209: Chapter 209 needs some revisions; money is not an issue.

"Fine, System, you really are something else!"

Chen You muttered to himself, even he couldn't help but exclaim now:

This is damn expensive!

The speed of this inflation made him suspect if the Source Realm had changed owners.

However, no matter how expensive it was, he had to buy it!

If he missed even one item, he could already imagine Director Li's look of exasperated disappointment.

【Nether Ghost Fire: 1000 Gold Coins】. Select!

【Star Annihilation: 1200 Gold Coins】. Select!

【Thunder Prison Dragon Roar: 1500 Gold Coins】. Select!

... Aura effects, effects are the facade, must buy them all!

Next, he clicked on the Domain Effects.

【Monarch's Majesty: 5000 Gold Coins】. Select!

【Shadow Prohibition: 8000 Gold Coins】. Select!

【Soul Wither: 12000 Gold Coins】. Select!

... Domains are a solid boost to combat power, buying one less is a huge loss!

Finally, there was the size setting.

He pulled the slider without hesitation, all the way to "Maximum."

Bigger is justice!

Who doesn't like big?

The maximum option even came with a "(Mythical Grade)" suffix, followed by a jaw-dropping number.

"Good heavens, even size costs money? Why don't you just rob me?"

Chen You complained verbally, but his hands didn't hesitate in the slightest.

After selecting everything, he prepared to confirm.

The 3D model was already enveloped by all sorts of Fire, Wind, Thunder, and Lightning, Star, and Shadow effects, entwined with Chaos Power—it was practically a colorful black.

Its original appearance was almost completely obscured, presenting a world-destroying posture.

【Confirm Payment of Gold Coins: 62300】

Chen You's finger landed on the confirm button, and the next second, the system popped up a red warning:

【Ding! Your Gold Coin balance is insufficient!】

"????"

Chen You's eyes widened.

"Holy crap! I was careless!"

He hadn't even checked how many gold coins it cost, nor had he paid attention to how many he had left.

"I give up on myself!" He said angrily, pulling up the recharge interface.

【Recharge Amount: 200000 Gold Coins】

"Take this!"

He directly recharged two hundred thousand gold coins, putting in all the money Director Li had beaten out of him in those two instances.

"After spending this much money, you better not disappoint me!"

He clicked confirm again.

【Ding! Payment successful! Your [Monarch Incarnation] has been saved!】

【Ding! Congratulations! You have activated the Mythical Skill—[Ruling the World]!】

【Ruling the World: After using the skill, you will enter the 'Monarch Incarnation' form, your attributes will be greatly enhanced, and you will gain all the 'Monarch Incarnation' effects and domain bonuses you purchased.】

【While in the 'Monarch Incarnation' active state, using the skill again will exit this state. Cooldown: 30 minutes.】

Chen You's heart trembled after reading the skill description.

He understood!

"Isn't this the transformation skill granted by the System?!"

Just as he was imagining the strategic implications of this skill, the system prompt sounded in his mind again:

【Ding! The [Ruling the World] Trial Path officially begins! Please select your Monarch Path!】

Two massive relief sculptures instantly appeared before his eyes.

On the left sculpture, on an ancient battlefield, smoke billowed, and countless battle flags snapped in the wind.

On the throne, a monarch clad in armor overlooked all living beings, with nine golden dragons of destiny coiling above his head.

Four large characters appeared in the center: 【Destiny Plunder】.

On the right sculpture was a peaceful immortal palace of jade and splendor, surrounded by countless stunning beauties dressed in flowing silks and satins around a slender man.

They smiled sweetly and looked charmingly, the entire scene being both sensual and solemn.

The center read: 【Three Thousand Beauties】.

"..." Chen You's eye twitched.

It turned out that spending money to buy configurations was just preliminary preparation.

The real main event was this Trial Path.

But... what kind of paths were these?

One could only say the System understood players well.

