A sliver of the Will of the Divine Weapon Civilization floated before Han Wu, waiting for him to decide whether to merge it into his Microcosm or not. Han Wu sensed that it granted his units the ability to transform into Divine Weapons.

This wasn’t a skill, but a powerful fundamental ability to shift from a living being into a non-living object. If a fireball were to strike a Common locust, it would be a death sentence! However, with the ability to transform into a Divine Weapon, the locust could become a Small Locust Blade and withstand the hit. The odds of surviving would not only increase, but the locust itself would also become more lethal while in blade form.

Han Wu didn’t hesitate to merge the Will into his Microcosm, allowing his core race to be touched by it and gain the ability to transform into Divine Weapons.

Thinking of Xu Hai, who had been ejected before him, Han Wu left his Microcosm and called his mentor. The latter picked it up quickly. Xu Hai appeared unusually serious even through the screen.

It seemed that in the brief window between their ejections from the Divine Weapon Civilization, the Butcher had announced that he would be ascending to God King within the next few days. Moreover, upon ascending, he intended to challenge Wisdom God King Xu Hai to a divine war.

The War Family rallied behind him and declared their support. A significant number of members from the War Faction also pledged themselves to the Butcher's side, ready to serve.

Puzzled, Han Wu asked, “The War God King hasn't died yet. How can the Butcher ascend? Is he planning to declare war on the War God King, too?”

“What the Butcher wants is not the War Jurisdiction,” Xu Hai explained. “He’s been preparing for this long before the contest for the legendary Armament Spirit. He even went so far as to allow his nephew, Hei Qi, to sign a contract with the Nine-Eyed Evil God, a notorious foreign deity, so the Butcher could eventually absorb the god's power.

“He forced his way into the Divine Weapon Civilization to retrieve Hei Qi's body. Hei Qi was not just a vessel for the Nine-Eyed Evil God. He also merged with the legendary Armament Spirit. Together, they’ll be the key material for the Butcher's ascension.

“His ascension is all but certain with the Nine-Eyed Evil God's power behind him. The only uncertainty left is which Divine Jurisdiction he’ll ultimately obtain.”

Han Wu's heart pounded. That explained his gut instinct to destroy Hei Qi's body. The body was important, and he had failed to destroy it.

This situation was clearly against Xu Hai. The Butcher had always been arrogant. Even as a Major God, he had constantly challenged and pushed Xu Hai around. If he ascended as a God King with the support of the entire War Family behind him, the ensuing divine war would almost certainly be a fight to the death.

Xu Hai was tied to the Imperial College and had not yet established a faction. Going into war without one would put him at a severe disadvantage. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Already aware of this, Xu Hai continued, “Han Wu, I’ll be announcing the formation of a faction to bring in talented individuals. The trouble is, with my resources, maintaining a faction's expenses will be difficult. So your mentor has to swallow his pride and—”

Han Wu raised a hand to stop him before he could finish. “Sir, you don't need to say it. You taught me. A mentor is like a father for life. Your problems are my problems. My assets are yours to use for building the faction. That's no problem at all.”

Xu Hai was deeply moved. In the Divine Civilization, even relationships elevated to the divine level were still built on personal interests at their core. Plenty of Gods had broken off over money and resources. For Han Wu to offer his own assets at this critical juncture was a gesture that truly touched him. From the bottom of his heart, he felt that having Han Wu as a student was his blessing.

“Sir, don't worry too much about money. What we're short on is people. Those who join for resources will ultimately be fickle cannon fodder who are no match for the veterans of the War Family,” Han Wu said seriously.

Xu Hai already had something in mind. “On the issue of members, your teacher has some confidence. I've made friends over the years, and I have students. If I make an appeal, I believe they’ll come and help.”

“Sir, the situation is different now,” Han Wu said, unable to shake his concern. “News of the Butcher's ascension and his grudge against you is probably spreading through the Divine Civilization as we speak. How many people will still be willing to join your faction? The Gods of the War Family have carved their way out of countless battles. They’re far more powerful than the average God, and their reputation intimidates many. I'm worried some may be too afraid of the War Family to join you.”

Xu Hai knew there was truth to Han Wu’s words. Friendship was one thing, lives and everything accumulated over a lifetime were on the line in a divine war. One wrong move could mean losing units in the best case or dying in the worst. Only those with absolute trust would join a divine war.

“At this point, all I can do is call as many as I can. I’ll remember and reward those who help me, but I won’t hold it against those who choose to watch from the sidelines. That's just how people are,“ Xu Hai said with a shake of his head. “I'll be holding lectures at the Imperial College, the Demonic Imperial College, and some of the other colleges in the coming period. I hope I can bring some students into the faction that way.”

Holding lectures and recruiting students suited Xu Hai's personality, but it was a slow approach. Han Wu mulled it over. For Xu Hai's faction to develop quickly, he needed another way.

The fastest and best option was to bring in strong factionless freelancers, or Gods who were in multiple factions. After running through his options, he decided that the White Mane God King, his former teammate in the battle against the Divine River Civilization, was the best candidate for this.

If the Commerce God King publicly backed Xu Hai and put his own stake in the war, the Wisdom Faction would undoubtedly receive a boost in numbers.

With that in mind, Han Wu prepared to visit the Commerce God King in person to discuss the matter. He was reasonably confident that he could persuade him.