With Ye Yun's summons, two elders, walking unsteadily, were soon escorted into the imperial court by two guards. At this moment, the two elders, who had never left their camp before, trembled uncontrollably as they beheld the court, which seemed like a realm from fairytales.
Both the spiritual energy here and the oppressive aura far surpassed that of the hundreds of guards who had been watching them within the camp.
"Your Majesty, the people have been brought," Qin Zhan bowed to Ye Yun, then directly berated the two elders.
"You two, how dare you not kneel before me, the Ten Directions Great Emperor!"
"We… no, this humble one… this commoner pays respects to Your Majesty!" Under Qin Zhan's terrifying aura, the two old men knelt down, trembling. Perhaps accustomed to being in positions of power for too long, they found even speaking unfamiliar.
"What are your names, and how old are you?" Ye Yun showed no leniency despite their age. Both were at the Heavenly Venerable realm. Though appearing frail, they were not so easily extinguished.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this commoner is Ji Wuming, the fifth Sect Master of the Cangyun Sect, currently 1700 years of age."
"This commoner is Qin Wudao, the fourth Hall Master of the Eternal Life Hall, currently 1800 years of age." The two elders knelt on a cloud, their gazes fixed fearfully on the void below.
The Seventh Heaven was a void, with no solid ground. Only those above the Lord God realm could enter the court. These two were perhaps the first to enter at the Heavenly Venerable realm.
"Speak, you have only been exposed to the Heavenly Dao for less than five days, yet how have you so rapidly reached level thirty?"
The human race now had only two main cities remaining, both essentially controlled by Ye Yun. According to the strict requirements for entry into these cities, all personnel entering had their backgrounds thoroughly checked in the real world. Thus, these individuals of unknown origin had no way of entering.
Although the integration with the Ghost race's maps meant that the Ghost race no longer rejected humans, players still needed to enter the main cities to learn skills and accept quests. This was precisely why these two elders were so eager to see Ye Yun, as they could not enter without his consent.
"Your Majesty, this is why we were so urgent to see you. When we entered the Heavenly Dao, we all awakened a talent called 'Five Times Experience Points.' Therefore, this commoner believes our skills can rapidly increase our levels, and we can serve Your Majesty." Ji Wuming seemed exceptionally excited when mentioning this.
"Your Majesty, although we entered the Heavenly Dao a full four years later, I believe with these daily talent skills, we will soon catch up to everyone's levels," Qin Wudao said, equally thrilled.
"Talent skills? Five times experience points?" Ye Yun stared in astonishment at the two cultivators, their faces alight with excitement, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Were there such talent skills in the Ten Directions Cosmos?
"Yes, Your Majesty. The strongest talent skill among our group is ten times experience points! I've also heard of some items in the Heavenly Dao, but even the most potent experience pills cannot increase it by such a margin!"
"Moreover, we have also tested it. Our talent skills can stack with double experience cards and quadruple experience pills."
In recent days, their group of over twenty million cultivators had been confined to a camp, living in constant fear of accidentally bringing about their own demise. Thus, upon seeing Ye Yun, they immediately began extolling their own value.
However, they had no idea that their so-called talent skills were considered insignificant by almost all of humanity.
What bewildered Ye Yun was why the talent skills awakened by these twenty million cultivators were so consistent.
Ye Yun's own awakened talent skill was 'Midas Touch,' while Zhou Ningdong's was 'Bloodlust,' which healed 25% of attack damage with each strike.
Talent skills varied widely, with enhancements to attack, defense, skill power, critical hits, and more. However, this kind of five-fold or ten-fold experience gain was something Ye Yun had truly never heard of before. He hadn't expected the game, Heavenly Dao, to be so shameless, granting such a useless talent skill to players who entered so late.
After all, Ye Yun himself had paid a significant price to suppress his level. He even felt fortunate that his experience gain was a hundred times that of others. Now, here was a group of people flaunting their rapid leveling before him, seemingly to prove their worth?
From birth, these people had been restricted to an alternate dimension spanning over nine million square kilometers. According to their historical records, their highest cultivation was merely at the Great Power realm, their knowledge and achievements severely limited.
"If you believe it is good, then it is good. As for entering the main cities, proceed according to the established procedures. As for your future, it rests with yourselves."
Ye Yun waved his hand wearily. He had initially expected to gain a group of formidable warriors, but instead, he got these people, leaving him feeling helpless. However, the empire was currently short-handed, so he could make some arrangements for them.
Their talent skills had predetermined that their future achievements would not be particularly outstanding. Yet, their existence was not without value; at the very least, they had brought Ye Yun a complete cultivation system and countless cultivation techniques and scriptures.
The Heavenly Dao had brought forth the surging tide of the Ten Directions Cosmos. To carve out one's own path within this tide required not only greater perseverance than others but, most importantly, luck.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ji Wuming and Qin Wudao bowed and retreated.
Ye Yun could see their inner disappointment, but reality was often cruel. Even if Ye Yun could spend infinite resources to nurture them, the gap in their talent skills alone placed them far below individuals of the same level.
"Elder Xia, please handle this matter with priority. If they wish to stay, arrange as you see fit. If they do not, send them back to that secret realm."
"Also, the five great legions will soon be dispatched to the Ninth Cosmos. You and Elder Qin should accelerate your preparations to ensure sufficient personnel are ready to receive new territories the moment we arrive."
He had always believed this alternate dimension was a contingency left by ancient Lord Gods in Huayi Country, a place blessed with exceptional talent and abundant treasures. Now, it seemed he had overthought things.
After anticipating this alternate dimension for over a year, only to find it to be this, Ye Yun felt a pang of disappointment.
"As you command!" Qin Zhan and Xia Xingchao bowed in assent.
"Elder Jin, Elder Tang, you have always managed etiquette and assimilation. Make your preparations as well. I intend to formally perform the Feng Shan ceremony after unifying the Ninth Cosmos! However, some changes are needed in the rituals. My Feng Shan will not be for the Son of Heaven, but for the Emperor Lord!"
Feng Shan!
The moment these two words were uttered, all the bustling individuals in the imperial court came to an abrupt halt. They looked up at Ye Yun, seated upon the imperial throne, and felt an overwhelming sense of awe, as if gazing upon a towering mountain.