The Era of Gods

The war ended half an hour after Slarda’s demise. After he was slain in battle

during the siege, the remaining Naga merpeople held out for almost another half an hour. Finally, less than eight hundred Fishman were surrounded by over sixteen hundred Bull Monsters, and only then did the fight conclude.

Of course, before it ended, he personally descended to affirm the steadfast Clan who had endured to the end, their devotion confirmed by the divine Deity. He soothed those Fanatic Believers who had persisted until the last, their bodies and spirits, as well as their hearts, wounded.

Though it was a projection, the combat was genuinely real.

After the battle, Lin Xiao returned to Artifact City, still contemplating the recent fight.

However, upon reflection, he suddenly realized that, although the gap between himself and these top-tier elites was significant, it wasn’t fundamental. In fact, there was almost no difference in terms of the Clan aspect. The only thing he currently lacked was weaponry and equipment.

In the fight, it was clear to see that there wasn’t a huge disparity in individual quality between Fishman and Centaurs or Bull Monsters. Fishman, loaded with the all-rounder warrior Profession, were on par with Level 2 troops. They might not be sufficient as main combat units, but as Cannon Fodder, they were completely qualified. With better weapons, capable of breaking through the opponent’s defense, he would not have lost either to Shang Xiaoxue earlier or to Tang Ling just now.

For the Summer Camp phase, I must ensure that one of the two allowed Card slots contains a Weapon Card, or a Blacksmith’s Professional Card to upgrade my Clan’s weaponry; otherwise, I won’t be able to keep up with others.”

He had a preference for the Blacksmith’s Professional Card. Although the Weapon Card would provide immediate combat capability, the Blacksmith profession provided an ongoing source, and the profession itself could be passed down.

Having finished summarizing his thoughts, he looked up to find Tang Ling looking at him with an unpleasant expression, which left him somewhat confused.

What’s with that look? Aren’t you satisfied even after winning?

He shook his head and disregarded it. He had long noticed that Tang Ling seemed to have a problem with him. The battle just now clearly showed that he wanted to bully an easy target. It was unexpected that the Fishman Naga would put up such a strong fight, almost overturning the situation. However, if Tang Ling was giving him attitude over this, that would be rather petty.

Of course, he wasn’t particularly magnanimous himself. To be humiliated in front of so many people, he made a mental note of it and was determined to return the favor someday.

At that moment, Bai Ze came over with a smile:

Brother, that was impressive, pushing him into such a tight spot.

At the same time, Lin Xu approached and patted him on the shoulder, saying:

Not bad at all. Be careful with Tang Ling, though. If he asks you to do something or to go somewhere, check with me first.”

Lin Xiao nodded thoughtfully:

I will.

The third person to approach was Shen Yuexin. She had already concealed her anomalies, except for the faint divine light twisting around her. Neither the purple flames in her pupils nor the blazing purple-gold crown above her head were visible anymore.

It was because of this concealment that her exquisitely flawless and beautiful face was revealed. She smiled generously and said:

Your Clan is outstanding, especially the Fishman. To train such weak creatures to this level is remarkable.”

Lin Xiao shrugged his shoulders:

But I lost, didn’t I?”

That’s because your weapons were too poor. With better weapons, the outcome would’ve been uncertain.”

Maybe, but a loss is a loss.

Shen Yuexin did not dwell on this point and simply said:

It was right for you to join this circle. Not only does it broaden your horizons, but it also allows you to exchange for many rare resources that were previously unattainable.”

Lin Xiao was silent for a while before he quietly uttered Wo words:

I’m broke!

Shen Yuexin:….

That day, he had successfully killed the mood.

He knew that he could exchange spare rare Cards within the circle, but the problem was that he was broke and didn’t have much to trade.

He had a few good Cards, but he needed them for his own use and definitely couldn’t afford to trade them.

In the following time, he challenged Bai Ze and Lin Xu separately.

Bai Ze’s main Clan was the Snake people, slightly more numerous than Tang Ling’s forces and, crucially, better equipped. What left him speechless was that each Snake person was also equipped with a small hand crossbow.

The outcome goes without saying. Before the two sides even came close, a large number of his Fishman Cannon Fodder was shot dead, and the rest naturally couldn’t compete.

As for Lin Xu, he was even stronger than Tang Ling. His main Clan was the Plains Half-Elf, which Lin Xiao remembered vividly from an Endless Mode exam some time ago. Now, once again, he witnessed firsthand how brutal a storm of arrows could be.

Tens of thousands of Fishman Cannon Fodder were wiped out by the Half­Elves’ kite strategy before they could even get close—the clean and crisp crushing defeat left him utterly dispirited.

For the following Wo days, Lin Xiao thickened his skin and kept dragging Lin Xu to try various tactics. Although they were beaten badly, they learned a lot.

In the simulation challenges, he constantly had his Clan try all sorts of tactics, including personally taking command, and the result was the same: a crushing defeat.

But the harvest was great. Aside from the Clan accumulating a wealth of experience in combat against powerful ranged enemies, he himself clearly understood his current level.

As for how to deal with ranged enemies, there had been answers early on: either have enough cannon fodder to overwhelm them, or be well-equipped to withstand them. Apart from these two, there might be other methods, such as invisibility, or spells, etc., but those are not the mainstream.

