……

Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment and soon had a general direction in mind.

With Xian'er already around in the realm of celestial plants, he was already quite troubled. If another Wang Lixian were to appear, life would become too chaotic.

Moreover, upon closer observation, this young World Tree exuded a calm and reserved aura, with a natural nobility, somewhat akin to the temperament of the Wang's Clan boys.

"In that case, you shall be named Wang Zongshi." Wang Shouzhe gently stroked its trunk, his expression warm and full of expectation. "I hope you can become a pillar of strength for our Wang's Clan."

"Yiya~" Wang Zongshi seemed to feel his father's expectations, and the branches clinging to his father's arm quietly rubbed against him, as if very fond of this name.

In the following days, Wang Ningxi led a team to handle the previous prizes, using what needed to be used, distributing what could be distributed, and categorizing the rest for a summary.

Meanwhile, Wang Shouzhe stayed with Wang Zongshi, teaching him basic knowledge and helping him gain intelligence.

After all, he had just been born, and it was a time when parental companionship was crucial. Even Liu Ruolan temporarily left the mahjong table to patiently accompany Wang Zongshi through his most bewildering early days.

The leisurely days passed quickly.

The "intense" leaderboard competition began again.

This time, the one taking the stage was one of the Wang's Clan's prodigies—Wang Lici.

Like Wang Yingxuan, she was summoned back from the outer region battlefield to participate in the family task.

Although Lici was strong, she had too many uncontrollable factors, so she had to be sent on early to prevent any mishaps.

Originally, after inheriting the Heaven-Devouring Manual, Lici's aptitude had reached the level of a peerless prodigy. Later, on the outer region battlefield, she reached the peak of the peerless level by devouring "demonic flesh mushrooms," surpassing Wang Shouzhe before he entered the officer training academy.

After using the Extreme Improvement, Extreme Improvement Essence Version, and Immortal Improvement, her aptitude soared to the Heavenly Daughter level.

Such a huge improvement made Wang Lici feel dizzy with excitement as she walked towards the assessment simulation cabin.

Wang Ningxi was quite alarmed by her state and quickly instructed the Immortal Sword Niyue to help Wang Lici control her score.

It was known that although Wang Lici was of the "Li" generation, she was only a year younger than Wang Shouzhe. Her current cultivation had already reached the fifth level of the Purple Mansion Realm, making her one of the leading figures in the Wang's Clan, surpassed only by Wang Liyao, Liu Ruolan, and Ancestor Long Yan.

If she really got carried away and performed too well, it would be hard for those who followed to match her.

For Wang Ningxi's request, the Immortal Sword Niyue naturally agreed without hesitation. "Young Master Ningxi, rest assured, I will take good care of Miss Lici."

At this point, Miss Sword Spirit Niyue was no longer as arrogant as before and had become much more agreeable. It was no wonder, given that she had encountered countless Heavenly Sons and Daughters, each one a person of extraordinary talent.

In the past, she would have been content with any one of them as her master.

Now, with so many appearing at once, she felt incredibly fortunate and naturally became more accommodating.

Before this, she never imagined she would have the luxury of choosing her master.

"Um... Young Master Ningxi, may I make a small request?" The Immortal Sword Niyue suddenly asked shyly, "I find Master Wang Shouzhe to be both handsome and dignified, and I admire him greatly. Could you assign me to him later?"

During Wang Shouzhe's previous assessment, she hadn't been used, which left her feeling a bit disappointed. After all, he was a top-tier genius with even more potential than the renowned Little Holy Emperor.

"Well... as I said before, there's no rush. Take your time to choose." Wang Ningxi replied with a smile, "There are many outstanding talents in our Wang's Clan."

Could there be someone better than Master Wang Shouzhe?

Casting a doubtful glance at Wang Ningxi, the Immortal Sword Niyue suddenly felt invigorated, filled with enthusiasm.

Soon, Wang Lici lay down in the assessment cabin and began her evaluation.

The initial ordinary and management assessments posed no challenge to her. With her formidable strength, she easily breezed through them and smoothly entered hero mode.

Once in hero mode, as Wang Ningxi had predicted, she started to get carried away, charging into battle with fervor.

Her personal combat power was overwhelming, and when her Gluttonous Aspect appeared, she immediately entered an unstoppable mode, with her score skyrocketing.

There was no helping it; the devouring bloodline was extremely suited to the outer region battlefield, not only making her body incredibly strong but also immune to the effects of demonic energy. She could even absorb and utilize resources unavailable to other bloodlines, thriving in the battlefield as if she were in her element.

