The Era of Gods

Chapter 352: Invitation and Challenge

Above a Knight lies a Baron, and then a Viscount, an Earl, a Marquis, and the Duke who could rival Powerful Divine Power.

As for Great Divine Power or a great being, they are called Kings or Great Kings.

It’s worth mentioning that between a Duke and a Great King is an informal rank known as a Grand Duke, an honorary title that could only be acquired by those with a God Level of nineteen, reflecting Powerful Divine Power. Although not an official status, it is a title recognized and revered by all aristocrats.

It is said that the current head of the Holy Light Clan is a Grand Duke, with the family boasting no less than three Dukes openly—a very powerful clan indeed.

The style of the Aristocracy Council’s military camp is vastly different from that of the HuaXia District, with a very clear distinction in status and many ancient feudal aristocratic traditions still preserved, such as…

As he stepped down from the carriage, a servant hurried forward to meet him. Although he wore no cape or overcoat for the servant to remove, the servant still used a delicate brush to sweep away any non-existent dust from his person.

Whether the actions were superfluous or not, the feeling they conveyed was distinctive.

One must admit that, when it comes to indulgence and prestige, the Aristocracy Council ranks first among the four major powers, and ordinary people don’t reject this kind of enjoyment.

Two divine-looking, glossy black horses drew an extravagantly luxurious carriage up to him. A respectful servant helped him aboard, where a petite, lovely girl knelt in the carriage, moving to serve him as soon as he sat down.

The girl’s voice was soft and pleasant, and every move she made revealed strict training, serving him with utmost attention to detail.

When he alighted from the carriage, he found himself at the entrance to a huge manor, where a few servants promptly came forward to greet him, presented the invitation, and one personally led him into the manor.

This place should still be within the military camp, which would be impossible in the HuaXia District’s camp, but in the territory of the Aristocracy Council, such sights are common.

The party had not yet started, and three white men were attentively chatting with a beautiful blonde girl in a yellow dress at the entrance. Upon his arrival, the three men merely glanced at him before averting their eyes, clearly not recognizing him.

However, the blonde girl brightened upon seeing him, excused herself from the men with a slight bow, and turned to Lin Xiao, saying:

“Respected Mr. Lin Xiao, you may call me Asher. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He had no choice but to pause, turn back, and examine her pretty face, finding no recollection of her in his memory. He was certain he had never seen her before. Puzzled yet not showing it, he earnestly returned the courtesy:

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Asher.”

The girl’s expressive large eyes met his, and she covered her mouth with a light chuckle:

“Perhaps Mr. Lin Xiao doesn’t remember me, which is normal, as I’ve only seen you before at the Ruins of Myriad.”

“The Ruins of Myriad?”

Lin Xiao searched his memories carefully but still couldn’t recognize her.

“It seems Mr. Lin Xiao hasn’t taken notice of me, which is normal, after all, how could someone as radiant as yourself notice someone insignificant like me.”

Lin Xiao…

He internally sighed but maintained a serious demeanor and politely replied:

“I apologize for overlooking the beautiful Miss Asher.”

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The blonde girl’s giggle rang out like a silver bell:

“Well, I forgive you, Mr. Lin Xiao.”

“I heard, Lord Lin Xiao, that you recently thwarted the evil intentions of Nightmare’s Will in the newly discovered Nightmare World. I’m very curious, could I possibly…”

The blond girl looked at him with the curiosity of a naive girl meeting her idol, which immediately made Lin Xiao wary. But it also made the three young men who had been chatting with her very jealous. They exchanged glances, and one of the blond men suddenly stepped forward, interrupting Lin Xiao to say loudly:

“Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt someone else’s conversation?”

Lin Xiao glanced at them and bowed slightly to Miss Asher:

“It seems I’ve come at an inopportune time; I shall head in first.”

After saying this, he didn’t wait for the blond girl’s persistent invitations and went with the servant into the manor.

As he disappeared behind the door, the expression on the blond girl’s face immediately turned sour. But when she turned back to look at the three men, her face instantly brightened into a brilliant smile as she said:

“Sorry to keep you waiting, it’s just that I greatly admire Lord Lin Xiao’s valor. I heard he’s now ranked seventh on the Celestial Talent Sub List. Of course, you’re also very outstanding, Jack, I’ve heard…”

Lin Xiao didn’t hear the rest, but in any case, he felt it was better to leave earlier. The girl might seem sweet and delicate, but he always felt she was not genuine, not the kind of person he wanted to deal with.

In the grand, gold-embellished hall, beautiful music echoed. Alec was talking to a couple who seemed to be in a romantic relationship. Seeing Lin Xiao arrive, he excused himself from the two and approached him with an outstretched hand.