One path promised hegemony, the other promised beauties—both were a man's dream.

He hid the interface, wanting to ask Xiao Dai what these two choices meant.

However, it was only then that he realized his current field of vision seemed... a little different.

He subconsciously looked up and around, but saw nothing.

"Xiao Dai, where are you?" Chen You asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, your subordinate is here..." a faint voice came from below his feet, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Chen You looked down.

He first saw a pair of dark black combat boots as huge as small mountains, with faint purple electricity flowing across the armor plates.

Looking further down, he realized the Shadow Monarch Dai, who was originally like a primordial behemoth, was now standing next to his toes.

Like a forgotten figurine on the ground, it tilted its head back, its scarlet eye sockets flashing with confusion.

"Why did you become so small?" Chen You couldn't help but ask.

"Your Majesty, it is you who have grown larger..." Shadow Monarch Dai looked up, its massive body seeming somewhat pitiful at the moment.

Its originally resonant voice now sounded like its pitch had been elongated, carrying a sense of unreal distance.

Only then did Chen You react, subconsciously raising his hand.

It was a giant hand covered in dark armor, each finger as thick as a massive stone pillar.

These hands seemed capable of crushing a mountain range with ease.

He looked down again at Shadow Monarch Dai.

The latter was straining its neck back, as if looking up at a mountain peak piercing the clouds.

Its size, which could once strike despair into any mortal, now seemed so tiny before him, not even reaching the height of one of his calves.

"What transformation is this? Isn't this the ability to become colossal?!"

His current height must be over a hundred meters!

Chen You couldn't help but show a slight smile.

"Are you sure? Why do I feel like this size is my original 'normal' dimension, and you've become a little thing?"

"Your Majesty, according to the System rules, you have activated 'Monarch Incarnation,' and your size and strength have been amplified synchronously. This is normal."

Shadow Monarch Dai's voice still carried procedural respect, but Chen You keenly caught a trace of unnatural tremor.

"Additionally, the throne's volume has been automatically adjusted to ensure visual harmony."

"Harmony?" Chen You looked around.

It was precisely because the throne had scaled up with him that he hadn't realized his own change immediately.

But thinking about it again, that didn't seem right!

This was a Mythical Skill; shouldn't summoned entities be unusable?

Could it be that because it was newly created, he was given a special trial experience card?

Forget it, he'd try it out later if he had the chance!

Quickly gathering his thoughts, Chen You turned to ask about the meaning of those two options.

Although Xiao Dai couldn't see the interface, as an NPC, he should know.

Shadow Monarch Dai swallowed with difficulty, trying hard to adjust its posture so it didn't look as if it were trembling before Chen You.

"Your Majesty, 'Destiny Plunder,' as the name suggests, is a path concerning conquest and expansion."

"Selecting this option will unlock a series of quests related to territory contention and civilization warfare."

"That sounds pretty good," Chen You mused.

He carried the destiny of the entire Huaxia; if he could fight for more destiny for Huaxia, then of course he must go!

"What about 'Three Thousand Beauties'?" he asked casually, although he was highly unlikely to choose it, he needed to understand the option.

Shadow Monarch Dai seemed to hesitate for a moment, its scarlet eyes flickering more frequently.

"'Three Thousand Beauties'... is a path centered around 'emotion' and 'influence,'" it chose its words carefully.

"Selecting this option will unlock pathways involving NPC interaction, establishing complex relationship networks, and acquiring special rewards through 'Romance' quests."

"By gaining the loyalty and adoration of numerous NPCs, you can also gather destiny, indirectly strengthening yourself."

"Romance quests?" Chen You raised an eyebrow. "Sounds a bit like a GalGame. You can gather destiny through that?"

But thinking about being entangled in love and hate with thousands of beauties sounded incredibly enjoyable, yet too troublesome!

However...

"Besides these two options, are there no other paths?"

Chen You spoke again.

"Design something else for me. Money is not an issue."