World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others
Chapter 516: The most difficult start in history

Is this a threat?

It must be a threat!

But they had never seen anyone use threats to force others to learn by life and death before. Usually, threats were for extorting money or coercing others into doing evil deeds.

If such words came from a normal person, Brother Niu and his men would think they were being mocked and might even fight back. If not, they would try to escape as far as possible.

But the person in front of them was a child of eight or nine, a child with extraordinary martial prowess, which made these words much more credible.

At this age, even with deliberate teaching, a child couldn't become like this.

Moreover, who would train a child like this just to torment them?

It's not worth it!

Is this the style of a great Demon Head?

Brother Niu and his men looked at their own mutilated bodies, feeling desolate, with no way out!

With such a master, if they don't kill him after learning from him, their minds will never be at peace!

Without peace of mind, how could they ever master the divine skills?

Thinking this way, they suddenly understood why the Free and Unfettered Sect's legacy was about betraying the master and ancestors...

...

Taking a deep breath, Brother Niu said, "Senior, we will learn. But in our current state, how should we deal with the backlash from our subordinates?"

"Your subordinates have been tormented by you to such a state that they can't do any other work. Just give them some benefits and recruit them into your group."

Du Ge looked around at them and advised, "Select two people from them who collect the most money daily and make them deputy managers. Each deputy manager leads a team, and after a month, the team that collects more money will have its leader promoted to manager.

Within each team, create a fictitious supervisor position, held by the person who collects the most money after a month. The manager can take a cut from everyone's earnings, and the supervisor can take a larger share than others, with the supervisor position rotating monthly.

The person who collects the least money will have a two-month grace period. If they are still at the bottom after two months, expel them and let them fend for themselves.

This way, you divide them while giving everyone hope for advancement. Even without your supervision, they will maintain this order themselves to seek the greatest benefit.

Over time, as you recruit more people, you could even form a gang, so why fear rebellion?"

Is that possible?

Brother Niu and his men held their breath. Is this what they call a cultured rogue?

"If you're still worried, let them learn with you." Du Ge chuckled, "Their bodies are broken, with no hope for the future, but after saving some money, they can still marry and have children, allowing their children to succeed. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Help them marry and have children?" Old Five Liu widened his eyes in disbelief.

"You want the donkey to run but don't want it to eat grass. No wonder, with over twenty people and protection fees, you only earn a little over a thousand silver coins a year."

Du Ge glanced at them disdainfully and advised tirelessly, "You previously oppressed them with violence, and everyone resented you. Getting some silver coins to fool them into surviving was enough.

But procreation is a human instinct. Tempt them with marriage and children, and they'll work hard to earn money. If you reward the person who collects the most money in a year with a house, they'll probably go all out to collect money..."

Brother Niu, being the most astute, pondered for a moment and increasingly felt that Du Ge's method had a high chance of success. This method of managing people might be a secret of those big merchants, and this child revealed it so easily, proving his great ability.

If they served him well, even if they couldn't learn his divine skills, becoming a wealthy merchant could still lead to a happy life.

Of course.

If they could learn his Eternal Youth and Longevity Art and restore their mutilated limbs, that would be even better. Who doesn't long for immortality?

"Have you learned it?" Du Ge asked.

"We've learned it, thank you for your guidance, Senior," Brother Niu replied respectfully.

"Then execute it!" Du Ge glanced at them and said, "I should not show my face. Find a house nearby for me to stay in. If you encounter any difficulties, you can seek my help."

"Senior," Brother Niu said, "We've also bought the yard next to the house. There's a tunnel connecting the two yards, which we brothers reserved as an escape route. You can rest in the adjacent yard without being disturbed, and we brothers will provide your daily meals on time."

After crippling Brother Niu and his men and guiding them onto a crooked path, Du Ge's attributes increased significantly, expanding his perception range to forty or fifty meters.

With the two connected yards, his perception could cover the entire area, saving him a lot of trouble with Brother Niu's arrangements.

Thus.

Du Ge nodded, "Alright." He looked at Brother Niu and asked, "Do you know how to avoid revealing my identity?"

"Please instruct us, Senior," Brother Niu said.

Du Ge thought for a moment and said, "If no one asks, then let it be. If someone asks, say you offended an unknown hero and were punished by the hero. If asked about buying books, say it was at the hero's request, and you dare not refuse to learn..."

...

