Absolute Destiny Game

’But if... the system’s control over immortals is all-encompassing, rooted in their very existence, making it impossible to break free, then I really must be content with being an immortal, and abandon any unrealistic ambitions.’

With this thought, a tentative idea began to form in his mind.

He deliberately focused his thoughts on the Mysterious Light Reflection Pond, enlarging several smaller images and focusing on players with levels only around level 10. These players were evidently skilled and operated expertly, forming a small team despite their average level being under Level 20, and daring to hunt down lone demons in the dangerous wilderness!

What was more astonishing was their skillful positioning, precise skill execution, and perfect teamwork, using a narrow valley terrain to block, control, and target collectively. Through a seamless sequence of actions, they successfully defeated an elite demon whose level was over Level 30! Though the process was dangerous and they were all nearly out of health, their courage, strategy, and operation genuinely shone through.

"My Daoist friends, what do you think of these people?" Xiao Jie pointed to the image of the five-player team, deliberately using a tone of praise, "Although their levels are low and their strength ordinary, they possess a certain bravery and adventurous spirit, daring to challenge stronger foes and hunt demons far above their own levels! Moreover, look at their strategy and cooperative precision; they succeeded in defeating formidable enemies with intelligence. Aren’t such brave and strategic collaborators more valuable to cultivate compared to those who rely solely on guild resources and level equipment?"

The three immortals, upon hearing this, all looked at the screen Xiao Jie pointed out, but instead of showing expected appreciation, they shook their heads immediately.

Lin Xuance spoke first, his tone unquestionably dismissive: "Inappropriate, absolutely inappropriate. These people may have some cleverness and know how to use the terrain, but their strength is far too weak; it’s a fundamental flaw. They are weak yet reckless, forcing themselves into battle—is unwise! Acting alone in dangerous places rather than with the army—is imprudent! Only relying on terrain to gain an advantage over enemies, lacking the courage to confront them directly—is not brave!

Such opportunistic, shallow individuals, how can they be worthy of the title ’Immortal Disciple’? When we select disciples, it should be based on solid battle achievements and consistently strong abilities! Sui Feng, you better not fiddle around here."

After speaking, he didn’t look at the team again, turning his gaze directly to other screens displaying high-level players or large-scale army combat.

Wu Qingyue and Su Zhiqing didn’t speak, but their eyes conveyed similar sentiments, clearly agreeing with Lin Xuance’s assessment.

Xiao Jie sighed silently in his heart: ’It seems these three have become mere enforcers and mouthpieces of the system’s rules. Their judgment standards are strictly confined to the "Merit Points" as the sole quantitative metric provided by the system, and any actions that don’t comply with this standard, regardless of how outstanding they might be, are instinctively overlooked or belittled by them.’

Just at this moment, Wu Qingyue suddenly exclaimed praise, pointing at another image: "My Daoist friends! Look at this Supreme Emperor! I think this is an excellent choice! With such formidable strength, as a mortal turning into a Divine Dragon, slaughtering thousands of demons like splitting melons, unstoppable! Such achievements truly demonstrate extraordinary potential and formidable combat power!"

"Supreme Emperor? This person also joined the battle?" Xiao Jie hurriedly leaned over upon hearing the comment.

On the screen, a majestic golden Divine Dragon was spiraling over a medium-sized town, with its dragon mouth opening and closing, bellowing thunderous strikes like divine punishment constantly towards the clusters of demons within the city! Electric serpents darted with roaring sounds, leaving chaos in their wake where demons perished and turned to dust, and the Merit Points skyrocketed at an astonishing pace.

In a blink, they surged into the top five, with a continuing upward trend.

Xiao Jie watched in speechless awe, wondering how one can still shamelessly compete with ordinary players for the "Immortal Disciple" spot after transforming into a Divine Dragon.

Yet upon reconsideration, the rules seemingly don’t prohibit it. "This Immortal Disciple only considers merit points, without level, profession, or current strength state requirements. Meaning, as long as you’re a player, you can participate. Despite the Supreme Emperor’s immense power, at the core, they are still a player... wait!"

A surprisingly bold and somewhat absurd thought flashed through Xiao Jie’s mind like lightning!

Hold on! Am I... am I not a player too?!

This identity, nearly forgotten, suddenly became clear. If I too participate in the competition for Merit Points, and even manage to claim first place, what would happen?"

His gaze intensely focused on the three still evaluating "talents" of immortals, as a plan quickly took shape: ’Would they perhaps... want to take me as a disciple? This, obviously, is impossible, but if such an occurrence happens, could it cause their logic to crumble? Prompting them to realize certain oddities? Even a momentary doubt might be the beginning of "awakening"?’

’Worth a shot!’ Xiao Jie quickly made up his mind. ’My actions here entirely comply with the event rules; the system cannot penalize me for this. As to rapidly amassing massive merit points—the target is naturally directed towards those Demon Masters! These entities theoretically appear as the world bosses in the end-game final battle, killing them would grant astronomical World-saving Merit Points!’