Chapter 3: Forum Goes Live

Chapter 3: Forum Goes Live  

"Soul Power, three segments!"  

The Announcing Elder's booming voice was filled with shock and mockery!  

As the words fell, the Ancestral Hall erupted with whispers and jeers!  

"Sixteen years old, and his Soul Power can't even match a nine-year-old child. All these years of training must have gone to the dogs!"  

"A fool is a fool. No matter how many resources you pour into him, it's all a waste!"  

"What an embarrassment to the family! Just get lost already. With talent like this, why even bother cultivating?"  

The clan members' taunts and sneers pierced Justin's ears like daggers, stabbing deep into his heart and soul.  

Though he had braced himself somewhat, the result still left him feeling as if he had plunged into an abyss.  

Instinctively, he turned to look at his parents, seated among the family elders.  

His mother gazed at him with worry.  

His father, however, wore a grim expression, his eyes flashing with profound disappointment.  

To Justin, that look was harder to bear than all the mockery combined.  

Gritting his teeth, he turned and strode out of the Ancestral Hall, enduring the countless gazes—some amused, some scornful, some disdainful.  

No one stopped him.  

His mother tried to rise, but his father held her back firmly.  

Seeing this, Justin's heart sank even further.  

Born into this magic family, Soul Power didn't determine everything—but it did dictate one's future ceiling.  

At sixteen, with only three segments of Soul Power, his future would likely be capped at Grand Magus.  

How bitterly unfair!  

But... what could he do? This was his fate.  

Had he not worked hard?  

No. He had worked harder than anyone else, meditating for over eight hours every day. And what had it gotten him?  

Face it—this world had its strong and its weak.  

And he was doomed to be one of the weak, struggling in the mud.  

Thud!

"Who's there?!"  

As Justin stepped out of the estate, something struck his head. He whipped around, already suspecting what—or rather, who—it was.  

Probably those brats again, here to bully him.  

What could he do? He was a failure, after all.  

But as he scanned his surroundings, Justin froze.  

No brats in sight.  

What had hit him was a Mithril Ring, now spinning on the ground.  

Justin turned in a full circle, checking the area to confirm no one was around before hesitantly picking up the ring.  

"Is this... a Divine Technique?"  

With his extensive knowledge of magic, Justin immediately recognized the magical runes engraved on the Mithril Ring—they pointed unmistakably to a deity.  

In other words, this was a Divine Technique.  

'They say cunning demons and false gods love to prey on people when they're at their weakest. So, I've caught their attention too, huh?'

Justin laughed bitterly to himself.  

But then he thought of the mockery in the Ancestral Hall and his father's disappointed gaze.  

Without hesitation, he took the Mithril Ring back to his quarters and activated it.  

A deal? A temptation? Even if it cost him his soul, he refused to remain a punching bag for children!  

As he channeled his Soul Power into the ring, no demon appeared as he'd expected. Instead, a Virtual Scroll unfurled before him, flooding his consciousness with instructions.  

Justin was stunned.  

After a long moment, he shakily tapped on the word "Library."

In the next moment, the writing on the scroll vanished, replaced by four modules:  

Magic, Divine Techniques, Battle Aura, and Others.

Justin was stunned. Instinctively, he tapped the Magic module, and the interface changed again, revealing a dense list of contents.

Among them were the Basic Magic Guide and Basic Meditation.

What shocked him most was that the directory included a vast array of advanced magic techniques—knowledge typically only accessible in magic academies.

This sight made Justin's heart pound wildly.  

Unable to resist, he tapped on one of the advanced spells he had long coveted. However, the Virtual Scroll promptly displayed an illusory Parchment with a message:

"Insufficient Points. Unable to unlock."

Points?

Justin froze. He tapped the bolded word "Points" and read the explanation, finally understanding what they were.

It turned out that Points were like currency—except they were virtual and could only be earned by promoting the Internet Divine Technique.

For every person he recruited, he would gain one Point.

With enough Points, he could exchange them for knowledge in Magic, Divine Techniques, Battle Aura, and even other niche cultivation methods.

Currently, Justin had zero Points, so the only things he could access were Basic Meditation and the foundational spells of the Water and Fire elements.

As he skimmed through these magical teachings, his entire body trembled.  