After carefully instructing Brother Niu and his men on how to make their strange behavior seem reasonable, Du Ge moved into the adjacent yard as arranged by Brother Niu.

The things Brother Niu and his men did couldn't see the light of day, and the yard they chose was remote and secluded, so living there, they didn't fear being discovered.

That night.

Old Six and Old Eight, who were outside monitoring the beggars collecting money, returned with their men. Seeing Brother Niu and the others in such a miserable state, they were shocked and asked what had happened, but Brother Niu and the others brushed them off.

After calming their beggar subordinates using Du Ge's management methods, Brother Niu and the others brought Old Six and Old Eight to meet Du Ge.

It's not about having too little but about inequality. Naturally, the two couldn't escape Du Ge's clutches either, and under the brainwashing of their brothers, they were forced to become disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect.

Having not personally experienced Du Ge's brainwashing from scratch, Old Six and Old Eight were naturally skeptical about the so-called Free and Unfettered Sect.

However, Du Ge was adept at reading people and immediately saw through their thoughts.

To prevent them from leaking information, he decisively severed their Achilles tendons, keeping the two incapacitated individuals by his side for personal instruction. Witnessing Du Ge's ruthlessness, Brother Niu and the others were terrified and dared not act rashly.

As for reporting to the authorities, they didn't even consider it.

Firstly, they feared Du Ge's retaliation; secondly, the Eternal Youth and Longevity Art dangled before them, making them fantasize about one day roaming the world like Du Ge!

...

Over the next two days, things unfolded just as Du Ge had predicted.

The twenty or so beggars were divided into two groups, and after establishing deputy managers to compete with each other, the efficiency of the two teams greatly improved, with the money collected increasing by at least forty percent compared to usual. The immediate results further strengthened Brother Niu and the others' confidence.

Under Du Ge's guidance, they also purchased various books from a bookstore for learning.

Due to their severe injuries, they couldn't hire a teacher, so Brother Niu, who had studied in a private school for two years, began enlightening Liu Chun and the others. Under the guise of supervision, Du Ge naturally learned the written language of this world.

With a foundation in the written language, the rest became simple.

Du Ge's powerful mental power allowed him to quickly understand the structure of this world through books.

...

This world indeed had a well-formed and complete mythological system, with almost every industry having its own patron deity.

Each deity had its own responsibilities, covering all aspects of people's lives.

There were household gods like the Kitchen God and Door God.

However, like on Earth, these deities generally didn't intervene in daily affairs. Even though there were legends of "reporting good deeds to heaven," the Kitchen God and Door God were mostly ornamental.

When evil spirits invaded homes, these household gods were ineffective, requiring Daoist priests or monks to perform exorcisms.

Of course, cultivators traveling in the mortal world were more adept at capturing demons and ghosts.

But encountering them was difficult, as disciples of celestial sects spent most of their time cultivating.

Except for specific times, they rarely ventured into the mortal world.

In summary.

In folk records, these deities and cultivators were a vague concept, something people had heard of and firmly believed in, but rarely seen.

As for being responsive to prayers, that was even less likely.

Temples of gods and bodhisattvas were more like spiritual sanctuaries, and praying to them was less effective than seeking help from some rogue immortals or wild spirits, who were more eager for incense offerings and more willing to help people.

Indeed.

This world had monsters, and their existence was permitted.

There were even many monster immortals in the celestial realm.

Some of these monster immortals were disciples of celestial lords, while others had achieved success in cultivation in the mortal world and ascended after overcoming tribulations...

But the details were vague.

The most detailed folk records were probably about the celestial positions and offices.

The celestial realm was governed by the Great Emperor of the Heavenly Realm, with female immortals under the Queen Mother of the West, and the five continents under the control of five celestial lords...

Du Ge's current location, Fancheng, belonged to a country called New Moon, geographically part of the Eastern Divine Continent, governed by the Eastern Emperor.

According to records, the Eastern Emperor had an immortal island overseas, with three thousand disciples and countless celestial soldiers and generals.

Every ten years.

The Eastern Emperor would patrol the Eastern Divine Continent, displaying divine miracles, punishing demons, and blessing the people with good weather...

Sometimes, the Eastern Emperor would transform into a mortal, mingling among people to experience their hardships, leaving behind many legends, such as slaying a black flood dragon with a sword or teasing the White Immortal Maiden three times;

However, these stories lacked detailed locations and times, seemingly fabricated by storytellers to enrich the Eastern Emperor's image.