As she grew to the Divine Realm or even the Void Realm, she could become a mainstay in defending the outer region battlefield.

If not for this, Yunyang Daoist, when he was still Yunyang, wouldn't have been so eager to support her, even at great personal cost.

However, the peculiarities of the devouring bloodline were unknown to most of the Wang's Clan, who had never been to the outer region battlefield. They only knew that this formidable aunt was incredibly powerful.

But on this day, Wang Lici made everyone truly realize the abnormality and absurdity of the devouring bloodline.

Leaving aside the devouring divine abilities, her physical strength alone was comparable to that of a demon lord. Coupled with the evolution of her bloodline, which was gradually developing towards the path of the Great Dao, she charged through without any tactics, encountering no opponent who could withstand her.

Because she always led the charge, the morale of her battle group was sky-high, and the casualty rate was extremely low.

She almost bulldozed her way to the final level.

Fortunately, at the last moment, her overheated brain regained some rationality, and with the Immortal Sword Niyue desperately holding her back, trying to control her score, the final assessment result wasn't too outrageous.

Even so, Wang Lici still scored 93.25, 0.25 points more than expected.

This meant she not only failed to gain merit but also incurred a penalty, with Wang Ningxi immediately announcing a deduction from her family contribution points. Wang Lici had already owed a large amount of contribution points after taking a bunch of aptitude improvement liquids, and now she owed even more.

Her face instantly fell.

Her brain, which had been excited from the heated battle, felt like it had been doused with cold water, instantly sobering her up.

Oh no~ Oh no~ If she had known she would lose contribution points, she would have restrained herself a bit.

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret, and it was too late for her to feel remorse now.

However, the much-anticipated prize selection phase was next.

Due to the many rounds of selections before her, there weren't many options left by the time it was her turn. Because of this, Wang Ningxi lifted the restrictions, allowing Wang Lici to choose whatever she wanted.

Quickly, Wang Lici selected from the high-level prize pool: the Wine Knife Immortal's wine gourd, a small bottle of Chaos Essence, a small bag of Immortal Spirit Stones, and the Holy Emperor's Protection.

Among them, the Wine Knife Immortal's wine gourd was specifically chosen by Wang Lici because she found it impressive. While others were Wine Sword Immortals, he was a Wine Knife Immortal, surely an expert who, like her, didn't follow the usual path.

The other prizes were chosen at random since there weren't many options left.

In the super prize pool, there were even fewer choices, with only an Immortal Beast Cub and a Void Realm pinnacle puppet guardian remaining.

She closed her eyes and chose the puppet guardian.

After all, they were treasures that increased the family's foundation, with no substantial difference.

Once the rewards were selected, it wasn't long before Spirit Artifact Ai Pan retrieved all the prizes and handed them over to Wang Ningxi.

Among them, the Void Realm pinnacle puppet was particularly eye-catching.

There was no helping it; a Void Realm pinnacle puppet was now the highest combat power within the Wang's Clan, naturally attracting attention.

And this Void Realm pinnacle puppet did not disappoint the Wang's Clan.

Appearing before everyone, the puppet had the appearance of a middle-aged man, with a square and resolute face, wearing an extremely cool battle armor. Its aura was cold and stern, giving off an invincible war god vibe at first glance.

The puppet's human-like features were highly realistic, almost indistinguishable from a real person, except for its eyes, which were crafted from crystals, slightly hidden in the shadow of its helmet, cool and cold.

Seeing it, many Wang's Clan members had stars in their eyes, especially the male members, some of whom couldn't help but imagine hiring it as a temporary bodyguard once they had enough contribution points.

This was a Void Realm pinnacle puppet, second only to the Immortal Emperor and Immortal Sovereign in top-tier combat power. Having it as a bodyguard would be incredibly impressive.

Of course, they could only dream. After completing the assessment rewards, due to the prior use of aptitude improvement liquids, they would likely owe the family a large amount of contribution points, with no clear idea of when they could repay it.

The Wang's Clan previously had some family puppets, which had made significant contributions and held high status within the family, but they were generally named with the "Shou" generation.

Now, with a total of three Void Realm puppets and one Void Realm pinnacle puppet, naming them according to this generation didn't seem appropriate.

After some discussion, it was decided to name the ordinary Void Realm puppets with the "Ding" generation and the pinnacle puppet with the "Xiao" generation.

After some deliberation.

The three Void Realm puppets were named Wang Dinglong, Wang Dingfeng, and Wang Dinghu, while the Void Realm pinnacle puppet was named Wang Xiao Jia.

The Wang's Clan was overjoyed with the acquisition of four Void Realm puppets.

