What came into view was none other than his familiar world.
At its very center, however, a portal had now appeared.
Without overthinking it, Bai Ze summoned the Treefolk with the power of his world.
From the capital of the Wood Nation, a total of 3,000 Treefolk emerged, led by Aurora. Together, they arrived at the gateway to the connected world, standing beneath Bai Ze's projection.
"Master, the Wood Nation has fully assembled," Aurora declared.
At her command, the 3,000 Treefolk kneeled in unison.
Seeing this, Bai Ze explained everything to Aurora: the development plans for the Ancient Apes and the rule that he could not directly intervene.
Although she couldn't fully grasp the situation, Aurora found it quite peculiar.
Their god couldn't act directly and instead wanted them to help these native lifeforms grow.
"Master, how should we proceed?" Aurora asked. "Should we assist them from the very moment of their creation?"
Bai Ze shook his head and rejected the idea. "No need. Let them develop on their own for a while first. Then, intervene strategically at the right time."
"But there's one thing you must remember," Bai Ze continued. "Your role must be that of a god. You need to ensure that the native lifeforms know you as a divine being, someone to worship and revere. All their problems must appear to resolve effortlessly under your guidance."
Hearing this, Aurora nodded, partially understanding the plan. She realized that the role of "god" needed to embody mystery.
A god shouldn't appear openly in the mortal world, yet must make their presence known.
This presented a challenge how could they remain elusive while still asserting their influence?
"By the way, I suggest bringing some space elixirs," Bai Ze added. "And consult the Kunpeng leader on how to construct floating islands in the sky."
As Bai Ze explained further, Aurora quickly grasped the idea.
Remaining on land while maintaining divine mystery would indeed be difficult.
However, moving to the skies would change everything.
The native lifeforms, being weak and primitive, couldn't possibly reach the heavens to seek them out.
They could create a realm in the sky a "Divine Kingdom."
The Treefolk under her command would then become known as the "Chosen of the Gods."
This was, in essence, a grand role-playing game.
The name of the game?
The Divine Deception.
"Understood, Master. I will take care of it immediately!" Aurora said with determination.
With a rough plan forming in her mind, Aurora set out to take action. She knew she could always consult Bai Ze if anything came up, so there was no need to overthink.
Meanwhile, Bai Ze turned his attention to the vast, desolate world that lay before him.
The plan for this world was already clear in his mind.
The first step would be to revitalize the environment using spiritual energy revival.
In the simulator, as long as the ecosystem could be restored and maintained, even if plants eventually overran the world, it wouldn't be an issue.
Outside, the headmaster raised his hand and announced loudly, "The development test officially begins now!"
"The two chosen species have been selected, and the connection portals are now closing."
"The total development time is set at 72 hours. The countdown starts now!"
As his voice fell, the glass doors closed tightly, and a timer appeared on the windows, counting down from 72 hours.
At the same time, two large screens above Bai Ze and Zhong Peng displayed the number: 0.
This number represented the prosperity level of their respective worlds.
The higher the number, the more prosperous their worlds had become.
Observers could also track progress using the contestants' crystal spheres.
The darker the sphere's color, the more decayed and corrupted the world was.
If it glowed green or blue, it indicated that the world was on the path to prosperity and thriving development.
"System, begin the simulation!" Bai Ze commanded within the corrupted world.
The system's voice promptly echoed in his ears.
[Ding! Command received. The Divine Simulator is now activated.]
[Ding! This is not the host's main world. Since it's a proxy world, the simulation requires no creation points.]
[Proceed? Yes/No]
Bai Ze raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Proxy worlds don't consume creation points for simulations?"
After a moment of thought, he smirked. "Well, free rides are always the best."
"Yes!" he replied firmly.
[Ding! Simulation initiated.]
[Ding! Please select the talents for this simulation.]
With a grin, Bai Ze immediately issued his first order. "System, add Spiritual Energy Revival!"
[Ding! Red talent Spiritual Energy Revival has been successfully added.]
Since this test revolved around developing intelligent lifeforms, Bai Ze knew his next talents had to focus on intelligence and community growth.
The second and third talents were:
[Accelerated Evolution (Blue)]: All lifeforms evolve faster, allowing them to adapt quickly to their instincts.
[Species Branching (Purple)]: A major species can branch into multiple subspecies, diversifying and enabling different developmental paths.
"Didn't expect to roll a purple talent right in the first round!" Bai Ze exclaimed in satisfaction.
The blue talent was decent but nothing groundbreaking.
The purple talent, on the other hand, reminded Bai Ze of a concept akin to raising gu.
Just like in gu cultivation, the strongest species would emerge victorious after competition and survival of the fittest.
"Alright, I've made my choice. These three talents will do!" Bai Ze announced confidently.
[Ding! Talents selected successfully.]
[Ding! Please select the items to bring into this simulation.]
Bai Ze considered his options. The Eye of the Gods and Divine Authority seemed like must-haves, but his current resources were severely limited.
With just 70 creation points and 21 faith points, he was essentially broke. His recent focus on helping Xia Yinyue had caused him to neglect his own world's development.
"Well, it can't be helped," Bai Ze muttered.
"System, exchange 1 faith point and bring only the Ancient Ape (B-rank creature card)."
[Ding! The b-rank card selected. Cost: 100 creation points.]
[Ding! Faith point converted successfully. Ancient Ape card successfully selected.]
This round was primarily about revitalizing the ecosystem, and the talents already provided significant advantages.
There was no need to overextend by bringing additional resource cards, especially given his current lack of funds.
"Alright, let's start the journey of creation!" Bai Ze declared.
[Ding! Item selection complete. Simulation officially begins.]
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