...

The folk records contained both truths and falsehoods, which Du Ge couldn't discern for now, but he managed to glean some information from the clues.

The immortals in this world possessed genuine immortal arts, distinct from the spiritual power-based imitations in the alien star battlefield he first entered, capable of controlling the weather, moving mountains and seas, flying and escaping, transforming, and achieving immortality...

They seemed omnipotent.

This was a true mythological world.

For alien star warriors to survive here, they would inevitably have to confront these powerful immortals. The immortal arts were not much weaker than the skills of alien star warriors, and winning the battlefield without learning immortal arts was impossible.

Moreover, understanding the true celestial realm through speculation was impossible; only by getting close to them could one truly understand them.

After reading so many books, the only thing Du Ge was sure of was that the City Gods and Earth Gods really didn't care about things. As long as he didn't cause too much trouble to attract their attention, there wouldn't be any danger.

...

During the two days Du Ge secluded himself to understand the world.

The number of alien star warriors decreased again, finally stabilizing at 677.

In less than ten days, 2,300 people were eliminated, even worse than the original 60% elimination rate.

Du Ge speculated that it was likely because the warriors selected by Pan-Universal Entertainment were too unconventional, and their eagerness to perform led them to be targeted by the natives.

This world had an underworld, and he wondered if the souls of these alien star warriors would be captured after being killed.

If their souls were captured and suppressed in the underworld, he wondered if they could be rescued and possess bodies again...

However.

In a mythological world where immortal arts were so prevalent, Pan-Universal Entertainment's secrets were likely to be exposed, sparing him the effort of uncovering their secrets!

...

The situation in this alien star battlefield was unprecedentedly complex, and the alien star warriors' predicament was unprecedentedly dire.

Seeing the remaining six hundred or so people, Du Ge could imagine how desperate the investors outside must be.

Serves them right.

For trying to exploit him?

It truly proved the saying, "If you don't court disaster, you won't die."

Since his consecutive victories in the alien star battlefield, Pan-Universal Entertainment had made one blunder after another. Perhaps one day, without him lifting a finger, the show would collapse on its own!

However.

Despite the difficulties, this mythological world also presented Du Ge with new opportunities.

In this alien star battlefield, where immortals frequently descended to the mortal world, reincarnated to cultivate again, leaving behind legend after legend, and then ascended to become immortals again.

He wondered if this method could break Pan-Universal Entertainment's control over their souls?

Moreover, the immortal arts included the concept of the soul leaving the body.

Seventy-two transformations, one breath creating three Pure Ones, recreating earth, water, fire, and wind...

The immortal arts from Earth's mythology flooded Du Ge's mind, and the immortal arts of this world should be no less than those of the Three Pure Ones and the Jade Emperor, right?

Thinking of this, Du Ge suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

Becoming an immortal, he must find a way to become an immortal and master the most powerful immortal arts in this world.

He didn't believe that Pan-Universal Entertainment was truly omnipotent and could suppress any form of civilization.

...

In the New Moon country, there was no shortage of people seeking immortality and enlightenment.

The most famous sect in the folk tales was Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

It was said that Dragon and Tiger Mountain was the lineage of Master Xu.

Master Xu was one of the four Celestial Masters of the celestial realm, who, as a mortal, descended to the mortal world to subdue demons and accumulate countless merits before ascending to the celestial realm and being conferred the title of Celestial Master by the Jade Emperor.

Therefore.

Dragon and Tiger Mountain had always been a holy land for those seeking immortality and enlightenment.

...

Dragon and Tiger Mountain?

Du Ge pondered for a moment and also set his sights on Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

Knowing his own situation, being labeled as a demon causing chaos, going to Dragon and Tiger Mountain to seek enlightenment would be like walking into a trap. Even if he didn't go, with the current situation, if he caused too much trouble, he might be found out.

Therefore, to learn immortal arts, he must devise a foolproof plan!

The premise of everything was that he must become strong himself, preferably mastering all four skills along with their derived items.

This way, if any unexpected situation arose, he wouldn't be powerless to respond.

"How can I max out my skills and attributes without exposing myself? It would be great if there were some organization of demons and monsters opposed to the celestial realm." Thinking of his keywords, Du Ge muttered to himself. To be honest, keywords like "ruthless" really didn't suit entering a celestial sect!