With these puppets, they finally partially addressed the awkward situation where the Wang's Clan members had extraordinary potential but were still low in strength, lacking true powerhouses within the clan.

Additionally, with these Void Realm puppet guardians, clan members could undertake missions more safely.

However, while the puppets were powerful, they were also extremely costly.

For instance, the Void Realm puppets like Wang Dinglong consumed precious "top-grade spiritual stones" when activated, requiring five top-grade spiritual stones for a single charge, valued at five billion dry gold.

As for the pinnacle puppet Wang Xiao Jia, it required an Immortal Spirit Stone for charging.

This was an Immortal Spirit Stone, a treasure even the Immortal Emperor would be interested in.

Fortunately, in non-combat mode, the puppets remained in a low-energy semi-dormant state, only operating at high energy during extreme combat, which was purely a money-burning endeavor.

Therefore, they were considered very worthwhile.

Time was precious, so the other treasures would not be introduced for now.

Wang Shouzhe continued to lead the clan members in clearing instances, with the next participant being Wang Shouzhe's granddaughter, Wang Yingxuan.

The reason the formidable female military god was scheduled to appear at this point was simple: those before her were even more formidable.

Wang Yingxuan was already extraordinary, having received a powerful manual inheritance that provided more heavenly essence than usual. Now, with Wang Shouzhe's support using the Extreme Improvement, Extreme Improvement Essence Version, and Immortal Improvement, her bloodline aptitude had also reached the Heavenly Daughter level.

The subsequent process needs no further elaboration.

Wang Yingxuan easily secured another first place, with the top score reaching 93.5.

Poor Little Holy Emperor Ji Wushuang was pushed to the tenth place on the hero leaderboard, becoming the only ancient figure still on the list.

However, his time was running out, as he would soon disappear from the leaderboard in the next round.

In the high-level prize pool, Wang Yingxuan could only choose "Chaos Essence (a small bottle)," "Immortal Spirit Stone (a small bag)" multiplied by two, and "Holy Emperor's Protection," as there were no other options left.

In the super prize pool, only one reward remained—an Immortal Beast Cub.

It was actually an Immortal Beast egg, requiring incubation to hatch the cub.

Thus, all nine prizes in the super prize pool were completely exhausted.

To quickly exhaust the prize pool, Wang Shouzhe worked overtime to support Wang Anye, allowing him to use the bloodline improvement liquid to enhance his bloodline aptitude.

Previously, due to the divine tribulation lightning "gifted" by Wei Qingyun and the manual's effects, Wang Anye's aptitude had already reached the peerless level. Later, unbeknownst to others, he had several fortuitous encounters, and his aptitude had unknowingly reached the top peerless level.

However, being a low-key person, he only reported this to Wang Shouzhe without making a big deal out of it.

If not for the recent overall enhancement of the clan members' bloodline aptitude, his bloodline aptitude would have surpassed Wang Shouzhe's.

Even so, after using the Extreme Improvement, Extreme Improvement Essence Version, and Immortal Improvement, he still remained at the mid-level of the Heavenly Son grade.

There was no helping it; once aptitude reached the Heavenly Son level, further improvement became extremely difficult, requiring a massive amount of resources for even a small enhancement.

It might seem easy for the Wang's Clan, but that was with Wang Shouzhe's assistance, allowing them to use bloodline aptitude improvement liquids beyond their level, resulting in rapid improvement. Without the improvement liquids, even Wang Shouzhe would be at a loss.

But this was unavoidable, as there was only one Immortal Improvement Essence Version. Unless they found a second one, it was almost impossible to replicate Wang Shouzhe's "Heavenly Son top grade" miracle.

Nonetheless, Wang Anye, with his Cangsheng Sword Intent and Sword and Formation Manual abilities, along with the help of the Immortal Sword, easily broke the record.

Those backup methods weren't even needed, and the entire process was smooth and uneventful, almost boring.

The top score on the leaderboard now reached 93.75.

Ji Wushuang was finally pushed off the leaderboard.

By this point, the top ten on the leaderboard were all members of the Wang's Clan.

As for the rewards, there was nothing more to say.

The super rewards were long gone, and the high-level prize pool was nearly empty. Wang Anye unhesitatingly took "Immortal Spirit Stone (a small bag)" multiplied by two and "Holy Emperor's Protection" multiplied by two.

By this time, all five of the Holy Emperor's Protection had been exhausted, leaving only four small bags of Immortal Spirit Stones in the high-level prize pool.

In other words, one more round, and the high-level prize pool would also be exhausted.

