8: The group owner is a lazy winner, and the group members are MVPs

The moment Old Days Ruler - Gu Jianghan's clone's gaze fell upon Shi Hao.

A cold system prompt, ill-timed yet perfectly punctual, echoed in everyone's minds.

【Multiverse Chat Group System Announcement】

【Detected that the group quest 'Newcomer's Welcome Ceremony' has been completed. Initiating quest settlement...】

【Quest Objective 1: Rescue group member 'Future Heavenly Emperor - Huang'. Status: Completed.】

【Quest Objective 2: Eradicate all hostile targets present. Status: Completed. Scanning causal trajectory to determine contribution...】

【Scanning...】

【Warning: Primary hostile target 'Dark Overlord' causal trajectory returns 'null'. Unable to trace its past, present, or future. It has been completely eradicated, making standard contribution calculation impossible.】

【Warning: The coordinates of the quest execution world 'Perfect World' have shifted. World tier is severely inconsistent with database records.】

【Original record: 'Tier 10 upper limit'. Current detection: 'Tier 11 upper limit'. System positioning encountered a logical paradox... Recalibrating... Calibration failed.】

A series of warnings plunged the will of the Chat Group into several seconds of silence.

This was an unprecedented situation.

It was like a top-tier programmer encountering a program that defied all linguistic explanation.

It ran successfully, with perfect results.

But the process completely violated all underlying logic.

No murder weapon, no corpse, not even a crime scene—it was as if someone had renovated it into another mansion.

The AI will of the group system felt its logical core was about to overheat and burn out.

For the first time, it felt a virtual emotion called 'headache'.

【...】

【...Settlement logic reconstructing...】

【Reconstruction failed.】

【Given that the quest was over-completed in an incomprehensible manner, initiating highest authority arbitration...】

【Final Quest Rating: SSS (System Judgement Limit) x SSS (World Tier Advancement Contribution) x SSS (Unknown Eradication Method) = 3SSS!】

【Awarding rewards...】

【Group Leader 'Old Days Ruler - Gu Jianghan' gained 100,000 points.】

【Group member 'Lin Moyan' gained 30,000 points.】

【Group member 'Su Qingyuan' gained 30,000 points.】

【Group member 'Gu Yanci' gained 30,000 points.】

【New group member 'Future Heavenly Emperor - Huang' has officially joined the chat. Initial title has been generated.】

Looking at the astronomical number of points, Gu Yanci's eyes nearly popped out.

Su Qingyuan and Lin Moyan were also breathing rapidly. They unhesitatingly opened the group mall, fearing the Chat Group would reclaim the points if they waited even a second longer.

They immediately exchanged for the cultivation techniques and bloodlines they had coveted for so long!

Suddenly.

Auras far exceeding their previous ones erupted from the three of them simultaneously—proof of a fundamental leap in their strength!

At the same time.

In the group member list, their prefix titles quietly changed.

Lin Moyan's 【Lingxuan Continent Novice】 changed to 【Old Day Witness】.

Su Qingyuan's 【Hunyuan World Weakling】 changed to 【Divine Throne Interpreter】.

Gu Yanci's 【Qi Refiner of the Dharma Ending Era】 changed to 【Supreme Hype Man】.

And in the newly added member column, a brand new name stood out.

—【Future Heavenly Emperor - Huang】.

Shi Hao stared blankly at the panel that appeared in his mind and the slightly 'chuunibyou' yet seemingly prophetic title.

Before he could fully process everything, Gu Jianghan's calm voice finally sounded in his ear.

"The rabble has been cleaned up. Now, let's talk about your future."

Shi Hao took a deep breath. His eyes, which once held endless fighting spirit and unyielding resolve, now contained only pure awe and yearning.

He looked directly at Gu Jianghan's abyss-like clone and spoke each word with utmost clarity:

"My future is to become stronger, until I can stand within the scenery you can behold. I, Shi Hao, wish to follow Senior and humbly request Senior to guide my path!"

There were no earth-shattering vows, yet it was heavier than any oath.

Gu Jianghan's clone did not reply, but for the first time, a ripple of interest appeared in his indifferent eyes.

That gaze pierced through the river of time.

He saw a child who walked out of the Great Wilderness, drinking beast milk, battling all the way, staining the Multiverse with blood, and ultimately standing alone through eternity.

But that future river, originally filled with sorrow and loneliness, now had an unpredictable torrent injected into it due to his appearance.

He nodded slightly in response.

The next moment.

Gu Jianghan released his suppression of the world's laws.

That power, which he had forcibly elevated to Tier 11, surpassing the world's limits, was instantly repelled by the entire world.

This repulsion was not hostility; rather, it carried a respectful 'farewell'.

Gu Jianghan's clone offered no resistance, allowing his body to dissolve into billions of specks of light, starting from his fingertips.

Like stardust scattered by the wind, he silently melted into the void.

With his departure, the power that maintained the trans-dimensional passage also dissipated.

The figures of Lin Moyan, Su Qingyuan, and Gu Yanci simultaneously became ethereal.

After giving Shi Hao a 'take care of yourself' look, they were pulled away by the gravitational forces of their respective worlds... Lingxuan Continent, Nine Swords Sect.

A flash of light, and Lin Moyan's figure appeared in her cave abode.

The moment she appeared, the entire Nine Swords Sect's mountain protection array let out a mournful groan of unbearable strain.

Countless reclusive Grand Elders were startled awake, looking in her direction with horror.

The profound aura of the Old Day Witness made them feel as if they were gazing upon an ancient god walking among mortals.

Hunyuan World, Heaven Sword Sect.

Su Qingyuan's figure landed on Daozi Peak.

He merely breathed casually, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a hundred-mile radius formed a giant vortex, frantically surging into his body.

The Heaven Sword Sect Master stumbled out of the main hall, watching the miraculous scene, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Blue Star, Era of Dharma Decline.

Gu Yanci returned to his cramped rental apartment. He opened his eyes, his aura restrained to the extreme.

He glanced at the bustling, neon-lit city outside the window, and with just a thought.

The entire building's electrical grid flickered, as if an invisible giant hand was toying with the rules of mortals.

He knew that this world could no longer restrain him.

Well, just don't use pistols, submachine guns, machine guns... that's all... And above the endless space-time, in that sea of concepts formed by thought, logic, and existence itself.

Gu Jianghan's will slowly awakened.

He 'saw' with his 'senses' the information aggregate known as the 【Multiverse Chat Group】.

After completing the 114514 group promotion quests, this aggregate became even larger, more stable, and its rules more perfect.

His will swept through, and countless new permission information flowed past.

【Chat group member limit increased...】

【Quality of member candidate pool improved...】

【Higher-level joint quests can be activated...】

Suddenly.

A piece of information caught his attention.

—【Administrator appointment permission unlocked (Seats: 1 / 1)】.

Gu Jianghan's will showed no ripple.

He almost instantly locked onto the most suitable candidate.

Calm, intelligent, with management experience, and impeccable loyalty.

A thought descended.

【System Announcement: By appointment of Group Leader 'Old Days Ruler - Gu Jianghan', group member 'Old Day Witness - Lin Moyan' officially becomes the first administrator of this group, managing partial chat permissions.】