So passed the enriching yet bruising days until the morning of the third day. Lin Xiao was just about to go out to continue seeking out challenges from Lin Xu when he suddenly received a message from the team leader, who he knew of but had never met. The message instructed him to prepare and gather after nine o’clock. It was then that he realized the Super Newcomer Summer Camp was starting.

Seeing there was still time, he went to the canteen to have something to eat and got ready…

There wasn’t much to prepare, just some basic personal belongings. He packed everything into a small bag, slung it over his shoulder, went downstairs, and saw other people coming out one after another. The plaza was already full of people, including a silver-white streamlined flyer suspended about Wo meters above the ground.

The surface of the flyer shimmered with many magical runes, and a faint wave of energy pulsed as the magic runes lit up.

This was a special flyer constructed with a combination of real-world technology and magic technology; only flyers integrated with magic technology could enter Subspace, as normal technological creations could not.

As nine o’clock approached, more people came downstairs, and the plaza filled with fifty to sixty figures. He realized there were quite a few from Yunmengxing Province who had received the invitations to the Super Newcomer Summer Camp.

Right at nine, the flyer’s hatch opened, and a middle-aged man stood at the door counting heads. Everyone entered one by one, and Lin Xiao casually found a seat and sat down.

Half an hour later, the flyer trembled slightly as it lifted off and flew directly toward the immense vortex a hundred miles away. They needed to enter Subspace through this cross-dimensional gate and take a Subspace Channel directly to their destination.

The so-called Subspace Channel is a passage between the spatial coordinates where the cross-dimensional gate is and another set of coordinates. As is well known, Subspace is almost boundless, much like the vast expanse of space. Without coordinates, one would get lost in it.

By traveling through the Subspace Channel within the cross-dimensional gate, the flyer can cross the infinite Void at faster-than-light speeds to reach its destination.

This can be likened to the hyperdrive engines of space shuttles, which are reportedly inspired by real hyperdrive engines.

This mode of travel is different from entering the Divine Territory using a Divine Realm Login Device, yet it has similarities.

Through the Divine Realm Login Device one can enter the Outland, much like during final exams to enter a different plane of Outland; that’s not actually entering the Outland but projecting there through the school’s Divine Artifacts with one’s body still in Subspace.

On the other hand, entering the Void Fortresses of Subspace — also known as Plane Fortresses or War Fortresses — through the cross-dimensional gate with one’s True Body is truly descending, allowing direct entry into the Outland.

To put it in simpler terms, entering the plane of the Outland using the Divine Realm Login Device has protection. The Divine Realm Login Device safeguards against getting lost, allowing one to return at any time.

But if one’s True Body enters the Outland and gets lost there, it would be very difficult to return.

Generally, this is a privilege reserved for college level, as colleges and high schools are not on the same level. College students face real tests and dangers, and the loss of a college student is hardly newsworthy.

Do you think becoming a god is that easy?

A True God possesses immortal life and supreme power. It’s not easy to attain that level, and it demands risking one’s life.

Human civilization has trillions of Divine Territory Players, but the vast majority are between Divine Beings and Demigods. Only one in ten thousand might achieve Divine Enthronement.

That may not seem very concrete, so let me give you a simple analogy. In each Super Newcomer Summer Camp, thousands, sometimes nearly ten thousand, elites like Lin Xu and Bai Ze participate. Yet the number who survive to the end and can successfully achieve Divine Enthronement might not even be one in ten.

It sounds unbelievable, but that’s the reality. It’s not a given that you’ll achieve Divine Enthronement just because you’re an elite or a genius.

It’s like the saying: hard work might not guarantee success, but without it, you’ll definitely fail. It’s a harsh reality.

Otherwise, is it not that after hundreds of thousands of years of human civilization’s development, the number of True Gods would be around ten million at present, maybe a bit more if we include the hidden ones not counted in the statistics, but definitely not over thirty million.

The flyer soon arrived in front of the cross-dimensional gate, and the leader’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears:

The ship will soon enter the cross-dimensional gate into Subspace. Please, everyone, restrain your power in a moment to avoid interfering with the navigation.”

The warning sounded three times, and at the same time, Lin Xiao felt an oppressive will sweep over him. The leading teacher was also a True God.

Then, there was a sudden sense of weightlessness, all color disappeared from sight, and the sound vanished from his ears instantaneously, as if suddenly muted, indicating the flyer had crossed the gate into Subspace.

Subspace is like the vacuum of space but without the ubiquitous radiation and particle beams of space. Yet, it’s not a true void, as it is filled with Subspace energy. The basis for the Divine Territories developed by players comes from this omnipresent Subspace energy that only True Gods can access.

This expanse of Subspace is boundless and without borders. The place they were heading to wasn’t about crossing Subspace to reach its boundary.

Actually, the relationship between the Main World, Subspace, and the Chaotic Void Sea isn’t what ordinary people imagine — with the Main World on one side, Subspace separating the Main World from the Chaotic Void Sea. It’s not like that.

Let’s use an analogy: compare the Main World and Subspace to an egg. If the Main World is the yolk inside, then Subspace is like the egg white, and the Subspace Crystal Wall is similar to the eggshell. The Chaotic Void Sea is like a large pot, with countless Crystal Wall Systems floating and sinking within it like different-sized eggs in the pot.

In other words, the Main World is just one of many Crystal Wall Systems within the Chaotic Void Sea, only it’s more special than the others.