Xu Zifan had been waiting all day; his legs were numb from kneeling. "[Shaohua, isn't there anything unusual around here?]"
[Shaohua: No energy fluctuations were detected.]
The high shaman, the clan chief, and others came to the altar again. The high shaman walked up to the altar and said with a stern face, "The Beast God has rejected you. Go back and take your offerings with you."
Xu Zifan pursed his lips, looking up at the Beast God statue with resentment. He recalled his prayers to the Beast God, hoping to become the successor of the Tiger Clan's Great Shaman. Was it because he wasn't truly thinking of the Tiger Clan that the Beast God refused? Or what if he phrased it another way?
"Beast God above, I will use my knowledge to bring sustenance and a way of survival to this continent, so that its people may live in peace and prosperity, its tribes may flourish and become strong, free from the fading spiritual energy, and grow powerful on their own. If the Beast God agrees, please appear and give me your guidance."
The high shaman frowned and shouted, "Xu Zifan, what are you saying? Don't spout nonsense and disturb the Beast God! Get down here!"
The clan chief's face also turned cold. "Xu Zifan, your words are too arrogant. Don't anger the Beast God; we cannot afford to do so. Bai Yi, take him away."
"Yes, Father." Bai Yi jumped onto the altar and went to pull Xu Zifan.
Xu Zifan stared at the Beast God statue and shouted, "Beast God, you know that nothing lasts forever without change. Even you cannot protect them. I came here for the sake of this continent. If you truly care about your people, please show yourself!"
"Xu Zifan! Stop talking nonsense!" Bai Yi angrily pulled Xu Zifan up from the ground. He was strong, and Xu Zifan stumbled and almost fell off the altar.
At this moment, Xu Zifan felt a gentle force supporting him and helping him stand firm. Then, everyone exclaimed in surprise, and the Great Shaman, the Chieftain, and all the clansmen knelt down in unison, "Beast God above, we pay our respects to the Beast God!"
Xu Zifan raised his head, his eyes flashing. Before the statue of the Beast God, a phantom image of a tiger had appeared. The tiger was majestic, exuding an aura of absolute dominance, far surpassing the power of even the most advanced cultivators in the cultivation world. Calling it a "deity" wouldn't be an exaggeration. Xu Zifan frowned, somewhat puzzled. "The Beast God... is it just the Beast God of the Tiger Clan?" Aren't there other races? Surely they don't all worship tigers as gods?
The tiger nodded. "I am the guardian deity of the tiger clan. Is your wish truly sincere? You must know that your knowledge can bring prosperity and strength to this place, or it can bring annihilation. How can I trust you?"
Xu Zifan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that they were willing to talk; he was most afraid of not even having the chance to talk. He cupped his hands in a salute and said earnestly, "I can swear to dedicate my life to developing this continent, making it prosperous, strong, and peaceful. But the Beast God should know that unification will inevitably involve war, and continued development will inevitably change the beastmen—something even gods cannot avoid. I wonder if the Beast God would allow me to bring about such change?"
The tiger's sharp gaze was fixed on his eyes. A full quarter of an hour passed in silence, causing the great shaman and the others to break out in a cold sweat. Only then did the tiger speak authoritatively: "The Beast God has granted you permission to change the continent. Your oath is fulfilled. If you harbor any disloyalty, the Beast God will personally deal with you." It took two steps, looked at the others, and proclaimed loudly, "This man is a divinely ordained sage; you should all obey his commands."
The high shaman was the first to kowtow in agreement, followed closely by the others. The tiger's phantom vanished before their eyes. Xu Zifan hurriedly asked Shaohua, "[Where did it go? Could it be inside that beast god statue?]"
[Shaohua: The monitored energy fluctuations indicate that it merely appears and disappears suddenly, using the Beast God statue as a medium.]
Xu Zifan looked at the statue of the Beast God, feeling neither fear nor curiosity, only a sense of relief. He was glad he hadn't been presumptuous; otherwise, the appearance of the tiger would have been a slap in the face. So, the Beast God truly existed in this world, but the real Beast God was high above and rarely appeared. The Beast Gods that various races perceived were merely their respective guardian deities. But guardian deities were still gods, not just some charlatan shaman spouting nonsense. He had just successfully negotiated with the Beast God and understood the situation. The Beast God didn't want these beastmen to live forever; he wanted the people of this continent to continue living. Changing this situation wouldn't offend the Beast God, so he could act freely.
The great shaman looked at Xu Zifan with excitement in his eyes and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Wise One."
Bai Yi was closest to Xu Zifan, and his expression was the most complicated. But the Beast God had indeed appeared, so he could only suppress his chaotic thoughts and bow down with the others, saying, "Greetings, Wise One."
Orcs are naturally loud, and the sight of hundreds of people from one tribe speaking in unison and kneeling on the ground was quite awe-inspiring. Xu Zifan, with his hands behind his back, calmly said, "No need for formalities. I need to prepare some things in my room. I won't come out, so please don't disturb me. Everyone, please disperse."
The high shaman, the clan chief, and others stood up, wanting to say something to him, but Xu Zifan ignored them and strode down from the altar back to his small wooden hut. The clan chief looked at the high shaman and asked cautiously and hesitantly, "What does 'wise man' mean?"
The great shaman hesitated and said, "It must be someone who brings us benefits. He prayed to protect the people of this continent."
