; even barely maintaining the current order within the Douluo territory was proving to be a difficult task.
Hearing Su Wen's final words, he also felt a bit swayed.
A rebellion from the bottom?
If someone had the strength to overturn the current situation of the Douluo Divine Realm with their rise and alter the order, it would actually be feasible.
But did Su Wen possess that kind of strength?
"How is his strength?"
The God of Destruction had not been monitoring Su Wen in real-time, so he did not know why he could speak so arrogantly about taking on the numerous retiring gods of the Divine Realm all by himself.
He was just a Soul Master who hadn't even broken through level 100. Could he already unleash divine-rank power?
The Sea God's expression grew strange.
"His strength is still a bit short, I suppose. Give it a few more years--maybe in two and a half years, he will be able to reach the first-class divine rank. Once his soul power level reaches the first-class divine rank, the divine skills he masters should be enough for him to reach my level?"
The Sea God's words caused the God of Destruction's expression to shift slightly.
That strong?
Such a genius?
"Then why is he still at level ninety... level ninety-seven at twenty-six years old?"
Setting aside the thirteenth tier that corresponded to a first-class deity, he still had a long way to go just to break through the tenth tier, which was level 100, right?
The Sea God smiled.
Could this guy's level 97 be compared to an ordinary Soul Master's level 97?
This was a level 97 with three small worlds, for goodness' sake.
As the master of three small worlds, based on this point alone, it wasn't as simple as Su Wen just unleashing divine-rank strength.
Furthermore, not long ago, Su Wen had used those three small worlds as a core to open up a small world realm, which corresponded to a Plane Master in terms of status.
An entire plane, completely opened by himself, with his own essence, energy, and spirit as the pillar, and nearly all the power at his disposal--how could that not be powerful?
Especially since this small world realm could also be summoned anywhere using his Heavenly Book as a medium.
The small world realm itself might be difficult to move physically, but he could summon a projection through his Heavenly Book, allowing the power to descend upon his body across space, and the boost would not be small at all.
Moreover, the gap between the Douluo Divine Realm and Su Wen's small world realm was merely a dimensional barrier; they overlapped in terms of physical location. Therefore, even when he arrived in the Divine Realm, he could almost unleash the ultimate combat power granted by the world's amplification.
Could a Su Wen like this be treated as a normal level 97?
This was a guy who had already become a god in another plane long ago.
Thinking of the Heavenly Jewel Plane, the Sea God suddenly remembered Zhou Weiqing.
Although it was the God of Time who had sent Su Wen over, the Sea God had also paid attention to Su Wen's experiences there, and he had also discovered Zhou Weiqing, the child of destiny of the Heavenly Jewel Plane.
Calculating the time, two and a half years had passed since Su Wen's return, and Zhou Weiqing was already a Lower Heavenly King.
Tsk, this speed was truly fast.
With the Saint Energy cheat combined with the convenience of the cultivation methods brought about by the Academic Realm opened by Su Wen, this guy's cultivation speed was practically meteoric.
A Lower Heavenly King with seven pairs of Heavenly Jewels, he had already mastered Long Riyao's Six Ultimate Heavenly Dao Array. Combined with the sheer power of Saint Energy, it was hard to find a match for him among Heavenly Kings.
That's right, even an Upper Heavenly King with nine pairs of Heavenly Jewels would find it hard to be his opponent.
"Estimating it, by the time Su Wen truly becomes a god, will this Zhou Weiqing also have a chance to become a god?" The Sea God evaluated the growth rate of the two.
Su Wen's breakthrough to level 98 was right before his eyes, but level 99 might take half a year, and breaking through level 100 would probably take even longer.
It wasn't that Su Wen couldn't break through, but considering Su Wen's mention of making a big scene in the Divine Realm, he would likely need to prepare thoroughly, which would take another decent amount of time.
Counting it as two and a half years, there were about three years in total.
In three years, would Zhou Weiqing have a chance to reach the peak of the Heavenly God stage?
It was a bit difficult.
But it wasn't without a chance.
As long as there was a divine trial.
The Sea God's eyes rolled around, thinking about which divine position would suit Zhou Weiqing.
His gaze drifted toward the God of Destruction beside him.
Destruction had a God of Ruin--also called the God of Great Strength--under his command, which suited Zhou Weiqing perfectly.
In fact, Destruction itself was also suitable for Zhou Weiqing. Unfortunately, Destruction probably had no intention of retiring. However, it seemed that after Su Wen made his big scene, there might be a chance.
The Sea God's eyes darted around, and the God of Destruction noticed the anomaly, staring back at him.
What are you looking at?
Having received no response for a long while, Su Wen took it as the God of Destruction's tacit approval of the plan.
"Che."
He let out a scoff.
This Destruction was living further and further backward the older he got.
Although he disliked Tang San, Su Wen had to admit at this moment that according to the original timeline, there was a reason why Tang San didn't awaken Destruction's spirituality after Destruction's death, but instead gave the Destruction divine position to Tang Wulin.
Of course, Tang Wulin wasn't suitable for the Destruction divine position either.
Someone truly suited for the Destruction divine position had to be warlike, fond of destruction, yet inherently possessed a sense of reverence and gratitude toward the Divine Realm, ensuring they wouldn't destroy the Divine Realm itself.
That would be a proper God of Destruction for the Douluo Divine Realm.
Looking out into the deep space of the universe, Su Wen's gaze seemed to pierce through space, seeing the vast territories outside, seeing those utterly chaotic zones.
"Ah, I suppose the moment I develop my small world realm into a divine realm, I will also have to venture out and expand my own territory."
Imagining it, Su Wen felt his blood begin to boil.
It had been a long time since he had felt this way.
How long had it been?
"Ever since I became invincible on the Douluo Continent, I haven't felt this kind of passion," Su Wen lamented.
Invincibility was truly lonely.
Therefore, as long as one lived in the world, one still needed pursuits and goals.
One even needed to set a seemingly unattainable dream.
For instance, creating a Divine Star.
At this moment, Su Wen understood the Dragon God a bit better.
When a person stood at a high place, they tended to think more.
At this time, he also understood Yun Ming. Twenty thousand years later in the original timeline, invincible in the world and knowing little about the outside universe, it was indeed understandable that he would be conceited enough to believe that condensing a divine position would give him the qualification to open up a divine realm.
After indulging in his thoughts for a moment, Su Wen felt refreshed and turned back to look at his small world realm.
"Time to keep perfecting my world!"
Once again, he threw himself into the diligent business of expanding his world.