As for the super rewards, Wang Anye couldn't receive any more.

"Miss Ai Pan." At this point, Wang Ningxi stepped up again, taking on the responsibility of coordination and communication. "Have the materials in the super and high-level prize pools been replenished?"

"I'm very sorry." Spirit Artifact Ai Pan, who no longer dared to confront Wang Ningxi, quickly apologized with trepidation. "I've contacted my superiors multiple times, but I haven't received any response."

"This puts me in a difficult position." Wang Ningxi said, feigning concern. "If it doesn't work, you should report it to your superiors and write an IOU. Next time I meet your superiors, I'll ask them for it."

"An IOU?" Spirit Artifact Ai Pan was bewildered.

She was just a spirit artifact; how could she become a debtor? And if the academy's assets were to be used for compensation, what would be used? Could it be that, as the academy's spirit artifact, she would also be used as compensation?

While Spirit Artifact Ai Pan was feeling anxious, the Wang's Clan continued their wool-gathering operation.

This time, it was Wang Shouzhe's eldest daughter, the Little Holy Master of Lingyun Holy Land, Wang Liyao.

Following the usual procedure, Wang Liyao naturally went to Wang Shouzhe's portable cave mansion to absorb the aptitude improvement liquid and enhance her bloodline aptitude.

During this time, the Immortal Sword Niyue directly latched onto Wang Anye.

After this round of assessments, Wang Anye had replaced Wang Shouzhe as her ideal master~

"Young Master Anye, please accept me." The Immortal Sword Niyue, abandoning her previous aloofness, pleaded with a tone full of supplication. "I promise to help you dominate the world, never to abandon you."

As for Wang Shouzhe, he was temporarily forgotten. After all, Anye was clearly more skilled in swordsmanship and had progressed significantly further in it, while Master Wang Shouzhe, though excellent, was not proficient in swordsmanship~

Hearing the Immortal Sword Niyue's words, Wang Anye's semi-immortal sword "Wanwan" felt immense pressure.

She had finally found a promising master, but before she could enjoy it, the Immortal Sword had already set her sights on him.

As for Wang Anye's "Years," the pressure was even greater.

He was just a Divine Spirit Artifact, and although, under the influence of Spirit Artifact "Ji Wuchen," the Sword and Formation Manual, and Wang Anye's own swordsmanship insights, he had begun to touch the edge of becoming a "Dao Artifact," he was still a Divine Spirit Artifact.

He hadn't even achieved his full potential yet, and already "Wanwan" had arrived, followed by the "Niyue" seeking refuge.

His status was set to decline repeatedly~

"Ahem, Fairy Niyue." Wang Anye gracefully bowed to the Immortal Sword Niyue, but ultimately declined her. "You are the Immortal Sword of our family, and I cannot be so selfish as to monopolize you."

"What? You mean anyone can use me?" The Immortal Sword Niyue's expression became complicated.

"Not exactly, at least they need enough contribution points to borrow you temporarily." Wang Anye explained, "After all, there's only one family Immortal Sword, and sharing you can maximize your utility. Please bear with it."

"No, no, that makes me seem too frivolous." The Immortal Sword Niyue quickly refused. "That's not acceptable. I can first acknowledge a master, and then lend myself to whoever wants to use me, provided they are at least peerless level. I'm not interested in just anyone."

However, just a stick of incense later, she abandoned Wang Anye and eagerly followed Wang Liyao, flattering her incessantly. "Miss Yaoyao, I find our temperaments to be the most compatible. Please let me follow you."

It wasn't her fault for "forgetting the old for the new," as Wang Liyao's swordsmanship talent surpassed even Wang Anye's.

After all, she was a swordsmanship prodigy who had developed sword intent in the early Lingtai Realm. She had always been in the academy and holy land, rarely making a move, so her reputation hadn't spread.

Moreover, she was older than Wang Anye, and her cultivation had already reached the sixth level of the Purple Mansion Realm. After her bloodline aptitude was enhanced to the Heavenly Daughter level, her swordsmanship prowess naturally surpassed Wang Anye's.

After witnessing Wang Liyao's strength, Wang Anye was automatically relegated to the second tier in Niyue's eyes.

"Let's clear the stage first." Wang Liyao said calmly.

"Alright, alright~"

The Immortal Sword Niyue immediately became very diligent, assisting Miss Liyao in securing another first place without any surprises.

The highest score thus reached 94!

By this time, Spirit Artifact Ai Pan had become numb, and even her congratulatory and reward-giving voice had become mechanical and formulaic.

Wang Liyao had no other choice, as there were only four small bags of Immortal Spirit Stones left in the high-level prize pool. She took them all at once.

