The Era of Gods

Moreover, those who climbed up from the bottom and still managed to attain Divine Enthronement are all ruthless characters, each of them incredibly strong, and highly favored by major powers.

But there are too few of these, much fewer compared to those who come from a proper academic background.

There are ten classes in the First Level of the middle school, but only five remain in the second year, with the fifth class not even full, as more than half were eliminated at the end of the First Level exams.

Furthermore, this elimination has no leniency, if one fails to qualify in the first wave of elimination assessments, they are all eliminated without any ambiguity, even if it means too many are cut. It’s not rare for each term to end with less than three classes in the second year.

After the elimination assessment comes the main focus of this end-of-term test, the ranking system, also known as the positioning system. Students are ranked according to their performance, with the top scorers entering the elite class while the rest are placed in regular classes.

The specifics of the exam content weren’t mentioned above, but based on previous years, it is highly likely to involve practicing in a plane controlled by the Outland school.

Having read through the information, Lin Xiao stroked his chin and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar figure. Yuan Hong had come in, carrying a backpack, and several classmates chatting at the door immediately went up to greet him.

“Pfft!”

Enviously, he turned his head away, wishing he had underlings too. Even though his current underlings would soon be of little use, having underlings felt really good.

By the second year, teachers would encourage students to try forming teams, not necessarily with classmates from the same class; students from other classes were also acceptable.

By the third year, the teams would largely be established, and by that time, most major classes revolved around team-based activities.

This was done to prepare for the establishment of a Divine System; many indigenous deities in the Outland are dominated by various Divine Systems. Even a small plane with just one Indigenous God would have Demigods serving under him, and nearly none worked alone.

Although Lin Xiao had the Golden Finger and would need to find some companions in the future, his requirements for these companions were exceptionally high. Only individuals on par with Yuan Hong and Wan Chuan would catch his eye and be able to barely keep up with his growth pace.

This was certainly difficult, given that peers like Yuan Hong and Wan Chuan all preferred to lead rather than follow anyone, including him.

But he would rather be short than settle for less. His standards would not be compromised; if he couldn’t find suitable companions, he would rather go it alone. After all, when entering the Outland in the future, he could also subjugate some native deities.

Or maybe, finding a beautiful wife would do?

Just like his father and mother, who supported each other as husband and wife, and managed quite well.

Rubbing his cheeks, Lin Xiao suddenly looked up to see Yuan Hong watching him; seeing Lin Xiao look up, Yuan Hong turned his face away with an expression of disdain.

“What the heck? Can’t he stand to see someone drooling? Does he have to stare all the time?”

He glanced down at himself and touched his handsome face, suddenly shivering and swiftly averting his gaze.

As time passed, students arrived one after another, and eventually, Wan Chuan, built strong like a small Giant, came in with the homeroom teacher. Entering the classroom, Wan Chuan first glanced at Lin Xiao and finally fixed his gaze on Yuan Hong. Even outsiders could see the challenge in his eyes.

Having gathered the second point of Divinity, Wan Chuan’s strength had immediately caught up to Yuan Hong’s, posing a serious threat to the first in the class.

Yuan Hong had retracted his gaze as Wan Chuan walked in, and as the two locked eyes, sparks seemed to fly between them.

As for Lin Xiao, neither of them considered him a primary rival.

He was happy to relax, smiling as he watched the two squint at each other like gamecocks. It would have been perfect if he had a bag of sunflower seeds.

Unfortunately, this situation did not last long before the homeroom teacher interrupted by knocking on the desk, ‘thud thud,’ bringing everyone back to reality. Wu Hai, expressionless, swept his gaze over all the students and said:

“To put it briefly, I believe everyone has seen the updated content on the school’s official website and knows about this year’s First Level final exams. According to the elimination system, about half of the class might not pass.”

He paused there, his gaze sweeping over many students in the class, and continued:

“It’s harsh, but the school’s resources are limited, so we can only prioritize the training of excellent students. As for those who are eliminated… Well, there are quite a few options for eliminated students nowadays, and there are still opportunities to advance further in the future, as long as you work hard.”

The homeroom teacher fell silent after these words.

These words were just a comfort. In reality, out of ten thousand eliminated First Level students, less than ten might become a Demigod, not even one in a thousand.

But that’s reality, no matter the era or world, there’s always just a handful who make it to the summit.

Lin Xiao felt fortunate that his luck was not too bad; both his parents were Demigods, and so for him, Opening the Divine Realm was almost a sure thing. If he had been a descendant of ordinary people, without a Golden Finger, the success rate of Opening the Divine Realm would be less than one percent.

Half an hour later, the students, with their varied emotions, were escorted by the proctor to the third floor, which was divided into many small compartments. Each one contained a Divine Realm Login Cabin, and it was through the school-provided Divine Realm Login Cabins that they would enter the Divine Realm for the final exams.

It served only one purpose: to prevent cheating.

Yes, cheating, a problem in any era, is no exception in the Era of Gods and Spirits. The methods are numerous, with the most common being spending large sums of money to acquire Special Cards that temporarily enhance strength.

If one comes from a well-off family with a True God, they might directly ask a True God for a Divine Power Infusion.

Well, whether that’s feasible is another matter entirely, but such cheating methods exist.

Logging into the Divine Realm using the school-customized Divine Realm Login Device, and under the supervision of numerous True Gods from the school, no one can cheat.

Lin Xiao was randomly assigned to room number 41. Pushing the door open, he entered a tiny cubicle, which was almost entirely occupied by the Divine Realm Login Cabin.

Heeding the proctor’s advice, he checked the Login Cabin first. Although it had been tested earlier and was not expected to have issues, it was still important to check for any unexpected problems and adjust accordingly. Then, he lay down inside.

As the Login Cabin door slowly closed, a faint blue mist emerged and Lin Xiao slowly closed his eyes.

In the vast Subspace, a giant Gold platform stood still in the Depths of the Void, undisturbed by the berserk Subspace storms. Streaks of light flew from unknown depths of the Void, landing on this platform and transforming into young boys and girls.

Lin Xiao slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the Gold floor beneath his feet and its intricate patterns, then, looking up, he saw the transparent dome with dazzling Gold spheres slowly revolving around the platform.

In one of those Gold spheres, he sensed the familiar presence of his homeroom teacher, Wu Hai. Each sphere represented a different First Level class’s homeroom teacher, all of whom were High-Level Demigods. With ten First Level classes, there were ten High-Level Demigods present.

At the very apex of the dome, he saw several spheres even brighter than the rest, with the central one shining like the sun, overpowering all the others.

Without a doubt, that one belonged to the projection of a certain vice principal of the school, a genuine True God.