“Follow me, Lord Lin Xiao. My master, Lord Uther, is upstairs chatting with friends. He instructed me to escort you up immediately upon your arrival.”

About twenty to thirty young men and women of extraordinary demeanor were present in the hall, all of a similar age. Whether they were chatting or playing, they all turned their sights upon him once he entered, with more than thirty oppressive gazes focusing on him at once.

He nodded without expression:

“Lead the way, please!”

He then smiled and nodded to the young men and women in the hall.

As he ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor, a buzz of discussion broke out in the hall:

“Who is that being taken up to the second floor?”

“I’ve never seen him before, but he looks like he’s from the HuaXia District. Let me check.”

“I see, he’s from Radiance Second High School, ranked seventh on the Celestial Talent Sub List… Lin Xiao, hmmm, he has no title yet.”

“So it’s him. He does have the credentials to go upstairs.”

“Still, there are quite a few strong competitors on both the Celestial Talent Sub List and the Peerless List upstairs, especially those ranked by strength on the Peerless List who might not acknowledge him. There will surely be challenges. I wonder if we’ll have the chance to see it.”

“We’ll have the chance. There are some from the Ivy League Alliance of High Schools who, if they dare to challenge him, will definitely want to defeat him in front of everyone.”

“That would be quite a spectacle.”

Upon reaching the second floor, the servant led Lin Xiao to a lavish room akin to a conference hall where seven impressive young men and women were conversing. A handsome young man with golden blond hair rose to greet him from a distance, saying:

“You must be Lin Xiao. I’m Uther! Welcome.”

The young man carried an unusual aura that exuded sincerity, making people instinctively want to get closer to him. His manner of speaking was so affable, it was like a breath of spring wind.

Uther was in the same year as Senior Chu Mo, now in his freshman year of college, and had already become a Demigod, ranked thirty-third on the Celestial Talent Main List for potential. He was undoubtedly stronger than Lin Xiao at the moment, as there was a full level’s difference in their strength being a Demigod.

But the gap could not be that substantial, considering that Lin Xiao possessed ten legendary Supreme Naga Lords and a Mythical Hero capable of defeating a Normal Demigod in cross-rank combat. If it really came down to a fight, the outcome would be a Pyrrhic victory, with both sides suffering greatly.

“`

However, Uther himself certainly did not know that while he treated Lin Xiao with respect, it was from the stance of a senior addressing a junior.

Lin Xiao did not mind too much, after all, Uther’s manners were impeccable and he did not look at him with the same naked malice as some others did.

After welcoming him, Uther introduced the others present, one by one, and Lin Xiao consequently met the six individuals other than Uther—four men and two women.

As he expected, these six were all super elites on the same level as himself, either on the Celestial Talent sub-list or the main list, with the least ranked among the top of the Exquisite sub-list.

Although the Exquisite List is one level lower than the Celestial Talent List, it doesn’t mean that the ones on it are necessarily weaker than those on the Celestial Talent List.

You should know that the eligibility for the Exquisite List is just as stringent, and while the Celestial Talent List might allow for those with extraordinary talent and potential, the Exquisite List strictly measures actual combat ability, containing many who are not inferior in combat strength to those on the Celestial Talent List but lack in potential.

These strong individuals with superior combat capabilities, who could not make it onto the list, were very dissatisfied and looked down on those who made it based on potential. They were extremely keen on challenging the super elites on the Celestial Talent sub-list.

For those on the lower-ranked Exquisite List to challenge someone on the Celestial Talent List, no one would say anything if they failed, but if they succeeded, their reputation would soar. Effectively, they could become famous without any consequences by stepping on those of the Celestial Talent List, so naturally, they were very eager. That’s why, ever since Lin Xiao walked in, he saw two individuals already itching to try, seemingly only waiting for the introductions to finish before making their move.

Clearly, this was the potential challenge the homeroom teacher had mentioned.

True to expectations, just after Uther had finished challenging, those two could not wait to stand up, with the big and burly man on the left extending his robust hand first and saying:

“My name is Biggs, I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Lin Xiao, and I would like to challenge you!”

You could clearly see that the other man was annoyed at himself for being a step too slow.

The rest appeared quite interested, seemingly very eager to witness this scene.

This was normal; seeing is believing. All as top-level elites were extremely proud and confident in their strength. When facing other elites of the same rank, they certainly wouldn’t fully acknowledge the others until they’d personally witnessed their strength, just like Lin Xiao had to fight a battle to be recognized either when meeting Luo Shuang or other top-level elites previously.

As for Lin Xiao himself, he was quite interested as well. He had just returned from the Nightmare World with a substantial increase in strength and had not yet had an official bout with anyone. It was the perfect opportunity to see how much stronger he was compared to other super elites of the same rank.

He was confident that he was stronger than the elites of the same rank, but he had no clear idea of how much stronger.

