After breaking through, the next Realm was extremely clear, and Ning Zheng felt exceptionally comfortable.

He opened the game forum, which he hadn't done in awhile, to see what the smiths from various departments had been up to during his days of retreat.

All sorts of posts remained very popular.

Especially posts about the Embers Disaster and the Longevity Imperial Mausoleum, which had new information every day.

Ning Zheng casually skimmed over them.

Too many review threads, not interested.

Analysis threads, too commonplace, couldn't be bothered to look.

Eventually, his attention was drawn to a rather unconventional post:

[Shrimp Catcher: Discussing the downfall of humanity, are smiths saviors or Heaven's disaster that ruins the world?]

He was mildly intrigued by this post.

Have they finally gained some self-awareness? Learned to self-reflect?

Ning Zheng smiled a little and clicked on the post.

"Hello everyone, the recent event updates are very diverse, or perhaps this is the most exhausting, cutthroat simulation game I've ever seen, where there's no time to relax."

"This damn game's prerelease test has been ongoing for over half a year, with daily schedules packed tight, one wave of storyline after another rushing in."

"Based on forum experts' predictions, after this lengthy prerelease test phase, the official public test is about to begin... Life Explosion, that is the public test, a full release where players can create life."

"This has been thoroughly analyzed on the forum, and many players are eagerly waiting to go online... I'll discuss the topic from another perspective."

"Recently, the Embers Disaster is coming on strong, and sanctuary cities have been established again! The chaos is imminent, and the common people are suffering; personally, I feel quite uncomfortable because they seem too real, the world is too wretched."

"Some say it's due to the twisted, dark worldview, where era after era's tombs accumulate over time, then become a chronic illness. The Powerhouses of those eras always hoped: to trust the wisdom of their successors... And those stubborn tombs were left to later generations, now the tombs are erupting everywhere, no place for the living... and now they've all exploded simultaneously!"

"Some say that it's the arrival of a biological cycle rate node, akin to a Jurassic extinction event; this chaotic node is upon us, and the ancient dark hands have all rushed out of the tombs to vie for dominance in the epoch."

"Actually, these are some of the reasons; I think it's our Xi Rong smiths' chaotic meddling causing these frequent outbreaks of chaos."

"We're crazily stirring the pot, leading to one disaster after another coming down."

"I know some people at this point start cursing! Saying they're saviors, cleaning up the chaos again and again... but hold on, have a good look at what exactly you've done?"

"Causing havoc over Sea Race, attacking the Dragon Race, breaking balance, causing the Cursed Disaster, wiping out the world once."

"Pretending to be the dark hand behind it, waging war across the world, wiping out the world again."

"Attacking the Longevity Imperial Mausoleum, yet another major battle broke out."

"Perhaps these battles would break out sooner or later, these disaster outbreaks could be every few hundred years or even thousands, but definitely not five times in six months."

"Every time there's you bastards stirring things up behind the scenes."

"Your pattern of stirring trouble started long ago, from the Sun Moon Divine Artifact when Jiu Shui passed away to the emergence of Human Gods... you guys have been the catalysts all along."

"Whenever things seem boring, with plot becoming peaceful, you stir up a dark hand behind the scenes to make trouble..."

"I advise you to behave yourselves! You're not the hero Xi Rong Saints who save the world but the troublemakers who create chaos!"

...

This analysis thread was indeed very heated.

From another angle, discussing why lately there's been a constant outbreak of major events.

"Damn, it kind of makes sense when you say it like that!"

"These bastards keep saying they're saviors, saving the world time and again... isn't every boss released by them?"

"Lacking moral character!"

"Without any conscience."

"I spit!! Yes, it's caused by us, but so what if it all explodes at once? Better to have short, sharp pain than prolonged torture, a clean sweep, cleaning up those historical toxins! A benevolent mind does not command troops, you know? Afraid the common folk now suffer, then those folk will suffer forever!"

Some directly started arguing.

It escalated to philosophy, delving into human development history, debating whether what they're doing is right or wrong.

Some say, with one major event after another, the common folk can't bear it anymore.

Some say, it's like treating a disease with surgery, the world is sick and needs strong medicine! If you don't save the world, it will keep consuming people in its sickness.

Ning Zheng watched with great interest.

Aside from discussing combat, they've elevated it to philosophical thinking, various debates, it's quite interesting. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Clarity comes through debate.

This statement not only applies to today's Nine-State scholars but also to the smiths.

Apart from the descriptions of the opposing sides, there are also neutral onlookers watching the drama: "Hahaha, worthy of dumb players, their thinking is bizarre, playing a game that's elevated to philosophical thought, even debating unsolved mysteries of the world."

"But maybe it's due to the game's high degree of freedom, allowing players to choose their paths, whether a pure Buddhist management route or igniting historical toxins in a combat route."

"I think they're not trying to save the world, it's just those jerks simply turning a management game into a Tomb Raider game where you secretly rob ancestral tombs."

"Precisely, I suggest this game should be called Ghost Lamp Manor, not Sword Casting Manor, or Tomb Raider Manor."

...

Ning Zheng felt very comforted after reading this: These little bastards finally realized they have major issues.

Before Ning Zheng got the [Sword Casting Manor Server], he lived in Ghost Manor beneath the mountain for many years.

During those years, why was the world so peaceful?

After the smiths arrived, started stirring things up crazily from the battle between Pingchang City and Continent City.

The smiths dictated whether the world was in chaos or not.

Perhaps those ancient tombs' Human Gods and folks would eventually emerge, but that might take hundreds or thousands of years.

However, once the smiths arrived, they prematurely stirred everything up.

There were already tens of thousands of posts in this thread.

Even some began to think: Let the people take a break, settle down and farm, manage for a bit, and then stir things up.

Stop creating disasters by bringing out historical toxins and dark hands.

To this, Ning Zheng simply couldn't help but laugh: "Now they've learned mercy? But it's already meaningless."

"Because there are practically no historical toxins left."

In Ning Zheng's eyes, there will be a prolonged period of peace.

All the various faction's common folk will start closing off their countries.

Wishing for a few hundred years of self-seclusion, then self-seal in sanctuaries to welcome the outside's new era of evolution.

And what about the historical toxins?

They're mostly in the Chronicles of Time.

Locking them in and keeping them out.

They can still summon free mercenaries, smith's popular emojis, the explosive Three Heroes, to help clear the field.

It's as stable as can be.

The next steps, in Ning Zheng's view, are quite simple.

That is, to clear out the Longevity Imperial Mausoleum and eliminate historical toxins.

Then quietly wait for the great evolution era to arrive, and compete with other cursed big shots for the King's throne of Xian, to conclude things.

If the guess is correct, besides those cursed ones, there might be hidden ancient dark hands outside the [Chronicles of Time].

The number of enemies is just a few.

This process is quite simple, right?

Of course it's simple.

Because Xian has long been in hand.

"Even at this point, smiths still think to not bring out historical toxins? And maintain peace?"

Ning Zheng mused, feeling extremely odd:

"They were practically all brought out and dealt with, and only then they start crying bitterly, I shouldn't have messed around, created chaos... A bunch of hypocritical afterthoughts."

What's left to repent? Just lie down quietly and receive the victory spoil.

What they want to compete for, Xian, has long been in my hand, can't even imagine how losing is possible.

Ning Zheng turned off the forum and stretched lazily:

"Even the future is so obvious at a glance... Truly boring."