The clan chief frowned, glanced at Bai Yi, and said with a troubled expression, "Great Shaman, the Wise One was very unhappy because of Bai Yi. Will the Beast God take his anger out on us?"
The high shaman composed himself and said solemnly, "The Beast God didn't reprimand us just now, so let's consider this matter over. But before the Beast God left, he ordered us to obey the Wise Man's orders. Chieftain, you must never offend the Wise Man again in the future, as we cannot bear the Beast God's wrath."
The clan chief nodded immediately. "Of course." He announced loudly to those around him, "From now on, everyone..."
When you see a wise man, you must bow and show him respect. You must not have any further conflict with him, remember that!
Everyone responded in unison. The clan leader's gaze fell on Mu Ci, whose face paled and he nodded repeatedly. He was still terrified. Xu Zifan had gained the Beast God's approval, and the Beast God even made them all listen to Xu Zifan. He was someone he couldn't afford to offend. His heart was still pounding, and he would never dare to provoke Xu Zifan again.
As the crowd dispersed, Mu Ci walked to Bai Yi's side, took his hand, and said in a tearful voice, "Bai Yi, what should we do? Will he... will he expel me?"
Bai Yi's mind was in turmoil. He had once liked Xu Zifan and pursued her earnestly—she was a female he had taken in. Later, when he was with Mu Ci, Xu Zifan even came looking for him, but he rejected her, which led Xu Zifan to run away from the tribe and give up on him. If he had properly arranged a marriage with Xu Zifan back then, wouldn't the Wise One be his wife now? The future chieftain's wife of the Tiger Clan? But why didn't Xu Zifan reveal that she was the Wise One? If she had, he definitely wouldn't have changed his pursuit.
Mu Ci shook his hand, "Bai Yi, say something."
Bai Yi angrily shook him off and walked away, saying, "I don't know, stop bothering me."
"You!" Mu Ci's face changed. Seeing that everyone else was avoiding him as if they were afraid of getting involved with him, he ran home feeling wronged.
Xu Zifan had no interest in any of their affairs. He was exhausted from kneeling all day, so he went back to his room and took out a spiritual fruit from his spatial storage and ate it. The spiritual energy in the fruit couldn't be used for cultivation, but eating it could quickly replenish energy, and eating more could even improve one's physique. It was an exceptionally good thing for ordinary people.
After eating, Xu Zifan asked Shao Hua to keep watch outside to prevent anyone from suddenly entering. Then he went into his spatial dimension to study the plants he had collected. This research lasted for three days. The people of the Tiger Clan were uneasy seeing him stay indoors, as they hadn't treated him well before and had even mocked and looked down on him. They were worried that Xu Zifan might hold a grudge. The clan chief even assigned two beastmen to guard the door, ready to fulfill any requests Xu Zifan might have.
As soon as Xu Zifan stepped out, the two orcs immediately asked, "What are your orders, Wise One?"
Xu Zifan paused, looked at them, and said, "I have something to discuss with the clan chief and the high shaman. Please ask the clan chief to go to the high shaman to find me."
"Yes, wise man."
One orc received the order and immediately ran away, while the other orc transformed into his beast form and lay on the ground, saying, "Sage, I'll take you there."
Xu Zifan nodded and naturally sat on the tiger's back, immediately feeling the speed of the run. They quickly arrived at the Great Shaman's wooden hut. After getting off, Xu Zifan thanked the tiger, thinking that if someone could guide him from now on, he'd be practically living with a car in this world. Otherwise, traveling far in the Beast World would probably exhaust him. This was also why he hadn't tried to visit other tribes. He had no idea where they were, and the distances between tribes were vast. Those beastmen didn't seem to notice while running, but for an ordinary person like him to walk would take an unknown amount of time and be pointless. Therefore, he planned to do whatever he could get his hands on, starting with small tasks.
As soon as the great shaman saw Xu Zifan, he stood up and offered him a seat, saying, "Does the wise sage have something to tell me? Just tell me to come see you next time."
Xu Zifan knew how important status was in this world, so he accepted all the respect and took out a few plants similar to Earth's vegetables. "These are all edible. Eating them with meat is good for your health and will make you healthier. These are cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, and chives."
Although the plants looked different from those on Earth, Xu Zifan was certain that they were the same things, and that they tasted and had the same medicinal properties, so he simply named them after the familiar names.
The great shaman immediately pointed to the chili peppers and chives and said, "Wise one, these two cannot be eaten. Eating them will make you feel very uncomfortable, like being burned. Your tongue and throat will hurt, and your stomach will also hurt. They are poisonous."
"Has any of you eaten it?" Xu Zifan asked. After seeing the shaman nod, he continued, "You ate it the wrong way. It's not poisonous, but of course you can't eat too much. I will teach you the proper method, and you can then teach it to the people of your tribe."
The high shaman glanced at the chili peppers, then at Xu Zifan, his heart filled with suspicion. Those were clearly inedible; why did Xu Zifan say they were? Was he deliberately trying to harm them because of their previous unpleasantness? But remembering the Beast God's demand that they obey Xu Zifan's orders, he had no choice but to agree. Soon after, the chieftain arrived. Xu Zifan instructed him to send people to find more of these vegetables. The chieftain shared the same thought as the high shaman: although the Beast God had said Xu Zifan was wise, would he really not harm them?