Because he realized—everything written here was real.

He hurriedly checked the Divine Techniques, Battle Aura, and other minor categories.

The structure was the same as the Magic section: basic knowledge was freely available, while deeper insights required Points to unlock.

Seeing this, Justin's eyes flickered with thought.  

Though young, he wasn’t foolish.  

As a mage, he knew one fundamental truth:  

"Those who use Divine Techniques will inevitably draw the gaze of the gods!"

This was a Sword of Damocles hanging over every practitioner.

Because no one could be sure—did the gods harbor malice?

In the propaganda of the Five Great Righteous Gods, all deities who spread Divine Techniques were said to carry deep malice, coveting the souls of their users.

But among mages, they often added one more line:  

"Including the Five Great Righteous Gods."

So Justin couldn’t be certain—were these teachings a sweet temptation? A prank by an evil god? Or genuine knowledge?

After a moment of hesitation, he returned to the main page and tapped the Forum option.

The next second, his jaw dropped.  

"Long live the God of the Internet! Points really work—I finally learned Mage Hand! Damn that teacher of mine, always treating me like free labor. Just wait, revenge is coming!"

"Just arrived in the Keville Empire, fresh off the airship. Anyone else here?"

"Ironblood Fearless Mercenary Group recruiting members..."

"Anyone practicing Levitation? How do you construct floating magic patterns in a honeycomb circuit?"

"Aren’t you guys afraid of being watched by the gods?"

"Dumbass above, why would a god waste time watching you? Get over yourself!"

"Looking to buy a Blue Crystal Wand—must amplify Soul Power by at least thirty feet! I’m in a small town near Ling'er Forest."

"I discovered a secret: No matter what language you use here, the Internet Divine Technique translates it into something other users can understand."

"Breaking news: Baron Isaac was assassinated! Bounty on the killer: 6,000 Luke Gold Coins. Any leads? Split 1,000 Luke Gold Coins if you help me complete the mission."

Justin, whose vision had been confined to the meager boundaries of his family, had never truly witnessed the world beyond.  

Suddenly confronted with this dazzling array of messages, he was utterly dumbfounded. Even the lingering bitterness of his family’s mockery faded somewhat.  

His heart churned with mixed emotions.  

On one hand, he was disappointed that this Divine Technique wasn’t his alone to possess.  

On the other, an intense curiosity about the outside world flared within him!  

Especially when he read the adventure stories shared by a few mercenaries—how one fell off a cliff and stumbled upon a top-tier Meditation method, transforming from a Battle Aura practitioner into a mage.  

Or how another casually rescued a bullied beggar, only to discover the beggar was a wandering deity, rewarded handsomely for his kindness.  

And yet another, hunted by enemies, plunged into an underground river and drifted straight into a dragon’s lair, slaying the beast in its sleep and claiming its hoard.  

In short, these tales of serendipity and fortune left Justin’s heart pounding with excitement, itching to set out himself.  

Could the world truly be so vibrant and thrilling?!

Compared to his life in the family—endlessly squabbling with brats or outwitting malicious peers—he suddenly felt a wave of shame!  

At that moment, a bold idea surged in his mind.  

Why stay in this suffocating family? He might as well leave!  

With this Divine Technique in hand, why fear a lack of knowledge in the future?  

If he truly had no talent for Magic, he could always learn Battle Aura!  

Failing that, there were still Divine Techniques, Witchcraft, Necromancy… He refused to believe that among so many cultivation systems, not a single one would suit him.  

As for the warning that "those who use Divine Techniques will be watched by gods"? Justin had long tossed it aside.  

In his subconscious, if so many people were using this technique, why couldn’t he?  

Besides, as one post had pointed out—would a god really have nothing better to do than watch him?  

Even if they did, with so many users, how could the gods possibly keep track of everyone?  

With this realization, all his lingering worries vanished without a trace.  

Instead, he felt nothing but awe for the Internet God, the creator of this Divine Technique.  

To Justin, openly sharing all cultivation secrets was nothing short of… revolutionary!!!  

Yet he had no idea that his every move was being observed by the so-called Internet God.  

Nor did he know that ninety percent of the posts he’d read were written by the Internet God… personally.  

For now, all he wanted was to earn Points and exchange them for the cultivation method he desired as soon as possible.