As for the super rewards, naturally, Spirit Artifact Ai Pan had to write another IOU.

"Ruolan, you're the last one." Wang Shouzhe, seeing that both major prize pools were exhausted, was still not satisfied. "We should still take the items from the primary and intermediate prize pools, and don't hold back on the hero leaderboard. Get a first place and let the academy owe us more."

As Wang Shouzhe spoke, he took Liu Ruolan back to the portable cave mansion.

Originally, according to the plan, Liu Ruolan's configuration was the same as the others, with one Extreme Improvement Essence Version and one Immortal Improvement. If there was a chance to break through to the Heavenly Daughter level, another Extreme Improvement would be added. However, this time, Liu Ruolan refused to use the Extreme Improvement Essence Version, intending to leave it for the children.

Unexpectedly, with just one Immortal Improvement, her bloodline aptitude surged to the Heavenly Daughter level.

Wang Shouzhe was taken aback. "My dear, your previous bloodline aptitude..."

"Yes, it has been gradually increasing." Liu Ruolan nodded, confirming his suspicion. "I had barely entered the Heavenly Daughter level not long ago, and now, with this Immortal Improvement, it has surged significantly."

This left Wang Shouzhe speechless.

Without using anything, she could recover to the Heavenly Daughter level, which was far beyond a True Immortal reincarnation. Could it be that his wife was someone even more powerful than an ordinary True Immortal in her past life?

After all, he was no longer a novice in the Basalt world and understood that even if a True Immortal were lucky enough to reincarnate, their bloodline would inevitably drop to the level of a peerless prodigy.

But now, his wife could restore her bloodline to an even higher level on her own, suggesting her origins were truly extraordinary.

"Rest assured, husband, no matter who I was in my past life, I will never leave you." Liu Ruolan comforted him.

Instead of being comforted, Wang Shouzhe felt a tightness in his heart. "My dear, have you remembered something?"

"No worries..."

Suddenly, Liu Ruolan's brows furrowed slightly, her expression becoming somewhat solemn, and her aura slightly unstable, as if she were enduring some kind of pain.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Wang Shouzhe hurriedly grabbed her arm, preparing to transfer life source profound energy into her.

Unexpectedly, the moment his profound energy touched her skin.

"Boom!"

A vast and pure energy of primordial water suddenly exploded outward, directly sending Wang Shouzhe flying.

It should be noted that Wang Shouzhe's cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Purple Mansion Realm, and with his bloodline advantage, even a Divine Realm cultivator would find it difficult to simply use profound energy to repel him.

But now, under the impact of the primordial water energy erupting from Liu Ruolan's body, he couldn't stabilize himself, feeling that this energy was incredibly vast and powerful, giving him a sense of being unable to resist.

Even someone as composed as Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but be stunned.

And at that moment.

A layered golden light suddenly blossomed from Liu Ruolan's brow.

A phantom of an ancient-looking water-blue scroll slowly emerged, rising into the air under Wang Shouzhe's astonished gaze.

It was a scroll covered in intricate patterns.

It was enveloped in a golden light, exuding an incredibly profound and vast aura. Looking at it was like facing an endless ocean, making one acutely aware of human insignificance.

With its appearance, the sound of laws echoed in the void.

Without anyone driving it, its mere presence naturally resonated with the laws of heaven and earth, something even the legendary Immortal Scriptures couldn't achieve.

Under the golden light and the sound of laws, Liu Ruolan's entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation.

She seemed to be enveloped in a hazy glow, her brows and eyes becoming more aloof and cold, her entire being exuding a sacred aura, like a goddess from the heavenly palace, pure and unblemished, untouched by the mundane.

This scene left Wang Shouzhe dry-mouthed, stunned for a while before suddenly exclaiming, "Is this... is this a Holy Diagram?"

He could hardly believe it; hidden within his wife's Lingtai Purple Mansion was a Holy Diagram!

And it seemed to be an extremely pure primordial water Holy Diagram!

What on earth was Ruolan's origin?

Even someone as calm as Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but feel at a loss, his mind racing with countless thoughts.In that moment, for some reason, he suddenly recalled the poem he wrote on the day he married Ruo Lan—"The divine maiden from the celestial palace pities the living, standing guard through the long night before the hall. As years turn a thousand times, the earthly bond is finally formed. Fearing my beloved wife might ride the wind away, I falsely claim the heavenly palace is cold. Holding hands with our children, teary-eyed, we wish to share the same pillow for ten thousand generations."

A sudden sense of foreboding arose in his heart.

…