Thinking this, amidst everyone’s expectant gazes, he responded with a slight smile and reached out to shake Biggs’s hand:

“Sure, I’m also very interested in witnessing Mr. Biggs’s strength.”

At this moment, Uther spoke:

“We are within the range of the military intranet, and you can communicate with the virtual battlefield to issue a challenge at any time.”

He gestured invitingly with his hand, and Biggs grinned, a soul-like phantom soared into the sky and vanished, which was followed by the other people present. This indicated that they had communicated with the virtual battlefield and projected themselves.

“It’s been a long time since I entered the virtual battlefield!”

As a thought passed through Lin Xiao’s mind, a projection merged into the void. When he reappeared, it was in a void with a metallic platform beneath his feet, while the others stood on their respective platforms, looking at them both with great interest.

In the nearby void were many platforms with indistinct silhouettes standing on them, representing other soldiers or academy students connected through the fortress’s internal network.

Biggs spread his arms wide as if taking a deep breath, then swept his hands from his forehead backward. Flames burst forth from his head, transforming into several fire dragons stretching in all directions. His eyes blazed with a piercing light, and his entire presence underwent a dramatic change, emitting the authoritative voice of a Divine Being:

“Mr. Lin Xiao, please go ahead!”

Lin Xiao responded with a slight smile. As he inhaled deeply, the void behind his head rapidly contracted inward, and layers upon layers of invisible distortions formed a slow-moving shadow of a Magic Cube at the center. An indescribable dazzling light surged from the gaps of the Magic Cube, causing everyone to feel that their sight and perception had been twisted the moment the cube appeared, making it impossible to look directly at it.

“`

The crowd exchanged looks, a trace of alarm in their hearts.

Uther’s gaze shifted slightly, looking with great surprise toward another man who also ranked on the Celestial Talent List. A voice of astonishment rose in his ear:

“This feeling?”

Uther replied:

“Yes, his Divinity Level has already surpassed that threshold, which is too unexpected.”

“It seems this classmate’s true strength is stronger than the legends suggest.”

“I’m very interested!”

The expressions of everyone present became serious; their gazes at Lin Xiao had a touch of recognition compared to before.

In terms of the power displayed, Biggs appeared more dazzling, but to the other experts present Lin Xiao’s performance felt more powerful.

This anomaly was an embodiment of individual Divinity strength; the stronger the individual Divinity, the more splendid the anomaly displayed, and the greater the pressure it exerted on others.

In the past, first-year students typically didn’t exhibit any anomalies, only a small number of elites showed minor ones. Now, in the third-year phase, any student could display a brilliant anomaly that would astonish those in the first year.

Of course, this did not mean that the more spectacular the anomaly, the stronger it definitely was. In most cases, it was so, but there were also a few anomalies that seemed inconspicuous yet were very powerful.

For instance, the anomaly of the Magic Cube behind Lin Xiao’s head wasn’t as exaggerated as Biggs’s, but it exerted a greater pressure on everyone present than Biggs’s did.

However, this did not affect Biggs; it only made his fighting spirit surge even more.

Famous for actual combat and ranking thirteenth on the peerless list, he was known for having a Divinity Level too low to be on the Celestial Talent List. He had long been psychologically prepared for his Divinity Level to be lower than Lin Xiao’s.

“What does it matter if your Divinity is powerful? I have cut down such exceptional talents before!”

His experience of having defeated a participant on the Celestial Talent List once filled him with battle fervor as he spoke loudly,

“Your Divinity is the strongest I have seen in our age group, I hope your strength is just as formidable.”

Lin Xiao responded with a fist salute:

“I believe I will not disappoint you!”

With that, he submerged into the vortex. When he reappeared, it was before a vast virtual plane.

Biggs’s figure materialized out of thin air on the other side of the plane, while beams of light fell from the dome of the Virtual Plane, taking the form of Uther and others.

The challenge plane wasn’t much different from before, except the plane’s area was greater than any they had seen previously.

Lin Xiao chose to go with randomness directly. His Clan had no notable weaknesses now; whether it be the Supreme Naga or the Lesser Naga, they had long surpassed the scope of Fishman. Whether it was a water realm or not did not greatly affect him, and he need not worry whether the enemy would pick an advantageous terrain or not.

However, Biggs also chose randomness. At their level, duels were defaultedly random. If one selected terrain or other conditions suited to oneself, even winning wouldn’t be recognized by others.

PS: I went up the mountain for ancestral worship on Labor Day, exhausted to the point of collapse, barely managing four thousand words… I really want to take a day off, but I’ve asked for one a few days ago and feel embarrassed to ask again.

The chapter hasn’t been finely edited yet, there might be typographical errors, I’ll deal with it tomorrow.